Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 954: World Girl

As the remaining forty minutes passed, Asher had spent the time testing out his teleportation Mark, throwing short daggers around before moving between them with seamless ease. As time finally elapsed, the entire separate space shattered as space itself ruptured, though not in a massive explosion. The trees, the air, the clouds, and even the sky all seemed to smear out of existence, as though they had been nothing more than an illusion from the very beginning.

In reality, however, they were simply being erased under the limitations and conditions FatelessPen had established earlier.

Asher’s feet touched the floorboards as his senses gradually returned, and he found himself standing within his room once more. Looking around, he saw everything exactly as he had left it. His eyes drifted toward the massive glass window at the side of the room. Walking over to it, he peered outside and saw that night had already fallen.

“Two more days, huh?” Asher murmured out loud.

Without wasting another moment, he turned and walked toward the shower. He had spent the past five days, or rather, two full weeks, training almost without rest, relying solely on Astra Energy to cleanse himself whenever necessary. Entering the bathroom, he sank into the jacuzzi and allowed himself to relax for a while before finally stepping out.

Changing into the Gentle Hotel robes, with a small towel wrapped around his damp hair, Asher walked over to his phone resting on the nightstand. He had left it charging before entering the separate space, and it had remained plugged in for the entire five days, as FatelessPen had unexpectedly brought him into the isolated dimension without warning.

Asher scrolled through his messages. Some were from the usual people, all of whom he swiftly replied to as his fingers danced across the screen. As he continued scrolling, however, his movements suddenly came to a halt after spotting a message from an unfamiliar number that immediately caught his attention.

Ever since someone had leaked his phone number, he had received countless messages from unknown people. Still, he had developed the habit of reading the message previews without actually opening the message itself.

{+234 9251362822: Hey, I’m done with training and free at the moment. What about you?}

‘Arianna,’ Asher immediately concluded, remembering her mentioning that she planned to return to training after he consumed the Fruit of Dawn.

His gaze shifted toward the timestamp; five minutes ago.

He couldn’t help but smile faintly. It was rather amusing that he had received the text at the moment he stepped out of the bathroom, almost as though both he and Arianna had completed their training simultaneously.

Besides, Asher hadn’t expected Arianna to text him. He had assumed it would take much longer before either of them contacted the other, if it even happened at all.

Without overthinking it, he simply saved her number.

As for the name, it was rather simple; World Girl.

Since everyone constantly claimed and spread rumors that Arianna was blessed by the world itself, Asher simply decided to save her contact under that nickname.

Truthfully, Asher rarely ever saved anyone under their real names.

Finch was Fatty Wang.

Ryaen was Mama Bones.

William was Copycat.

So Arianna’s nickname wasn’t unique or special in any way. It was simply how Asher named almost everyone in his contacts.

His fingers once again danced across the screen as he immediately replied after saving her number.

{You: Just finished mine. What you up to?}

After sending the reply, he casually placed his phone onto the table and turned away to sit on the bed.

Ding.

The notification caused Asher to immediately turn his attention back toward the phone. Picking it up once more, he saw that Arianna had replied almost instantly.

{World Girl: Nothing really, just talking with a few friends. Would love to go to bed, but they are a nuisance. *Sighing emoji*}

{You: Well… I understand your situation. At least you have only three such friends. I have four. *Tired emoji* And now that I’m done with training, I’m sure they’ll be knocking on my door any moment now. Lol.}

Asher replied while climbing onto the bed with his phone still in his hand before casually tossing the towel from his head onto the nightstand.

{World Girl: At least you get to ignore them because they have to knock before coming in. I was denied that opportunity, as those three perfectly timed my food delivery from the hotel kitchen and simply followed the staff member inside. *Weak emoji*}

{You: *Laughing emoji ×10*}

{You: Well, you can always teleport them out of your room. Easy.}

{World Girl: *Sighing emoji* If I do, they’ll accuse me of abusing my abilities and power.}

Asher stared at the message before smiling. Although he had suggested it, he himself had never actually done something like that to Finch or William. That would simply be disrespectful on every conceivable level.

{You: Well then, tell them I send my regards.}

{World Girl: Sure. No problem.}

{World Girl: So… how was training? Gotten stronger again?}

Asher raised an eyebrow at the message. He hadn’t expected Arianna to be so direct. In fact, the speed of her replies made it almost feel as though it wasn’t actually Arianna behind the screen. They came so quickly that Asher briefly wondered whether he was somehow being catfished.

For a fleeting second, he was even tempted to take out his laptop and hack into the phone of whoever was texting him. The thought disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Still, his fingers continued moving across the screen.

{You: *Sighing emoji* Just wishing I had more time. It’s a shame we only had one week.}

{World Girl: Hope you don’t die when whoever, or whatever is attacking finally comes after you’ve eaten the Fruit of Dawn.}

{You: Didn’t you listen to my speech? I’ll happily take their lives. Besides, my father and family are all ridiculously overpowered. If I can still be killed while they’re around, then sadly nowhere on Crymora is truly safe. *Shrugging emoji*}

{World Girl: Well… I won’t deny that. Lol.}

Asher stared at the final message, unsure where the conversation was headed. It almost felt as though it was naturally coming to an end. After thinking for a brief moment, he typed another message.

{You: You free tomorrow, or are you training again?}

A couple of seconds later, Arianna’s reply arrived. This time slower than before.

{World Girl: Yeah. What’s the occasion?}

{You: No occasion. Saw you driving over a week ago, and now I’m curious how good you actually are. Up for a race?}

{World Girl: Lol. While I might have lost to you during the Inter-Empire Competition, this is different. I’ve been driving since I was eleven, and as far as I know, it’s your first time in the Thalvorn Empire. How exactly do you expect to win?}

{You: You can boast all you want… after you lose. *Racing car emoji*}

{World Girl: Your funeral then.}

{You: Bring a handkerchief so you can wipe away your tears after your own loss. *Smirking emoji*}

{World Girl: Any stakes?}

{You: Don’t really know. What do you suggest?}

{World Girl: Nothing. Just asking.}

{World Girl: Anyway… gotta get some shut-eye.}

Asher stared at the message as their rapid back-and-forth conversation slowly came to an end.

{You: Goodnight. *Sleeping emoji*}

After sending the message, Arianna never replied. She had already gone offline.

Asher looked at his phone for another minute before casually tossing it onto the bed beside him. Then he simply rested his head against the pillow and drifted off to sleep, not bothering to dwell on the conversation he had just shared with Arianna.

What Asher didn’t know was that Clara, Maeve, and Celeste had been the true catalysts behind the entire exchange. The three girls had been sitting beside Arianna the entire time, constantly directing her on what to say, how to reply, and even when to send each message. To them, the race itself was far more exciting than it was to Arianna.

In the eyes of the three girls, Asher had essentially asked Arianna out on a date.

To Asher and Arianna, however… It was nothing more than a simple car race with absolutely no romantic intentions attached to it.

Maeve, Celeste, and Clara were essentially playing the exact same role Finch and William constantly played whenever they tried convincing Asher to ask Ryaen out.

And just like how Asher wasn’t interested in Ryaen and vice versa, likewise… Arianna wasn’t interested in Asher.

Unfortunately for Arianna, whether she wanted to go or not was no longer entirely her decision. Her three musketeers of best friends had already made up their minds.

And if necessary… they fully intended to enforce it.

______

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Not sure I can get my friend’s phone to type more. He’s really tried. Lol.

Also, I don’t know whether the dynamic and flow between Arianna and her besties were good or bad. And how the dynamic between Arianna and Asher texting was too, as I’m not used to romance and whatnot.

So, give me your thoughts.

Also, support this poor Author. Golden tickets, super gifts, I would accept them all.