Thanks so much for your support and for sticking with the story so far! The upcoming chapters are absolute bangers I won't spoil anything, but if you want to see where things are going, head over to patreon.com/KingAlex738, where you'll find 10 or more chapters ahead.
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Chapter 110
The light filtering through the windows was soft, pale gold, the kind that came with early morning or late afternoon. Lucas lay still for a long moment, his eyes closed, letting his senses stretch outward. Silk sheets beneath his fingers. The faint scent of flowers—real ones, cut fresh and placed somewhere in the room. The distant murmur of the capital below, waking to another day.
And beside him, someone breathing.
He opened his eyes.
Kaya sat in a chair pulled close to the bed, her legs tucked beneath her, a book open in her lap. She had stop reading. Her white eyes were fixed on his face, watching the rise and fall of his chest, the flicker of his eyelids, the moment his gaze found hers.
She closed the book.
"You're awake," she said.
Lucas tried to push himself up. His arms shook. His chest ached. Kaya's hand was on his shoulder before he could protest, pressing him back into the pillows with a gentleness that belied her strength.
"Don't move," she said. "You've been out for a day."
He let himself be pushed back. The ceiling above him was high, vaulted, painted with scenes of clouds and sky—the royal palace, he realized. They had brought him back to the capital.
"A day," he repeated.
Kaya settled back into her chair, but her hand stayed on his shoulder a moment longer than necessary before she pulled it away. "Your mana was completely drained after the sealing. The queen's healers looked at you, said there was nothing wrong beyond exhaustion." She paused. "You just wouldn't wake up."
Lucas remembered,
"The queen?"
"She is doing well and just recovering. Elizabeth hasn't left her side." Kaya's lips curved. "She asked about you, Several times."
Lucas managed a smile. "And the others?"
"Austin is eating everything in the palace kitchens. Ethan is coordinating our departure." She said and added, "We leave for the Hidden City in two days."
'Two days...huh' Lucas thought, he had time, then. Time to rest, to think, and to understand what Scarlett had left inside him. The warmth was still there, buried in his chest, pulsing with a rhythm that was not quite his own.
He looked at Kaya. The morning light caught her hair, turned her white eyes soft, painted her in shades of gold and shadow. She had been sitting there, watching him breathe, waiting for him to wake.
He smiled and said, "Waking up to your smile," and added, "makes me feel all healed up for the trip."
Kaya's cheeks flushed. She looked away, then back, something caught between pleasure and embarrassment. "You're an idiot."
"I'm serious."
She laughed, a soft sound, and Lucas felt something in his chest loosen.
Kaya's smile faded slowly, replaced by something more thoughtful. Her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes dropped to them, then rose to his face again. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again.
Lucas watched her. "Speak your mind."
She hesitated. Then, "Do you remember when we first met?"
He did, at the Royal Battle Arena. She had walked up to him while he was lazing around, her white eyes curious, her presence impossible to ignore. She had asked about his confidence, about why he looked so relaxed surrounded by the strongest of their generation.
"I remember," he said.
"We talked about my clan's technique, the Flowing Water technique." Her voice was quieter now. "You said it was limiting, and I totally agree, because speed alone isn't enough against certain opponents. And there are only thirteen points in the body worth targeting to defeat a stronger opponent."
Lucas nodded slowly.
Kaya's fingers tightened in her lap. "I've been thinking about that, and I also came to that realization in the valley when we fought those demons."
She sighed, looking to the side. "I needed help from Ethan, Austin, and even you, which I'm not against, but there's going to come a time when I'll face an opponent without you guys, so I must improve. I've already created a plan to do that: create new lightning spells, learn other lightning spells, and also improve my clan's technique, the part I'm extremely good at, the Celestial Meridian: Sixty-Four Severance."
She met his eyes.
"And I need your help with that."
Lucas looked at her.
He smiled and answered, "I'll help you."
Kaya's face lit up.
"You're always so serious," she said, and there was warmth in her voice, teasing. "Even when you're agreeing to help someone. But I suppose that's part of your charm." She tilted her head, studying him. "But it wouldn't hurt to smile more."
"That would be a problem," Lucas answered.
"Why is that?" Kaya questioned, looking at him with a charming smile.
"Because my smile is meant for you only," Lucas spoke.
Kaya laughed, looking at him with that charming smile before coming closer and kissing him.
It was soft at first, tentative.
His fingers threaded into her hair. Her hand pressed against his chest, not pushing, just feeling the beat of his heart beneath her palm.
She pulled back first, her breathing uneven, her cheeks flushed. Lucas reached for her again, but she pressed a finger to his lips, grinning.
"You're injured," she reminded him.
"I was injured yesterday. I'm better now."
"You were unconscious yesterday."
"And now I'm awake."
She laughed, pulling away, settling back into her chair. Her hand found his again, though, and she didn't let go.
Lucas let out a breath, his head falling back against the pillow. "You shouldn't do that to an injured person."
Kaya raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"
"Kiss me like that and then stop."
Her grin turned mischievous. She leaned forward again, close enough that he could feel her breath on his skin.
"And what would you do if I did it again?"
Lucas opened his mouth to answer.
She punched him in the chest.
It was light, playful, nothing that would hurt—but his ribs were still healing, still tender from the battle, and the impact made him wince despite himself.
Kaya's eyes widened. "Oh—I didn't—"
He caught her wrist before she could pull away, pulling her back toward him. "You're dangerous," he said.
She was laughing now, relief and affection tangled together. "You deserve it."
"Do I?"
"For being so insufferable." She pressed a kiss to his forehead, quick and soft. "For making me wait a day for you to wake up." Another kiss, this one to his cheek. "For making me worry."
He caught her face in his hands, stilling her. "I'm sorry."
Her smile softened.
She pulled back, settling into her chair with exaggerated dignity, her hand still in his. Her lips were curved in a pout that couldn't quite hide her smile.
Lucas watched her with a smile.