Chapter 102: First Kiss?

Ethan hesitated for approximately five seconds before finally convincing himself.

He was a Guide.

Physical contact was an unavoidable part of guiding, and sooner or later, he would have to get used to it. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life panicking every time guiding required something more intimate than simply placing a hand on someone’s shoulder. Besides, it was just a kiss. It wouldn’t translate into anything else when he had absolutely no feelings for this person whatsoever.

It didn’t matter that his first kiss would be with a complete stranger.

At least, that was what Ethan told himself.

He was only doing this because he was a Guide. The method had appeared for a reason, and if a kiss could increase the efficiency of his spiritual energy transfer enough to save Xavier, himself, and Lumi from being swallowed by this hellish Mental Sea, then so be it.

That was all.

It was purely for survival.

Nothing more.

Ethan took a slow breath, trying to convince himself one last time before finally making his decision.

With that, he closed his eyes, wrapped his arms more securely around Xavier’s body, and lowered his head.

His lips gently pressed against Xavier’s.

For the first few seconds, nothing happened beyond the immediate connection.

Then Ethan felt it.

His spiritual energy suddenly surged.

The guiding connection that had previously been draining away far too quickly became significantly stronger, flowing through the contact between them with an efficiency that made Ethan’s eyes widen in surprise.

It was working.

It was actually fucking working.

Pure A-rank spiritual energy poured from Ethan into Xavier at an astonishing rate, spreading through the Sentinel’s spiritual form and cleansing the remaining traces of corruption. The black tar covering Xavier began drying even faster, cracking apart and flaking away as Xavier’s true spiritual form gradually became more clearer.

Ethan almost couldn’t believe it.

So this was why that ridiculous method had been recommended.

Kissing really was an effective way to strengthen the guiding connection.

There was only one problem.

Xavier’s spiritual form still hadn’t awakened.

And the abyss was still there.

The black tar pit churned violently around them, as though it could sense that its prey was slipping away. Dark tendrils continued twisting through the Mental Sea, desperately searching for a way to reach them.

Ethan was just beginning to wonder how long it would take before Xavier regained consciousness when he suddenly felt something around his waist.

A tight grip.

Ethan’s eyes snapped open.

Before he could even process what was happening, Xavier’s eyes instantly opened.

Crimson.

Wide awake.

And before Ethan could pull away or even grasp the situation, Xavier’s arm tightened around his waist, dragging him closer.

Ethan’s eyes widened in shock.

"Mm—"

The simple kiss he had intended to use as nothing more than a quick method of transferring spiritual energy was immediately transformed into something far more intense.

Xavier tilted his head and deepened the kiss, his lips moving against Ethan’s as he took complete control of the connection. The guiding energy surged between them with every moment of contact, growing stronger and more concentrated as Xavier’s awakened consciousness instinctively responded to Ethan’s spiritual energy.

Ethan’s entire body stiffened.

This was definitely not the little mouth-to-mouth peck he had planned.

Xavier had completely taken over the kiss, pulling Ethan closer as his tongue slipped past Ethan’s lips and deepened the connection between their spiritual energies. The guiding energy flooded through them both, rushing directly into Xavier’s core with an intensity Ethan had never experienced before.

It was overwhelming.

And yet, somehow, it was working.

The corruption that had been stubbornly clinging to Xavier began disappearing at an even faster rate, black tar drying and cracking away beneath the overwhelming purification.

Well...

Technically, Xavier couldn’t get enough of the kiss.

But only because he couldn’t get enough of the purification the kiss was providing.

That had to be it.

At least, that was the explanation Ethan desperately chose to believe.

Meanwhile, Ethan was a completely different story.

Heat rushed into his face until his cheeks felt unbearably warm, and a strange mixture of emotions flooded through him so quickly that he couldn’t even separate one from another.

He didn’t know what he was feeling.

He only knew it wasn’t a bad feeling.

That realization somehow made the situation even more confusing.

Never in his life had Ethan imagined his first kiss would be like this.

He couldn’t even properly describe what was happening.

And if someone had told him that his first kiss would be with a complete stranger, let alone a dominant and terrifyingly powerful Sentinel who had nearly choked him the first time they met, Ethan would have laughed in their face.

Yet here he was.

Xavier had taken complete control of the situation, turning what Ethan had intended to be nothing more than a simple emergency mouth-to-mouth contact into an intense kiss that left Ethan struggling to keep his thoughts from completely scattering.

Ethan had to force himself to close his eyes again, desperately trying to steady his mind beneath the overwhelming pressure.

He couldn’t get distracted.

Not now.

Xavier had awakened, which meant the guiding connection was working.

The only obstacle remaining was this hellish Mental Sea.

And the abyss.

They still had to stop that thing from swallowing them.

As if sensing Ethan’s thoughts, the entire Mental Sea suddenly trembled.

The black tar pit erupted.

Ethan’s eyes snapped open.

The abyss had realized it was losing.

And it was furious.

The dark mass surged upward around them, sending enormous waves of black corruption crashing toward the safe shore. Tendrils shot through the air from every direction, twisting toward Ethan and Xavier with frightening speed.

Lumi’s protective barrier flashed violently.

"Yip-yip-yip!"

The little fox scrambled around the perimeter, desperately reinforcing the glowing net as the abyss slammed against it again and again.

But the corruption was no longer simply trying to break through.

It had changed its target.

The black tendrils twisted around the guiding connection itself, reaching for the bright stream of spiritual energy flowing between Ethan and Xavier.

Ethan’s expression changed.

"No way..."

The abyss was trying to sever their connection.

One tendril struck the glowing energy between them.

BOOM!

The entire Mental Sea shook.

Ethan’s body jolted violently as the guiding connection flickered.

Another tendril shot toward them.

Then another.

The abyss was fighting with everything it had, desperately trying to interrupt the purification before Xavier could be completely freed.

Ethan tightened his arms around Xavier.

He couldn’t let go.

If the connection broke now, all the progress they had made could be lost.

And the next wave of corruption was already crashing toward them.

The abyss was coming for them.