Kaiden’s words were aimed to make Shuu angry and he was not holding back either. Shuu felt his temper rising as soon as he heard the slander against Goddess Astoria and he immediately replied back.

"Goddess Astoria would never do anything like that to me. She might be strict, but she has her morals. Maybe you are suggesting this because this is something you would do."

Shuu tried his hardest to suppress his anger but a curse still escaped his mouth. Kaiden pretended he did not hear that curse.

And he also accepted the slander Shuu was leveling him with.

"You are right. I am saying this because this was something I would have done. But if you think your precious Astoria is somehow different, then you need a wake up call. You are just being used by her at this point. But I don’t think you seem to mind."

Shuu took a deep breath to calm himself down. But it was hard to keep his emotions down.

Also, weren’t his emotions too much at the moment? Kaiden had suggested something outrageous, but it was not outrageous enough to make Shuu want to kill him. His mind was also going blank, indicating that something was wrong with him.

His emotions did not feel like his own. It was as if something was enhancing them when it came to Goddess Astoria.

"I..."

"You have spent too much time in Goddess Astoria’s domain and that has caused you to develop an affinity for her magic. Your body has gotten used to her so now being away from her feels weird."

Kaiden pointed out and Shuu wanted to tell him that it was not the case. But in reality, that was the case. Shuu could feel his longing for Goddess Astoria’s familiar power.

"You should get yourself detoxified, kid. You have no idea what has been done to you by now. I am not sure how much you will be able to recover either. But do try your best."

Shuu grabbed his parched throat and suddenly, everything started to hurt. He felt like he was melting and he needed to hold on to something.

He tried to grab the ground, but there was nothing to grab. So his nails dug into his palm, drawing blood.

Shuu was in pain and he had no one to lean on. He felt alone and desperate. But just when he resigned himself to his fate, Kaiden grabbed his hand and pulled him against himself.

"Here, you should lean against me for support. It will make you feel a lot better. You can also clutch me to ground yourself."

Kaiden told Shuu in a gentle voice. He was willing to help Shuu out whenever possible and Shuu took advantage of his offer and immediately grabbed his cloak. Kaiden rubbed Shuu’s back gently to show his support at the same time.

"Shuu, it will be fine. I will make sure to look after you from now on. All you have to do is close your eyes and it will be all over."

Kaiden promised but Shuu felt scared. He did not want to close his eyes and risk getting in trouble.

But Kaiden was so warm and Shuu felt tired. He fell asleep before he knew it.

...

Shuu slept peacefully and woke up after God knows how long. He was still leaning against Kaiden, but now Kaiden had fallen asleep as well. There was just enough glow around them for Shuu to be able to see Kaiden’s face.

He hesitantly reached out to touch that face but then stopped short. He was not sure if he should touch Kaiden without permission or not.

"Are you scared of me? There is no need to be like that. I won’t scold you if you try to touch me."

Shuu flinched back and immediately pulled his hand back toward his chest. He looked at Kaiden wide-eyed and Kaiden chuckled at his shocked expression.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

Kaiden asked in a teasing voice and Shuu finally snapped out of his shock and scowled.

"It is nothing like that. I was just startled when you suddenly decided to wake up. I was not aware that you slept as well."

Shuu covered his embarrassment with his words. It was a way for him to distract Kaiden and it worked. Kaiden blinked and gave Shuu an almost shocked expression.

"Well, I don’t need to sleep, but I still like to do it because it helps me feel normal. Besides, it gave me an excuse to cuddle against you, so I will take it as a win as well."

Shuu felt like he had nothing left to say to Kaiden at this point. He was too shocked to even let a word out.

Shuu let out a sigh in the end and decided that it was best for him not to know what Kaiden meant. He simply let out another sigh before pushing himself to stand up.

His legs had fallen asleep by now and he wanted to stretch them out a little. So he started to walk around. But Kaiden grabbed him immediately with a weird look on his face.

"What are you doing? Let go of me."

Shuu spoke firmly but softly, showing that he was not happy with Kaiden’s decision to restrict this freedom. But Kaiden remained stubborn and held onto Shuu’s hand. His eyes looked serious when he spoke.

"Don’t go too far. You don’t have any idea what is lurking around in these parts of the town. You could be in serious trouble if you don’t remain vigilant. In fact, let me come with you."

That would defeat the whole purpose of Shuu wanting to take a walk alone. Shuu wanted to tell this to Kaiden.

But his voice became much softer when he tried to speak. The look Kaiden was giving him was one Shuu had never seen on his face before and it made him feel like he was doing something wrong by ignoring Kaiden.

"I...then why don’t you come with me for my walk? If you are so worried, then protect me your own way."

Shuu pointed out and Kaiden’s eyes hardened before he nodded in certainty.

It was a miracle that Shuu was allowing himself to be helped out. But the fact that he had grabbed Kaiden and pulled him down shocked even Kaiden.

"I...will protect you as best as I can."

Kaiden assured and Shuu let out a bitter chuckle before he closed his eyes and fell asleep. The exhaustion of the day finally hit him like a truck.

The space around him was sucking away at his energy so he could not move much. But he still did his best. Kaiden liked that quality in others.

He could even go as far as to say that he liked Shuu, but he also felt frustrated by him.

Grrr

The monsters started to approach him as soon as Shuu fell asleep. They had only one goal—to devour everything in here except him and fuel his power.

It was the best time for Kaiden to get rid of Shuu, but he did not want to get rid of Shuu, so he instantly created a barrier to keep the monsters out.

They growled as soon as they noticed the barrier and their eyes shone with the need to break it. But Kaiden kept a calm face and looked at the monsters’ backs.

"Don’t try to come near me. This barrier will keep you all out. It will only hurt me if you try to force your way inside."

Kaiden spoke and the monsters started to back off. They looked mindless but even they had instincts not to hurt the one who created them.

Kaiden watched those beasts leave and he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he looked at the kid in his arms and tightened his grip even more.

"What an exhausting day this is turning out to be. You better be grateful to me, kid. You have no idea what all I am going through to keep you alive and healthy."

Kaiden whispered before his eyes started to droop as well.

He was a god who did not need to sleep, but something about this place made him feel human and invoked desires inside him.

His eyelids felt heavy and he finally closed them.

When he woke up next, he found that he was alone. The person he had held in his arms the whole night was nowhere to be found.

It made Kaiden instantly open his eyes and look around. But he saw no signs of Shuu anywhere.

’Where did he go? Did he die? Or get lost in these vast expanses of black? I need to find him before anything else gets to him. I—’

"Hey, calm down. There is no need to panic like this. I am still here with you...what is wrong with you?"

Shuu asked in a startled voice as Kaiden wrapped his arms around Shuu.