' i want to get up , only so i can run away. 'he arose but only got as far as squatting. Even if he dare to, he could not get any further , it throbbed too much. however he knows that his sect would not care to ask what is wrong with him. Even if his wounds were exposed to the air , they would just say that he deserved it and probably did something bad. yes he did do something bad and yes he should be made aware of his mistake but this is not the way to go about doing things. his error is one he would at most get scolded for and his mistake is one that he should just be told never to repeat. this kind of brutal punishment , most criminals get away with not even a fragment of their body touched.

though he was as stable as he could be , he saw the world spin beneath his soles, his vision was incredibly deferred as all he could see was an aurora borealis in his eyes as he focused on the scenery. it hurt to elevate and he looked like his blood was changing direction and having cyclones inside his body. Valian didn't even touch him that much compared to the damage Herim could do his body , but nonetheless he felt like he had melted his bones and placed deranged scorpions on his flesh. it sort of felt like he was carrying a pot of boiling water on his cheats and trying to balance it while he climbed a slope. he blinked in attempt to shake the dizziness that was piling instead of reducing.

" i never lose", he forced a joke to Malia who only got more angry and dared him to repeat those words. He scoffed because he hates it when dogs bark at him and they absolutely cant ever bite.

" i said , i never lose", he pulled himself like a spring off the ground and he pounced to Valian but when he forced a surrealistic surge of energy into his muscle, the strain traumatized his body and he earned a wound-tear causing some of the blood to spill out of him thus he tensed up hid-air . even a layman could see that in the way that he suddenly froze up, he displays no intention of attacking and being successful at it. Valian ceased the opportunity to overpower him and he flew to confront of him and turned then kicked him under the chin , sending him spinning them plummeting downwards. he flew like a puppet, hitting the ground supine with his back first. he polished the floor for seven feet before he momentum dropped to zero and friction gained the upper after it had successfully peeled all the wounds and his words open.

" what is he doing?" Adrian was confused why Herim was acting like Valian stood a chance to fight him. Valian and so does everyone who is not in denial, knows that Herim is a better physical martial arts fighter than Valian . Plus the way he is acting is like he wants Valian to beat him to a pulp

Savir moved from looking at the pathetic and miserable display that Herim is putting and she focused on at Adrian ..

" that look again? is he worried ?' she questioned as she remained focused on Adrian. The way Adrian is looking at him is like he has a terrible pain inside of him but it got momentarily paused and whenever someone in pain has the ability to care about someone else means that that individual has a grater impact in their life. a wound that they would leave would be bigger than anything imaginable.

Herim laid on the floor and he was not inclined to move at all. he was in pain , physically , mentally, anatomically , emotionally . he tried not to cry and the pain piled on him. He felt like someone just took a greater and used it to scrub his entire back after he had been boiled inside piping oil.

" Herim , if you don`t want to work, the gutter is waiting for you ", Tajih told him and Herim giggled while he laid on the floor and a tear fell down his cheek. he quickly placed his hands on his face and he laughed while he cried at the same time. No one could see the tears but he was definitely crying. he giggled louder to stop the sobbing from being audible

" Go and clean the landry room. everyone disperse for food and get sleep" Nalem told them and they walked away while they were talking about the certainty that Herim inherited the insane from his parents. How can someone who just leveled the floor with his back laugh instead of whine about the pain. is he numb to all of that?

he giggled hurtfully and streams of tears continued to escape from his eyes.

He thought about all the things that Nalem said about his mother, all the suffering that his mother endured, the way that she was treated like a parasite, a disease, a natural disaster or a plague. All the times that her family probably was in the comfort of their beds while she slept on boxes, the times she could have eaten rotten foods just to survive, all the times she tried to look for a better life for Herim but failed and probably thought death would provide cradle than the one she could never even afford to give to her son . all the times she begged people to take Herim to give him love but they cast her aside, because she pleaded for just a cup of affection for her son even if they treat her like a piece of trash. he hates that he refused to die . This is just extreme moreover coupled with the endless times he tried to so much not to commit suicide because his mother suffered so much just to bring him into this world. he knows that even if he died by his own hand , he would perish the fate of a homeless turtle, just left to rot in its shell...Right now , as much as he is trying to be strong , he really wishes that his mother would take his in his sleep. At worst he might be reborn as a leaf or an anthill but it is still be better than this fate that really makes him think he probably massacre a nation in his last life.

Syin ached watching Herim like that. wolves can really be heartless . Cant they see Herim is in pain? but again even if they would see they would not care . His heart ached for him and all the things that are happening to him. he doesn't know what is going on inside of Herim and he knows that Herim will never let him see those tings inside of his heart. he would rather drown in the pool of his own despair than let anyone jump off shore to save or swim with him. he stood glaring at him. To think just moments ago, Herim demonstrated concern regardless of what the wolves would say and have said. And now here he is broken or breaking yet Syin feels like he is in a dilemma.

Joln and Claudia trailed on while she mostly dictated what has happened today. no one of the things make sense. Yesterday Herim was on top of the world and now he wont even bother fighting Valian. Syin got beat and Herim rushed and touched him like he was an infant. Everyone was starring at everyone else like they can see the contents of their souls. Valian didn't even bother staying next to Joln and was just being cold-hearted as always. the worst part is how he never even spoke once. Right now he was walking towards Adrian

As they were just feet away, Syin staggeredly moved and he walked towards Herim . He doesn't know what he is going to do or what he is going to say but he know that for a fact that he just wants to make sure that Herim is fine and if he is not, to just hug his tormented soul until it blooms of rainbows again , even if they may be fake. despite him risking scandals and rumors or stereotypes that are already spreading and the are speculations that if Syin relates to a crazy wolf or a descendant of that lineage , Syin might have cubs like that, he doesn't want to believe he should listen to such foolishness . plus who cares? His father is perfectly fine with whatever friends or childish things that Syin has as long as he is happy ,otherwise why would he have agreed to him coming to the school to train.

Step by step he got closer to him . while he did , he could almost make up the crying face that Herim wears and he could almost imagine the heartbreak he is going to see when he looks into his eyes . he could almost feel Herim s hand on his , his flesh, his breath, his pulsation , everything. he could almost picture the vividness of his anatomy so much it seemed he had designed and implanted it on him. step by step he got nearer to him and for some reason he was already elevating his hand to reach for him.

he saw the tear-drops on the floor. At that instant, time froze for a monet and the decisions that he took next were no longer fully sponsored by his awareness but by his concern and affection for Herim, both factors he is not sure that he might have especially towards Herim.

only six steps and he would touch him.

'why is my heart beating so much?'

this question did very little to deter him from his mission and within the next second he could see the veins on the backs of Herim s hand , that was covering his face that was no longer crying and was just listening to the tears falling down. only seconds from completely opening a chapter with Herim, only moments from looking into those eyes that he will never tire of seeing, only inches away from feeling the one who seems to think Syin as heaven, wealth and health packaged in a beatiful ribbon of constellations , only breaths before he would feel his nakedness as he peeked through the windows of Herim s soul, just...

Suddenly a cold ran through his arm that was outstretched to reach Herim. the chill was like he had stuck his hand inside of nitrogen and it was icing all the way to his capillaries. The cold was similar to the paleness of is lips, different from the heat on his soles, opposite the beating of his heart, proportional the aching of his concern, vivid the curiosity of his mind and far vague like the multiple emotions that he feels right now but it was still distinct enough for him to outline. the coldness was accompanied by a force that felt so encapsulating , so strong and furious, so throttling and so overpowering like a tornado. The force proceed to grow and with its manifestation it developed to a pull, one that swirled Syin swiftly and rotated him backwards. In the next few seconds , Syin found himself walking faster on his steps but he could not understand what for why in that direction. he felt his muscles tense as the cold got even more dominant that a chill or a subtle shuddered cant be avoided.

He lowered his eyes to his wrist and saw that indeed it was decorated in ice and the frost had raised to atleast half his forearm and just an inch from reaching the begining on his fingers. he retracted his fingers and suddenly as much as he begun walking, he stationed in place .

" I am sorry , I am so sorry" he apologized to Syin in his exotic language , the same as the royal tutor that Syin has so basically he understood. in that small time span, Syin finally realized the unexpected coldness, and pulling was all because of Ryle.,

R‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍yle cupped his cold hand and he massaged it more gently trying to rub off the ice . he caressed it twice and he must have forgot that he was touching Syin s hand because he brought his hand close to his mouth and he exhaled on it . the warmth of his breath was like adding marshmallows to hot chocolate, similar to a warm blanket on a cold,rainy day, no different from being hugged by a giant ball of cotton. it was so soothing like he was sleeping on a cloud , so reassuring like Syin was immunized from all the ugly of this world. such a common and simple act resonated so much with him that he could not even resist .

' WHAT ON EARTH?', Valian, Adrian , Claudia and Savir echoed in sync and all Joln did was gape at the scene.