Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 90: Seeking the Magician of Thorns

The morning air was crisp, a welcome break from the undulating heat of the past few days. As they proceeded down the mountain, the sun rose slow and golden in the sky behind the taller mountainous crags of their summit home.

Ezra, Oberyn, and Deek descended the mountain trail in a line, with the small Ferin leading the pack. The lower they got, the grassier their path became - it wasn’t long before the long grass brushed against their calves and sparse trees cast shadows over their trail as they roamed into a world of chirping birds and lush flora.

Deek bounced over rocks and exposed roots like a fox with somewhere to be. Her boomerang clacked lightly against her belt as she frolicked, moving at double time.

"Don’t go too fast!" Oberyn warned, watching the Ferin girl carefully. "You did fall into that bush five minutes ago."

"Hey! Mr. Nephilim, that was a strategic fall," Deek corrected. "I was blending into the natural environment. Advanced Ferin scouting moves - wouldn’t expect you to understand! Mr. Rav would vouch for me!"

Ezra leaned close to Oberyn, voice low. "Do you think Rav taught her that?"

"No," Oberyn whispered back. "I think she made it up and maybe Rav encouraged her out of spite."

"I heard that!" Deek called from ahead. Her Ferin hearing was superior - there was no use whispering around her.

The trail narrowed into a winding stretch where sunlight dripped through pine branches like gold syrup. Oberyn walked shoulder to shoulder with Ezra, their arms brushing now and then. No tension, no hesitation. Just warmth.

When they reached the ridge, the trees fell away to reveal the Ferin Village nestled like a secret garden in the hills below. Thatched rooftops and red clay tiles peeked from among curling plumes of chimney smoke. Wooden bridges arched over calm streams, and all the lands surrounding the village were dotted with growing fields of wheat and other crops.

"There it is," Ezra murmured. It was hard to believe - though the Ferin Village was the closest civilization to them at the pagoda, Ezra had scarcely ever been. It had been such a whirlwind ever since he arrived to his new world.

"Race you both there!" Deek said excitedly, taking off in a hurry.

Before either of them could answer, she was already gone, a blur of motion and taunting laughter skipping down the switchbacks.

Oberyn tilted his head. "I think Deek will win this one. But...do you want to race for second?"

Ezra glanced back at Oberyn, a mischievous flicker in his eyes. "Sure, but if I win, you have to do whatever I say tonight."

Oberyn smiled big and wide. "But if I win, then I believe some biting is in order. You owe me from yesterday."

"Deal."

They both took off, fast as Ferin on their feet as they vaulted over obstacles in a full sprint, each trying to outdo each other. Oberyn took an early lead but Ezra quickly gained on him - the human was far more confident, even if the Nephilim were naturally faster.

Ezra had no problem leaping over even the large obstacles, following Deek’s lead. Though still wounded, he pushed himself to his absolute limit.

Ezra ran ahead, only a short distance behind Deek, but Oberyn quickly gained distance once they were on flat ground. And, right as they reached the gate that signaled the entrance to the village, Oberyn caught up.

They both passed through the gate running at the exact same time.

"Hah! You both lose!" Deek smirked, confident and bratty as ever. She crossed her arms and posed, gloating.

Ezra and Oberyn, both out of breath, locked eyes.

"A draw."

"Then I guess we both win," Ezra smiled. "You get your bites, and I get whatever I want."

Oberyn blushed. "Sounds like we’re going to have a long night."

Ezra leaned in and whispered directly into Oberyn’s ear, sending a shiver down the Nephilim’s spine. "Good. I’ve got plans for Rav’s gift, after all."

Deek called out to them, breaking the moment. "We should all split up, we can cover more ground that way!"

Oberyn scoffed at the suggestion, his ears still tinted pink from the sound of Ezra’s suggestion. "Sounds good. Let’s all meet back here in an hour."

"You got it, Mr. Nephilim!"

They split off.

Ezra took the winding village roads, weaving through food stalls and chatting up vendors under the guise of casual interest. He scanned every face and eavesdropped on every group. He poked through books in a dusty corner shop, lingered near bathhouses, and swapped stories with traveling Ferin merchants while sipping bad tea.

But an hour passed, and the best lead he got was from a drunk Ferin who claimed to be cursed by a haunted cheese wheel.

As a human, he could tell the Ferin were apprehensive around him - especially to mention anything about a Magician. He realized he wasn’t going to get very far with intel-gathering, not in the village.

His patience frayed, Ezra bought a sweet bun glazed in spiced honey and kept walking. He ducked into shaded alleys and strolled the perimeter of the market square. The air was thick with sizzling oils and flower pollen.

That’s when he spotted them - two older Ferin hunched beside a bubbling potion shop, whispering like the world would shatter if they spoke too loud.

"...left a rose near the lake, just yesterday."

"Wasn’t natural. Thorns growing from the petals. That’s her, right?"

"They said she’s headed east. Hollow Forest. Looking for someone. A dark elf named... Varlen."

Ezra stopped cold.

Varlen.

He remembered that name well. A suspicious dark elf. The one who taught him how to use the Drain Kiss and manage Oberyn’s curse. Of course the Magician of Thorns would be going after someone like him.

His fingers tightened around the remains of the sweet bun.

Finally, a real lead.

He turned on his heel and wove back through the crowd, headed for the meeting spot.

He found Oberyn waiting by the bridge, tossing pebbles into the water while a kitten-like Ferin child tried to mimic him with bigger and bigger rocks.

"Hey," Ezra said, a little breathless.

Oberyn stood. "You found something. I can see it on your face."

Ezra nodded. "Somewhere to the east - a place called ’The Hollow Forest’. She’s after the guy who taught me how to deal with your curse, believe it or not."

Oberyn’s brow furrowed. "Truly? I wonder why...you mentioned he was a Dark Elf, did you not? Deek led me to believe this woman was specifically hunting Ferin..."

"If she’s going after him, they may want to silence him because he knows too much. Maybe if we find him first, we can learn something useful about her."

Oberyn turned toward the hill, already looking for Deek.

"Ominous."

Meanwhile, across the village, Deek rummaged through a pile of discarded festival decorations near the town square. "She would disguise herself, wouldn’t she?" she muttered, pulling out a half-shredded velvet cloak and holding it up to the light.

No clues here.

She tried the bathhouse next, poking her head into the changing room before a shriek sent her sprinting back out. "Oops. My bad!" she called.

And finally, her hour of exploration came to an end - she bounced back over to Ezra and Oberyn to share the news.

"A whole lotta squat!" Deek whined.

"Nothing on my end, either," Oberyn admitted.

"I know where she might be, Deek. You ever hear of a place called The Hollow Forest?"

Deek shuddered. "Yeah, but we Ferin don’t go over there. That’s Dark Elf territory."

"I figured..." Ezra said, his eyes hovering downward. "Well, that’s all the information I think we’re going to get today. Oby, should we head home? Maybe we can ask Rav about some of this.

Oberyn nodded, but his attention hovered back to Deek.

"You going to be okay getting home by yourself?"

Deek turned bright red. "Hey, I’m not a little kid!" she shouted - despite her being twelve. "I get around by myself all the time. I’m more self-sufficient than you both!"

"Okay, okay," Oberyn said with a smile. "We’ll see what Rav has to say, and meet you back here tomorrow."

"You got it!"

Ezra and Oberyn made their way back up the mountain as Deek returned to her home to check on her old housemate, Cliff. Ezra had half a mind to go with Deek to say hello - but he would have plenty more opportunities to reconnect with Cliff in the future.

That night, he and Oberyn had plans - and he wasn’t about to miss them.

"You’re walking fast, Ezra, don’t pull something!" Oberyn called. Ezra turned around, not realizing how far ahead he’d gotten.

"Oh," Ezra smiled. "Sorry about that. I’m just excited to get home."

"Why’s that?" Oberyn smirked, putting his hands on his hips and eying Ezra up and down.

"The quicker we get home, freshen up...the quicker we can have some fun, Oby."