The air is thick with the sound of distant battle cries, like thunder rolling over a sea of blood. Soldiers prepare for war just beyond the tent walls, moving in calculated steps like pieces on a chessboard. They think they're playing for the win.
I'm just here trying not to get crushed under the weight of it all.
But as it turns out, Vael - the brooding commander who looks like he was carved from the same stone as the goddamn mountains, isn't the kind of man who's easily ignored.
And neither, it seems, is this... thing between us.
It's there. Unspoken. But fucking heavy.
I sit on a cot in the far corner of the tent, arms folded, staring at the ground. At least my hands are free, though I can't stop fidgeting with the straps of my new uniform - some sort of patchwork of leathers and furs, just as rough as the rest of this world. It fits like a glove… tight, uncomfortable, and way too real.
I hear Vael before I see him.
His footsteps are steady, purposeful, but there's something different in the way he enters the tent this time. Not the cold, calculating commander I've seen so far. Don't ask me why, it's just like that..
This time, it's like… something else is pulling him here.
And that something else feels like me.
He stands there, just inside the entrance. His eyes lock onto me immediately, but this time, there's no sharpness in them. Just… intensity. The kind of intensity that makes it feel like he's undressing me with his gaze, no matter how much I try to hide it.
"I need you to understand something," he says, voice gravelly but thick with something I can't place. "You don't belong here."
I don't respond right away. Instead, I stand up, trying to get my bearings. Maybe put a little distance between us. But as I move, he takes a step forward, closing the space between us.
Not a lot of space.
Just enough for me to feel the heat radiating off his body.
"Don't belong?" I repeat, arching an eyebrow. "Where exactly do I belong, then? Heaven? Hell? Somewhere where people don't make me a prisoner for no reason?"
There's a flash of something in his eyes. Something darker. But he doesn't answer. Instead, his fingers move to the hilt of his sword, brushing it lightly.
"No," he says, his voice turning into something low and dangerous. "Somewhere you're not supposed to be."
I swallow, my throat dry as sandpaper.
This time, I don't try to move away. I can't.
His presence fills the space. The air between us crackles.
[System 707]:
"Ohhhh, this is what I'm talking about. I love watching this unfold. You two are like two damn magnets—too bad you're both too stupid to figure it out yet."
I'm this close to flipping the system off, but then Vael takes another step, his body too close to mine, and I freeze.
Not from fear. Not entirely.
It's more like... magnetic attraction. Like every damn molecule in my body is pulling toward him and I can't stop it.
His hand lifts, slow and measured, like he's afraid I'll flinch away. But I don't.
Instead, I let him cup my chin. His fingers are warm. Calloused.
Then he tilts my face up.
And I realize just how damn close he is now.
Too close.
His breath is against my lips, his eyes searching mine, daring me to say something, anything, to break this tension.
But I don't. I can't. My body's caught in a fight between running and drowning in him.
"You don't even know why you're here," Vael says, his voice softer now - almost… gentle. "Do you?"
I can barely manage a breath, let alone a response.
And that's when he does it.
He leans in. Just enough that I can feel his lips graze mine. Feather-light. Almost a whisper against my skin.
But then-
Bang.
The tent flap rips open. Another soldier bursts in. His face pale, eyes wide.
"Commander, urgent news! The Queen has sent for you. Now."
I think I might've actually just died again. For real this time.
Vael pulls away from me in an instant, not looking at me but at the soldier. His expression is unreadable, but I can feel the shift. It's like he snaps back into character.
"Fine," he growls. "Tell her I'll be there in ten."
The soldier hesitates, his gaze flickering between the two of us before he nods quickly and leaves. The tent flap flutters as he disappears.
I don't even know what to say.
I just stand there, blinking at Vael's retreating back.
The moment's gone.
And I feel something—a tiny, but undeniable pang—like something inside me is aching.
[System 707]:
"Hah. It's cute when you try to keep up. Don't worry, Host. You're gonna get there. Eventually."
pause
"I mean, you're not gonna kiss him this time, right? Because that's way too soon, right? Yeah. Definitely. ...Maybe."
He turns, giving me one last look before he exits the tent.
"Don't go anywhere," he says, voice suddenly colder. "You're not free yet."
*****
[System Update: World 1 – Soul Lock: Strengthening.]