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Chapter 152: Axefall
Before he could respond, she grabbed his wrists — and to his absolute horror — guided his hands to her own ass.
His fingers sank into her curves, the soft warmth of her body melting against his palms.
She let out a soft, satisfied moan that sent shivers down his spine.
"You know..." she breathed, her voice a sultry purr, "my ass belongs to you. You can touch it anytime you want."
With that declaration, she released his hands and skipped off to the dining room like nothing had happened, humming under her breath.
Zayn stood frozen, massaging his forehead as he tried to calm his poor, abused heart.
"Bravery..." he muttered. "These girls... have too much damn bravery."
He shook his head and dragged himself after her, still feeling the heat clinging to his cheeks.
By the time he entered the dining room, everyone was already gathered.
Bran was already seated, dressed in his usual training outfit and halfway through his first plate.
Seren sat beside Elisse, who had just finished serving the last of the breakfast onto the table.
"Good morning!" Elisse chirped when she saw him, sending him a bright smile like this was the first time they were seeing this morning.
Seren gave him a small wave, her cheeks still faintly pink from earlier.
"Morning," he muttered, taking his seat next to Bran.
The table was loaded with food: pancakes stacked high, strips of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast slathered with honey, even some fruits tossed into a big bowl.
Elisse had outdone herself this time.
Zayn reached for a plate and started loading up, while Bran muttered something about "sleeping in too much."
Kara, still humming to herself, plopped down beside him and immediately grabbed a pancake, stuffing her cheeks full like a chipmunk.
"Tobias still out?" Bran asked through a mouthful of bacon.
Zayn shrugged. "Still at the capital. Should be back in a few days, I think."
He stabbed his fork into a slice of melon.
Honestly, he missed the guy.
Tobias was always the one holding everything together, and things just felt a little... less balanced without him around.
"So," Elisse said after a few moments, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "What’s the plan for today?"
Zayn chewed thoughtfully.
They weren’t supposed to head out for any missions until Tobias got back.
That had been the rule: no risky raids, no dungeons, no unnecessary monster-hunting.
He swallowed his food and said, "Training. Some patrols around Timberstead. That’s it."
Kara groaned dramatically. "Boring."
"Necessary," Zayn said with a smirk. "You wanna get lazy and soft before the next dungeon?"
Kara made a face but didn’t argue further. She just kept eating.
Breakfast passed like that — full of idle chatter, teasing jokes, and the occasional stolen glance between him and the girls.
Every now and then, Zayn caught Elisse staring at him and blushing when he smiled back.
Seren, too, seemed to linger a little too long at his side whenever she passed the butter.
It was ridiculous.
And yet... weirdly comforting.
After they finished, Bran stood up, cracking his knuckles. "I’ll clean up."
"You sure?" Elisse blinked.
Bran waved her off. "You cooked, we eat, I clean. Fair deal."
Zayn grinned. "You’re a good man, Bran."
The big guy just grunted and started gathering the plates.
Kara and Seren wandered off toward the training yard, giggling over something Zayn couldn’t hear.
Elisse lingered behind, standing next to Zayn as he leaned back in his chair.
"You know..." she said quietly, tugging at the hem of his oversized shirt, "you really do look cute in that."
He looked down at the huge sleeves flopping around his wrists and sighed.
"Should I start raiding Bran’s wardrobe now?" he joked.
Elisse giggled, then, in a daring move, kissed his cheek quickly before scampering off after the others.
Zayn sat there for a moment longer, feeling the faint heat of her lips on his skin.
He shook his head with a small smile and stood, stretching his arms overhead.
"Alright then," he said to himself. "Training, patrols, and maybe a nap later. Let’s get this day started."
...
The training grounds behind their inn were quiet save for the rhythmic sounds of magic sparking, fists clashing, and the occasional frustrated grunt.
The ground was still damp from the rain the day before, but the soil was firm enough to hold under pressure — perfect for training.
Kara stood a few meters away, her staff stabbed into the ground as a stabilizer for her spell.
Her eyes were narrowed in focus, strands of her hair sticking to her forehead as she whispered incantations.
The ground around her rumbled faintly, and a shard of jagged rock slowly began to levitate in front of her.
Seren crouched close by, her eyes glowing faintly green with venom magic.
"Try again," she called out, smashing one of the floating rocks with a burst of venom energy. "If the rock can’t survive one hit, it’s not going to help anyone in a real fight for your new skill."
Kara clicked her tongue but nodded, raising her hand and summoning more stones.
"Constructing the spell is easy," she muttered. "Holding it together long enough for it to be useful is the hard part."
A few meters away, Elisse sat on a bench under a shaded overhang, surrounded by soft orbs of light.
Her legs were crossed and her eyes were closed, slowly rotating her wrists as the healing energy danced around her like little stars.
She wasn’t training so much as she was meditating, but at least she was grateful for Bran helping her.
And speaking of Bran...
Zayn let out a small huff of breath as Bran came charging at him again, his axe held high and crackling with raw soul energy.
The blond-haired youth braced himself, sliding one foot back as he raised his own sword in a defensive stance.
With a grunt, Bran brought the axe down hard. Zayn parried, soul energy exploding in a flash of golden-blue light.
"What is this Axefall move supposed to be, anyway?" Zayn asked as their weapons clashed, the ground under his feet shaking with the impact.
