NOVPUB
Chapter 39: He’s Alive!
Zayn woke up.
His eyes fluttered open.
And he wasn’t on the ground of the forest.
He wasn’t sprawled across dirt and bloodstained grass, nor was he surrounded by the remains of the battle.
He was —
In his bed.
A soft mattress cushioned his sore body, and a warm blanket rested over him, as if shielding him from the world outside.
The air smelled faintly of herbs, likely some form of medicine used to aid his recovery.
The dim glow of a lantern flickered in the corner, casting gentle shadows along the wooden walls of the small room.
He exhaled slowly, his thoughts sluggish as he tried to piece together what had happened.
His torso felt oddly hollow, like there had once been a gaping hole that no longer existed.
Lifting his trembling hand, he traced his fingers along his stomach, expecting to find torn flesh and bandages —
But there was nothing.
Only smooth, healed skin.
And yet — he felt numb inside.
A deep, unsettling numbness, one that ran through his entire being rather than just his physical body.
’Side effects?’
The realization settled in as he recalled what he had done — absorbing ten souls at once.
He had pushed far beyond his limits, overloading his Soul Circuits in a way that they were never meant to handle.
The Soulforge had taught him about these circuits — an invisible network within every human.
Much like Mana Circuits, they acted as conduits for power, guiding soul energy throughout the body.
But unlike Mana Circuits, Soul Circuits were fragile.
They overlapped with the flow of mana, intertwining yet distinct, and if overworked —
They could break.
The numbness in his core... it was the price he had paid for that desperate gamble.
Would it heal?
Or had he done irreversible damage to himself?
[Your Soul Circuits are not damaged, just under a period of rest]
Zayn sighed in relief, his head turning slightly —
And froze.
Someone was sitting beside his bed.
Elisse.
The nun’s presence was both surprising and — strangely reassuring.
Her long, silky hair cascaded down her shoulders, illuminated by the dim lantern light.
Her usual composed demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she looked —
Exhausted.
Her eyes were slightly swollen, red around the edges, as if she had been crying for hours.
Had she been watching over him this whole time?
He barely had time to process this when —
She moved.
Before he could react, Elisse surged forward, her arms wrapping tightly around him as her entire body pressed against his chest.
"Zayn..."
Her voice was muffled, her face buried against his shoulder, her arms trembling slightly as she clung to him.
His body stiffened at the sudden contact —
Not just because of the warmth of her embrace, but because —
Her bountiful chest was very much pressing against him.
Their foreheads met, and for a fleeting moment, he could see every detail of her face up close — the faint streaks of dried tears on her cheeks, the way her lips quivered as she tried to hold back more sobs.
"You idiot," she whispered, her fingers gripping his back tightly. "Do you have any idea how scared we were?"
Zayn hesitated.
He wasn’t used to this.
She was shaking.
Not out of fear —
But out of relief.
It was... strange.
"You were out for two days," she continued, voice still muffled against him. "Two days, Zayn. You almost died."
Zayn exhaled softly, his lips curling into a weak grin.
"But I didn’t," he muttered.
He had never seen her like this before — so vulnerable, so open.
The composed, unwavering nun that always stood firm on the battlefield was gone.
What remained was a woman whose emotions overwhelmed her, her fingers trembling as she clutched onto him.
And then —
She took a deep breath and spoke.
"I don’t know..." her voice was barely above a whisper, yet it felt so loud in the silence between them. "When the monster’s tentacle stabbed through you, when I saw you fall to the ground..."
She swallowed, her lips trembling.
"It felt as though it had just taken a part of me."
Zayn’s breath caught in his throat.
Her words —
There was weight behind them.
Not just fear, not just worry.
Something deeper.
A wound that wasn’t physical, but emotional.
His hand moved on instinct, fingers gently wrapping around hers.
"Elisse..." he started, trying to reassure her, to tell her that he was alright —
But she shook her head and pushed against his hand, gripping his shirt instead.
More tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Zayn, I was scared it took you away from me..."
The way she said it —
Damn.
Her voice was breathy, laced with raw desperation, yet so damn sexy in a way that sent an unshakable shiver down his spine.
Zayn felt his pulse quicken, not from injury, but from her.
Her face was too close.
Her breasts were pressing against his chest.
Her lips parted slightly, her warm breath ghosting over his skin.
Her body was pressed against his, and despite the overwhelming emotions in the air, he couldn’t help but notice just how intoxicating her presence was.
Then —
She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes.
And she confessed.
"It took me a lot of time to realize..."
"I love you, Zayn."
His heart stopped.
The world stopped. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Those words —
He hadn’t expected them.
But looking into her tear-filled blue eyes, there was no hesitation, no doubt.
She meant every word.
Zayn stared at her, his mind racing, but his heart already knew the answer.
"...You do?" he asked, his voice quieter than he intended.
Elisse nodded, her grip tightening around him.
"I do," she whispered. "I love the guy that teases everyone. I love the annoying guy that gets on Tobias’ nerves, I know it’s a little too quick and we haven’t got to know each other as much as we’d want but I just want to tell you how I feel."
She exhaled shakily, closing her eyes for a brief moment before looking at him again.
