“I think it’ll suit your tail.”
Genad had told him as he handed unto him the lovely emerald bracelet with vined flowery designs intricated unto it delicately. When sunlight shone at it from various angles it glimmered prettily along with his tail.
It was very gorgeous.
“It really does suit it!” Feral exclaimed as he admired it along with his tail. Genad had told him that the true purpose of this bracelet was to prevent his transformation into a merman while Genad was in human form.
‘Only then did I notice I had legs even though he was in a human form… must be due to the transformation abilities.’
“What do you think? Is it pretty?" Feral asked as he showed the bracelet on his palms to the fish beside him.
ϵ( 'Θ' )϶: Nods cutely.
“Aw, thanks! Wanna swim together? I haven’t taken a swim with this body of mine just yet~,” Feral chattered as he took the slimy little fish in his eyes which stared at him with cute beady eyes making him swoon.
The sealer’s effect had long worn out but she found herself much more able to control Feral now, mostly because he was being quiet.
‘But this deep urge to visit the human race… I can’t be as cruel as to ignore it now can I?’
ϵ( 'Θ' )϶: *flaps fin vigrously* Let's go!
“Oh of course~ let’s go!!” Feral said with a giggle and the next minute he dived into the spring.
It wasn’t too deep neither was it too shallow to take a swim in; Dina had never felt freer than she was now as she swam. As a sports enthusiast who loved trying out different sports, swimming was one of her favorites due to the calming feeling it gave her.
‘But due to limited time in college, I barely had a break for such things! Still, this spring really is refreshing~’ Dina thought, maybe it had something to do with this being a magical world OR even more—a land of comfort, but as she swam she could feel her entire being drowning in delightful comfort.
Feral had never felt like this before. He could feel everything, from the perfect curvatures of his tail made as he swam across the spring, to his body's swaying along with it and to the light caresses his extremely long hair gave his scales and tail and most especially the feeling of lightness which made him feel like a feather drifting softly through the waters. The waters felt so free, so light, and even its viscosity seemed to have varnished and he felt that he wanted to stay all day and do nothing but swim.
Maybe this strange desire of his had subconsciously taken over as by the time Genad had finally arrived, he had already circled the spring with the little fish guardian five times without realizing it.
‘How addicting,’ Dina thought direly, for a second there she seem to have forgotten every single thing but the warm feeling of water all over her.
“You don’t have to worry, as long as you’re with me I won’t let you get addicted to it,” Genad stated as he watched Feral put on the bracelet, and then bright light enveloped him for a second, and in the next minute, his legs were back.
“That’s… possible?”
“Yes, it’s not anything strange for contract slaves to get addicted to water especially when they always have to be in it due to their masters taking form,” Genad explained as he led Feral out of the water by hand before handing over to him a pair of clothes to put on.
Indeed he, Feral was a special case, in normality, he was supposed to be a merman in exchange for Genad turning into a human but luckily, he had this big fat thigh to hold onto protecting him from such a sour fate.
“I wonder why that is...” Feral muttered but then stopped if he really thought about it did make. He, even he with all his control didn’t know when he fell for the bound.
‘However, I have Zero here with me to always call out to me if things get out of hand.’
“Are you done?” Genad asked but stopped the next minute, seeing the faint yet continuous dripping of water from Feral’s hair he sighed. “What a child you are.”
‘Hmph! Did you give me a damn towel? Was I supposed to use my clothes for it??’ Dina chided him internally.
The next instant though a slightly strong wind attacked Feral, harshly running through his hair and leaving it scattered but most of all—dry.
“Fix it up,” Genad said while glancing at his messy hair.
Dina was stunned for a while, it seemed maybe Genad wasn’t half bad. How come he was quite nice…? Then maybe… could it be possible?
“M-master!” Feral suddenly called out, the awkwardness in his voice could be felt as he was not used to addressing one with such an overbearing title.
“Yes?” Genad answered leisurely, his light purplish hair lightly scattering across his face—it had loosened.
The next minute Feral who had opened his mouth to speak was left in awe as Genad loosened his hair causing it to gracefully fall across his back cascading to his calf. He gathered his locks together once again, tying up his hair in a ponytail before glancing at Feral with eyes urging him to speak.
“I-I eh… can we please stop by the festival before we continue on our journey since we’re going to the human world anyways?” Feral finally blurted out nervously.
There was silence. A suffocating silence and for a moment Dina regretted ever opening her mouth. What was she thinking?! Just because he had been a bit kind meant nothing… he literally drowned Feral to his doom!
“Okay.”
This response stunned Dina so much that she nearly let out a gasp. Feral stared at Genad with wide open mouth before the next minute his eyes shone a brilliant red as he exclaimed in glee—
“Hurray! Thank you so much, master!!”
Even Dina was once again baffled today, just how excited was this boy, Feral? His subconsciousness had been silent for a while but now it was rousing with a feeling Dina hadn’t felt him giving off before- gladness.
‘What a simple boy, this is almost too cute,’ Dina thought with a chuckle.
Feral’s fate was sad, he didn’t visit the human world even to the end talking more of courting a lady. In truth, all he had wanted was company, to meet people that weren’t his parents but the world really was cruel and he died even before that.
Genad looked at the cheerful boy whose excitement spilled everywhere as he cuddled the now-turned-to-a-bear-cub guardian harshly in a bid to control himself and found it amusing. Something so slight made him happy? This child was almost too easy.
“Then shall we leave?” Genad asked as he leisurely stretched his hands to ruffle Feral’s hair who at first had frozen up but eventually took it all without even as much as a whimper. It was quite soft to feel and Genad couldn’t help indulging himself.
After ruffling to his satisfaction causing Feral’s hair to fall hazardly across his face he slightly chuckled. Now they were ready to go.
Genad snatched the lazy guardian who was busy enjoying the company and petting of Feral and tossed it to the ground with a glare making Feral yelp a bit in anxiety.
The guardian glared back at Genad but transformed anyway, what a cheeky mortal! It would make sure to fling him away from his back with its speed, in reciprocation! Hmph!
“Come on,” Genad called over to Feral who walked over. Picking him up by his waist he placed him unto the wolverine transformation of the guardian before finally getting on after Feral who was flushed completely with how close they were.
“Master?”
“Lean into me so you won’t get hurt. You’re an awfully frail creature after all.”
‘Is that his tsundere way of telling me he’s worried I’ll get flung away with the force of the wind when the wolverine starts running?’
“Okay!”
“Good.”
Leaning backward in an attempt to get ready for takeoff, the guardian took a full leap forward and in the next minute, they were running through the forest at lightening speed as Feral screamed in horror.
‘WHHHAAAATTT TTTHHHEEE HEEELLL?!!!!’
It was one hell of a ride indeed.