Lilith, together with Gray, went outside to the forest, deciding to walk along the path. Once they reached a little clearing, they sat down under the shade of the trees. Lilith took out her food bag and began to eat happily while looking at Gray. He also enjoyed his meal, stuffing his face with bread, cakes, and sweets.
"So you wanna talk about why you're mad?" Lilith asked, taking another bite out of her bag of sweets.
"I am mad?" Gray asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Because of yesterday's stunt. I saw how angry you were."
Gray looked like he was thinking. "...I lost my composure... I am sorry."
"...you don't have to feel guilty, but you shouldn't lose control of yourself."
Gray nodded. "Okay... maybe."
"Anyway, enough about that. How was school?"
Gray suddenly tensed up when he remembered his annoying classmates. They were sucking up to Kudo and continuously bullied Gray. Of course, Kudo didn't see any harm in their teasing. In fact, he encouraged it. But lately, they had begun to annoy the poor guy significantly since they believed he was weak. Gray could sense that. They wanted to humiliate him, making him look like a joke to all his classmates. And he hated it. He tried to get back at them and make them regret their actions. Unfortunately, none of them realised how powerful he was. And this irritated him to no end. If only they would stop talking to him. If they stopped bothering him, he would be happy.
He did not notice, but his face turned unnaturally red, and the thunderclouds appeared a few centimetres over his head. However, Lilith noticed the change and became uneasy.
"Gray?" She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? There's a thundercloud over your head."
Gray shook his head to clear it and forced himself to smile, making the cloud disappear.
"Yes. No need to worry." He assured Lilith.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Gray lied. "Everything is fine. I'm okay." He smiled again before getting up. "Ready to train?"
"Yes!" Lilith exclaimed and jumped up. She had been so bored that she almost forgot the reason for her visit in the first place. She grabbed his hand and followed him to a small area near a stream.
"Swim Gray! Don't tell me you can't!" Lilith teased.
The water was cold, and the bank had stones and dirt. The area was full of wild grass, weeds, and bushes. It was perfect for training. They both jumped into the water.
"Don't be shy, Gray!" Lilith yelled as she swam towards him and splashed him with the water, leaving water droplets everywhere. "Show me who's boss!"
He laughed heartily and splashed her back. He soon found himself underwater and came out of the water to breathe correctly again.
"Is that the best you've got?!" Lilith shouted in a mocking tone. "Aww, you're so scared~" she mocked.
"I'm not scared! Shut up!" Gray yelled. His face was red from embarrassment, and the smoke came from his ears.
They kept playing in the stream until it started pouring rain. Gray and Lilith quickly ran out of the creek and climbed over a nearby tree. They huddled beneath the branches, laughing.
Suddenly, a giant black bird with glowing crimson eyes landed in front of the tree.
"The Man-eater crow?"
Lilith tensed up, fearing that it could see them. As soon as it stood still, Gray smiled.
"I dare you to kill that thing!~" Gray challenged. "Come on, show me how cultivation's supremacy!~."
The crow let out a loud caw before flying off.
Lilith sighed in relief. "It flew away."
"Yeah, because you stalled for too long. Don't waste time, Lilith."
"Right..." Lilith said before rushing towards the crow. With one swift motion, her spear pierced through its neck.
Gray clapped his hands in excitement. "Awesome!"
Lilith smiled and picked the crow up, bringing it back to Gray.
"That was great!" He cheered before hugging Lilith. "You're amazing!"
Lilith blushed and gently pushed him away. "I did as you told me to. The next monster is yours." She grinned and sat on a branch. The next thing she heard was a roar of a dragon. A huge beast burst out of the ground and growled menacingly. Gray immediately hid behind Lilith and peeked his head.
"Uh... This thing looks scary. Is that a dragon?" He whispered.
"I think it is the shadow dragon. One of the most powerful creatures in the world."
Lilith stared at the dragon with fear. It seemed to be watching them, making Lilith more scared than ever. Suddenly it let out an angered cry; it was pissed that they interrupted its sleep, which caused the rain to come to a sudden stop; the raindrops were falling on top of them, soaking them from head to toe. The shadow dragon lowered itself and started to approach them.
"We're going to die..." Lilith stated as she looked at Gray, whose eyes widened in fear. "if you leave now, you might survive..."
The dragon was attracted by Gray's weird power and thought that if it devoured the human with that mysterious power, its cultivation would increase tremendously. However, something else caught its attention as the shadow dragon approached the two.
"Run, Gray; I will stall for time!"
In a flash, Lilith pulled out a small dagger, trying to cut the dragon's neck. However, its skin was too thick, and after cutting the skin with a few stabs, the blade couldn't go any deeper without breaking. Lilith's attempt at decapitation didn't work either, and the dragon growled as it closed in on her.
The shadow dragon lunged at Lilith, knocking the girl from the branch. When she fell, she hit her head against the tree trunk, causing pain and dizziness to come over her. When she managed to gather enough energy and stand, she was horrified to see the shadow dragon hovering over her.
"No...!" She screamed. The shadow dragon snapped its teeth at Lilith with a wide grin, preparing to eat her whole. Lilith closed her eyes and waited for death. Suddenly, something flew out from Gray's hands, slicing the shadow dragon's neck open. Blood splattered everywhere, drenching Gray's clothes.
"Gray... Gray?"
Lilith opened her eyes slowly to see Gray jumping off the tree. His axe had sliced clean the creature. He turned around to see Lilith staring in shock at the dead shadow dragon lying at her feet. He frowned slightly at her expression. Was she not enjoying the sight? Or was she still frightened of the dragon?
But Gray quickly shook his head. That wasn't important right now. Right now, he needed to get Lilith out of there. After picking Lilith up bridal style, he rushed towards the stream, running as fast as he could towards his house.
"Whew..." Gray painted once he finally arrived home.
"We made it!"
He placed Lilith onto the bed, where she continued to stare at the ceiling.
"Are you alright?" Gray walked beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.
Her lips slightly twitched upwards into a small smile. She then looked at Gray with gratitude.
"Thanks for saving me, Gray," she whispered, her voice barely audible due to the low volume of the room.
"Ah, you did tell me the next creature was mine to kill." He reminded her.
She giggled softly.
"...what's wrong?" Gray asked. He could have sworn he saw her cheeks becoming rosy just now. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"Just... thanks, Gray..."
"Huh?" Gray tilted his head in confusion. "For what? Saving you or killing the creature?"
"Both," Lilith answered honestly.
Gray lightly chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
"Whatever you say." He murmured before pulling back from her embrace, leaving only a little space between their lips.
Lilith sighed in relief, feeling safe and secure in his arms. She had gotten used to his hugs, having them whenever she wanted, and although she had gotten tired of them already, she enjoyed them nonetheless.
After returning home, she found a letter saying the sect leader and elders would come would the house tomorrow. Her hands were shaking as she was reading the news.
"Did I do something wrong?" she wondered while reading. The letter did not mention the reason for the visit.
"Oh no... could it be they added me to the contest?!"