Charmed [✔]

09.1 ▌The Ember Isle

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 that 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 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?"