Chapter 8:

 After a long day at the castle, my mind was a haze of spell formulas, and everything else that had been crammed into my head. My body felt heavy as I trudged toward the teleportation tree with Alohi at my side, her usual smirk playing on her lips.

"Rough day?" she asked, her tone lighter than the exhaustion weighing on me.

"Understatement," I muttered, glancing at the glowing circle ahead. I was still dreading what was to come—being dropped back at Xenos' place. It wasn't like I could just stay at the castle, though I wished I could. There was no way I was ready to face him again.

Alohi pressed her hand to the teleportation tree, activating the circle beneath us. As the magic flared to life, I sighed. "You're staying, right?" I asked hopefully, but I already knew the answer.

Alohi shook her head, giving me a half-apologetic look. "Sorry, cutie, I've got something important to do. You'll survive."

The world blurred around us, and when the light dimmed, we were standing outside Xenos' tavern. The warm glow of the place clashed against the cold evening air. I turned to Alohi, desperation rising. "Please, Alohi, can't you stay? Just for tonight?"

Her expression softened, and for a moment, I thought she might agree. But then she sighed and shook her head again. "No can do. Trust me, I'd love to hang out, but duty calls."

Before I could beg any further, she patted my shoulder and teleported away, leaving me standing alone in the cold with no one but Aurora fluttering beside me.

"Well, that went well," Aurora muttered sarcastically. I shot her a look, my heart sinking as I pushed open the tavern door. The familiar warmth of the place washed over me, but it did nothing to ease the knot in my chest.

Xenos was at the bar, his back to me, a glass in hand. He didn't even look up as I entered. Typical.

I was still fuming from this morning, from being tossed through teleportation like some forgotten package. My exhaustion was a slow burn in the back of my mind, but underneath it, a spark of something else ignited. A thought. A wickedly perfect idea.

My lips curled into a mischievous grin, and I stepped lightly, slipping past him to where the bottles of his favorite liquor were stored. He hadn't even noticed me yet—too absorbed in whatever drink he was nursing.

"Let's see how you like this," I whispered to myself as I carefully tipped the bottle over, letting the liquid spill into the sink. Every drop felt like a tiny victory.

I wiped my hands on my cloak, my heart pounding with the thrill of getting back at him. Before he could notice, I darted back up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door shut behind me. The lock clicked, and I leaned against it, breathless with triumph.

Then I heard it.

A crash downstairs. A low, furious growl. My stomach twisted. I'd barely had a moment to savor the victory before Xenos' heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs, each one louder than the last. My heart raced as I backed away from the door, knowing it wouldn't keep him out.

The door blasted open, his magic ripping it from its hinges. I stumbled back, my hands trembling as Xenos strode in, his eyes blazing with fury. For a second, I thought he might actually hit me, the anger rolling off him in waves.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he snarled, stepping closer. I pressed myself against the wall, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Y-You're too harsh on me!" I shouted, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "If you were just a bit kinder, I wouldn't have done any of this!"

His eyes narrowed, his voice low and dangerous. "You think this is about kindness? You think I owe you anything? You're pathetic."

The word cut through me like a knife. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over.

"Pathetic," he repeated, stepping closer. "You can't even follow simple rules. You're a nuisance. A mistake."

I flinched, his words striking harder than I expected. Before I could say anything else, he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut with a deafening bang.

The silence that followed was crushing. I slid to the floor, my back pressed against the cold wall, tears finally streaming down my face. Aurora fluttered over, her tiny hands resting on my shoulder.

"Sage," she whispered, her voice soft with concern. "Don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Just… leave me alone, Aurora. Please." My voice was barely more than a whisper, broken and raw. I couldn't bear to hear any more comforting words, not right now.

Aurora hesitated, her wings fluttering softly. Then, with a sad nod, she flew to the window, giving me the space I asked for.

I buried my face in my hands, letting the tears fall freely now. It hurt more than I wanted to admit—his words, his anger, the weight of it all crashing down on me at once. I cried until I had nothing left, the exhaustion pulling me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The world faded away, leaving only the sound of my own quiet sobs in the darkness.

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I woke up in a place that was blindingly white, the kind of white that made it hard to tell where the ground ended and the sky began. I blinked, trying to adjust to the brightness, my head spinning as I looked around. Everything was eerily quiet, almost too quiet.

Then I saw him. A tall man stood a few feet away, his skin tanned like he'd spent centuries under the sun. His hair and beard were pure white, flowing down his shoulders like snow. There was something powerful about him, something ancient. I squinted, trying to make sense of who he was.

"Who are you?" I called out, my voice echoing strangely in the empty space. But he didn't answer. He didn't even move. He just stood there, watching me with those deep, unreadable eyes.

I frowned and tried again. "Where am I? Why can't I see my fairy? Where's Aurora?" My voice grew more panicked with every question, but still, he said nothing. My heart raced. I looked around, expecting Aurora to pop up beside me like she always did, but there was no sign of her. The silence was deafening.

I took a step forward, hoping to get closer to him, but it felt like I wasn't moving at all. No matter how many steps I took, the distance between us stayed the same. "Hey!" I called again, louder this time. I needed answers. "What's going on?"

Frustrated, I started running, my feet pounding against the ground—or what I thought was ground. But even as I ran, he stayed just out of reach, like I was stuck in place. My legs burned, but no matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't get any closer.

"Please!" I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation. "Just say something!"

Suddenly, I heard my name, sharp and echoing. "Sage." The sound stabbed through the silence, and it hurt. I clutched my head, the voice growing louder and louder, until it felt like my skull was going to split. "Sage! Sage!"

"Stop!" I screamed, falling to my knees, my hands pressed to my ears. The voice was relentless, like a storm raging inside my mind. The pain was unbearable, a pressure building in my head until I thought I might explode—

And then, just as quickly as it had come, it stopped.

I gasped, my breath ragged as I opened my eyes. I wasn't in that blinding white place anymore. I was back in Xenos' tavern, in my room—but something was off. My head was still spinning, my heart still racing. And then I realized I wasn't alone.

Xenos was holding me, shirtless, his arms tight around me as if he was trying to keep me from falling apart. His chest was heaving, his expression—worried? No, that couldn't be right. I blinked, my breath catching in my throat as I took in the sight. I'd never seen Xenos look like this before.

"Xenos?" My voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper. I struggled to sit up, but his arms didn't budge. He held me close, his face inches from mine, his eyes searching my face like he was trying to figure out if I was okay.

"You were screaming," he said, his voice low and rough, but there was a flicker of something else there, something I wasn't used to hearing from him—concern.

I stared at him, still trying to piece together what had just happened. The dream, the man, the pain in my head—it all felt so real, but now here I was, in Xenos' arms, like none of it had ever happened. "I—I don't know what that was," I mumbled, shaking my head. "It felt like I was somewhere else, like I couldn't move—"

Before I could finish, he gently loosened his grip, sitting me upright but still close, like he was afraid I might fall apart if he let go completely. That's when I noticed his hands, still gripping my arms.

They were turning purple.

My breath caught in my throat. His hands—those hands that had been holding me so tightly, so protectively—were now shaded with that same deep violet hue, creeping up his wrists. The curse. The one that kept him from touching me without being punished by the gods.

"Xenos, your hands..." I whispered, staring at them as the color deepened.

He glanced down and cursed under his breath, quickly pulling away from me. As he did, I caught a glimpse of something else—something I hadn't noticed before.

A massive tattoo sprawled across his back, a dragon coiled around his spine, its wings stretched out across his shoulder blades. The detail was incredible, the scales almost seemed to shimmer as the light hit them, and the dragon's eyes glowed with an eerie, fierce energy. It was beautiful and terrifying all at once, and I found myself unable to look away.

He must've felt my stare, because he turned slightly, his expression hardening. "What?" he snapped, his voice sharp again, the brief moment of vulnerability gone. "It's nothing."

I couldn't help but wonder if that tattoo had something to do with the curse, with why he couldn't touch me without consequence. There was so much I didn't know about him, so much he kept hidden behind that cold, sharp exterior.

"Why are you—" I started, but the words got tangled in my throat. Why was he acting like he cared? Like he actually gave a damn?

He seemed to sense my confusion because his expression darkened further, his body tense. "Don't get the wrong idea," he muttered, standing up quickly and turning his back to me, as if to shield the tattoo from my view. "I'm only here because you were making so much noise. It's not like I care what happens to you."

I frowned, feeling the familiar sting of his words, but something told me this wasn't entirely true. Not after the way he'd held me, even knowing what it cost him.

I sat there, still catching my breath, my mind swirling with a million questions. That man in my dream… who was he? And why couldn't I reach him?

But for now, all I could do was watch as Xenos stormed out of the room, his shoulders tense, the image of that dragon on his back burned into my mind.

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The smell of breakfast caught me off guard as I came down the stairs. For a second, I thought maybe I was still dreaming, but no, there it was—a proper breakfast, laid out neatly on the table. Eggs, bread, some kind of smoked meat… it all looked like it had come from someone who knew what they were doing in the kitchen. And knowing Xenos, I highly doubted he'd willingly put this much effort into anything.

Sceal, Xenos' little lézard, sat nearby, eyeing me with his usual mix of apathy and curiosity. He flicked his tail and spoke up casually, "Captain made it."

I stared at him, my brain needing a moment to process. "Xenos did this?" I couldn't hide the surprise in my voice. Xenos? Cooking? The same guy who'd held me like I was both a burden and something breakable?

"Yep," Sceal said with a lazy shrug. "He mentioned Alohi's swinging by to take you to the castle. He's got some 'important business' to handle."

Of course, Xenos had more important things to do than talk to me. After everything that happened last night, I wasn't really sure what I expected. I picked up a piece of bread, but the guilt from yesterday settled deep in my gut, making it hard to take a bite.

"How's big grumpy back doing?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light. It was my lame attempt to ask how Xenos was after… well, after everything. I felt bad about the way I snapped at him, even if he did always push my buttons.

Sceal's golden eyes locked onto mine, sharper than usual. "You need to focus on yourself, Sage. He's fine." His tone softened a little. "That's just how he is."

That didn't make me feel better. If anything, it made the guilt worse. I hadn't meant to take things so far with him last night. The image of his hands turning purple, the dragon tattoo across his back… I couldn't get any of it out of my head.

Before I could drown any deeper in my thoughts, the door burst open, and in came Alohi like a whirlwind of chaos. She was grinning ear to ear, clearly having way too much fun for how early it was.

"Good morning, sunshine!" she called, striding in like she owned the place. "Heard we had a real eventful night, huh?" Her eyes sparkled as she winked at me. "Xenos told me everything."

My face went hot instantly. "He told you?"

"Oh yeah, all the details," Alohi said, leaning in as if we were sharing some big secret. "Your screaming, him holding you in his big, strong arms, the part where you passed out all dramatically in his embrace…" She threw her head back with a laugh. "Honestly, I'm a little jealous. I wouldn't mind fainting into Xenos' arms."

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. "Please, just… stop."

But Alohi only laughed harder. "You know, for someone who claims not to care, he sure rushed in to save you like a knight in shining armor. Though, I'm sure he'd hate that comparison."

I glanced over at Sceal, who was busy tearing into a piece of smoked meat, completely ignoring my suffering. Great. No help from him.

"It wasn't like that," I mumbled, even though a part of me wasn't so sure anymore. The way Xenos had looked at me, the way his arms felt around me—like I was both fragile and something precious. It all made my head spin.

"Sure, sure," Alohi said, slapping me on the back. "Anyway, we've got places to be. I'm your chauffeur today, lucky for you!"

As we made our way to the door, I stopped, a sudden thought striking me. "Wait, Alohi—can you do me a favor?"

She turned to me with an eyebrow raised, clearly intrigued. "Depends. What's the favor?"

I hesitated, not sure why I was suddenly nervous. "Could you… bring me Xenos' favorite liquor this afternoon? I want to give it to him as a sort of… 'sorry' gift. For, you know… everything."

Alohi's grin widened as her eyes sparkled with that mischievous glint she always had. "Ooooh, someone's feeling guilty. Alright, I'll bring you the best bottle I can find. Though I gotta say, Xenos receiving an apology that doesn't come in the form of sarcasm or violence? This'll be interesting."

I smiled a little despite myself. "Thanks, Alohi."

"No problem," she said, still grinning. "He'll probably scowl and growl, but hey, deep down, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

As the disorienting pull of teleportation released me, I stumbled slightly, catching my breath. I hated that feeling. Alohi smirked, clearly amused. "Try not to freak out mid-teleport next time," she teased.

I rolled my eyes, still a bit shaky. "No promises," I muttered. "Thanks… for everything."

She winked. "I'll be back with that bottle. Don't get into more trouble before then." With a flash, she was gone, leaving me at the castle gates. I took a deep breath, steadying myself for the day ahead, but my thoughts were already on Xenos—and the apology I owed him.