A Tale of the World **HIATUS**

Chapter 54: Inevitable Pain

"Nina~! Come here~!" Baine called from underneath the Tree of Life, where they built a little cottage by the base of the tree.

He ran out the door with a pair of clothes he had prepared for Nina. Azazel was sitting on a bench that was placed right outside the cottage, holding a quill pen and pieces of paper. With his legs crossed and spectacles on, Azazel sat there, pondering about his own work. Baine looked around.

Azazel chuckled without looking up to Baine, "What a doting father, you are. She probably ran off with the others."

Baine looked down to the clothes in his hands, "Well, with the absence of her mother, of course I have to take initiative and look after her."

"You mean, spoil?" Azazel remarked.

"I don't spoil her," Baine arched his brow. "Do I?"

Azazel let out a hearty laugh. "Oh my! Even you don't realize? Everyone goes on and on about how much you spoil her behind your back and how much you've changed throughout these past two years."

Baine blushed, turning his face away from Azazel as he raised a hand to cover his lips. "I haven't changed that much, have I?"

"Having been with you for these last few years, it's a drastic change," Azazel smiled. "Not only to you but this entire island itself. The others haven't even realized themselves as well. Such a strong influence she has over everyone. Myself included," Azazel thought out loud. "And it's wonderful thing, actually."

As Baine continued blushing heading back towards their front door, Azazel then asked, "Is Nina still having nightmares?"

Baine stopped in his tracks. "...From time to time."

"Is she still not telling you what they're about?"

"Yeah. But surely, they'll subside," Baine answered with a smile.

***

Running through the forest, light on her feet, Nina ran side by side with two large demons. One, a woman having the lower half of her body taking the form of a tarantula with golden-red streaks that ran across her body. And another, a gorilla-like demon with a spiked spine and saber like canines that produced poison.

"And the winner is-! Luna!" one demon announced as the three of them ran past the finish line.

Nina dropped to her knees, catching her breath. "No fair! I got third place again! Luna has like, eight legs and I've only got two. Rwine's got like four legs he's running on!"

"What are you talking? You got third place, but just by a hair this time. Any slower and I would've been third place," Rwine commented gently tapping her on head with his large finger.

"But hey, you're getting faster," their referee, Nebu praised. Nebu took the shape of a man standing almost 7 feet tall. His skin was a creamy grey color with blank black eyes. He had twisted horn on the top of his head with sharp teeth like a shark. On his back, he had blood red markings on his back.

"I don't feel like I'm getting any faster," Nina sighed standing up, straightening her back with her arms on her hips.

Nebu laughed at her childish dejected expression. Momentarily, a snake slithered up to Nina. It was one of Lue's retainer, the one who watched over Nina when she retrieved the flower home.

"Ah, Noel. What's up?" Nina asked, extending a hand down to him as he coiled up her arm.

"Master Baine was looking for you," he said in his high raspy voice.