The whole ground was stained with blood, and everyone aside from Angus transformed back into their human forms.
Angus, still in his snake form, crawled towards Lily and hissed repeatedly.
"You..." Lily's brows furrowed slightly.
Seeing that he couldn't express his thoughts for Lily to understand, he directly carried her and sped away.
Malik, Angus, Liam, and Art immediately ran after them. It was a pity that Liam didn't have his powers; he was extremely slow, and even running made him breathe heavily.
.....
Soon, Angus's speed slowed down, and a huge ocean came into view. Angus gently placed Lily down and stared at her.
Lily frowned, finding the sea familiar. "This..." Her brows settled. "Isn't this the place where I first met you? Is this your home?" she questioned.
Angus hissed in response.
"So... you..." Lily was still confused, and everything became clear when he showed her his peeling body. "So you are going to shed your skin?" she confirmed, and Angus hissed in affirmation.
"What happened? Didn't you say soon? I thought you meant a month or two later."
Angus nodded and hissed, then opened his eyes wide and closed them, demonstrating his thoughts.
"Lily, don't let him wait too long. Naturally, he shouldn't have to shed skin so early, but he just fed on beasts not long ago, which has made the time for changing skin arrive sooner than expected. When he's in this state, his anger operates according to the pain he will experience during his shedding. He probably choose to come back here because he's afraid of hurting you. He will have to do two things at the same time: forcibly digest the food he ate and shed his skin. The longer he delays it, the harder it will be for him to change," Star explained.
Lily bit her lower lip and stared at Angus. "Will... will you be okay? How long will it take?" she asked, feeling suddenly reluctant to part with him.
Angus shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
Lily took a deep breath and hugged him. "I will wait for you, okay? Take it slowly and don't force yourself. If you push too hard and get hurt, I will be mad; do you understand?" she murmured.
Angus nodded in response.
"Angus," Lily called as she brought out a jade green pendant from her pocket. She gently placed it around his neck and smiled. "This pendant is very important to me. I'm giving it to you now, and I will take it as if I lost it. You will play the role of finding it and returning it; do you understand?" she smiled.
Angus nodded obediently.
Lily kissed him on his forehead and flashed him a warm smile.
Angus hissed and immediately rushed towards the river, casting a glance at Malik that conveyed the message to protect Lily well. After earning an assuring nod from them, he took one last look at Lily before entering the sea.
The sea rose up high, and after it settled, all traces of Angus had been washed away.
Lily bit her lower lip, feeling an emptiness inside.
"It's not like he's dead; stop feeling sad; it's affecting my breathing," Star commented.
"Angel, let's go back home," Grant suggested as he carried Lily.
"I can walk; is there a need to carry me?" Lily questioned in shock.
"You look weak now; you can't walk properly. I have to carry you," Grant replied immediately, blinking cutely.
Lily rolled her eyes. "It's clear that you want to carry me; stop finding excuses," she snapped, though a sweet smile appeared on her face.
Grant smiled handsomely, taking Lily's breath away.
"Right, let's go home. I need to cook and send food to Berry. I promised her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her and her mates," Lily said.
Grant looked at Lily with his beautifully fair face. "You promised? I really don't like you stressing yourself and sending food to others," he complained. "Malik can cook and send it to them," he smiled charmingly.
Malik's eyes darkened immediately. "Excuse me! I can't cook for others!" he snapped. "I can only cook for Angel; Art should be able to do it," he added.
A cold air spread everywhere, and a murderous aura blossomed around Art. He cast Malik a suffocating glare and said, "What do you take me for, huh? Do you want to be beaten?" His angered voice fell.
Malik took several steps away from Art. "In case he starts his madness, better to be safe, he's too terrifying when he's killing people," he thought, shivering as he recalled how Art had violently torn people apart.
"You push it onto others; why can't you do it yourself?" Art commented, his gaze fixed on Grant; it was clear that his earlier words were directed at him.
Grant's eyes flashed with coldness for a moment before he smiled. "I can't cook; I don't even know how to. You both know much about it, and ah, that slave snake knows how to cook as well, but he's not here," he replied. Just after his statement, he suddenly felt a chill as a cold glare was directed at him. His body froze as he traced the gaze and locked eyes with Lily, who was looking at him as if he were her prey.
"You, repeat, who did you just address as 'slave' just now? I didn't quite hear you," Lily remarked, her eyes darkening, her expression solid.
Grant smiled awkwardly. "Angel, I'm sorry I blurted it out unintentionally; I didn't mean it," he pleaded.
Lily cast him a warning glare. "I'm not asking anyone to cook; I'm cooking myself for my friend," she stated firmly.
"Angel, you don't need to do that... mm... how about I gather her mates? I will instruct them on how to do it, and they can cook themselves," Malik suggested.
"That's a good idea." Everyone agreed, even the tiny Liam nodded his head in approval.
Lily sighed, knowing that it's pointless to act stubborn. "Alright then, I will listen to you this time," she replied.
"That's my Angel!" Grant smiled and kissed Lily.
Liam's eyes narrowed as he grit his teeth together to suppress his anger.
Lily lightly slapped Grant's head. "Don't think I'm dumb; I'm warning you, if you don't take the initiative to be friends with Angus, I won't bother with either of you," she threatened.
Grant smiled charmingly.
"I'm being serious here," Lily tried to make her voice sound more serious, but Grant just kept smiling like a naive little child, rendering her speechless.
Lily sighed. "You really are something; if you don't listen to me, then..."
"I listen to you; I will always listen to you, it's just that..." Grant bit his lower lip. "He will have to beg me first. I can't take the initiative; it's embarrassing," he complained.
Lily was at a loss. "If you won't take the initiative, then will Angus? He clearly told me to my face that he never apologizes to people, someone like him with such high pride will definitely never agree with me when it comes to a matter like this. Must you be the same as him?" she screamed inwardly. "For now, don't worry; I know just what to do," she stated confidently.
Grant chuckled. "Let's go home first," he suggested, and immediately, his wings unfurled, allowing him to fly up, holding Lily tightly for protection.
The others immediately ran after them, only Liam was left behind again, struggling to catch up. "You guys are really bullies!" he shouted inwardly while trying his best to keep pace.