"Look who's talking," Trisha quipped as she walked inside the room like a shadow with a smirk. "You were grinning to yourself like a lunatic when I was peeking in from outside."
Alex froze mid-step, then turned sharply, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me? You were peeking outside my window? Do you even know how illegal that sounds?"
She shrugged as if dangling off a 15th-floor ledge in leather gear was a normal Tuesday activity. "Don't be so dramatic. I was just... scoping the area."
"Scoping the—What if I was naked?" Alex cried, throwing his arms across his chest as if he were already halfway to a centerfold shoot. "I could've been flashing all of Davao without consent!"
Trisha laughed, a sound like mischief in high heels. "Oh please, Mr. Virgin. I wouldn't have minded at all. In fact," she winked, "I was sort of hoping for it."
Alex gasped and backed into the wall like a startled cat, palms now strategically placed over vital zones. "This is harassment, you know. Actual criminal harassment."
She rolled her eyes and flopped onto the bed like she owned it. "Relax. You're not my type. Too... noble. Probably the kind of guy who still reads the terms and conditions before clicking 'I accept.'"
"I do read them!" Alex barked.
"Exactly my point."
He ran a hand down his face. "Listen, Trisha, this isn't a good time. My room is bugged, probably. Your father has connections. When he finds out you're here—"
"He won't kill you," she said nonchalantly.
"Oh? How reassuring."
"I mean, he'll try, but he won't succeed," she said, crossing one leg over the other. "I've got a feeling you're not that easy to kill."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "What are you implying?"
Trisha leaned forward, her smile softening for the first time. "I saw it, you know. The way your energy crackles when you think no one's watching. That barely contained current. You're like... a grenade pretending to be a flashlight."
His spine stiffened. "You've been spying on me?"
"I call it 'advanced people-watching.'" She grinned.
Alex took a breath. "Okay, fine. Let's pretend for a moment you're not completely insane. What exactly do you mean by 'time to elope'? We're not even dating. I don't know your favorite color!"
"Black."
"Shocking."
"And I prefer mango shake over strawberry. I hate elevators. My second toe is longer than my big toe. There, now we're practically soulmates."
"You're absolutely crazy," Alex whispered.
"Possibly, but with purpose," Trisha said. "You don't understand what it's like being locked in a mansion your whole life while your stepmother plots your wardrobe and your brothers treat you like you're twelve. I'm nineteen, Alex. Practically a fossil in gamer years. If I don't get out now, I'll die of boredom—or get married off to some sleazy politician's son."
Alex blinked. "Is this seriously your pitch for marriage? Pity and hostage negotiation?"
Trisha stood and walked toward the window, looking out at the shimmering Davao skyline. "No. It's desperation and opportunity."
Alex followed her gaze, silent for a beat.
"You know this won't work," he said quietly.
"I know it might. And right now, that's all I've got," she replied, her voice suddenly real.
A long pause stretched between them.
"Your father's not stupid," Alex said. "He must suspect something. I mean, you did announce our fake engagement in his office."
"He suspects," she said. "But he doesn't know, and we'll keep it that way."
"Are you sure he's not bugging this hotel too?"
"Oh, he probably is," she said brightly. "But don't worry. I used my stealth skill on the way in. Any cameras caught nothing but shadows and a particularly dashing gust of wind."
"You're impossible," Alex muttered.
"And you're stuck with me," she shot back.
Alex shook his head, sighed, and looked back at her—really looked at her this time. Beneath the sass and sarcasm, there was something burning behind her eyes. A need to escape. A craving for adventure. The same thing that had driven him into this chaos in the first place.
"All right," he said slowly, scratching the back of his neck. "Let's say I don't kick you out the window right now—"
"Rude."
"—What's your plan? Because eloping isn't just sneaking into a hotel room and throwing glitter in the air."
Trisha smirked. "Step one: Pack your things. Step two: I carry us both out the window. Step three: We disappear into the night and live off the land."
"Step four: Get arrested for kidnapping a government official's daughter."
She snorted. "Only if we get caught."
Alex sighed again and glanced at his spatial ring, where all his gear was now neatly organized and gleaming like treasure.
"Well," he said with a grin, "at least I'm packed." Alex chuckled, still admiring the ring gleaming on his finger like a badge of honor.
Trisha narrowed her eyes. "What are you smiling at again? That's the same grin I saw when I was peeking outside earlier."
"Hmp. Pervert!" Alex said with theatrical disdain, standing and sauntering toward the sofa like a telenovela star. He plopped down beside the empty drawer and gestured at the barren room. "Observe. No luggage. No mess. No crime-scene explosion of clothing. Do you know why?"
Trisha raised an eyebrow. "Because... you don't own anything? Or—wait. Are we in the wrong hotel room?" She looked around nervously, eyes darting to the bathroom door like she half-expected a couple in bathrobes to waltz out with a scream.
"Nope. This is my room." Alex lifted his hand and wagged his fingers. "And all my luggage—as in everything I own—is inside this little ring right here."
Trisha stared. First at him. Then at the ring. Then back at him, like he'd just told her he was secretly a unicorn.
"…Are you saying," she said slowly, voice rising, "that your ring is a spatial storage? Like… like in the games?"
"Yes, it is!" Alex beamed. "Isn't it handy? Wouldn't you grin from ear to ear if you received this kind of reward from the sentient?" he lied.
Trisha blinked, then her eyes bulged as the realization slammed into her like a boss monster. "You received what? That's your reward?!"
She shot to her feet, clearly scandalized. "I only got a new skill for finding you—but you got a unique treasure? Sentient, that's not fair!" she added with an indignant pout, then closed her eyes like a Jedi trying to mind-meld with the universe. "Unfair! Unfair, you hear me!"
Alex chuckled. "You don't have to close your eyes to talk to your Sentient, you know. It's not a seance."
She opened one eye and glared. "Let me express my rage in peace."
"Maybe the Sentient gave you what you needed most," Alex said, stretching out his legs.
"Want to trade?" she offered sweetly, batting her lashes in mock innocence.
Alex gave her a deadpan look. "Nope. I already have many skills."
Trisha snorted and flopped back onto the bed, her boots still hanging halfway off the edge.
"Spatial ring… I've read about them in cultivation novels," she muttered. "I didn't think they were real. What else have you got in there, a flying sword? A portable bathtub? A small bakery?"
"No bakery," Alex said, eyes twinkling. "But I do have a full wardrobe, a bag full of diamonds, my katana, a dagger, toiletries, and the hotel pillow I accidentally stole earlier."
Her head whipped around. "You what?"
"I panicked, okay? I was testing the spatial transfer function."
Trisha laughed until she wheezed, clutching her stomach. "You, sir, are now a pillow thief. Your noble adventuring days are over."
Alex smirked. "Fine, Miss Rooftop Window Crawler."
"Touché."
Alex sighed, looking once more at the ring. "This thing changes everything, you know. I don't have to carry gear on my back anymore. I can travel lighter and faster. Think smarter."
Trisha rolled onto her side, propping her head up with one hand. "Then it's settled."
"What is? "
"We're leaving tonight."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "You're really serious about this?"
"I've never been more serious about anything in my life."
"But we don't have a plan."
"We'll make one on the road."
"You're impulsive, irresponsible, and kind of scary," Alex muttered.
"And you're thoughtful, cautious, and weirdly organized for a guy who lives like a rogue." She smiled. "We balance each other out."
He stared at her for a long moment.
"…You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope."
"Alright," he said, rising to his feet. "But I'm keeping the pillow."
"Alright, keep the damn pillow," Trisha laughed, grabbing her bag. Then, with a glint in her eye, she added, "Let's go. I'll carry you."
Alex looked mildly horrified. "No, thanks. I can manage on my own."
Trisha narrowed her eyes. "Can you also climb walls or jump fifteen floors high?"
"I have my own way," he said mysteriously, slipping into his shoes. "You go first. We'll meet at the edge of town."
She tilted her head, squinting at him suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
Alex nodded. "Go. Don't worry. I won't escape. You'll see."
Still unconvinced but curious, Trisha climbed back out through the window. In one smooth motion, she leapt across to the rooftop of the adjacent building and landed like a whisper. She crouched low, waiting.
She expected to see him clamber out behind her, maybe with some hidden climbing gear or a clever trick up his sleeve.
But what she saw next nearly knocked her off the roof.
A sharp, sudden cry tore through the night air—Cawww!
A black bird shot out of the hotel window like a streak of shadow, its wingspan wide and powerful, gliding past her with eerie grace, with a metallic ring on its right claw. As it passed, it looked directly at her, screeched again—almost mockingly—and flew into the sky, heading in the direction of the city outskirts.
Trisha's jaw fell open. "You have got to be kidding me."