24 Hearts

Chapter 69

69====================

Side Story 1, Gentia-If I stay here for you…

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

This part is a side story that shows a what-if scenario and has nothing to do with the main part.

Please be informed that there is no relation to this content to the main story.

It’s just a simple entry assuming what would happen if Judah decided to live here with Gentia without leaving Serenia in pursuit of the fragments.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

-Side Story 1, Gentia-If I stay here for you…

After a few years of coming here, he finally got a fragment. It was a ring named -24th Fragment, Carpe Diem-. Judah inspected the ring resting on his palm. He was initially supposed to leave Serenia Castle after he got this fragment.

He was thinking about it.

He was planning to do that.

He tried to play with Xian’s intentions to recover all the fragments so he could return to his original world. However, it was not easy to leave this place hastily after being with someone for the past few years and giving them his heart.

Judah wore the ring on his finger. He could acquire all the fragments but leave with no inspiration in his heart. He would only regret leaving this place.

‘Shall I just stay here?’

The temptation lingered in his mind. Judah went down to the first floor and entered Tia’s room, resting on her bed.

“Judah?” She cooed his name. Her tired eyes blinked, then it lit up at the sight of him. As she lay in her bed, Tia stretched out her arms with a warm smile.

“Come, let’s sleep together.”

Judah went into her arms without saying anything.

“Have you changed your mind about sleeping alone?” Closing her eyes again, Tia asked. She was happy enough to cuddle with him. Her voice was sleepy but bright enough.

“I tried to sleep by myself, but I want to be with Tia.”

“Hey. As expected.”

“Huh?”

Tia opened her eyes, her eyes squinting as she smiled. “If it’s not your Master’s arms, you can’t sleep, right?”

It wasn’t like that, but it didn’t matter what she thought. She embraced Judah, then hummed before going back to sleep.

He intended to leave.

No, his departure was absolute.

To return to his original world.

But leaving Tia behind was a big regret. Was there a compromise for her? Would it be okay to bring her with him? If he did get her, will she be able to handle the hardships along the way? And even if Judah collected all the fragments, will Xian truly bring him back to his world?

Judah had many questions and doubts. He stared at the sleeping Tia, her tail wagging softly from behind.

Did he really need to return to the real world? He had several reasons to return. He wanted to see his family and friends. His motivation was always thinking about those special relationships waiting for him back in the real world. However, his connection with them wasn’t the only thing important to him. In this world, he also had a relationship he deeply treasured.

He loved Tia more than anything else. His love for her hamade him stupid and had him in strong shackles. Judah closed his eyes, dreaming of staying there a little longer.

But the next day was his coming-of-age ceremony. Nothing happened for the rest of the day until dinnertime. Kaseun held his ceremony, consisting of eating and drinking with guests that ended briefly, and soon he was back home again. Tia grabbed Judah’s hand, telling him they needed to take a quick wash. Judah panicked, but he followed after her into the bathroom later on.

Perhaps because they were drunk, but they couldn’t stop their bodies from pushing against each other the moment their eyes met. After coveting after each other’s bodies, they soon made love again. He had already shared love with her once, so there was no hesitation this time around.

No one bothered their time alone. After making love, Tia and Judah fell asleep in the same bedroom looking at the same ceiling. He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but Judah opened his eyes in the middle of the night. Moonlight was leaking through the window.

He turned his head to the woman sleeping next to him. There she was, sleeping with such a peaceful face. Judah continued gazing at her, and then suddenly, a wave of emotions hit him. His heart ached as he frowned, reaching out his hand to brush her hair aside. As he felt her soft hair on his fingertips, doubts about his plans came rushing in.

‘Wait… You have four ears.’

He paused, looking at the human-like ears on both sides of her face then at the animal ears twitching above her head. At a moment of curiosity, Judah traced her ears as he stared at their structure in bewilderment. However, his second of wonder did not last long before he fell depressed again.

“…”

Tia opened her eyes when she felt his touch. Her drowsy eyes gleamed as she smiled at him.

“Why are you awake?”

“Tia…” As he called her name, Tia’s animal ears perked up.

“Hm?”

Judah looked at her without a word. He caressed her cheeks, nose, and ears, then intertwined his fingers through her soft hair. Judah couldn’t help the frown growing on his face.

“Why are you making that face? Are you hurt?”

Judah shook his head. He swallowed the lump in his throat along with the ache in his chest.

“I love you. I love you very much. I don’t know what to do. I have to leave, but I can’t do it.” Judah choked on his words, on the brink of tears.

Tia’s eyes widened upon hearing him, but she sighed as she closed her eyes with a smile. She held Judah’s hands as they rested on her cheeks. Her hands on him were as warm as it always had been.

“Can I ask you something?”

Judah nodded his head.

“Do you really intend to leave?” Tia murmured, her eyes still closed.

“…Yes.”

“No. Don’t go. I’m not going to let you go. You can’t just barge into my heart and then leave just like that.”

Judah tried, but he couldn’t. If he left, he knew he would suffer from all the pain and regret.

“I love you too. I love you. It would be very painful for me to spend a day, tomorrow, and every day without you. Don’t go. Let’s live together. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it. This woman, this master, will love you. I can be good for you, so… Don’t go.”

Tia’s eyes began to water beyond her eyelashes. The moment Judah saw it, his heart ached once more. At that moment, his decision was made. He decided to choose her rather than having to return to his original world.

Judah beamed, “But, isn’t that what a man usually says to a woman?”

“Huh, who said that?”

“I did.” Judah chuckled.

His laughter made Tia feel butterflies in her stomach. “Come here, Judah.”

Unable to control her feelings, Tia hugged Judah. Their bare bodies hugged, feeling each other’s body temperature as they kissed. The sound of their kiss filled the room. After sharing such an intimate moment, the lovers fell back to sleep.

In the morning, Judah opened his eyes. Their bodies stayed cuddled together, and he could already feel their sweat building up. The air was hot thanks to the summer weather, and Judah didn’t like being sweaty at all. Tia opened her eyes, blinking at Judah.

“Gosh, I’m embarrassed you have to see me like this.”

“Is there anything Tia is ashamed of?”

When they made love or even outside of it, it was a rare sight to see Tia embarrassed. As if she could read his thoughts, Tia put a finger over Judah’s lips and spoke before him.

“Starting today, I’m going to go back to being a little girl. Can I be shy now?”

It would be impossible to pretend to be a little girl given her mature body. Judah could only smile at her, shaking his head lovingly.

“Why? What’s with the reaction? You don’t want me to do that, is that it?”

“Well, to put it simply, I like it when you’re proud and confident.”

“Okay. If you really want to, I can’t help it.”

“What? Wait–!”

Suddenly, Tia threw away their blanket, climbed on top of Judah, and lowered her hand down to touch his penis.

“If you prefer a mature woman, she’ll show you how it works.”

Then she caressed it with simple hand movements before taking it into her mouth as she moaned. She seemed like she was desperate to go back to being a little girl.

+ + +

After making hot love with Tia early in the morning, the two took a bath together with pleasant, cold water. Ever since they poured out their hearts to each other, each action and gesture between them were full of love. Their minds and hearts were filled with something much more profound than before.

Judah completely canceled all his plans after his coming-of-age ceremony. He was supposed to go to the western woods to meet the Blue Lancer and make her his companion, but there was no longer any need for it.

After confessing their love, Judah and Tia got closer. They continued to hunt together for money, but it made their hunting time shorter than usual and their time alone even longer.

After two months, the Blue Lancer was never heard from again. It was said she disappeared in the Western Forest. But perhaps, she was defeated by the Flying Fighter in their duel.

After Kain’s coming-of-age ceremony, he, Riel, and the Flying Fighter headed for Philoria, the country of knights, searching for the fragments. Judah was unsure whether they would find the fragments as intended in the original game story, but he bid them good luck.

About a year has passed. Rumors were spreading around, so Judah married Tia to end them once and for all. Kaseun said that Gentia was a thief, and she did not deny this. Peerchen, the lord, also congratulated and sent them many blessings.

It was said that getting married might turn their relationship sourly, but these rumors did nothing to them. It was instead the opposite. The two of them grew even more considerate with one another and never fought together.

They had everything. They communicated well, their food was as good as always, and it was fun to go hunting together. Most of all, their compatibility with each other was amazing.

Perhaps because of the nature of her character, her mood changed a lot. One moment she felt very bewitching with a calm atmosphere. Usually, Judah could feel her aura, but that soon disappeared. Instead, at night, Tia would become insufferable.

After a few more months, she suddenly went into swings. She was pregnant. Her shift over the months was enough proof of it.

He was thrilled to become a dad, something he couldn’t do in the original world. Her Judah took care of her and did everything not to stress her, but Tia insisted on doing what she usually did around the house. She was all perfect, but there was one thing bothering her. Tia felt annoyed that they could no longer make love everyday, which was something she enjoyed. She said Judah shouldn’t have an affair with another woman because of it.

She looked a little obsessed, but she was fine. The human pregnancy cycle was around 40 weeks, but Tia was already at full term when she was close to 15 weeks. Soon, Tia delivered their baby safely.

One daughter and one son.

It was twins.

Judah was overjoyed, and most of all, Tia was happy.

As she expressed her joy, Tia kissed Judah and said thank you. But Judah told her that it was herself she should be grateful for.

Another year passed. Judah became a recognizable hunter in the castle, and he made his fame by knocking down Requiem, the black wolf chief. Lord Peerchen praised him highly. Judah did it for the money, but to defeat Requiem was to extinguish the fear that ruled the citizens of Serenia Castle, and because of his deeds, the townsfolk fell endeared to him.

And although his children were mixed with human blood, the influence of the Suin tribe overpowered his children’s veins. They were fast to walk around and talk. Humans and their growth rate was nothing compared to them.

Judah, after a hunt, would always come running home to see his children. He dashed past every landscape and would go even faster when he sees the city gates.

He sold leathers and gemstones, as usual, bought something delicious, and then headed home. With joy, he turned the doorknob, opened the door, and entered the front door.

Before he could make his presence known, he heard a lullaby in the room.

“Hush~Hush~ Our baby…”

It was a pretty voice, and when he heard Judah taking off his shoes, Tia stopped briefly before continuing her lullaby. On the other side, Judah paused from taking off his shoes to stand there and listen to her voice as it echoed from the other room. Her singing soon ended when their babies fell asleep. Slowly, Tia stepped out of the room on the tip of her toes.

“Are you home yet, Nanggun?” She called Judah two different things. Sometimes she called him by his name, and she called him Nanggun, just like before.

Tia walked up to him, dark eyes glowing with an alluring sparkle, “I want to have more children. What do you think?” She whispered into his ear.

It would be terrifying in the ears of other people, but not for Judah. He smiled and lifted her. With her arms around his neck, Judah carried her to the second floor.

“Let’s go. I’ll enchant you, Nanggun.”

…

…

…

Many years have passed. Judah was human, and Tia was a Suin. And although he had one fragment in possession, it was nothing down the line. Tia’s life span was longer than that of humans, and Judah had lost his youth, grew according to his age, and was about to die.

Many of the people by his side had passed away. Kaseun Sabanak, the Wielder of the Sword, as well as his old friend, the librarian. The Captain of the Alumni Guards as well. Even the uncle who sold fruits by the street. Countless people left first. And now Judah’s turn was coming.

Knowing that Tia was with Judah, who would never know when she would leave, and there she sat as she held his frail hands. Soon, he met his death by the side of Tia he dearly loved.

He was happy to be together.

It was fun to be together.

And he didn’t regret being together.

He was fortunate to be able to say that he loved her. It was still a regret that he could not return to the original world, but when he looked back at his time with her, he did not regret his decision at all.

At the death of her Judah, Tia burst into tears. Her cries were heartbreaking.

There was someone who watched all of this from start to finish.

He appeared from a hidden space. At that moment, the world turned gray, and time stopped.

The first monarch, Xian.

His feet touched the ground. His face looked messy, carrying a gaze that was wrapped in guilt. He sighed a little, then sat in a chair beside Judah, who had faced his natural death.

“One destiny ended in this way, Creator. But I can’t be satisfied with just one end. I won’t ask for forgiveness. I know you can’t forgive me.”

Xian reached out his hand toward Judah’s body.

“Please resent me, and use that resentment as a force to go reach the right end. If you achieve that end, I will give you everything without hesitation.”

In his next life, Xian gave him all the memories he shared with the woman who made love and ended up with him. Along with it was everything he cherished and accomplished.

“So please, do not give in, and go fulfill your destiny.”

…

..

.

..

…

“Ugh!”

Judah gasped for air, and his eyes widened at everything around him. As his surprise settled, he soon understood the situation.

‘Where is this?’

It was a room on the second floor.

‘I’m not dead?’

He was. He remembered closing his eyes after telling all the things he wanted to say to his beloved Tia. But why was he standing here?

‘No way.’ Judah looked down slowly, thinking about it. His wrinkled hands were now the clenched fists of a healthy young man. Something was inside his grasp, so he slowly opened it. The twenty-fourth ring, Carpe Diem, stared back at him.

His world was not over yet.

─Side Story 1, Gentia-If I stay here for you…

──Ending

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

This part is a side story that shows a what-if scenario and has nothing to do with the main part.

Please be informed that there is no relation to this content to the main story.

It’s just a simple entry assuming what would happen if Judah decided to live here with Gentia without leaving Serenia in pursuit of the fragments.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※