Arella did not know how to react. Some days ago, she was searching for this man, but could not find him anywhere. And now, when she least expected him, he was here. She felt speechless.
"Long time, no see." Nicholas continued walking toward her as he finished eating the apple in a few bites. He did not mind Arella's silence.
Arella kept staring at him. She surely was shocked to see him. But there was one more thing that baffled her.
At this moment, only one thought roamed in her mind, 'how could Nicholas see her? What happened to the shield of Mother Tree? Should not the shield hide her from others as Andrew had said?'
Arella looked around alertly. No other bird or creature could be seen around her. Andrew was not around either. Then, how could Nicholas locate her?
'Do you not want to eat that? Can I have it instead?" Nicholas's voice broke her train of thought, and she blankly stared at the apple in her hand.
She looked up, only to find Nicholas staring at the apple hungrily. She absent mindedly bit the apple and ate it in a few bites.
A flash of disappointment appeared in Nicholas' eyes. Arella twitched her lips. She was not heartless. She could have given the apple to the hungry fellow. But she had already bitten into it. How could she let him eat her leftovers? Only Adrian had that privilege! So, she ate it in a hurry.
And then, she went straight to a question spree.
"How could you see me? Why come only now? Where were you all this time?" She shot one question after another without batting an eye.
"Wow, calm down! So many queries? Let me see." Nicholas put a finger on his chin and thought for a moment before answering.
"You are already out of the protective shield, so it is not hard to trace you. As for the second question, you really cannot blame me! The security of the military compound is too tight! They wouldn't let me in without proper documents!" An agitated voice surrounded Arella.
She could not help but purse her lips. Yes, the security was too tight. It will not let any person in.
"I went to meet an old friend of mine. That is why I could not come to meet you sooner. Hope you did not miss me much?" Nicholas smirked playfully.
His playfulness made her a little annoyed. Here she was, plagued by his vague words, and he looked so free!
"Now tell me, why did you come to me at first? What did you mean by those training techniques, and what in the name of Beast God is the case with the eclipse!" With every question, her voice became louder and more irritated.
She always felt that she was a calm and mature person, always thinking before speaking. But looking at Nicholas had filled her with the unanswered queries once again. And honestly, she hated it! She wanted answers! And as soon as possible!
"Calm down, fiery! Calm down!" Nicholas took a few steps back instinctively. The way she was now, was more in line with his memories. This was the real Arella: fiery, loud, outspoken, bold, not to be trifled with, and thirsty for answers!
A slight smile appeared on his face without his knowledge. But this smile proved counterproductive because Arella was already annoyed, and this smile was like adding fuel to the fire!
Her eyes blazed with anger. A sudden rage started consuming her. Before the rage could consume her, she heard Nicholas's voice once again.
"Be good, fiery. You are doing well. Calm down first." His soothing voice interrupted her intention of eruption. She looked at him blankly. His smile and playfulness were wiped clean because of Arella's raging emotions. He was back to his serious self.
This provided comfort to her.
"You have done well. I can see that you took my words seriously. Your senses have improved, and your strength is better, but…." A hesitant expression appeared on his face.
"This is not the answer to my question! But what?" Arella was annoyed at herself now. How could she lose her composure so easily? She should take a few deep breaths to calm down!
"But all this is non existent if you fail to awaken your Beast." A disappointed look appeared on his face.
Arella hated it! She could not bear to see that she was not good enough. She subconsciously defended herself.
"But I saw the wings and am sure I can use it very soon. I can also feel the life pulsating through the wings!" She was training every day. And she was improving. But did it feel that it was not enough?
"Wings are like nails and hair. They can grow on their own, but they have no real power. The real power lies in the Beast, who, unfortunately, is still asleep." He tried to be as calm as possible.
"I felt it stir a few days ago." She muttered under her breath.
"Stirring is equivalent to yawning. That does not mean that the Beast is awake." He spoke softly.
"Wake up Arella. You need to wake your Beast up. That too soon. The time is running out." Nicholas added quietly.
This again! Arella, who was feeling normal by now, became annoyed once again.
"Stop blabbering and tell me everything! Time is running out, but for what? And why are you so interested in waking up my Beast? Who are you?" Arella roared loudly.
"It is the Blue moon eclipse. It is around the corner. If you do not wake your Beast up before that, then you can never meet your family in this life. So, wake up Arella. They are waiting for you. Wake up."
Family? A frown appeared on her face as soon as she heard his words. What family? And what about the Blue moon eclipse? She blinked and was about to open her mouth to ask for more clarity when Nicholas turned into a Hawk and flew away.
She tilted her neck to trace his path, but he vanished from her field of vision within seconds. She wanted to chase him through her senses. But Andrew came out at this time, disturbing her.
"Madam, hope I did not keep you waiting for too long! I received a message from Sir. He wants us to visit him now. Brian has something to report." Andrew spoke fast and led her to the airship.
Meanwhile, Arella ruminated on the new information. According to Nicholas, her family was waiting for her. So, the Williams was not her family at all. And now Brian had come to report.
Arella looked forward to listening to what Brian had figured out about her so called family.