Chapter Text
“Keep your eyes open. Y/n, don’t you dare faint on me.”
A groan escaped my mouth, but I followed his orders as best as I could and tried to stay awake against the mind-numbing pain. Sylus had immediately removed the shard and plugged the gaping wound with his evol. He had somehow stopped the bleeding, but it was nowhere near enough.
“Have I underestimated your determination or overestimated your intelligence? Why the hell would you do that? Have you forgotten that I can heal myself?”
He never raised his voice, and he still wasn’t raising it, but the anguish was visible in his expression. I didn’t reply, using all of my energy to keep myself awake. Sylus slowly gathered me in his arms, heading towards the elevator shaft. I clung to him, trying to keep breathing. His men were already waiting for us downstairs, and he slid into the backseat of an SUV, arranging me on his lap, his eyes monitoring my wound.
The pain eased a little, and I didn’t know whether it was because Sylus’s evol was somehow managing to heal it or I was dying because of the poison. I brought a palm to his face, cupping his cheek. “Don’t fret. It’s just a stab wound.”
“It’s just a stab—Luke, hurry. She’s losing her mind.”
“Yes, boss.”
I rested my cheek against his shoulder. “How the hell is your jacket still on your shoulders? We were in a fight!”
That earned me a small smile. “I’ll let you know my secret, only if you stay with me.”
I nodded, my eyes following his to my wounded area. Something was not right. It should be red, right? But the skin around the wound was turning black. Before I could ask about it, Sylus cupped my face and turned it towards his. “Nothing’s happened. Okay? I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“But—“
“We’re here.”
Sylus climbed out of the vehicle in record time and carried me to straight to his bedroom where medical equipment was being set up. He laid me down on the bed, and a maid helped him cut through my gown with a pair of large scissors for easier access. I was saddened to ruin such a tasteful piece, but it was ripped anyway. The maid saw herself out as Sylus covered me with the silk sheets, living my mid-riff exposed. The doctor and his team were finished with the equipment just as Sylus was done.
The doctor examined my blackening wound as a nurse needled in an IV through my hand. “We can’t give her a general anaesthetic for this case. She has to be awake as I drain the poison and stitch it up. Mr. Sylus, please stay here and keep her talking.”
Sylus came to the other side of the bed and sat down next to my head, caressing my hair gently. “Keep your eyes on me, dove. It’ll be over soon.”
My eyes started watering on seeing him in such an anguish.
Sylus kissed the tears away. “It’s okay. There is an antidote. Dr. Arabel will take care of you.”
Maybe it had already gotten to my brain, because I was not panicking about it. I didn’t care that there was currently poison running in my veins. All I could think about was Sylus and his fingers caressing my face and hair, keeping my attention on him. The doctor giving instructions and working on my side faded into the background.
“When you were dying in our previous life, I sang to you.”
He nodded. “But you’re not dying.” A tear rolled down his cheek even as he said that.
“I know. I just remembered a song, in the same language I named Mashi. Do you want to hear it?” I reached up and brushed away the tear.
He nodded. “Yes.”
My voice was low and wobbly as I started singing. Sylus grabbed my hand, listening to me sing as if his life depended on it. I kept my eyes on him, not quite reaching the high notes but continuing anyway. I wasn’t singing for a contest.
The edges of my vision were fading as I neared the end of the song. I tried my best to stay awake, but I just didn’t have it in me. As my eyes closed and my consciousness faded, someone’s voice said, “It’s done. She’s out of danger.”
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“You see, there was a time when the fiend looked like a normal human. When his horns started growing, he used a blade to repeatedly saw them off until he couldn’t anymore, leaning into the transition.”
“What’s your name?”
“It’s an ancient Philosian word that you wouldn’t understand.”
“I will call you Sylus.”
“Call me whatever you want, but don’t expect me to answer you.”
“You are not an adult dragon. You’re still young, aren't you? That’s why you can’t hide your horns, wings and tail.”
“Dragons have no use for song or flavourful food. It’s mere frivolousness.” “….sing that song again, you sound.…heavenly.”
“You have to kill me before the mark on your neck fades.”
“A dragon’s fate is to kill his soulmate. But his beloved saw past the layers of a fiend and showed him human love. How could he succumb to fate after receiving such love?”
“The entire meadows of Taurus city will bloom if you will it to be so, my beloved.”
“You’re a young dragon who just grew her horns.”
“There’s…so much…blood. What have I done? My dragon is gone. Called a fiend by the people, who was my beloved.”
“Don’t know where to aim? I can tell you.”
“I curse you, Sylus, to be bound with my soul for eternity.”
“Who dares to summon me?”
“I, a sorceress.”
“A powerful one I dare say.”
“Congratulations for the two victors in this inter-galaxy tournament. For the final round, you have to fight…each other!”
“I promised that I’ll get you out of here, Y/n, and I will keep that promise, no matter what.”
“Your majesty. I’m here with compliments from my planet, Khaosi.”
“And in the end, I am your husband, and you are my wife.”
“I’ll find you in every alternate reality, my wife.”
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