I have Nine Lives

Chapter 142: Conflicting emotions

Felix felt very conflicted at the moment.

If what Aaltarox said was true, he had to work with the people that captured and experimented on him, and even though they did let him go in the end, the scars were still there.

"I know that it's hard for you to accept this, but with your current strength and connections, you would never survive the invasion."

"The invaders are from a distant planet that the humans had found during their interstellar travels. They wanted to conquer it, thinking that the people living on the planet were aboriginals, but they struck a steel plate. They realized they offended a civilization that they shouldn't have."

"Their reckless actions had impacted even us, even though gods cannot descend to the mortal's world that doesn't mean other gods that have been born on other planets cannot travel towards us and incite war, normally gods are the guardians of a planet that the universal will had bestowed upon the civilizations."

"In this situation, we will have to defend ourselves because of the greediness of the humans."

"Anyways, I can tell you that with your potential as long as you have the right resources and techniques bestowed upon you. You will go very far, my friend. It's unknown, but maybe you will even reach the heights of the gods one day?"

Aaltarox was speaking without thinking as he never heard of an instance where a mortal had reached the god's realm by ascending. He wasn't sure even if it was possible, but Felix was special as he was an interdimensional traveler, which of very few existed in their universe.

Felix wasn't really interested in the ultimate power of being a god, but knowing that he will improve further only if he cooperated with the humans left a sour taste in his mouth.

"One last thing I need to mention before I leave. If I fall during this war, you will lose all your lives. Unless you will find yourself another god to bless you."

"And even if you do find one, I don't think he will be able to give you nine lives."

"I have done my job of informing you, as for what will you do that will depend on you."

The voice disappeared as Felix woke up from his consciousness back into the fluffy bed of the inn. That was specifically made for him.

Felix remained seated on the bed as he thought about Aaltarox's words.

He digested every remaining bit of information that Aaltarox gave him as he thought about the future invasion. He needed to alert the others, so they would be prepared for anything that will happen while he would be gone to train at the human's facility.

While his trauma was still there, as time passed, the wounds slowly closed and healed, and he could even see himself working with Shima if things went in the same direction that he thought they were.

There were no eternal enemies in the face of survival.

Of course, he wouldn't mind socking the prick a few times in the face so he could feel better.

Felix left his fluffy bed and looked back at it one last time, not knowing when he would be able to enjoy its sheets again.

First, he needed to inform Siracha before he left as he was the most important person in the tribe, and he would be able to disseminate the information that he would give him way better. Compared to Felix.

Siracha had finished talking with the death singers a long time ago, and he was currently resting at his home waiting for the funeral.

When Felix came to his home, he invited him in as he sensed something was eating at him, something that he wanted to share with Siracha.

"What is wrong, Felix? I can feel that you are pretty agitated. Is it about Manitola's death?"

Felix shook his head as he said:

"No, it's not about Manitola. I have already accepted her death. She died as she wanted to, and that's something I can accept."

"I understand, so what's the thing that's eating at you?"

"It's something huge, Siracha. Something that will affect the whole planet!"

"I have just conversated with my god Aaltarox, and he told me the humans had offended some off-world race that will attack our planet!"

"That's, that's very big and bad news."

Siracha almost fell from his chair as he heard that. If these aliens were strong enough to push the humans back to their mother planet, it showed that the other races living on the planet would be either enslaved or massacred.

"It seems we will have to rely on them in the future..."

Felix shook his head as he said:

"The humans are very pragmatic. I don't think they will accept everyone into their midst. Maybe only the most talented ones. They will be the ones given a place in their fortifications."

"That means... they will abandon us after they have doomed us themselves?"

"Pretty much, haven't you seen how they acted when we visited them back then?"

Felix's words were facts and Siracha knew that which made him rather annoyed and angry at the same time as he asked:

"Maybe we will be able to buy our way in?"

Then he shook his head. He realized that was a dumb thing to say since the war was on the horizon. They would just take all of the resources they wanted regardless of what the other races thought.

They would have the moral high ground even though they were the ones that put them in this situation, but the others wouldn't know about it unless they had a god's chosen who was informed about the incoming invasion just like Felix was.

"I will do my best to share this information with everyone, even if we won't be able to do much against these invaders. It's better to be prepared!"

Felix nodded. They wouldn't be able to do much even while defending but waiting for something and being ambushed were two different things.

Now that Felix shared the information with Siracha. He only had to attend Manitola's funeral before he would leave for the human tribe.

Time passed rather quickly when you were under stress or had something important to do, but you have been postponing it.

And it was finally time for Manitola's funeral.

Felix wore a dark small sweater over his body, as he looked up at the clouds outside that were looking ready for rain.

Even since he had been to this world, the rain had never dropped on this part of the continent.

It was because the part was situated in a summer climate and rains happened very rarely.

But now the sky was ready to cry. Was it a coincidence that the first rain that he would ever see on this continent was on the same day as Manitola's funeral?

Felix sighed as he walked on the path towards the cemetery. The death singers had already prepared Manitola's corpse. Now they were just waiting for her loved ones to keep a eulogy before lowering her in the grave.

Felix arrived at the cemetery at the right time as they were just about to start the eulogy.

The first one to walk towards the coffin was her mother, which just got news about her daughter's death.

She was pretty much an older and more mature version of Manitola, with a few facial differences here and there.

She couldn't keep her tears inside as she looked at her dead daughter, she looked really peaceful.

The death singers kept close to her coffin and made sure that nothing wrong would happen during the funeral.

Lindo and the others were waiting for their turn as Felix walked near them and kept his head down.

"My poor baby girl. Ever since she was a little kid, she always talked about finding her prince charming and settling down to a good home..."

"She would run around saying things like 'mommy, when will I get married, I will hope you will be there.' and I wasn't there for her... I wasn't there when my grandson was born, and I wasn't there when my daughter died."

She trembled as she almost looked ready to collapse. Manitola's father who was waiting for his turn quickly came near her to support her and get her to a chair.

Manitola's father was a handsome fox-man who looked both cultured and gentlemanly as he donned a black suit.

He didn't say anything as he looked down at this daughter before leaving one small red flower on her hands.

Then it was Lindo's turn.

"I never thought you would die, atleast not before me."

"I always thought that I would go first, that I would be the one that would die on the battlefield courageously, and that you would mourn me, but now I'm the one who mourns you."

"I hoped that you would see our little boy grow up, together with me."

"I hoped that we will have happy days ahead of us."

"And lastly. I hoped that we would grow old together."

"Unfortunately, none of this happened."

"I hope we will meet each other again on the other part."

Lindo put his head down as he got away from the coffin and looked towards Felix, who was ready to go up and say something as well before Lindo stopped him:

"You don't have to say anything, my friend, it's good enough that you have come, I know that you weren't close to Manitola at all, but I needed someone close to me during this funeral, some friend instead of Siracha or Diorno."

Felix nodded and stopped himself from going.

The death singers finally had to finish their jobs as they slowly lowered the coffin in the grave using ropes and sung:

"Oh great ancestors, please accept her soul to your blossom so she may rest well."

The song was quite old-fashioned and short as the moment the coffin touched the bottom of the hole. They finished it.

The hole was then closed as the dirt-filled it until it was full to the brim.

Lindo kept his head down as he left. He needed to go and take care of his child.

The death singers left to their funerary home while Manitola's parents remained near her grave for a few more minutes then left as well.

Felix had already changed into his normal gear as he was running towards the tube that the humans left for him. It was time to go back to them.