“Yup, aside from that particular kind of problem, you’re doing fine, Ghrukka. Look at me, after a trip to the north and that minor scuffle, I never did a shit and just lounged around like a loafer.”

Shakil from the side while enjoying the meal had derisively said those about himself.

Ghrukka nodded to themselves and resumed eating.

Erganisu was talking with Ghiscra about the possibility of implementing the communication network in the entirety of Athryshiayl if they approved this technology while Shakil was boasting to the eating Ghrukka about he had shot a scaled tiger from about the distance of 400 metre.

“Looks like we’ll be separated again, I guess we should make this last week the best of our time!”

Vefal while enjoying her dinner, muttered to me.

I had an excited premonition-

“-We should tour the west side of the tribe since I heard there are many rolling hills, good spots for stargazing and the tribes there excelled in cooking as their cultures are based on them.”

She shot my expectation down. Well, I guess that’s cool too. Last week, we had been to east side and tour slightly there.

The summoned had jovial chats with each other and our dinner persisted until the dead of night.

--

Outside, at the highest vantage point, I was staring at the direction where the north of Symokiva was. Vefal had accompanied Ghiscra to her room, something about some ‘girl’ problem. Oh ye god, I hoped she didn’t do something like what she did with Rino.

“Enjoying the midnight view? So weird that the sun actually set just about three hour and it’s already this pitch black of a night.”

“I think most of us are already use to the erratic day and night cycle of this world.”

Shakil joined me from the side.

There was nearly a minute of silence between us.

“You’ve been having that troubled expression every time you’re alone?”

He said that without looking at me as I saw him from the corner of my eyes.

“That’s observant of you.”

“I had plenty of time I suppose; you want to say something about what’s been ailing you? Tell this nearly old guy, maybe he can help or two!”

He spoke with a gruff yet kind tone. I chuckled but it won’t harm anyone if I tell him, I guess.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the relationship between Vefal and me. I am very much affectionate towards her and her as well but you know; things got messy when a… when Rino sort of fall in love with me… and the crazier thing was that Vefal suggested that I should take them both because apparently in her world, it’s pretty common thing. Well that’s the short of it.”

Both of us went silent after I expressed my issue. Yeah, even though it’s sort of a distant thing but it always come back to me every time I tried to relax my mind. I just wish I could rationalize a warped logic of being an alpha male so I wouldn’t be so bothered by this every now and then.

“You know, I was actually married on my world. See this tattoo on my face? It’s actually like the symbol of marriage in my tribe. It symbolise everlasting love towards your partner. My wife was my childhood sweetheart but she actually hated my gut when we’re little. Hell, it was the same for me but we were always together for whatever reasons.”

He looked wistfully at the sky with reminiscing expression.

He continued-

“We both realized that we were stuck with each other for so long so one day, she said to me ‘My parents been nagging me about when will you purpose.’ She said it casually it caused me to be dumbstruck. At that point, marriage with her wasn’t as bad as it seems and I didn’t want to die alone as the life expectancy over there were pretty low by standard so at that moment I turned to look over her and tried being as romantic as possible. My heart was racing like a bunch of horny Feshgrus in a mating race. It was stupid but also the best kind of feeling I had. We got married and it was the happiest time of my life!”

He stopped in his excitement and caught his breath while I listened silently. The atmosphere turned suddenly turned gloomy.

“The day I was summoned here was the day when our tribe got attacked. It’s general rule that overwhelming numbers had the biggest advantage in warfare, so as there were about three tribes had allied against us; we were on the verge of being wiped out. I was with my wife when they broke through and slaughtering our tribesmen, so I and she had resigned to die together. When they found us and death loomed over, I looked at my wife and she looked at me and I to her. In that fleeting moment, thousands of memories of us, good and bad, played through my mind and I was blissfully content and we both close of eyes… until I found myself here, alone.”

The last part of his reminisce was filled with discernible resentment and bitterness.

“The point is at some time in the future, you’re gonna look back and regret the time you wasted worrying. Now what really matter is whether you love them both or not, right? Hell, if you do and this is something you find important, treat it with the utmost decisiveness and find the moment that would be the turning point. That moment is made when you or they thrust you into an ultimatum, remember what I just told you? My wife thrust me the ultimatum but the best thing to do is you should make the ultimatum rather than waiting. In the heat of making that ultimatum is when you reached to your deepest and primal desire, it’s when you find the answer, it’s not the right or wrong answer but it’s your answer!”

In his fervour, he rambled on as his reddened face was visibly tinged with intoxication but he had the right idea. I was too obsessed in finding what is right and wrong, worried about the consequences and what others may think of me and what really bothers me was not knowing what I truly want from this.

I’ll guess I would follow through with his idea in the coming one month break.

--

I took a deep breath and smell the Shreskav.

It’s been awhile since I woke up in this Fhagec. With a refreshing and invigorating rush, I stretched my upper body.

“Open window.”

When I uttered that, the sliding pane beside my bed slide opened. The sun wasn’t fully up yet. I looked to the bed of my shared housemate and found he wasn’t there. Probably went off to the Grand Library.

I took shower and changed my cloth.

I got out from the Fhagec and I saw August and Vassil jogging along the main road. I waved at them and they nodded, fully concentrated on keeping their rhythm of running.

As I made my way to the mess hall and into the kitchen to start breakfast, I saw Ghrukka and Fryphov casually having their. Even though breakfast is provided unlike lunch or dinner where we have to cook for ourselves, some of the summoned and I still prefer my own cooking.

“Good morning, honoured summoned, making your own again?”

When I reached the kitchen, one of the caretakers, a female Guar which is a bear person of a sort, greeted me with a gentle smile.

“Yup, I have a craving for soups made from Shikjens essence and some bread.”

Yeah, it’s Shikjens; the equivalent of chicken, I don’t know who come up with this name but it had almost the same appearance minus the feathers but the same taste of a chicken.

I donned an apron and started to cook.

Twenty or so minutes later after cooking a cauldron of it, I brought it out and saw that Vefal along with Rino, Vassil, August and almost the rest of the Heirs except Herkaloi was already seated on a table and all the bowls and cutleries prepared.

I think Vefal had a spar with Rino as both of them were wearing leather armour while sweating a little.

With a cauldron full of soup, I put it on the table.

August got up and audibly sniffed towards the cauldron.

“You made Chicken soup?!”

“It’s Shikjen.”

Ignoring me, August already pour the soup into the bowl near him and passed it around. The rest were eagerly waiting for their bowls to be filled.

I took a seat in between Rino on my left and Vefal on my right as Vefal wordlessly gestured me to sit like that. Seeing me like this, the reaction from the rest of the group was mild.

I guess this is what the phrase ‘Ignoring the elephant in the room.’

“Did you have a good sleep last night?”

While sipping bits of soup in her spoon, Vefal asked that question beside. Doing the same, I nodded as I was hungry.

“Best sleep I ever had since months. The difference between sleeping in a house with Basic Home System and without one is large. I mean it regulate the temperature and external noises so it optimized your state of sleeping, how amazing is that!”

It’s like sleeping in an air-conditioned room with thick walls but not too cold.

“Yes, there’s a whole different here. I had to sleep in that watchtower as some bugs had bitten my skin, my fair skin!”

From the side, Stryklos lamented while rubbing his right arm.

“This soup tastes so good, you sure you weren’t a chef back on Earth?”

“Ruigne is a man of many talents it seems. In my world, a man of many talents is a man who hides his many wives!”

With a satisfied appearance, August ate in delight and commented along with Vassil who spout useless crap like usual.

“August, If I knew I had a talent in cooking, I would have taking a vocational school in culinary instead of a three year degree that I can’t even remember the full name and Vassil, The mouth is the source of disaster.”

I realized at some point, I had forgotten bits of my previous life from Earth but I occasionally thought of my family especially my little niece. I wonder did she have cried when I had disappeared.