"I could go crazy. How can I be mesmerized by a human?"

To avoid him, Lucien said, "Please go back to where you came from."

"Hehe... I don't know the way back home."

"Hah??? What?? How could that be?" replied Lucien with annoyance.

"I almost drowned in a pond in the forest where I live. And then, I woke up on the edge of the lake there. You know for yourself that the forest is vast. And I don't know where I am right now." That's how he explained it with pleading eyes.

Actually, Ryan was confused about where to go and had no destination. But he felt reluctant to ask Lucien for help.

But he dared to say, "Even though I'm left alone, I'm used to living in the forest. At least I'll wait until morning. Hehe..."

Meanwhile in Lucien's mind, "It's impossible for me to take him to Tyrone castle. Because he hates humans. What's more, he once massacred a kingdom. But if I stay he's alone here? Chances are he will get lost and can't go back to his original place. And the worst case is that he's caught by another demon."

Lucien felt sorry for him, then said, "Alright. You come with me."

Ryan was surprised to hear that. For a moment he was silent. "Eh?? Really?"

"Until your clothes dry..." said Lucien coldly.

"Well then. Thank you, sir!" Ryan answered cheerfully.

-----

Meanwhile, Darion with a flap of his wings flew across the sky to check if something was threatening in Tyrone's territory. He wears a blindfold, but his eyesight can penetrate far distances. He looked from above the sky.

"What does my lord mean? No suspicious energy here. Hmmm, I'll try to check it over there."

Wush....

He flew over and observed the area with his keen eye.

Back to Lucien and Ryan's story. Ryan followed Lucien from behind. In the silence of the forest, the two of them could hear their footsteps. In Lucien's mind, "Why would I even care about a human?"

On the other hand, Ryan muttered in relief inside, "Hah... I can rest tonight. But wait. How could I easily trust him? What if he is the villain who kidnapped me? However, I have to stay alert!"

They were further away from the waterfall.

"Be careful! There's a lot of devils here," said Lucien.

Ryan gulped as he said, "I-I know. You don't have to tell me." But in his mind, "Because it scares me even more."

Halfway through their journey, a rumbling sound broke the silence of the night. Ryan was taken aback by the sound of the thunder and reflexively shouted while crouching down, "Argh!!!

Lucien walked calmly and coolly before being startled by Ryan's scream.

"Hey! You startled me."

"It because the thunder was so close it seemed like it was going to strike."

"Hah... What a coward. Let's move on," sighed Lucien.

"Okay..." Ryan replied as he mumbled, "He has a bad temper..."

"Hey, I can hear you. Or do you want me to leave you here?"

"Ah... S-sorry..." Ryan replied with an irritated face behind him.

Not long after they walked, Ryan shouted again, "Argh!!!"

"What wrong?" asked Lucien in an annoyed tone.

"Looks like something bit my leg." Said Ryan froze on the spot and didn't dare to see it.

"You'll pay the price if you lie," Lucien replied as he headed towards him to check.

Lucien's face became serious when he saw the insect which has the size of a marble clinging to Ryan's thigh.

"Eek!! W-what is it?" Ryan asked as he fell to the ground for fear of insects, especially the big ones.

"Just relax. If you panic, it will continue to suck on you."

"How can I calm down?? Is it dangerous? I've never seen a bug like this." asked Ryan who wanted to ward off the bug.

"Don't move!!" replied Lucien straightforwardly and grabbed his wrist quickly. "Of course, because this is the demon world." He continued with serious eyes.

Ryan was surprised to hear that like hearing lightning strike.

"W-What???" His respond. Ryan still couldn't believe what he just heard.

"You're just kidding, right? Forests are inhabited by creatures other than us. We live with them. It's nothing new to know." Said Ryan to calm himself.

Ryan still doesn't know that the figure in front of him is not human...

"Do I look like I'm joking with you? What if you've entered the demon dimension? If you're not careful, your life will be lost..."

Deg...

"I-impossible... You're exaggerating. You're scaring me, right?" replied Ryan as he took a step back.

Lucien just kept quiet before Ryan finally reacted in pain.

"Ouch!!!"

Lucien immediately responded, "Stay there!"

Then he radiated his energy through his palm to the bug.

"What are you doing?" asked Ryan. But Lucien didn't respond due to his focus on the bug. Ryan felt warmth around his thighs.

Not long after, the bug released its bite and fled.

"Done!" said Lucien as he stood up.

"Phew... Thank you. I'm indebted to you," Ryan sighed with relief.

"Not a big deal. Even though you're a man why are you so afraid of such a little thing?"

"I can be afraid too! Humph..." Ryan replied irritably.

"Can you stand up? We still have to keep going. The castle doesn't come by itself."

"Well. I know..." answered Ryan not excited.

But when Ryan wanted to walk, he felt the leg that had been bitten by the bug become sore and weak. His nerves are paralyzed. His body leaned forward and was about to fall.

"Eh???"

Lucien flinched and didn't have time to grab him so Ryan fell on his stomach.

"Brak!!"

"Oh-oh... Are you okay??" asked Lucien.

"Ouch!! Why don't you hurry up and grab me?" replied Ryan.

"From your response, you seem to be fine."

"I'm not okay! Huh!"

Ryan turned around and tried to stand up, but was powerless. It caught Lucien's attention who noticed that the insect bite marks were starting to turn blue.

"By the way, my legs feel weak and I can't walk," said Ryan.

"It swelled up so fast." thought Lucien.

Then Lucien explained, "This is the effect of the insect poison. If not treated right away, it will spread. Although not lethal to the demons, but quite troublesome. Uhm... What if it happened to a human?"

"What will happen?" asked Ryan curiously.

"He will hallucinate and even lose consciousness."

"What am I supposed to do? There's no healer here." Ryan got scared after hearing Lucien's explanation.

While Lucien was thinking about various solutions, the panic that enveloped Ryan was slowly replaced. He was like a drunk and started hallucinating as the asura told him before.

"Uhm... My head feels dizzy... There are two people in front of me."

"The poison effect has spread this fast???!" mumbled Lucien.

"Hey! Who are you? Why am I here? It's dark everywhere." Ryan said while embracing his nape so that their faces were close to each other.

"Wake up!!!" replied Lucien.

And unexpectedly, Ryan pushed Lucien to lie down. They gazed deeply into each other.

"Ugh!!!"

"Apparently if I look closely, you're stunning..."

Lucien gasped at the words that left his lips.

"DEG!!" In Lucien's mind, "Because of that bug, he became aggressive like this."

And just as their lips almost touched, Lucien clasped his wrists.

"There's only one solution..." thought Lucien.

*****

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