Phoenix (Disconnected)

Chapter 6

Noire

It was all pitch black, like I was floating in a never-ending abyss.

"Hello?" I called out, yet my voice just echoes in the empty space. How did I end up here?

I recall my recent memories. I was on my way home and then suddenly a loud noise came followed by a loud thud, then everything went black.

I am dead, aren't I? I looked around, finding the silence comfortable. So this is the feeling of being dead... I thought that if I died, I'll become a spirit and eventually walk on the surface of the earth... or recalling all my memories while dying.

On my peripheral vision, I noticed a dot of light, or I'm just imagining things? As I turn, it keeps getting big until it surrounds me. I cover my eyes with my arms across each other to shield me.

I flutter my eyes open, finding myself in an unfamiliar room. I gain my focus first before I sit. Turns out that I'm laying on the couch.

I manage to stand up, yet wobble a little. I grip the chair, which I have noticed that it is placed face in front of the couch. I also noticed the hardness of the wooden chair underneath my grip.

Where am I? I should be dead...how is it possible that I can feel things?

A lot of questions kept sprouting in my mind, desperately wanted answers. I heard the knob turned and burst open.

It was a silent second. A familiar face greeted me, and it makes me even more confused than ever.

"Noire." Nicole blurted like my name was some kind of expression for otherworldly happenings.

She stood still for a moment and collapsed. As I was ready to run after her, a man suddenly caught her.

"I got her." The man said.

"Wha-" I wanted to ask him if she's okay or something happened.

"Don't worry, she just fainted." He smiled and lift Nicole.

"Sorry about that Noire...or should I say Nhinx. She was quite a handful." Another man walked into the room and looked at me sincerely. He then turned around and face the other man. "Hey Ice, may talk to her in private, please?" The man, whose name is Ice, nodded and exits the room with Nicole in his arms.

The man looks at me again and smiled. He moved his hands, gesturing to the couch, that I have lied earlier, and the food on the coffee table.

"You must be hungry... Here eat as much as your heart's content." He poured a mug of hot chocolate and offered it to me. "I know you don't like coffee, so I made hot chocolate instead." He comfortably sits across me and sips his hot choco.

Still confused and light-headed, I'm not sure if I should accept it from a stranger, yet I felt my stomach rumbling, but I accept it anyway. "Thank you," I answered politely, even he's around our age, I think.

Silence engulfed the room, that I can hear my sip on the hot choco.

"How is it? I hope I met your standard?" He asked.

"It's perfect," I replied, giving myself a mental facepalm for replying quickly.

"I'm glad... " He then goes back to reclining himself on the couch across me.

"Thank you, Mr...." I trailed off not knowing what to say.

"How rude of me. My name is Hunter Shizen. You can call me by my first name." He then bowed and smiled.

"Japanese?" I asked dumbly. Noire! For Pete's sake!

His smile grew wider. "Very good observation. Yes, I am Japanese, yet I can speak English fluently, must be because I spent more time here than my actual homeland." He explained.

Now that he's across me, I noticed his hair is long enough below ears and styled up with a quick swift to the right, and his semi slanted eyes focusing on his mug.

"Nhinx." He called out suddenly. I immediately found myself looking at his dark brown pools, which I noticed a tinge of crystal green in his irises. I never knew people's eyes could look like that.

"Pardon?" I blurted out. He, once again, smiled gently and put his mug down. "I know you have a lot of questions, yes?"

He stands up and walks towards the window. "Sorry if I had to put a chillberry on the hot chocolate, I know you will need it." Chillberry? What?

He got in front of the window and looked outside for a moment as if surveying the area when he's done, he looked at me expectantly. "I will answer your questions as I can, but first, do you mind walking with me on the grounds? I promise you that you have my word."

He looked so sincere at the moment, and I don't understand that I'm not freaking out right now!

"Fine...lead the way." It doesn't hurt to trust his words...for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Did you know that in their world...

Chillberry only grows in cold places, mostly found in caves.

A medium dose can make you feel very relaxed; small doses can make someone's mind clear, most students use this in the form of pills before reviewing for the exams; Large doses can make you feel numb, but is only used for surgeries.

Overdose may lead to a cold attack, it is when the body shivers endlessly and couldn't handle any wind, even soft blows on them can turn the shivers into more intense.