The Divine Physician's Rebirth: Ascension from Silverbrook

Chapter 9: Control

“Dante, I'm scared they won't just drop this. Going to school alone is even scarier...” Zara mumbled, hiding her face in Dante's shoulder. Her voice shook a little, making her words sound even sadder. She felt his heart beating softly against her cheek, which calmed her down a bit.

Dante frowned a little, but said calmly, “Don't worry, Zara. I'll take you to school every day.”

She stopped crying right away, and for the first time in forever, she felt like her fear was going away. “Really?” She asked, her voice small but hopeful. She blushed and snuggled closer, feeling like things might be okay because of how warm he was.

The terror from yesterday started to fade more and more, until she was so tired from being emotional that she fell asleep.

Dante gently laid Zara on her bed, moving carefully like she was made of glass. He tucked the covers around her to make sure she was comfy. When he did, her nightgown slipped a little, showing some skin that looked soft and vulnerable while she slept.

He gasped a bit – it happened without him meaning to. He quickly looked away, blushing, and pulled the covers up to make sure she was covered completely. His heart raced as he left her room quietly, trying to ignore how drawn he felt to her.

Back in his room, Dante sat on his bed, but his mind was going a million miles an hour. He couldn't focus on his training at all because he still felt Zara's warmth on his skin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, getting hot thinking about her again.

'Focus on your training, Dante! Become immortal! Nothing else matters!' he told himself, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. But he kept thinking about her anyway.

The next morning, the sun shining through the window, Dante felt different. He used to be skinny, but now he felt stronger. He could feel power flowing through him, like the air itself had changed. Everything seemed clearer, telling him that something was different, but he didn't know what. 'This is good.'

He looked at the clock and sighed. 'Daniel Gang, I hope you're not stupid enough to mess with me,' Dante thought, already annoyed at the idea of trouble.

“Let's go, Zara. I'll walk you to school,” Dante said after breakfast, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Okay!” Zara said, smiling brightly as she grabbed her backpack. She felt excited as they left the clinic together. But when they got to the door, she looked around nervously. The world seemed scary again.

Zara grabbed Dante's shirt without even thinking, like she needed something to hold onto. Dante saw how worried she was and his eyes softened. He reached down and took her hand, holding it gently. His hand was warm and a little rough, but it made her feel safe and made her heart flutter.

Zara looked surprised and blushed, looking down shyly.

“Dante…” she whispered, her voice quiet as she enjoyed how warm it felt to hold his hand. Her heart beat faster, but in a good way – it made her think that things would be okay. 'Maybe every girl wants someone like him…' she thought, liking him more and more.

“Dante, should we walk today? It's only two stops,” Zara asked, still shy, but smiling warmly.

“Sure,” Dante said right away. He didn't mind, especially since the bus was packed like crazy.

They walked hand in hand in the sunshine, their shadows stretching out in front of them as they walked toward the University of Traditional Medicine.

As they got closer, people started whispering. Students noticed them walking together, holding hands, and seemed curious.

“So, you're like, the most popular girl on campus?” Dante asked, smiling playfully and looking down at her, teasing but gentle.

“Of course!” Zara blushed even more and puffed out her chest a little, feeling proud. “I am the most popular, after all.”

Just when they got to the gates, an angry voice shouted, “Zara!”

Dante turned and saw a young man walking toward them confidently, with a fancy car parked nearby. The man looked arrogant with his sharp eyes and perfect hair, dressed in expensive clothes that showed he was used to being noticed.

“Zara, who is this?” he demanded, looking right at their hands.

“Smith, what do you care?” Zara replied, holding Dante's hand tighter to show she was with him.

Smith looked annoyed, his eyes getting darker. “Hey, dude. Let go. Zara is my girl.”

“Your girl? Who says?” Dante said calmly but coldly. “I don't see your name on her.”

Smith sneered and stepped closer, puffing out his chest. “What, you wanna compete with me?” He chuckled, liking how tense things were getting.

A group of students had gathered by now, whispering and murmuring. Dante heard them saying things like, ‘Zara already has a boyfriend! And Smith's been after her for years!’

Smith smirked, getting even more proud. “Did you hear that, dude?” He sneered, turning back to Dante. “Do you even know who I am? My family, the Smiths, owns the Silverleaf Apothecary that's been around forever. You really think you can steal a girl from me?”

Dante's eyes turned hard, a cold smile on his face. “I don't 'compete' for anyone, especially not with a brat like you.”

He grabbed Zara's hand and walked toward the school, ignoring Smith's drama.

“A brat?” Smith's face turned red. He grabbed Dante's arm, annoyed. “You wanna fight?” He sounded angry, but also a little unsure.

Dante stopped, narrowing his eyes. He seemed cold and dangerous all of a sudden, making Zara shiver.

“F*ck around and find out.” Smith's face went white as he punched at Dante’s head with the power of a raging bull.

But Dante didn’t even move. His hand shot up fast as lightning, stopping with Smith's wrist and holding it firmly –his power strength increased more than anticipated. The punch stopped right there, not even moving an inch further.

“Try again,” Dante whispered, sounding scary.

Smith's fist stopped dead, unable to move even a single inch.