She tucked her red lips.
Her eyes glistened as she moved closer, almost close to his eyes.
They both stared at each other, gaze locking.
She touched his cheeks, her long fingers sliding… but Noen pressed his hand on her face, putting her aside.
"What are you doing?" he asked with a cold tone, while Sera, realising what she was doing, slowly muttered, "Sorry," hiding her embarrassed face, moving away.
He just sighed… But,
( "Wtf was she doing just now, my heart…")
He thought, his hearbeate fastening by just looking at her, still remembering the scent, the warm breath he felt on his face.
He tucked his face away, holding it with one hand, hiding his flustered tone, he said.
"Sera, I think we should move."
She nodded, still embarrassed, as they began moving.
***
A long while had passed, but the tension between them was weird.
Noen kept walking further and further, while Sera kept moving slowly. They both didn't look at each other, trying to hide their faces, yet still their feet didn't stop moving along the stretching forest.
He said, finally breaking the silence.
"I can sense a weird energy coming from that way."
"Stay near me."
He said, stopping for a moment, looking at his hand as one burst apart, forming a long knife for her.
"Here, take this."
She extended her hands, taking the knife from his palm, holding it as he continued, "If you get into danger, just swing it without any thought. From there I'll handle it; just remember to throw the knife away from yourself."
"Ok," she said, nodding to his words.
"And…"
He came closer, her heart fastening to his sudden approach.
"I will carry you to that distance."
"Wait... wai- noo! My heart isn't ready for this!"
"?"
"Your heart…?"
"Ah-ahem. Hffjd…"
She blushed, her mind spiraling, unable to mutter up her thoughts as she fought her embarrassment and her beating heart.
Noen held her closely in a carry princess, looking at her with a worried gaze as he asked one last time, "Are you really okay?"
But Sera just nodded, hiding her face away on his bare chest as, tightly fastening his grip, he prepared a stance, stretching…
Boom.
The ground burst apart, moving through the forest with a tearing sound. Air gushed past him, and trees moved away swiftly.
His eyes focused as his hands protected Sera, jumping across the trees, hanging up and down like a monkey.
"Hold me tightly," he said, shouting, as Sera, pressing her body against his chest, closed her eyes once more.
With one jump, the trees went under a sonic boom, crushing the branches, moving at an inhuman speed.
Tree leaves passed him, and in an instant the land vanished before their feet.
Noen stopped, looking down at the missing ground.
"Shi*."
They fell into a huge pit in an instant as he held her tight, twisting his body to take all the impact.
Thud. Boom.
With a huge crash, they safely landed, opening their eyes.
Sera looked up.
"Ahhh, N-Noen? Are you okay?"
"Urgh…"
*Rubble.*
"Yeah, I'm okay," he said, looking at her, but then he noticed something. It was red, oozing something like blood.
He screamed, "Sera!"
Shouting, "Your leg!"
He instantly jumped forward, rubbing aside all the broken stone. He moved closer toward the sitting Sera.
He held her legs.
"It's bleeding," he said with a worried and guilty tone.
*Flick.*
"You are blaming yourself again, sigh… It's just a small scratch, not something major. Look, I can walk— ow... ah... ah!"
She stumbled, falling back in pain, as he held her in his arms, slightly smiling at her clumsiness.
"Yeah, I won't blame myself, but right now, on your leg, it isn't a small injury."
She nodded, smiling at him.
Before he picked her up on his back like a backpack, holding her tight, and began moving.
In search of a water source so he could mend her wound.
Where, across the giant fog above the sky, it revealed a giant pit lengthening across dozens of miles. It was so huge it looked disconnected from the outside world, with different vegetation and a completely different atmosphere. At the epicentre, there was a huge tree reaching the top of the clouds, and beside it a dense forest filled with what was known as normal?
Something moved with huge speed under a shadow where the tree stood with its 8 veils and its giant appearance.
***
Step. Step. Crunch…
"Is there any problem?" he asked gently, but she said with a closed mouth, hugging his neck, "No, it's okay…" slightly pressing her mouth on his shoulder. "I like it this way."
"You said something?"
"No."
"?" he looked confused, but… Ignoring her words
He kept moving forward, holding Sera on his back in search of a river.
After a while of travelling, Noen sat near a small waterfall rushing out from a giant mossy stone inside a giant pond.
Crouching on the shore, he wrapped up some leaves around her wound.
"This should be alright… but are you sure these leaves are safe?"
"Yes," she nodded. "My mom used to use these same leaves for wrapping up wounds. It's called plantain."
"You sure they aren't poisonous…"
"Yup, they aren't."
"Sigh…"
*(I even tried chewing on them to check if they are poisonous… Would she be alright.)*
*Flick.*
Noen stared at her, confused by the sudden flick on his forehead.
She said,
"Stop worrying too much. It's just a wound; it will heal in no time…"
"But—"
Before he could say anything, she hugged him in her arms, patting him, "Don't worry," as she pulled him away, smiling. "It will be alright"
For a moment, his heart skipped a beat, moving his face away in a slight blush. He nodded. But then he narrowed his eyes—
Slowly taking the dagger from her pocket.
Swing…
He threw it behind his back, eyes changing to subtle cold. The air tensed around him, with bloodlust emanating from him. He looked back.
"These damn pests."
The sudden change in his tone even left her startled and heavy from the emanating pressure.
She asked, "N-Noen, is there something?"
"Don't worry, Sera. Stay tight, I'll come back in a minute. Here, take this again."
He handed her the dagger before moving his face away.
"You brought death upon yourself, tch."
He jumped, moving under the dense leaves, wary of a presence.
Roarrr.
A crushing sound echoed. Trees shook as he closed his eyes.
Far away, Sera also stood in panic, hearing the loud, heavy growl, looking worriedly at the forest.
***
He formed a dagger, but he didn't use it. Slightly ducking on his back, he tilted down, and just as the monster lunged at him, he lifted it with his leg, throwing it away as he stood back on his feet, smirking.
"I met bugs, monkeys, and so what…"
"Now a cat? Really—"
*Roarr.*
"Angry?"
The monster jumped at him with its heavy body.
But Noen dodged it easily, and with a quick turn of his body, he pushed the blade near the Archaeidon tiger, but it phased through it.
"What?"
Roarrrr.
It swung its claws, tearing through his bare chest as blood gushed out with a crushing pain. He gritted his teeth in anger as, not so long after, the wound mended up like sticking glue.
He moved again to strike back, but again the tiger vanished under the canopy.
Slightly confused, he looked around his surroundings, closing his eyes, trying to sense for a presence.
"Silence…"
What he saw through his closed eyes and from his ears was only the sound of leaves.
*Crunch.*
The tiger again lunged at him, catching him off guard as it pressed its heavy body on his chest, crushing him.
He cursed, "Mf."
As he began to hold tight of the tiger's leg, trying to crush it, but—
It didn't wait.
*Crush…*
And tore through his ribs, glaring at him with prideful eyes.
"Hehe." Noen chuckled.
"This isn't enough."
His body turned into dust as he reappeared behind the tiger. Back in surprise, it tried to react, but Noen finally plunged his dagger into its skin.
Crack…
"Shi."
The dagger broke, and within the time it slapped its claws on Noen's face, forcing him far away through the trees as, from the blow, it all fell with a crushing sound.
Noen sat battered, blood gushing out, his eyes sore, staring with bloodlust.
"Bastard."
He clenched his fist once again, finally getting serious.
But something unexpected happened.
***