As Klaus and Anya continued down the hall, Klaus quickened his steps to catch up, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“Guild Master,” he spoke, lowering his voice as he continued, “what was that back there? You were stuttering, you have never done that before.”
Anya paused mid-step, her hand gripping the handle of her last shopping bag tightly. Without turning to face Klaus, she said in a low, serious tone, “Alister… might be Spade.”
Klaus halted, his eyes wide in shock. “Spade? You mean the Spade?” He let out a nervous laugh, shaking his head. “Come on, Guild Master. I know the kid’s famous and all, but isn’t that a bit of a stretch? He’s a Summoner, and didn’t you say Spade matched you physically in combat? And sheer strength is not exactly something Alister is known for.”
Anya turned to look at Klaus, her red eyes narrowing as she thought back to her encounter with Alister. “You’re right, he’s a Summoner,” she admitted. “But Spade himself indirectly admitted to taming wyverns. You and I both know only Summoners can tame monsters… but that never stopped him from overpowering us, did it?”
Klaus frowned, considering her words. “Yeah, but-”
Anya cut him off. “There’s something about him. These eyes of mine can see the strength people possess as a flame in or around their bodies.”
“Although his flame seems a bit smaller now, so I’m not sure if it’s really him or not.”
Klaus cleared his throat, still processing what Anya had said. “So, uh… how do you plan to approach this?”
Anya’s expression remained firm as she resumed walking. “We’ll see each other again at the meeting tomorrow,” she replied. “In there, surrounded by the other guild leaders, I’ll have more than enough time to get the answers I want. If there’s anything off about him, I’ll know.”
Klaus nodded as he agreed with her. “I understand, but…” He trailed off awkwardly.
Anya raised an eyebrow, her tone sharp as she asked, “But what?”
Klaus hesitated, glancing away before muttering, “Why are you… blushing, Guild Master? Your face is… totally flushed right now.”
Anya froze, her eyes widening in shock. “Blushing?” she repeated, her voice filled with shock. Her gaze darted to the nearest reflective surface, catching a faint glimpse of the pink tint on her cheeks.
She quickly turned back to Klaus, her expression turning serious. “You’re seeing things,” she snapped, waving it off dismissively.
“Let’s continue. We have another raid scheduled in our sector, and I don’t have time for your nonsense.”
Klaus, not wanting to anger her, quickly straightened up and gave a firm nod. “Understood, ma’am.” He fell back into step behind her, silently wondering if he’d really been seeing things—or if something about Alister had rattled her more than she’d care to admit.
As Anya walked away, her face composed but her mind racing, she gritted her teeth, frustration bubbling inside her. She hated how rattled she felt, how out of control.
‘Damn it! It’s all because of that crap Marik said.’
Her memory flashed back to that moment, the scene playing out vividly in her mind.
Marik sat in front of her, his face tense, as if delivering this particular message made him uneasy.
“Well… Guild Master…”
“You know the… uh… abnormal readings we’ve detected in your vitals are not that strange…” Anya’s eyes narrowed, her arms crossed as she waited impatiently for him to get to the point. “Spit it out, Marik.”
He cleared his throat. “Right. So, based on the fluctuations in your heart rate and neural activity, it’s clear that what you’re experiencing isn’t anything abnormal like some sort of curse or illness. The levels of your neural and heart activity are… well, they’re more in line with someone experiencing strong emotional responses.”
Anya raised an eyebrow, still not understanding what he was getting at.
Marik glanced down at his datapad, visibly uncomfortable. “In short, your physiological responses… they’re consistent with someone who’s feeling… attraction. Excitement. The kind that only comes when…” He trailed off, hesitant to finish his sentence.
Anya’s expression hardened, her jaw tightening. “When what, Marik?”
“When someone has developed… feelings for another person.”
“This Spade guy…”
“You may have fallen in love with him.”
Marik’s voice was quiet now, but the words echoed in the room.
Anya sat there, stunned for a moment. Her? Having feelings? In love? That was impossible. She was always in control. Always focused.
Now, as she walked through the mall, Marik’s words replayed in her mind, over and over. ‘Feelings for another person…’
Her heart sped up involuntarily at the thought, and her eyes flickered back toward Alister before she could stop herself. The way her pulse quickened when she saw him… it infuriated her. She refused to believe it.
‘That fool filled my head with crap, now I can’t think straight! Damn it.’
‘This is ridiculous,’ she thought, trying to dismiss the unsettling emotions that Marik’s diagnosis had stirred. She was sure what she felt had nothing to do with love.
But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, the truth clawed at her from the back of her mind. She had no explanation for why her heart behaved the way it did when she thought about Spade-why his mere presence caused her to feel so unsteady.
Grinding her teeth, Anya forced herself to focus, trying to bury the thoughts. She wasn’t going to let a fool like Marik, or anyone else for that matter, control her emotions. She was a Guild Master, a warrior, and there was no room for weakness.
But the doubt lingered in her mind, so she wasn’t even completely sure of herself anymore. The only way she could push those thoughts aside now was to think:
‘Accepting that I feel such a way is a sign of weakness. It meens that I have agreed to let emotions that are beyond my control affact the way I act and reason.’
‘But I will never let that be the case. For I am one of the strongest, and the strongest are always in control.’
But only time would tell just how effective this approach would be for her.
…
Lady Aiko and her group finally arrived at Finesse Fabrication, a high-end clothing boutique tucked in one of the mall’s more exclusive wings.
The storefront gleamed under the bright, white light panels suspended above, its massive, transparent entrance flanked by sleek holo-displays advertising the latest clothing
collections.
The name of the store glowed in neon-blue letters, that pulsed gently in the air as if it were frёewebηovel.cѳm
breathing.
As they stepped inside, they were greeted by the soft hum of synthetic strings playing a classical melody in the background.
The interior was an entirely different world from the mall outside. Large, open spaces filled with holographic mannequins showing off premium fashionable outfits floated gracefully in
the air.
Display shelves made from slightly blue tinted glass hovered above the ground, shifting and rotating in response to customer presence.
High-definition projections of famous celebrities in tailored outfits of their brand could be found on the walls, showcasing the boutique’s reputation.
Lila’s eyes widened in awe, her breath catching in her throat as she took a look around the
lavish surroundings.
“This place… it’s incredible,” she whispered, her gaze darting from one glimmering display to the next. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like we stepped into another universe.”