The Beta’s Regret

Beauty grabbed the car keys from the office table and muttered, “Let’s go,

“Go where?” I asked.

She turned to me “we

“we won’t d

do the ritual in this office,” Beauty then drag me down the stairs and towards the garage.

When the garage door opened, she clicked a button and I saw several cars, all sleek and shiny, waiting for us.

“Today is a special day, so let us drive you in a special car.”

“Cool” she said but when I turned around, I didn’t see Eros.

“Is the King not coming with us?” I asked. “The help bond had to be established between me and him, right? So, we have to do the ritual together,”

Beauty pouted and shook her head “He needs some time to cool off. So, he would join us directly there.”

“Where is there?” I asked, but she simply smiled and opened the door. She shoved me inside.

“Ouch,” I rubbed my elbow when it lightly hit the

door.

“Sorry. It’s just that I am both nervous and excited. I have been asking him for days… Scratch that, its been years i’ve been asking him but he never did. Anyway, I have spent time over the years, studying the visions and trying to analyze the pattern. I hope it works.” She added nervously as her fingers gripped the steering wheel a bit too hard.

“Well, let us just get there and be done with the ritual.”

Beauty

nodded, and she drove the car outside, taking me through the wide empty road that she soon left to drive on a muddy. dirt patch. The ride wasn’t bumpy, but she drove deeper into the forest, leaving the city behind.

I would have asked her where we were going for the umpteenth time, but I doubted she would

answer.

Eros had always asked me not to venture deeper into the forest since there could be rogues and such, but somehow she was taking me there and, given that he let us leave, this could be a safe territory.

But that only piqued my curiosity.

The trees were denser here and the moonlight filtering in through the canopy of trees got fainter as we drove forward. However, I did not feel the forest to be cerie or creepy

Somehow, despite it being nearly dark, the air around here felt calm and relaxing, soothing my nerves.

The forest was quiet and the night animals probably sleeping or hunting. My fear of some rogue or any other wild animal suddenly pouncing on us vanished as a soft breeze kept caressing my face, tickling an idle strand of hair against my skin.

The cool wind and the quiet were enough to lull me to sleep. My eyelids began to droop, and I felt that I would sleep like a baby.

But s

soon, the car came to a halt as Beauty hit the brakes and turned the ignition off.

“Hey, get up,” she said, gently nudging me. I had my elbow propped on the window side and my head was resting on it.

“Come on,” she said excitedly as I stifled a yawn and stepped outside the car. And the scene waiting in front of me was something that cleared off the sleep from my eyes.

The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp moss as I rubbed my eyes to see the splendid sight in front of me.

The moonlight was shining brightly into this clearing and only now I understood what was lulling me to sleep. A huge but serene waterfall was cascading gently into a crystalline pool below.

The water looked sparkly white, whiter than the clouds adorning the night sky. Stars were twinkling from amidst them, the reflection of the night sky visible in the small pool of water surrounded by the rocks. The water disappeared into the crevices, traveling underground to probably join some river.

“Here we are!” Beauty threw her hands open while standing in front of the huge scenery as if she was the mastermind behind nature to create it

“It is beautiful,” I whispered, not wanting to break the calm silence by shouting unnecessarily.

“I come here to study or just relax when my mind is particularly uneasy or when I feel restless,” she added as we neared the cascading waterfall.

“I can guess why. It feels so calm here,” I replied, and she nodded in agreement. Her hands dug inside her bag that she had slung across her shoulder and she pulled out her diary

I smiled at thought of sprinkling the water over my face to get rid of the sleep. As I took a step closer, I balanced my foot on the edge of the rocks surrounding the small pool. The water spraying on me was cool and sweet.

I splashed it on my face and gathered some in my palms that I drank heartily. I immediately felt refreshed.

As I wiped my face with my sleeves, I noticed something else as well Amidst the moss–covered rocks, and waterfall, an extraordinary sight unfolded–a statue carved out of the very stones that formed the cradle of the stream.

“Is that..!” I started, but could not quite understand it from this angle.

Beauty care to stand beside me and replied, “Oh, you noticed it right It took me a while when I first visited this place.”

We were staring at a huge statue carved out of the stone, seamlessly blending with the natural surroundings. There was a figure looking in a straight direction. I peered intently and noticed that it was a female, dad in a long, flowy robe.

A very skilled sculptor must’ve carved it. The woman had her faces partially covered with a veil that I marveled at how the sculptor created with stone.

“What is this place?” I asked, after admiring the statue for a long time,

“Some say it was the first place the moon goddess came…” she was saying when a voice interrupted.

“I thought you two would be almost done with the preparation by the time I got here: I turned around to see Eros walking towards us, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Shut up, Eros Beauty retorted, but he only smiled instead of getting angry.

You were supposed to take ages to come here. I figured I would calm my nerves and let her look around as well! She added.

I was supposed to never agree to this. But you girls don’t want to listen to me. Stubborn women!”

Beauty stuck out a tongue as my gaze drifted towards him again.

%

He was trying very hard to act normal, but he was not comfortable about being

from her bag.

here Spiritual matters are a thing. Eros. The sooner you appreciate the better” She added and began taking out some items

1 stand by my words. End of discussion

I stood at the side and watched Beauty pulled out some candles, herbs, matches, and etcera while I watched her nervously.