Page 35

Sky nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Alright, we’ll rest for a bit. But we can’t stay too long. This place has a way of lulling you into a false sense of security.”

We settled down against one of the chamber walls, our shoulders touching. The contact was comforting in the eerie stillness of the dungeon. I closed my eyes, focusing on steadying my breathing and calming my racing heart.

“How are you holding up?” Sky asked softly, his voice cutting through the silence.

I opened my eyes and turned to look at him. In the dim light of the bioluminescent fungi, his blue eyes seemed to glow. “I’m... okay, I think. Just tired. And a little scared,” I admitted.

Sky’s expression softened, his usual gruff demeanor melting away for a moment. “It’s okay to be scared. This place would terrify even the most seasoned adventurers. But you’re doing well.” He paused, his ears twitching slightly. “Better than most would, actually.”

I felt a warmth bloom in my chest at his words. Sky’s praise always got my heart racing. I turned away, trying to hide my growing smile. “Thanks,” I murmured. “I couldn’t have made it this far without you, though.”

Sky’s tail flicked, brushing against my leg. “We make a good team,” he said, his voice low.

We fell into a comfortable silence, the soft glow of the fungi casting shifting shadows on the walls.

I found myself leaning more heavily against Sky, my eyelids drifting closed.

Being this close to him made me feel safe, something I hadn’t really felt since setting foot in Cindersea.

Being with my friends was one thing and Kai made me feel like we could survive.

But Sky was different. Something about him made my heart race, my stomach flutter, and even something as simple as happiness seem possible.

Maybe that’s what it was. Sky made me feel happy.

After coming to Cindersea, I wasn’t sure that would be possible again.

Not truly anyway. But Sky was slowly changing that opinion.

Of course, those gorgeous eyes of his helped and the way his arms flexed as they held me didn’t hurt either.

I definitely liked that. And the way he wiped all the anxious thoughts from my mind just by being close… that was nice too.

As my thoughts drifted, I felt my head slowly tilt to rest on Sky’s shoulder. His body tensed for a moment, but then relaxed, his arm shifting slightly to accommodate me. The warmth of his body and the steady rhythm of his breathing were soothing, lulling me towards sleep.

“Hey,” Sky’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Don’t fall asleep yet. We need to stay alert.”

I mumbled an acknowledgment, forcing my eyes open. “Sorry,” I said, stifling a yawn. “It’s just... you’re comfortable.”

Sky chuckled softly, the sound reverberating through his chest. “I’ve been called many things, but ‘comfortable’ is a first.”

I smiled, despite our dire situation. “Well, it’s true. You’re like a big, grumpy wolf pillow.”

Sky let out a low growl, but I could hear the amusement in his voice. “I am not grumpy.”

“Oh, you absolutely are,” I teased, lifting my head to look at him. “But it’s okay. I like your grumpiness.”

His eyes met mine, a mix of emotions swirling in their blue depths. For a moment, I thought he might pull away or deflect with a sarcastic comment. Instead, he surprised me by leaning in slightly, his voice dropping to a low murmur .

“And I like your... everything,” he said, the words seeming to catch in his throat.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a blush creep across my cheeks. Before I could respond, a distant rumble echoed through the chamber, causing us both to tense.

Sky’s ears swiveled, his expression immediately shifting back. He listened hard for a moment before relaxing. “It sounds a ways off,” he said. “We should be alright for now.”

I nodded, trusting his judgement. “Okay.”

He was quiet for a long moment. “So… what kind of powers did you get for becoming a champion of the Twilight?”

I glanced up at him. “I… uh… don’t know.”

Sky raised an eyebrow, his ears twitching in surprise. “You don’t know? How can you not know?”

I shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. “It’s not like I got a user manual or anything. The god just... chose me. I didn’t exactly have time to ask about benefits and powers during our brief encounter. And then, when I woke up… I forgot most of it anyway.”

Sky’s tail flicked thoughtfully. “Fair enough. But you must have noticed something different, right? Besides the purple in your eyes.”

I closed my eyes, focusing inward. Now that he mentioned it, I did feel... different. There was a subtle energy thrumming beneath my skin, like a low electrical current. And my senses seemed sharper, more attuned to the world around me.

“I think... I can sense things better now,” I said slowly, opening my eyes.

“Like, I can feel the energy of the fungi on the walls. Before I didn’t notice things like that.

And I guess I feel like I have a little more magic, but not enough to do anything crazy.

I don’t have anything to test it out on.

” Suddenly I remembered something. “Wait! Didn’t you get hurt when we fell down here? !”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “My ribs. But not enough to worry about. They’re just bruised.”

I sat up. “Take your shirt off,” I demanded.

Sky’s eyes widened, his ears flattening against his head in surprise. “W-What?” he stammered, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

“Your shirt,” I repeated, more gently this time. “I want to see if I can heal your ribs. It’s worth a try, right?”

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” he mumbled, reaching for the hem of his shirt. “You should conserve your mana though. We might need it for the dungeon. ”

“It’ll be fine,” I said, gesturing for him to move faster. “I won’t use too much.”

With a shrug, Sky pulled his shirt over his head.

I tried not to stare too obviously at his toned chest and abs, the muscles flexing with each steady breath.

His skin was marked with various scars, testament to his life as an adventurer.

He had freckles here and there too, and a trail of dark hair that stretched from his chest down to the waistband of his pants where it dove below the fabric.

My cheeks suddenly burned as I caught myself staring, wondering what else was under there…

But now wasn’t the time. Sky admitted to liking me, not that he wanted to have a relationship with me or even just sex.

As much as my mind and body wanted both of those things, I couldn’t give into those desires.

Not here. Forcing my eyes back up, I scanned him for injuries.

On his left side, an angry purple bruise was blooming across his ribs.

“That looks painful,” I winced, reaching out hesitantly. “May I?”

Sky nodded, his eyes watching me intently.

I shook my head, trying to focus on the task at hand.

I placed my hands gently on his sides, feeling the heat of his skin soaking into my palms. His muscles shifted below my fingers as he tensed.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and focused on casting a basic healing spell.

Usually, the spell was enough for surface wounds and stopping bleeding, but not enough to heal broken bones without several castings. But I had to give it a try.

At first, there was nothing but a faint tingling sensation in my palms, much like my usual casting of the spell. But as I concentrated harder, that tingling grew more intense. It spread from my hands to Sky’s body, and he let out a sharp gasp.

“Are you okay?” I asked, worried that I was hurting him.

“Yeah,” he replied with a grimace. “It just… hurts.”

I gritted my teeth and pushed a little harder, pouring all of my focus into healing his ribs. Suddenly, there was a surge of energy that seemed to flow from within me. Like a jolt of electricity, it traveled through my arms and into Sky’s body.

He cried out in surprise as his ribs visibly shifted back into place with an audible snap. The energy dissipated just as quickly as it had come, leaving us both panting and staring at each other in shock.

“Did… did I do that?” I asked incredulously. “Does it hurt?”

Sky reached for his side tentatively before grinning widely at me. “You did! My ribs feel completely healed. There’s… no pain at all.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “Wow… I didn’t expect that to actually work. Us ually, I can barely heal cuts. Mending bones has always been too difficult.”

He pulled his shirt back on before settling back against the wall next to me. “That’s incredible,” he said with genuine admiration. “Usually only higher-ranking clerics can do work that fast. And it’s super expensive.”

We sat in silence for a few moments before Sky spoke up again. “So, what else can you do?”

“I… honestly have no idea,” I said sheepishly. “And I only know two spells right now. Basic Healing and the Twilight Veil. As far as I know, I didn’t suddenly learn any new spells by touching the orb.”

“Well, we’ll have plenty of time to figure it out while we’re down here,” he pointed out with a wry smile. “Maybe you’ll discover something along the way.”

I groaned and leaned my head back against the wall. “Yeah, I guess so.” I let out a long sigh. “I just hope we make it out of here alive.”

Sky wrapped his arm around me once more, pulling me close. “We’ll make it,” he said softly. “I promise.”