Three days later.
Mark, Elisa, and Krista made their way through the tropical forest without too much trouble.
'Reminds me of the Ninth Floor...'
As they were approaching the border between Lust and Sloth, they decided to take an early break at dusk and try to get some sleep.
Unfortunately, the white-scaled Monster had trouble falling asleep.
It was something Mark was used to, so being unable to sleep rarely annoyed him.
It did this time.
Why?
Because the reason as to why he couldn't sleep was completely different from the usual.
'She...' The white-scaled Monster did its best to keep its body from shaking. 'She's too close!'
Upon deciding to go to sleep a couple of minutes earlier, Mark had let his body fall to the ground.
He had turned onto his right side when,
Crouch-
Sit-
Lie down-
'Huh?' The Monster's eye widened as it stared dead ahead. 'Did she just lay down next to me?'
"Alright. Good night." Elisa said before turning around and lying on her side too.
'You're going to ignore the fact that you're... What is this?'
Mark shook his head internally and closed his eyes.
The two lay with their backs towards one another.
Minutes later, he wanted to stretch his shoulders when,
'Kuh... She's that close?'
Finding no better answer than acting as if he had moved in his sleep, Mark remained unmoving, his back less than an inch away from hers.
The two were so close that simply taking a breath made their backs kiss.
Mark suddenly was able to hear his own heartbeat. He tried convincing himself that it was simply in his head. That he was thinking too much.
He pressed his eyelids and tried to sleep once more.
Tap-
'Did... Did she just move back?'
Their backs came into contact, and Mark, feigning sleep, decided not to move away.
Running away from physical touch wasn't becoming for a Monster in the first place.
Their backs were touching, so what?
They did shake hands many times in the past.
He had even laid a hand on her waist to take out the Corruption.
He had also carried her. And even though he could feel her chest against his back that time, it hadn't troubled or fazed him at all.
'So then... Why do I feel like my body is going to start trembling if I don't keep my muscles tensed up??'
What was different now?
'I don't have time for this. I'm a Monster. I don't have time for... Fucking trembling because a woman's back is-'
These would do despicable things upon catching-
Mark wanted to scratch his head, but he thought that it would betray the sleeplessness that he was so eager to keep a secret.
'Ugh. And this thing in my stomach... No... NO! Don't tell me they're... Not fucking butterflies or something?' With its eyes closed, the Monster winced and frowned. 'That's absolutely pathetic! I don't want this!'
Yawn-
A Moonlit Feline, lying on a branch, watched the scene unfold from above.
It wasn't that interesting or action-packed scene. Still, Krista watched with wide eyes.
The white-scaled Monster let out a sigh.
It pushed its body away from Elisa's, which, unknown to him, did make her shake slightly.
She, too, was trying to hide her sleeplessness it seems.
With his body now a bit further from Elisa, Mark lay on his back and stared at the night sky above.
'I can't... Remember details. But I can remember things in general. I couldn't do much in my past life. I needed help with the simplest things at times. Running was practically impossible for me. That's why I want to run as much as I can. I want to move, with my own body, as much as I can. But... That's not the only thing I couldn't do. Being stuck in that hospital for most of my life... Well, I did die pretty young too. Both of those things contributed to me not having...' Mark slowly let his face turn to the side, and there she was, lying on her side next to him. 'Many experiences.' His gaze went back to the night sky above. 'Lying next to a woman, that's probably a first, isn't it? Feels like it at least.'
Sigh-
'It is pathetic, but it can't be helped.'
Mark stared at the night sky for a bit longer, before reaching for the piece of cloth that covered his right eye.
He moved it out of the way, and the way the world appeared changed thanks to the High Elven Pupil residing in his right eye.
The colorful Mana that hung in the air, the thin and barely visible Links between the branches above, the Mana coursing through them, the colorful Mana that hung in their air...
The colorful Mana that hung in the air?
His eyebrow twitched as he moved his gaze towards her.
"Spying on me?" Mark asked suddenly.
She winced, and he noticed.
"Yawn..." Elisa slowly turned around with sleepy eyes. "What do you mean? I was-"
"I can see it." Mark said as he pointed at the air above the two. In truth, he was pointing at the Wind around them.
'Shit.' Elisa cursed internally.I think you should take a look at
The Mana held by that Wind had a different color than that of the air to his right.
"Weeell..." Elisa slowly turned away. "I am sleeping with my back turned to a Monster."
'So she was feigning sleep too? That's weird...'
'Now he uses it? NOW?? When he wouldn't use it when fighting? What is...'
The Moonlit Feline, seemingly bored by how the scene played out, yawned and closed its eyes.
A handful of minutes later,
'She's still doing it. Even though I caught her? Mmm... The quantity did decrease but-'
Sting-
Mark closed his right eye.
'Huh... That's my limit. I'll need to use this the same way I used the Berserker Skill. Short outbursts... Or something. Getting the sting at the wrong time in the middle of a fight might turn out worse than not using that Eye at all.'
The white-scaled Monster stared at the sky for a bit longer.
The anxiety from being so close to her had fully faded by now.
Why do you never argue against it-
Against being called a Monster-
I am sleeping with my back turned to a Monster-
You don't act like one-
'Why are you using the Wind to read my movements then?'
The white-scaled Monster turned and gazed at her back.
I trust you too-
Even though you're a Monster-
A shaking hand left the ground.
'Let's test it then.' The side of her neck uncovered by her ashen hair, Mark reached for it. 'Do you really trust me?'
The white-scaled Monster's shaking hand moved closer and closer.
Until,
"What are you doing?" Elisa asked suddenly.
His hand froze and his body shook. She, of course, did notice.
'Now, pull your hand back. Prove that I can trust you. Mm... You would be proving it for the 100th time but-'
A shiver went down Elisa's whole body.
Swoosh-
'Oh. She disappeared. Like a cat... Touch it when it doesn't want you to and it'll...'????????????????????????????????.????????????
A panting Elisa appeared behind the tree on which Krista was sleeping.
With her back against the tree's trunk and out of the white-scaled Monster's field of vision,
'What the hell was that??' Elisa asked herself with a hand on the right side of her neck.
With a gentle touch, he had pushed the ashen hair hiding her skin away.
'What the hell was that?' She crouched and hid her blushing face with her hands.
The next second,
Kekekekek-
With an annoyed expression on her face, Elisa raised her gaze.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want." She whispered.
The snickering Moonlit Feline was panting for air. Krista seemed to think that staying awake to watch this scene was more than worth it.
"HaHaHa." Elisa mocked as she stuck her tongue out.
It took less than a second for her to quietly climb up the tree and join Krista's side.
The Moonlit Feline was startled, but just like its Master, it did its best to hide that.
"Has he..." Elisa pointed at the white-scaled Monster that lay on the ground a dozen steps away. "Always looked like that?"
The Moonlit Feline started at its sleeping Master for a bit.
Krista didn't know what answer to give.
The answer she wanted to give, or the one her Master would have wanted her to give?
It was obvious that the two weren't the same.
After all, were both answers the same, he would have told Elisa already.
A bit of quiet deliberation later, Krista decided on the answer she was going to give.
The Moonlit Feline selfishly and foolishly shook its head.
"So when you met him, he looked different?"
Krista nodded.
"Huh..."
Elisa took a seat on the branch, pressed her lips together, and...
"This would be a lot easier if he looked differently-"
She shook her head.
'Pure thoughts. Pure thoughts only...'
