From Trash to Lord of Thunder: The Rise of the Cursed Extra-Chapter 32: Where Is She?

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Charles's mind.

'The bathroom,' he thought, sitting up straight.

He stood abruptly, the wood creaking beneath him.

He just needed to say it.

"Uh... I need to use the bathroom," he said, scratching his neck with a forced smile.

Kaira and Lira stared at him, clearly caught off guard.

'What?' Kaira thought, blinking, but she was the first to react, looking away with slightly flushed cheeks.

"Oh, uh... sure," she said, her tone aiming for casual but sounding a bit nervous. "It's normal to be... worked up after something like that. Go, no problem."

Lira, on the other hand, let out a long sigh and covered her face with one hand.

'This guy...' she thought, exasperated.

"The men's bathroom is at the end of the hall, on the right," she explained dryly. "Don't get lost."

Charles nodded, grateful for the excuse.

'Perfect,' he thought, heading for the door. 'Now I just need to slip away, and...'

He grabbed the handle and pulled, expecting the door to open easily, but then—

Crack!

The lock snapped in his hand, a chunk of metal hitting the floor with a Clink! that echoed in the room.

'Crap!' Charles thought, staring at the broken lock piece in his hand.

'Huh?' Kaira thought.

'What the hell?' Lira thought.

Kaira and Lira froze, eyes wide.

'Did Rian just break the door...?' Kaira thought, a laugh bubbling up inside her.

Lira, meanwhile, pursed her lips, clearly annoyed but trying not to snap.

Kaira broke the silence first, bursting into laughter as she couldn't hold it in.

"See, Lira?" she said, gesturing at Rian. "I told you Rian's still jittery from the fights. Look, he even broke the door by accident!"

Her tone was light, but her eyes stayed locked on Rian.

Lira sighed again, dragging a hand down her face.

"Go on, Rian," she said, her voice more resigned than angry. "Hit the bathroom. I'll deal with this."

"Thanks," Charles replied, relieved, but in his head:

'Did I really break that so easily?' he thought, hurrying out with quick steps.

The door creaked as it closed behind him, and the dark hallway greeted him with cool, rain-scented air.

'I feel stronger,' he thought, flexing his fingers. 'Too strong. But... also more tired.'

As he walked down the hall, his mind drifted back to the fight with Syris.

His body had felt heavier during that match, too sluggish to close the gap like he had with Darion.

But then that lightning bolt had struck from the sky, knocking out Syris and leaving him... untouched.

'Why didn't it affect me?' he thought, frowning.

Sure, his power was tied to electricity, but was he really completely immune to lightning?

And his wounds...

Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, Charles noticed the hallway seemed to stretch with each step.

'Damn it, just a bit further...' he thought, leaning against the wall to stay balanced. 'Can't pass out here.'

But sleep was closing in, like someone had slipped him a sedative.

'Was it Lira again?' he thought, but no—she hadn't touched him, and he hadn't eaten or drunk anything since the fight.

So what...?

Tap tap!

Rapid footsteps behind him snapped him out of his thoughts, followed by a female voice he couldn't quite place.

"Rian, wait!"

But before he could turn, his legs gave out, and the world went black.

Thud!

Charles's body hit the floor, and everything faded.

◇◆◇

When Charles opened his eyes, the world was a blur of soft light and warm colors.

'Where am I?' he thought, blinking to clear his vision.

He was lying on a cot, wrapped in clean-smelling sheets. The room was spacious, with polished wooden walls and a huge window revealing green trees.

This wasn't his room, and thankfully...

'It's not Lira's room either!'

Charles sat up carefully, noticing his body still felt heavy, but the urge to sleep was gone.

A movement in the corner caught his attention.

Creak!

A black-haired girl was sprawled on a couch, a pillow under her head and a blanket half-covering her.

'Kaira,' Charles thought, recognizing her instantly.

She was sleeping soundly, mouth slightly open, a strand of hair falling across her face.

'What's she doing here?' he thought, confused.

But as if sensing his stare, Kaira's eyes fluttered open, and she yawned with a Mmm! that echoed in the room.

"Morning, Rian," she said, stretching with a lazy smile.

She sat up on the couch, rubbing her eyes.

"Or... well, I guess it's more like noon."

Kaira glanced at Charles, catching his shocked expression.

"What? Never seen someone sleep before?"

Charles swallowed, processing her words.

'Noon?' he thought, looking out the window.

Sunlight filtered through clouds, confirming he'd slept through the night.

"What happened?" he asked, his tone sharper than intended. "Where's Lira?"

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Kaira raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his reaction.

"Easy, Rian," she said, standing and walking toward him. "You passed out in the hallway last night. Probably exhaustion from the fights. Or... I don't know, maybe shock."

She paused, eyeing him up and down.

"Your clothes were a mess, but you had no wounds. So we brought you here, to the clan's hospital." She gestured at the room. "Nice, right? You can stay until you're feeling better."

Charles frowned, still wary.

'This is part of the clan too?' he thought, noting the room's pristine furniture and tree view. "And Lira?" he pressed, crossing his arms.

Kaira shrugged, sitting on the edge of the cot.

"Lira's working," she explained, scooting closer to Rian. "Why do you ask? She wasn't here last night. I'm the one who found you in the hall and brought you here, which, by the way... could you do me a favor?"