Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 81: Crystal Cave

It was well past noon before the boys finally crawled out of the water.

They sprawled out naked on the warm stone, their bodies slick and shining, letting the sunlight dry them as the last of the mist evaporated from their skin.

Oberyn trailed his fingers up and down Ezra’s broad chest, tracing along the defined lines of his muscles as his hands tempted further downward.

Ezra groaned, laughing. "We will never make it to the cave if you start touching me like that again."

Oberyn grinned, not the least bit sorry. "Fiiiine," he relented with an exaggerated sigh. "We won’t go for another round... IF you promise me something."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, propping himself up on one elbow. "Oh yeah? What’s that, little man?"

Oberyn flushed at the pet name, biting his lower lip. "Suck and bite my neck tonight," he said, voice just above a whisper. "I want you to leave marks."

Ezra’s eyes widened slightly, then darkened with interest. He loved how much the Nephilim was into those things because they also happened to be Ezra’s favorite. He also loved when Oberyn was so direct.

"Deal," he murmured, brushing a thumb over Oberyn’s flushed cheek and biting at him playfully. "I’ll need to treat your curse tonight anyway. Might as well go to town."

They geared back up, the heat of the sun fading behind them as they left the lagoon. The mountain trail narrowed as they pushed forward, boots crunching over old stone and moss. Thirty minutes later, the rocky path gave way to something new.

The mouth of the cave appeared between two jagged cliff faces, crystal jutting from the entrance like mangled teeth - the maw of a world yet unknown. Huge shards of multicolored gemstone had grown through the earth like roots, arching up and over the cave’s entryway.

Neither knew the specifics of such an ecological site - but the cave almost felt...alive.

Inside, the air shifted. The temperature dropped, but not unpleasantly. Soft, pulsing light filtered from the walls - prismatic and dancing, coating the entire cave system in a palette of rainbow lights. The floor was slick with patches of condensed mist and bluish moss, while the walls shimmered with pure magical energy.

"Wow," Oberyn whispered, spinning in place to take it all in. "It’s like walking through a kaleidoscope."

Ezra reached out and touched a reddish-orange crystal nearby. It vibrated faintly at his fingertips, warm with mana.

"Just like the ones in our shower," Ezra commented.

Then, they heard it. A faint skittering, followed by a low, reverberating chitter.

"Look," Ezra pointed, crouching low. "Careful, Oby."

Crawling across the cavern walls were creatures the size of rhinos. Their bodies were plated in crystal shells that camouflaged them into the cave itself. Their legs were light, jointed like insects, with enormous antennae twitching as they navigated upside down. Crystalbugs, as Rav called them.

They didn’t seem aggressive at first. One even scuttled close to Ezra and paused, tilting its crystalline head, as if inspecting him.

"They’re not hostile," Oberyn noted, though his hands crackled with faint explosive energy regardless. It didn’t matter if they were hostile or not - they were there to fight. Level 20 was their ultimate goal, after all.

"Sad to kill them when they’re not hostile," Ezra replied, voice low. "But we gotta do what we gotta do."

With that, he lunged.

His spear sliced through the air, striking the nearest Crystalbug in the side. The shell cracked, refracting light into a burst of colors. The creature reeled back and shrieked - a horrible, metallic sound that echoed through the cave.

At once, the others turned. The peaceful tension shattered. In a blur of movement, the walls came alive with crawling legs and flashing carapaces.

There were a lot more than they realized.

"Here they come!" Ezra shouted, taking a defensive stance.

Oberyn raised his hand, magic swirling at his fingertips before erupting in a flash of orange light. The bolt struck one of the Crystalbugs mid-lunge, sending it crashing into a crystal outcropping, shattering both it and the crystal into a thousand shards.

Ezra ducked under another swipe from a claw the size of his torso. He spun low and jammed his spear upward, catching the creature in the thorax. It shrieked again, collapsing in a pile.

It was enough to distract Ezra only for a moment. Before he could react, another one was on him.

The blow came from the side. Ezra barely turned in time to see it—a glancing strike from a jagged leg. It tore into his side, ripping through his armor and leaving a deep gash along his ribs.

He hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him.

"Ezra!" Oberyn called out, eyes wide.

Ezra gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up, but blood was already soaking through his shirt. Not fatal, but it burned like hell.

The bugs closed in.

"Oberyn," he growled. "Finish them!"

The Nephilim nodded, eyes blazing as his magic surged to life.

He raised both hands, unleashing a violent torrent of explosive flame that carved through the remaining creatures in one sweeping blast. It shook the cave to its core as a serenade of exploding glass overwhelmed the senses.

And finally -

The cave fell quiet.

Oberyn was at Ezra’s side in an instant. "You’re hurt. Damn it - why didn’t you dodge?"

Ezra groaned, trying to stand. "I did. Just... not fast enough."

Oberyn pulled his arm over his shoulder, supporting him as they slowly made their way out of the cave. They paused just long enough to confirm the Crystalbugs were dead - and as they did, the notification they’d both been waiting for.

A level up for both of them - level twenty.

The walk back was long, quiet, but tender. Oberyn fretted every few minutes to make sure the wounded Ezra was okay.

The wound was thankfully not deep, but it would require healing. Thankfully they knew a certain Sage who was quite skilled in the healing arts.

By the time they reached the pagoda, the sun was dipping low in the sky. The walk back had taken quite a while as Ezra could not travel at full speed.

Oberyn helped Ezra inside, his arm still slung around the human’s shoulders.

Rav was waiting for them, leaning against the wall with arms crossed and one brow arched.

"Looks like someone had a bit too much fun on their ’little trip,’ hm?" the Ferin questioned.

Ezra offered a weak smile. "Think you can patch me up, Rav?"