"WHAT...!!?"
Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to be shocked to the core, her expression freezing for a brief moment as if she had not expected those words in the slightest.
All this while she thought he was interested in joining, otherwise why would he even pose questions regarding what he would get after joining, but now he was clearly saying that he did not want to join, completely overturning her expectations.
Was he playing with her?
Ash stayed silent seeing her shocked reaction, his expression calm, but his mind was already moving ahead, processing every possible outcome and shaping his next steps carefully.
"What do you mean you don’t want to join?" Elizabeth grew slightly agitated as she stepped forward, closing the distance between them so much that Ash had to lean back a little to maintain some space, her presence pressing down with a subtle intensity.
{Tsk, from what angle does this b.i.t.c.h look more powerful than you, look how she is not even able to control her emotions.....}
Ash did not respond to Eva, as he already knew that the reason behind Elizabeth losing her composure was none other than his high charm stats, although even he felt that the effect was working a little too well for comfort.
"Calm down, Miss Elizabeth. I said I don’t want to join the Transcendent Circle, as I am not too fond of fighting unless it is in self defense, and I also value my peace and freedom very much, that is why I cannot agree to join the Transcendent Circle....."
Elizabeth was just about to respond, her lips parting slightly as if she was ready to counter him, but before she could say anything, Ash raised his hand and gently placed a finger on her lips, stopping her mid sentence.
"....but that does not mean I do not agree to join you."
Silence filled the surroundings, thick and unmoving, as those words settled between them.
Elizabeth maintained eye contact with Ash for a brief moment, and in that moment, she felt something that she could not quite explain, because the weight behind those eyes was not normal, they were beautiful, unfathomably so, almost like staring into an endless starry sky that stretched beyond understanding.
They felt infinitely deep and strangely addictive, carrying a pull that could easily draw someone into a trance if they were not careful.
It was only after Ash spoke again that she managed to come out of that moment.
"I would like to befriend you, Miss Elizabeth. You are powerful and you see potential in me, I don’t like the spotlight, while you have to remain in it, so this works in both our favors. If you need help, I will help you just like friends do, and if I need help, I hope you will help me too. You can even guide me in awakening my Soul Flame, and in this way, even if I am not joining the Transcendent Circle, I will still stand by you when needed. So, what do you think about a proposal that exists just between the two of us??"
***
[Eric POV]
I walk down the street and everything feels lighter than it should, like an unseen weight has been lifted off my shoulders, the noise around me fading into something soft and distant while my steps fall into a quiet rhythm that I am not even consciously thinking about.
My mind keeps drifting to her even without trying to, and every small thing I notice somehow reminds me of her, her beautiful laugh, those childish remarks, her addicting smell and her deep and loving eyes, each memory slipping in quietly as if it belongs there.
I find myself wondering what she would say if she were here right now, how she would react to something as simple as this moment, and just imagining it is enough to make something warm settle deep within my chest, spreading slowly in a way I cannot ignore.
I slow down without realizing it, like I am trying to hold onto this feeling for a little longer, afraid that if I move too fast it might slip away from me.
What is happening with me?
I question it to myself, but there is no clear answer that comes to mind, even though somewhere deep down it feels like I already know the truth, yet I am just too afraid to admit it to myself.
Every time I think about her being with me, the image of my mother and father appears in my head, reminding me that the peace I am feeling right now is just fleeting, fragile in a way that could break at any moment, because who knows what will happen next.
But then, whenever I think about staying away from her, it feels like countless needles are stabbing into my chest, making it hard to breathe, as if even the air around me is turning heavy.
How is this possible? How can I get attached to someone this much in such a short time?
Even I have no clear understanding of what is happening, but the last few days I spent with Saskia have quietly changed my entire view of the world, breaking something I had believed in for so long.
I always believed that the world was only black, white and grey, simple and dull, something that could be understood without much effort, but for the first time in my life, I saw what the true colors of life actually look like, and they were far more vivid than anything I had imagined.
Those moments with her felt strange at first, unfamiliar in a way that made me cautious, but as time passed, I slowly got lost in them, I got lost in her voice, I got lost in her eyes, I got lost in her smile, I got lost in her never ending chatter, and before I even realized it, I got lost in something far deeper than I had ever expected.
I got lost in the love of someone I never even imagined would exist in my life.
Even now, the feeling of leaving her behind is consuming me from the inside, and along with it comes the quiet guilt of not sharing anything about myself with her, while she had opened herself so freely and told me so much about who she is.
My heart aches with regret, a dull but constant pain that refuses to fade, and all I want right now is to see her once more, to hear her voice again, to lose myself in her presence just one more time.
But I know I cannot go to her right now, because this distance is the only thing that can keep her safe, and I do not even know what lies ahead, and more than anything, I hate this uncertainty that I cannot control.
Is this what love is? It feels cruel, yet at the same time it holds a power strong enough to change a person completely, without giving them any choice in the matter.
-Click!!!
-Ding!!!!
I was so lost in my thoughts that only after hearing those two sounds did I finally snap out of that tangled mess inside my head, my awareness returning all at once as if I had been pulled back from somewhere far away.
And the moment I looked ahead, I saw someone I would have never expected to see standing right there.
It was the disciple of the Eternal Supreme, the same person who had just been giving a speech moments ago back in the stadium, her presence here feeling completely out of place.
My mind instantly began to swirl with questions, one after another, without pause.
Why was she coming out of our shop? Did brother Ash get caught? Did something happen to him? Is he alright?
A cold sense of panic rose within me, tightening around my chest, but even then I forced myself to stay composed, recalling the teachings that my brother had drilled into me countless times.
I could almost hear his voice echoing clearly in my mind even now.
[No matter what the situation is, no matter how angry you are and no matter how much you are panicking, always keep a cool head. Always.]
So that was exactly what I did.
Even though my heart, already vulnerable after falling in love not long ago, was beating loudly inside my chest, I maintained my composure and acted surprised upon seeing her in front of me, though in truth, that part was not even an act, I was genuinely shocked.
".Y-Y-You...I just s-saw you....I was....just in the stadium...."
I tried my best to make it sound natural, letting my words stumble just enough to appear believable, but the moment I saw her eyes light up slightly and a smile form on her face, a sinking feeling settled deep within me.
Still, it was not the worst part.
Because the next question she asked made my throat go dry.
"Are you the little brother that the shopkeeper spoke of?"
Without realizing it myself, panic must have shown on my face, my body visibly stiffening as I struggled to keep my reaction under control.
She stepped closer and casually patted my shoulder, but my entire body remained rigid under her touch, as if even a small movement would expose everything.
"You both look a lot alike, long white hair, and a handsome face, though your brother is much more good looking than you....., don’t take it to heart though, you are no less good looking. It’s good that I was able to meet you before leaving. Look after your brother, he has quite a sharp tongue, he might fall into trouble one day."
As she said that, she let out a light laugh, as if recalling something amusing, and before I could even react further, her body dissolved into flames, her form vanishing completely from my sight.
I stood there frozen outside the shop, my body refusing to move, my mind still trying to process what had just happened, until a familiar voice echoed inside my head.
{What are you standing there for, idiot. Come inside.}
Hearing that familiar tone of Ash, something inside me finally eased, my racing heart calming down just a little as I took a breath and stepped inside the shop.
***
[A/N: I tried first person POV this time, what do you guys think about it? If you feel it works well, I might start adding first person POVs for other characters too, except for Ash. Though, I may include one or two first person POVs for Ash as well in some important scenes.]