A SCREECH followed after hearing her name. It was from the gigantic bird Elise had seen a few times already. Its flapping wings formed a gust of sands whirling on its surroundings before landing right beside her.

Who would have thought that there would come a day that she could be so happy to see it close?

With a simple wave of its wing, the man was knocked to his feet. The bird reeled towards her and Aricson got down from its back.

Relief swept through her at the sight of his flaming red hair akin to the bird he was with. His normally solemn expression was replaced with a frown as he approached her.

He took her wounded arm as his brows furrowed even more. "You're bleeding."

"Is it too obvious?" A corner of her lips lifted but he simply glared at her.

There was no ounce of annoyance towards him anymore, gone with all the pettiness she felt these past days. His presence was enough to diminish her fear and for that, she was extremely thankful.

"Lithine." A faint glow came from his finger and he touched her wound which stopped bleeding right after.

"Having magic is really awesome," she commented and her legs buckled down.

"Stay there," he ordered while he pulled his sword out.

He was as bossy as ever but she was more than happy to oblige.

"Ferios," he spoke followed by foreign wordings she could not understand.

His sword burst into a raging fire. The embers sizzled, shrouding the long sword. It was a real fire from what she could see, like a majestic weapon taken right from a movie filled with CGI.

She did not notice the shield disappearing as she watched the two fight.

The burning sword shone in the darkness, even brighter than the moon lighting up the sky. His weapons slanted and curved, dancing with lethality.

She had seen countless swords style and Aricson's swordplay was beautiful yet deadly. Every move Aricson made, the other guy could not keep up.

With one slash, the man's arm separated from his body. Elise was not unfamiliar with disfigured bodies but it was the first time she had witnessed a person cleanly cut with her own eyes.

"Holy mother of god!"

Her sudden outcry made the man remember her presence. In a single second, he rushed toward her. She rapidly stood up to escape but they were mere inches apart.

She went frozen looking at the weapon in his hand and still not used with his teleportation. She wanted to flee but there was something bounding her. She peered at the man, his smile growing wider as he raised his arm.

Her gaze followed the weapon in slow motion only for it to stop midair. The dagger fell with a soft thump on the grainy sands. Her eyes directly went to him. The eyes that glinted with killing intent became lifeless.

"Bastard..." he grumbled, turning his head behind him.

Aricson's blade was directly stabbed in his chest. The flames disappeared as the man's eyes closed with blood cascading from his mouth.

Her mouth dropped on the floor looking alternately between the men. Aricson pulled out his sword and more blood-soaked the man before he thudded to the ground.

"Oh my god! You stabbed him! Is he dead!?" she shrieked hysterically.

She checked the man's pulse in haste but there was no sign of life. Her knees went weak and she flopped to the ground.

There were a lot of new things Elise experienced ever since she stayed here however she never anticipated becoming a witness to murder would be one of them. She doubted she could ever forget this even if she returned to her world.

"You killed him..." Her words drawled out.

He simply glanced at her and then crouched down to inspect the man's body.

"Lithine," he mentioned the word again and a glowing sphere appeared.

"Check the perimeters of the island. Someone had trespassed. This is the second time already. Meet me at the headquarters later."

His voice muted her mind yet her eyes did not leave the corpse for a moment.

Aricson uncovered the other guy's body. The dark shirt that was stained with crimson was ripped open as if he was searching for something. His forehead wrinkled as he muttered strange words again.

As soon as the last word left his lips, the man's body combusted to flames.

"What the! Why are you burning him? Isn't it enough that you killed him? Are you this ruthless?" she accused but slowly moved away as the fire grew bigger.

"Anyone who harms my territory will not step out alive with their body intact," he conveyed in a cold voice that made her shiver even more than the man's action did earlier.

She wanted to refute by saying things such as this were unfair and the man should have a reason why he did it and they should settle peacefully but his expression prevented her. It felt like if she would utter anything that would displease him, she might end up like the man.

"Get up. We're going back," he commanded.

Elise tried to stand up but her feet wobbled. Her mind could cope with the unexpected happenings but her body didn't seem like it.

"Um... I c-can't...My legs a-are still w-weak..."

"You can drag yourself into danger yet you can't even stand up," Aricson grumbled.

Even with that said, she did not snap for she was still not over what happened. 'A man was killed in front of me, for god's sake.'

"How did you come here?" he asked, sporting a scowl.

"I was just walking around and I got lost," she replied honestly. "I know I'm stupid. I almost got myself killed, right?"

He exhaled loudly then lifted her up. A gasp escaped her mouth. Her hands went still on her side. She wanted to argue but all the pain from earlier crashed into her body. She could collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded and his arms pulled her closer to his chest.

"I'm glad your safe." Those words were almost a whisper. 

She instantly whipped her head towards him. With that surly face, it was as if that gentle tone did not come out from his lips. How could he be so different in a couple of seconds? He was so merciless when he killed that man and those same hands were now holding her with tenderness as if she would break from a single touch.

The gigantic bird crouched. He positioned her near the bird's neck and then climbed up behind her. She was sitting sideways in front of him as the bird ascended to the sky. Unlike the carriage ride, she didn't have an ounce of nausea.

A soft breeze blew her hair and she saw several gigantic birds in the sky at different locations, illuminating the darkness of the forest that was enclosed by the shore.

She turned to see Aricson. He had his ruby eyes directly at the front. She kept staring at his face and noticed some things. His perfect brows were still furrowed. She realized that since the time he had arrived, those brows of his never unknotted.

His natural red lips that any woman would be envious of were pressed in a straight line, completing his sullen expression.

She recalled how he appeared with flawless timing like the hero who saved the main lead in one of her mother's books. If fairy tales existed, that would be the perfect example.

The long white coat with golden piping on the edges paired the same pure white dress shirt and pants and was topped off by his devastatingly handsome face. It was like seeing a prince on a white horse, only that he had a gigantic bird instead of a horse.

Her heart made a sudden throb. Redness trodded up her cheeks. The slow beat of her heart, which had already calmed down, paced faster once again. She knew these feelings. She had read it too many times and it was actually happening to her.

"Wait, wait, wait," she muttered inaudibly but due to their proximity, it reached Aricson's ears.

"What?"

She did not answer as it dawned on her that she was seeing Aricson in a new light. The very thought scared her. She told herself never to get attached to this world since she would eventually leave but it seemed like her heart was starting to have another plan itself.

She just witnessed him kill someone but then she disregarded it in a second when she came to understand that he helped her. If not for him, maybe she would be the one dead instead of the man. However, his morals were in question.

This was a different world and perhaps killing was nothing to them. But, she was someone whose profession was saving lives. She could not instantly abide by the fact that he had severed someone's life without batting an eyelash and no hints of remorse.

Nevertheless, no matter how she tried to defy it with logic, her heart had a mind on its own as it palpitated faster the longer she stayed in his embrace.

"Are you alright? We'll speed up now."

His voice was much gentler than she remembered or maybe she was becoming intoxicated from all the excitement. Her heart almost broke free from her ribcage when she caught the slight upward turn of his lips. 'My god, Elise. He's just smiling!'

In a second, the bird sped up and flew downwards. She looked down and it was a good thing she did. They were diving straight into the forest!

"Stop! What are you doing? Stop the bird!" She screamed at top of her lungs but he had no signs of pausing as she clutched his shirt.

"I almost died today and you're planning to kill me again! Can I get enough of this?!" she continued but it fell on deaf ears.

She was shortly disillusioned. She had read about the suspended bridge theory and maybe she was suffering from it?

Her thoughts stopped as the blowing winds intensified. She yelled again but the uselessly huge bird and its barbarous owner didn't falter and only became faster the more she begged them to stop.

"Calm down, I got you," Aricson whispered, his breath grazing her ears.

Her heart was in disarray with his closeness while her mind became boggled with his suicide mission. 

She squeezed her eyes shut as her voice already turned hoarse. A few minutes later, nothing happened. The air became still and the sound of the bird's flapping ceased. She opened her eyes and saw the well-lit building in front of her.

"What in the world?! How did it happen? I was sure there was not even a silhouette of the castle a while ago!"

There was much going on that her brain was starting to get hurt. For the first time in her life, she was mentally exhausted. Which apparently, her heart had taken advantage when it did not stop clamoring inside her with the lack of distance between them.

"The inner barrier hinders anyone from seeing the location of our residence," he explained curtly.

"Oh." That was the only thing that came from her mouth.

He let go of the reigns and jumped down. She was about to follow but he held her.

"I think I can walk from here," she said but he picked her up from the waist and carried her in bridal style again. This time, her hands automatically circled his neck.

The servant opened the door when they approached the entrance. They were welcomed by several maids who did not even bother hiding their gaping expressions. Elise immediately took her arms away from him.

"You should let go of me already."

He ignored her and demanded the servants. "Tell others to stop the search within."

He climbed up the stairs with her still in his arms. They proceeded to the Medicine Chamber and he put her on the table.

"What's the most effective medicine here for a bleeding wound?"

She shifted to her right to get what he was asking for but he prevented her from moving.

"Just stay put and tell me where it is."

"The finished medicine is in the third row, the seventh column. Two spoons would do," she stated, still confused about the way he was acting and how it affected her.

He scooped some mixture and put it in a bowl. He tore the part of her top that was slashed.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

He ignored her once again and muttered a few words. His fingers began to shine and when he touched her wound from earlier, it started to bleed.

"What did you do? I thought it healed already."

"No matter how strong the magic is, humans could not completely heal with magic alone. The only thing it could do was temporarily heal it or help in making medicines," he clarified as he gently applied the mixture.

It was, then, followed by silence until he was finished. Before she could stand up, Aricson lifted her again.

"I can walk n-now," she mumbled but he ignored her.

His arms encircled her, bringing her all the way to her room. If that was not enough, he even laid her on her bed. She was completely flushed at that point. She wanted to thank him but he was already leaving.

"Next time, don't leave the estate alone," he stated before closing the door.

Elise blankly stared at the ceiling. She thought it was because of her heightened emotions that she mistook herself for liking him but now that everything was over, it did not explain why her steady heart had been rapidly beating again.