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Prisoner
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The mild but familiar stench of rotting flesh made Kiran squint and gingerly open her eyes. She felt sluggish and sleepy, as if she had just woken up from a long and much needed nap. Instead of a cozy pillow or a comfortable bed, however, she woke up to the maroon scarf covering the crook of Noorh's neck.
Kiran gasped and quickly leaned away, her cheeks flushed scarlet at the thought of sleeping on a man's chest. Noorh didn't seem to mind it though. In fact, he sat unperturbed and unmoving in front of her as if he himself had fallen into a deep slumber.
"Noorh?" Kiran asked, her hands tentatively touching his shoulders. His head was bowed low, almost as if he had fallen asleep due to extreme exhaustion. "Noorh, wake up," she said, gently shaking his shoulders. "Noorh," she called out again before gingerly tipping his chin upward to take a closer look at his condition.
To her horror, Noorh's face had turned ashen. His skin was ice cold and his lips was a shade
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"I…was looking for a snake bite," Kiran shyly defended. Noorh remained curiously staring at her. "So you tried to undress me?" he repeated. "I wanted to help you!" Kiran shyly defended, her cheeks scarlet. "It was not out of any lustful desire for you or your body. And technically, you're not naked…yet…" she mumbled, looking away. Noorh raised a brow at her, biting back a smirk. He understood what she meant but he enjoyed seeing her flustered. It was a pleasant stark contrast from her lifeless form not too long ago. "How are you?" he asked. She stared confused at him. "Me?" "You passed out," Noorh explained. More like died, really, but he couldn't bring himself to be blunt about it. Something inside him feared that telling her how her heart stopped beating could make her disappear from his lap. Was she even aware that she was perched intimately on his lap? "I did!" Kiran exclaimed, remembering what had happened. "I was so shock
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It 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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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
