Mark stood in his room without a shirt, he went down and started doing some push ups, his body dropped down and sprang back up i. Next, he did some squats, his legs bending and straightening in a slow and controlled way. He followed this with some jumping jacks. Finally, he finished with some stretches, his body lengthened and relaxed as he cooled down. He stood still for a moment before his chest heaved slightly, he turned around to find Emily staring at him intensely making, this made his heart skip a beat. Her eyes were fixated on him, not blinking.
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, his voice a little low and husky, as he walked over to the bed, bent over and picked up his shirt.
"Uhh, not too long," she replied, her voice barely audible, as she turned away from him, her cheeks flushed pink. Mark's eyes narrowed:
"Don't you think it's a little pointless looking away after I've already put on my shirt?" he asked, his tone filled with sarcasm, as he pulled on his shirt down a little.
Emily's face went red as she sat down on his bed, still looking away from him:
"Shut up, I'm allowed to look," she muttered, her voice trembled. Mark didn't stop, he teased her further:
"What allows that?" he asked.
Emily's face flamed brighter.
"If you don't shut up, I'll leave," she warned, her voice barely containing her emotions. Mark's grin faltered. But he couldn't resist one more jab at her:
"Okay, so why are you here? To spread..." he trailed off. Emily's face went from blushes red to anger red, her hand appeared out of nowhere to slap him hard across the cheek. Mark's head jerked back, as she stormed out of his room. He caressed his cheek:
"That wasn't worth the slap, shit I have to get used to this" he spoke in a law voice.
Mark stepped out of his room after taking a bath and changing his clothes, his mind still replayed the encounter with Emily, as he made his way to check on Zico. It had been three days since their fight against Remon, and Zico had been unconscious ever since.
As he entered Zico's room, he was relieved to see him finally stirring, his eyes flickering open. Mark walked to his side.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, I pretty much prayed for you to die, I guess it didn't work!" he exclaimed.
Zico groggily turned his head, his eyes struggling to focus:
"If you a weak ass can stay alive, how would I die?" he fired back, his voice weak.
Mark grinned like a menace:
"I don't mind putting you out of your misery" He taunted. Zico back down:
"Let me just get up, you heads getting bigger."
Mark chuckled, his grin growing wider:
"Shut up, I didn't say today... Bye!" With a casual wave, he turned and walked out of Zico's room, heading towards Emily's, leaving Zico in frustration.
Mark reached Emily's room and was about to knock when Emily opened the door. He glared at her from top to bottom and asked with a smile:
"Going somewhere, miss?"
"It's none of your business," she answered. Mark pulled her close and kissed her neck:
"I'm coming along, wherever you're going."
His soft breath brushed against her skin. She didn't push him back, she was blushing.
"Okay, but only this time, it's the last time you're having your way." She muttered in a low voice, she was barely audible, Mark held her tighter but gentle:
"Then this will be my last time in your life."
From there, they strolled through the third level village, hand in hand, it was bigger compared to the level two village. They walked around meeting some of the villagers, Emily was enjoying herself, so did mark as they walked around further they found a Lake, admiring the reflections of the surrounding trees and feeding the friendly ducks.
"Hey Mark, wouldn't you like it if there was no violence in the world?" She asked with a smile on her face. Mark got up and said:
"Everyone wants that, am no different"
They left the lake and went back, they stopped at the local bakery, indulging in freshly baked pastries and hot coffee. As the sun began to set, they found a picturesque spot on the lake's shore to watch the stars twinkle to life, sharing stories and laughter beneath the night sky. They finished the evening with a romantic walk along the village back to there rooms, enjoying the soft glow of the street lanterns and each other's company.
They finally reached Emily's room, and she almost walked past it, but Mark had stopped, making her turn to him and ask:
"What's wrong?"
"Forgot the room you were given?" He asked with a smile.
"Oh yeah, I forgot, good night" she said, her face flushing pink. She let go of Mark's hand and walked in, closing the door behind her. Mark turned around, about to walk away, but she called out to him:
"Mark!"
He turned back, and she walked up to him, kissing him passionately. After a moment, she pulled back, her eyes gleaming with desire, and kissed him once more.
"Goodbye," she whispered, before disappearing into her room. Mark smiled, feeling elated, and walked back to his room, his heart still racing from the unexpected kiss.
'I don't mind a peaceful world, but I think I've gotten addicted to violence now. I won't be happy until I'm powerful enough to stop sword bonding or anyone who wants violence, that means I have to be the strongest in the entire world,' he thought to himself as he walked to his room. He entered his room and closed the door behind him, then lay on the bed, thinking, "If Remon is that strong, the Village Chief and Remons sister must be even stronger... I'll have to work hard to get stronger." He said then closed his eyes.