26 - A Doctor Named Miquela - Reina (2)

Even without knowing how much he had spent to get Miquela to come here, I knew that our savings wouldn't last long.

He needed to reach the 2nd Circle soon to be able to work as an Adventurer and cover his current expenses.

Miquela took a few minutes to process all the information and when he turned to me he gave me a toothless smile.

“What did he say is true? – she asked, expecting a negative answer.

I nodded to confirm and she immediately put her hands to her temples.

“Now I understand why the contract if what he said is really true, you would be hunted and studied in a laboratory until the end of your life.” – she murmured thoughtfully.

I felt cold sweat running down my face and back. The mere idea of being treated as an object of study was terrifying.

I waited for her to signal for me to continue and then I began my story.

“I'm from Almage, I'm from a poor family, my father was addicted to gambling and accumulated a debt of fifty gold coins. I was forced by the loan shark to sell my virginity in an attempt to pay off my father's debt, otherwise my mother and my little siblings would be left without a place to live.” – I started my story trying to control my emotions.

Miquela showed seriousness in her eyes, the same seriousness as when Ocien mentioned suicide.

“Ocien had been my classmate at school, he was quiet, depressed and didn't interact with anyone. That day he recognized me, offered to pay my father's debt and I saw in his eyes that he was about to do something that had no way back. Trying to repay the person who had saved me, I held him tight and didn't let him do anything stupid.” – I continued counting and when I realized my voice was getting excited.

I adjusted myself in the chair, trying to regain the composure that the story demanded of me.

“I took him to the room I was living in at an inn, we stayed there for two days, I held him and soon he reciprocated.” - I said in a tone of embarrassed confession.

My attempt to appear serious went down the drain faster than I expected, my cheeks starting to burn with embarrassment.

“There a feeling arose and we felt that we needed each other to move forward. Ocien took me to his house, we cleaned up the mess, bought new furniture and then he asked me to be his girlfriend. I accepted without thinking twice and from then on we lived together.” – I continued with my voice decreasing to the point of becoming a whisper.

“It all seemed like something out of a make-believe world. But now we reached the part that my feelings didn't know how to deal with and my stomach started to churn quickly.

Despite this, it took us more than a month before we had an intimate moment.” – I said it had a sour taste.

My face must have been ugly, Miquela gave me a strange look as I spoke.

“This moment occurred mainly due to the pressure I felt from my coworkers and my sense of obligation to him.” – I said, hating myself for every single word that came out of my mouth.

I took a deep breath trying to decide if I should continue or if I should change what I had said.

After a few seconds I decided that I should continue, trying to change what was said now would only make me feel better about myself.

“When we woke up the next day everything had changed, I had reached 4 Stars on the Warrior Path and my Path as a Mage had awakened.” – I continued counting, trying to appear neutral.

Miquela's interest seems to have been completely captured by my last statement. I was worried about whether this had really been a good idea to try to solve my problems.

Already here and with Ocien having already told the same thing I decided to continue.

“We made plans trying not to attract attention. We accepted the mission towards Quakan and on the first day of the journey we encountered the bandits.” – I followed up on my story.

At this moment we reach the most crucial point of it, why we are here, the root of all the thoughts that have been eating away at me.

“My opponent was only a 2-Star Warrior, he couldn't even defend himself. – I said, biting my lip.

At that moment my thoughts started to wander and I started saying everything that was on my mind.

“I didn't had any combat skills, but neither did he. I took his life so easily and something inside me changed that day. I started to be afraid, I'm afraid, I'm afraid of my feelings. I can no longer see Ocien as my boyfriend. I've tried to be intimate with him, but every time our bodies touch I feel a guilt that eats away at me. Because of me, our plans to travel to several cities had to be changed and we ended up deciding to move to Aden sooner than expected. We were supposed to come here directly to work as Adventurers. But as I delayed the plans, I spent too much time in Quakan and we ended up deciding to come here and cultivate until we reached the 2nd Circle. Although minimal, the difference in energy density here is beneficial for us to cultivate normally. He doesn't comment on it, but he has been holding the barrier ascension in all the Stars to accompany me. His last statement was to inform me that he will no longer do this. He can probably reach eight stars any time he wants in both Paths.” – I spilled everything almost without breathing, I spoke so much and so quickly that when I finally stopped I was panting.

Miquela stood there listening to everything I said.

She seemed thoughtful, probably trying to find a way to broach the subject, but it was clear that the statements we both made seemed too fanciful to her.

“You have been cultivating for six months and are at the gates of the 8 Stars on both paths?” – she asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

I nodded without being able to look directly at her.

“But your relationship is suffering because you can't see him as a romantic partner.” – she asked strangely.

I confirmed again by nodding my head.