Nox watched as Zera stepped out cautiously from the bushes, still wearing the same clothes he last saw her in. Only this time, there was something odd about her expression that he couldn't quite place.
She scanned her surroundings, her eyes passing over him like he wasn't there. Her pale face showed open bewilderment and fear.
Nox glanced down at his solid hands, patting his body to make sure he didn't suddenly become a ghost.
A rustle in a nearby bush had her flinching sharply, a small whimper escaping her parted lips.
He frowned, eyes scanning the bushes. 'Something's there.'
"S-see no evil, hear no evil," Zera mumbled under her breath, so quietly that Nox had to strain his ears to hear what she said. She shut her eyes tightly just as a dark furred monster appeared out of the bushes.
Its four legged form sniffed around, drawing closer and closer to Zera standing just a few meters away. Nox walked closer, stepping lightly although it didn't seem like he could affect any of the events playing out in front of him. As if what he was seeing now was merely a vision.
The monster circled around the girl, lifting its head off of the ground in confusion before moving on, its furred body disappearing once more.
Zera stood frozen in place even after the monster left. Nox waited patiently for her to move. Besides the subtle swaying of her short hair, it seemed as if she had become a statue.
Just when Nox considered moving on, Zera suddenly opened her eyes again with a quiet gasp, a hand holding her heart.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
His enhanced hearing caught onto her heavy, erratic heartbeats.
With a small cry, Zera slumped onto her knees. "M-Mom," she sobbed, lifting a hand to stop her sudden overflow of tears. "Dad, wahhh!"
Nox fidgeted, looking in the direction the monster disappeared in uneasily. His hands twitched as he looked away from the crying person. Seeing people express their emotions openly never failed to make him uncomfortable. Although he was the trespasser in this situation.
He understood the oddity of her expression now. It was open and raw, in a way she hadn't been when he first met her.
Grwaw.
Hearing the low grumble of the beast, Nox opened his mouth to warn her but he was once again rooted in place, unable to move. He watched on as the beast lunged towards her, giving her no time to react.
"No- no!" Zera screamed, slamming her eyes shut as she faced the gaping maw aimed directly at her face, feeling despair and anger well up in her. Angry that she couldn't just destroy what took everything away from her, that she couldn't bring herself to join everyone else in the hands of Death while everyone else died protecting her.
At the last second of her life, she forced herself to face Death, opening her eyes.
The beast halted midair.
Before a single sound could escape its throat, a still-cooling corpse laid strewn across her feet, deep gashes scored through its entire body. A part of its shredded pelt landed her body, causing her to let out a stifled scream because she realized there was someone standing behind her.
Even as a- was he considered as a projection now? Nox's thought process trailed off momentarily as the figure fully stepped out of a swirling red light.
Piercing crimson eyes that reminded him of his own ability glowed with residue power as a hand rose up to cover a wide yawn.
Zera couldn't swallow the lump in her throat. Her heartbeat pulsed violently against her throat, pulls dilating as an aura ten times- no, maybe even a hundred times more dangerous than the monster that was just slain.
He was just like a fallen angel, appearing in her time of need.
"Hm? Didn't know there were people in this area." The crooked grin on the young man's face and the bedhead he sported couldn't hide the sudden sharpness of aura in the air.
Zera trembled, feeling too large for her skin. It felt like thousands of ants marched along her body as she half knelt there on the ground. "Y-you just killed an A rank monster." She tried to keep the trembling out of her voice and failed.
The young man laughed, "Of course! These are nothing to bulgae. Have you ever seen one?" he asked her.
She shook her head mutedly.
"They're these giant flaming hounds that have an uncanny ability for tracking down their prey." A cocky smirk made its way to the young man's face. "Of course, they're no match for me. I'm the strongest out of the six of us."
If she wasn't frozen in fear, Zera would have snapped at this man's boastful pride. But she didn't have the courage to do something like that.
The young man stared down at her, like an almighty god looking upon a foolish mortal. "What are you doing here?" The sharp canines from his grin remained visible, almost like a threat.
"I- I c-came to... to..." Zera shrank as the man crossed his arms and started tapping his finger.
While she tried to stammer out a reply, he asked abruptly, "Hey, why were you just kneeling there? Do you even want to live?"
She stared into the man's eyes- the same color as the now dried blood staining her clothes and the grass beneath her.
They were not merciful, merely contemplating as if he was calculating her by some standard.
What did he ask her again? If she wanted to live?
Fearful, Zera stared up at the man pleadingly, finally finding her voice. "I do! I want to live!" The end of the sentence broke off as her voice cracked, but Zera pushed on. "Please, I'll pretend like I never saw anything! There's no one close to me that's still alive, I won't tell anyone!"
This time a hint of cruel amusement appeared on the young man's face. "How can I take your word for it?" Seeing her frantic, speechless appearance, he fired another question, "Say, do you know who I am?"
She shook her head, but she has a hunch about his identity. Most likely, he was a powerful guild leader.
Many strong ability users have formed guilds, seeking to dominate the world of chaos and clear the trials. There were rumors, of course, about the strongest ability users who held the status of a 'king.'
If the rumors were true, kings always found a way to grow stronger faster than everyone else because they held direct blessings from Chaos.
The man in front of her seemed to have the qualifications of a king. Handsome, devil-like charisma and a dominating aura she's never witnessed before even in her own former guild.
She felt envious of his power.
The young man clicked his tongue in disapproval, raising his eyebrows. "Why don't you take a guess?" The playful tone in his voice was back again.
"A king," she said confidently, trying to resist puking on the young man's black boots from sheer nervousness. "Don't worry, I don't know any other kings."
"Oh? A king, huh," the young man let out a hum, reaching out a hand. "You're a bit slow on the uptake though."
Zera flinched, unable to avoid the brush of his hand against her forehead. She promptly puking out the measly rations she had for breakfast as the young man's aura crushed down on her.
"Hyaa-!"
She gasped for air that wasn't there, feeling her bones creak.
The young man removed his aura and his hand, taking away the pressure as well.
This time her entire body couldn't resist the shudder wracking through her, the pain making tears well up in her eyes.
Why? Why her? Bitter resentment surged through her.
She wanted to destroy something to lighten the tight pressure still in her chest .
To scream and cry and simply rage.
Her fists curled up defensively even though she knew she was no match for the person standing in front of her. Maybe even after a decade, or even a century, she still wouldn't be a match for him.
But why?
"Hey. You."
The young man's voice drew her dull gaze to the red eyed man again.
He paused for a few seconds when he saw her face, then a pleased smile appeared.
"Why don't you become my ■■?"
Nox watched as the scene faded to black.
"-x! This is no time to be spacing out!" Li Zemin's screech rang in his ear as Nox reeled back, disoriented from the sudden change of scenario.
Oh. The scenes made him forget the urgent situation they were in.
The White Queen was out of commission, and the Red Queen was too frantic to be useful right now. As the beam of light shot towards him, Nox fumbled for the simple steel dagger he had on his person to form another blood shield.
Before he could do so, a pale purple light shimmered into existence in front of them, blocking off the attack.
Nox shielded his face as the light rebounded, momentarily dazed before his eyes refocused on the small figure hovering in front of them.
"It's you."
The small gray and white cat flicked its tail lazily. "Right on time, too. You better thank me, human."