Chapter 113: An invitation

Zephyr felt as though his body were falling from a height. He had no idea what Lucien had done, only that, for a brief instant, his body seemed to scatter into countless tiny fragments before abruptly reassembling itself. The disorienting sensation passed almost as quickly as it came, leaving him still holding Lucien securely in his arms.

Warm, humid mist swept across his face.

Zephyr immediately activated his psychokinesis, steadying himself before his feet touched the ground. He landed firmly without losing his balance, his bare feet plunging into the warm, shallow water that rose to his knees and sent a loud splash echoing around them.

Only then did he realize what had happened.

Their surroundings had changed completely. They were no longer inside the Association. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished from one place and appeared somewhere else entirely, in a strange place enveloped in thick, swirling steam.

But how had Lucien done that?

How had he transported them to another location so suddenly?

Questions crowded Zephyr’s mind, but he kept them to himself. Instead, he extended his senses, carefully surveying their unfamiliar surroundings. What he discovered only deepened his curiosity.

They appeared to be inside a windowless bathing chamber with a single, massive gate serving as its entrance, which was currently closed. A vast pool of warm water occupied most of the room, while a large, bed-like structure, covered with various small, scattered, unfamiliar items, stood at its center, surrounded by flowing curtains that swayed in the humid air. Steam drifted lazily across the water’s surface, lending the place an oddly tranquil atmosphere.

Zephyr remained still for a moment.

Then, as a thought crossed his mind, the corners of his lips curled upward. He lowered his gaze to the person in his arms.

"Well, is this your secret hiding place or something? Should I take this as an invitation to continue where we left off?"

Lucien, who had fallen completely silent upon realizing where they had ended up, felt his face burn. He instinctively shrank into Zephyr’s arms, too mortified to utter a single word.

Damn it!

Even Erick, the protagonist, and Nana, the female lead, had never ended up in a place like this after using the dark mark to teleport to the Fallen Realm! So why was he the one suffering such a ridiculous fate?!

He seemed to have landed directly inside the bathing chamber of one of those evil, lecherous Demon Generals!

Honestly, should he be grateful that the sudden teleportation hadn’t sent them straight into the middle of a demon city, where they might have been surrounded and attacked? Or should he curse his luck for delivering them to a place where his innocence was in far greater danger?!

And the worst part?

He wasn’t alone.

He was stuck in the arms of a man who could wear the most innocent and pitiful expression imaginable while being anything but innocent. A man who seemed to treat every passing second with him as another opportunity to get his hands on his butt!

Lucien wanted to groan.

What kind of twisted luck was this?!

He didn’t want it!

He didn’t need it!

Someone, please, take it back!

While Lucien was busy questioning his life, Onicus, who had barely managed to come along, finally spoke. The little dragon stared at Zephyr with a deadpan expression, its patience clearly wearing thin.

"You seem to have forgotten that I’m still here! I already looked away when you two were getting handsy earlier. Don’t even think about doing any more indecent things in front of my majestic presence—"

Unfortunately, Onicus never got to finish its sentence.

Zephyr’s psychokinesis abruptly enveloped the dragon, compressing its body into a tight little ball before it could react. With a casual flick of his wrist, Zephyr channeled his mana toward the massive gate at the far end of the chamber. The gate creaked open just enough for him to send the tightly curled dragon flying through the gap. A moment later, he slammed it shut again.

Onicus’s indignant protests faded beyond the gate.

But Zephyr wasn’t finished.

He extended his mana throughout the chamber, activating his Rebound Dome skill to create a massive barrier around the entire chamber. The familiar shimmering dome flickered into existence, sealing the chamber off from the outside world and ensuring that no one would disturb them.

The effort wasn’t without consequence. The corrupted mana coursing through Zephyr’s body stirred up a faint, unpleasant ache, a reminder of just how badly he needed proper Guiding. Yet he barely seemed to care. He simply ignored the discomfort and continued doing exactly as he pleased.

Lucien, however, noticed the moment the barrier appeared.

His eyes widened as he recognized the familiar dome. A sudden sense of foreboding crept over him. He swallowed hard and slowly turned his head toward the man holding him.

Zephyr was smiling at him.

A perfectly innocent smile.

Which, by now, Lucien knew better than to trust.

"Don’t tell me..."

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence.

Zephyr lowered his head and captured his lips in a sudden, passionate kiss.

Lucien’s breath caught in his throat. The unexpected contact silenced whatever protest had been forming on his tongue, and his heart immediately began pounding against his chest. Zephyr kissed him with an assurance that left little room for argument, his lips pressing firmly against Lucien’s before softening just enough to coax a response. The warmth of the kiss, mingled with the humid air surrounding them, made Lucien’s thoughts scatter. For one bewildering moment, he almost forgot that they seemed to be in a dangerous place.

Almost.

He had barely begun to gather his wits when Zephyr finally drew back, leaving only a breath’s distance between their faces. Lucien’s eyes were moist, his breathing uneven, and his cheeks burned as he stared at the man who had just kissed him as though nothing else in the world mattered.

He had been about to tell Zephyr that they should first figure out where they were, whether the chamber was safe, and whether they had somehow trespassed into a Demon General’s territory.

But Zephyr clearly had other priorities.

The corners of his lips lifted, his eyes gleaming with unmistakable amusement.

"You said, ’Not here,’ back at the Association."

He reminded him in a low, raspy voice, letting the words sink in before leaning closer again.

"Now we are somewhere else."