Chapter 49: Childhood Nostalgia!!

**Nora’s POV**

“Tell me something about Ronin’s childhood,” I asked Rorik, trying to start a different conversation but never thought it would also lead me to Ornith.

“I mean, I know his Serpent curse is generational but is there any particular age when he started transforming into a serpent?”

“I clearly remembered his first transformation at the age of fourteen. Before that, some of the distinct symptoms of being a serpent were imminent, like the eye-colour change from deep-blue to different shades of black according to his moods. The presence of scaly flakes on his skin when he gets out of control,” Rorik replied.

“So, how did he deal with it when he metamorphosed for the first time?” I asked him.

He sighed a bit as if the memory was painful for him. I had an urge to tell him that it was okay if he didn’t want to answer, but before I could say, he started speaking.

“The fateful day when he first transformed was excruciating and grief-stricken because that day our sister Joselyn died. He was so full of rage that he didn’t realize when he transformed. And believe me, he has never been the same as before. Before that unfortunate incident, the Ronin, which I knew was very naughty, playful, charming, and caring. That fateful day, I lost my sister Joselyn, mother, and playful Ronin. It was a challenging phase for us. Sypha was hardly nine years old. My mother doesn’t even recognize her now.”

Our talk was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A servant came to deliver food. Rorik’s eyes were tearful. I always believed that people in the palace always led a perfect life, a satisfied and fulfilled one. They have all the happiness and power in the world, but I was wrong. Along with the power came suffering and misery. They may have all the materialistic happiness in the world, but their minds are not at peace.

“You know if I get one chance to go back in time, to change a single event. I would change the event of that dreadful day. What about you?” he asked me, “What will you change if you go back in time?”

“I will bring back my granny”, I replied almost instantly. He was surprised by my upfront answer as he thought maybe, I would need some time to think. But I was very clear with my answer; if I want one thing to change in my life, it would be my granny with me.

“Your granny? She passed away?” he asked.

“No, I mean yeah, everybody says she passed away, but she just disappeared, nobody saw her body. We looked for her everywhere for a year without any success. I don’t know why but I still feel she is alive somewhere, looking upon me,” I replied, rubbing my moist eyes.

“When did she disappear?”

“Few days after my eighteenth birthday”

“And when was that?” he asked

“Two years back. Nice try for asking my age, but it was already mentioned in the form when I signed up to come to this planet. You will have known if you have browsed through them,” I snapped. He let out a huge grin.

“Okay, jokes aside. I am interested in your granny. Tell me more about her,” he asked.

“My parents were working their jobs day and night, so I spent most of my childhood with my granny, the beautiful countryside, the cosy ranch, friends in the name of nature, pets and farm animals. I missed that life, roaming through the fields throughout the day, sleeping under the spell of five billion stars, an urge to touch them, go beyond them and listen to the magical stories that worked like a trance. That was my life.

My granny was quite mysterious in her way. Her aura, demeanour, experience to handle things, calmness, and tranquillity, were out of this world. It seemed she had been through a lot in her life. The life before my dad was born. She never revealed anything about her parents, origin, birth, or childhood. It was just that she came into my grandpa’s life suddenly; they fell in love and married. Most of my childhood memories, life lessons, and my strong belief in my dreams, understanding and dealing with them came from her.

She also has a secret room in her house’s attic which she never revealed about, but when I was around eight or nine, I was sleeping as my granny thought, but I was acting and sneaked around a bit, stumbling in that room. It was dark and dreaded with few candles and weird things here and there. I don’t know what was so secretive that she hid it from us, but the aura of that room was something else, something out of this world. I can’t even describe. I relocated with my parents at sixteen, but I missed my granny so much. Slowly and slowly, I got busy with the hastier and busier life of the city, losing my link. My calls and visits to my granny became infrequent. But deep down, I want her to be with me, near me, to guide me through the path of my life.”

“How did she disappear?” Rorik asked.

“The last time we talked was on my eighteenth birthday. I always knew her moods by the tone of her voice. On that day, she seemed disturbed, as if she wanted to tell me something but was holding back. She wanted to tell me something but not on the phone. She wanted to meet me. My final exams were on the head, so I told her to visit after a month. She seemed fine with it, so I didn’t probe further. And after a week or so of my birthday, her neighbours called as she was nowhere to be seen. We did everything we could to find her, but she just disappeared, and she left me a letter. I didn’t understand the meaning of her words.”

“What words?” Rorik asked.

“I told her about my frequent dreams of serpents, cliff, mysterious man who now we know is Ornith. I hoped she would also laugh at me like others, shrugging it off. But she became quite curious, asking me every detail about that dream. She told me to believe in that dream and try to interpret it. Her words in the letter were, ‘This dream is your destiny. It will take you to your true self and lead you to your purpose in life for which you were created.’ It sounded weird and cryptic. I mean, I don’t understand how this dream will take me to my true self and what’s the purpose of my life?”

“Strange, but something is missing here. I mean, you getting the dreams of Ornith, book of Ozarius are not coincidences. Why you?” Rorik snapped out

“Maybe, but right now, I am worried about Ronin. Hope he comes back soon and gives me a chance to explain,” I told Rorik, rubbing my eyes.

“Oh, he will come back soon, but you certainly need some sleep, or these dark eye circles are covering your whole face”, Rorik teased me.

“Shut up! I want to sleep, but I am scared to sleep alone in Ronin’s haunted room. It looks more like a Serpent’s hole,” I admitted.

“Sleep in mine. I mean, I have to work on the book of Ozarius so that I will skip my sleep. You can use the bed.”

“Oh really, thanks. You can only understand me!” I hugged him.

*It was a late night. I was on the balcony of my room in the old palace looking at the Gemini twins. A chilly gush of wind made the delicate hair of my body rise. A pair of warm hands enveloped my body from behind. They were protecting me from the chilly spikes of harsh winds. I never felt so secure, so loved, and so satisfied before. It was as if my whole life was perfect. Ornith lowered his head and kissed me softly on my nape. I turned my neck on the side so that his lips could feel mine. And in a few seconds, we were in the realm of a wild, deep, wet kiss, exploring each other’s senses. Fire in my core defeated the effects of rash winds on my body. He broke away from that kiss and whispered in my ears, ‘meet me at catacombs’ and swayed away from my embrace, allowing the wintry winds to take his place.

“Ornith!” I shouted, jolting up from my dream.*

“Nora? Are you okay?” Ronin came to me

“Ronin? You are back?” I touched him, still not believing he had come back. He took me in his embrace, brushing my hair and kissing on my forehead, “Yes, I am back. I am sorry for my behaviour; it was not your fault”, he said.

Rorik came into the room, tugging a few books in his hand, “Nora! You woke up? We both were working on Ozarius book,” he replied.

“I had to go somewhere”, I cut in.

“Where?” Ronin asked.

“Catacombs, Old palace. Ornith is calling me,” I replied.