Chapter 3
1002 Words
Krone suddenly threw his arms around Eyana and burst into tears.
"Please don't leave your cute brother all alone! I know you've grown strong, but still! You can't just sneak out in the middle of the night and elope with Shidow!"
Eyana's face flushed bright red.
"Elope?" she repeated, her voice trembling.
She quickly pushed her brother away and stood up.
"Elope? Who said anything about eloping? I never planned to elope with anyone!"
Then her voice softened. She lowered her gaze, her expression becoming distant.
"I would rather flee to live... than elope and die."
Shidow frowned. He couldn't grasp the meaning behind her words.
"Flee to live?" Krone gasped dramatically. "What do you mean, my loving, loving darling? My sweet sweetheart?"
Eyana looked up. A single tear slipped down her cheek, yet she smiled as though nothing was wrong.
"Never mind that. Aren't we supposed to eat now, Brother dear?"
Krone immediately brightened.
"Yes, my dear! Let's fill that lovely stomach of yours, my sweet, sweet sugar of the land!"
Eyana laughed softly.
"You're so embarrassing. You should pack your bags and move to Ohio."
With that, the siblings headed downstairs to prepare dinner.
Shidow remained on the rooftop for a while, troubled.
"'I'd rather flee to live... than elope and die.' What did she mean by that? Was it a warning? A metaphor? Or was she trying to tell me something?" he muttered.
---
The three of them gathered around the dinner table. Laughter and conversation filled the room, but Shidow remained silent as his thoughts continued to race.
*Could she be in danger? Does someone know what we've been doing? Is someone threatening her? Tell me, Eyana... is someone after you?*
Suddenly, Eyana froze in the middle of laughing and looked directly at him.
Their eyes met.
Both of them stared at each other in confusion.
*Is this... telepathy?* Shidow wondered.
*I suppose it is,* Eyana replied inside his mind. *But how did you do it?*
Krone noticed the strange silence. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Without warning, he grabbed a large plate and pressed it against Shidow's face.
"Will you stop hitting on my beautiful, majestic little sister?!"
Eyana lightly kicked him.
"Oh, please! Give me a break!"
Krone wrapped his arms around her again.
"You know I'm jealous! I can't stand seeing you in love with someone else and not me!"
She struggled to push him away.
"Why are you jealous? I'm your sister. What are you, from Alabama?"
Krone slowly turned toward Shidow.
"Who's from Alabama?"
Eyana finally shoved him aside and planted her hands on her hips.
"No one! We're Canadian! And listen carefully—I don't love anybody! Especially not Shidow! I don't feel anything for him. So drop it!"
She stormed upstairs, leaving the two of them behind.
Krone blinked.
"Did you buy her pads?"
Shidow didn't answer. He quietly stood up and walked outside.
---
Eyana locked herself inside the bathroom and sank into the warm bath.
"Men are such a pain... shipping us when we won't even sail."
She sighed.
"He's ridiculous..."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"He's ridiculous..."
Outside, Shidow trained alone.
With nothing more than a flick of his finger, a massive tree crashed to the ground.
It wasn't enough.
There was no one strong enough to challenge him.
As he turned to leave, someone attacked from behind.
"What are you doing here?" he asked calmly. "It's late."
"From what I can see," Eyana replied as she launched a powerful kick, "you're looking for a proper opponent."
She smiled.
"I can keep you busy all night."
Shidow dodged just in time.
Both of them shot into the sky.
He teleported behind her and threw a punch, but Eyana drove her elbow into his stomach before he could land the hit.
A Magic Beam burst from her hand, filling the air with smoke.
When the smoke cleared...
He was gone.
She narrowed her eyes and focused.
A split second later, he appeared beneath her.
With flawless timing, he grabbed her leg and hurled her toward the ground.
She stabilized herself before impact, smiled, and immediately flew back toward him.
Again and again, they clashed.
The night sky echoed with the force of their battle as each pushed the other to their limits.
From a distance, Krone watched in silence.
A smile formed on his face.
He knew they were happiest when they fought side by side, constantly pushing each other to become stronger.
Satisfied, he quietly turned around and left them alone, allowing them to continue training until they were content.
---
Elsewhere...
"Redina, now's the time," Chrollo said coldly.
Redina's eyes flared with anger.
"Who is she?"
Chrollo stepped closer and roughly grabbed her chin. His hand wandered over her body as he looked into her eyes.
"Don't raise your voice at me," he said. "You cheated on him with me... yet you can't stand seeing him with someone else?"
She let out a quiet breath before pushing his hand away.
"What's mine is mine, Chrollo," she said firmly. "Blacko is mine. I loved him before... and I still do."
Chrollo withdrew his hand. Letting out a slow sigh, he walked to the couch and sat down.
"Then what am I to you?"
Redina slowly approached him, clutching her clothes.
"I don't know," she admitted. "Can you answer that for me?"
Chrollo rose to his feet.
"We're allies," he said. "Friends with benefits. We plan together. We fight together. And we sleep together."
He paused, his expression turning more solemn.
"Nothing more."
A moment of silence passed.
"But... I never expected us to become like this."
He walked past her without another glance.
"Tomorrow, the plan continues. Gather the bombs."
His voice grew colder.
"We'll destroy the entire place... without them ever realizing what happened."
With that, he vanished, leaving Redina alone in the silent room.
She lowered her head, her eyes filled with conflicted emotions.
"Blacko..." she whispered. "After all this time... why still hurt me?"
- Writer
