Chapter 65: Cien... (Slight M)

Erick’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

Not just him. Jake, Nox, and Olivia were equally stunned to see Nana run away.

After so many years together, they knew she wasn’t exactly a good person, but... to run away when someone from their own team was clearly going berserk right in front of her was still beyond their expectations.

This time, Erick had even told her to help.

Yet... she still turned around and fled.

But the more they thought about it, the less surprised they became. After all, this wasn’t the first time Nana had acted this way. She had done it many times before.

Even when they had first met Zephyr in prison, Nana had behaved similarly. Zephyr had been covered in blood and on the verge of going berserk, yet Nana had chosen to fight with Lucien instead of helping him.

If not for Lucien, perhaps Zephyr wouldn’t have survived that day. He would have died.

And in the end, they wouldn’t have even known his name—or who he truly was.

Thinking about this, Jake, Nox, and Olivia could only turn their eyes toward Erick.

After all, he was the one who had always allowed Nana to do whatever she pleased.

Whenever she started whining, he would just give in. Whenever she did something wrong, he would overlook it because she would start acting pitiful, simply because he couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.

And now, they were all witnessing the consequences of that indulgence firsthand.

Erick shut his eyes for a second. Even if he ran after Nana and dragged her back, who could guarantee she would guide Zephyr?

No one.

He was completely fed up with her. If she weren’t an S-Rank Guide—and the daughter of the neighbor who had once sent him to the hospital—he would have gotten rid of her long ago. But because of that old debt, he had tolerated her behavior for years.

And now, he was beginning to regret it.

A vein throbbed on Erick’s forehead.

Ultimately, he suppressed his anger.

But Lucien was different.

He had no reason to tolerate her.

So, he openly cursed her.

"That damn woman!"

Erick’s lips pressed together in irritation.

There was another reason he hadn’t immediately chased after Nana.

He didn’t want to witness another Guide getting this close to Zephyr. One Lucien was already driving him crazy enough!

At that moment, Zephyr finally lifted his eyes. Amidst the throbbing pain clouding his mind, a trace of clarity returned to his gaze. His hands instinctively reached for Lucien, and without realizing it, he took a step closer, wrapping his arms around his waist. His lips parted as he muttered in a raspy yet soft, almost affectionate voice.

"Cien..."

Erick froze at the sound of Zephyr’s voice.

His fingernails dug into his palms as his hands tightened into fists. Red veins stood out in his eyes as he looked toward them.

For a moment, he remained rooted to the spot, staring at the two figures before him.

And then, he turned away.

Without saying another word, Erick walked out of the classroom without looking back, as though he were afraid that one more glance would force him to see something that would make him want to kill someone.

He didn’t seem concerned that Lucien’s energy might no longer be enough to help Zephyr, especially now that Zephyr’s power was clearly far beyond what everyone had believed. And somewhere deep within him, a dark thought quietly surfaced. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if Zephyr forcefully tried to get guiding from Lucien and killed him.

Nox and Olivia quickly followed after him.

In the end, only Jake was left.

He glanced at Lucien and Zephyr, feeling awkward as he assessed the situation.

While he was looking, Zephyr suddenly buried his face in Lucien’s neck, hugging him tightly. One of his hands even slipped inside Lucien’s shirt. Lucien cursed under his breath and, with all his power, quickly grabbed his wrist, but his legs gave out.

Jake hurriedly looked away.

His ears were slightly flushed, feeling like he had witnessed something he shouldn’t have. How spicy. It seemed Lucien’s usual aversion to physical contact with everyone else didn’t apply when it came to Zephyr.

Jake felt he had found another secret.

Still, this wasn’t the time to dwell on it!

Zephyr’s mana had begun to stabilize, but occasional zaps of electricity still crackled around him. He could see that Lucien was getting hurt. Moving Zephyr in his current state was far too dangerous. They needed to calm his energy completely before they could take him anywhere else. If his mana suddenly spiraled out of control on the way, even Erick might fail to contain him. After all, they were no longer sure about his rank.

Zephyr’s skills were far too powerful.

How could a B-Rank possess such terrifying skills?

And that wasn’t all.

Lucien, a powerful A-Rank Guide, was struggling to guide him and had even needed to resort to physical guiding!

There was no way Zephyr was just a B-Rank!

Looking toward the exit, Jake cleared his throat, speaking in a hurried manner.

"I’m sorry, Lucien, but you’ll have to help Zephyr stabilize alone for now. I will try to find more Guides nearby..."

He swallowed the rest of his words.

Find more Guides?

Only an idiot would walk in here knowing that someone had already begun physical guiding! Ahem, there was a reason that the Association had built such good guiding rooms. Even Jake didn’t dare stay in the classroom any longer than necessary!

He could only pray that Lucien would manage to stabilize Zephyr completely before his own power gave out. With no other choice, Jake could only press on.

"I’ll wait outside with the others."

With those words, Jake practically bolted out of the classroom, as though a monster were chasing him. Deep down, he knew he was being a little heartless. Leaving Lucien alone with Zephyr in such a dangerous state wasn’t exactly the kindest thing to do.

But he didn’t know what else to do. It seemed he was a bit of a hypocrite, too.

What Jake completely failed to notice was Lucien reaching out a hand toward him with a panicked expression. He tried to call out, even curse, but his lips were sealed, and the pleasure that suddenly intensified tenfold completely muddled his mind. Nor did Jake notice Zephyr’s curled lips or the eyes that were already completely clear. Even the faint electric currents around his body had disappeared.

Zephyr touched the warm, smooth skin beneath his fingers and leaned closer. His energy unconsciously spread outward, forming a barrier around them after Jake left. He didn’t even realize he had done it.

Earlier... it wasn’t that he had been going berserk. He had simply used too much of his mental strength in a short period while trying to use his Psychokinesis skill more effectively. The strain, accompanied by an intense throbbing in his head, had left him disoriented, making it difficult to maintain clarity and control his energy for a while.

It even made him very irritated.

But...

Once Lucien began guiding him, it didn’t take long for Zephyr to regain his senses.

And now, knowing that Lucien had willingly come this close to him to help him... how could Zephyr possibly let him go so easily?

That’s why Zephyr had said it.

Lucien was too kind.

Too kind to notice his ulterior motives.

At that moment, the two tumbled toward the ground. Zephyr changed their position midway, swiftly turning himself around just in time to cushion Lucien’s fall. But even as they landed with a soft thud, he didn’t break the kiss. Instead, he deepened it, letting go only for a brief moment to let Lucien catch his breath before leaning in again. Sensing the faint scent of blood on Lucien, Zephyr activated his healing skill to heal his body.

A dazzling golden light enveloped them.

Lucien’s eyes dilated for a second, and he let out a faint groan, immediately trying to pull his legs together, only to fail because one of Zephyr’s legs was between his.

Zephyr paused for a moment when he felt the wetness on his thigh before letting out a chuckle between their lips. Pulling back slightly, he whispered in a hypnotic tone.

"It’s okay, Cien. No one is here."