"Am I doing well?"
Sylvie asked, looking at Astron. Her face was flushed a little, both from the constant movents of dancing and being in his constant proximity.
"You are doing fine."
As Sylvie and Astron moved in tandem on the dance floor, Sylvie couldn't help but feel acutely aware of his presence. With each step, she felt the heat radiating from his body, his proximity sending a flurry of emotions coursing through her veins.
Her breaths grew rough, her heart beating faster with every mont they shared.
'Is he feeling the sa?'
She thought maybe it wasn't just her feeling like this. But as she took a peek, she saw Astron ever composed as usual. His deanor slapped the answer on her face as a complete NO.
'Right.....'
A slight disappointnt of how he didn't even care, as well as the feeling of sha for her feelings, appeared.
Though he just guided Sylvie through the dance with ease, his movents were more fluid and precise compared to her without even saying anything.
Despite the intricate steps, he maintained a steady rhythm, his touch gentle yet firm as he led her across the floor.
Sylvie's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of crimson as she struggled to maintain her composure. She dared not et Astron's gaze, her eyes fixed on their intertwined feet as they moved in harmony.
The sensation of his hand against hers sent shivers down her spine, igniting a warmth she couldn't ignore.
'He is good at moving his body….I wonder if he ever got an education on this? Maybe when he was young? No, that can't be. He was an orphan. Then, is this his innate talent?'
Lost in the mont, Sylvie's mind began to wander, her thoughts consud by the intoxicating dance and the enigmatic man before her.
'That is right. He is good at fighting, so it is no wonder that he is good at dancing, too. I sohow want to think fighting is sohow an act of dancing. Aside from the deadly part, aren't the fighters in the cage similar to a dancer on the scene?'
Her thoughts wandered as she tried to get rid of her sha.
In her distraction, she failed to anticipate the next step, her foot landing squarely on Astron's toes with a soft thud.
Sylvie flinched at the soft thud, her face turning even redder with embarrassnt. Slowly, she raised her head to et Astron's gaze, expecting to see annoyance or frustration in his eyes.
But to her surprise, Astron's expression remained calm and composed, his gaze steady as he looked back at her. There was no hint of irritation or disappointnt, only a silent understanding.
"I-I'm so sorry, Astron," Sylvie stamred, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't an to step on your toes. I was just... I got distracted, and..."
Astron simply nodded, his face neutral. "It's alright," he said calmly. "I know you didn't an to. It is just your usual clumsiness."
Sylvie couldn't help but flinch at the words "usual clumsiness." Though she knew Astron ant no harm by it, hearing him say it so casually stung a little. It was a reminder of her own shortcomings, her tendency to let her thoughts wander and lose focus at the most inconvenient tis.
"Yeah, my usual clumsiness," she echoed softly, forcing a small, self-deprecating smile. "Sorry for being such a klutz."
Deep down, a part of her felt a twinge of resentnt at Astron's nonchalant response. She wished he would show a little more concern or understanding, even if it was just a small gesture. But she knew better than to expect anything different from him. Astron had always been reserved and composed, his emotions carefully guarded behind a stoic facade.
–FLINCH!
Suddenly, her body shivered as if insects were crawling on her skin.
'What is this, a gaze?'
She felt like soone was looking at her with intense feelings. She knew from the lectures as well as her own experiences that an Awakened person's strong feelings could form an intent and could affect the environnt as well as the target's senses. It was described by the notion of Awakened people altered by mana.
Sylvie's instincts kicked in, urging her to find the source of the intense gaze that made her skin crawl. Ignoring the discomfort, she turned her head slightly, scanning the room until her eyes locked with a pair of piercing red ones.
For a brief mont, ti seed to stand still as Sylvie found herself captivated by the striking gaze. The eyes belonged to Maya, the gentle, cheery, snack-loving, but sohow scary senior, who was watching her with an intensity that sent a shiver down Sylvie's spine.
'Why is she looking at like that? Senior, you are really being scary.'
As their gazes t, Sylvie noticed the subtle look of coldness in Maya's eyes.
'I am sorry. Did I do sothing wrong? But I didn't even do anything!'
She inwardly protested as she couldn't find the reason why Maya was angry at her.
'Also, what is with this scary aura? Are you going to kill ?'
With a quick tilt of her head, Sylvie studied Maya's features, taking in the vibrant purple hair and the graceful figure that seed to exude confidence and poise. After a second of looking, Maya's partner, Senior Alia, ca, and that marked the end of Maya's gaze.
'What was this just now?'
Yet, Sylvie couldn't help but think that there was more to Maya than t the eye.
'Did he notice?'
She threw a look at Astron, and there she saw him looking in the sa direction as well.
–CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Just as Sylvie was about to voice her question to Astron, the sound of applause filled the air, drawing her attention back to the front of the room. Gloria Hull stood before them, her hands clapping together in a rhythmic pattern.
"Bravo, everyone!" Gloria exclaid, her voice carrying a note of satisfaction. "I believe we've made excellent progress today. However, I think it's ti to conclude our dancing session for now."
Relief washed over Sylvie as she realized that the intense mont with Maya had passed, at least for the ti being. She redirected her focus to Gloria, listening attentively as the overseer continued to address the club mbers.
"I'm proud of the dedication and enthusiasm each of you has shown today," Gloria continued, her gaze sweeping across the room. "Rember, dancing is not just about mastering the steps; it's about expressing yourself and connecting with your partner on a deeper level."
Sylvie nodded in agreent, feeling a sense of accomplishnt despite the brief distraction. She had managed to navigate through the dance session with Astron despite her montary lapse in focus. And although Maya's intense gaze had unnerved her, she was determined not to let it affect her.
With a final nod of approval, Gloria signaled the end of the session. "That will be all for today. Thank you all for your participation. I look forward to seeing you at our next eting."
******
"A call just ca from the young master, sir."
Inside an office of a fairly high building, a man seemingly with the clothes of a butler spoke, lowering his head.
"A call?" The man on the table raised his head, looking at his butler with his characteristic hazel eyes. His dark blue hair fluttered, his smooth skin seemingly better than any model's.
"Who was it from, Ray?" Marc Hartley asked, his voice tinged with curiosity as he leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on his butler.
Ray cleared his throat before responding, "It was Young Master Ethan, sir. He ntioned sothing about an urgent matter that requires your attention."
Marc Hartley's hazel eyes widened in surprise at the ntion of his son's na. Ethan's late awakening had been a source of concern in the past years for Marc, who had anxiously awaited the manifestation of his son's abilities.
"Ethan? What urgent matter does he have again?" Marc muttered to himself, a furrow forming between his brows as he considered the implications of his son's unexpected call.
'Did he sohow entangled with a ss again?'
He knew this son of his was different from his other children. The heirs of the direct family line all had the coldness and the necessary survival skills in this industry.
But Ethan was different. That child had dreams he had always had. When he was young, he ca to him and listened to the stories of heroes. He always criticized people for acting selfishly and showed his discontent.
At first, Marc took it as childish innocence, but Ethan had never changed. Over the course of his teenage years, even though he was not awakened and was no different from a normal person, he never backed down in front of injustice.
He always spoke his mind whenever he discovered it. However, thankfully, this idiot son of him didn't have a good perception in terms of such things. Though he would speak if he saw injustice, he wasn't that good at spotting it when it happened, and he was deeply thankful from his heart as he knew the troubles that would cause.
Ray cleared his throat, breaking Marc's train of thought. "He said he was attacked by a group of people in the dungeon when he was exploring it with his friend."
Marc's expression shifted from surprise to concern in an instant. "Attacked? Is Ethan alright?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.
Ray nodded reassuringly. "Nothing serious happened, sir. They managed to escape without any major injuries. However, they confird that Ethan had to use the artifact he was carrying for protection."
A flicker of rage flashed across Marc's features, his hazel eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Soone dared to attack a Hartley? Especially soone from the direct line? And with a strength so formidable that Ethan had to resort to using the artifact?" he growled, his voice low and nacing.
Ray swallowed nervously, recognizing the storm brewing within his employer. "Yes, sir. It appears that the attackers were quite formidable. According to Ethan, they had a cursed artifact."
At the ntion of 'Cursed Artifact,' Marc's anger soared. "Villains…." Marc muttered through gritted teeth, his anger simring beneath the surface like a volcano about to erupt, his brain rembering the mories of a certain ti.
Ray, knowing his master's feelings at the ntion of the word, kept his calm and silently waited for the tremor to pass.
After a mont of silent contemplation, Marc's hazel eyes hardened with resolve. "Ray, does Ethan still have that cursed artifact with him?"
Ray nodded in affirmation. "Yes, sir. Ethan ntioned that he still has it in his possession."
"Bring that artifact to the headquarters imdiately. I want one of the research and developnt teams to analyze it thoroughly. We need to know everything about it, including its origins and capabilities."
"I had already done that, sir. Young Master Ethan had already anticipated that and called a [Tingler] to bring it to the company."
"Good." Marc nodded, his expression turning slightly more composed now that the necessary steps were being taken to analyze the cursed artifact.
As Ray observed his employer's deanor, he waited for Marc to speak further.
"If villains capable of using cursed artifacts are involved, then this matter may not be as simple as it seems," Marc remarked, his tone grave.
Ray nodded in agreent. "Indeed, sir. And as you may recall, Ethan has been involved with the affairs of a low-rank guild."
"Ah, the Azure Crest Guild, was it?" Marc asked, rembering the na.
"Yes, sir. That's correct," Ray confird.
Marc's brow furrowed in thought. "I had initially dismissed it as child's play, but if Ethan's encounter with the cursed artifact is connected to the guild's activities, then this matter may be more complex than we anticipated."
With a determined expression, Marc turned his gaze back to Ray. "I want you to delve deeper into this matter, Ray. Especially focus on any recent activities surrounding the Azure Crest Guild. We need to uncover any connections that may shed light on Ethan's situation."
Ray nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Understood, sir. I'll get right on it."
With that, Ray hurried off to carry out Marc's instructions, leaving Marc to ponder the implications of his son's involvent with the cursed artifact and the Azure Crest Guild.
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