Twilight of a Hybrid, стр. 51

Marina grunted and sheathed the weapon she was holding. “You remember what happened? Of your past?”

“My memories are still vague, but I have a small portion restored,” said Valverno. “I still have more memories to be restored, and the two other armor artifacts, which happened to be parts ripped from my body, would restore the memories I have lost. And we’ll be able to find them faster if we work together than fighting each other. End this hostility you both have and work as a real family, not little girls fighting the same man’s love.”

“Ok,” said Sora.

“Whatever you say,” said Marina.

Both girls did as Valverno said, but they were sharing hostility with each other. As of now, they did as they were told and would work with Valverno instead of fighting over him.

“Okay, since that settlement is out of the way,” said Geraldus, “Let’s get going.” Before Geraldus took his first step to anywhere he walked to Sora. “I am Geraldus. I raised Valverno since his… rebirth.”

Sora bowed her head to Geraldus. “I am Sora, half-sister of Valverno. I want to join with you people and my brother on his quest,” said Sora. She stood back up, tall and straight like a strong-willed, loyal soldier. I won’t take no for an answer, and I can be determined, if I am rejected from this group.”

Valverno smiled at his sister’s attitude. “Always strong-will and persistent when it comes to these types of adventures. Alright, welcome to our group, Sora. It will be just like old times, my sister.”

Sora nodded and walked to a dark hole not touched by Valverno’s floating torches. She sniffed the air and looked back at the group. “I believe this is the way to recovering what was stolen from you.” Sora turned around and walked into the tunnel she found and showed to the people and the Griffin behind her.

Valverno followed after her, but Marina swooped in front of him. “What do you think you are doing?” she asked, hastily. “What if she is a servant of Lusìvar?”

“And what is making you not to trust her, Marina?” asked Valverno. “I’ve learned something about my past, and she did manage to easily beat you, along with Flarefur and Geraldus. Right now I’m willing to take anyone who personally know me, able to fight solo, or is a White Knight. Sora revealed a lot of things to us, and she is a relative if mine.”

“I don’t care if she is your cousin. I don’t want you falling for another woman.”

Valverno flinched his eyes. He had no idea Marina didn’t fully understand the concept of love. Marina had been living with the king for five years, and she didn’t know the many forms of love there are. Valverno was noticing Marina only knew about the love shared between husband and wife, and not love shared between brother and sister. It would seem he was going have to explain more of the concept of love humans has.

Before Valverno could open his mouth, Geraldus strolled in front of Valverno. “Marina, it is forbidden for a man to marry two women, and it is also forbidden for a brother to have such a thing for a sister. You must cast aside your jealousy and let loose of this female stranger.

“If she and he agree the know each other, and if she is a White Knight, then we must accept her as is.” Such true words spoken from a true man. Geraldus had the mind of a fully experienced man who had his shares of certain adventures. He was acting like a father since he raised Valverno, and Marina is now considered to be Geraldus’s daughter-in-law.

“It’s not hateful feelings,” argued Marina. “It’s the trusting part. She appeared from nowhere, and she is part of this group in seconds. She’s a complete stranger to us. Why should we let her join us? Once our backs are turned, she will kill us and make him her mate. She will betray us all.”

“I’ll never betray you, Elder Brother,” said Sora’s voice.

Everyone turned to see Sora standing in the front of the tunnel. She moved a sleeve on her upper arm all the way to her shoulder. She pulled her sleeve to show her entire arm to them. She pointed a finger at a tattoo of a strange symbol.

A flower with snake’s teeth as pedals, a unicorn’s horn as the stem, and human eyes as roots was Sora’s tattoo. “This mark you see is a mark of an oath. A mark made by the gods. I have an oath not to betray Valverno. If I ever did, then—”

“Then the mark would transform into a curse, becoming shrouded in a swelling pain of many bee stings stung in one same spot, and eventually become a poison and kill its oath breaker,” interrupted Valverno. “The mark is called Oathkeeper of Great Depression; a magic spell that serves as a curse. If any one dares in betraying someone and she or he has the mark, it would react immediately and kill the betrayer.” Valverno walked up to Sora and touched the mark on her shoulder. “And I was the one who told you not to take the oath because your fate is now in the hands of the gods.”

Marina crutched her eyes at the site of Valverno touching another female being than her. she tried to hide her jealous eyes, but she can’t help but see her husband with another girl. She wanted to tear through Sora so badly; she was feeling like Sirens told in tales depicting them as monsters. If Marina did that in front of the hybrid, he would cast her aside, something she feared of. Marina had little choice in the matter, so it would be simpler for everyone if she accepted Sora as her sister-in-law and the sister of Valverno.

Valverno removed his hand from Sora’s shoulder and looked at her. “Sora, I never wanted you to take that oath in the first place, but you