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2024-10-29 19:42:56It took a lot to shatter the mask of composure that Noorh developed over the past ten years. He remained calm in the midst of witnessing the chaos in Lahnthea. He remained in control when people looked down on him at the royal court. He kept his cool when he battled one giant monster after another to succeed in his mission.
But facing the approaching flock of winged serpents was enough to make his eyes grow wide with terror. He had seen how easily they could ravage a village, pluck its screaming villagers off the ground like ripe fruits from a tree, and greedily devour them in one swoop. They were scarier than the giant serpent guardian despite their smaller size because they attacked in groups that no gifted warrior could single-handedly survive through.
Noorh's heart raced as he quickly threw the cloak around him and Kiran. He then raised his hand in front of him, his dark eyes suddenly burning several shades of blue as cold sweat slid down his spine.
Kiran fe
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Kiran woke up to strong gusts of wind blowing across the side of her face. She squinted her eyes and groaned as she felt the stiffness in her back in the curled up position that she was in."Are you awake?" a familiar voice muttered against her ear.It sent pleasant chills down her spine, jolting her awake. She leaned away from the chest had apparently been curled up against and stared wide-eyed at Noorh's face, which was right in front of her. She was speechless as her eyes once again admired his striking dark eyes."How are you feeling?" Noorh asked, noting the flushness of her cheeks. "Do you have a fever?" He raised his hand to touch Kiran's forehead."I'm fine," Kiran quickly said, blocking his hand and realizing how loudly her heart was beating inside her chest. "I just…" Her eyes strayed to the horizon behind Noorh's shoulder and gasped. "A-are we flying?" she gasped, noticing the bluish purple forest and the blue sky behind them. She immedi
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"Hold on!" Noorh snapped, pulling the reigns to control Aledir's movements as they plummeted into the unknown. "Calm down, Aledir!"But Aledir only shrieked in pain. Kiran squeezed her eyes shut as fear petrified her. She pressed herself against Noorh's chest as she held her breath in preparation for their imminent death.Noorh pressed his free hand on the side of Aledir's body, summoning another magic circle that dissolved into Aledir's skin.It slowly eased Aledir's panic, bringing him back to his senses. His wings finally spread itself open and flapped slowly but powerfully to stop their descent. After swerving a few more times, he finally gained his balance and floated steadily in mid-air."Good boy," Noorh breathed, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Just calm down. Everything's fine," he said, more to himself than to Aledir or Kiran. He was breathing heavily from the ordeal. Casting the teleportation spell took a toll on his energy reserves. Casting
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Don't turn around. That was what Kiran thought as she stood frozen in the middle of the cold and dimly-lit hallway. The hair at the back of her neck were standing on end as an ominous chill seemed to patiently hover behind her. In horror movies, this was the part where characters turned around despite all the glaring red flags. They immediately regretted doing so because it revealed the ghost or monster that they were hoping not to come across. Kiran stood in the exact spot she didn't dream of being in. Her mind was screaming profanities inside her head, debating on whether she should just break into a run or walk calmly away. But something within her had already frozen her limbs in place; her knees trembling as the stench of something rotten slowly spread in the air. She crouched and gagged as the scent assaulted her senses. She winced as it intensified and dug threw her insides, clawing at its contents so that she would hurl her guts out. Then a thought hit
