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Chapter 158: Warming Up
This world wasn’t exactly like the novel anymore.
His very existence had changed the flow or so he guessed.
Zayn was supposed to be dead by now.
He had joined Tobias, not Cedric.
He was also known by Eclipse...
It was no longer the same plot.
Still... some key beats were holding.
This was around the time the King, worried by cult sightings, would deploy the heroes to the outer regions.
The Hero of Light, Cedric’s party, would head into one of the three marked zones.
And if the novel played true...
They’d find the cult’s main stronghold.
"Which means..." Zayn opened his eyes, sitting up straight. "This arc is starting."
The second arc.
It was short.
More like a bridge than a full saga.
The cult didn’t have the power to challenge kingdoms head-on, but they were the spark.
The Demon Lord used them to gain faith — and in this world, faith equaled strength.
Her true resurrection was bound to the number of true believers.
The location of the portal was one of the few things he had forgotten but it wasn’t like she could come out, Eclipse however could come out whenever she pleased because she was from this world.
The demon lord and her minions were not, but the seal wouldn’t hold for much longer.
He clenched his fists. "More cult activity means she’s feeding on that energy."
Then, his thoughts shifted. Slowly. Hesitantly.
Seren.
The younger girl who was as venomous as a snake... she was important here.
In the novel, she and her bandit squad went missing during this arc.
Only to reappear wearing the cult’s robes, face conflicted.
Betrayal was hinted at, but never confirmed.
But the key detail Zayn did remember was that she had a fragment of a demon core lodged inside her chest.
It was dormant for now.
He sighed and lay back down, rubbing his face.
"Too much thinking is bad for me," he muttered, rolling onto his side.
Just then, a knock at his door was followed by it slowly creaking open.
Elisse walked in, balancing a tray with a steaming bowl of stew, warm bread, and a cup of water.
She wore a gentle smile, eyes soft as she walked over and sat beside him on the bed.
"You did well today," she said, placing the tray down. "Rest is part of being a swordsman too."
Zayn gave a tired grin. "Are you always this sweet, or is this the food talking?"
"Depends," she smirked, picking up the spoon and scooping some of the broth. "Now open wide."
He chuckled. "You feeding me now?"
"Yup," she said without hesitation. "Say ’ah.’"
He obliged, and she carefully brought the spoon to his lips.
The broth was hot but flavorful, rich with chunks of meat and vegetables.
Comfort food in the truest sense.
She kept feeding him with quiet satisfaction. "You’ve been carrying the weight of this party for a while now, Zayn. I know you don’t say it, but we all see it."
"...Thanks."
Her gaze turned warm.
"And besides..." she added, "you look hot when you’re all serious and thoughtful."
He laughed. "There it is. The flirting I was waiting for."
She winked. "Had to sneak it in."
They sat in silence for a bit, the soft sound of spoon meeting bowl and the distant murmur of people on the streets the only background noise.
It was a moment of peace in a world that had just turned slightly darker.
After finishing most of the meal, Zayn leaned back and sighed contentedly.
"Better?"
"Yeah," he said, placing his hand on hers. "Thanks, El."
She leaned closer, kissing his cheek before standing up and taking the empty tray.
"You’re welcome. Now rest. I’ll check on you later."
He watched her leave the room with a soft smile on his face.
But the thoughts didn’t stop.
He’d have to tell Tobias everything when the guy came back.
If anyone could pick apart the cult’s movement and predict their next step, it was him.
Zayn was a fighter — a damn good one — but Tobias had a mind built for unraveling puzzles.
Until then... all he could do was prepare
.He laid back down on the bed.
Then, just as his eyes began to finally flutter closed, a knock came at the door.
He blinked, then turned his head toward it.
"Come in," he called, voice low but clear.
The door creaked open slowly.
A small figure peeked in, and Zayn immediately sat up when he saw her.
It was Seren.
Her steps were quiet as she entered, the door softly shutting behind her.
She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeves, and her wide, lilac eyes were cast down.
There was something uncharacteristically vulnerable about her right now.
The energetic spark that usually shone through her demeanor was dim.
She looked — worried.
And cute, in that slightly messy, lost puppy sort of way.
Her cheeks were slightly puffed, her lower lip caught between her teeth.
She didn’t speak right away, instead just hovering near the entrance of the room like a guilty child.
Zayn raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"I..." Her voice was small, almost a whisper. "Are you okay?"
He blinked, then chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I just burned through too much soul energy in the fight. Nothing serious."
She let out a long, shaky breath and stepped closer. "Oh. Good... That’s good."
He could see the tension leaving her shoulders — like a balloon finally exhaling all the pressure it had built up inside. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Her face relaxed a bit, but her eyes still held that unease.
She looked at him for a moment, then down at the floor again.
"I’m sorry I couldn’t help earlier. I should’ve... I should’ve done something. I trained for this kind of thing, but I just — froze. I panicked. I was scared so you had to leave me in the GUILD."
Zayn sat up fully and, without thinking twice, reached forward and gently pulled her into a hug.
Seren tensed for a moment, caught off guard.
Then she melted into him, her small frame leaning against his chest.
She clutched the fabric of his shirt, her fingers trembling slightly.
"You don’t have to apologize," he murmured. "None of this is your fault."
