Leah's hands stilled for a moment before she placed her hand on the man's chest, pushing him down slowly. Her expression was one of curiosity and surprise. There was also a hint of loveliness, her anger dying down.
An indescribable feeling swam in her heart. She had never felt this way. She resumed cleaning the wound, recalling the night's highlight.
When she got teleported in the air and found herself falling to her death, Leah thought of how short her sparring with death was. However, that thought soon vanished and was replaced by excitement. It was unfamiliar, almost invasive. She questioned if what she felt was real or not.
She felt unsteady, as if on the edge of something vast and unknown.
"So bad of you to not ask about my wellbeing!" she pinched her lower lip, fighting to keep that single emotion that sparked inside.
She resumed cleaning the wound, half-focused. But her task was blocked by a hand grabbing her wrist.
"Answer me! How did you survive the fall?" he commanded firmly.
The man couldn't think twice. Whatever happened, it should be clear. His eyes flickered to her face, noting the eased tension and how she felt delighted. Whether he liked it or not, something made her mood switch 180 degrees.
"I don't know. Maybe I've got some magic in me," she smirked, raving about the new hope. "I wonder how it works. Dina couldn't survive. Such pitiful soul! I wonder if I can appease her with my lantern."
She snatched her hand back and resumed her task. "Moreover, you should shut up like I said. You're just wasting energy and wasting mine more. Do you want to bleed to death? Unless I stitch that, I'll end up screaming to take you to the hospital."
"No, no hospitals," he shook his head weakly. "I'll just do it myself. No need for you to stitch it."
She smiled, not at how he grimaced thinking about doctors and hospitals, but at the sweet feeling inside. She came back to that moment in her mind, falling endlessly, being on the edge. It was insane but she enjoyed it. Furthermore, magic.
The way how she got taken from her room and put midair, she was curious about it. She wanted to know more, be able to do it too. She wondered how it would feel again if she fell again.
"I saw something while in the air, handsome."
His eyes that shut for a moment opened. He wanted to focus on distracting himself from the pain. Instead, he was stuck with her. The Ice Princess wasn't cold right now but more like, excited.
"You don't know how I felt. It was sweet, amazing," she yanked the thread tighter than necessary, earning a muffled grunt from him. "No, really?" she retorted at his reaction. "Does it hurt? Sorry for not asking about your wellbeing since you didn't bother to ask about mine. But this isn't how I want to do things. I've got a lot of questions. This will be our little secret if you answer them all."
She took her time stitching. It was her leverage. If he didn't answer, she'd inflict pain. She didn't want to do that but for once, she wanted something.
"What?" he muttered angrily. "Is this your true face?"
"Ammm… What's that big tower in the middle of the city?"
While she was in the air, what she saw beyond the mansion wasn't what she watched from her window. It was clear how there was some kind of magic that distorted what she watched.
She thought she was in some medieval age era. A town beneath the Atkinson place that stretched a long distance. A clear sky with stars that sparkled. Certainly, it was a complete different contrast from whatever was out there.
The man finally found his distraction. His eyes widened. She saw that.
"If you saw that then you were pretty high in the sky."
"No shit Sherlock! I was falling for a while. I thought I would catch fire and go down like fireworks. I'm happy that death didn't win this time. So… back to topic, what's that?"
"I can't say," she earned another muffled grunt from him. "I really can't say… It's a lot to explain and you're not supposed to know that."
"But I know now and I wanna know what it is."
His consciousness was basking between fading and focused. He also wanted to sleep, the pain was unbearable and she didn't make it easy.
"It's Aegis Spire. It protects the city from the things out there."
It was a tower that stretched high. Even when she was in the air, she couldn't see the end of it.
She wanted to ask more about it but the way how he watched her brought her down to earth. She hated how she'd become when excitement took over. Sebastien told her once that she should watch her emotions and never let them control her.
When she was excited, logic would park somewhere and just stay still till it was time to take the wheel again.
"Sorry about the pain. I'm sure you understand why I'm angry. No one is telling me anything," she said, doing her best to struggle the rising questions.
The words this time lacked venom. He found it logical. If she saw what was beyond the Atkinson state, she'd be angry. If he were in her shoes, he'd be too. He recalled what the doctor that treated her said and softened. He shouldn't have ignored her like he always did. After that day, Aurora wasn't Aurora anymore. She was different.
"I'm sorry too. I never visited you, not even once after you woke up. Then, here you are, helping me. I'll try my best to answer your questions if you answer mine. What did you mean by magic in me?"
It was a good question. When she thought about that stranger who saved her, she couldn't recall his face anymore. It was blurry and his voice was distorted too. She could remember the context of his replies but everything else was shrouded in mystery, as he promised.
"As you heard. I don't know why but I floated before reaching the ground. It was so exciting. I want to know how I can do it again."
She finished stitching his wound skillfully.
"Never mention it again," he grumbled.
She paused.
"What do you mean?"
"Magicians are hated. If someone learns you've got Lumen, they'll kill you."
"Lumen?"
"Magic," he clarified. "Inner energy that powers abilities."
She thought she had hope in learning magic and feel more of that exciting sweet feeling that engulfed her. It was the first time she ever wanted something…
There was a moment of numbness as realization sank in. If she strove to learn magic, she'd die. She froze, unable to process what she heard. Then, a deep sadness consumed her. The world that felt sweet and hopeful for a moment, turned cold and dark. And after that, all over again, she felt angry at the world.
Is the world toying with me? Giving me hope and then shattering it in front of me? She asked herself.
She began wrapping his wound aggressively. But the man didn't care. Her anger was understandable and he was used to this. When she finished, she sat back, her breathing uneven and her hands stained crimson. She wiped them on her ruined clothes, glaring at the ground as if it wronged her.
However, as much as she wanted to stay angry, she needed to think. The stranger's eyes didn't make it easy. She needed to dance.
"I was lying," she said. "I don't know how I survived. I never floated or anything. I lost consciousness and then when I came back to myself, I was in my room. I came out of my room to see if what I saw was a dream or not."
Another lie to salvage her ruined image. She didn't want to seem like a lunatic.
"What do you think your role is?"
She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous question. "I'm getting married, aren't I? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back prepare for my wedding."
She turned, anger boiling in her head. But dizziness came back and a fit of coughs followed. The man tried to get up but his body felt weak.
Leah looked at her hand. She coughed blood again.
He didn't say anything. He just watched her as she stormed toward the door and didn't look back. There was one thing in his head: how did she survive the fall when Aurora didn't have any Lumen in her?
"Get to your room quick. Don't let anyone see you."