Neteyam Sully¹²

The interior of the marui felt stifling; the waves outside sounded mournful after Tonowari's departure. The whole family was gathered in a semicircle. Jake stood frustrated, and Neytiri stared at the ground with her ears drooping. The condition of the pact hung like poison in the air.

Jake let out a heavy sigh and fixed his gaze directly on his eldest son. "Tonowari has been clear," Jake said, his voice breaking. "To ensure the clan's trust and prove that we won't betray them with the humans... Neteyam must marry one of the daughters of the Metkayina nobility as soon as his training is complete."

The phrase landed like a dead weight. For the Na'vi, marriage before Eywa happens only once in a lifetime; you unite your soul forever.

Neteyam, sitting in the center, tensed his muscles to their limit. His golden eyes opened with a mixture of horror and helplessness. Beside him, Lo'ak clenched his fists in anger, and Kiri hugged the little Tuk.

But in Neteyam's mind, the world went dark. Family duty clashed with the pain of losing you. He loved you secretly with the intensity of someone who has found their soulmate. Slowly, he turned his head toward where you stood, apart from the circle, voiceless and powerless to claim anything. His eyes, fixed on you, pleaded for desperate forgiveness, screaming in the silence that his heart was already yours.