It took no time at all for Gerard to close the distance between himself and the two women who were now staring at him.
He noticed that their expressions were a little off—one could even say unhappy—but he chalked it up to their tiredness.
The overwhelming atmosphere also had to be a contributing factor to their irritation. Unlike him, they hadn't gotten used to its harshness.
Still, he had faith that Serah could weather the storm at the very least.
Speaking of which…
"A-ahh… y-your legs?!" Those were the first words Gerard uttered the moment he approached the supposed woman of his dreams.
His face paled almost instantly as he saw how nothing but her thighs and barely her knees remained.
Everything else had been cut off.
"H-how did it ha—?!"
"You idiot. Is that really the first thing you're going to ask?" Serah sighed, her eyes giving him a deep glare.
The moment he witnessed her disapproval, Gerard froze mid-sentence, and his brain went into instant overdrive.
'I-I shouldn't make a big deal about all of this. She probably lost it due to a trial or something. She can always heal afterwards…'
Once he had his thoughts settled in his mind, Gerard nodded internally and smiled broadly at Serah, still completely ignoring Maria.
'I have to play it cool!' He decided, now leaking out a calm smile.
"So… what brings you here?"
"Haa! You fool. Now isn't the time for theatrics. We're in trouble and we need your help!" Serah's words, despite being harsh, made him feel strangely good.
As the Beast King, he was not used to being talked down on. In fact, he detested it.
He was the strongest, so no one could look down on him.
However, all of that changed when Serah appeared into his life. She was a breath of fresh air, a ray of light that he never thought he needed.
The only woman who had ever conquered him.
"It pleases me that you need my assistance, but the Constellations were specific about our trials being individual. Wouldn't it be cheating if I helped you out?"
"No! That's not it at al—!"
"I mean, if you insist, I would be willing to defy their instructions and assist, but… they can see all things here, so it's sort of pointless to—"
~WHAP!~
A slap from Serah swiftly landed on Gerard's cheek, causing a hot sensation to permeate his face—far hotter than the scorching desert sun.
He couldn't even react to the speed of her hand, or the sting of the slap, until it was too late.
'W-wow…'
Gerard was once again reminded of the gap between their physical abilities at this moment, and he found himself caressing his slightly swollen cheek.
"Will you shut up and listen?!"
"Yes ma'am." He obediently muttered.
Serah and Maria were both seated on the sandy ground, so he collapsed on it too, completely in submission to the former's words.
"The trial is on hold for now. Something unexpected has occurred, and even the Constellations don't seem to be able to do anything about it."
"Ohhh?" Gerard's face formed genuine surprise.
This was unexpected news.
But, as one would expect, he needed more information.
"What unexpected thing?"
Both Maria and Serah opened their lips to speak, but before they could let word out, everyone who sat felt an ominous presence.
It emerged from the shattered dimensional barrier, and while its advance seemed slow, none of the three could deny the weight it had.
Black mist danced as a single individual floated into the desert world from whatever dimension he was coming from.
His dark float fluttered with the wind, and his dark brown hair seemed to follow the same rhythm. The weight behind his appearance shook all three who slowly raised their head to stare at him.
"The unexpected thing… is me." He spoke, looking down on the gawking trio.
A small smile formed on his pale force, further adding to the internal tremor that crept through their bodies.
"L-Legris Damien? What's he doing here?!" Gerard raised his voice as he jumped to his feet, swiftly taking a defensive stance.
Maria and Serah followed suit, though the letter was floating in the air.
"It's been a while, Beast King… um… what's your name again?" Legris spoke cooly, almost dismissively, as he stared at Gerard's intense glare.
"It's Gerard! What the hell are you doing here?!" He pointed at Legris, still feeling apprehensive, but also strangely enraged.
All his instincts told him to flee, but Gerard knew he could not obey them.
Not this time.
'Serah is right beside me. Ahh… I see. Was he the one who injured her like that? As a man… as one who desires her as my woman… I can no longer let this slide!'
"You have all my assistance, Serah. I will aid you in defeating that monster." Gerard grinned, ignoring the beads of sweat that were slowly gathering on his face.
Now wasn't the time to overthink things. Serah needed him, so he would help her.
It was as simple as that.
"No, Gerard. The situation has changed. The amount of power I'm sensing from him right now… it's different from before." Serah's sudden voice broke Gerard from his thoughts.
"E-eh…?"
"It's better we retreat and seek out even more help. I doubt we can take him on our own."
Gerard felt a slight pang of pain in his heart. Apparently she did not have enough confidence in his strength to think he would be able to make up for the difference that existed between them and Legris.
Gerard did not feel insulted or betrayed. No… he was just disappointed.
"You don't need to worry, Serah. We can take him!"
He had to overcome this disappointment and show just how much he had grown.
'After this fight, I'll propose to her again.'
And somehow… Gerard knew within himself that she was going to tell him "Yes."
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[A/N]
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
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