Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 117: The Enemy of My Enemy

---The Day Before---

As soon as the purple light vanished, and Oberyn was whisked away by the doll’s teleportation magic, Ezra screamed.

"Oberyn!"

He stepped forward, looking at the doll for answers. "Oberyn! Where are you!?"

He picked the doll up and shook it. "Take me too!" He shouted at the doll, at the top of his lungs. The nearby ’Hungry’ that were feasting on the corpses look up at the disturbance, but they don’t bother doing much else.

The doll dissolved like sand in Ezra’s hand as he held it, fading away into nothing.

"Oberyn!"

Bree gently touched the tips of her wings to Ezra’s shoulder. "I can still sense him. He’s alive, but quite far."

Her eyes drifted to the mountain where Rav had flown off to a while ago. Her home.

"He’s up there," Bree said, sure of herself. "On the mountain. Not far from Rav."

Bree pondered the situation. "He may have been transported to the owner of that doll," she sighed. "We’ll have to hope Rav gets there quickly, if so."

Bree tensed up as she glanced toward the Hungry. They were beginning to get a little more skittish. "We’ve much better places to talk. Come, Ezra."

Bree lowered herself and held out her wing. "Get on."

Ezra tilted his head. "You don’t mean..."

Bree sized Ezra up. "You’re bigger than Oberyn or Rav, so you wouldn’t be my first choice. But I can handle you. Come on, don’t make it weird."

Ezra blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Isn’t this kind of...you know..."

Bree squawked at the wind in amusement. "I can leave you to fend for yourself against those Hungry and whatever else may be waiting in these woods."

"Yeah, I’ll ride you," Ezra said, blushing again as he spoke. He awkwardly mounted Bree’s back, wrapping his legs around her hips.

"Like...this?" He said, covering his face so Bree couldn’t see him.

"And your arms around my torso. Come on."

Ezra rested his head on Bree’s back and wrapped his arms around her, as he tried not to grip her too tightly. She tested his grip, moving her body in a few different directions before she lifted off.

Ezra’s heart nearly leaped from his throat as Bree ascended. The momentum shift pushed him, unsteady, but he held onto Bree for dear life. She beat her wings a few times in quick succession, gaining elevation with each broad stroke. Once they were above the tree line, Bree twirled in a spiral, gaining a boost of speed and propelling her north.

The wind was whipping through Ezra’s hair. As exhilarating as the feeling of flight was, he couldn’t help but raise his head and look up at the sights. Everything looked so small from up here - everything but that towering mountain.

It was an even more frightening experience than the first time he rode on one of Rav’s clouds.

"I can’t fly far with you like this," Bree said, almost as if she sensed Ezra looking at the mountain. "I should be able to make it to Tienna Point. Just bear with me kid!"

She beat her wings powerfully, keeping them both adrift in the wind as she continued to fly forward. Soaring through the sky like this, Ezra had half a mind to take it all in and belt out in glorious cheer - but he figured that Bree wouldn’t like that too much. He was the one she allowed to ride him, after all.

It didn’t take them long to arrive in Tienna Point. Bree’s landing was heavy and rough, but she braced herself for most of the fall and sustained no lasting injury. Ezra dismounted her as quickly as he could, trying to be respectful. As he did, he was able to focus on his surroundings once more.

Sure enough, they were in the middle of a town. But if anyone was living here, they were long gone, or in hiding. There wasn’t a soul around.

"I’m guessing it’s not just a quiet place," Ezra mumbled to himself. He thought about the implications. Could the Hungry have gotten everyone in the village? They were vicious but didn’t seem like they had much intelligence.

"They’re all inside," Bree stated sadly. "Due to the famine, of course. These people have become wary of each other, stockpiling resources and hiding them away. This is how they survive."

Bree turned, the tips of her wings twitching. "It’s also not safe out here."

From the alleyway, a figure emerged. It wasn’t as deformed as the other Hungry, but it was clear - this person was too far gone to be saved. They walked toward Ezra and Bree, reaching their arms out like a shambling zombie.

Bree winced her eyes. She couldn’t bear to see someone like that. These were people from the northern country - her homeland. Any one of these Hungry could have been her neighbor, her friend, her florist. It affected everyone the same in the end. Her beak twitched, heartache simmering beneath her cool exterior as she leveled her breathing.

They prepared for battle with the Hungry, but they didn’t need to lift a finger. It took only three more steps toward them before it freezes in place. Completely crystalized, like a statue, in the most gentle and fleeting of moments.

"I didn’t mean to startle you," came a sweet, sing-song voice from their right. A figure emerged from the shadows, fresh from a dream. Her skin was glowing, almost translucent, and her long hair was worn in a pink double braid. Her clothing revealed her as a sorceress of some sort - a wide-brimmed hat and matching short skirt ensemble.

She peeked out from under her hood playfully, her eyes glimmering in the pale light. She had the doe-eyed sparkle of someone who was in love.

She walks toward them, holding her right hand out in greeting. On the silent street, all that could be heard was the hearty clacking of her boots on the stone road.

Ezra reciprocated, catching his hand in hers and giving her a shake. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and smiled.

Ezra felt the corner of his mouth twitch, unsure of whether to smile or scream.

"Marx Lovoux," she said, the ’x’ sound harsh on her first name and soft on the second. Oh, but my friends call me Marxie. I’m the Magician of Crystal."