After The Fall - END

23. Panic and guilt

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** 😊

"Girl, what did you do?" Lilith asked a direct question when the door of the house closed, concealing Xander and Zaran from view.

I'm puzzled by the question. "Excuse me?"

I still don't understand Lilith's sudden arrival again after breakfast. Zaran of course came too, but this time he went with Xander even though he looked reluctant.

"What did you do?" Lilith put emphasis on every word she said and leaned her body closer to me with a serious face until I had to move my upper body back. Her eyes fixed on me.

"I really don't understand the question."

Lilith rolled her eyes in frustration. "You caused a ruckus in the arena yesterday."

Considering I tried to challenge Xander, Lilith could say that I caused a disturbance but it's not something worth gossiping about. Right? "How do you know?"

"It's the topic of the day even in Zaran's arena."

Every general that station on Earth has their own arena and their own warrior. Even they ruled different areas on earth and tended to clash because of the resources. And actually most of them don't get along, that's why I was a little surprised by Zaran's arrival for the second time.

"Yesterday's incident was not that serious."

Lilith snorted. "It grew because finally there were warriors who didn't accept it and asked for the opportunity to challenge you. They think you are a Zorion because of your blue skin."

I swallowed hard. "No one came to Xander's barracks yesterday."

"Eventually Xander accepted the offer because he wouldn't let anyone near his barracks. You think those warriors have a chance against your husband?"

I bite my lips to vent the nervousness that suddenly appeared. "What do you mean?"

"Xander's warriors want to challenge you?"

"No, the next part."

"Oh, Xander accepted the warriors' challenge. He wins all of it, of course, because he goes berserk when someone tries to challenge you."

"All of it?" I was confused. I started to get busy estimating how many people would be offended by my actions yesterday and the impact it had on Xander. "How many challenges Xander?"

Lilith shrugged her shoulders once. "You offended their pride by shouting at someone they respected, and the Zorions are known for their high pride. So quite a lot were offended, and the challenges continued until almost midnight, but I don't know the exact number. But Xander is asking for a healer from Zaran; I guess there were a lot of casualties."

That explained why Xander had arrived in the middle of the night. He hadn't mentioned this yesterday when explaining his culture. I had assumed he wanted to make a point about punishing me and intentionally withheld food. Little did I know that he had just finished fighting numerous warriors and only had time to bring me food during those late hours. I wondered if he was injured.

How foolish of me. Each passing second made me more restless. I wanted to ask Xander immediately, but I understood he was dealing with the aftermath. With so many injured warriors, he needed to focus on defense and other matters I wasn't aware of. But my most pressing question was whether Xander had sustained any injuries, even though he had taken care of me yesterday.

"I'm sure someone saw that as an opportunity to confront Xander and issue a challenge to him," Lilith continued, her words spinning my brain with the information I had just received.

"Do you know about this culture?" I asked.

Lilith nodded. "I work in the red district, remember? Many warriors frequent the area, and they love sharing stories. So, I've gathered some information about the culture and customs of the Zorions."

"Could you tell me more? I want to be informed about anything that could harm or affect Xander."

**

I paced in front of Xander's house entrance, my fingernails already bitten down from nervousness and panic. It was past seven o'clock, and Xander usually returned home by six. I hadn't written down his schedule, but I had memorized it. Whether I liked it or not, I needed to find out so I could get home before he arrived. Every second felt like an eternity, and my anxiety grew.

"Why are you just coming home?" I blurted out as I watched Xander enter the house.

"I must take care of several things," he replied, continuing up the stairs to his room.

I'm hot on his tails. "Because of what I did yesterday?" I skipped small talk and get to the point.

"Yes."

I knew Xander wouldn't lie or sugarcoat anything, yet hearing his confession still sent my heart sinking and my hands turning cold. My thoughts tangled like threads, impossible to unravel. So many questions swirled, but my mouth chose one.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" I shifted to face Xander, my gaze scanning for cuts or bruises on his upper body. I checked his sides by lifting his left and right hands, then turned to examine his back. To check his shoulders, I need to tiptoed and jump a little.

A small sigh of relief escaped when I found no wounds. Some of my guilt and panic eased.

"Both of my legs are bruised," Xander suddenly revealed, and my guilt spiked.

"Open your pants. Let me see." Impatience drove me when he didn't say a thing or do as I said.

I unhooked Xander's pants without hesitation.