My Trash Talent Is Actually OP!
Chapter 52 - 52: Meeting Cinder [3]

Asher and Nova didn't stop running until the tunnel was far behind them. The noise above had gone—no screams from the soldiers, no clashing steel. Just silence.

Nova glanced back. She expected to see soldiers silently following her, but nothing. Then she turned to Asher. "Why is it so quiet?"

Asher didn't answer. His eyes were on Zero, and his mind was totally scrambled, thinking about what happened to his soldiers.

However, Zero's body felt too light in his arms. Her skin had turned pale, and her breathing was slow—barely even breathing, because he didn't feel it when he placed his finger under her nose.

"We're close," Nova said, running ahead to ensure he was protected. "Just a little more."

They turned a corner, racing up the stairs that led to the outer gates of the Asylum. Massive iron bars stretched high above, but they were still functional. They both leaped off the ground and into the air. Nova shot down the two guards from earlier, killing them off finally.

Then they both landed on the other side of the gate effortlessly, but Asher stopped.

Nova looked at him, then around her, with raised brows and her mind searching for possibilities of where the next attack would come from.

"Something's wrong," Asher whispered.

And before Nova could ask, a dart flew past her and into his shoulder. He frowned, slightly annoyed, but the hot pain made him furious.

The world spun for a second, but he remained still, not giving in to the pain from the needle.

Behind them, one last soldier had appeared, shaky hands clutching an empty injector.

Nova reacted before he could move. She flicked her wrist, and an arrow flew from her fingers, straight through the man's eye. He dropped instantly.

Nova turned to Asher. She yanked the poison out and sighed, "We'll fix you up when we get to HQ."

The distance to the Guild's other site, as not far from the Asylum, like a ten minutes run for someone like Asher, for emergency purposes.

It was a tall building, surrounded by walls with symbols that looked like they were moving.

The lights at the front suddenly came on when Veylan met them at the entrance, with Yumiko not far behind him, holding a first aid box.

"She's not breathing right," Nova said before he could, gesturing at Zero in Asher's arms.

Without hesitation, they were led into the building to the infirmary. Here, a bed alone was at the center, with carts and trays.

It was neat, though just too silent and strange feeling.

When Asher set Zero down on the bed, Yumiko placed a glass shell over it and sealed it in place. Then she placed her hands on it, causing a rune to appear at the top, glowing faintly.

"Will she be okay?" Asher asked.

Veylan smiled. "The stabilizer's holding, but her vitals are unstable. This casing will regulate her blood flow and slow the spread of whatever that poison is."

Nova watched the lights flicker across Zero's skin. "She's too silent." Which was not normal, because even when Zero was stabbed with a knife or had a massive cut, she would still speak.

And Nova knew that very well. Just seeing her in a state so miserable was somewhat saddening because they actually knew each other.

Veylan then turned to Asher. "You look pale."

Asher leaned against the wall and pulled back his sleeve to reveal where the needle had hit, and around the needle, the skin there was black.

Veylan chuckled softly. "You were poisoned."

"I can feel it," Asher said. "But… it's not killing me anyway."

"I'll run a test," Veylan muttered.

"No. I'll be fine for now." Asher shook his head. "Sinnett's still out there, and I'll need to get home before midnight."

Nova crossed her arms. "We should wait for him on the roof."

---

Nova sat on the ledge on the roof, stringing her bow out of habit while a few arrows hovered around her. "I have a feeling Sinnett is going to do something stupid," she said to no one in particular, and Asher didn't answer.

He just watched the sky, while his hands fiddled with the syringe there.

Then Sinnett descended, with... Cinder.

She was suspended in the air, by the location of his hair, wrapped tight around her like a cocoon. She didn't look in pain, just extremely annoyed.

Sinnett landed softly on the roof, dragging her down beside him. She was upright, bound like a wrapped gift—which was funny—her coat torn, streaks of dried blood on her lip.

Nova stood up, instantly on guard, then aimed her arrows at them. "What the hell is this?"

"She's not going to kill anyone, relax," Sinnett said calmly. "She's coming with me."

Cinder scoffed. "That's optimistic."

Sinnett ignored her. "She knows things. I'll get the truth out of her, so she's not your problem right now."

Nova glared hard at him. "She's a traitor. She would have killed us all if she wanted to."

"Maybe." He didn't seem to care. "She knows the Asylum. Could help. If she wants to."

Cinder laughed softly. "I didn't say I would."

"But you're still alive," Sinnett said. "So think about why."

Cinder didn't respond. She looked at Asher instead. She sniffed silently, then stared long until her eyes dilated—but not out of shock, more like amusement.

"Asher..." she dragged his name with a smile, "I wonder if you can still remember me."

"Remember you?"

Nova stepped in front of him as fast as she could to protect him. "Don't talk to him."

Cinder tilted her head. "Why not? He can speak for himself."

"You're not worth talking to," Nova answered.

But Asher stayed still. His expression hadn't changed, but he was glad Nova had his back—in pain and curious at the same time. "What do you want?"

Cinder's smile widened. "What do I want?" she repeated, tilting her head slightly. "Your head, mostly."

Nova stepped forward, ready to attack, while Sinnett just watched silently. Asher also did not move; he just stared as well.

Cinder's grin grew thin as she lowered her gaze. "But maybe not just yet."

She leaned against Sinnett's hair like it was furniture, her bindings not bothering her in the slightest. "There's something else I'd rather have first."

Asher raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

She went on, voice low now, teasing. "I want to know what you are. That necromancy trick you pulled back there? It wasn't just summoning magic. There was something else." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Something... oddly strange."

"I don't owe you answers," Asher said.

"No," she agreed, "but you fascinate me." Then her voice dropped, losing the playful edge.

"You don't move like the others. You don't feel like the others. I've seen hundreds of casters come through that hellhole of a class. None of them reek like you."

Nova frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Cinder's eyes never left Asher.

"You reek of dragons," she said, her face twisting with quiet disgust. "It's so strong I might even say you're one."

"And you want to talk about monsters?" she whispered. "You've no idea what you are, do you?"

"Let me put it simply...just like other dragons, if you so much as reek of them, you and everyone you've made contact with will be killed. Because you can never be too cautious," she chuckled. "Right?"

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