'What the hell's her deal now?' Charles thought, sitting up a bit on the bed.

The tension with Kaira wasn't as heavy as it had been with Lira, but her behavior threw him off.

Kaira had plopped onto the bed with a confidence that caught him by surprise.

She sat cross-legged, like she owned the place, and every now and then leaned forward, subtly sniffing the air.

Charles frowned, noticing the movement.

'Is she… smelling something?' he thought, confused.

The faint burnt scent still clinging to his tunic seemed to draw her in, though she tried to play it off with a casual smile.

For a moment, he thought she'd speak up, given the energy she'd burst in with, but seconds ticked by and…

Nothing.

Kaira just kept repeating that odd sniffing action, making Nora's words about her weigh heavier in Charles's mind.

"Hey, Kaira," he said, his tone a mix of curiosity and caution. "What did you want to talk about? You said you had something to say, right?"

Kaira blinked, clearly caught off guard.

For a second, she'd been completely lost in her thoughts. Her cheeks flushed a soft red, and for once, she dropped that self-assured vibe she always carried.

"Uh… well…" she stammered, looking away as she scratched the back of her neck. "Gimme a sec, okay?"

Charles raised an eyebrow, watching her.

Kaira's mind was blank.

Completely blank.

She'd come in with a clear purpose, but now, sitting in front of Rian, with his blue eyes locked on her, she couldn't for the life of her remember what she wanted to say.

'So that's what a Cole's stare does, huh…? No, wait… focus,' she thought, pressing her lips together.

She tried to mentally retrace why she'd insisted on staying, but all that came to mind were flashes of Rian's fight: the impossible flips, the energy blasts, and that damn lightning bolt crashing from the sky.

The whole fight had been so… thrilling to watch, but it also sparked a ton of questions about Rian's actions.

Finally, Kaira gave up and decided to wing it.

"Okay, first off…" she said, forcing a smile, "I came to congratulate you. You won two fights back-to-back in the arena, Rian! In front of a huge crowd! That's no small feat."

Charles tilted his head, surprised by the comment.

Hadn't she already said something like that when she first walked in?

She'd even called him a hero…

Then it hit him—he hadn't thought much about the crowd until now, but Kaira's words made him pause.

"Wait," he said, frowning as he recalled the arena. "You're right. There were… a lot of people today."

His mind flashed back to the coliseum, the roar of the packed stands chanting his name.

Unlike his fight against the novice ranks, which only a handful of rookies and their tutor had seen, this bout with Syris had drawn a massive crowd.

And not just Storm Clan members.

There were people dressed oddly, in clothes that reminded him of his own world: fitted jackets, printed shirts, and even some holding devices that looked like smartphones.

'Phones,' Charles thought, a chill running through him.

He'd seen modern tech in the clan before—the TV in Lira's room, the computers in the medical wing, and even that healing machine humming in the corner.

But seeing people in the stands with phones, recording or snapping photos, made him realize something.

'If someone recorded that lightning… it could be trouble.'

His first lightning incident had been an accident seen by only a few, but this time, with hundreds in the stands—including outsiders—his "luck" was starting to look suspicious.

Kaira noticed his expression and tilted her head.

"What's up?" she asked, her tone curious. "You went quiet all of a sudden. Thinking about the fight?"

Charles shook his head, trying to keep his cool.

Truth was, he was getting pretty worried about it, but still…

He didn't want to let it show in front of her.

"Nah, just… it was a lot, you know?" he said, forcing a laugh. "All those people watching, cheering. But in the end, it wasn't that hard to get in the zone. I just did what I had to."

He kept his tone light, not wanting to betray how nervous the thought of the crowd made him.

If someone started analyzing what happened, especially with recordings, it could land him in serious hot water.

Kaira grinned, clearly impressed.

"That's a killer mindset, Rian," she said, leaning forward. "Seriously, I've seen plenty of fighters crack under that kind of pressure. The arena, the crowd, the stakes—not everyone can handle it. But you? You make it look like a walk in the park."

She paused, her eyes gleaming with admiration.

"You're something else, you know that?"

Charles let out a laugh, a bit uneasy with the praise.

Something else.

From his perspective, he wasn't anything special—more like he'd had the rotten luck of ending up in a place where most people had a crap attitude.

So, rather than special, the word Charles would use to describe himself was…

Unlucky.

"Thanks, Kaira," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "But, seriously, is that all you wanted to say? I'm still waiting for that 'important talk' you mentioned."

His tone was playful, but there was genuine curiosity underneath.

Kaira didn't strike him as the type to show up just to chat for the sake of it.

Kaira froze for a second, and the flush returned to her cheeks.

"Uh… yeah, about that…" she mumbled, looking away.

Charles noticed her fiddling with a strand of her hair.

'What's wrong with her?' he thought, growing more confused.

Kaira swallowed, clearly struggling to find the words.

"Okay, okay, let me get it together," she said, raising a hand as if to stop him. "It's just… I don't know how to say this without sounding weird."

Charles raised an eyebrow, now genuinely intrigued.

The weird girl Nora had warned him about was worried about sounding weird?

"Kaira, just spit it out," he said, his tone a mix of impatience and amusement. "You're muttering stuff I can't make heads or tails of. Speak clearly, 'cause I've got no clue what you're trying to say."

Kaira let out a sigh, clearly embarrassed.

"Alright, alright," she said, sitting up straighter on the bed.

She looked Charles dead in the eyes, though her cheeks were still red.

His expectations started to build.

"I wanted to ask if… well, if you'd train with me."

Charles blinked, completely thrown off.

"Train… with you?" he repeated, as if he wasn't sure he'd heard right. "That's what you came to say? You want us to train together?"

Kaira nodded, still a bit nervous.

"Yeah, exactly," she said, her words spilling out faster now that she'd gotten them out. "Look, after seeing you in the arena, it's obvious you're good. Really good. And not just because of the lightning or whatever that was. Your moves, your fighting style—I want to learn from that. I think if we trained together, we could be an awesome team. What do you say?"

Charles went quiet, processing her offer.

'Train with Kaira?' he thought, feeling a mix of surprise and caution.

On one hand, the idea sounded interesting.

Kaira seemed strong, with her fire affinity, and training with her could help him sharpen his skills without relying so much Lufon his lightning element.

But on the other hand, being around her meant more risk of her noticing something off about him.

'If she figures out my element, I'm screwed,' he thought, recalling Lira's warnings about Kain and the witchcraft suspicions.

"I dunno, Kaira," he said finally, keeping his tone neutral. "I just got out of a fight that nearly killed me. I'm not sure I'm ready to jump into training right now."

He paused, giving her a crooked smile.

"Besides, don't you already have plenty of training partners? You've gotta be one of the best, right?"

Kaira laughed, but there was a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Oh, come on," she said, lightly smacking the bed with her hand. "Don't give me excuses. I know you're beat, but think about it. You and me, training together… think about it."

Her tunic slipped for a moment, revealing her bare shoulder.

Her skin was striking.

But before unnecessary thoughts could pile up in his mind, Charles shook his head.

'I can't fall for a trick that obvious!' he thought.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.