Ari glances toward the door where a child is standing. He's two or three years older than Little Ai. His hair is a curly mess and he's wearing a white robe. She recognizes him right away. This damned god! Everything happened because of him. But why does he look so adorable right now? She can't slap those mushy cheeks.
"They are so loud." Cina walks to her with a deep frown. "I woke up because of their constant whines."
"..." Should she apologize? But she can't hear anything.
Little Ai jumps off the couch and steps toward Cina. "Don't come closer, you bad god."
Cina can't see Little Ai, but he feels that obstacle is in front of him. He squints his eyes. "I am not a bad god."
"You are bad!" Little Ai pushes him. "You tried to hurt sister."
"I didn't do anything," Cina yells as he lunges toward the invisible figure. Little Ai steps aside. The god falls on his face. Cina lifts his head. There's a big red bump on his forehead. His lips are split. Tears roll out of his eyes. He sniffles, trying not to try.
Seeing him like that, Little Ai laughs and sits on Cina's back. "You, bad god! I am going to beat you up for hurting Elder Brother and Sister."
The god bursts into tears, crying loudly. His loud cries echo in the entire palace. Ari gasps when she sees vines storming the sitting room through the windows and the doors. In a few seconds, the entire room is filled with trees and vines.
Is this the wrath of the child-god?
"Hmph!" Little Ai grabs Cina's hair, pulling his head toward him. "Who are you trying to scare? I can eat them all right now."
"Let me go!" Cina thrashes his arms and legs on the floor. "I didn't do anything bad."
"You did bad." Little Ai slaps Cina's cheek. "You hurt Sister and Elder Brother. Because of you, my mother is sad."
"Child, it's not--" Ari pauses when she sees trees leaning toward them. Why does she feel like she's going to be attacked next?
"I don't remember anything." Cina bawls, trying to push off Little Ai from his body. "I don't remember. Stop hurting me."
"You are also making my siblings sad." Little Ai starts shaking Cina's shoulders. "Stop crying now. My siblings shouldn't be sad because of you."
Instead of shutting up, Cina's cries become louder.
"Why do you cry so much?" Little Ai scowls at him. He smacks Cina's head. "I told you to stop crying."
"It hurts." Cina wipes his nose. "My head and lips hurt."
"Your head hurts because you are dumb." Little Ai hits Cina's head again. "You are bad and dumb."
"I am not bad and dumb." Cina looks at Ari pleadingly. "Please help me, Mother. He is going to kill me."
"Why are you calling me that?" Ari steps back, looking at him with disbelief. This god was an adult god a while ago. There's no way that she would ever accept him as her kid. She already has Ai and there are 'they' in her womb.
"They are calling you that." Cina points toward her belly. "He also calls you that."
"You can't call me that." Ari shakes her head. "My babies can call me that. That child on your back can call me that. You can never ever call me that."
"Why?" Cina slowly blinks his eyes. "They told me that I can call you that."
Little Ai glares at Ari's belly. "You have me as your elder brother. Why do you need this crying bad god? Both of you are too greedy. I am a hundred times better than he is. You also have my elder brother."
No! Ari sits down on the couch. Aren is also her son? Technically, if Ai is her son, then Aren should be… No! No! No! It's unacceptable. She can't become a mother to the entire world.
Cina lowers his head and wails. Ari doesn't know how to comfort Cina when she can't comfort herself. By the way, is she carrying twins? Greedy twins?
"Tsk!" Little Ai wrinkles his nose. "Mother, they said that they really want this crying bad god as their pet because they want to bully him in the future."
What kind of reason is that? Ari glances down. They aren't even a month old and they already want to bully a god.
"They said that they are tired because the bad god won't stop crying." Little Ai covers Cina's mouth. "Didn't you hear that? If you don't stop crying, they will never bully you in the future."
"But why do they want to bully me?" Cina scrunches his brows. "I don't want to be bullied, Mother."
"Please don't call me that." Ari feels like crying. "I am too young to have four kids."
"Why are you questioning them?" Little Ai pats Cina's head. "If they bully you, no one else will bully you. They will teach you how to be a good god. Then, everyone will love you."
"Really?" Cina smiles at Ari. "Mother, will you also love me?"
"Nope." Ari waves her hands. "Never."
"Mother, they have already accepted him as their pet." Little Ai cocks his head. "They told me that their decision is final."
"Screw them!" Ari folds her arms. "I am their mother. I won't accept this god as a pet. I can't raise four children, even if one of them is a pet. Mogrok is there if they want a pet that badly."
"They said that they like this god more than Mogrok because he only has two eyes. They will raise him." Little Ai glances at Cina who is still smiling. "You only have to raise them and me."
Her head hurts. Where is Adira? She wants to beat him up. How could he forget everything at times like this? She can't deal with this situation. If Cina becomes her babies' pet, she will start crying. It's not like she can do anything to Cina when he's a kid.
She's only nineteen, technically. She hasn't attended Ilucia yet.
"You are our pet god from now on." Little Ai feels tired for some reasons. His twin siblings are whining about missing their father again. He doesn't like the Dark God much, but he has a little choice. "You must always treat us as your master."
This isn't right. If other gods hear that God Cina is a pet god of her kids… Ari doesn't even want to imagine God Noras' face.
Meanwhile, Little Ai is cleaning the blood from Cina's face. He plucks a few leaves from a plant and mashes it between his hands. He applies the juice on Cina's lips. "Don't cry too much. They dislike crying noises. If you act like a good god, they will promote you to their sibling."
She has no say, right? Ari lies down on the couch, too tired to say a word.
"I won't cry," Cina promises him. He gives a side-long glance to Ari. "Mother, they miss their father."
"I also miss him." Ari puts her arm over her eyes.
Little Ai goes to her and wraps his arms around her belly. "Don't be sad, Mother. I am here."
"Yeah." Ari gives him a smile that doesn't meet her eyes. She's missing Adira more now. Maybe it's because she knows that her unborn children want to be near their father. She can't give any soothing word to them.
"Mother, eat these." Cina comes to her with fruits in his hands. "I heard that they are good for unborn babies."
"Who told you that?" Ari raises her brow.
"They." Cina grins at the tree with the red fruits. "They said that you don't have to worry about food. If you take care of me, they will be in your debt."
"I don't like debts." She scrutinizes Cina's face. He looks innocent. Is he going to be like this after he remembers? "You aren't nobody's pet. I am not your mother. But if you want to be with me and my kids, you can stay as long as you don't harm them."
"I won't harm them." Cina nods. "I will be a good god from now on."
"You should be." Little Ai glowers at him. "When you meet Elder Brother and Sister, you should apologize to them on your knees."
"I will apologize." Cina places his hands on Little Ai, trying to feel his skin. "Mother said that you can't be my master. Then, will you be my friend?"
"I am not your mother," Ari whispers with closed eyes. Whenever this god calls her that, she feels goosebumps in her body.
"Mother and sisters said that she's fine with you being with us. Then, I am also fine."
Sisters? She's going to have twin daughters. Adira would be happy.
"Then, you and I are friends from now on." Cina giggles. "Sisters told me that they will also consider me as a friend."
"I wonder how long we have to wait until they come out." Little Ai leans closer to Ari, trying to hear the voices. "Come out soon. I want to see you."
"Me too." Cina says softly, "Don't make us wait for long."
Four kids. How is she going to raise them? It's going to be chaotic.