Chapter 29: Chapter 29

I don't know what possessed me at that moment, I was completely out of my mind when suddenly my hand pulled the jacket Gray was wearing. It felt like my hand moved on its own, following the words in my mind, and without much thought, I pressed my lips against Gray's. I could feel his body tense for a moment, he must have been shocked by my sudden actions. Even before the terrifying events ahead of me, I had resisted and been angry at him, but this time, I was the one doing the opposite.

I didn't care anymore if Gray might get angry at me in return. What I wanted to do now was calm myself down. The kiss I gave Gray was purely out of curiosity, driven by my anxiety and worry when Gray suddenly disappeared in front of me.

I could sense Gray responding to the kiss I initiated. His warm hand touched my nape and pressed it, deepening our kiss. His other hand pulled me by the waist, pulling me closer to his warm body. I didn't even feel the cold wind around us; all I felt was the heat boiling inside me. Eventually, I felt the need to catch my breath. I tried to release our lips, needing oxygen as my chest began to feel tight.

I returned Gray's silent gaze, a gaze that was difficult to interpret. I didn't know what to say after kissing him so suddenly.

"I think this is not enough, Aurel," his words made me look at him with raised eyebrows. I hadn't even had a chance to respond when Gray pulled me close again and our lips met once more. I could only clutch his jacket as I felt his tongue slip past my lips. His gentle tongue entwined with mine intensely. If Gray hadn't been holding onto my waist, I would have probably collapsed to the ground because my knees were weak and trembling due to the intensity of our kiss.

I thought that was enough. The longer our kiss went on, the stranger my body felt. Eventually, I pushed Gray away forcefully. I could see his displeased expression.

"Can we go inside?" were the only words I said to Gray. He didn't respond, instead he grabbed my hand and led me inside his house. I didn't even get a chance to look around to see if anyone had seen us. My focus was solely on the man I had been trying to avoid.

We eventually arrived in Gray's room, and I fell silent, as did he, only staring at each other. Come on, say something, I thought, feeling awkward.

"Are you okay?" Gray asked, making me pause. Shouldn't that be the question I should be asking him? All I could do was nod.

"Are you alone?" I asked, and for some reason, my focus was always on Gray's full and warm lips. I was sure my face was red because I kept imagining the kiss we had just shared.

"It's so much better this way. I've never felt this good before," he said again, then leaned closer to me and guided me to sit on his bed. I glanced at him briefly, unsure of the question I was about to ask, but my curiosity outweighed the fear I was currently feeling.

"Can I ask something?" I inquired, making Gray nod. He continued to stare at me, not letting go of my gaze even for a moment. His intense gaze was making me nervous for some reason.

"What really happened? You looked like you were in pain," I asked, making Gray not immediately answer. He seemed to be thinking about what kind of answer to give me.

"Maybe I just had a fever, my body wasn't feeling well," he replied, but for some reason, I still wasn't satisfied with the answer he gave.

"Was it that painful?" I asked again.

"Yes, I couldn't even control the pain," he answered again, making me recall Gray's expression at that moment. Then came another question that made me think again. Should I really ask it? And what kind of answer would Gray give? I bit my lip, trying my best to restrain myself from being too bold with my questions. However, Gray reached out and brushed my lower lip with his fingers. He often did things like this.

"I've told you not to bite your lower lip like that. You know how hard I'm trying to control myself right now," he said again, finally making me release my bite.

"Do you want to ask something else? You're free to ask anything," Gray said, as if he understood my current apprehension.

"What really happened? You just disappeared in front of me. You know that doesn't make any sense," I whispered, still staring at Gray. He didn't change his expression; he didn't seem surprised as if he already knew I would ask something like this.

"Yes, I disappeared. I didn't want to appear pathetic in front of you. I didn't want you to see me in such a messed-up state like before, and I couldn't bear to see your worried and scared face when you saw me like that," Gray answered, but I shook my head. That wasn't the answer I was looking for.

"That's not what I meant, Gray," I said, making him nod again.

"Yes, I know what you mean. I just can't explain it to you, and I don't know how to explain what happened earlier," he answered, leaving me silent.

"I can digest your words well," I said firmly, as if I still wanted to hear any explanation Gray would provide.

"Have you ever heard of magic? Just think of it like that. I entered a Pandora's Box, and then the magician made me disappear," Gray answered dismissively, leaving me silent again.

"Are you not satisfied with my answer?" he asked, making me nod.

"Then do you believe that I have a power?" Gray asked, causing me to furrow my brows. Of course, I had considered such things mere tales before, and I was starting to doubt them.

"What kind of power?" I asked, making Gray smile faintly.

"Like moving objects and, as you saw earlier, disappearing from your sight," he replied, leaving me once again unsure of how to respond.

"Can you show me the power you have?" I asked, making Gray seem hesitant to do so. However, the next moment, I widened my eyes when I saw blue light emitting from his palm.

"Like this?" Gray asked, and I wasn't even sure if I was still breathing. I just remained silent, focusing on the light in his hand. Slowly, Gray extended his hand towards me. I didn't feel afraid at all. I don't know why, but I trusted Gray not to hurt me in any way. The next moment, Gray placed his glowing hand right beside my face. I felt the coldness of his hand, as cold as ice, before the light disappeared. I was left speechless. I didn't know what Gray had just done to me.

"Aurel," he said, making me blink my eyes and look at him.

"What did you just do?" I asked, making Gray furrow his brows. He seemed surprised. Did my question confuse him, I wondered, as I continued to stare at him with questioning eyes.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked, turning the question back to me.

"The light, you placed it beside my face, and it felt as cold as ice. So, what's going to happen to me? Will I disappear like you did before? Will my face change?" I panicked. I didn't know what Gray had done to me with his power. But I didn't feel any change in me right now.

"Are you remembering everything?" Gray asked, making me nod. Of course, I still remembered everything. The events were vivid in my mind, and we had just experienced them moments ago. I probably wouldn't forget this absurd event for the next ten or twenty years. This was the first time I felt like a fantasy story was unfolding in my life.

"Do you remember when I disappeared in front of you?" Gray asked again, making me nod once more.

"Yes, I remember it clearly. I remember how you vanished. I remember how you were in pain. And I remember when the blue light came out of your hand. So, what's next?" I asked again, making Gray seem frustrated. He roughly rubbed his face before turning back to me, gripping both of my hands tightly.

"Aurel, who are you really?" His question made me furrow my brows. This should be the question I was asking him. Who was he, and how did he possess such a power? Was he not human, I wondered, making me shake my head.

"Why are you asking me that? There's nothing strange about me right now. The one who should be asked is you. Are you human?" I asked, making Gray fall silent and release his grip on my hands. It was as if he was contemplating whether to answer, whether he was human or not, and explain all of this to me.