Year 3988, 16th Day of the 8th Moon
Ember Isle, Fliamma Kingdom, Continent of Humana

FROM A cold war to awkwardness. That was Elise and Aricson's current situation. She resumed having breakfast at the dining hall but she was regretting her choice every second that passed.

Only the two of them occupied the spacious room. If she did not want to thank him personally, she would not have decided to come here. Her parents taught her to give credits where credits were due. It was just that last night's events were too perturbing and thanking him was the least of her worries.

However, getting the words out was harder every time she glanced at his beautiful visage. The same appearance that made her awake the whole night.

His back was straight as he ate. He was the only person Elise had known who could eat with so much elegance. His face was devoid of apparent expression but it added to his charm, like a Roman statue coming to life.

"Are you feeling alright now?" Aricson's voice broke the stiffness in the air.

"Yes. T-thank y-you. N-not just for helping me. I mean, thank you for e-everything. I'm also s-s-sorry about what happened beforehand."

'God!' She even stumbled on her words. She was known as a confident woman but here she was acting like a flustered teenager again. Fortunately, he didn't mind it and gave her a curt nod.

"It's fine. I should be the one apologizing since I vent my anger to you."

"I guess we're at peace now?" she blurted out.

A short breathy laugh that was so unusual for her escaped her lips. Her finger tensed and looked down to her plate but his gaze remained on her. How could she pull herself together when he kept staring at her like that?

She glanced up only to see a corner of his lips raised and it was the first time she experienced the most illogical description she had read in her mother's novel, the butterflies in her stomach.

It was much more appropriate to her current situation with the flutters she had from a single smirk. It was not the first time she liked someone but her reaction to him was nowhere near what her ex-boyfriends had elicited from her.

'It must be his face! That face should be illegal!'

"There was no reason to continue this argument in the first place," Aricson stated, grabbing her attention but he did not speak further.

Another round of silence ensued. The slow clatter of utensils resonated through the room. It was so quiet that she could hear her heart thumping. Not even a whole day has passed yet she was becoming overly conscious.

"I know this might not be the proper time to talk but I have to leave the island today and report the incident. Can you recall anything peculiar about the man last night?" he inquired after a long while.

How could she forget that? The memory was fresh in her mind. She had dealt with unfavorable situations back in her world but yesterday topped as the scariest. She was grateful her parents managed to convince her to those self-defense lessons when she was young.

"He can teleport."

"Teleport?"

His eyebrows knotted as he spoke. By now, it was not hard for Elise to tell the expression on his face. Perhaps the word teleport did not exist in this world.

"Teleport is the act where someone suddenly appears out of nowhere using space."

"I know.  What I'm asking is, what do you mean that he can teleport? Did you really see it?"

"Of course! How do you think I was not able to escape? I can outrun anyone if it means saving my life."

"He's a Mundran yet he's able to use magic and have the ability of a shifter?" he mumbled to himself but with him sitting at the center and her at his left, she could definitely hear him.

"What—"

"What else?" he cut her off.

She pondered for a minute and recollected her memories.

"Before you arrived, he tried to use magic. I remembered a mist gathering on his body before it circulated on his palm and then—"

"You saw the spirits?" he interrupted once again.

"Are you going to let me finish?"

He ignored her rebuttal as his forehead formed lines and his ruby red irises transfixed on her.

"You're a Mundran so you shouldn't be able to see the spirits when magic is cast unless someone is fading."

"What do you mean?"

"Can you describe the magic you saw?"

"It was black and like smoke." Those were the only words she could come up with. She was in danger so who would be so observant of the smallest details in that situation?

"It's a shadow haze."

"A what?" 

"Do you know why humans are the most defenseless among the race?" he questioned out of topic.

"Ferios." He did not wait for her answer and a string of words left his mouth. The moment he finished the tray of the freshly baked loaf in front of her burst into flames and became toasted in a second.

"What did you do?" Her face gaped with the abrupt demonstration.

"Did you see anything before the flames reached the bread?"

"Nothing."

"Then, you are indeed a Mundran. There are only four ways a Mundran can see magic. The first one is just now when the spell already contacted the physical object. Second, when someone is fading. Third is when they a Kismet Pledge to someone who can see the spirits. And lastly, if a shadow haze is used. The latter is the manifestation of dark spirits and the empyrean blessing of the demon race which means it is entirely unique to them."

"So that man is a demon?"

'No wonder his whole bearing screams evil.'

"No. He's definitely a Mundran based on the investigation."

"But you said it's unique to a demon race?" Her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Indeed but that man can also use magic without calling the spirits like the fairies, have a shifter's gift, and even the power of a demon." His answer was almost said to himself with such a low timbre.

"Oh, speaking of magic. You mentioned I can't see it but why was I able to see those floating orbs?"

"An orb may look simple but it is the most complicated to master. For it to take form, it is condensed with the small particles that existed in the air and then combined so it can make a visible shape," he explained.

"That's understandable. Gas is still a matter and consists of atoms so it can be considered physical. But gas particles tend to bounce off each other so combining it will be difficult and may cause certain reactions like—"

Elise momentarily stopped. Aricson had long put down his spoon and fork and was focused on her. His brows had smoothened and appeared visibly relaxed.

"Never mind what I said," she mumbled and clutched her utensils.

"Do you miss your world?" he pried, his voice softer for some reason.

"Of course!" she answered without hesitation.

"Is it really different from here?"

"Absolutely. First off, no one has magic there..."

She began telling him stories about her life. She told him about her student days, her situation being part of an eccentric family, and even the time she first fell in love with ancient medical techniques.

It was the time she traveled to another country in the East for an international competition. She was twelve years old back then and was already attending her senior high. She went into the village of one of her competitors and that was how she witnessed how they used traditional medicine.

The feeling of satisfaction about the hard work she put in to make the medicine and cure the patient was evident on the person's face. That alone was enough to make her pursue the medical field and seek improvements by combining both traditional and modern ways.

She was chatting comfortably with him which was a far cry from what she predicted. All the blunder and discomfort from earlier had been forgotten.

He was just listening to her intently and there were times he also asked for explanations to things he did not know of. She also could not help but notice the slight curve of his lips when he found something humorous.

Talking to him actually made her content. Although she, Faylinn, and Erkhan were on friendly terms, she could not freely talk about her world since they did not know her real identity. It was good to have at least someone she could reveal herself to without worry.

THE BREAKFAST that started painfully stiff ended amicably. They got up from their seat and exited together. Elise planned to go to the Medicine Chamber but Aricson showed no signs of leaving.

"Why are you still here?" she asked as soon as they were in front of Hadrien's bedroom.

"Give me your hand," he requested all of a sudden.

She didn't get it but still followed his words.

"Show me your palm."

She did what he said and something soft was in her hands which turned out to be a beautiful black piece of feather attached to a silver chain.

"Wear it," he imposed without explanation.

It was beautiful so she did not mind putting it on. She untangled the necklace but it became a struggle to fasten when her shoulder hurt from the movement.

Aricson was suddenly a few inches away from her causing a sharp intake of her breath. He took the necklace from her hands and clasped it. His fingers grazed on her nape resulting in her racing heart.

'Dang it, Elise Johnson! Why are you acting like an innocent? You had a few ex-boyfriends for god's sake!' She nagged herself endlessly. Nevertheless, it did not cover the truth that no ex-boyfriend of hers was on par with Aricson. On top of that, the longest relationship she had was a month.

The main problems of her failed relationships were either they assumed things from what some articles told about her or they had great expectations because of her achievements.

All those men had above-average IQ and they thought of her as their perfect match but she was far from ideal. They all broke up with her for the same reason, simply because of the fact that they could not withstand her personality.

She was busy reminiscing about the past until she heard a voice from behind.

"Oh, what do we have here?"

She wheeled back to see Erkhan approaching them. He, then, kneeled in front of her and kissed the back of her hand.

"Ah, such a good way to start a day with a beautiful woman."

"When did you arrive?" Aricson asked.

"Why so grumpy, Brother? I won't snatch her. Although it will not be my fault if Elise falls into my allures," he gibed even if there was really no change in Aricson's stoic face that indicated grumpiness.

"I promise that will not likely happen," she refuted his claims.

"When did you arrive?" Aricson repeated.

"Just a while ago. Daniel said someone attacked the island."

"I already asked the knights to inspect it. How long will you stay here?"

"I just finished an errand so I was given a break for a month or so. Why are you so eager to send me off, Brother?" Erkhan probed, a toothy grin easing on his lips.

"You are talking rubbish," Aricson shot back and pondered for a second. "Since you'll remain here for some time, why don't you train Elise?"

He was back dictating again. It was apparent he was used to making decisions without considering the person involved.

"I don't think there's a need for it," she interceded before he could speak further.

He did not agree, instead, he leaned toward her and whispered, "We don't want to repeat what happened last night, won't we?"

Elise could not understand what he said as her mind became disrupted by their proximity. Her ears became extra sensitive and she did not dare to look at him. She peered at Erkhan only to see his eyes danced with amusement.

"Erkhan is one of the best knights in Humana. I'm sure he can help you," he insisted.

"There's no need because I can handle myself," she clarified.

Aricson roved his eyes at her. "I doubt. Do you even know how to throw a punch?"

"Of course! I can even use a sword."

She was confident when her own words sunk.

'Holy mother of god!'

She completely forgot about the sword. She was so occupied with studying medicine that she overlooked the thing that was the reason why she was stuck in this world. The last time she saw it was at her bedside but she didn't spend much time there anymore.

"Really? You're kidding," Erkhan uttered, grabbing her hand which distracted her thoughts.

This time he had a serious look while feeling her wrist.

"You don't seem like it. Your wrists are weak," he commented.

"That's enough," Aricson halted and pulled her away from Erkhan. "You can start training at any time this week."

"It's good with me," Erkhan agreed.

"But I told you I can use a sword! I'm a kendo champion!"

People praised her for her brain but she was actually absent-minded, especially for things that did not interest her. But when she liked it, her main goal was to excel and Kendo was obviously the latter.

If she even had a weapon last night, there was a good chance she could defend herself. But then again, the man had magic so perhaps it was an odd chance. It was better to coop herself inside the castle instead. At least, no trouble would seek her if she remained sheltered by the library walls.

"Kendo? What's that?" Erkhan queried with his lips pursed.

Seeing their puzzled expression, the sword style apparently did not exist in this world.

An orb appeared out of thin air before she could answer and a deep voice spoke, "Sire, Salve is waiting in your study."

It vanished the moment it ended. Elise could not help but be amazed by this world. She had stayed for days already but it never ceased to surprise her every time they used magic.

"I'll leave you for now," he stated and walked away from them.

They were left alone in the hallway. Despite the cringing she felt towards Erkhan, they actually got along but it would be the first time without Faylinn.

"Now what?" she prompted.

"You should call me master, Elise," Erkhan declared, still grinning.

"Do I really have to?"

"Nah. I'm just joking. You're like family to us already so no need to be formal. We should be as intimate as much as possible."

She had literal goosebumps when he said that. She wondered how long will she really survive talking to Erkhan with the way he conversed.

"Your flirting abilities undoubtedly astound me. Do girls fall to that?"

Honestly, she was curious since he was obviously popular after seeing women swarming on him when they went to Blaze.

"A lot did," Erkhan admitted with a smug tone.

"Then they're stupid."

As usual, she spoke her thoughts again.

A laugh burst from his lips. "Sometimes, you really remind me of Dryann."

"Hadrien said I reminded him of Ivorynn," she retorted.

"Really? Hadrien told you about her? Can't believe you managed to let him talk."

"He's endearing and I'm charming," she quipped.

"True. You even succeeded to butter up our eldest brother so Hadrien is an easy feat," he conceded.

"Oh god, please. Can we not talk about your brother for a while?"

His grin just grew wider. "You actually do remind me of Ivorynn but only the mannerisms, though."

"Really?"

"Remember how Faylinn went on a shopping spree? It's because she wanted to spoil a younger sister since she never had the chance."

Her brow arched. "Are you all like that to strangers?"

"Of course not. We're actually known to be a covert family," he responded.

"I don't think so," she disproved right away.

Her mind flashed several instances of how welcoming they were especially him, Faylinn, and also Hadrien. Even the servants were particularly nice to her.

"It's the truth. There is just something in you that makes you likable. I can't really explain it but it's making me want to reveal everything," he professed.

"That's just my appeal working," she quipped back.

Erkhan let out a short laugh before speaking, "At any rate, just let us be. I guess we all just want her to be alive. Even a small gesture that reminds us of her is enough. We are just being hopeless wanting Ivorynn to be alive."

"I thought it was confirmed?"

"What we saw was unrecognizable bodies and there was no child. But then again, it was just wishful thinking," he voiced out.

Bleakness faded the light on his red eyes. There was always a hint of a smile on his face whenever they met but there was none at the moment. His demeanor evoked past encounters with her patients who would undergo surgical operations with a low percentage of success.

"What's wrong with hoping? As you have said, you did not see her body so there might be a slight chance she is alive. You may be hurt if you keep on hoping but who doesn't? It's just a matter of strongly believing and at least you tried and had given your best."

"Having said all that, I'm curious what kind of mannerisms you even mean?" she added after trying to give consolation.

"Tugging the ears. She was the only one we knew who kept doing it until I met you."

"This kind of gesture is either learned or developed unknowingly and I've been tugging my ear every time I'm in deep thinking or can't decide or just simply nervous," she explained.

Her mom had always been worried about that habit of hers and thought she was having an ear infection or something.

"We really found it weird each time she did it but she was adorable so we did not stop her," Erkhan said while smiling as if recalling a fond memory. "You also had the same bright smile like hers that could lighten any bad days."

Just when she thought they were having a decent talk since he never put forth any ludicrous statements for a while now, he pronounced nonsensical things again.

"Are you flirting with me?"

Another lopsided grin. His usual self had returned.

"By the way, would you like to tour around the island? It's a great opportunity since you are wearing the necklace," he remarked, glancing at the feather.

"What of it?"

He winked and pulled her along. "You'll see."