Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 5: Explosion of Magic

[MANA OVERLOAD at 956%. System Shutdown in 5...4...]

It all happened in a flash. The magic swelled, wild and uncontrollable - until Oberyn's palm pressed against Ezra's chest, grounding him.

Oberyn could feel Ezra's mortal heart and his magical one beating in unison. It was up to him, now - if he didn't intervene, the magic would consume them both.

And then he outstretched his other hand. He channeled the excess magic through his body and -

BOOM!

A loud explosion - a bomb bursting in the forest behind them. The force of the explosion was so intense it made their ears ring. A wave of infernal heat overtook them as if they'd both jumped into an oven on broil.

And then, silence. Calm.

[Mana returned to safe levels. System shutdown canceled.]

Ezra's toned chest heaved up and down as his breathing returned to a steady pace. The magic that remained inside of him was controllable - for now.

"I channeled some of your excess power," Oberyn explained. "Released it as Explosion Magic."

As he spoke, his words were softer and lighter than before. He was no longer trying to project strength - the sole intent of his words to bring assurance and peace to Ezra's throbbing heart.

They lingered. Oberyn's palm remained against Ezra's chest, his fingers trembling ever so slightly. The warmth between them wasn't just from magic. It was something harder to name. Something neither of them wanted to break.

'Why... don't I let go?' The thought unsettled him. He should have pulled away already. Should have moved. But he lingered, caught in something deeper than magic.

He was captivated by the moment. He had no words to explain how he felt.

Somehow, in some way...this man, Ezra, felt achingly familiar. A warmth he hadn't felt since Tiana. A touch that reminded him of something fragile. Something he had lost and never thought he'd find again, so far from home.

Oberyn pulled his hand back, his fingers longingly grazing Ezra's developed muscles as the Nephilim receded.

It was Ezra who broke their uncomfortable silence - moved them past a moment they both wanted to continue, but neither could admit.

"Thanks," Ezra said. There was more he could say. He wanted to tell Oberyn to put his hand back on his chest so he could feel his warmth a little longer. But this was a different world. He didn't even know if same-sex activity was allowed in this world.

"No problem," Oberyn replied, turning his face away.

Ezra noticed the flush red in Oberyn's cheeks as the Nephilim tried to hide himself. His heart continued racing as he wondered what it could mean. Was Oberyn just embarrassed, or did he want it too?

It was in that moment that the tables turned. Oberyn took only one step in the direction of Asteria, more conflicted than ever about his decision to bring Ezra in.

And yet, after one step, his vision blurred. His knees buckled. The forest spun around him as exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks.

Magic fatigue. He'd overdone it - with the barrier, and with the gigantic explosion he created from Ezra's excess magic. It was too much, too fast - without any opportunity to work his way into it slowly.

His body finally had a moment to react naturally, and it did the only thing it knew to do in a period of such extreme exhaustion.

Oberyn blacked out.

The Nephilm fell first to his knees, suddenly. Too quickly for Ezra to intervene.

And then he faceplanted against the knotted forest floor, hitting his head on an upturned root on the way down.

"Oberyn!" Ezra shouted, throwing himself on the ground and grabbing the Nephilim. It was his first time holding Oberyn - the first thing he noticed was how surprisingly easy it was to lift him up.

Either Oberyn's bones were hollow, or Ezra's new body possessed strength that exceeded even his impressive muscles.

"Oberyn. Oberyn! Hey! Wake up!"

Ezra tried to shake his captor awake. He couldn't believe it - this was his opportunity to escape! But he couldn't break away.

He'd never forgive himself if he left someone like this, unconscious and vulnerable. Who knew what lurked in these woods?

And so, despite the very real danger that Oberyn posed to him and his freedom, he scooped the young man off the ground and mounted him on his back, throwing limp arms over his broad shoulders - a piggyback ride.

"Damn it," Ezra said, gritting his teeth. "Just for the record, you owe me big time, Oberyn."

Oberyn didn't respond - he was fully conked out. But he didn't seem to be injured. In fact, the Nephilim was already drooling and snoring on Ezra's shoulder.

He was just really, really tired.

Ezra's attention focused north - at least the way he thought was north. That was where Oberyn had been leading him. Toward 'Asteria', if he remembered the name correctly.

"Well, I don't want to get arrested, so let's try west instead. I need to find you some place you can rest, my dude."

Ezra began to trudge through the forest, taking each step carefully so as to not trip. He'd always been somewhat of a clutz in his past life, but as his feet meandered the roots, he found it quite easy to navigate.

'Whoever's body this was must have been quite the guy,' Ezra chuckled.

He wondered what life 'Alcor' lived - the man who inhabited this body first. But then he remembered - this was a world that existed inside the Storyteller's book, wasn't it? Was any of this even 'real'?

Maybe Alcor had never been a real person at all.

The thought never made it past the drawing board, as suddenly Ezra is mentally bombarded with images from Alcor's life. Brief, fleeting scenes with no words - he didn't understand what he saw.

Images of a beautiful Victorian-era castle. Like something a vampire would live in, if not for the bright and well-kept gardens, and the colorful, vivid tapestries that hung in the main hall.

'Is this...where you lived, Alcor?' he pondered as more and more images flowed through him. He saw people he didn't recognize - cruel, evil-looking types.

It became clear to him - Alcor wasn't just someone who could absorb raw mana. Alcor was a villain in this world. These were not the images of someone who lived a normal, peaceful life. It was the life of someone who was trying to destroy the world.

As Ezra thought about Alcor, his attention drifted. Something had felt weird in Ezra since the explosive moment earlier. Almost like...a presence, in his mind. Something hidden in all of those system errors.

[About time you noticed me, body-snatcher. The name's Alcor. Nice to meet you.]

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