As they talk, a faint sound of thunder rumbles from the distance. The rain becomes heavier, pouring from the skies.

The sound of it hitting the ground is deafening. Water splashes against the windows, and the floorboards creak from their weight of it.

"This is the worst weather we've seen in months." Rihan stares outside, watching the raindrops fall.

He stares at the girl, who stares at him. "Do you have somewhere to stay? You shouldn't be in the dorms, since the rooms aren't heated."

She stares at him in confusion. The cold no longer bothers her, instead, she felt warm and comfortable, almost as if the temperature has risen.

"It's warm right now, isn't it?" Rihan smirks. "It's warmer than usual, even."

Larisa stares at him with wide, surprised eyes. "What's going on?"

Rihan shrugs. "I'm not sure." He pretends to ponder the question. "Maybe there's something wrong with the heater or something?"

He points to the ceiling with a grin, acting as if he knows what's happening. "It might have malfunctioned, causing an unexpected rise in the temperature."

Larisa snickers. "How is that possible. This old abandoned building doesn't even have heaters, does it?"

She raised her hand towards Rihan and felt a radiating warmth from his body. It feels similar to the way she's feeling right now.

"What's this?" She stares at his face with a puzzled expression. "The air feels nice and warm. It's not hot, but it feels pleasant to me."

Rihan stares at her, his brows furrowed. "Is it really?" He stares at the floor, looking around. "I didn't notice anything different from when I first walked in."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm glad to feel warm again." she wipes the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She snuggles up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Rihan holds her gently, stroking her hair while she snuggles closer to his chest.

Seeing the usually strong Larisa from his past life, Rihan couldn’t help pitying her.

Touched by Rihan's warmth, she unknowingly dropped the strong guard that she had always put up. and pleaded, "I'm sorry for troubling you," she murmurs. "I'll be fine now."

Rihan stares down at her with a gentle gaze. "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal." He strokes her cheek with the palm of his hand.

She was, after all, only a 10-year-old girl.

Larisa had a strong personality and rarely asked others for help. Rihan after seeing her wet condition caused by the sudden rain felt his heart soften.

Larisa stares up at him with her wide, innocent eyes.

"Kruuuu…" a low growling sound comes from his stomach, startling both of them. The sound echoes throughout the hallway and makes its presence known.

"What was that?" She stares at him with a shocked look.

"Oh, nothing. It was probably just hungry." He pats his belly. "I haven't eaten all day, and I'm starving."

She stares into his eyes, snorting. "It sounds like a cat, doesn't it?"

Rihan laughs back, amused by her joke.

"I'm serious. That sound was very much like a feline." She giggles. "It's cute!"

The two of them laugh, enjoying the moment together.

***

On a High Mountain Peak in the Desolate Land.

Rain falls heavily, making the surroundings slippery due to the water running off the rocks. Lightning flashes overhead, illuminating everything within range.

On top of a mountain, various runes are carved onto the swords of a large group of corpses. Each one is imbued with magical energy, capable of altering time, destiny, and reality itself.

Soon, the whole group of runes glows brightly sucking in the surrounding storm. A man stares intently at each individual sword, checking every single detail carefully.

His eyes widen slightly upon noticing the bizarre phenomenon. With great effort, the man slowly stands up, stumbling forward before collapsing once more to his knees. His breathing became ragged; sweat drips down his forehead.

"This is no ordinary storm," He panted between breaths. "Something must have happened with the passage of time."

He looks out over the horizon where lightning strikes continuously, lighting up the sky.

***

Raindrops pelt the window, creating a loud noise, which echoes through the hallways. A series of wind blows through the hallway to the Dorm's Cafeteria where she's sitting, stinging the skin of the girl, and causing her to shiver.

Larisa wraps her arms tightly around herself, trying to keep her body warm

Rihan looked out the window, gazing at a bridge nearby. "We're getting hit pretty hard by the rain," he says, scratching the back of his head.

"It's the worst storm we've had in years." He pauses, thinking. Rain is not uncommon during the winter season, but not like this.

It's raining so hard that it feels like the world's ending. A torrential downpour that's so strong that it's impossible to hear one another speak.

The water pours from the heavens, filling every corner of the city to overflowing—the streets become rivers, and the roads turn into lakes. The entire town looks like a giant puddle.

Larisa stares out the window, mesmerized by the rain as it falls heavily onto the roof of the dormitory.

"It's so beautiful," she whispers, "like the whole world is crying."

Rihan stares at the raindrops, reflecting light off of them, making them shine like tiny stars.

"Yeah, it's so relaxing," he replies, sniffling. From the corner of his eye, he was peeking at the Larisa, admiring her beauty. She continues to stare at the rain, her eyes filled with wonder.

Her check is slightly reddish as she thinks about how close they were when he found her in the hallway, drenched to the bone.

She's no longer wet; instead, her skin is dry, like she bathed in a pool of fresh spring water. Her hair is still damp, however, so it clings to her skin like silk ribbons—it looks soft and fluffy.

Luckily there were extra training clothes stashed in the cafeteria, so she could change into the dry clothes.

A towel draped over her shoulders, kept her warm. Her pale fingers caress the fabric as she ponders how soft it must be.

"I think it will stop soon," she says, her voice quivering. "I hope it stops."

Ping!

"Ah! Right on time," Rihan looked towards the oven, where the timer had just gone off. "The rain might not stop yet but I think the food's ready."

She stares at him, her cheeks flushed red. "You cooked?" while staring at the stove. "I didn't realize you were cooking."

He snickers, shaking his head. "I got everything ready when you were changing. Heads up, I'm not that great of a cook."

"I can't wait to eat." her mouth twitched with excitement.

Rihan snickers again, snapping his fingers. "Come here."

She stares at him, blinking her eyes. "Huh? What?"

As if natural, his palm found her forehead, which he rubs softly. "Relax." He stares at her, his smirk growing wider. "I'm just checking your aura."

With a blank expression, she stares at his hand. Slowly growing frustrated, "What are you doing!?" she scolds, pushing his hand away from her head.

Rihan chuckles, "I'm not going to hurt you," he explained, "We were snuggling earlier, remember? What's wrong with just touching your head?"

She stares at his smirk, her lips forming an 'o'. Her face turns into a full blush. "I don't know what you're talking about. We weren't snuggling earlier." she stutters.

"I don't snuggle with strangers." She scrunches her nose, turning her blushing face away.

Extending his hand, he grabs her by her chin, forcing her to look at him. His smirk grows bigger. "I'm just messing with ya."

"Come on let's eat! It'll get cold if we don't hurry." he places the plates and silverware onto the table.

The quick gesture made her whole face turn bright red, and she swallows the lump in her throat. "I-I'm sorry. I'm not used to people touching me."

"It's alright." He smiles, placing the bread on the plate in front of her. "This is my first time seeing you too. My fault."

She pouts, "I'm not good with people."

"What do you mean?" He tilts his head to the side, confused.

"I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." she glances down, avoiding his eyes. "I'm just not that type of person. That talk very well."

Rihan snorts, taking his seat across from her. "What kind of person would you be then?"

She sighs, glancing down at the floor. "Forget it."

He pokes her in the cheek, causing her to glare at him with a pouty expression.

"I wasn't asking for details," he teases, grinning at her. "But you have to admit, you're hungry. So join me for dinner."

Larisa stares at the floor, biting her lower lip.

"Come on, it's not like we have to snuggle or anything," he snickers. "Just sit next to me."

"Fine." She stares at the floor, "I'll try to be nice and not be weird."

She sits beside him, keeping her distance, "I'm not that comfortable with guys."

Rihan snickers, grabbing the food from the table. He stares at her, watching her closely. "I'm glad to hear I'm not just some 'guys'."

She stares back, glaring with her eyes.