Strax barely felt his body, and Samira's magic was slowly fading. Unfortunately, they hadn't managed to find anything to make a fire, and Samira, being a body cultivator, had a really small Mana stock. Maybe she could last a few more hours with her flame, and that was alarming.
A shitty situation that Strax never thought he would encounter after just one day of travel. It's idiotic to think about it, but he had traveled for only one day, and he was already in a surreal and difficult situation.
"I don't know what to do," he thought. Of course, besides the negative thoughts, he saw those messages in the system, and it seemed like... the System wanted him to do something... Something he wanted to avoid now, but he went ahead.
[The Hidden Mission is at its Apex]
By changing his thoughts, the notification changed, proving that what he was thinking was right... "Damn," he thought.
"How's your arm?" Strax asked, breaking the silence. Samira gave a crooked smile. "Wish it wasn't like this," she said and added, "But thanks for the bandaging... no one ever did this for me." She replied, that astute and wild woman had slightly dimmed.
"You look different," Strax commented with a smile. The woman gradually... was catching a glimpse of a future that for her would be impossible.
"I... I'm not good at dealing with these things," Samira commented. Not even Strax knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Hm... I don't understand, but I can comprehend if you tell me, how about that?" Strax commented.
To improve the atmosphere of the place and at least reduce the emotional burden of the imminent end, it was the best solution now: to talk. That would calm both Strax and Samira, and maybe their thoughts would become clearer... Of course, that's what Strax was thinking... As for Samira...
"I'm... afraid," Samira commented as she looked at the small gap where the cold wind was coming from. Outside, a heavy snowstorm continued to roll, and slowly the snow was piling up near the cave entrance.
"Are you afraid of something?" Strax questioned. In fact, it was hard to tell if he believed Samira, since she had proven to be arrogant several times and had boasted about her strength, saying she did it just for fun.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to prove I'm strong to them, and this just proves I'm weak," she said, referring to her injured arm, which was covered by Strax's shirt sleeve.
Strax sighed lightly, and Samira watched him. Then he said something that made her think. "I have fears too, many fears that I can't even summarize directly. I wish I were invincible, but fear is important."
"Fear is important?" Samira questioned, and Strax stared at her, looking into her eyes and smiling. "Wouldn't fear make you the person I know, right? I wouldn't be that person either, after all, our experiences create our personalities," Strax commented as he smiled at her.
"I have many fears, losing my life, my wife, my friends, losing my life," Strax commented, looking outside. "But you know... I think what I fear most is being weak forever," he commented, and Samira remembered some memories that were not welcome in her mind.
"You talk like my older sister," Samira commented, and Strax looked at her. "Is she as beautiful as you?" With a joke and a smile, Samira couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha no, she's very scary." The atmosphere... seemed warmer.
"She used to say that fear is like a shadow that follows us, always present, but never definitive. It's strange how something so intangible can have so much power over us."
Strax observed Samira with curiosity, noticing the change in her expression. "She's right, it seems to be interesting."
"Interesting? No, she's scary! My sister is a monster!" Samira said quickly. "Despite that... because of our family, we ended up drifting apart quite a bit, and I left." Samira said slowly, plunging into her own painful memories. She seemed fine, but at the same time...
"I don't have any good memories with my siblings. It's complicated when you're the weakest, where strength is everything," Strax said and added, "That's why I want to be the strongest of all, to never depend on anyone to protect me again." Strax said, clenching his fists...
'He's so... handsome,' Samira thought, seeing his flame illuminating Strax's determined face as they talked. She hadn't noticed before, but... this man... was special in a way.
They were very close, basically leaning on each other's bodies while sharing the cloak as a blanket... Silence enveloped them, only the soft sounds of shared breathing breaking the stillness of the night.
Samira looked into Strax's eyes. She was thinking of various things, but something had slightly changed. Strax was the same, he felt... attraction. Their hearts beat in unison as they both shared the complicated situation they found themselves in.
Without saying a word, seeing Samira staring at him, Strax slowly leaned in, his warm and familiar breath caressing Samira's face. She closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment, as the warmth of his body mingled with hers in a cold and uncertain atmosphere.
Their lips met in a gentle touch, as if confirming something they both already knew. It was a soft and delicate kiss.
Time seemed to disappear around them, leaving only the comforting sensation of each other's presence. The warmth of their bodies seemed to dissipate the snowstorm and the cold weather. No intrusive thoughts disturbed that moment of pure intimacy, only the certainty that they were exactly where they should be.
When they finally parted, a tender smile played on both their lips, illuminating their faces with a unique glow.
Strax ignored the system messages for a few minutes as he tried to understand what had just happened between him and this beautiful woman... In fact, he didn't even know why he did that. He just... felt it was his destiny.
It wasn't something the System programmed. He had ignored the system and followed his heart in a complicated moment, and that had brought him a reward.
[You received a reward for the surprising advancement - You obtained the Skill (SSS) from the Harem System - Love Copy]