Strange Lady

The two men snarled, taking a step closer to Jayden. The air was electric with tension as the patrons held their collective breath. The woman, sensing an opportunity, slipped away from the confrontation, her eyes never leaving Jayden's face.

The burly man, his face reddening with rage, sneered at Jayden. "You think you're tough? You think you can take on us?"

Jayden's expression remained calm, but his eyes flashed with annoyance. "I'm not looking for a fight," he said, his voice even. "But I won't back down either."

Now Jayden knew the men were probably stronger than him, but he was confident in his martial arts. For most of his life, he had lived with beings that were far superior in strength compared to him, but yet he would sometimes prevail in spars.

The leaner man, his eyes glinting with malice, snickered. "We'll teach you a lesson," he said, cracking his knuckles. And in an instant, they charged in.

Before they could strike Jayden, the woman's entire expression underwent a dramatic transformation. Her eyes, which had been flashing with anger and fear, suddenly became calm and stern, gleaming with a hint of mischief. Her face, which had been twisted in a mixture of intimidation and helplessness, smoothed out into a mask of serenity, radiating an aura of confidence and authority.

"Thats enough," she muttered with a commanding voice, one that shook everyone in the room. The words were laced with a subtle menace, a warning that she would not be trifled with.

Her aura, which had been barely perceptible, suddenly flared to life, radiating an authoritative and intimidating energy that seemed to fill the entire room. The air around her seemed to vibrate with power, making it seem as though she was the only one who truly mattered.

The two men, who had been poised to attack Jayden, froze, their faces pale and uncertain. They seemed to shrink back, intimidated by the woman's sudden display of authority.

Jayden, who had been preparing to defend himself, felt a surge of surprise and curiosity. Who was this woman, and how was she able to command such respect?

The room fell silent, with all eyes fixed on the woman. The only sound was the soft hum of the restaurant's background noise, and the heavy breathing of the two men, who seemed to be struggling to comprehend the sudden shift in power dynamics.

The woman's gaze swept the room, her eyes lingering on the two men before moving on to Jayden. Her expression was calm and serene, but her eyes seemed to gleam with a hint of amusement, as though she was enjoying the sudden turn of events.

The leaner man hesitated, his eyes fixed on the woman with a mixture of surprise and fear. But the burly man was more infuriated, his face reddening with rage.

How dare she, he thought. She was cowering in fear just moments ago, and now she thought she could intimidate him?

With a snarl, the burly man charged at the woman, his massive fists swinging. But she didn't flinch.

Instead, she sidestepped his attack with ease, her movements quick and fluid. As the burly man stumbled past her, she reached out and caught his arm, her hands closing around his wrist like a vice.

The burly man tried to struggle, but the woman's grip was unyielding. With a swift and precise motion, she pressed down on his arm, applying pressure to a specific point.

The sound of cracking bone filled the air, followed by the burly man's pained roar. He stumbled backwards, clutching his broken arm, his face contorted in agony.

The leaner man's eyes widened in horror as he stared at his companion. He took a step back, his hands raised in a placating gesture.

"I... I think we've made a mistake," he stuttered.

The woman's gaze flicked to the leaner man, her eyes narrowing. "You think?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Let's get out of here!" the burly man cried, and without another word, they turned and fled, disappearing out of the restaurant as quickly as they could. The woman watched them go, a small smile playing on her lips.

Jayden watched the scene unfold with a mixture of surprise and admiration. He had never seen anyone take down an opponent with such ease and precision.

As the woman turned to face him, a small smile playing on her lips, Jayden felt a shiver run down his spine. There was something about her that commanded respect, something that made him want to keep his distance.

"Thank you for your willingness to help," she said, her voice dripping with sincerity. "But I think I can handle myself,"

Jayden nodded, still feeling a bit stunned. "I can see that," he said, not that he wanted to help the woman anyways. He only wanted to get retribution for having a glass hurled at him.

The woman's smile widened, and she stretched her hand. "I'm Pen," she replied, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Jayden hesitated for a while before taking her hand, he could now get a good view of the woman. She was a tall and curvy figure, with large breasts and red lips. But Jayden couldn't have an accurate description of her facials, as she was putting on glasses, with short black hair that covered her forehead.

"Jayden," he muttered. As they shook hands, Jayden couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity about her. Who was she, really? And how was she able to command such respect and authority?

He looked into her eyes, searching for answers. But all he saw was a hint of mischief, and a spark of amusement. It was as though she knew a secret, and was enjoying the fact that Jayden didn't.

"But I like your confidence and I admire your resilience. And standing up for a lady, how valiant. I should reward you for that," she muttered with a smirk.

Jayden wore a wry smile, he was confident and resilient, no doubt. But standing up for a woman? Hard pass. He didn't even give a fuck if she got beaten to death, why should he? He had only confronted the men because he was almost hit by the glass thrown at him, and he didn't get an apology.

He opened his mouth to speak, to respectfully say the words "No, thank you ma'am. You're too kind, but I don't need a reward, bye". But before he could utter anything, the woman continued

"Judging from your uniform, you attend Eleanora high, no?" she said

"Yes, I do," he replied indifferently

"I see, my daughter goes there too. Shouldn't you be in class, I believe it's still lecture hours," she said with a raised brow

"I got bored, so I left," Jayden muttered

Pen chuckled. "Hm, that's quite... daring, I like it. But are you a little lord or the son of a leader?" she asked

Jayden furrowed his brows, he didn't know why the woman was asking him questions, and he didn't like it. But he replied nonetheless. "No, I'm not. I'm just an ordinary kid, why'd you ask?" he said sharply

Pen smiled, she was a bit surprised, but she hid it well. "I just couldn't help but notice that your aura reading is... a bit low. I assume that you're at most level 3," she said

Jayden shook his head. "I've not been accessed yet, I don't have a level... I haven't really discovered what my ability is," he replied

"Oh, so you're not related to a powerful person, and you practically can't use your ability. But yet, you tried to fight two men whose aura reading were very high. They should be atleast level 30 already, if not more," Pen stated with a shocked expression, the kid in front of her was too bold.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't like trouble, but I don't like being pushed around either," he said

"So you did confront them because they were bullying me," she muttered with a smile

Jayden sighed inwardly, he was tired of explaining that he didn't care. But he decided to play along to please the woman, and maybe she would leave him alone. Moreover, he was certain that she was a powerful person, he didn't want to say something that would make him leave the restaurant with a broken limb.

"I guess so, I don't like bullies," he said

Pen's smile grew, the boy in front of her was far more interesting than any other teenager she had ever encountered. "That's quite noble," she muttered. "Why don't I buy your lunch to express my sincere gratitude?"

"No thanks, I've lost my appetite," Jayden rejected her offer. "And I didn't do anything, you were the one who broke that guy's arm. Even I am a bit terrified of you," he replied with a chuckle, trying to politely reject the woman and still leave the place in one piece.

Pen burst into laughter, she removed her glasses and wiped the little speck of water that had formed in her eye. And that was when Jayden got a clear view of her face, she was an incredibly beauty with purple eyes. And she was also putting on a purple ring on her left ring finger, one that radiated a lot of energy.

"Hmm, that ring must be an A-Ranked accessory," he thought

"Well you have nothing to fear from me, I'm just an ordinary person like everybody else," she winked, with a cute smile

Jayden chuckled, he knew better than to believe that. There was something about the woman that he found familiar and ancient, something he felt connected with.

"It's was lovely meeting you, Mrs Pen. But I should take my leave now, I didn't plan on coming here anyway," he muttered

"First, it's 'Miss'. I'm not engaged and I'm not that old," Pen giggled. "And why don't I give you a ride," she said and began walking towards the door. Jayden knew she wouldn't take no for an answer, so he sighed inwardly and followed her out of the restaurant.