Chapter 49 - I Didn't

After Teren came out of Iesa's apartment, he sighed.

"I guess that's it. I shouldn't have expected anything."

He talked to himself as he walked passed to a guard who seemingly didn't notice him.

Teren walked and walked. His head slightly lowered, his sight only covers the ground as droplets of the rain hit the ground.

Soon, his face shows no expressionless.

"Ahh... but my uniform is still there. Should I go back?... tsss- that would be awkward." he showed a pained expression.

"What should I say tomorrow? I need my uniform back? Would she even talk to me? Basing on the others, she wouldn't."

Teren heavily sighed again.

"I want to take a hot shower lat-"

Bang*

Teren's eyes twitched and widened. He looked down and the puddle underneath him getting tainted by blood.

Feeling the pain, he was forced to drop on one knee. However, as soon as he saw the hole on his thigh, he stood up and looked at the mysterious figure in front of him.

Clad in a black raincoat, he doesn't even know if this person's a girl or a boy. Furthermore, this person was wearing a black face mack that only shows those clear brownish eyes.

With smoke rising from the gun this person held, it's obvious who shot Teren.

His face turned grim.

'Why didn't I feel anything?'

Bang*

Another shot was fired, this time, it was his left arm. Teren was placed into a panic.

'What do I do? Is my Spirit not working? What's happening?'

He dropped on his back.

This time, the person put down the gun and walked towards him.

Teren looked at this person with a puzzled expression as if he wasn't shot.

"Teren Hark."

A voice of a girl came out of the face mask.

"You're Teren Hark, right?" she repeated.

"You asked that after you shot me? What if I'm not this Teren Hark?"

"Did you not hear that girl? She called you Teren?" the girl in the raincoat pointed and Teren looked behind to see Iesa running towards him.

"Are your senses dulling?"

Before Teren could reply, Iesa dropped and hugged him.

"Y-y-you, stop!" she quivered in fright while trying to cover Teren.

"Iesa?"

Teren wanted to ask more but he felt that one word was enough.

"W-why did you leave a-and who is she?"

Even in this situation, Teren was mesmerized by her.

'She doesn't hate me?'

An uncontrollable smile formed on his face as looked down.

'Of course, Iesa's different. Wow, I'm fucking stupid.'

Seeing him smile, the girl in a raincoat tilted her head in question.

"What are you smiling for?"

Iesa turned her head and saw Teren's wide smile. She couldn't help but smile too, yet, hers was nervous.

"You psychopath, you're going to die, you know?"

"Haha, release me, Iesa." Teren chortled.

"Eh?"

Iesa didn't know what was going on inside Teren's head... but was there a time she did in the first place?

The girl in the raincoat just stood by and watched Iesa slowly unwrapped her arm around Teren.

At the exact moment Iesa did, the girl felt danger and retreated a step back. Just as her instincts told her; Teren, who was sitting on the ground in one moment, was now standing in front of her in the next.

She felt a tug from her hand before seeing Teren change position again. This time, he was holding her own gun at her point-blank.

Iesa just saw this scene and was paralyzed. Did reality just lag and buffered? It's like a frame-per-second show. Is she seeing things?

The girl in the raincoat was petrified. She looked and saw that Teren was still bleeding.

"How can you still move so fast?"

"I didn't." Teren simply replied.

"You didn't move?"

But he didn't reply.

The girl in the raincoat frowned.

"Why did you let yourself got shot in the first place?"

"I didn't."

"You didn't get shot or you didn't let yourself? Answer fully!"

But Teren didn't continue.

The girl was getting irritated and began shouting.

"Teren Hark! I know that you have the Spirit of Illusion, you think you're deceiving me!?"

Teren frowned.

"How did you know about that?"

Iesa's face lightened.

'Spirit of Illusion? That means that his wounds are just illusions, right?'

Instead of doubting it, she began hoping. Thinking about this, she was also curious who this girl was.

But shock replaced her face.

'Huh? I can't hear any of her thoughts too...?'

"Hmph! Why should I answer you when you're not answering my questions properly?"

The girl in the raincoat smiled behind her face mask. But her apprehension heightened when she felt a tug on her face mask even though Teren had yet to move.

Boom*

A flash of lightning suddenly appeared, hitting the girl in the raincoat.

Teren who was near her felt a jolt from his hand. The next frame of his movement revealed that he was about to take the girl's face mask.

However, as soon as the flash of lightning vanished, the girl in the raincoat did also.

"Huh!?" Iesa shouted and retreated.

Due to the speed of that flash, her reaction only came out now.

"Tsk!" Teren's face twitched as he felt the tremble on his arm.

Putting the gun in his pocket, he turned to Iesa and offered her his hand.

With a glance, Iesa took it and stood up.

"W-what was that? Did she die? I didn't know bolts of lightning can obliterate someone... out of existence?" she released all of her inquiries.

But Teren just lightly laughed and answered.

"No, silly, she just escaped."

"Escape? Y-you mean... she controls lightning and..." Iesa didn't even know how to ask the question.

"Yeah, I think so... there are people who control fire as well. I guess she has a strong Spirit."

Iesa frowned, she was frustrated that she was the only one shocked at this.

"Umm, also, Iesa..."

"Hm?"

"Do you have a first-aid kit?"

"..."

"Also, a sewing kit."

"W-why?" Iesa froze.

Teren raised an eyebrow.

"Umm... because I got shot twice...?"

"It's... not an illusion?"

"Illusion? No, I wish it is though.." Teren showed a pain expression.