The long weirdness had long stopped between them. They walked together, but although that was the case, something was wrong with the atmosphere. There was still an awkward feeling lingering all around them.
He stared at her, slightly blushing, that he didn't even notice that his gaze was fixated on her.
On the other hand, she was trying her best to hide her face, which was burning red, imagining what she did a while ago.
But still, both didn't stop and kept walking on a path that took them somewhere.
While travelling, they noticed quite a lot of things that looked new, like giant, lush, and weird mushrooms growing everywhere, where under the shadows some eyes stared at them standing in between bushes, yet no soul dared to come closer. Maybe it was something they were seeing they shouldn't, or a monster glaring with bloodlust.
As their eyes locked onto a *human?*
It stared at them with blood-filled eyes. His aura left them in shivers, a cold chill as suffocating as drowning held them through their throat.
Shivering, they all instinctively took a step back.
Branch crackled.
As Noen stared in a direction, noticing something weird, he stopped for a moment, but nothing wrong came to his senses even though he felt a distant following presence.
"What is it?" he thought.
Yet he didn't bother much and kept walking, following Sera, who was trying her best to keep distance from him.
But how long?
"Sera!"
He shouted, startling her as she fastened her pace, moving forward without looking.
And before she could realise, Noen was standing in front of her, staring into her eyes, emanating a weird, charming aura, mesmerizing her with his beauty.
She stared at his face; her world completely vanished.
But breaking her out of her thoughts, he shouted her name,
"Sera? Are you okay?"
"Ah-ahh…" startling her
She couldn't muster up her words. Her mouth refused to open as she stuttered with a bright, flushed face.
Noen stared at her in confusion and asked again,
"Are you okay?"
gesturing to hold her if she was feeling unwell, but she refused instantly, jolting back, her heart fastening.
She shouted,
"N-No, I'm fine!"
While her thoughts rambled, struggling to make eye contact with him.
"Why does he look so charming today... ahhhhhhfhdf."
He stared with his red ruby eyes, his black ponytail hanging behind his hair, his muscular body covered in a wild beast's fur.
He pressed his hand on her forehead to check if she had caught a cold, but again she moved back instinctively, trying to avoid him.
She stuttered, saying,
"I'm fine."
But Noen refused, closing in, trying to know why she was behaving like that, making her angry.
She shouted,
"Because you are too hot—"
She closed her mouth with her hands, her face brightening red, her eyes spiralling into panic.
Where he stood in daze, looking at her as if it was something unexpected.
And elsewhere, she was dying from embarrassment.
Muttering to herself,
"If he kept doing this, I-I can't control myself… I really love him... urgh…"
But before the moment could have lasted longer.
Someone broke the silence, speaking in a beastly tone.
"Greetings, humans."
Noen turned back, startled, his eyes pinpricking.
"Its presence..." he said.
Muttering to himself,
"I didn't sense it."
He instantly prepared a blood dagger while infusing his whole left arm.
He prepared a stance, glaring with his red eyes.
"Sera, stay back!"
He shouted.
While a beast stood staring at them with an inquisitive gaze. Shadow covered it whole. Only its purple eyes looked back.
Its words echoed again.
"It seems that tiger was killed by your hands."
"What are you talking about?!"
Noen shouted, losing his calm in its presence.
"I—? Haha. I want nothing much. I was just curious what beast * killed* in my territory."
"But to my surprise, it wasn't a beast but a monster. Haha."
Noen took a step back, gesturing with his hand, shielding her as he glared with his cold, wary eyes, standing in a tensed posture.
"My body... it has never reacted like this before. "
"Ohh, my apologies. Through my heart, I don't want to cause any harm. As well, I don't want to fight a monster like your presence…"
"What do you mean?"
"You know for yourself, don't you?"
Noen clenched his teeth, knowing the beast's words were somewhat true.
But breaking his own silence, he spoke, asking,
"Who are you?"
"Ohh, sorry for my late introduction. You can call me the Lagoon, a wanderer and a ruler of this forest. It's a pleasure to meet you... humans."
"?"
Noen stared at him, still wary of its behaviour, but his senses didn't scream of him being a threat.
He looked back, turning back to Sera, where she stood, also confused.
She asked,
"Noen, what is he saying?"
This statement left him startled.
He asked,
"What do you mean?"
"His words.. I don't understand what he's saying; the language is unfamiliar to me."
To her question, something spoke; the beast finally stepped out from the shadow, its eyes lifting up in the sky as it revealed its large body staring at them.
A body that looked withered, with bones visible through its grey skin, eyes shaded under a void purple, its smile uncanny, stitched under black sunken threads.
It spoke again with its mouth closed.
"Only a person who is not human can understand our words."
As it sharply gazed at Noen, who stood beside her.
His presence emanated a red aura, threatening the monster not to dare make a move.
Feeling the bloodlust, it spoke again.
"I already said, human, I don't mean any harm... I'm just curious why your existence is standing inside a secluded world that lost contact over hundreds of years ago."
"Hundreds?"
"Oh, you are not aware, but... I will only tell if you lower that inhuman sword made from your flesh."
"You don't know. It's sending chills through my body," it said coldly, staring with a blank smile.
It tilted its head as Noen devoured his sword back into his body, rebuilding his arm in an instant.
He asked,
"Tell me everything you know before I plunge this same sword into your chest, even if I die a hundred times."
*squeeze.*
Sera twisted his ear, pulling him down as she shouted in a loud voice,
"Noen! Why do you mention dying like it's normal?"
"?"
"But I won't die..."
"I know, but at least don't look at your life like a tool. Cherish your life."
"And you."
She glared at the beast with a piercing gaze, her tone turning serious.
"He is not a monster first of all! And…! If you do something to him, I won't forgive you. Hmph."
Both monsters stood confused, gazing at her.
As Noen chuckled, laughing, he patted her head.
Making her blush at his sudden gesture. "I won't," he said closely to her red ears before he turned his head toward the beast.
"And you, whatever your name was... she will kill you if you hurt me."
But slowly, beneath his smile, he said coldly,
"And I will kill you if you touch her."
The monster glared at him with the same empty smile.
And finally spoke in a low voice…