Chapter 162 New Life (1)
"Why do I have to go with you?" Rinoa asked, her voice icy, yet beneath that cool exterior, a rapid heartbeat thrummed like a trapped bird in her chest.
"Because you want to go to Gamma," Fitran replied calmly, his gaze unwavering as it locked onto Rinoa's piercing eyes, acutely aware of the mounting pressure simmering between them.
He continued, "But before that, you need to know more about the Stones." Rinoa furrowed her brow, a flicker of doubt igniting as she pondered the enigmatic word "Stones."
After a moment of silence, her breath became a hesitant whisper, thoughts swirling chaotically like leaves caught in a gust of wind. The Stones—an archaeological site shrouded in mystery, the only remnant of a once-mighty megalithic civilization. Legends whispered of artifacts hidden there, relics that could unravel the tangled threads of her theories about the origins of Gamma, stirring within her a tumultuous mix of curiosity and trepidation.
"I want a condition," she finally declared, her voice taking on an assertive edge, a desperate attempt to grasp control of the tension that surged like electricity in the air around them.
"Condition?" Fitran raised an eyebrow, his enigmatic smile lingering, cloaked in mystery as the tension continued to escalate, thickening the atmosphere between them.
"We are strangers. Though we cross paths often, you have only now unveiled your true self to me. Can I really trust you?" Rinoa's piercing gaze locked onto Fitran's face, her eyes searching for every subtle flicker of emotion that might betray his intentions. Her heart raced rapidly, an anxious wave crashing over her like a tempest, as she awaited his response.
Fitran's lips curled into a slight, enigmatic smile, but there was an undeniable glint of challenge in his eyes. "The question remains the same. Can I trust you?" He closed the distance between them, stepping a fraction closer, amplifying the charged atmosphere surrounding them.
"Especially since you... have already deceived me before we even got started," she shot back, her tone edged with accusation. A sharp twinge of pain gripped Rinoa's heart, momentarily rendering her speechless as a blush crept across her cheeks, the stark realization that the echoes of their past still haunted Fitran's memory dawning upon her.
Fitran leaned in ever closer, his eyes sparkling with mischief, igniting a warmth that radiated against Rinoa's skin like fire. "If I could touch you, perhaps I would answer all your questions truthfully." She felt it—a deep resonance of her own heartbeat, thrumming loudly in her ears, matching the intensity of the moment.
Rinoa let out a bittersweet laugh, attempting to cloak her anxiety in a façade of confidence, even as a noticeable tremor danced through her fingertips. She accepted the challenge that lay before them—heart pounding, yet determined to hold her ground.