No Compassion

Hyeon woke up from the sound of Nammi's morning zoomies. She raced across the bed from corner to corner. He stretched under the warm blankets, his muscles quivering from releasing the tightness.

*My bed feels bigger than usual today.*

He rolled onto his other side. The satin top and pants felt smooth against his skin.

*When did I get satin pajamas?*

Amid her hyper mode, Nammi went for the kill and bit his big toe through the blanket.

"Jesus!" Hyeon scolded and sharply retracted his leg away from the fuzzy aggressor. The sudden movement sent a bolt of achy pain through his bottom hole.

*What the f—,* he groaned. *What did I—?*

Hyeon's eyes shot open. He hastily pushed the blankets off and stood up in surprise. This wasn't his apartment! Upon seeing Fenrir's dark room, hazy memories came rushing back but this time, his mind was as clear as day. He couldn't recall a lot of it after being kidnapped in the woods. What Hyeon could remember left him…unusually composed?

He paced next to the bed with crossed arms. *Okay, so I went berserk and killed someone. I was defending myself, but why am I not so freaked out about it?*

His slightly sore hips reminded him of their little rendezvous on the floor. Just thinking about Fenrir and him battling for dominance made his blood boiling hot. The fact that Hyeon reacted more to the sex than the memories of scorching someone to death was startling.

Speaking of…

*Hello? Are you there?*

The phoenix didn't answer.

Hyeon sighed. Was this going to be a common occurrence? There were so many questions he had. At that moment, he noticed a small, pink note on Fenrir's pillow. The cursive handwriting was practically illegible:

'Go to the lake when you wake up. Wear comfortable clothes.'

*Now?*

Nammi meowed in front of the closed closet door. She was pawing at the bottom crack, wanting to be let in. When Hyeon opened it, he eyed the inside of the closet warily. It reminded him of when he went mental after waking up from that coma. Taking a few big breaths, he stepped into the tiny space.

He saw his new clothes from Stewart Island on one side. The servant uniforms were already pressed and ready to be worn. Pants, underwear, and shorts were folded neatly in the small drawers beneath the hanging shirts and sweaters. The few pairs of shoes he had purchased were placed side-by-side with Fenrir's.

The mixture of old Victorian and modern clothing was an odd sight to see.

*The lake, huh? It must be cold.* Winter should be halfway over, right? Hyeon chose a brandless pair of grey track pants and a thick, white sweatshirt that had a tiny kiwi bird patch on the breast. It was slightly embarrassing but most of the clothes were technically meant for tourists.

Ready to go, he looked for Nammi. She was bundled into a ball on one of Fenrir's white shirts that had fallen onto the floor. Strands of black fur were already covering the pristine fabric.

"Are you staying there?" he asked her. Nammi placed her tail over her nose and closed her eyes for a nap.

Alright, then. Hyeon was ready to get out of that stuffy closet.

There was no one in the office and living room. When Hyeon peeked into the hallway, it was deserted. The light outside suggested it was early morning. How long has he been waiting? Walking through the castle towards the front doors, he kept an eye out for Haruma or Shika. They must be busy.

*Hopefully they recovered from any hangovers.*

"Mr. Falken!" someone shouted from across the corridor. Hyeon has never met this servant before. He seemed newer from the lack of human traits. Although his body was humanoid, his skin was covered in tan scales with black stripes, a long lizard tail trailed behind him, and large brown eyes that didn't seem to blink.

"I was told to give these to you," he said in an Aussie accent while holding out folded clothes. As he talked, a dark blue tongue slithered from his mouth. Someone had washed the shirt, pants, and Viking coat Hyeon wore to Stewart Island. Although the blood and grime were gone, everything except Fenrir's coat was unwearable because of their condition. Somehow, the beautiful black outerwear had survived once again. He took the coat and placed it over his arm.

"Er, thank you, but I sort of can't wear the others anymore."

"Should I dispose of them?" the lizard asked. Instead of answering, Hyeon concentrated on the servant's chest. The glowing soul cloud was the same color as his blue tongue. Hyeon's body began to sweat, but not from the temperature. It was like a drug addict not getting their daily fix. What would it taste like if he—

"—ideas, mate," the servant interrupted Hyeon's fixation.

Hyeon shook his head. "Hmm, what?"

"I said don't get any ideas, mate." The servant watched him cautiously.

"Sorry. Uh, yeah, please just throw those away, thanks." Hyeon left with the coat. Was this some sort of new unlocked power? What was the point of it?

He didn't run into any servants on the way to the grand front doors. Leaving the castle, his eyes squinted from getting used to the brightness. Being shut away in Fenrir's chambers can do that to you. It was a little chilly but warmer than it has been. The snow was gone, too.

Since the walk to the lake would take a while, he put on the thick coat. When he put his hands in the pockets, Hyeon felt an unfamiliar object. He took it out to inspect it. The thing resembled a small coin about the size of an American quarter. The dark grey coin was definitely old; it was smooth from being rubbed so many times over the years. In the center was a faint etching of a wolf head. A thin, black leather cord went through a tiny hole above the canine's head. A necklace? Where did this come from?

Ah, that's right. It was when he was at the bar with Zoe, right after Jack interrupted them:

**She got up from the bar's high chair and gave Hyeon an unwarranted hug. He tensed. Zoe used the long hug as a chance to whisper to him. "Here's a small gift from me. I found it on the beach and wore it a few times. Some weirdo saw it and said it's for protection. Maybe you need it to stay alive, right?" She put an object in his coat pocket and walked away.**

"Hmm," Hyeon pondered. *I'm skeptical, but it's sort of cool. So Zoe found it washed up from the ocean?*

He put it back in the coat pocket for safekeeping.

Almost to the lake, Hyeon saw Kyros. The chestnut brown centaur was lifting and carrying heavy gardening equipment again. He didn't notice during their first meeting, but Kyros was surprisingly his type. Well, the human part at least, not the horse's body. The bare muscled torso, long wavy hair, and dark eyes reminded him of Jason Momoa from Aquaman. The centaur's inner chest glowed a burnt orange. It was a pretty color.

"Ah, sleeping beauty awakes yet again!" Kyros boomed. "How was your five-day slumber?"

*How many days?!*

"I honestly feel the best I've been since being here." It was true. His body didn't feel hungry or groggy despite his ordeal and then sleeping for, apparently, almost a week. If it wasn't for his sore bottom, Hyeon could run a marathon.

"I bet," Kyros laughed. "You also don't look so lanky anymore. Are you training?"

"With Shika. Have you seen him around? I'd like to see him later today."

Kyros's expression turned dark. "You'll have to wait, I'm afraid. He and Mr. Haruma should be released soon. Even so, they'll need time to recover mentally when they return."

Hyeon was confused. "Released from where?"

"I don't know the full details myself. Whatever happened in the human world made the Lord very angry; something about failing their duties to watch over you. As punishment, they were sent to the basement as soon as you all returned."