Chapter 19: A Sentinel Asking For A Kiss

Lumi’s vision had already begun to blur when she suddenly felt the pressure around her neck weaken.

She blinked rapidly, barely able to believe it as Evan’s fingers slowly loosened, giving her just enough room to drag a shaky breath into her lungs. She coughed softly, her chest burning as she tried to breathe properly again, while her eyes remained fixed on the man in front of her.

Something had changed.

The terrifying yellowish glow in Evan’s eyes seemed to fade slightly, revealing a hint of his usual colour beneath it. His expression was still frighteningly cold, and the electricity surrounding his body continued to crackle violently, but for the first time since he had grabbed her, Lumi could see a trace of awareness in his eyes.

’Did he... calm down?’

She didn’t dare move too quickly, afraid that even the slightest mistake might make him tighten his grip again. Instead, she carefully drew in another breath, trying to fill her lungs after being deprived of air for so long.

The moment she did, Evan’s other arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.

Lumi’s eyes widened. "Eh?"

Before she could even understand what was happening, Evan pulled her against him and rushed toward the enormous glass window covering one side of the hall.

"W-Wait!"

The sudden movement made Lumi’s stomach drop, and she instinctively grabbed onto Evan’s clothes as the distance between them and the window disappeared within seconds.

Someone in the hall finally realized what Evan was doing.

"STOP HIM!"

"He’s going toward the window!"

"Get back!"

A wave of screams erupted throughout the grand hall as everyone scattered in panic, but Evan didn’t slow down.

Lumi’s eyes widened as the glass wall rushed toward them.

’No way.’

Her entire body went rigid.

’He’s not actually going to—’

CRASH!

The enormous window shattered beneath Evan’s body.

Lumi screamed as they burst through the glass, shards scattering in every direction while the people inside the hall cried out in terror.

She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, already expecting the sharp pain of glass cutting into her skin.

’This is going to hurt!’

But the pain never came.

Instead, she felt Evan’s arms tighten around her as he twisted his body in midair, positioning himself between her and the remaining shards of broken glass.

The pieces that struck him fell away while Lumi remained completely protected against his chest.

Her eyes slowly opened. She stared at the fragments of glass falling around them before looking up at Evan in disbelief.

’He... used his own body to block it?’

She barely had time to process the thought before the two of them dropped rapidly toward the ground.

Lumi’s heart nearly stopped again.

’Wait, we’re still falling!’

The ground rushed toward them, and Lumi instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for another painful impact. However, instead of crashing into the pavement or even stumbling when they landed, Evan simply bent his knees slightly and absorbed the force with ease, landing so smoothly that it felt almost as though he had merely stepped down from a short staircase.

Lumi slowly opened her eyes. She was still in his arms.

She looked down at the ground, then back at Evan’s face, her expression becoming increasingly confused as he barely seemed affected by the jump.

Before she could even ask where they were going, Evan suddenly pushed off the ground again.

Lumi’s stomach dropped.

"Ah—!"

The world disappeared beneath them as they shot upward, clearing the side of another building with a single terrifyingly high jump. Evan landed on the rooftop without breaking stride, carrying her as though she weighed nothing before immediately heading toward the opposite edge.

Lumi stared at him in disbelief.

’What is happening?!’

Another jump.

Another building.

Another effortless landing.

At this point, Lumi had completely given up trying to understand what was happening. She simply stared at Evan’s face from where she was trapped against him, watching his expression remain completely calm despite the fact that he was currently carrying a person across the city by jumping from building to building.

Her eyes twitched.

’He could have gone through the door.’

Another leap sent them soaring over the gap between two buildings.

’He chose a window.’

Evan landed smoothly on another rooftop.

Lumi stared at him.

’He could have used a car.’

Another jump.

’He chose jumping.’

She slowly buried her face against his chest when they suddenly dropped down fast.

’AAAAAAAH! Please tell me I am dreaming!’

Her fingers tightened around his clothes as the wind whipped past them.

’This has to be a weird dream. There is no way this is real!’

She squeezed her eyes shut.

’Get me out of this weird dream!’

They finally stopped when Evan landed on the rooftop of the shortest building among the surrounding towers, his feet touching the concrete with barely a sound despite the height they had just descended from. The sudden stillness made Lumi’s stomach twist, and she remained frozen in his arms for a few seconds before slowly opening her eyes.

Nothing was moving anymore.

No more buildings were rushing past them, no more wind was whipping against her face, and, most importantly, Evan wasn’t jumping anywhere.

Lumi cautiously lifted her head from his chest.

The moment she looked up, she realized Evan was already looking at her.

His face was only a short distance away, his expression still unreadable, although the strange glow in his eyes had faded considerably compared to earlier. Lumi stared at him for a moment before remembering that she was still being held against him, and her body immediately stiffened.

"P-Please don’t hurt me..."

Her voice came out weakly, and she swallowed before continuing, "I... I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know how to Guide you, and I don’t even know why I’m here..."

She glanced around the unfamiliar rooftop before looking back at him, her fingers still clutching his clothes because she wasn’t entirely convinced that letting go would be a good idea.

"I’ve never learned how to do any of this. Everyone always said I couldn’t Guide, so... please don’t expect me to know what I’m doing."

Evan continued staring at her without answering.

Lumi’s heart began beating faster under his silent gaze.

’Why is he looking at me like that?’

She hesitated before adding quietly, "If you’re angry because I can’t help you, I’m sorry, but I really don’t know how..."

For several seconds, there was nothing except the faint sound of Evan’s breathing.

Then his lips parted. "Kiss..."

Lumi froze. She stared at him, "What?"

Evan’s gaze remained fixed on her as he repeated the word in a low, hoarse voice.

"Kiss."