Charles and Nora walked along the dirt path, leaving the confrontation with the Custodians behind.

The blue system arrow still glowed in Charles's vision, pointing toward the Stormy Forest cave, but for now, his focus was on Nora and the absurd situation he'd just escaped.

Tall trees surrounded them, the air thick with the scent of damp grass and the soft rustle of leaves stirred by the wind.

Charles still felt the adrenaline from the encounter, but also immense relief.

'Thanks to Nora, I'm not on my way to the council,' he thought, scratching the back of his neck. Though the humiliation of being called a "personal errand boy" still stung.

After several meters, when he was sure the Custodians couldn't hear them, Charles stopped abruptly.

Without thinking too much, he placed a hand on Nora's back, pulling her close until their shoulders touched.

The move was so sudden that Nora's eyes widened, clearly caught off guard.

"What's your deal, Rian?" she said, her tone a mix of confusion and curiosity, her gray eyes glinting in the sunlight.

Her sharp yet soft features, brown hair falling in loose waves over her shoulders, and that mischievous smile always on the verge of breaking through made her hard to ignore.

She was gorgeous, and Charles noticed it more than he wanted to admit.

Grinning, Charles tilted his head and said in a mocking tone, "Personal errand boy, huh? Seriously, Nora? That's the best you could come up with?"

Nora let out a short laugh, clearly amused.

"What? It was a clever excuse, wasn't it?" she said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

Her smile widened, flashing a hint of her teeth.

"Come on, it worked, didn't it? Those idiots bought it. You should be thanking me."

Charles rolled his eyes but couldn't help laughing.

"Clever, she says," he muttered, shaking his head. "At this rate, I'm starting to question the brainpower of this clan. But seriously, Nora, next time come up with something better. Errand boy? Me?"

Nora laughed again, giving him a light pat on the arm.

"Oh, poor Rian, did I bruise your pride?" she said, her tone playful. "If it bothers you that much, next time I'll let you fend for yourself with the Custodians. Let's see how long your 'Cole dignity' holds up when they drag you to the council."

Charles sighed, still smiling.

"Fine, fine, I'll let it slide," he said, raising his hands as if surrendering.

But then his expression shifted, remembering something more serious.

If he was planning to escape the clan someday, he needed to understand how things worked here, and Nora was a source of information.

Plus, something didn't add up.

"Hey, on a serious note," he said, lowering his voice. "How'd you know I was here? You don't just wander around patrolling the forest every day, do you?"

Nora looked at him for a moment, as if deciding how much to share.

Then she shrugged, her demeanor casual.

"Honestly, pure luck," she said, tucking her hands into her tunic pockets. "I wanted to check on you after your arena fight yesterday. Tried visiting you at the medical wing, but the nurses wouldn't let me through. Said you were 'recovering' and couldn't be disturbed. So today I was just wandering around here… and saw you tangled up with those Custodians."

Charles raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"You were at the arena yesterday?" he said, his tone incredulous. "Seriously? You saw my fight?"

Nora nodded, her mischievous smile returning.

"Duh," she replied. "They called me to help shield the spectators from the rain. You know, with my air control, I made a sort of barrier so they wouldn't get soaked. But in between, I caught your fight. And, hey, not bad. Surviving two matches back-to-back? That's something."

Charles felt a spark of pride.

'If she saw the fight, did she see the lightning?' he thought, recalling the earlier moment when she'd seen a bolt strike him.

But since Nora didn't mention it, he decided not to bring it up.

Nora stared at him, then suddenly leaned in close, her face inches from his, her smile both playful and challenging.

"Congrats, Rian," she said, her voice soft but teasing. "Two wins in a row. Not bad for an 'errand boy.'"

Charles felt his face heat up, but before he could respond, Nora pulled back with a quick motion, crossing her arms and switching to a scolding tone.

"But seriously, what the hell are you doing out here so early?" she said, frowning. "You're covered in bandages, Rian. Didn't it occur to you to ask the staff to bring you food instead of wandering around? You're… injured."

Charles laughed, shrugging.

"Just felt like a walk," he said, his tone nonchalant. "No big deal. Needed some fresh air."

Nora eyed him skeptically, then her gaze dropped to his hands.

They were bleeding, fresh cuts from the electric burst he'd used against the Custodian.

The bandage on his right arm was torn, blood dripping slowly to the ground.

"And that?" she said, pointing at his hands with a concerned tone. "Doesn't that hurt? Looks pretty bad."

Charles glanced at his hands, surprised.

'Shit, I didn't even feel it,' he thought.

Normally, using his explosive ability caused some pain, but with the adrenaline fading, he barely noticed the wounds.

He was about to mutter something to the system to check his status but stopped, remembering Nora's sharp ears.

He didn't want her suspecting anything about the system.

Instead, he grinned and said lightly, "Know how to patch these up? 'Cause honestly, they don't hurt as bad as they look."

Nora sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You're a mess, Rian," she said, but her tone was softer now, almost worried. "Lucky for you, we're not far from a little village with a small clinic. But seriously, you need to take better care of yourself. Stop doing dumb stuff like this. What's wrong with you?"

Charles raised an eyebrow, amused by her insistence.

"Why so worried, Nora?" he said, his tone playful. "What, planning to visit me in the medical wing every day or something?"

Nora stared at him, and for a second, Charles thought she might slug him.

But instead, she smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Actually, yeah," she said, crossing her arms. "Isn't it obvious? Someone's gotta make sure my personal errand boy… doesn't die."

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