Chapter 444: Stars
"Let's see if we can bring you back, Little Ember."
But just then I felt the world spinning.
"Cough…"
My vision blurred.
For the first time since the fight had begun, I felt it—truly felt it.
The weight of my injuries. The unbearable strain on my body. The sheer toll of everything I had done.
And then—
My legs buckled.
THUD.
I stumbled, my knee hitting the cracked ground beneath me, my breath catching in my throat.
Ah.
I exhaled, tasting blood.
I guess I pushed myself a little too far.
Now that the fight was over, now that the battle had ended, my body was finally demanding what I had ignored—
The shattered bones.
The one eye I could no longer see from.
The gashes, the blood loss, the fire burning through every nerve.
Everything hit me at once.
Tch. Annoying.
But—
I forced myself to move.
Because after doing all of this, I couldn't exactly sit here and die, could I?
I gritted my teeth, dragging myself toward her.
Toward Aeliana.
Her body was still convulsing, still wracked with pain, her fingers clawing against the stone, her breath shallow—but she was still alive.
Barely.
Not for long.
I lifted the Eternal Skyroot Herb, my hand trembling slightly, and then—
I placed it against her body.
The moment the herb touched her skin—
The black mass screamed.
SCHLRKKKKKK!
It squirmed, writhing violently, as if it were being burned, as if something was forcing it out.
And then—
Aeliana's body began to fight back.
Her breathing, once shallow, once fading, suddenly turned ragged. Her fingers twitched. The cursed veins that had long since tormented her began to **pulse—**but this time, not in agony.
In resistance.
She was winning.
The black parasite inside her began to expel itself, being forcibly ripped from her body.
Her body was rejecting it.
And the thing?
The thing that had leeched off her for years, that had stolen from her, that had made her suffer—
Was now screaming.
I smirked weakly.
"That's right."
I pressed the herb closer, watching as the black mass convulsed, recoiled—
Aeliana's body shuddered.
The Eternal Skyroot Herb pulsed against her skin, its energy seeping into her veins, threading through her existence like golden light in a dying ember.
She absorbed it.
Not hungrily. Not desperately.
Naturally.
As if it had always been meant for her.
As if it were restoring something that had been taken away long ago.
And the black mass—
SCHLRKKK!
It twisted, shrieked, convulsed.
Its writhing only grew more violent, as if it knew—as if it understood.
It was losing.
Its connection to Aeliana, its claim over her body, its insidious grip—all of it was being erased.
I watched the scene unfold, my lips twitching into a faint smirk.
"Not bad."
I exhaled, relieved.
This was it. This was how it was supposed to go.
Aeliana was taking in the herb's power. The parasite was being purged.
Everything was working exactly as planned.
And yet—
My knees buckled again.
I barely caught myself this time, my arm trembling as I braced against the cracked ground.
The pain in my body surged all at once, unrelenting, suffocating.
Tch.
I had pushed myself too far.
But it was fine.
This should be enough, right?
I had dealt with the monster.
I had saved Aeliana… somehow.
It should be okay now.
It had to be okay now.
I let out a slow breath, my vision tilting, darkening.
For the first time since this whole mess started—
I finally let go.
And then—
I collapsed.
Everything faded.
The world went dark.
********
had a dream.
A dream where I was wandering alone.
No—not wandering.
Drifting.
Floating through the endless expanse of the sea, my body weightless, the vast darkness cradling me in its quiet embrace. The waves were calm, lulling me into something deep, something tranquil.
It felt… familiar.
Too familiar.
I had been here before.
That same overwhelming sense of peace. That same eerie stillness.
That same dark ocean stretching beneath me, infinite and unmoving.
A part of me knew what was coming next.
Knew what I would see.
And yet—
Something was different.
I lifted my gaze toward the sky, expecting the same empty abyss.
But instead—
I saw them.
Not just one.
Not just the black star.
But three others.
They hovered around it, smaller, orbiting in silent synchrony, their faint glow flickering against the backdrop of nothingness.
I stared.
Watching.
Trying to understand.
'Why are there three now? Because of my cultivation?'
The black star was the same—unchanging, unmoving.
But these three… they were new.
Or had they been there all along?
I frowned, reaching out, my fingers grasping at something unseen, as if trying to bridge the space between me and those distant lights.
And then—
"Lucavion."
The voice.
That voice.
The one I never recognized.
The one that had always called me here.
The moment the sound reached my ears, the dream fractured.
Everything rushed away from me, fading, vanishing, slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.
The stars flickered once—
And then the dream ended.
*******
Darkness embraced Lucavion's unconscious form, his body still as the echoes of battle faded into silence. Aeliana lay beside him, her breathing shallow but steady, the remnants of the Eternal Skyroot Herb's energy still coursing through her. But the battlefield itself had not yet settled.
The Kraken's massive corpse twitched.
Then—
A surge of energy erupted from its shattered core.
Starlight. An ethereal radiance coiled upward, shimmering like celestial dust drawn from the very fabric of existence. The battlefield, once soaked in blood and despair, became a stage for something far greater than mere victory.
And then—
That starlight fell.
It descended upon Lucavion, washing over his battered form, sinking into his skin as if drawn by fate itself.
His body, already pushed beyond its limits, had no strength to resist. The energy surged through him, weaving into his being like threads of cosmic silk, melding with his fractured core. It seeped into his very essence, wrapping around the shattered remains of his strength like a second awakening.
Something deeper was happening.
Something that should not be possible.
Another body reconstruction.
A second transformation, forced upon him by the remnants of the Kraken's stolen power. This was no mere recovery. This was an evolution, a reforging of his very existence.
Lucavion's unconscious form trembled.
His body ignited.
Two flames burst forth from him—one gray, one pitch black—raging like opposing storms that should never have coexisted. They spiraled together, coiling, devouring, reshaping.
And the moment those flames touched the writhing black parasites—
SHHRRRRRRRK!
The cursed masses screamed.
A soundless wail reverberated through the collapsing battlefield, an echo of something ancient, something that had long existed beyond the veil of reality. The parasites—those remnants of a foreign existence—were engulfed by the unnatural fire, consumed in an instant.
They did not burn.
They did not dissolve.
They simply ceased.
Erased from existence.
The battlefield was silent.
Lucavion's body stilled, the last remnants of the flames fading into embers that whispered away into the void. His hair, once deep with streaks of silver, darkened further, absorbing the light as if the very stars had been pulled into him. His core, now reforged, pulsed with something heavier—something far more vast.
The process was complete.
And yet—
He remained unconscious.
Chapter 445: Life
Aeliana's mind swam in a haze of dull throbbing pain.
Her body ached—every muscle, every bone, every inch of her skin felt sore in a way she had never experienced before. It was a deep, heavy exhaustion, like she had been crushed beneath something immense and barely pried herself free.
A groan slipped past her lips.
Her thoughts were slow, sluggish. A fog clung to the edges of her mind, making it hard to think, hard to remember—
But then—
Memory crept in.
The fight.
The Kraken.
The void.
Him.
Her breath hitched, her eyes snapping open.
'Did I… die?'
She had accepted it. She should have died. She felt herself dying. So why—?
Was this the afterlife?
Or hell?
Aeliana's blurry vision struggled to focus as she lifted her gaze, taking in her surroundings for the first time.
Dark.
Enclosed.
The walls were jagged, rough stone, stretching upward into a high ceiling barely visible in the dim light. The air was cool, damp, carrying the scent of earth and minerals. Faint droplets echoed in the distance, the sound bouncing off the cavern walls.
Not the battlefield.
Not the endless starry abyss where the Kraken had torn the world apart.
This was something else.
A cave?
She slowly pushed herself up, wincing as pain lanced through her limbs.
"What happened?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, hoarse and dry.
And then—
A sound.
A low, steady hum.
Soft. Faint. Familiar.
"Hmm?"
Aeliana turned her head toward the source—
And froze.
A body.
Lying right beside her.
Pitch-black hair, tangled and matted with dried blood. Torn clothes, clinging to a lean frame marked with fresh wounds and old scars. Pale skin, unnaturally still in the dim light.
Her breath caught.
"Luca…"
She stared, her heart pounding against her ribs.
For a moment, she didn't move. Didn't breathe.
Then, carefully, she reached out, fingers brushing against his shoulder.
"Luca."
No response.
She tried again.
"Hey."
Still nothing.
Her stomach twisted.
He was breathing—his chest rose and fell in slow, uneven motions—but he wasn't waking up.
Her fingers curled against his torn sleeve.
Aeliana swallowed hard, ignoring the ache in her throat as she took in his state. The wounds. The bruises. The sheer exhaustion carved into every inch of his body.
He had pushed himself far beyond his limits.
And now—
He was unconscious.
Her grip on his sleeve tightened.
What the hell had happened?
Did we win?
Aeliana's gaze flickered to Luca's unmoving form, then back to her own hands. The last thing she could remember was that final slash—the moment space itself seemed to shatter under the weight of his attack.
And then—
Nothing.
But the fact that they were here, alive, meant that something had worked. Right?
It must have.
She exhaled shakily, trying to push away the lingering uncertainty.
Her body still ached, but as she carefully shifted her weight, pressing her palms against the cold stone beneath her, she realized something strange.
She wasn't struggling.
Her limbs weren't trembling.
Her breath wasn't shallow.
Normally, even after resting, her body—frail and weakened from years of illness—would still resist movement. But now?
Aeliana slowly, cautiously, pushed herself up to her feet.
And nothing fought against her.
No dizziness. No weakness.
I feel… stronger?
The thought sent a chill down her spine.
She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat was steady—too steady. This wasn't normal. Not for her. Had she really just rested? Or… had something changed?
She swallowed hard, pushing that question aside for now.
Luca was still unconscious, and she needed to assess their surroundings.
Her amber eyes swept across the cavern.
It was vast—larger than she had first realized. The dim lighting made it hard to gauge the full scale of the space, but she could make out jagged rock formations, high ceilings, and shadowed tunnels stretching into darkness.
The air was cool, filled with the scent of damp stone and something else—something faintly metallic.
Aeliana took slow steps, testing her newfound stability.
Her boots echoed softly against the cave floor as she moved further from where Luca lay. Her fingers brushed against the rough walls as she walked, eyes scanning for any sign of life, of an exit—of anything.
And then—
She saw it.
A massive shape, looming in the center of the cavern.
A rock.
Or, at least, that's what it looked like at first.
But the closer she got, the more she realized—this wasn't just any stone.
It was unnatural.
Smooth in some places, jagged in others, its surface was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Faint, twisting engravings covered its form—marks that seemed more carved than naturally formed. Symbols she couldn't quite interpret, but…
Aeliana's breath caught.
She had seen them before.
The same engravings. The same strange script.
From that place.
The moment she was teleported.
Her pulse quickened.
"What… is this?"
She reached out hesitantly, fingertips grazing the surface. The stone was cool—too cool, almost like ice despite the cavern's temperature.
But aside from that….It was….
Nothing.
No reaction. No shift in the air. No strange pulse beneath her fingertips.
Just cold.
Aeliana exhaled, stepping back from the strange rock—no, not a rock. Something else. Something… wrong.
But whatever it was, it wasn't doing anything.
She lingered for a moment longer, half-expecting the engravings to suddenly glow or the stone to hum with energy, but nothing happened. It remained still, lifeless.
Tch.
With a soft shake of her head, she turned away.
She wandered further into the cavern, her steps slow, cautious. It didn't take long for her to realize just how deep underground they were. The air was heavier here, older. The walls stretched high, vanishing into darkness, and the tunnels that branched off in different directions held no sign of life.
But there were marks.
Not fresh. Not recent. But something had been here before.
The faintest scratches on the stone floor. A few indents on the walls, as if tools had been driven into them at some point. No footprints. No tracks. Just… traces.
She narrowed her eyes. How long have we been here?
She had no sense of time. No idea how long she had been unconscious.
Her gaze drifted back toward where she had come from. Toward where he was.
With a small sigh, she turned and made her way back.
Luca was still asleep when she returned.
Unmoving. Breathing slow and steady.
Aeliana stood there for a moment, arms crossed, watching him. It's strange. He looked… at ease. Completely vulnerable.
And that wasn't like him at all.
This was a man who moved like a phantom in battle. Who always seemed to be a step ahead of everything. Someone who played with danger like it was a game, who acted like he was untouchable. Arrogant. Unpredictable. Impossible to read.
But now?
Now, he was just… asleep.
The steady rise and fall of his chest. The way his dark lashes rested against his skin. The small, almost imperceptible twitches of his fingers every now and then, as if his body still wasn't fully relaxed.
Aeliana let out a quiet breath before sitting down beside him.
Her fingers curled against her knees as she lowered herself to the cool stone. She could still feel the dull ache in her limbs, but it wasn't unbearable.
Silence stretched between them.
And, as much as she hated it, she found herself thinking.
About everything.
About him.
The way he smirked, the way he fought, the way he never seemed to take things seriously—until the moment he did.
His voice. His laughter. That ridiculous way he always managed to infuriate her without even trying.
And those words—those last words.
He wanted me to hate him.
She wasn't sure. It was just a feeling. A speculation. But…
Her fingers tightened.
It made sense, didn't it?
Everything he had said. The way he had forced those words out, how his smirk had twitched—how his eyes had been red.
How, even now, he was asleep in front of her.
"Are you really…"
She really couldn't figure it out.
Chapter 446: Sleep
Aeliana exhaled, her fingers absently tightening against her knees.
Her mother's words drifted through her mind once again.
"My daughter… one day, you will meet someone who will be the sole reason for you to live… Never let go of that person."
And she knew.
It was him.
Lucavion.
The way he had stood in front of her. The way he hadn't backed down. The way he had fought, even when his body was barely holding together.
Even now, she could see it.
His injuries.
Some of them had healed, but not completely. There were patches of torn skin, faint remnants of gashes that had been deep enough to cut to the bone. His breathing was steady, but every now and then, it hitched—just slightly, just enough to tell her that his body was still recovering.
And back then—
Back when he had fought the Kraken—
He had been in far worse shape.
Aeliana clenched her jaw.
She knew.
Luca could have let her die.
He could have fought differently. He could have avoided injury, could have fought more efficiently if he hadn't—
If he hadn't stood there.
If he hadn't chosen to shield her.
"Not on my watch."
"LITTLE EMBER!"
"WATCH CLOSELY!"
"I PREPARED THIS SOLELY FOR YOU!"
Those were the things he had said.
And he had been smiling.
That damned smile.
It hadn't been his usual smirk, the one dripping with arrogance, the one that masked every intention, every thought.
No.
It had been real.
Aeliana knew.
She had gotten better at reading people over the years. Her illness had forced her into a life of observation, into noticing the smallest shifts in expression, the tiny hesitations in people's voices.
She had always known that Luca's smiles were fake.
Most of them, at least.
But that one…
That one had been genuine.
"This guy…" she muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Her gaze drifted over him again, taking in the way he was curled up on the ground, his usually sharp features softened by unconsciousness.
For someone so ridiculous, so insufferable, he looked almost…
Innocent.
Aeliana hesitated.
Then, slowly, she reached out—
And poked his cheek.
Soft.
Smooth.
Luca didn't stir.
She poked again.
Nothing.
A small huff of air left her nose, something dangerously close to amusement.
"He can't lie at all," she murmured.
Not with his words.
Not with his face.
Not with his actions.
Even though he tried.
Even though he was so convinced that he could.
She sat there for a moment, staring at him.
Then, without really thinking, she muttered—
"Idiot."
And for the first time in a long time—
She didn't say it with hatred.
"Stupid."
Aeliana narrowed her eyes at him, her fingers absently curling against the cool stone beneath her.
Lucavion's words echoed in her head again.
"In the end, you're nothing but bait."
"Was this always your plan?! Was I just a tool to you?!"
She had screamed those words at him, her entire body writhing with pain and fury. And his response had been just as sharp, just as cruel.
"I indeed used you. And? Can you do anything about it?"
At the time, she had barely registered anything beyond those words. The raw betrayal had drowned out all reason, all logic. She had wanted to kill him. She still wanted to kill him.
But now—
Now that she was calm. Now that she could actually think—
She replayed the words in her mind.
I used you. That much was true. She was bait. That Kraken had come for her. Luca had forced her into a situation where she would act as the trigger.
But—
"Was I just a tool to you?!"
That was the real question.
And had he actually said 'yes' to that?
No.
He hadn't.
He had evaded it.
Not a confirmation. Not a denial.
Just his usual way of avoiding things.
And then there was—
"All the things… all the things you said… about being different… They were just lies, weren't they?"
She had asked him that. Begged for an answer.
And his response?
"What do you think?"
He hadn't said yes.
He hadn't even said no.
He had just thrown the question back at her.
Aeliana clenched her jaw.
'This stupid, doglike bastard…'
She knew now.
He had been trying to make her hate him.
All of it—the cruel words, the indifference, the smirk that had looked so mocking—
It was a lie.
A shitty, pathetic attempt at deception.
And she had fallen for it.
"You're so stupid," she muttered under her breath.
Her fingers twitched.
And then—
She pinched his cheek.
Hard.
The soft skin squished slightly under her grip, his face still completely relaxed in sleep.
Still unconscious.
Still looking way too innocent for the bastard he truly was.
Aeliana exhaled sharply, shaking her head.
"Idiot," she mumbled again.
And yet—
Even as she insulted him, she didn't pull away.
Aeliana's fingers twitched.
"Cold?"
Lucavion's skin was unexpectedly cold to the touch. Not just cool—cold.
Her brows furrowed. That wasn't normal. Most Awakened carried a certain warmth in their bodies, especially after a battle like that. Their mana alone would generate enough heat to stave off the cold.
But him?
His cheek, his neck, his entire body—cold.
Incredibly cold.
Almost unnatural.
"Why?"
Her thoughts flickered.
Lucavion was strong. Beyond strong. The kind of monster that could stand against impossible odds, that could wield forces beyond human comprehension.
So why did he feel like this?
Was it a condition? Some side effect of his power?
Her fingers absently trailed lower, brushing against his wrist, then his hand.
Cold.
Even colder.
For some reason, something inside her twisted.
It felt… familiar.
A long-buried memory surfaced, unbidden.
"Mother, your hands are cold."
A soft voice from her past. A fleeting moment. Her mother's hand resting against her forehead, gentle yet chilling.
Her mother's hands had always been cold.
Just like this.
Aeliana's breath hitched.
Before she could dwell on it further, she felt movement beneath her fingertips.
And then—
"Mother."
A whisper.
Low. Faint.
Barely audible.
But she was sure, that she had heard it. It came from Luca, who is lying there like this.
"Am I still a disappointment?"
Aeliana froze.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Her breath caught in her throat.
'What?'
Her grip on his hand instinctively tightened.
Her mind raced, trying to process what she had just heard.
Had he…?
No—he was unconscious.
But that voice—
That voice.
It wasn't the usual Luca. Not the arrogant, teasing bastard she had fought beside. Not the smug, insufferable menace who smirked at everything.
It was something else.
Something raw.
Something—small.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
What…
What the hell had she just heard?
Chapter 447: Sleep (2)
"Am I still a disappointment?"
What…
What the hell had she just heard?
"Just listen to me once."
Aeliana's breath caught.
Lucavion's grip tightened around her hand. It was weak, unsteady—but desperate.
"Just once."
His fingers trembled against her skin, cold and uncertain.
And then—
He let go.
His hand slipped away, but his body still shook. A faint tremor ran through him, almost imperceptible—like a man struggling against something unseen, something deep inside himself.
Aeliana stared.
This was… strange.
Lucavion was supposed to be untouchable. He was supposed to be that grinning, infuriating, arrogant bastard. The one who tore through monsters like they were nothing. The one who fought with reckless, impossible confidence.
But this—
This was just a man.
A human.
And for some reason—
She liked this version of him more.
She liked him more like this.
Her fingers twitched.
Before she could even think, her hand moved—almost of its own accord.
She reached out.
Brushed her fingertips lightly against his hair.
And then—
Slowly—
Gently—
She pulled his head onto her lap.
A small breath left her lips.
"I'm here."
The words slipped out naturally, before she even realized she had said them.
Lucavion didn't move.
Didn't react.
But—
The shaking lessened.
Just slightly.
Warmth.
Aeliana didn't know how else to describe it.
It wasn't like fire—wasn't the kind of heat that burned or seared, the way her body had been devoured by pain not long ago.
This was different.
It crept up her spine slowly, curling into the edges of her chest, settling somewhere deep inside her where she couldn't quite reach.
She exhaled softly, her fingers absentmindedly threading through Lucavion's hair.
And for some reason—
She couldn't stop looking at him.
His face, usually set in that infuriating, arrogant smirk, was still. Relaxed. The sharp lines of his features had softened in unconsciousness, making him look almost—
Her lips pressed together.
Human.
She liked it.
That realization sent something odd through her stomach, something twisting and unfamiliar. It was stupid, it was ridiculous, but—
For the first time since meeting him, she felt a quiet, inexplicable desire.
Not to fight him.
Not to challenge him.
But to see that expression again.
To keep it.
She blinked.
And then—
"Eh?"
It was only then that she realized—
She was sitting.
And his head—
Was on her lap.
Aeliana stiffened.
When…
When had she done this?
Her mind raced, trying to piece it together, but then—
A memory surfaced.
Faint. Gentle.
A warm summer day.
A garden, filled with the soft rustling of leaves, the distant hum of birds. The scent of blooming roses lingered in the air.
And there—
A young girl lay sprawled out in the grass, head resting comfortably on her mother's lap.
"Mother… what if you never get better?"
The words had come out quietly, almost like an afterthought.
Her mother had stilled.
Then—
Warm fingers brushed through her hair, soft and careful.
"My little Aeliana…" her mother murmured, smiling down at her. "I'll be fine."
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
Aeliana had huffed, pouting. She didn't believe her. Not really.
But—
Even so—
The warmth in her mother's lap had been enough to make her close her eyes, to let herself pretend she believed it.
To let herself want to believe it.
She had felt so safe.
So happy.
Even in the distance, where her father sat reading at the garden table, stiff and unreadable as ever—
It hadn't mattered.
Because her mother had been there.
Because she had been warm.
Aeliana swallowed thickly as the memory faded, the feeling of her mother's hands still lingering in her mind.
And now—
Now she was in that position.
She looked down at Lucavion, at the way his breath came in slow, steady beats.
For the first time—
She understood.
Her fingers moved again, brushing against his temple, softer this time.
Her lips parted.
A whisper, barely audible.
"I am here."
Aeliana barely noticed the way he twitched, the faint shift in his body as he turned onto his back. His face, usually so smug and full of teasing, was still.
But not peaceful.
His mouth was slightly parted, his brows faintly drawn together, like something weighed on him even in unconsciousness.
Not a smile. Not even neutrality.
Just… something unresolved.
She tilted her head slightly, studying him.
"What kind of life did you live, I wonder?"
Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, spoken more to herself than him.
Lucavion was an enigma. A man who could dance with death like it was a game, who could stand before impossible odds and laugh. A man who had forced his way into her life, who had used her, tricked her, who had—
Who had saved her.
Even now, the thought unsettled her.
She still wanted answers. Still wanted to scream at him for all the things he'd done. But at the same time…
Her eyes traced the faint rise and fall of his chest, the way his body still carried tension even in sleep, the way his fingers occasionally twitched against the stone.
He had burdens, didn't he?
Things he didn't say.
Things he didn't show.
Aeliana exhaled softly, and for the first time, she let herself really look at him.
And that's when she saw it.
The scar.
It ran down the length of his right eye, a clean, sharp cut—too precise to be from a monster's claws, too smooth to be from an accident.
A blade.
Her lips pressed together.
This scar… I wonder how you got it?
Without thinking, she reached out.
Her fingers ghosted over his cheek, barely touching at first. Then, carefully, she traced the line of the scar.
It felt different.
Not like the rest of his skin.
The normal parts of his face were smooth—softer than she had expected, warmer than she thought he would be. But the scar—
It was raised, slightly rigid beneath her fingertips, a texture foreign to the rest of him. Not fresh, but not fully faded either.
Old, yet not forgotten.
The skin beneath it had a certain tightness, as if it had been cut so deeply that it never fully returned to normal.
A wound meant to last.
Her throat felt dry.
This wasn't just some mark. It wasn't like the scrapes or bruises he earned in battle and brushed off with a smirk.
This had been intentional.
Who gave this to you?
She didn't realize how long she had been touching it until she felt him stir beneath her fingertips.
Her fingers lingered against the scar a moment longer before they drifted, sliding upward, sinking into his hair.
Soft.
Softer than she expected.
For someone who fought like a monster, who moved like a phantom, his hair was… surprisingly smooth. A few strands had fallen over his face, the length slightly longer than she remembered, unruly from all the chaos they had been through.
Aeliana absently ruffled it, her fingers combing through the dark strands, pushing them away from his closed eyes.
And then—
Lucavion shifted.
Not much. Just the faintest movement, a small tilt of his head into her touch. His body, so tense even in unconsciousness, relaxed—just slightly, just enough to be noticeable.
And that—
That was funny.
"Pfft—"
The laugh escaped before she could even know it.
The laugh that didn't appear in her face for a long time.
Chapter 448: Waking up
"Pfft—"
Small. Soft.
But real.
She bit her lip, trying to suppress the ridiculous amusement bubbling in her chest, but it was impossible.
"You…" she murmured, her voice light, almost teasing. "You get comfortable way too easily."
Even now, even like this, he was just… him.
Infuriating.
Impossible.
And yet—
Her other hand moved.
Without thinking, she reached forward, her fingertips brushing against his lips.
Soft.
A different kind of softness.
Aeliana stilled.
The realization hit a second too late—What am I doing?—but she didn't pull away. Not yet.
She just watched.
Watched the way his lips barely parted, the slow rise and fall of his chest, the way his breath tickled against her fingertips.
And for the first time since meeting him—
She didn't know what she wanted to do next.
Aeliana swallowed, her breath catching in her throat.
Her fingers were still resting against his lips, the warmth of his breath barely grazing her skin.
Her heart pounded.
What am I doing?
She didn't pull away.
Rather—
Did she know exactly what she was doing?
The thought crept in, slow, insidious.
Should I get my payback?
After all, hadn't he done so many unimaginable things to her? Lied to her, used her, thrown cruel words at her just to see her rage?
He made her feel things she didn't understand.
And she hated that.
So shouldn't she take something back?
Aeliana's lips curled slightly.
"Right," she murmured. Her fingers trailed from his lips to his jaw, barely grazing along his skin. "This is payback."
He needed to pay her back for all of it.
Every smirk.
Every lie.
Every time he had seen through her, despite how much she wanted to keep him out.
Even if she understood now—
Even if she knew why he had done it—
It still hurt.
She couldn't just forget.
She wouldn't.
"Yes."
That was all the justification she needed.
Her fingers tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her breath slightly unsteady. Slowly, carefully, she leaned down, her heart slamming against her ribs with every inch she closed between them.
Her first time doing something like this.
And with him, of all people.
Her lips hovered just above his.
A single inch left.
Then—
Gold met black.
Lucavion's eyes opened.
Aeliana froze.
Wide.
Awake.
Lucavion stared directly at her, his usual smirk nowhere to be found.
For the first time—
He looked utterly, completely still.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Lucavion stared, his mind momentarily blank, black eyes locked onto the stunned amber ones inches away from his face.
"...Huh?"
Aeliana's breath hitched. A small sound— "Ah..."—slipped past her lips, barely audible but enough to break the stillness between them.
She could feel it now.
The warmth of his breath brushing against her skin. The way his pupils dilated just slightly, the flicker of something unguarded in his expression.
Too close.
Too, too close.
Her mind caught up a second too late. A sharp jolt of realization shot through her, and in an instant, she jerked her head back, breaking the proximity, her breath coming a little unsteady.
Her fingers twitched where they still hovered over him, as if unsure whether to move away entirely or pretend nothing had happened.
Lucavion remained still.
Not smirking. Not laughing. Just looking at her.
The silence stretched unbearably.
Then—
".....Hmm...."
He exhaled, blinking once. Then twice. His head tilted ever so slightly, as if assessing the situation, and then—
Control.
Like a switch flipping, his expression began to shift.
Lucavion shook his head, as if physically discarding whatever had momentarily unsettled him. The flicker of genuine surprise faded, replaced with something more composed. Something calculated.
A slow inhale.
A beat.
And then—
The smirk returned.
Not all at once, but in pieces. The faintest curl of his lips. The lazy tilt of his head. The familiar glint in his eyes that said, Ah, I see how it is.
The amusement curled at the edges of his lips as he exhaled, slow and deliberate. Aeliana was still too stunned to react, her wide amber eyes locked onto him in mortification.
Then—
"Oya, oya…."
His voice came out smooth, teasing, his smirk deepening as the situation fully settled in.
"I wonder what's happening here?"
Aeliana stiffened instantly. She could feel the mockery laced in his words, the way he was already turning this around—like she had been the one caught doing something suspicious.
Lucavion, of course, wasn't done.
His black eyes flickered to the side—and then lower.
Ah.
Her navel.
From where he lay, his line of sight was directly aligned with the exposed skin between her slightly disheveled clothing. His gaze lingered for just a second longer than necessary, something about it slow and assessing—and, infuriatingly, just a little lecherous.
Aeliana felt the exact moment he made the observation.
His lips twitched, and then—
"Getting a lap pillow from a beauty, how lucky I am."
A sharp, unbearable heat rushed to her face.
'This guy—'
Her fists clenched.
Lucavion, entirely unbothered, shifted slightly, as if getting comfortable. "But I guess…" His head tilted back against her thighs, his smirk lazy and insufferable. "I earned it."
Earned it?!
That was it.
Aeliana's embarrassment snapped into rage.
Without hesitation, she pushed at his head, aiming to shove him off her lap with full force.
But Lucavion, of course, was too damn fast.
The instant she moved, he dodged.
Like a phantom, his body twisted just enough to avoid her shove, his head shifting with that irritating, effortless ease—as if he had been expecting it.
Aeliana's palm hit empty air.
And then—
He laughed.
A light chuckle, annoyingly amused, black eyes sharp with mischief.
"My, my…" Lucavion's smirk deepened as he peered up at her, eyes half-lidded with amusement. "Why are you getting angry now?"
His voice was mocking, silky, and filled with obvious enjoyment at her flustered state.
Aeliana's fingers twitched.
She was going to kill him.
Aeliana's hand clenched into a fist.
She could still feel it—his breath, warm against her skin, the lingering sensation of her fingertips brushing against his lips. The realization was burning into her, searing, twisting into something unbearable.
And then—
Then this bastard had the audacity to smirk like that.
--Why are you getting angry now?
That voice. That voice.
Mocking. Silky. Filled with insufferable, unbearable amusement.
She snapped.
"Why am I getting angry?!" Her voice rose, sharp with incredulity. "Are you really asking that now?!"
Lucavion's grin widened. "You were leaning in quite eagerly just a moment ago, weren't you?"
Aeliana's entire body locked up.
"You—!"