"…Haa." I let out a big sigh, finally feeling like I could breathe again after all that chaos. My foot rested on the giant beast lying dead beneath me. "That was fun," I said with a smirk. I turned to Zoran, giving him a quick glance. "You're having fun too, right?"
Zoran snorted and nodded.
I glanced around the jungle. "Where's that Tristian guy who promised to protect me, huh?" I muttered, scanning the trees. I shrugged, waving it off. "Who cares? I don't need him."
Walking back to Zoran, I grinned. "Let's find something bigger than that guy. Let's have more fun, okay?"
Zoran snorted again, as if saying, "Alright, let's go."
I climbed onto his back, but oh boy, this body. My legs were trembling like I'd run a marathon, and my fingers were shaking like jelly. "Seriously, Cecilia, how did you survive this long? You're weaker than instant ramen."
This dagger's cool and all, but if I wanna stay alive in this crazy world, I'm gonna need more than this. Maybe a sword. Yeah, definitely a sword. But that's a later problem.
For now... "Let's go, Zoran."
We trotted further into the jungle, the dense trees giving way to a faint sound of rushing water. My ears perked up. "Is that… a river?" I asked, to myself. Then I looked at Zoran. "You thirsty, buddy?"
Zoran snorted like, "Obviously."
"Alright, water break it is!" I laughed, guiding him toward the sound. "Let's go."
As we got closer to the river, I slid off Zoran and stretched. "Man, my legs feel like noodles," I muttered to myself.
Zoran wasted no time, already dunking his face in the water like he hadn't had a drink in days. I crouched down beside him, scooping up some of that crystal-clear water. "Whoa… this river looks straight out of a fantasy game or novel," I mumbled, taking a sip.
Well, it's a fantasy novel, though.
"Hahhhhhhh…" I wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "Man, this water tastes sweet! Even rivers in this world feel like i just drank Nature's Gatorade."
I kept slurping away until—WHAM—the water on my side turned red. Like, blood red. My heart skipped a beat. "WHAT THE HELL!" I yelled, falling back on my butt.
Wiping my hands frantically on my pants, I stared at the red water spreading around me. "Is this… blood?" I looked at the water, leaning closer. "Yup. That's blood. Definitely blood!"
I scanned the area, muttering, "Is someone hunting nearby?"
I looked at Zoren, who was just standing there, drinking the water like nothing happened. Calm, collected, and smug as always. Because of course, he wasn't the one dealing with some random blood rivers.
"Stay here, big guy," I said, creeping through the bushes like some wannabe detective.
And then I saw him. Or rather, it. A man. No, scratch that—a handsome man. No, scratch that too—the most gorgeous man I've ever seen! I swear, bro looked like he'd walked straight out of a K-drama poster. Perfect jawline, flawless skin—man, he is too handsome with that carrot-coloured hair.
For a second, I just stood there, gawking. But then my eyes dropped lower, and—bam!—there it was: a dagger sticking out of his left side. Stomach shot, blood everywhere.
I froze, whispering to myself, "Wait… Is someone out here hunting handsome men?"
Panic hit me like a truck. Of course, I panicked! A ridiculously handsome man—who might be dead—was lying right in front of me, and if someone saw me here like this, they'd definitely think I killed him and might get locked up in a creepy dungeon.
I bent down, hesitating, and put my finger near his nose.
"Sigh... he's alive," I muttered, relieved.
But now what? Should I bolt and pretend I saw nothing, or save this guy? My eyes drifted back to the carrot-colored-haired man—I mean, handsome man. "Alright, let's save you. It's too much of a waste for you to die here."
I stood up, cracking my knuckles. So, step one: drag him to the river and wash that wound. Easy enough, right? I stretched myself up and went to lift him.
CRUNCH.
I froze, a sharp pain shooting through my lower back. "Oh, no, no, no!" I groaned, realizing something had gone wrong—not with him, but with Cecilia's body. "How could I forget that this damn Cecilia is weak as hell?!" I straightened up slowly, muttering, "Not serious, but yeah, lifting him is officially not safe."
I turned to my buddy, Zoren, who was chilling by the river. "Zoren…" I called, hands on my hips. He snorted loudly from a distance, probably saying, What now?
"Come here, big guy," I said, waving him over. Zoren let out another snort, the kind that practically screamed, Fine.He walked over, giving me that tired, resigned look like he was the one stuck babysitting me.
I patted him, giving him my best pleading smile. "Alright, big guy, I need you to drag him to the river."
Zoren sighed—a deep, exaggerated sigh—as if I'd just ruined his peaceful day. But he leaned down, grabbed the man's jacket with his teeth, and started dragging him toward the river. And let me tell you, Zoren did not care about being gentle. That man got dragged like an old, big carpet.
The man bounced along like a poorly packed sack of rice. I winced, jogging alongside them. "Zoren, maybe be a little careful?"
Zoren snorted, ignoring me entirely, and kept going and tossed the guy near the river like he was tossing out the trash. I stood there, blinking, like—So, that's how you treat handsome people?
Well, whatever, man, at least he's here.
I bent down to get a better look at the dagger. The thing wasn't in too deep, so that's a win, right? Good for me—less work, less drama. I stared at the dagger for a moment, debating how to get it out without making things worse. Gotta be careful, you see.
I took a deep breath and ripped open the guy's shirt. Okay, don't judge me. I'm not a doctor, I'm a fighter! But what I saw next—holy crap. The man's body was... perfect. It was like someone sculpted him out of the finest marble.
My hands twitched.
I couldn't help it.
I wanted to just grab that chest—like, who wouldn't? It's right there! But then—
SNORTTT!!
I froze. Zoren. My horse. That damn horse. He was giving me this judgmental look like I just committed a crime.
I whipped around, eyes wide, and hissed, "What?!"
Zoren stared at me, his eyes practically screaming, "You perv."
I glared at him. "What?! You think... you think I don't know what I'm doing here? I'm saving this dude, alright?"
Zoren just snorted louder, like he was mocking me now.
sigh... This guy.
Whatever. Fine.
Forget the perfect chest; I'll just... treat the man like a normal person and not let my twitching hands get the better of me. Gotta keep my cool.
I wiped the area with water—thankfully, it was clean—and carefully pressed my fingers on the sides to stop any unnecessary bleeding. Then, I grabbed a strip of cloth from my pants and quickly tied it around the wound to slow the bleeding.
I stood up, hands on my hips like I was some kind of superhero. "See that, Zoren? I saved this dude."
Zoren just scoffed at me, like, Yeah, yeah, whatever.
I walked back to Zoren, my mind racing. Should I just leave this handsome guy here alone? Or should I stick around to make sure he doesn't get hunted again? I mean, he looked like the type who would attract trouble.
As I was debating with myself—I heard a groan. I froze, wide-eyed. "Wait, wait... is he waking up?!"
I rushed over, practically tripping over myself in excitement. "Oh, he's waking up!"
The handsome guy slowly came to, rubbing his head like someone just used it as a punching bag. He instinctively pressed his hand to his wound in pain. He looked around like he was trying to piece together where the heck he was.
Then, our eyes locked.
And—oh, wow—his eyes were so beautiful, like dark pools with a hint of red. Like, really beautiful. I couldn't stop staring. Seriously, this guy could've been an idol or something. I think I got lost in his eyes for a second... Maybe a few seconds.
But then, just like the mood switched faster than a Korean drama plot twist, his eyes turned dark, and he shot up like a damn spring-loaded trap. Next thing I knew, my neck was in his hand, and I was being shoved against a tree like a ragdoll.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" I gasped, struggling to breathe. The guy was choking me like he had something to prove. His eyes were burning with rage, and he gritted his teeth as he growled, "Is that you?"
"Wha... what? Me? You bastard?" I choked out, struggling to break free. I swear, this guy's strong as hell for someone who got stabbed. what is he, a bull?
"Did you stab me?" he growled.
"Seriously? What... the... heck, man?!" I tried to break his grip, but this guy wasn't letting go. This was not how I planned to die.
"Tell me, did you stab me, or else I'll cut your head off right here," he hissed.
Okay, now this guy really pissed me off. He was handsome, sure, but he was starting to look like nothing but a big jerk. I stared at him with eyes colder than his, my patience already running thin.
Alright, I lost my patience. Now, I don't have any choice.
I glanced at Zoren, who was ready to jump in, but I gave him the stay there look, and he got it. Now, it's my turn. I kicked the man on his wounds as hard as I could. he groaned in pain and stumbled back.
Finally, I coughed and tried to breathe. Then I snapped at him, "Do you think if I had stabbed you, I'd still be standing here in front of you, bastard?"
His eyes widened. For a second, I could see the wheels turning in his head, and then it clicked. The guy finally realized I wasn't the one who put a knife in him.
I walked to Zoren, who was giving the guy the same murderous look, and muttered, "I shouldn't have saved you."
The guy seemed to catch on as he looked down at his wound and the cloth wrapped around it. He glanced at my torn pants and probably realized I was the one who saved him. But, honestly? I didn't care about his sudden realization. I wasn't in the mood for this guy's gratitude.
"Let's go, Zoren," I said, climbing onto his back.
Zoren snorted and started walking. And just like that, we left that Mr. Handome behind in the behind.