The sound of loud banging echoed in the empty silence of early morning.
"Lana! Lana! That was a dream! That was a dream! Wake up!" A familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded in her ears, easing the panic clawing at her chest.
Dream?
The fog clouding her mind seed to have cleared up, and Lana’s hand froze midway. A familiar small weight settled on her shoulder, and she heard Mr. Crow’s voice.
"Lana? Are you alright? That was a dream! Calm down."
Strength backed by the rising adrenaline faded away as her mind cald down, and she slowly collapsed on the ground.
Lana’s anxiety, which was tearing at her chest, gradually subsided as she felt more grounded on the cold floor. Pulling her knees close to herself, Lana buried her face in it and muttered in a soft voice,
"It was a dream! It was just a dream! Don’t worry. Everything is over!"
Her repeated effort to console herself made Mr. Crow feel a hint of pity. Unconsciously, his wing patted her head in an attempt to calm the unrest in her heart.
He also noticed that Lana’s body was shaking like a leaf.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The sound of the clock’s hand ticking pierced through the dreadful atmosphere.
By the ti Lana stopped, a ray of gentle sunlight seeped in from the glass window. It was morning.
"Are you alright now?" Mr. Crow’s voice, laced with softness, echoed in Lana’s ears.
"Hm." That was all the response Mr. Crow received.
Not discouraged, he pressed on, "Did you have a nightmare?"
Silence.
"Lana?"
"Nothing. Just a stupid nightmare." Lana replied in a low whisper; back was the nonchalant mask she always wore.
Mr. Crow felt helpless and advised gently, "Sotis it’s better to open up, Lana. If it were a stupid nightmare, you wouldn’t have reacted so strongly. Your body was freezing, and I even noticed signs of a heart attack."
Mr. Crow wasn’t lying. The mont Lana jolted awake from her dream, her heart had stopped beating for several seconds.
Through the bond between them, he felt her life teetering on the edge of vanishing. Like a fragile glass about to break.
"I... I just... I just saw you pooping on my bed." Lana said with an utterly serious face, as if it were a lie made on the spot.
Mr. Crow: (; ꒪ö꒪) You hateful lass!
Seeing his shocked expression, Lana felt laughter bubbling in her chest, and she suddenly laughed. Her lodious voice eased the tense atmosphere.
"Stop laughing!" Mr. Crow shouted, his voice filled with rage, while his hand tightly clamped on Lana’s shoulder as if punishing her for her shaless joke.
Lana, on the other hand, laughed till she crashed on the floor. Her hand was on her stomach to ease the pain from laughing too much.
"I am not talking to you!" Mr. Crow rolled its beady eyes and flew away. Though he knew it was a distraction Lana created to stop him from questioning, he didn’t expose her.
Because he felt her heartbeat returning to normal.
Once the laughter session was over, Lana slowly sat up straight and wiped away the tears clinging to the corners of her eyes.
Though Mr. Crow cultivates silently, Lana mistook his silence for his rage. Her eyes glinted with guilt, which she quickly masked with cheerfulness.
"Hey, Mr. Crow, Are you furious?"
No response.
With slow, asured steps, Lana walked up to Mr. Crow and sighed, "Okay, okay. I shouldn’t have made fun of your concern. I am sorry."
Mr. Crow’s stance visibly relaxed, yet his silence prevailed.
"How about this? I will compensate you with food. Tell what you want to eat." Lana said generously.
"Really?" Mr. Crow asked in a feigned hopeful voice, his eyes flashing with a wicked glint.
"Really." Imrsed in her guilt, Lana missed the wickedness and gave a determined nod.
"Alright. Then I want 20 earthworms, handpicked by you. Otherwise... I will not feel your sincerity."
Lana: !!
A sharp ringing echo in Lana’s ears. Earthworms? He wants her to pick 20 earthworms with her hand? What kind of sick punishnt is this?
Lana’s curse-enriched vocabulary book was shortened to a single word: "No!"
Before Mr. Crow could object or manifest his dramatic flair, Lana, with feigned gentleness, continued,
"But I can provide you with so other form of compensation if you want."
Mr. Crow pursed his lips... no... his beak tightly.
His silence answered her.
"Mr. Crow?"
"Mr. Crow? Please?"
"Please, please... Mr. Crow!" Lana batted her eyes and even shalessly placed her index finger on her cheeks in the hope of igniting sympathy.
Yet Mr. Crow remained unmoved.
Lana’s shoulder slumped, and at last, she closed her eyes as if she could block out the blow of what she was about to say.
"I will do it."
Flap. Flap.
Mr. Crow perched up on Lana’s shoulder, his action speaking of his satisfaction with Lana’s decision.
’Fuck my life. Other reborn female leads make waves in the business world. ? I will pick earthworms for a contract beast that isn’t even a dragon.’
Mr. Crow smugly smiled, triumph flashing in his eyes.
Lana, with a disheartened expression, slowly exited the room. Dragging her feet toward the nearby bathroom, she muttered,
"Leave... let shower."
Mr. Crow didn’t dare to push her any further. Lana was like a ticking ti bomb now.
Once Lana showered, she found a decent pair of clothes and wore them.
As much as she wanted to stay inside her room and start making a talisman, there were more pressing matters for now.
First, she worshipped God Nytheris and muttered in her with gratitude
"Thank you. Thank you for giving this second chance, and thank you for everything you have bestowed upon ."
This had beco a part of the routine, and Lana religiously fulfilled it.
With her daily ritual over, Lana started to look for Monk Anaro.
As if knowing her plan, he appeared in her vision with those slow and steady steps, with a prayer bead in his hand.
"Good morning, Monk Anaro." Lana greeted him, her eyes flashing with a hint of calculation.
"Good morning, child." Monk Anaro, with his amiable aura and gentle smile, greeted her. "Is there sothing you want from ?"
"Money." Lana blurted out.
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