(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
-------------------------------------------------
As the old man pushed himself through the thick shadows of the woods,
His worn sandals snapped against roots and fallen branches.
His breath was ragged, each inhale a fight against exhaustion.
Then—
Fwip!
A sharp whistle cut the night air.
Before he could react, pain like fire exploded through his leg.
An arrow, tipped with jagged stone, had pierced straight into his knee.
"Arghhh!"
The old man's cry of pain tore through the night as the arrow buried deep into his knee.
He collapsed for a moment, clutching the shaft, blood seeping between his fingers.
His breath came in ragged bursts,
Huff~ Huff~
"____"
Yet his eyes—
Burning with determination—
Remained fixed ahead.
He could not stop.
Not now.
He forced himself upright, dragging his wounded leg behind him, every step sheer agony.
Then the whistling sound of more arrows sliced the air.
Swish~ Swish~
A storm of stone-tipped shafts rained down,
Some embedding into trees around him,
Others grazing his arms and shoulders.
One narrowly missed his face.
The hunters weren't trying to end him quickly—
They wanted to cripple him, to make escape impossible.
"Damn it…"
He hissed, staggering into a clearing.
His vision swam, his strength fading.
But fate—
Or perhaps cruel irony—
Intervened.
His boot caught on a thick root jutting from the earth,
And his body pitched forward.
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
He clawed desperately at the ground,
His hand closing around another root.
For a fleeting second, hope flickered.
But the wood tore away in his grasp with a sickening snap.
Snap~
"____"
The next instant,
He was tumbling, branches whipping against him,
The world a blur of shadows and pain.
Then—
Sudden weightlessness.
He crashed into a roaring cascade, the icy bite of the waterfall enveloping him.
SPLaaasH~
The current was merciless, dragging him downward into the churning depths.
His body was battered against hidden rocks as the river swallowed him whole,
Carrying him away into darkness.
Above, on the ridge, the shadows stood at the cliff's edge, watching.
"____"
Silent.
Calculating.
Hage Village Orphanage...
Inside the quiet halls of the orphanage,
Father Orsi closed the heavy wooden door behind him,
Muffling the echo of the night winds.
The infant stirred softly in his arms, wrapped in a worn blanket,
Her tiny hands curled into fists.
Sister Lily appeared from the corridor, her eyes widening as she spotted the bundle.
"Father, is that…?"
She asked, surprise and concern mixing in her tone.
"Yes,"
Father Orsi said gently, lowering his voice so as not to startle the child.
"Someone left her at the door. Poor thing, abandoned like this."
He offered the little one a weary smile before nodding toward the kitchen.
"Sister Lily, fetch some warm milk, please. Quickly—she must be starving."
Without hesitation,
Lily nodded and hurried down the hall.
Nod~
"____"
Orsi walked into his office, lit only by a single lantern.
He set the infant on the desk, carefully adjusting her blanket.
For the first time,
He truly studied her face—
The soft curve of her cheeks, the faint but noticeable cloudiness in her eyes.
His expression faltered.
"…Blind?"
He whispered to himself, leaning closer to be sure.
The realization struck him like a weight in his chest.
Such a fragile beginning for one so young.
His fingers hovered near her tiny hand,
And when she instinctively grasped his thumb, something softened in his features.
After a moment of contemplation,
"____"
Orsi let out a sigh, his lips curling into a faint, fatherly smile.
Sigh~
"You're a fighter, aren't you? Strong enough to cry for the world to hear… strong enough to survive even without sight."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes thoughtful.
"A name, then… you deserve one. Something that carries warmth. Hope."
Next Day...
Morning light filtered through the cracks of the wooden shutters,
Painting soft gold across the rugged little room.
The air still carried the faint heat of mana from the mountain they were in which is actually a mana zone,
The ever-present hum of Ultime-Volcano's energy making the walls feel alive.
Ben stirred awake, blinking against the brightness.
"____"
His body ached pleasantly from the previous day's clash,
The kind of soreness that came from pushing limits rather than taking wounds.
As he shifted slightly, he felt it—
A weight pressed against him. Looking down, his breath hitched.
Mereoleona lay curled against him, her fiery mane spilling across his chest like a blazing waterfall.
But the fierce, battle-hardened lioness of yesterday was nowhere to be seen.
In her sleep, her features were softened, her lips parted ever so slightly in a peaceful rhythm.
She clung to him tightly, hugging him like a child clutching her most precious treasure.
Ben couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle.
Chuckle~
"So this is the infamous Crimson Lioness… hugging me like a koala,"
He whispered, careful not to wake her.
The contrast was startling.
The woman who had roared with volcanic fury just hours ago now looked like a sleeping princess,
Vulnerable in her slumber, trusting him enough to show this side.
No flames, no sharp edges—
Just warmth.
For a brief moment,
Ben simply watched her,
The rhythm of her breathing syncing with his own.
Something tugged at his chest—
An odd mix of tenderness and disbelief.
He thought,
'If her subordinates saw her like this, they'd think I was lying through my teeth.'
The first stirrings came with a low groan.
Growl~
"____"
Mereoleona's brows furrowed,
Frown~
Her nose scrunching as if the morning sunlight dared to mock her.
She shifted against him, arms tightening instinctively around Ben's torso before she suddenly froze.
"____"
Her amber eyes blinked open, focusing—
And then widening in horror.
She realized exactly who she was wrapped around.
"Wha—?!"
She hissed, jerking back a little.
Her face flared scarlet, the kind of blush that could rival molten rock.
"I–I must've—don't you dare say anything, brat!"
She tried to push herself up, her usual gruff bravado snapping into place.
But the effect was betrayed by the way her ears burned red,
By the hesitation in her movements.
For once,
The great Crimson Lioness looked like a flustered maiden caught in something she couldn't fight her way out of.
Ben tilted his head on the pillow, the corner of his lips curling into a knowing smirk.
Smirk~
"Playing tough already? You looked pretty comfortable a minute ago."
Her jaw tightened, fangs practically grinding.
"Shut it!"
She barked, whipping her hair back as if to shake off the embarrassment.
"It was just the heat of the mana zone making me… making me—"
She didn't finish.
Because in one swift move,
Ben's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him before she could retreat.
Her body stiffened, her face going crimson as she found herself once again pressed into his chest.
"You—!"
She started, but her words dissolved into a sharp inhale.
"Round two?"
Ben teased, his smirk widening.
Smirk~
The tension snapped like dry tinder catching flame.
Mereoleona's embarrassment was instantly eclipsed by something fiercer—
Those fiery eyes igniting with the same wild spirit that made her feared across the kingdom.
"You think you can toy with me, boy?!"
She roared, but her voice cracked with a tremor that betrayed her racing heart.
The air between them thickened—
Mana sparking, heat rising from their bodies.
Their clash the day before had been flames and fury,
But this was something else entirely.
A battle of wills, of passion, of who would break first.
She pushed against him,
But Ben only pulled her tighter, their foreheads knocking together as if they were squaring off in a duel.
Her nails dug into his shoulders, not out of malice but sheer, uncontrollable energy.
He answered with a low chuckle,
Chuckle~
One hand sliding up her back with deliberate slowness.
Her eyes widened, her breath caught—
"____"
And then the lioness struck.
With a growl,
Growl~
Mereoleona crashed her lips against his,
Their mouths colliding with the same ferocity that had defined their fists yesterday.
It wasn't graceful.
It wasn't delicate.
It was raw, hungry, wild—
An inferno barely contained.
Ben met her head-on,
Tilting her closer, deepening the kiss until she let out a muffled sound—
Half anger, half surrender.
The room filled with heat, mana flaring uncontrollably,
The very walls trembling as their "battle" reignited in this new, reckless form.
The Crimson Lioness had never known restraint.
And Ben wasn't the type to back down.
This fight had no winner.
Only fire.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review on this Fanfic.
Don't forget to send your power stones!!!