"Oh my , look at the time. I'm really exhausted. I should really go to sleep now."
Avner closed his eyes.
Surprisingly, it didn't take long before he actually fell asleep.
"Sigh… what an idiot…."
After making sure he was truly asleep, Nephthys tried to pull her hand free and leave. The moment she did, Avner's grip tightened, refusing to let go.
Nephthys could have escaped easily.
Yet for some reason, she sat back down on the chair, still holding his hand.
"Just… why am I doing this…?"
She couldn't understand her own actions anymore. Why was she even holding his hand when she could simply use her energy?
Nephthys watched his sleeping face for a while.
"Looks like I have a soft spot for you…."
Her thoughts drifted back to the incident with the fire—how he had rushed forward without hesitation to protect her.
"Why would you do that?"
Nephthys looked at him again, then down at their intertwined hands.
Slowly, she pulled his hand—her gaze turning dark, almost sinister.
"I could kill you right now…."
It was true. Avner was at his most vulnerable.
She gently placed his hand back onto the mattress, her hand still holding his, and the dangerous look in her eyes faded away.
"Sigh…."
She studied his face once more and quietly asked,
"Why do you trust me so much?"
Her head tilted slightly.
***
"Stop smiling."
It was time for class again, yet Avner couldn't stop acting foolish.
"I said stop it,"
Nephthys repeated.
"I can't control it,"
Avner replied, still grinning.
"Looks like I've been too soft on you recently…."
Avner didn't like where this was going.
"Catch!"
Nephthys threw her sword toward him. Avner caught it instinctively.
"I hope you know how to fight."
"Of course I know how to fight,"
Avner replied proudly.
"Very well. Let's go."
"Go where?"
"We're going to the cursed forest."
"Go where?!"
Avner definitely hadn't expected that.
"Yes."
"Don't you know what's in there?!"
"Of course I do. That's why I'm taking you there."
"Are you trying to feed me to the demons?!"
Avner asked, since that was exactly what roamed that forest.
"You said you knew how to fight. Are you saying you don't?"
"Of course I do! That doesn't change the fact that the place is dangerous!"
"Fine. Then I'll be your opponent."
"….."
Avner had a choice: fight Nephthys… or enter a forest full of demons.
The answer was obvious.
"Then forest it is,"
he said cheerfully.
"You sound far too enthusiastic,"
Nephthys noted. The way he chose the forest made it seem like she was worse than demons.
"Do I? No, I don't,"
Avner replied casually. He then draped an arm over her shoulder and started walking, leaving her no choice but to walk with him.
Nephthys knew exactly what he was doing. She said nothing, deciding instead to let him enjoy it while it lasted.
She would get her revenge soon enough.
"Woah… this forest is a lot scarier than I anticipated,"
Avner commented.
"Demon senses are far more amplified than ours. They can see better, smell better, and—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
"And…?"
Avner asked.
The moment he saw the mischievous smile on her lips, he regretted it.
"Hear better."
A blue light formed in Nephthys's hand, creating a sphere that she hurled at a tree. The tree exploded, the sound echoing loudly through the forest.
"You—you—why would you do that?!"
Avner whispered angrily, careful not to attract even more attention.
"Have fun."
Using wind magic, Nephthys leapt onto a tree branch.
"What are you doing?! Aren't you going to help me?!"
Avner shouted up at her.
"Nope. I'm just going to watch,"
she replied calmly.
"You—"
"Pay attention. They're coming,"
Nephthys warned.
Avner took a deep breath and prepared himself.
Soon enough, they arrived.
The fight began.
The forest echoed with the roars of bloodthirsty demons and the clash of claws against steel.
"He really does know how to fight… impressive,"
Nephthys observed.
She studied his fighting style closely. Avner wielded the sword with remarkable skill—far better than she had expected. Still, no matter how talented he was, he was only human. The longer the fight dragged on, the more exhausted he would become, while the noise continued to draw in more demons.
Time wasn't on his side.
Nephthys had never intended to kill him, so she finally intervened.
With a simple motion of her hand, every demon collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"Wha—what just happened?"
Avner asked breathlessly, looking up at her.
"I burned them,"
she replied, stepping down from the tree.
"But… I don't see any fire,"
Avner said, approaching her.
"I burned them from the inside."
She took the sword back from him and sliced into one of the demons.
Fire flared within.
"Woah… that's incredible. How did you do that?"
Avner asked, fascinated, moving closer again—unable to keep his distance.
"Do you want to know?"
"Yes."
Nephthys placed the sword back into his hand, earning a curious look.
"You are going to clean this first."
"Can't you just use your water? You know—the same water you used to drown me?"
"No."
"….."
Avner was speechless.
Was this her revenge for him making her sound worse than demons?
"You did a good job."