Chapter 8: Worst Storm In Years

Raindrops pelt the window, creating a loud noise, which echoes through the hallways. A series of wind blows through the hallway to the Dorm's Cafeteria where she's sitting, stinging the skin of the girl, and causing her to shiver.

Larisa wraps her arms tightly around herself, trying to keep her body warm

Rihan looked out the window, gazing at a bridge nearby. "We're getting hit pretty hard by the rain," he says, scratching the back of his head.

"It's the worst storm we've had in years." He pauses, thinking. Rain is not uncommon during the winter season, but not like this.

It's raining so hard that it feels like the world's ending. A torrential downpour that's so strong that it's impossible to hear one another speak.

The water pours from the heavens, filling every corner of the city to overflowing—the streets become rivers, and the roads turn into lakes. The entire town looks like a giant puddle.

Larisa stares out the window, mesmerized by the rain as it falls heavily onto the roof of the dormitory.

"It's so beautiful," she whispers, "like the whole world is crying."

Rihan stares at the raindrops, reflecting light off of them, making them shine like tiny stars.

"Yeah, it's so relaxing," he replies, sniffling. From the corner of his eye, he was peeking at the Larisa, admiring her beauty. She continues to stare at the rain, her eyes filled with wonder.

Her check is slightly reddish as she thinks about how close they were when he found her in the hallway, drenched to the bone.

She's no longer wet; instead, her skin is dry, like she bathed in a pool of fresh spring water. Her hair is still damp, however, so it clings to her skin like silk ribbons—it looks soft and fluffy.

Luckily there were extra training clothes stashed in the cafeteria, so she could change into the dry clothes.

A towel draped over her shoulders, kept her warm. Her pale fingers caress the fabric as she ponders how soft it must be.

"I think it will stop soon," she says, her voice quivering. "I hope it stops."

Ping!

"Ah! Right on time," Rihan looked towards the oven, where the timer had just gone off. "The rain might not stop yet but I think the food's ready."

She stares at him, her cheeks flushed red. "You cooked?" while staring at the stove. "I didn't realize you were cooking."

He snickers, shaking his head. "I got everything ready when you were changing. Heads up, I'm not that great of a cook."

"I can't wait to eat." her mouth twitched with excitement.

Rihan snickers again, snapping his fingers. "Come here."

She stares at him, blinking her eyes. "Huh? What?"

As if natural, his palm found her forehead, which he rubs softly. "Relax." He stares at her, his smirk growing wider. "It's just your aura."

With a blank expression, she stares at his hand. Slowly growing frustrated, "What are you doing!?" she scolds, pushing his hand away from her head.

Rihan chuckles, "I'm not going to hurt you," he explained, "We were snuggling earlier, remember? What's wrong with touching your head?"

She stares at his smirk, her lips forming an 'o'. Her face turns into a full blush. "I don't know what you're talking about. We weren't snuggling earlier." she stutters.

"I don't snuggle with strangers." She scrunches her nose, turning her blushing face away.

Extending his hand, he grabs her by her chin, forcing her to look at him. His smirk grows bigger. "I'm just messing with ya."

"Come on let's eat! It'll get cold if we don't hurry." he places the plates and silverware onto the table.

The quick gesture made her whole face turn bright red, and she swallows the lump in her throat. "I-I'm sorry. I'm not used to people touching me."

"It's alright." He smiles, placing the bread on the plate in front of her. "This is my first time seeing you too. My fault."

She pouts, "I'm not good with people."

"What do you mean?" He tilts his head to the side, confused.

"I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." she glances down, avoiding his eyes. "I'm just not that type of person. That talk very well."

Rihan snorts, taking his seat across from her. "What kind of person would you be then?"

She sighs, glancing down at the floor. "Forget it."

He pokes her in the cheek, causing her to glare at him with a pouty expression.

"I wasn't asking for details," he teases, grinning at her. "But you have to admit, you're hungry. So join me for dinner."

Larisa stares at the floor, biting her lower lip.

"Come on, it's not like we have to snuggle or anything," he snickers. "Just sit next to me."

"Fine." She stares at the floor, "I'll try to be nice and not be weird." She sits beside him, keeping her distance. "I'm not that comfortable with other guys."

Rihan snickers, grabbing the food from the table. He stares at her, watching her closely. "I'm glad to hear that."

She stares back, glaring with her eyes.

"I'm glad to see you open up to me," he adds with a smirk.

She stares at him, her expression unreadable.

Rihan takes a bite of the steaming hot rice, chewing slowly. "It tastes delicious." He chews the meat, savouring the flavour. The soup smells like a combination of chicken, beef, vegetables, spices, herbs, and more.

The scent makes his mouth water. "It's perfect."

He stares at her, waiting for her response. "Do you agree?"

You are reading story The Ash Earth at novel35.com

She stares at his bowl, her eyes wide as saucers. She pokes at the white grains of rice, trying to pick out the individual pieces of food inside.

"What's the matter?" He asks, noticing the look of confusion on her face. "Are you having trouble eating?"

She shakes her head, swallowing the saliva that gathered in the back of her throat. "No, it's not that. I'm just surprised."

She pokes the food around, scooping a spoonful of the mixture into her mouth. "It's so hot."

Rihan grins, leaning back in his chair. "That's the way it should be."

The next moment, her eyes opened in disbelief. "How did you prepare this!" she exclaims, her eyes widening. "This is so amazing!"

"I'm glad you liked it," he replies.

Larisa's eyes widen further, her jaw-dropping. "This is so different from the stuff I ate at home. This is so much better!"

She reaches for the bottle of soy sauce, pouring a little bit of the liquid into her dish.

Rihan stares at her, smiling. Of course, that dish is the culmination of my past life's knowledge, he thinks. The ingredients were carefully selected, the preparation method was refined, and the result was something that was simply magnificent.

"It's really good, isn't it?" He stares into her eyes, his gaze intense.

"Yes, it's incredible," she stares at him, the intensity of his stare making her heart skip a beat. She pauses, thinking of a question to ask. "Why are you so good at cooking?"

He shrugs, poking at his own meal with a fork. "It's fun to experiment and learn new things," he explains, stabbing the food into smaller pieces.

Soon they finish their meals, and Larisa washes the dishes. Afterwards, she clears the table and stares at the sink, feeling awkward.

"This is the best thing ever," she stares at the empty dish, licking her lips. It was unladylike of her, but she couldn't help herself. Her mouth watered at the thought of another serving. "You're a great cook."

"Thanks." he stares at her, his smirk growing wider. "You're welcome." He stares at her, enjoying the view of her beautiful face. It's glowing now that she's filled her stomach, her cheeks rosy pink.

Now that his stomach is full too, he feels completely rejuvenated. Perhaps I should return to my room and continue cultivating, he muses.

"Oh! I was wondering, how'd you end up with the state you were in earlier? Was it truly because of the rain?" he stares into her eyes, curious.

Returning the stare, her lips parting. "At first I was cultivating but was woken up by a noise. I thought I heard someone calling my name. But when I turned around I saw nobody."

"That was what broke your concentration? Not the rain?"

"Yeah, it was so sudden," she stares at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers. "It was like a bolt of lightning hit me. I had chills all over my body like somebody was touching me with ice."

She stares at him with a blank expression, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm sure the rain didn't cause it," he says, picking up his cup of tea now.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." she stares at him, her expression blank once again. "It's so strange though. I can't explain why I feel like there's someone there. Like, I can sense a presence."

Rihan stares at her, sipping his tea. "I don't know if I can fully understand your feelings, but would it be a ghost?" He stares at her with a smirk, his mind going to a certain memory.

Her pupil immediately dilates, her breath catching. "What?!" she stares at him, her eyes wide.

"I don't believe in ghosts," he chuckles, raising his mug of tea. "But you might be right."

"You're scaring me! You're scaring me!" she stares at him with wide eyes, her face red. "I'm not scared of ghosts. I'm not afraid of death or anything."

He smirks, stifling his laughter. "I'm sorry, it's just that you looked terrified." he stares into her eyes, his smirk turning into an amused grin. "I guess you don't need to worry about it."

"I'm not worried." she stares at him, her expression blank.

"So what happened after that?" he stares at her, studying her expression.

She stares at him, blinking her eyes. "It's just, I - I tripped on some rocks while running to get away from the voice," she stares at her fingers, "After that, I tried my best to get away from the place.

It felt like the person or whatever wanted to keep me away."

She pauses, looking at her feet. "I ran as fast as possible, and while it was raining. That's I got back to the dorm and met you," she pauses, staring into space for a moment before continuing.

"The whole time, I kept sensing a presence, like a shadow following me. Whenever I stopped, the sensation would be amplified." She pauses, taking a deep breath.

"It sounds like you've been through a lot," he replied simply.

"Yeah, well I'm going to continue practicing in my room," she stares into the distance, the rain filling the lake nearby, flooding the bridge. "I don't want to be disturbed by anybody." She pauses for a second, then looks back at him. "I'm not used to people."

He stares at her with a concerned look and an eyebrow raised, "Alright, but don't you feel like your entire body is burning up whenever you're cultivating? Your leg will get numb and it feels like the bruises in your feet are getting worse."

He stares at her with a serious face. "And don't you have nightmares every single time you sleep?"

"H-How did you find out?" she stares at him with a shocked expression, her face flushed. "Nobody told you that right!?"

"No, and I can help you fully recover. I'm not joking," Rihan spoke with a stern tone.

Larisa stares back, her jaw slack.

He stares at her with a stony expression, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Don't tell me that you haven't noticed."

She stares at the table, biting her lip.

"I think you should stop for today," he stares at her, his gaze stony. "I'll show you tomorrow." He stands, grabbing his bag. "If you still have trouble, come talk to me. I'll make sure you'll fully recover." With that, he leaves the cafeteria.

At the same time as he was leaving, a gust of wind blows, causing the window to rattle. The sound makes Larisa jump, her heart skipping several beats.

She stares at the door, her ears twitching. "I'll make sure you'll fully recover." Those words ring in her head.

You can find story with these keywords: The Ash Earth, Read The Ash Earth, The Ash Earth novel, The Ash Earth book, The Ash Earth story, The Ash Earth full, The Ash Earth Latest Chapter