We had just barely survived our slime-wolf incident when we stumbled across the next stop on our adventure—an old stone café, nestled between two towering trees at the edge of the village. It didn't look like much from the outside, but there was something oddly inviting about it. The warm light spilling from the windows was like a beacon to any tired adventurer, and for once, I was feeling like I needed a break.
"Welcome to the Chrono Café," the sign read, swinging lazily in the breeze. "Time stands still here."
I blinked. "Uh, what does that mean? Time stands still? Like... it freezes when you walk in?"
Lina rolled her eyes. "No, genius. It's just the name of the place. Chill. You look like you've seen a ghost."
I hadn't seen a ghost, but I had definitely seen something strange—the girl sitting in the corner, eyes locked on a stack of books, her expression completely neutral. She didn't move as we walked in, didn't even glance up. It was like we weren't even there.
"Well, someone's a ray of sunshine," I muttered.
"Don't mind her," Iris said as she made her way to the counter. "She's harmless. You'll see."
I felt a little uncomfortable under the weight of the girl's gaze, even though she hadn't looked at me directly. But the tension in the air felt thick, like something was about to happen.
The girl, who was dressed in a dark cloak that practically swallowed her whole frame, finally lifted her head. Her eyes, a dull gray with no visible emotion, met mine. And in that moment—boom.
[System Alert: Unknown Reaction – "Emotionless Gaze" (Tier 1)]
My heart skipped a beat, and I felt something in my chest tighten. I couldn't tear my eyes away, and before I knew it, I was bleeding. A small trickle of blood seeped from my nose, and I couldn't do anything but stand there, frozen.
Iris, thankfully, noticed and rushed to my side.
"Here we go again," she sighed, tapping her foot. "You're really bad at handling her, huh?"
"What the hell just happened?" I managed to ask, wiping the blood away with the back of my hand.
Iris glanced at the girl, who was still staring at me like a blank slate. "That's Iris. She's a—"
"I'm a time researcher," the girl interjected, her voice flat and emotionless, matching her expression. "I research magic. Time magic." She glanced at me for the first time, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. "You're bleeding."
"Yeah, no kidding," I muttered, still trying to figure out why my nose was hemorrhaging just from looking at her.
Iris shook her head. "That's… kind of her thing. She can freeze time with just a glance."
I blinked at her. "Wait, what?"
Iris nodded. "It's not as fancy as it sounds. It's not like she's freezing everything, just… people. She's not really great at controlling it."
"She's being modest," Iris added. "She's actually amazing. She can stop time for days, but she doesn't use it often."
I looked back at the emotionless girl, who was now reading her book again like nothing had happened.
"Well, that's—" I started, but before I could finish my sentence, the air around us seemed to freeze. My heartbeat stopped. Time itself felt like it was caught in a vacuum, locked in place.
Iris sighed. "There it is…"
A Moment of Freeze
"Okay, enough of that," Iris muttered, snapping her fingers. And just like that, everything snapped back to normal.
I had been completely frozen in time for what felt like an eternity, though I knew it was only a few seconds. My heart was racing, and my nose was still bleeding, but the strange weight in the air lifted. I was gasping for breath, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Sorry," Iris said, almost like she was apologizing for the weather. "She doesn't exactly know how to 'dial it down' when she's stressed."
I turned to the girl in the cloak, who was still sitting there, unbothered, flipping through a page of her book. Her expression never changed. Not a flicker of warmth. Not a single sign of emotion.
"I'm… I'm sorry," I said, rubbing my nose. "I'm not used to being frozen in time."
She didn't even look up. "I know."
And then, with her usual lack of enthusiasm, she added, "It's… a side effect of my ability. The more I look at someone, the more time I can stop. But I'm not good with control. You should probably stay away from me."
Great. Another weird girl with an overpowered skill I couldn't understand.
"Well, you're just full of fun," I muttered. "And I'm definitely staying away from you."
Lina snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that."
Iris smiled softly at the two of us before taking her seat. "Alright, let's grab some food. There's a lot more to Iris than just stopping time. She's actually a bit of a genius when it comes to time magic theory."
"Maybe," I said, still eyeing the girl suspiciously. "But does her ability include making me pass out from nosebleeds every time she looks at me?"
Iris glanced at the girl. "No promises, but... let's see."
End of Chapter 6