Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 105: The Gate of Asteria

Rav appeared in a blink. One moment, he was nowhere. The next, he landed gracefully in front of Oberyn, his robe fluttering in the cool air, one foot barely touching the ground.

He turned his head and swung his fan once - or maybe more than once? It was hard to tell. In an instant, the giant Heena exploded into clean, angular pieces.

It was staggering. No spells. No chants. Just devastating precision and unreal speed.

Rav flicked his fan across his face. Not even a drop of blood on it.

"Next time, you’re on your own, boys. I hate dogs. Oh," he said, glancing to the left.

He threw his fan into the swirling cloud barrier. Oberyn didn’t see anything, but a sharp wail cut through the fog. The fan flew back into Rav’s hand and he clacked it closed, tucking it neatly into his robes.

"So much for that barrier," Oberyn muttered.

Rav grinned. "Seems I underestimated just how much those nasty things want to eat you, Ezra. I’ll be a touch more cautious next time."

"Eat...me? Why me?"

Rav’s eyes flickered toward him, quiet understanding apparent within them. "These Heenas are no normal monsters, little Ezra. They’re products of an Apocalypse that was prevented long ago. We call them Encephalim - and denote them as such for their yellow eyes and aberrant flesh. Surely you noticed, hm? These are not your run-of-the-mill monsters, not at all."

Rav walked to one of the fallen Heena corpses and kicked it with his foot, turning it over. "Voila," he said, pointing at it with his fan. "Encephalim."

Oberyn sheathed his sword and joined the two of them. The danger had passed. He was drenched in sweat, breath ragged, but he’d be okay. Still, using all that magic took a toll on him.

Rav’s words lingered.

’Was this really because of Ezra?’ he thought to himself. ’These things...wanted him?’

"The yellow-eyed beasts seek the power of the Harbingers - their leaders," Rav explained. "But Ezra here has no idea how to control them, naturally. I’m not sure if any Harbinger does."

"Yellow-eyed beasts that hunt Harbingers...Rav, you probably should have mentioned this before," Ezra said weakly.

It had been a long time since they’d been somewhere this remote and open. At the mountain summit, they had protection - both ecological and from being close to civilization. Here, all they had were Rav’s clouds. Even those hadn’t been enough to hide Ezra’s Harbinger status from the crazed beasts.

"If I thought it would be a problem, I very well might have. No worries. There are very few of those things in the northern country, from what I know. They prefer places like this - far from civilization, where they can roam wild and free. I guess plan your road trips carefully, hm?"

Oberyn’s hands drummed over the hilt of his sword.

"Encephalim...the name is familiar. Such creatures exist on the moon, but they are nothing like these Heena. The Encephalim that I know are much, much bigger - some the size of mountains. But they keep away from my home..."

Rav looked like a catboy who knew more than he was letting on - his tail swished back and forth, agitatedly, suspiciously. But if he had something else to say, he kept it to himself.

"Well, boys - it reeks of dead Heena here, and we’ve got places to be. Let’s get a move on, eh?"

Rav gave them a lift the rest of the way - it took about ninety minutes of flying on Rav’s cloud before they finally saw it - the great stone gate that divided the land owned by Asteria from the Northern Country.

Ezra was awestruck by its imposing majesty. It was a bona fide fortress, with a gilded canary-yellow wall that stretched down and cut the entire land in half, as far as the eye could see. It soaked up the early morning light, glimmering like a Nephilim’s wings in candlelight. Beautiful - and menacing. He didn’t think any refugees were getting through here.

Looking down, he spotted a few people near the gate, still on the Asteria side. No sign of Bree. Mostly guards. But one face stood out, because she was staring directly at Oberyn, a look of shock on her face.

"She recognizes you," Rav said, pulling back defensively and withdrawing his fan. "This isn’t good." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"It’s fine. I promise."

Oberyn stepped forward and cupped his hands.

"Adma!" he called, running forward and beckoning her closer. His one and only human friend, from when he first arrived in this world.

"Is that really you?" she called back, peeking her head over a nearby soldier. She brushed the guard aside and began walking toward him.

The tall female soldier stepped toward them, confident but cautious all the same. She gave Oberyn a nod and chatted with them once they were out of earshot of the other guards.

"I heard what happened," she said quietly. "But I trust you have your reasons."

"So...who is this again, Oby boy?" Rav asked with intent curiosity, fanning himself.

"Her name is Adma," Oberyn said, turning and introducing her. "Adma, meet Ezra and Rav - though Rav needs no introduction. Adma is...well, she might be the reason I’m alive today. She looked after me when I was first enlisted."

"And you’ve grown far since then," Adma smiled. "Seeing you hale and hearty makes me glad, Oberyn. When they put an order for the Magicians of Asteria to hunt you, I..."

Her voice faltered before directing her attention to Rav. "You have been a guide to him, is that right? Thank you, Great Sage. Has he gotten as strong as he looks?"

"Mmm, he’s not the worst Magician I’ve fought," Rav smirked. "A pleasure to meet you - Adma, I presume? I can tell by your stocky and worn demeanor that you’re a lovely human champion. I expect I need no introduction?"

Adma bowed her head. "Great Sage of the Clouds. It is an honor to make your acquaintance. We’ve met before, when I was still squad captain of - "

Rav waved his fan at her. "Oh yes, yes. I’ve met many people, many places, many times. I can’t be expected to remember every human." He dropped the fan and deftly scooped it up with his tail, clacking it open as he took a dramatic step forward. Was he prepping another soliloquy? Or just trying to change the subject?

"I shall let you catch up with my Nephilim servants, Miss Adma," he said, his tone darkening slightly as he said her name. "Okie doke! I have a little birdy waiting for me, if you don’t mind."