Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 32: Cost of Desire

Oberyn's shoulders faltered. The magic simmering around him faded into nothingness. His eyes soften, and his gaze becomes distant, hollow.

There is no spellbinding magical effect as Ezra uses his 'Desire' to stop Oberyn. There's no force of wills, no explosive light. In fact, the true terror in what Ezra had done came from the sheer simplicity of it all.

He didn't just force Oberyn to back down. His power rewrote Oberyn's mind and bent it to his will.

A horror that Ezra never considered set in, infecting every cell in his body.

He just manipulated Oberyn. Changed his mind with a flick of his finger. Robbed Oberyn of any agency or free will over the situation.

Oberyn sank back down in his chair, his voice sounding far away as he spoke.

"I apologize, Rav. That was uncalled for."

His head slumped, and he went back to eating his meal, as if nothing had happened.

Rav finally relaxed, exhaling deeply. He let the tension flow out of him like water, easing back into his normal demeanor. But as he did, he couldn't help but stare directly at Ezra.

Rav didn't know about Ezra's power of 'Desire', but he knew something unnatural happened. And he knew Ezra was the cause.

The Ferin stared at Ezra for a long time, but dared not speak a word. Not in front of Oberyn.

The glare they exchanged said everything that needed to be said for now, but Rav had one thought to get out before dinner ended.

"You and I need to chat tomorrow. One on one."

Ezra gulped. The guilt of his actions already weighed heavy on him, but Rav's cutting tone made him feel even worse.

"Yeah."

[You did a good thing. Much as I would have liked to see this Nephilim fall, I can see why you like him. I always loved a wildcard.]

'You don't understand a thing, Alcor.'

[Ah, don't I? I was from your world too, you know. Do you think I came to the Storyteller on a whim? Don't you know I was once a starry-eyed kid looking for love? You and I, Ezra...we're not nearly so different.]

Ezra didn't bother with a reply. He'd had enough of the System for today.

He couldn't even bring himself to look at Oberyn. The Fae Magician was supposed to be his friend, but he just violated Oberyn's mind. Stripped him of free will and agency. That's not something a friend does. No, he was more of an abuser than a friend...at least, that's how it felt to him.

But on Oberyn's end, he didn't seem to notice. His mind had changed so easily, and as he sat there finishing his meal, he couldn't even understand what got him so fired up in the first place.

So soon after the altercation, Oberyn's mind was hazy. The one thought that remained, however, was the very one that Ezra unintentionally implanted.

Rav is an ally. I must not harm Rav under any circumstances.

The words repeated in Oberyn's mind like a mantra, and became his truth.

Ezra buried his face in his hands. He wanted his choice to stop Oberyn, of course. But he thought it would freeze him in place, maybe even knock the Nephilim unconscious. Directly interfering with his mind...it seemed unforgivable.

Now Ezra knew what his 'Desire' could do. This was a power he could use against his enemies - maybe even friends, if he had to.

But he would never use it against Oberyn again. He couldn't.

Not if he ever wanted Oberyn to reciprocate his feelings. Because if he used his power again, he'd be changing Oberyn.

He didn't want Oberyn at any cost. He wanted Oberyn as he was - untainted, of his own free will.

He had to find a way to live with the guilt of what he'd just done. And he needed to make it up to Oberyn, somehow.

"Thanks for the meal," Oberyn said quietly, rising from his chair. He grabbed his plate, but Ezra put his hand on Oberyn's arm, stopping him.

"I'll take care of it," Ezra smiled weakly. "Go lay down, okay?"

Even the suggestion felt wrong coming out of Ezra's mouth. Who was he to tell Oberyn what to do?

"Okay," Oberyn agreed. He didn't need any convincing - he was happy to lay down some more and rest. It would be a few days before he was back to 100%, even with his extraordinary healing. Such was the price of his curse.

"Hey, Ezra?" he murmured before walking away. "Do...you think I could..."

Oberyn was embarrassed to ask for what he wanted, but he knew he needed it. Going without mana for any longer would only exacerbate the curse. Even his impulsive stunt earlier had taken a toll on him, as he was running on 'fumes'.

"Can I have some of your mana?"

"Of course," Ezra said quickly. He opened up the front of his kimono, revealing the glowing mark on his chest. Oberyn placed his hand on him, and the two looked into each other's eyes as Oberyn siphoned off some of Ezra's excess magical energy.

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They'd done it once before - albeit in the heat of the moment, after Ezra absorbed almost the entirety of a mana Torrent. Then, it was to save Ezra's life. Now, it was to assist Oberyn's.

Rav watched with curiosity as the two young men stared into each other's eyes. Even to the Ferin, who'd just had a rollercoaster of emotions himself, there was something comforting about watching the two of them share such a tender moment.

Rav's tail wagged excitedly. There was also something a touch arousing about the intimacy of their moment, done so shamelessly in front of him.

"I'll let you two lovebirds to it," Rav smirked, whisking up all their plates and cups with his Cloud Magic and sending them off to the kitchen to be cleaned. Rav hardly had to do any chores - he'd gained such refinement over the clouds that his magic could do nearly anything.

"L-lovebirds?" Oberyn said, his voice alight with soft denial, trying to sound more confused by the comment than he was.

Rav winked. "You two have a good night."

The Ferin hopped onto a cloud and whisked himself away to the upper floors of the pagoda - his personal domain.

Once again, Oberyn and Ezra found themselves alone.

[+5 FP - Granted Oberyn Mana.]