The girl tried to swing her sword again, but Flame moved faster.
He swept her legs out from under her, pinning her safely to the ground before she could recover.
He looked down at her, his face desperate.
“Listen to me!
I don’t want to hurt you.
This herb is the only thing that can save my brother.
He’s dying.
Please, just let me take it!”
The girl glared up at him, trying to break his grip.
But looking into Flame’s eyes, she could see he was telling the truth.
The panic and loyalty in his face made her stop fighting.
She let out a heavy sigh and relaxed into the mud.
“Fine…” she muttered, looking away.
“I’m too hurt to fight you anyway.
But I’m the guardian of this peak.
Since I failed to protect the herb, I can’t let it out of my sight.
I’m coming with you.”
Flame blinked, surprised, but nodded.
“Fine.
Let’s go.”
He stood up and walked to the altar, carefully plucking the glowing herb and wrapping it in a cloth.
But behind him, the girl’s instincts kicked in.
It wasn’t because she was mean; it was just how she had been trained.
She grabbed a hidden knife and lunged at his exposed back.
Flame felt the shift in the air and ducked smoothly.
Because she was already weak and exhausted, missing her target threw her completely off balance.
She stumbled right past him, sliding straight toward the edge of the steep cliff.
“Ah!” she cried out as her foot slipped on the wet rock, falling backward into the empty darkness.
Flame didn’t even think.
He dove forward, throwing his arm out and catching her by the wrist.
With a loud grunt, he hauled her back up, pulling her away from the edge. Get faster updates on g.com.
They both crashed into the mud together, Flame wrapping his arms tightly around her in an accidental, protective hug to break her fall.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
The rain poured down, but all Flame could hear was her heart beating fast against his chest.
Her face was buried right against his neck, her soft hair brushing his chin.
The girl’s face turned completely bright red.
Realizing how close they were, she scrambled backward awkwardly, looking away as she tried to fix her torn clothes.
“I…
I’m sorry for attacking you from behind,” she stammered, her tough attitude completely gone.
Flame felt his own face burning up.
He rubbed the back of his head, feeling incredibly awkward.
“It’s fine.
Don’t worry about it.
Your ribs are hurt, and my brother is running out of time.
Hop on my back.”
She hesitated for a second, then climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Flame took off down the mountain, moving like a shadow through the trees.
An hour later, they were back in the warm, cramped apartment.
The girl sat on the edge of the bed, her hands surprisingly gentle as she crushed the glowing herb into a thick green paste.
“Hold his arm,” she whispered.
Flame held Reian steady as she applied the paste to the blue wound.
Almost instantly, a soft hiss echoed in the room.
The dark blue color started to fade, pulling back out of the veins.
Reian’s breathing slowed down, the pain leaving his face as he rolled over and fell into a peaceful sleep.
Flame finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
He wrapped a clean white bandage over the wound.
Turning around, he noticed how messy the girl looked.
She was shivering, covered in mud and rainwater.
“The bathroom is down the hall,” Flame said softly.
“Take a hot shower to clean up.
“Thanks,” she murmured, walking out of the room stiffly.
A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened.
Flame looked up.
The girl stepped into the hallway, her long hair wet, wearing an oversized shirt and sweatpants he had left for her.
Without the mask and armor, she looked absolutely breathtaking.
Flame froze, completely staring.
His entire face turned bright red.
Wow…
he thought, his brain going totally blank.
She is so beautiful.
She caught him looking and blushed, a small, shy smile appearing on her face as she looked down at the floor.
Later that night, the apartment was completely quiet.
The storm had passed, leaving only the sound of rain dripping outside.
Everyone was asleep.
Flame was resting in a chair by the door, the girl was curled up on a futon on the floor, and Reian was resting quietly in bed.
But inside Reian’s mind, there was no peace.
His sleep twisted into a dark, terrifying dream.
The walls of the bedroom vanished, replaced by an endless, empty black void.
Reian tried to move his arms, but he couldn’t.
He looked down and gasped in pure horror.
Thousands of heavy, glowing metal chains were wrapped tightly around his body, pinning him in mid-air.
The chains hummed with a scary, ancient power, burning into his skin and tightening every time he tried to breathe.
“What…
what is this place?!” Reian screamed into the empty darkness, panicking as he struggled against the heavy links.
In the distance, the shadows seemed to twist and laugh at him.
“Flame!!” Reian shrieked, his voice echoing forever into the nothingness.
“Flame!!
Help me!!”
The shadow rushed forward, plunging its blade directly into Reian’s chest, causing him to wake up screaming.
Hope you enjoyed the sixth chapter