Erin: What? 😳
Elda: 😏
A thin string still lingered between their lips for a brief second.
She smiled teasingly.
"If you want to hear it again..."
"You'll have to wait."
She stood up.
"Owww... my legs." 😣
Started stretching her body.
Erin: ❤️❤️❤️
Turned her face away.
Blushing brightly.
"...Idiot alpha." 😊
---
In the center of the forest
Everyone had gathered beneath a large tree.
The atmosphere was... awkward.
Elda: slightly swollen lips, trying to look normal. 🙂
Erin: face completely red, avoiding everyone's eyes. 😳
Ashley: awkward smile. 😅
Noah: standing with crossed arms, annoyed. 😑
Adam: smiling like an idiot. 😁
Aaron: expressionless as usual. 😐
Noel: quietly looking at everyone, a little nervous. 😶
Silence...
...
Aaron: 😐
"So..."
"Shall we continue to the neighboring kingdom?"
"It's already been almost a day."
Noah: Yeah. 😑
Aaron: By the way...
"Who exactly are you?"
Noah: It's...
Ashley: I'll explain. 😅
She told everyone everything that had happened inside the cave and how she met Noah.
After a few minutes...
"...That's everything."
Aaron: 😐
"So... you're an Enigma too."
Noah: Yeah.
"I've lived like this for almost a hundred years."
"It's been a long time since I could freely stay in a human form."
Adam: 😲
"A hundred years?"
Noah: 😊
"If an Enigma forms a contract with an owner..."
"We can live for nearly five hundred years."
Everyone froze.
Elda: What...? 😶
Noah: Yeah.
"I was bound to that man's family through a contract."
"That's why I had no choice but to obey him."
Erin: Ohh... 😕
Noah: Then...
He slowly looked toward Noel.
"...Looks like the prophecy was true."
Everyone's attention shifted to Noel.
Aaron: 😐
"What prophecy?"
Noah: ...
He shook his head.
"I can't tell you now."
"When the time comes..."
"You'll understand."
Aaron narrowed his eyes but didn't press further.
Instead...
He changed the topic.
"So..."
"What happened after that minister died?"
Everyone looked at Noel.
Noel: 🤔
"He wasn't a bad person."
"He actually helped Noah become human."
"But then..."
"He suddenly disappeared."
"And after about five minutes..."
"He came back."
"I don't remember much after that."
"Everything suddenly became dark."
She looked down at her hands.
"The next thing I remember..."
"...was seeing Adam trying to hurt himself."
"That's when I came back to my senses."
Silence spread across the group.
Noah quietly looked at Noel.
(So... she really doesn't remember what happened during those five minutes...)
Aaron also noticed Noah's expression.
(He's hiding something...)
Far away...
Somewhere deep within the forest...
A mysterious pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
"...The Enigma Queen has begun to awaken."
A faint smile appeared in the darkness.
"And the prophecy... has finally started." 👁️