Chapter 36: The Reset II

"Yes, you have my permission to take it." Her voice was as regal as usual, and he internally screamed and punched himself.

He knows how to deal with angry people, people who want him dead, but he never knew how to deal with people who want him to kill them. She's the first and the last one.

Xiao was set on harming herself until he put a stop to that and manipulated her into freeing him with the promise of her soul becoming one with his. That was a terrible idea now that he looked back at it. He has to admit, he was very selfish back then, and even now, he could feel himself itching to hold her in his arms.

Welp, time to scare her away.

He reached out for her...

Wait, no. He shouldn't touch her, so he moved his hand to banging the floor she's standing on instead.

Last time, she jumped. This time, she slipped. His eyes widened and he immediately caught her before she could hit the floor.

Shit... Didn't he just declare that he shouldn't touch her a second ago?

The first thing that hit him when she's in his personal space was her scent. He resisted the urge to pull her neck to his nose and hold her until they're melted into each other. Waking up in the morning with her in his arms is a spiritual experience, but it's one he must let go of because he won't ruin her this time.

His grip loosened a little bit when she squirmed. Fuck, fuck, did he hurt her already? She's so soft, so warm... He could even feel her heartbeat through her skin underneath her clothes...

After Xiao frequented the Silverin Temple for a few years, he could feel her heartbeat as soon as she teleported into the temple's grounds. He only realized how much he missed that when he's running around with her stone cold body in his pocket dimension.

"Don't struggle, little witch." His lips did the talking again while his brain was calming down from a panick. "Or you'll be dropped."

"Please do."

Oh, she wants to stand on the ground again.

"Dropping me to my death sounds nice."

Hell, no.

A smile came on his face when he realized that he has her in his hands now, so he can prevent her from doing something dangerous for now.

"Unfortunately for you, that's not how this works, little one." He could finally respond, and his smile dropped when she opened her soft lips again.

"Didn't you say you need my soul as a sacrifice?" Her smile is taunting him. "What took you so long?"

He let out a sigh which came out more as a snarl. Slowly he lowered her to think ground, dropping her when she's two feet off. Then, he gave a wacky excuse, the best one he could come up with at the moment.

"I was trying to find the perfect time."

Those bottomless black eyes looked up at him, judging him. "When is your perfect time?"

"It's always the wrong time." With that said, he picked up again. He forgot how light she was when she's young...

Gently, he settled her down on the edge of the Hole, and her expression was genuinely confused. There's something so pure, so innocent about her appearance that never left her even when she aged. No one would associate her face with the phrase "seeking out a demon every weekend" and yet here she is.

"Especially when it comes to a little one like you." He watched her dust her uniform, and those eyes were on him again.

Maybe he'll annoy her enough that she'll leave him alone.

However, those black eyes stared back at him with a newfound determination. "I'm not that young."

You're fifteen, Xiao. You have a lot ahead of you. You deserve to be loved and cherished and have a comfortable life where you can do research on the spells you love. You deserve good things that I can't provide.

He didn't say any of that. Instead, all that came out was: "You are."

Then, he crossed his arms, hoping to intimidate her.

Intimidation is kinda too late here since he went a little soft on her a minute ago. Of course, his tactic didn't work when the young witch sat down on the edge with her feet dangling down into the Hole.

"Well... When are you gonna kill me?" Her voice was casual, as if she's asking him about his day.

He immediately came up with another bullshit excuse. "When the moon is at its fullest."

The look on her face said she could clearly see through his bullshit.

With an eye roll, she pointed at the sky. Oh, fuck, there it is, the round shape of a moon taking the sun's place. "Tonight is a full moon. You see?"

Why does she want to die so much? Sure, she's not very open about her family situation, but it's not that bad, is it?

Xiao wanted to die because of her family, Trix's family wanted him dead while all he desired was to become an author.

He remembered thinking that if he could switch places with her, he would...

But the universe only grant one wish at a time, and he now he's face to face with her again.

His red eyes glared at the moon in the sky. It's mocking him.

"Yes, it is." And yet he's still acknowledging its existence.

"So?" She moved her sitting position, leaning horribly close to falling off.

"So?"

Her eyebrows knitted together, the frown is barely there, but any reaction is important, no matter how miniscule it is. It took him quiet a long time to learn to read her, it's a long work in progress, but it's rewarding when he could make a dirty joke and make her day a little brighter even though it's already midnight.

"Are you gonna eat me?" Her voice was a little rough on the edges.

Yes... She's irritated, and he must poke her more. Poke her many times enough, and she'll never return. Hopefully.

However, he forgot that she's just as stubborn as he is.