Chapter 42 - Frozen Fire
Alice and Arthur reached their moment of enlightenment almost simultaneously—she sensing the breakthrough just a bit before him.
Noah waited a while to see what would come of it—the system had answered his query—and as time passed, he put away the remaining fabric strips and left the room with Sophia in silence, careful not to disturb the discussion between Arthur and Alice.
Even though Noah insisted it wasn't necessary, Sophia urged him to take a map with him so he wouldn't get lost in the city. It wasn't as if that would help him much during his journey through the forest, though, so she asked him not to venture too deep and to keep a distance from the walls.
"Everything's fine..." he said—a phrase that once was enough to change his ex-girlfriend's expression and make her smile as he got his way—so Noah couldn't understand why Sophia's expression remained unchanged. She continued to hold him back from leaving, grasping his hand while looking down with a saddened gaze.
"..."
It was something he had, at most, witnessed on the streets but had never truly experienced—so he reciprocated the gesture. Noah smiled as he caressed Sophia's head:
"I'll be right back..."
He said it, and strangely, that also made him feel a recurring warmth in his chest whenever he was near her.
Sophia nodded, embarrassed—she couldn't believe Noah had done something like that when the guards were right beside them. She hurried back inside, even though she didn't understand why—nor did she understand why her heart was racing so much.