Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 4: Torrent

"So, do you have a shirt I can wear or..."

Ezra whined as he trudged through the forest. It wasn't that he was cold... he just felt exposed.

If he were in his old body, he'd be trying to cover himself up. But now, in this 'Harbinger' body he had swapped into, he couldn't deny its allure. His skin smooth as marble, his muscles sculpted like something out of a Renaissance painting.

He was a little pale, though. Maybe he'd soak up some of the summer rays and get a nice tan before they made it to Asteria. This was the body he had always fantasized about having... well, with some obvious caveats.

'I could do without the second heart... and the impending prison sentence. That's assuming I even survive this 'extraction'.'

"What's wrong?" Oberyn asked from behind him. "You're slowing down. Are you tired?"

Ezra had almost forgotten Oberyn's presence as his mind wandered. The slim, agile Nephilim hardly made a sound as he moved through the wooded land.

Ezra turned to face his captor as he caught up.

"Just... feeling a little down, I guess."

He sighed deeply. He had been so excited to be reborn into a magical world... without having to start from birth or anything. Here he was, in a beautiful human body that possessed magic... and yet, current events made it hard for him to enjoy it.

This was supposed to be his ultimate fantasy world. It was the reason he had sought out the Storyteller. He wanted love, adventure, magic, and excitement. All the things he had never experienced in his normal, boring life.

Oberyn locked in place, considering Ezra's words. When the Nephilim warrior had arrived here, he had expected a vicious battle with the Harbinger, a decisive clash where he would claim his heart.

Nothing about the past hour had gone as expected. And in truth, he was starting to empathize with Ezra's plight.

After all, he was also from another world. And, much like Ezra... he was also a prisoner to the whims of others.

"Listen, Ezra," Oberyn started. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. Even as he began to speak, he wondered if he could follow through with what he was about to suggest.

'I want to let him go...' The thought gnawed at him. 'It took me two months to find a Harbinger, though. Could I even find another?'

Oberyn was rattled, but before he could go any further with his thoughts, a roar ripped through the forest... like rushing water, but far more chaotic.

His body reacted before his mind did. Instinct kicked in, and he raised his arms defensively.

"It's a Torrent! Brace yourself!" Oberyn shouted, barely heard over the deafening sound.

Ezra had no idea what a 'Torrent' was... until he turned in the same direction Oberyn was facing.

The ear-splitting sound of crashing waves was not water. It was a floating river of chaotic, uncontrolled mana... a raw flood of magical energy that had built up to a breaking point.

A violent rainbow of colorful light that crashed through the trees senselessly.

Whatever its source, it hurtled through the air, devouring everything in its path.

Oberyn raised his hands to the sky, and a barrier of orange light enveloped them both just in time. The Torrent smashed into the shield and ricocheted, but more and more mana waves surged.

Oberyn's arms shook against the sheer might of the onslaught. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it back.

If his barrier broke, the mana would overwhelm them. And for a Magician like Oberyn, that could be a death sentence.

Too much mana would cause anyone to overload... but in Oberyn's case, even more so. He was already filled to the brim with powerful, volatile magic that he had little control over.

And Ezra?

If he was truly as clueless as he seemed, he had no chance of surviving it either.

Oberyn's barrier chipped, then cracked. The sheer force of the Torrent battered against it endlessly. His knees buckled.

'Tiana... looks like I won't ever make my way back home...'

Just as Oberyn accepted his fate, Ezra stepped up beside him, arm outstretched toward the Torrent.

"Let your barrier down," Ezra said. "I got this."

Oberyn could not believe what he had just heard, but he was severely lacking in options. His magic held great offensive strength, but defensively? He was struggling.

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He hesitated... then released the barrier, collapsing to one knee from the sheer whiplash of the sudden shift.

Ezra rushed forward, planting himself directly between the incoming mana flood and Oberyn.

And then, he prayed.

'He called me the Essencetapper... He said I can steal magic... This body might not be mine, but maybe I still have that ability...'

Ezra clenched his fists, took a deep breath... and then he screamed at the top of his lungs.

The Torrent of magic crashed into him.

His glowing mark ignited. The sigil over his chest blazed to life, pulsing as his entire body was consumed by a violent violet energy.

Ezra felt it... the power, the raw magic surging through him. He was absorbing it...

'I can do this...'

With every ounce of focus, he guided the out-of-control mana into his Second Heart.

The flood rushed through him. He felt like he was swallowing an ocean...

And yet -

He was controlling it.

[System Notification: Warning- Mana at 200% capacity.][ERROR: Unknown entity overriding standard Harbinger protocol.]Ezra barely had time to register the messages flashing across his vision. They were unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

[Processing... Processing... ERROR—Maximum Capacity Exceeded 450%. Force Reboot...]

The ground beneath him cracked. His breath hitched. This wasn't magic—it was pure, raw destruction, flooding his veins like wildfire.

Then, just as quickly, the notifications flickered again.

[WARNING: SYSTEM REBOOT INITIATED]

The next thing he knew, the world had gone white.

For nearly a full minute, he stood against the endless flow, absorbing it all, until finally...

The Torrent dissipated. The storm of mana had vanished into his body, leaving only silence in its wake.

But Ezra had taken in too much.

More than he could handle.

It filled every pore, every cell in his body. His skin tingled and glistened... even his sweat was emitting violet light.

His limbs trembled. The sharp, searing pain erupted from inside... his Second Heart wriggled within his chest, pulsing, swelling as if ready to burst.

Seconds from catastrophic failure, he cursed his existence.

'No matter the world, I'm doomed... Even swapping places with a Harbinger wasn't enough to save me...'

But then...

Something incredible happened.

And it changed everything.