“Are you okay, Sienna?” Nathan asked again, his voice filled with genuine concern as he positioned his body protectively over hers, shielding her from further harm.
Sienna’s heart softened when she saw the worried expression on her younger stepbrother’s face.
After three years of living with Nathan, she had come to believe that he didn’t really care about her. But despite her initial doubts, she realized that she cared deeply for him. Perhaps it was the time they had spent together, or maybe it was because he always helped them out without expecting anything in return.
This concern was why she had asked him not to join this dangerous training session in the forest.
When she had asked him to stay behind, his refusal had been firm. What stuck with her and her younger sister most was the way he had spoken about his father. Nathan’s relationship with their stepfather had always been strained, a stark contrast to how he treated Sienna and her sister. For Sienna, their stepfather was a gentle figure, but she had always noticed the distance he maintained with Nathan.
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but recalling Nathan’s words now filled her with a sense of guilt.
“Sienna?” Nathan called out again, bringing her back to the present.
She looked up at Nathan’s face, just a few inches away, and saw genuine worry in his eyes. It struck her that she had never seen him look at her with such concern before. This moment of vulnerability and care touched her deeply, and she realized how much she had misunderstood him.
“Yes, I’m okay thanks,” Sienna replied softly, her voice tinged with gratitude. She offered him a faint smile, hoping to reassure him.
“We have to get away!” Nathan urged, quickly standing up and grasping Sienna’s hand to help her to her feet. Without wasting another moment, they began to run, their hearts pounding in unison.
The bear’s bloodshot eyes glared at the fleeing duo, its rage palpable. Just as it prepared to lunge after them, a barrage of fireballs struck its head once more.
“Graaaa!” The bear’s fury only intensified.
It was Courtney again, trying desperately to divert the bear’s attention so that Nathan and Sienna could escape. However, her actions drew all the bear’s wrath upon herself.
“Courtney!!” Amelia shouted, summoning multiple earth barriers to slow down the bear’s advance. Each barrier crumbled under the bear’s might, but it gave precious seconds. The beast was growing even more powerful, its claws sharpening and elongating as it broke through the barriers.
The bear’s deadly claws swung towards Courtney, ready to strike her down.
Sienna, ready to intervene, spun around only to realize Nathan was no longer beside her.
Panic set in as she searched for him, her eyes darting frantically. She turned her gaze towards Courtney and saw a figure leap, grabbing the frozen and exhausted Courtney just in time to pull her out of the bear’s reach.
It was Nathan.
‘How?’
Sienna’s mind raced in disbelief. Just a second ago, he had been right behind her. Now, he was there, saving Courtney.
“Nathan!” she called out, her voice a mix of relief and astonishment.
Nathan’s swift actions had placed him in the direct path of the bear’s wrath. The bear, now even more enraged, redirected its focus towards Nathan, who stood protectively in front of Courtney, ready to face the beast.
“Na… Nathan?” Courtney murmured, her eyes fluttering open to see Nathan’s figure looming protectively over her on the ground.
This wasn’t the first time she had been this close to Nathan. In the past month, their relationship had grown more intimate, with intense kisses and moments of closeness. But this time was different. He had just saved her life, and the gravity of the situation, combined with what had happened the day before when Nathan ended their agreement, made her feel profoundly different.
“Are you okay?” Nathan asked, his voice steady but his tone distinct from when he had spoken to Sienna. There was concern, but also an undercurrent of frustration that Courtney, having gotten to know him better over the past month, could detect. With Sienna, his worry had been raw and unfiltered, but with Courtney, there was a tension she hadn’t noticed before.
Courtney realized that despite his calm demeanor, Nathan was annoyed. It wasn’t something he showed openly, but she could see it in the set of his jaw and the intensity of his gaze. He was frustrated, perhaps by his own perceived weakness or the constant danger they faced.
“Nathan, you should… go!” Courtney shouted, her hands pressing against his chest in a desperate attempt to push him away from the danger. The bear’s eyes were already fixed on them, its fury undiminished.
But she couldn’t move him.
Courtney was bewildered. She was supposed to be stronger than Nathan, so why couldn’t she push him away? Her confusion deepened as she looked up at him, seeing his eyes cold directed toward the bear.
Was it just her imagination, or did she see the bear flinch and take a step back when Nathan looked at it?
Nathan stood up, lifting Courtney off the ground with his hand before placing her behind him. “Stay behind me and stay close,” he instructed firmly.
“Y… yes,” Courtney nodded immediately, her heart racing.
“Nathan! What are you doing?!” Amelia shouted in shock as the bear charged towards Nathan and Courtney.
Nathan clenched his fist, ready to face the bear head-on. But just at that moment, a flash of light streaked through the air.
The bear had no time to react as it was struck away by the blinding flash.
Everyone knew who it was instantly.
“Jason!!!” the girls from Sienna’s group shouted in joy.
Jason appeared, his sword gleaming as he swung it with precision, slicing off the bear’s arm. Without giving the beast a chance to recover, he swiftly brought his sword down on the bear’s head, decapitating it and ending its life in an instant.
An enormous surge of experience flowed into Jason’s body, and he nearly grunted under the intensity. It was clear he had leveled up significantly, though the bulk of the credit belonged to Sienna, who had done 95% of the work, with Courtney contributing another 4%.