Ko'rai summoned his Dragon Gauntlets and clashed his fists against each other, generating sparks from his sharp knuckles. Ahmed got into his stance and glanced over at Ko'rai, meeting his gaze and nodding. Ko'rai nodded back then smirked, dashing toward Su-Yun at high speeds.
Su-Yun dodged Ko'rai's first strike then used her cat like reflexes to avoid Ahmed's invisible strikes, summoning one of her twin pistols and took aim at Ahmed. Her right cat ear flicked, her aim changing to behind her with a smirk as she fired an energy blast at Ko'rai. Ko'rai grunted in shock as he caught the energy blast in his hand, barely deflecting it to the sky.
"Now's a good time to strike!" So-Yi commanded, grabbing a rock from the ground and rushed forward.
Jiahn followed suit by charging toward Su-Yun head on with an excited grin, leaping toward her with a bicycle kick. "You don't have seemed to have lost your edge, Sa Nu Rim!"
Su-Yun turned around toward Jiahn, blocking her kick then swiftly maneuvered behind Jiahn, using her as a shield for Ahmed's attack. Jiahn gasped and held up her hands as Ahmed's hand rushed at her face, but Ahmed quickly stopped his attack, pulling his hand away at the right moment.
"Heh, I surely haven't but you seemed to have lost yours," Su-Yun teased, letting go of Jiahn then dusted her hands off.
Sang So-Yi rushed through the bushes and trees as misdirection, launching multiple rocks at Su-Yun from all angles and directions. Su-Yun crossed her arms with a smirk, avoiding each rock effortlessly then turned around to catch So-Yi's fist.
So-Yi grunted softly as she struggled to overpower Su-Yun, pulling her fist away then launched a spinning back kick at her. Su-Yun ducked under the kick and grappled So-Yi's leg with her tail, twirling around to spin So-Yi in a circle then launched her away.
"Hoon! Get her!" Hyeon Bae commanded, pointing at Su-Yun and began sharing her Spirit with Hoon.
Hoon howled and began to glow brightly, his fur becoming more full and small angelic wings manifesting from his sides. With a strong snarl, he crouched down then charged toward Su-Yun at near light speeds, his speed catching Su-Yun slightly off guard.
Su-Yun barely got up her guard as Hoon rammed into her cloaked in light energy, the force of his tackle knocking Su-Yun away. "Nngh!! This dog..! He's not normal!"
Reene gasped softly in awe of Hoon's evolution, looking down at her Giant Bat and wondered if he could evolve like Hoon could. "Wow...their bond must be extremely high.."
Su-Yun caught her footing and got back into her stance, hopping up and down then smirked at Hyeon Bae. "Heh! Now that one was a good shot, but I doubt you can catch me off guard once again!"
"Even while being outnumbered...she's way smarter than us. Something about her seems very...strange," Ko'rai said, getting back into his draconic stance and began to study Su-Yun intensely.
"Yeah, her knowledge seems very textbook like with a lot of street smarts. This is the legendary Sa Nu Rim after all, but I do see what you mean. It's almost like she's adapting to us all at the same time," Ahmed said, getting into his stance once more and grinned with intrigue.
'Hm! All those gaming adventures I went on during my time doing Odd Jobs for the last seven years has paid off! They have two DPS, two Flanks, and two Supports. Ko'rai and Jiahn might team up to tire me out then Ahmed comes with So-Yi... finally Reene and Hyeon Bae,' Su-Yun strategized mentally, spreading her legs slightly and got into a low stance for extra speed.
Golden lightning began to crackle around Su-Yun's body as she began gathering energy within, a golden light beginning to simmer to life around her body. So-Yi studied the aura, but couldn't make out what it was, only deducing it to being a speed enhancing technique.
"Get ready, because the cat train is about to arrive!" Su-Yun laughed, her body becoming a stream of lightning from her enhanced speed, catching Ko'rai and Jiahn off guard with her immense speed.
Ko'rai guarded himself from the high winds, glancing backwards and noticing Su-Yun driving Jiahn backwards in combat then rushed to assist her just as Su-Yun predicted. Jiahn dodged Su-Yun's next attack then countered with a spinning right hook.
Su-Yun ducked under her hook then swiped at her legs with her claws, grappling her then let out a roar as she flung her through the forest. Her cat ear flicked as she felt the presence of Ko'rai behind her, a small ember erupting from her chest as she began to awaken her Spirit Energy.
"Too slow!" Su-Yun taunted, striking Ko'rai with her elbow while he was in the midst of his attack, the force of her attack sending him flying backwards.
So-Yi grunted as she watched Jiahn and Ko'rai go flying, her ears beginning to ring as the stakes began to settle in. 'We can't beat her...this isn't a fight we are supposed to win. She's an S Rank...there's no shot of us winning like this..'
Su-Yun swapped her targets upon Ahmed and Sang So-Yi, yet stood in place and taunted them into attacking her. "Gaja!! Let's continue our great battle!"
Ahmed smirked as he fell for Su-Yun's taunt, but So-Yi grabbed his arm, stopping him in his action. He glanced back at So-Yi, noticing her analytical expression. "Hm? What's on your mind, Sargent?"
"This fight isn't something we are supposed to win, and that realization hit me. This is Self-Control, throwing yourself into a fight like this is a suicide mission," So-Yi said, glancing up at Reene and letting out a soft exhale. "She's our escape..."
Su-Yun tilted her head as she watched So-Yi strategize with Ahmed then glanced up at Reene, who was silently watching atop a tree branch. 'She's your distraction isn't she? Her power is fear based and rooted in Dark Spirits... planning to escape?'
Hyeon Bae stayed focused upon Su-Yun's intense expression, letting out a soft hum then clapped her hands together. "So-Yi, your plan will not work."
Sang So-Yi looked over at Hyeon Bae with a raised brow, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Mwo? Wae? Our strategy is sound...and we need to give Ko'rai and Jiahn time to recover."
"If you execute your plan, Sa Nu Rim will target Reene first. Reene and I are the weakest links, yet your only means of escape. We only have one chance at this, so let me take the charge. I know Sa Nu Rim a good degree," Hyeon Bae said, rushing forward with Hoon and took on her stance.
Reene rose an eyebrow, leaning forward and tilting her head at Hyeon Bae. She held her sleeve covered hand slightly over her mouth, a soft hum sounding in her throat. "She's taking her on alone..? Why..?"
Su-Yun smirked at Hyeon Bae and crossed her arms, letting out an amused chuckle from Hyeon Bae's courage. "You fought with me and Luciel against Captain Haru, earning your first mark, Code Yellow. You think you can fair against me one on one?"
"I was trained by Headmistress Kaguya alongside my uncle, Woo Jinyoung! I can hold my own against anything that comes my way!" Hyeon Bae said, light sparks emitting from her chest, her flame yet to bloom at will.
Su-Yun smiled at her bravery, lowering her arms and getting into her stance. "Fine, I can play for a little bit~ Let's see how you handle my Catiger and Nangoony!"
Hyeon Bae tightened her muscles then charged toward Su-Yun and leaped forward with an overhead chop, but Su-Yun evaded her attack then countered with a left straight. Hyeon Bae blocked her punch with both hands, pushing her arm down and leaving her wide open for Hoon to strike Su-Yun with a spindash at her chest.
Su-Yun grunted as she slid backwards, managing to push Hoon off her then dashed forward at high speeds toward Hyeon Bae with a bright grin. Hyeon Bae rushed forward as well, clashing with Su-Yun, dodging and countering each of her strikes.
"She's actually keeping up with her...she's holding her off, this is our chance," So-Yi said, glancing up at where Reene was, noticing she was gone and quickly began to search for her. "Where is Reene?"
Ahmed immediately went on the alert, his head whipping around as well to search for Reene. "What? She's missing? Ko'rai is gonna kill us if we lose her!"
Suddenly, various colors of Pocong Ghosts began flying through the trees toward Su-Yun like homing missiles, catching her and Hyeon Bae off guard. Su-Yun evaded each ghost with her keen senses, letting out a relieved exhale, yet her ears continued to flick due to incoming danger.
Su-Yun quickly glanced behind herself, gasping and letting out a surprised squeak as a Red Pocong stood behind her with a menacing stature. The string keeping the Pocong closed at the top began to unravel, the cloth calling onto the ground and revealing Reene inside with mischievous giggles.
Hyeon Bae held her hand at her chest, catching her breath from Reene's scare and took a cautious step back. "You are a Specter like me...your powers are really scary."
Reene stood up on her feet, striking a cute yet creepy pose with a smile on her face. "I am Reene Kagosaki of the Night Terror Squad!~ My powers contain Spirits who are really scary, because Angels make themselves scary to ward off evil!"
Su-Yun began to calm her nerves, gulping lightly and rubbing her arms light from the intense chills she had obtained. 'I can see why she's the lynchpin...she's a Trickster...'
"Hyeon Bae, Hyeon Bae! Do you have other Spirits other than Hoon? Your powers seem similar to mine!" Reene asked with excitement, hopping closer to Hyeon Bae with great interest.
Hyeon Bae was slightly hesitant to answer, but nodded, stepping back an inch from Reene then rolled her right sleeve up. Upon her arm were various assortment of Stigmata, each one picked up from Aetherpoint for her mother, yet none of them were the correct Stigmata.
"Whoa! Sugoi! So many Stigmata! Why do you have so many? Not even I have that many!" Reene gasped, covering her mouth in awe and surprise her gaze rising to meet Hyeon Bae's.
Hyeon Bae rolled down her sleeve and smiled at Reene's innocent curiosity, looking down at her right hand where Hoon's Stigmata shone. "I run daily errands out for my mom to pick up Stigmata for her, but none of them are ever the right ones...so she lets me keep them and my uncle gives them to me for free!"
"Free Stigmata?! In this economy? You practically have a higher chance of running into a wild Spirit to tame instead of getting one for free!" Su-Yun appalled, her jaw dropping in surprise.
Hyeon Bae wagged her finger at Su-Yun and smirked. "Family's Special! Even Eomma gets Stigmata for free when she goes on her own. All a part of being in the Jinyoung Clan!"
"Huh, well...if you have all of those then I would like to see one someday. But not right now, after all...The Royale is only just starting~ Remember, you have to defeat the other teams then me and Luciel," Su-Yun said, reaching inside her satchel and taking out a smoke bomb, throwing it onto the ground.
Reene and Hyeon Bae coughed as the smoke began to surround them, the two of the swiping away the smoke and noticing Su-Yun had disappeared. The two girls began to search around quickly, Hoon barking at the trees as he noticed Su-Yun slipping away then chased after her.
"Huh? Hoon, wait up!" Hyeon Bae called out, chasing after him and stumbling forward before catching herself.
"What's got into him all of a sudden..? Sorry, but I've got to go!" Sang So-Yi said, rushing after Hyeon Bae and Hoon with quick steps.
Jiahn sat against a tree and closed her eyes with a soft sigh, standing back up onto her feet. "I guess it's time to move again. I hope you three can hold your own out here."
"Ha! You're taking to the Co-Leader of the Night Terror Squad! We can hold ourselves especially with our trump card, Reene," Ko'rai laughed, crossing his arms and watched Jiahn walk off.
"Good, because I want to see you at the end. I wish to see what this Exzodian talk is really about," Jiahn said with a smirk, dashing forward after Sang So-Yi and Hyeon Bae.
Hoon continued to bark as he chased after Su-Yun, watching her leap from tree to tree then stopped after she went beyond his vision. Hyeon Bae finally caught up to Hoon and let out a loud exhale, leaning down and placing her hands upon her knees.
"Dodaeche..? Mwo?" Hyeon Bae tiredly fussed, pointing at Hoon as she caught her breath.
"Hyeon Bae!" Sang So-Yi called out to her, her ears ringing as she began to detect danger and looked to her right to see a glowing techno orb locking onto Hyeon Bae from behind. "Bae-a!"
Sang So-Yi exerted more energy from her body to use a burst of speed to appear next to Hyeon Bae, tackling her out the way of a laser beam being shot at them. Both girls let out a scream as the beam hit the ground, causing an explosion to knock them both away.
Jiahn noticed the explosion and gasped in shock, quickly glancing around the forest and noticed multiple techno orbs shimmering into view around her. She came to a full stop and noticed multiple red lasers aimed at her, her adrenaline beginning to pump harder through her body.
"Target sighted," Li-Na said in the distance, looking at her tablet then tapped the screen to fire the lasers at Jiahn.
Jiahn smirked and began hopping up and down, energizing her body and closed her eyes with a soft exhale. As the lasers began to fire, she began to use her immense speed to avoid each beam flying toward her, her raw speed surprising Li-Na and taking her off guard.
Li-Na turned off her screen and rushed into the forest once again to alert Ha-Rin that Jiahn and her team were nearby. "That speed...I underestimated how powerful you'd need to be to become a Code Green. I should've known her speed was faster than Tier C-9."
Jiahn watched as Li-Na retreated then made her way toward Sang So-Yi and Hyeon Bae, helping the two on their feet and checking up on them. "Ha-Rin's team has to be close...but they only sent one member."
"That's because they aren't close at all...or at least not as close as you think. These traps seemed to have been here for a while...and based on how the landscape looks, we are the first one to fall for it," Sang So-Yi said, holding her arm and wincing lightly in pain due to a deep cut wound in her skin.
"O-Oh..! Your arm," Hyeon Bae gasped, quickly but gently grabbing Sang So-Yi's arm and placed her hand over her wound, one of her various Stigmata glowing through her clothing and manifesting pastel green energy around her hand.
Sang So-Yi watched as Hyeon Bae healed her, glancing up and noticing an Angel faintly standing behind with pastel green wings covering their face. She looked back down at Hyeon Bae, realizing an angel actually did teach her techniques, a small flame emerging from her chest.
"All better," Hyeon Bae smiled, stepping back and her healing aura dissolving into the air.
Sang So-Yi rubbed her arm gently then nodded, turning around to where Li-Na ran off from, her ears continuing to ring from the unknown in the forest. She began taking a few steps back, the ringing in her ears gradually softening until it stopped.
"They are definitely at our 3 o'clock, but I can't tell the exact distance. I just know it has to be at least one kilometer, at most 1.5 kilometers," So-Yi said, rubbing her ear and letting out a soft grunt of discomfort.
Jiahn hummed softly then reached inside her jacket pocket to take out a small drone she took from her backpack. She flipped the switch upon the top of the drone, the small propellers whirring and carrying the small bot into the air.
"Thanks to my Noona, I have more equipment in my shop I can use for test runs. This Scout-MK I will see how far they are along with any other targets in the area," Jiahn hummed, walking toward a log behind her and took a seat.
"Better take a seat, this could be a while," She chuckled, taking her phone out her pocket and logging on to her app, Ji-MAN, to sync with her drone.
So-Yi and Hyeon Bae joined Jiahn on the log, the three of them looking at Jiahn's screen and watching the drone swiftly surf through the air with ease on auto-pilot. The drone began to lock onto multiple targets, the translucent techno orbs hiding within the trees and bushes.
Woo-Yi gasped as she saw the drone in the distance, covering her mouth and scrambling back toward Ha-Rin to report a suspicious droid tracking them. "Ha-Rin, Ha-Rin! There's someone within our radius!"
"It's likely Jiahn's team, I had a surprise run in with then but failed to take them out. I had hoped their battle against Sa Nu Rim would tire them, but they seem more... motivated," Li-Na said, looking at her tablet and watching the drone scan through the area.
"I'll divert it's attention," Li-Na said, tapping a code on her screen to activate a few of her techno orbs.
Light blue techno orbs began to shimmer into view, the eyes of the drone glowing brightly and firing laser beams at Jiahn's drone. The beams struck the drone with perfect accuracy, yet the durable metal of the drone caused the beams to deflect off its body.
"Whoa..! Where did that come from?" Hyeon Bae gasped, sitting up straight and leaning gently against Jiahn to get a closer look at the screen.
"It looked like from the left," So-Yi said, glancing to her left and noticing a few flickers of lights in the distance.
"Wait, it's coming from the right now," Jiahn said, leaning closer into the screen then looked up, noticing flashes of light to the right.
Suddenly, So-Yi's ears began to ring, her gaze becoming analytical as the Holy Spirit began to speak to her. 'Think So-Yi...they are close by...it isn't left or right...'
Sang So-Yi stood up and stared straight ahead of her, her discernment reaching a breakthrough as the realization hit her. "They are trying to lead us away...but why? Have they already formed their own team?"
Hyeon Bae's heart began to race as she noticed So-Yi's still demeanor, the sound of Hoon barking causing goosebumps to crawl along her skin. She stood up as well, hearing a laugh in the distance with the sound of a dog whistle echoing into the air.
"So, you all just couldn't wait for us to come to you huh?" Jiahn asked, standing up from the log and put her phone away then looked up, watching Kim Eun walk forward.
"Aigoo, my friend, we could not hold our excitement for you!" Kim Eun said in English, letting out a laugh as her dark blue green aura began to surge around her body.
Sang So-Yi's ears began ringing loudly, her heart pumping hard against her chest as her adrenaline began to race through her veins. "I should've known...they would've allied with Kim Eun and her friends.."
"It's a six against three..?" Hyeon Bae whispered, looking over at So-Yi with concern and worry.
"Yeah...and the A Rank Queen Bee sits at the center of her hive of course," So-Yi said, rolling her sleeves up and putting her hair into a ponytail. "Ha-Rin is very close by...700 meters close to be exact..."
"The exact number, HA! It's so surprise your IQ comes from your Lieutenant father? Military Child was it? This should be fun!" Kim Eun taunted, getting into her stance.
Sun-mi let out a soft sigh and shook her head then twirled her microphone and took in her stance. In Mi-yong calmed her mind and Spirit, taking on martial arts stance and cloaked her fists in Spirit Energy.
Sang So-Yi...
So-Yi froze in place, the time around her pausing for a moment as she heard the whisper of Genesis speaking to her. The Stigmata in her eye began to glow, a flicker of a twinkling Blue Copper fluttering in front of her eyes. The Holy Fire began to emit from her chest, her Spirit awakening as she noticed Kim Eun charging toward her.
So-Yi sidestepped her attack, leaving begin a faint silhouette of herself then grunted as she blocked Kim Eun's heavy kick. She stumbled backwards a bit, studying Kim Eun's body and noticed multiple illusions appearing in front of her, each one predicting Kim Eun's next steps.
This is the power of Discernment...
It's more than solving puzzles and clues...
When you walk in Truth...
You can move just like He...
Kim Eun charged forward with a leaping spinning kick, just as the illusion predicted, allowing So-Yi to flawlessly dodge her attack. So-Yi twirled around into a heavy back fist, striking Kim Eun upon her side and releasing a pulse of energy. Kim Eun rolled backwards along the ground, recovering onto her feet with a smirk.
"Focus on Sang So-Yi!" Kim Eun commanded, generating powerful forces of wind around her body and laughed.
"Hoon! Do not let them gang up on her!" Hyeon Bae ordered, activating another of her Stigmata upon her right leg, a red Fury Energy rushing toward Hoon and covering his body.
Hoon howled at the sky, his body glowing red and evolving into a Red Hound, one of the many hounds from Kaguya's Ten Passing Shadow Gardens. Flames began surging around Hoon's body, his eyes glowing a golden yellow hue.
In Mi-yong followed Kim Eun's order, charging toward So-Yi, but Hoon quickly intercepted her at blazing speeds then charged forward for a tackle. Sun-mi let out a note, generating a wave of water in front of In Mi-yong to wash Hoon away, the wave striking Hoon head on and submerging him under water.
'Too much is happening...I can't track it all..!' So-Yi said mentally, trying to find the best possible counter to the current situation with her being the main focus.
They felt your awakening...
As a True Aetherian, you will be hated just like an Ascean.
It is not the flesh your are battling, but a Principality...
Jealousy...
'Jealousy..? Sovereign Mother, what are you talking about? You come to me out of nowhere, bless me, and tell me a Principality is amongst us..?' So-Yi asked Genesis mentally, staring at the battlefield, watching her team diligently protect her from Kim Eun's team.
A Principality Fallen Angel is within the Zone...
That Angel is keeping you divided...
Yet, Yuvah has given you the Spirit to overcome all forces.
Your enemy isn't your classmates...
But that Angel...
The Blue Copper fluttered into So-Yi's view once again, flying around her before trailing off into the distance, leading her toward the Beast of the Battle Zone. Sang So-Yi's curiosity got the better of her, slipping away from the fight to follow the Blue Copper that was leading her a narrower path.
Jiahn blocked Kim Eun's punch, countering with a knee to her stomach to send her back then followed with two liver shots into a staggering right hook. Kim Eun groaned as she was knocked to the ground, clutching her liver and cheek as she laid upon the ground.
She glanced around the forest, noticing Sang So-Yi was gone then grew concerned. "Where did she go? Sang So-Yi! So-Yi!"
Hyeon Bae quickly glanced over to Jiahn, hearing her calling out for Sang So-Yi then immediately grew worried. "Sang So-Yi, where are you?! So-Yi!!"
Hoon began to bark and howl to try and attract So-Yi's attention, his voice echoing yet no answer from the missing So-Yi. In Mi-yong and Sun-mi also began to grow worried, a student of Class 12-A going missing was a terrible look to them.
"Aishh..! This can't be happening again!! First Woo-Chi goes missing two years ago after this same incident! Why did she run off..?" Jiahn stressed, running her hands through her hair then looked over at In Mi-yong and Sun-mi. "And you two are just standing there not even helping! Just like you did with Woo-Chi!"
"Woo-Chi had that coming to her on her own! We did nothing to her, plus if anything that was all Kim Eun's fault to begin with!" In Mi-yong fired back, pointing down at Kim Eun on the ground.
"Ahh, Shibal! She knew the rules of being F Rank! Plus she thought she could reap the benefits of being an Elite without putting in the work?" Kim Eun scoffed, getting off the ground and flipping In Mi-yong off.
"So it's true... You all do have a deathly Spirit within all of you," A voice said in the distance, the commanding voice causing all conflicts to stop.
Everyone turned toward the sound of the voice, noticing Luciel walking forward with her hands held in front of her in a serene manner. Luciel's white robes fluttered beautifully in the gentle breeze, her Warden Butterflies fluttering over her head in a halo formation.
"You all didn't bully Woo-Chi because she was F Rank...you bullied her into disappearing because she had something you all lacked. The Holy Spirit," Luciel exposed, looking off into the distance where So-Yi ran off to.
Each girl, except Hyeon Bae felt convicted of Luciel's words, Hyeon Bae's chest finally erupting with the Holy Fire as she listened to Luciel speak. She followed Luciel's gaze instinctively, noticing light blue sparkles leading deep into Battle Zone 4.
---------------------
Sang So-Yi ran down the forest after her Blue Copper, her body growing colder as a strong spiritual presence began to grow close. She began to see an opening, a vast open area where the sun hit directly, and at the center stood a man in white robes with scarlet cloth wrapped around him.
She stopped in her tracks, studying the man's appearance, his hair reaching to his lower back and the grass around him turning white and timeless. She noticed white butterflies fluttering around his figure, each one flying around with elegance and grace.
"So...you found me? That would be impossible without the help of a Divine Butterfly. So, you possess one? That means you had an encounter with Her..." The man said, turning around to face Sang So-Yi and held his hand out toward her, generating five orbs of light around his hand.
Sang So-Yi's ears began ringing the loudest they've ever rang before, her entire body instinctively entering fight or flight and prepared for the absolute worst. 'Who is this..? Why was I brought here? He looks like—'
Before Sang So-Yi could finish her thought, the powerful man fired off multiple arrows of light toward her, her body instinctively dodging the arrows and leaving behind silhouettes of herself. She grunted and looked at her hands in shock, discovering her ability to Phase through attacks.
The man launched a butterfly toward So-Yi, his body becoming a white silhouette and warping in front of So-Yi with a pulverizing chop to her neck, but So-Yi phased through his attack at the last second. She rolled to his side, launching a heavy blow to his midsection, the attack going through his silhouette.
'His moveset is like Nox...from that broadcasting. Who is this guy..? I can't seem to get a clear reading upon him...' So-Yi thought to herself, searching around for the man and began to awaken her Stigmata.
The man appeared behind her and crossed his arms, looking down at her with a smirk. "Who am I..? I am Beast of this Zone, the Principality that Genesis spoke of. The Jealousy of Class 12-A feeds me...all of what they envy I am. You may call me...Covet."
"You all think you are friends...but there are no friends amongst Graduates who will end up at Manaport! You're all doomed and if you think you can save them, you can't!" The man laughed, manifesting his darkened gold angel wings and summoning his trident.
〘WARNING! WARNING! Powerful Entity has appeared in Battle Zone 4!〙
〘Lockdown Protocol Initiated!〙
Sang So-Yi's body jolted as she once green walls of the Battle Zone began to hum loudly as they shifted to red, locking down the battle zone to trap Covet inside. She quickly turned around, noticing Covet's true from as a Principality Angel, her heart racing a million miles as she realized it was just her and him.