From Trash to Lord of Thunder: The Rise of the Cursed Extra-Chapter 46: An Unexpected Dip

Rain started falling again, cold drops pelting Charles and Nora’s faces as they sat by the river.

Water streamed down their tunics, soaking them further, but Charles couldn’t help laughing.

"Hey, Nora," he said, chuckling, wiping rain from his eyes. "Not gonna use your wind skill to block the rain this time either? What’s up, didn’t shower today?"

Nora shot him a look, a mix of disbelief and offense.

"Shower?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Look who’s talking, Mr. ’I got struck by lightning and still smell like a bonfire’!"

Without warning, she flicked her hand, and a gust of wind shot toward Charles.

"Take this!" she shouted, the air shoving him hard into the river.

SPLASH!

Charles hit the water, stunned, and to his horror, realized the river was much deeper than it looked.

The cold engulfed him, his arms flailing clumsily as he tried to stay afloat.

’Shit!’ he thought, heart racing.

In the real world, he’d never been to a pool or beach. His parents couldn’t afford it, and the few times he was near a lake, he stuck to the shore.

’I can’t swim!’ he thought, as the water pulled him under.

Desperate, he tried calling the system, but his words came out in bubbles.

The blue panel didn’t appear, and the silence filled him with panic.

’Seriously, it’s not gonna answer...?’ he thought, thrashing harder.

His lungs burned, and the current spun him like a leaf in a storm.

From the bank, Nora watched, arms crossed, a smirk on her face.

"Come on, Rian, don’t be dramatic!" she shouted, thinking he was overacting.

But as seconds passed and his head didn’t surface, her smile faded.

"Rian?" she called, stepping toward the edge.

’It can’t be that bad, right?’ she thought, frowning.

But when she saw bubbles rising with no sign of him, panic hit.

"Shit, no!" she muttered, ready to jump in.

Just then, Charles shot out of the river in a clumsy leap, propelled by desperate effort.

"Agh!" he yelled, but in the process, he crashed into Nora, who couldn’t dodge in time.

They tumbled into the muddy ground, Charles landing on top of her.

The impact made Charles smack his forehead, and Nora groaned as her back hit the wet earth.

"Ow!" Nora grunted, shoving him off. "What the hell were you doing?" she demanded, her tone pure anger. Her back ached, and mud clung to her clothes and hair.

Charles, still panting, sat beside her, hand on his forehead where a bruise was forming.

"That’s what I wanna know about you!" he said, gasping. "You threw me in the damn river!"

Nora crossed her arms, still on the ground.

"It was a joke, idiot!" she said, scowling. "I didn’t think you’d drown!"

Charles let out a laugh, though still catching his breath.

"A joke, sure!" he said, sarcastic.

Then, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he stood and, before Nora could react, grabbed her by the waist.

"Here’s my joke!" he shouted, diving back into the river with her.

SPLASH!

Nora screamed, shocked, as they hit the water. She tried to surface, but Charles held her waist, keeping her down.

"Rian, let go!" she yelled, flailing.

But Charles just laughed, holding her in the water.

Furious, Nora closed her eyes and focused her power.

A blast of air shot from her hands, creating friction that propelled them upward, keeping their heads above water while their bodies stayed submerged.

Nora, face red from effort and embarrassment, glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, noticing how Charles’s hands gripped her waist, too close to her chest, making her nervous.

Charles grinned, playful.

"Just messing with you," he said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

Nora narrowed her eyes, cheeks burning.

"Messing?" she repeated, her tone venomous. "Did that lightning fry your brain? I can’t swim, idiot!"

Charles laughed, still holding her.

"Truth is, neither can I," he said, his grin showing too many teeth.

Nora froze, eyes wide.

’What?’ she thought, a chill hitting her unrelated to the cold water. ’So he grabbed me on purpose to drown us both?’

The thought made her pale.

’He’s a psycho! Totally worthy of the Cole name!’ she thought, heart racing.

"Let me go right now!" she shouted, struggling. "And stop touching my chest so I can focus on getting us out!"

Charles raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Not much to grab, you know?" he said, no filter.

Nora’s jaw dropped, face red with outrage.

"What did you say?" she screamed, pushing harder. "My body’s the result of years of intense training, asshole!"

Charles laughed, clearly enjoying her reaction.

"Then you should train harder," he said, shrugging.

Nora gritted her teeth, cursing under her breath.

"You son of a bitch!" she muttered, closing her eyes to focus.

With a trembling effort, she summoned a stronger air current, a gust that lifted them both from the water and flung them onto the bank.

They landed with a dull thud in the mud, Nora on top of Charles this time.

THUD!

Mud coated them head to toe, sticking to their faces and clothes.

Nora, panting, sat up, trying to wipe her face.

"Look at this mess!" she shouted, pointing at their state. But then, with a touch of pride, added, "At least I got us out."

Charles, still on the ground, laughed, wiping mud from his eyes.

"I’d have done the same," he said, teasing. "If you’d let me take you to the bottom."

Nora glared like she wanted to strangle him.

"No way I’d let you kill me!" she said, crossing her arms. "I thought you were trying to drown us both!"

Charles sat up, shaking his head.

"Just kidding, Nora," he said, his smile softer. "Obviously I wouldn’t kill a friend."

Nora froze, eyes wide.

"What?" she murmured, processing.

’Rian... called me a friend?’ she thought, a strange warmth in her chest.

Seconds later, she cleared her throat, trying to stay composed.

"Say that again," she said, her tone shyer than intended.

Charles frowned, confused.

"Say what?" he asked, scratching his neck.

Nora blushed, looking away.

"What you said before," she said, voice low. "You know..."

Charles blinked, still lost.

"That I’d take you to the bottom?" he said, shrugging.

Nora groaned, giving him a light shove.

"No, idiot! The other thing!" she said, cheeks red.

Charles tilted his head, thinking.

"That I wouldn’t kill a friend?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nora nodded, staring at the muddy ground.

"So... you consider me a friend?" she asked, voice thick with embarrassment.

Charles smiled, genuine.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging. "You’re a professional slacker, but you’re my friend."

Nora laughed, covering her mouth.

"You’re a mess, Rian..." she said, a faint smile forming. "You’re a few ranks below my level, but... since you’re a Cole, I guess I’ll let you call me a friend."

Charles laughed, glancing at his hand, the one he’d used to hold her in the water.

’They weren’t that big,’ he thought, a mischievous smile he kept to himself.

But in his mind, he was also thinking about tomorrow’s duel.