Splat
"Urgh, tastes like shit."
A melodious voice echoed through the surroundings. Two youths—battered, bloodied, and exhausted—lay sprawled on the ground. Panting heavily, one of them groaned and spat out a glob of blood.
Sitting up, her silver hair cascaded over her trembling shoulders, shimmering faintly with a soft, radiant glow. She narrowed her eyes, gasping as pain lanced through her arm. Glancing down at the mangled flesh of her shoulder, she grinned—a crazed, victorious smile.
'Worth it to wipe that smug expression off his pretentious face!'
As she examined her injuries, a cold voice broke the silence.
"I told you—no more than one attack, then flee. Are you trying to get yourself killed, you battle maniac? That last attack wasn't worth th—"
Before he could finish, she cut him off with her usual arrogance.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist. I get it—risk-reward ratio and all that boring smart talk. Who cares? I hurt the bastard! Loosen up, you perfectionist freak."
A sigh of exasperation came from behind her. The second figure stood slowly—a tall, handsome youth, his green hair swaying gently as if stirred by an unseen breeze.
When she turned toward him, her gaze met a pair of piercing emerald eyes. Standing nearly two meters tall, his sharp, chiseled features radiated restrained power and irritation. His once-pristine robes were torn from battle, yet his presence only seemed to grow more striking.
Sighing to herself, she muttered just loud enough for his acute senses to catch:
"You'd be a real lady-killer if you stopped lecturing like some dying elder and dropped the cold prince act a little, Vairon~. Honestly, what a waste of a body…"
A vein pulsed visibly on his forehead.
Vairon Aetherion—the youngest son of the Aetherion Clan—was known for his stoic nature and minimal words. A man of few expressions, he rarely interacted with others, spending most of his time training or drinking tea like some brooding hermit (according to his mother).
He despised pointless chatter. Efficiency was his language. And right now, staring at her—the single most obnoxious woman he had ever met—he questioned the sanity of teaming up with this… creature.
As if sensing his thoughts, the silver-haired woman glared.
"...Of all the men in the world I could be stuck with, it just had to be your stiff ass. Ugh! What sins did I commit to deserve this? Me! The most beautiful woman in the Northern Realm! Scorned by a nobody from the Eastern backlands?! My master would praise you if she heard this…"
Pulling at her hair dramatically, she sighed, her expression dimming for a moment before she shook it off. Trying to stand, she yelped in pain as her shoulder gave out. The adrenaline that had fueled her before was gone, leaving only weakness. Her body shook violently as cold sweat formed on her pale brow.
Before she could fall, a strong arm caught her by the waist. Warmth enveloped her trembling body as she looked up through her disheveled hair. Vairon knelt before her, supporting her weight without a word.
"Hehe… don't get any ideas, mister. This young lady isn't into blocks of stone. I like my men hard as stone but emotionally intelligent, thank you very much!"
Her tone was playful, but her voice wavered, drained of energy. Vairon frowned, releasing a wave of spiritual sense to inspect her condition.
"Kyaaaa! You rogue! Stop taking advantage of poor, defenseless me, you brute!"
She covered herself dramatically, blushing, only to be met with his deadpan stare. Silence hung heavy for several seconds. Finally, she coughed awkwardly and turned away.
"Are you actually a statue or something? Can't take a joke?"
Her muttering only deepened his frown. His cold gaze made her falter, anger rising to mask her embarrassment.
"Jeez, what! It's just a joke! Stop looking at me like that!"
He watched her in silence, then finally spoke—his tone low and heavy.
"...Kaelira Aenwyn."
The sudden use of her real name stunned her. She froze, eyes wide, as he continued in a dark, controlled voice.
"You know… I really don't like you."
Her breath caught.
"You treat life like a joke. No regard for consequence. You're loud, reckless, unrefined, and arrogant. We had a plan, and you almost destroyed it—for what? To make him bleed? Every second mattered, Kaelira. Every pointless exchange brought us closer to being cornered… to dying.
"Whether you like it or not, we're allies. Partners in this mess. And as long as we are, I won't let you die. If you want to play the badass, fine I'll indulge you. I'll break off this alliance and try to survive on my own. But as long as you are my ally…as long as you stand with me. I will not let you die. I refuse. We are getting out of this, both of us. Not because I care—but because I refuse to fail. We will get out of this. Then you can return to your palace and play the spoiled princess again.
"But until then… you are not allowed to die a pointless, idiotic death. Do you understand?"
His tone rose from quiet restraint to a harsh growl. His once-calm eyes now burned with fierce determination.
Kaelira lay still in his arms, speechless. The intensity in his gaze—so unshakable and raw—made her heart skip.
Then, just as she gathered her thoughts, she blurted out:
"Was that the most words you've spoken all year?"
Vairon blinked in disbelief.
"How does that mind of yours even function? You're a seriously crazy woman…"
Unbeknownst to her, the tips of his ears flushed red. At that moment, he realized she'd made him speak more in three days than he had in three years.
Well, I still talk to my mother more, of course. She'd roast me alive otherwise.
Suppressing a shiver, he shook his head. "Can you stand?"
She examined her body, preparing to speak—but he cut her off.
"Don't be a heroine. Be serious."
Hearing his firm tone, she hesitated before shaking her head. The examination of her body was anything but promising. Her meridians were torn and swollen from her overuse of qi. Her bones, brittle and covered in cracks. Not to mention the state of her Golden core. Covered in cracks and revolving wildly, showed the extreme stress she had put her body under. Honestly it was a miracle she wasn't crippled, let alone unconscious.
Understanding her silence, Vairon pulled out a spatial pouch and took out two pills. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You—"
Before she could finish, he shoved both pills into her mouth. Reflexively, she swallowed, warmth spreading through her body as her wounds began to mend.
He lifted her onto his back and started walking. She clung to his shoulders in stunned silence.
"You… why? Do you even know how precious those pills were? They could have pushed you into the next realm!"
He shrugged.
"What good are they if I die? With your help, I can live. For you to help, you need to be alive. Simple."
She stared at him—this infuriating, unreadable man—and for once, said nothing.
After a long silence, he quipped, "Oh? No snarky comeback? Has the world finally been blessed with your silence?"
Her face turned bright red.
"IN YOUR DREAMS, YOU STUPID STATUE!"
A faint smile tugged at his lips. She blinked, momentarily speechless again.
Clutching his shoulder tighter, she murmured softly, "...Thank you, Vairon."
He chuckled. "That's Aetherion to you, crazy woman. Only my wife calls me by my name."
She pouted, turning away. His smile lingered briefly before fading, replaced by sharp focus as his senses expanded.
After a long pause, he frowned.
"...Where the hell are we?"