Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 79: Hidden Fire

"Hey, Ez. I was wondering where you were."

Ezra wrapped his fingers through Oberyn’s belt loops, pulling him in for a quick kiss before speaking. The two blushed slightly, looking into each other’s eyes.

"I just met ’Bree’," Ezra said. "I didn’t realize Ferin could be so..."

"Non-human?" Oberyn smirked. "She’s a Bird Anima, right? I believe they call those types of Ferin ’Aves’. I saw a couple when I was living in Asteria."

"Look at you," Ezra grinned, ruffling Oberyn’s hair. "Like my little encyclopedia."

Oberyn turned red, slapping Ezra’s hand away. He crossed his arms and huffed.

"It’s not my fault I’m paying attention to this world we’re in," he said, biting his lip. "This place is strange to me, too."

"I love it," Ezra elaborated. "I think it’s cute, how smart you are."

The comment only made Oberyn blush more.

"Sounds like she, Rav, and I are going to the northern country in three days. Rav and I have an idea of how we can end the famine there. The one Deek told us about."

"Just the three of you?" Oberyn frowned.

"Oby, I’d like you to come, but..."

"But what? If you’re going, I should be there too."

"It might not be safe for you. From what Bree says, there’s Magicians from Asteria lurking around. And one of them is..."

Oberyn didn’t need Ezra to elaborate. He knew already what Ezra’s thinking. There were only so many Magicians that Ezra knew about, after all.

"Marxie is there?"

It was a name that Oberyn feared to even speak. After how effortlessly she tore him up - even while saying she took it easy on him and wanted him to escape...

Oberyn shuddered just imagining running into her again. If she wanted to kill Oberyn, she would have no trouble. Even with the additional strength and levels they’d achieved.

"I couldn’t let you go somewhere you might be in danger," Ezra said, his voice fraught with worry.

"Yeah, I get it..."

Oberyn looked down at the ground, defeated.

The Nephilim didn’t want to feel like a liability - like someone that needed to be protected. He and Ezra were supposed to protect each other. To be a team.

"Three days, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well," Oberyn said, finding agency even where none seemed possible. "That’s not many days to get to level 20 and help Deek with her Magician issue, is it?"

He referred to the Magician of Thorns, who was terrorizing the local Ferin - she hunted those who had made enemies of Asteria, and Deek wanted vengeance for the people who’d been hurt.

"I think we’ll have to wait on that one," Ezra said, considering the timelines. "But that’s okay. You’ll hold the fort down and if Deek comes by while we’re gone, you can tell her where we went. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah..." Oberyn said quietly.

But Oberyn was already forming other plans in his mind.

If Ezra and Rav were going off on an adventure, Oberyn wasn’t going to just sit around and wait.

He and Deek could hunt the Magician of Thorns - together. If Ezra and Rav were off saving the world, then Oberyn needed to prove he could, too. To show he wasn’t a liability, even if it meant risking everything.

The thought popped into Oberyn’s mind, but he dared not speak it. Ezra would never condone such an act - he’d say it was dangerous, risky. Ezra would want to be there.

The thought flickered in the back of Oberyn’s head as they made eye contact. He worried he wouldn’t be able to hide it.

But once Ezra spoke again, he realized he knew the answer.

"So what would you like to do today?" Ezra said with a smile, oblivious to the scheming.

Oberyn smiled. "Hunt some monsters, of course. If you’re going off without me in three days, you need to be as strong as possible!"

It’s not that he enjoyed deceiving Ezra - but Oberyn was stubborn and wouldn’t be satisfied ’minding the fort’. He was far too fiery and explosive for that.

"You got it," Ezra grinned.

"Rav had Deek and I clear out a waterfall cave a while back. It was filled with Lamia."

Yeah, I remember. That was the day he and I went to Asteria."

Oberyn nodded. "Well, according to Rav, there’s another cave not far from there, filled with crystal. The same kind that conducts magic."

Ezra thought for a moment. He’d gotten used to the technology in their world - there were no water heaters for their showers - all of that was done through crystals that conducted fiery energy. The same logic applied to things like lights, or coolers - different types of crystals, aspected to different elements.

"Supply run?"

"Rav told me a rare type of creature lurks in those caves - Crystalbugs. They’re a little tougher than what we’re used to. Think you’re up for it?"

"Oh yeah," Ezra smirked. "You’re talking to the same guy who took down a Tyrannodon in one hit."

Oberyn adjusted his belt, steeling himself for the adventure to come. "Okay!" he said, determined.

Their efforts thus far had been fruitful - they were both level 19, from the huge boost they received from the Titanfeather Airoch, as well as the hunting they’d done since. A few good kills of the Crystalbugs could be enough to push them to the fabled level 20, Oberyn figured.

They set out, leaving a quick note for Rav to let him know they’d be gone. Oberyn took the lead, meandering through the mountain pass like a seasoned adventurer. Ezra followed along, quiet, thinking.

A couple hours later, after navigating through the mountain, they arrived at the waterfall Oberyn mentioned. It was crystal clear, a beautiful lagoon nestled in the mountains.

Ezra’s eyes sparkled in awe as he looked upon the place. It was smaller than Crandle Falls, where he’d taken Cliff - but more intimate. Quieter. It was a good reminder that Ezra had a waterfall to show Oby soon, too.

They checked the cave behind the waterfall to make sure there were no monsters lingering around, and decided to rest for a while by the water.

The hot sun blared down on them as they sat side by side next to the water. A tranquil, calm moment before the battle that awaited them.

It was like the two shared the same thought as the sweat clung to their bodies from the long walk here. The misting water off the vibrant blue mountain lake seemed so inviting...

"How about we take a dip?"