Sunset x Vibes

Chapter 19: Hope amazonite. [M]

With hazelnut eyes moving along the computer screen displaying his thoughts, those slender fingers grabbed the mouse and pen to sketch according to his desires with delicacy.
Salin was almost finished.
The picture Salin was concentrating on was a pendant necklace with a naga he had seen in his dream. The necklace was meant to symbolize the love from Sirareen-Devi, which he would present to Lord Suriyen during his engagement ceremony, uniting the two naga clans. The necklace, like a protective amulet, had been kept by the female nagi for over a century to prevent any disturbance.
"You look so beautiful, my love." Suriyen's soft voice echoed as he changed into his comfortable pajamas and lay down on the leather sofa behind the little one.
Both of them were exhausted from the day's preparation for the competition when they received a call from an important client just as they returned to the condo, interrupting their dinner. As a result, the little one had to eat alone and quickly shower before sitting to work in the living room in order to meet the deadline for Friday, which was in just two days.
"Thank you." The little person sitting on the carpet turned to give a sweet smile of gratitude, but narrowly avoided being kissed on the soft edge of the lips.
"Is this necklace the one you will be entering in the competition?" Suriyen asked, tracing his gaze along the intricate lines of the beautiful design.
"Yes." the young man nodded.

Salin had already decided that he would enter this necklace in the competition, and afterwards, he would present it to Lord Suriyen as desired by Sirareen-Devi. However, he still didn't know how he would do it. He would give this valuable necklace to the man she loved and help set Sirareen free from her confinement.
"Phii Sun, if the competition is over, can I buy this necklace?" Salin asked.
This forced Salin to choose whether to enter this necklace in the competition. Because now, the only image in his mind was the necklace of Sirareen-Devi in every fantasy, making it impossible for him to conceive any other creation due to limited time.
"Why do you want to buy it?" "Well..." Salin hesitated.
"Is there something bothering you? You can tell me anything, my clever one." A warm hand was placed gently on his soft hair, showing kindness.
"When I recovered I told you that I had something to share?" Salin turned to face the taller man.
"Mmh." Suriyen smiled and then looked down.
"It may sound strange, but when I lost consciousness for several days, I dreamed that I had traveled back in time and encountered a nagi named Sirareen Devi. She showed me various events related to her, and begged for my help to free her from confinement by giving the necklace she made to the man she loved. But the necklace disappeared, so I volunteered to make a new one to take its place and give it to him. However, I don't know where the man is." Salin spoke softly, "And I agreed to help her because her past is directly connected to him."
After leaving the hospital, Salin went back home to recover. It was a suitable time as his mother and younger sister had just returned from abroad. Salin took this opportunity to ask about the story of how his parents met, which happened over twenty years ago. The words spoken by his

parents always made him firmly believe that the person he dreamed of truly existed.
At first, Salin was still unsure whether he should help the nagi or not. She had once plotted to take the lives of his parents, but both of them forgave Sirareen Devi a long time ago. They didn't hold any anger or resentment, and they wanted Salin to help free her from the suffering that had been consuming her for so long.
"What happened?" he furrowed his brows in doubt.
"In the past life, the nagi was the older sister of Sasikan-Devi or Sasikan- Devi was reborn as my mother. She was also the one who killed Lord Sathaban or the reincarnation of my father. At first, when I found out, I was very angry with her. But when I thought back to what caused her to become like this, I felt pity for her inappropriately. Perhaps because..." his soft eyes looked down before looking up at the tall man's face again, "I might be a part of her."
"A part of her?" Suriyen repeated the words.
"She told me that, more than twenty years ago, after being kidnapped and imprisoned in an underground cave, she meditated and released her remaining pure spirit to be reborn in a good realm. But in the end, her spirit entered the womb of my mother." The corners of his beautiful lips formed a slight smile. "And that's how Salin came to exist."
"Little Lin..." Suriyen softly uttered the name of the beloved person, not caring who Salin used to be in the past. The person in front of him now was the one who had captured his heart, and he was ready to care for and protect him until the end of his life.
"Do you know the name of the man she loved?" the young man tilted his head and asked, smiling sweetly.
"Um... I don't know." Suriyen paused for a moment before shaking his head.