System's POV

Five days after Rocky won the battle against Azothrall…

Shana's face was beet-red as she covered her eyes with her hands.

She was currently inside Zion's room, and in front of her was a scene of Erica stripping the young man off of his clothes, in order to clean his body.

Despite trying hard to keep her eyes closed, her curiosity got ahold of her, so she peeked through the gap of her fingers to 'check' if Erica was doing her job properly.

Erica sensed the young lady was peeking behind her, but she simply smirked as she gently wiped Zion's body with a wet hand towel.

Due to his mental, emotional, and spiritual senses being stretched to the limit, Thirteen received a backlash from fighting nonstop for several days while merged with Rocky's consciousness.

He could still move his upper body, but he could no longer move his legs, which seemed to be paralyzed at the moment.

His vision was also impaired, and he could only see up to three meters in front of him before things became blurry.

However, he knew that these were just temporary conditions that would heal after some time.

It was a bit troublesome being unable to walk, but Erica was more than happy to bathe him, feed him, and carry him around.

For her, this was the perfect opportunity to make Zion rely on her more, which the young man didn't mind doing.

It was not only Erica that took care of Zion.

Sherry and Shana helped as well.

Sherry, the youngest of the three ladies, still blushed whenever she wiped Zion with a wet cloth, cleaning every nook and cranny of his body.

Shana wasn't as bold as the two girls and would only feed and hug Zion to sleep as her way to make up for the hardships he suffered to protect her from the Alien-like Monster who had wished to capture her.

"All done!" Erica said before kissing Zion's cheek.

"Thank you, Erica," Zion replied as he cooperated with Erica, who was helping him wear some clothes.

When the young man was fully dressed, Shana finally removed the hands that were covering her eyes and looked at the young man with a conflicted expression on her face.

"What are you waiting for, Miss Teddy Bear?" Erica said in a teasing tone. "Do your job and hug Zion to keep him warm."

"Don't call me Teddy Bear." Shana pursed her lips, but her face was still red from her earlier embarrassment.

"Then should I call you Tit…mpphh!"

"Seriously, there are things that you shouldn't say, you know?"

A faint smile appeared on the teenage boy's face as he watched the two bicker with each other.

This had been a regular occurrence as of late since Shana was staying in Zion's room very often, with the excuse that she wanted to repay him for helping save her life.

Since there was nothing wrong with her excuse, Erica allowed her to do as she pleased.

In fact, she was even subtly letting the two spend time together because she wanted to see if Shana would be able to resist the young man, who was currently in a weakened state.

Traveling underground, Rocky headed to their original destination, the Temple of Zaphiel.

According to Thirteen's calculations, it would only take them four more days before they arrived at their destination.

"Shana, after four days, we will arrive at the Temple," Thirteen said. "Once you and Diana are there, make sure to get along with everyone and try not to get involved in their politics.

"Everyone there is vying for the Celestial's attention, so if you stand out too much, you might be treated as an eyesore. However, no matter how difficult and no matter how they try to bully you behind closed doors, don't falter."

"Then, should I not stand out too much?" Shana asked, pulling Zion closer to her, and hugging him a bit tighter. "If I keep a low profile, they won't target me, right?"

"You shouldn't do that either," Thirteen replied. "You must stand out and get the Celestial's attention. Only by doing so will you be able to gain access to her Celestial Arts."

"Then what if even if I tried my best to stand out, but she still wouldn't give me any attention?" Shana inquired.

"Then she's blind and not worth your time," Thirteen answered. "However, you should still stay in the Temple until it is time to return to Pangea. It doesn't matter whether you learn the Celestial Arts or not. Everything you will learn in the temple are enough for you to play an important role in the Jinn Invasion."

Shana nodded. "I'll do as you say."

The Saintess then glanced in Erica's direction and was surprised when she didn't find the Sorceress inside the room with them.

Looking around her surroundings and expanding her senses, she confirmed that no one was in the room with them.

Tiona was currently outside, coordinating with Rocky and the Demons under her command, who were busy scouting ahead of them.

When she finally shifted her attention back to Zion, she realized that the young man had already fallen asleep in her arms.

Perhaps, in order to regain his strength, and mobility faster, Thirteen napped a lot, like a baby, only awake for a few hours each day.

Shana, who had just been told that she only had four days before she had to say goodbye to him, felt an ache tug inside her heart.

She always thought that Zion was strong and invincible, so seeing him in his frail and weakened state made the young lady remember that Zion had many restrictions placed inside his body.

No matter how much he tried…

No matter what he did…

He would remain a Rookie for life.

This realization made Shana feel ashamed of herself. Despite being weaker than her, the teenage boy was always on the frontlines, weathering the storms meant for other people.

Looking at his peaceful sleeping face that was as calm as a lake, Shana suddenly felt her heart stir as if she wanted to protect him from all harm.

She then lowered her head and before she realized it, she had already planted a kiss on his lips, making her entire face turn beet red.

Hastily looking at her surroundings and confirming that she was alone, Shana was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

She didn't know what she would do if someone discovered that she took advantage of the weakened teenage boy, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms.

'What is wrong with me?' Shana thought, feeling very guilty as if she had committed a grave crime.

At that moment, Zion suddenly moved, taking Shana by surprise.

The teenager hugged her back and even kissed her cheek, mumbling the words, "Goodnight, Erica".

A few seconds later, he reached for Shana's ears, breaking her from her daze. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

She didn't know how she should feel when she heard Zion bidding Erica good night despite her being the one beside him.

What she didn't know was that Zion did indeed thought that she was the Sorceress, who always held him in her embrace.

Thirteen had responded subconsciously, not aware that he had kissed some other lady aside from his fiancee.

'So he thought I was Erica…' Shana suddenly felt sad because even in his dreams, Zion was still thinking of her friend.

'Four more days…'

Shana hugged Zion a bit tighter as she thought of their impending separation that would last for a year, and a half.

It was then that she decided to take a leap of faith and reach out toward the fleeting feelings that were starting to stir inside her innocent heart.