20.1 Gate 6- Sink or Swim

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Hayden Mackay, wake up. It's food o'clock.

The smell of the hot chocolate made my stomach roar to life. I sensed an uncomfortable pain in my gut, perhaps caused by a prolonged lack of food. However, I considered fighting my appetite. My eyelids were extremely heavy, just as though carrying the weight of the mountain I had just been on. I was physically exhausted and was hoping to find an instant cure in the world where I have drifted away with her and absolutely no challenges to intrude.

"Hayden Mackay?"

A voice echoed in my ears but I resisted to open my eyes. I moaned and creased my forehead. The same voice kept repeating my name until one of my eyes lazily rolled open.

A goat face was looking down at me, its sharp pointed nose almost touching mine.

"Aah!" I shrieked, finally regaining some consciousness and hurriedly slid back to get away from the thing my mind failed to recognize at once.

"It's me. Makara."

I blinked several times and tried to calm my nerves down. Pruthvi's Constellia, Makara was sitting down on his knees, leaned over with his elbows resting on the bed. Corner of his mouth twitched watching me being such a cowardly little runt.

"You scared me," I complained, having my hand on my slightly raising and falling chest.

"Sorry about that," he said, childishly holding his ears. "But I think you scared the girl more."

"What?" I asked. My eyes instantly wandered all around the room. How I landed on the bed, I had no idea. Wasn't I running like a ninja all over and around the mountain a few minutes ago?

"Yesterday, when you passed out...

"Yesterday!" I cried, jerking myself forward, "Damn! I have been sleeping forever."

"...the girl came running in search of you," Makara continued ignoring my comment, "She tried to tell me something, waving her hands too harshly. I understood nothing, except she was really worried about you. You do have a caring girlfriend."

I stiffened feeling the heat rising to my cheeks.

"She is not my girlfriend." I corrected him immediately, although I couldn't deny how warm and serene it felt hearing someone say it, "So wha...what happened? Are we repeating?"

"Of course!"

"Huh! What!" I gasped, my heart flipping.

"Not! You totally nailed it," continued Makara, smiling from ear to ear, "Even the First wasn't as powerful and clever. I hope Singh soon acknowledges that you are way different."

"That will never happen," I whispered.

"You never know," Makara shrugged, "Ooo I forgot. I think the girl wanted me to give you this as soon as you wake up."

He handed me a bagel and the glass of hot chocolate. I mulled over the facts for few minutes, sipping on my beverage in silence. Then it suddenly occurred to me that a Constellia had never crossed their realm before, let alone be inside the hut.

"Hey, where am I now?" I asked, "If I won, Gates should have opened, right?"

"Yes. Lucky that girl came rushing over. She found it really hard to pull you through to the hut, so I had to lend her a hand."

"Oh!" I said, "Isn't it the realm of Kumbh? What are you doing here?"

"Friend of my Master," he said, with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice indicating how ignorant I was, "we can travel through Realms. That is how we get out of the Arena. And as a matter of fact, I love to stay in the Realm of Vrishabha, year round. It's just the best."

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