Monster Girl Menagerie - Celestial Archive-Chapter 67 - 65 - A Moment of Rapture

The guest room Aldrin had introduced us to was luxurious but could certainly not be called garish. If I had to describe it, it tried to balance splendor with efficiency. I found it to my liking.

As we shuffled into the room, I closed the doors behind us and waited for my companions to settle. Tania and Pyra chose to lounge on the bed, while Amara leaned against the sofa, her face set impassively. I remained standing until I had their attention.

"Before you speak, Mark," Pyra said, cutting me off before I could say anything, "remind me again—why are we bothering with this?"

I blinked, catching Amara sighing and Tania frowning before she shifted into a more relaxed posture.

"I thought I had made it sufficiently clear by now," I replied. "We've been all over the place these past couple of weeks, and things don't seem to be slowing down. We needed a quiet place to calm down, reorganize ourselves, and give you more time to adjust."

"You did mention that," Pyra acknowledged, then added, "But is that everything? I find the reasoning a little weak."

"Right," Tania chimed in, "there's also the fact that Markus hasn't had time to train any of his abilities. He just keeps piling them on top of one another — it's bound to become a liability."

"There you go," I said, gesturing toward the dwarf. I could understand why Pyra hadn't reached that conclusion herself — likely because she hadn't her talent copied yet. I would have to fix that soon, but for now...

"Alright, let me first ask you a question," I said, looking between the two and then at the vampire on the other side. "Should we resolve the problem before us first, or should I use my two summon slots? I mean, you'd have to explain everything to them afterward, so...?"

"Summoning them right now would add to the confusion. It's best if we put the matter to rest and offer them a briefing later on," Amara remarked, regarding me with a serious look in her eyes.

I nodded.

"Before we get into sensitive matters here, I want to make something clear," I said, then paused to assess the trio. When none of them interjected, I added, "From this moment forth, I want complete and utter honesty between us. If any of us are privy to matters that others aren't, we need to make sure everyone is informed. No secrets, understand?"

Amara maintained her stoic expression, though I caught a slight frown on her face. Pyra, on the other hand, shifted a little uncomfortably, while Tania wore an earnest expression.

"Now that that's cleared, let's talk," I continued. "I know you're keeping certain things from me. I know Amara is." She turned her head to the side at my words. "And I know you are too, Pyra." The Ifrit visibly tensed under my gaze.

I waited a few seconds, allowing the implications to sink in.

"Um..." Tania raised a hand, hesitantly pointing at herself. "What about me?"

"Hm? I don't think you're keeping secrets from me, Tania," I said, shaking my head. "And to be honest, if you were, then you're a pretty good liar. I'm sure they'd agree with me on that."

I was fairly certain of my assumptions. Amara had been withholding things for a while—that much I knew. As for Pyra, I had a sneaking suspicion she was aware of something she hadn't shared with the group. Compared to the two, Tania seemed too innocent, unaware of the undercurrents. =

Her nervous chuckle only drew a wider smile from me.

"I... uh," Amara's voice broke the silence, hesitant. Her head dipped slightly, eyes lowered. "I apologize for not sharing everything. I know you deserve the truth—they do too," she added, glancing at the other two. "So, I'm going to tell you everything I know."

Seeing the expression on her face made me feel a little guilty, but I couldn't shy away from hearing the truth — not when it wasn't just mine to hear. I might have put my companions in an uncomfortable position, but it was necessary if we wanted to maintain our unity.

"Before that, could you... I don't know," I gestured around the room, "close it off? Prevent the sound from escaping?"

Amara blinked at my sudden interjection, then nodded and snapped her fingers. The well-lit corner dimmed, and shadowy tendrils writhed along the walls.

"That's better," I said with a nod, then motioned for her to continue.

"Do you understand how the Favorability system works?" Amara asked, her gaze shifting between me and the duo.

"Isn't it a measure of your affection toward me?" I replied, uncertain if I had missed something.

"It is," Amara confirmed, "but it also facilitates the growth of that affection."

"What does that mean?" Pyra asked, her brow furrowing.

"Soul Bonds—especially the kind that exists between us—offer many features," Amara explained. "One such feature is encouraging intimacy between the bonded souls and nurturing positive feelings."

The frowns on our faces deepened, and as if anticipating our concerns, Amara quickly added, "But you don't have to worry. It doesn't create something from nothing. It only nurtures feelings that are already present. Basically, it accelerates the growth of affection."

That explanation eased my mind, though not entirely. While it might not be outright brainwashing, it still felt dangerously close to tampering with emotions. The concept unsettled me. I noticed Pyra exhale a visible breath of relief, and even Tania appeared less tense. It was understandable—people might be willing to accept something like this, but only if it was on their terms. Remove their free will, and all that remains is doubt and suspicion—absolutely the last thing I wanted in our group.

Amara continued, offering her thoughts on the bond and her understanding of the Favorability system. We listened quietly, not interrupting, as she laid bare everything she knew.

Once she finished, a silence settled over our group as we took a moment to digest the information. One by one, our gazes inevitably shifted to Pyra.

"What?" The Ifrit perked up, shooting us an irritated look. We responded with flat stares.

Pyra sighed, shaking her head. "Just so you know, I intended to tell you this—I was just waiting for the right moment," she said, pausing to take a steadying breath. "Alright. The first thing you need to understand is that my outlook on our bond differs from Amara's. Her strength is considerably greater than mine, which allows her to assess the Soul Bond as it is. But for me, it's more... intuition-based."

"Explain," I urged.

"Okay. You know I'm an Ifrit—part elemental. That basically means we're naturally occurring beings of nature with a strong attunement to mana. You understand that mana is an expression of the world, a medium to channel your thoughts and desires through, right? Well, I understand that on a deeper level."

She paused, watching my expression.

"That's why, despite lacking the same level of understanding, I can sense that our bond is special."

I shuffled a little closer, curios. "How so?"

"You see, we don't know much about ourselves," Pyra said, glancing briefly at her fellow summons. "But one thing I have figured out is that this bond wasn't forced upon us. For whatever reason, we accepted it. We chose to be here—to be with you."

Interesting. That's an important piece of information, I thought. And something that relieves me immensely.

"Anything else?" I asked.

Pyra shook her head. "No, that's all I know for now."

"Alright then," I said, shifting the conversation. "Let me put forth the main problem now: what's wrong with our group?"

A brief pause followed. The three of them exchanged confused glances. Then, with uncertainty in her voice, Tania spoke.

"What do you mean, Markus?"

"This," I said, spreading my arms wide. "Her." I pointed at Amara. "And her." My gaze shifted to Pyra. "And you too."

Their confusion deepened, but I didn't stop. Finally, I pointed at myself.

"And me."

"Amara doesn't talk much. Heck, half the time it feels like she doesn't belong with us—like a ghost just following us around," I said, struggling to keep the frustration from creeping into my tone. "And you, Pyra. You haven't done anything explicitly wrong, but there's friction between you two. Why? What's causing it?"

"And Tania," I continued, leveling my gaze at her, "why are you so accepting of your circumstances? You were thrown into this without a choice, yet you act like it doesn't even bother you."

"So," I said, taking a steady breath, "let me ask you again—what's wrong with us?"

Now that I understood how the Favorability system might be influencing their thoughts, I had a new perspective on our circumstances. But if what Amara said was true, then there had to be an initial spark—something that allowed the fire to bloom between us. I wanted to know what it was. I needed to know.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Amara or Pyra who spoke, but Tania.

"I don't know about the others, or you," she said, her gaze dropping to her feet. "Honestly, I don't even understand the situation properly. But I feel—no, I know—that I'm not in the wrong place. Whatever happened, it wasn't a coincidence. But most importantly, I want this peace we have. I want to keep the bond we share. I want to remain a part of this family."

Her words rang through the room. I maintained a stoic expression, even as Tania met my gaze with unwavering resolve.

"I want a place where I can belong."

Silence followed. For a brief moment, no one spoke. Then Pyra's voice cut through the stillness.

"The same is true for me, at least... relatively."

I turned to Amara, who simply shrugged.

"I did say it before, didn't I?" she murmured. "That I've known loneliness. That's why I treasure the bond we share."

"I understand," I said with a nod. "But what I don't understand is why you keep us at a distance."

Amara didn't look away this time. Instead, she met my eyes with a resigned expression.

"I guess," she said slowly, "I'm just afraid. On one hand, I'm glad for everything we have. But on the other, it terrifies me. I feel like... I might lose you."

She didn't need to elaborate further—I understood her thoughts clearly. And I had no one to blame but myself. If I had shown more care and attention toward my summons, maybe she wouldn't have felt this way.

I sighed.

"Scoot over," I said to Tania, then flopped onto the bed beside her. "Hey," I gestured to Amara, "come here."

Amara startled at the sudden request, hesitation flickering across her face. But I met her with a firm stare, and she finally relented. As she sat beside me, I let the silence linger before speaking.

"You know, when I first learned about the Favorability system, I didn't take it very well," I said. "Amara knows of this. Point is, I couldn't take something like love and affection for granted. I couldn't believe in it, or rather, I didn't want to."

I paused, my gaze lingering on the floor.

"Things have changed since then. I've learned more about you, about my Origin, and even about myself. But the doubt remained. I soon realized it wasn't just denial—I was truly afraid of losing you. Any of you."

I chuckled softly, leaning back.

"But now? I don't want to live in denial or suspicion anymore. I don't want to waste time worrying about the future and what tomorrow might bring."

My eyes moved from Pyra to Tania, and finally to Amara. Then, leaning forward, I wrapped an arm around all three of them, pulling them into a warm embrace.

"Do you know why?" I asked, my voice softer now. "Because it doesn't matter what awaits us. If we face it together, we can overcome it. That's what I believe. And that's what I hope you'll believe in too."

Because, for once, it wasn't about the future. It was about the present.

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