The wind blew from the open window, raising the room's thin white curtains. Auren's face felt relieved when he felt it. Even the sunlight slightly hit his face, causing him to completely feel refreshed and awake. He rubbed his eyes slightly as he slowly sat up from his seat, then noticed the folded blanket and pillow at his feet. He realized that this was where Lyore had placed the bed he had used the night before.
His eyes scanned the room where they slept. The room was small, but everything was in order. Unlike the one he used to sleep in in his world, where his roommate was always messy and always had an esper with him to have sex with. That is the sole reason why he always slept outside the room: to wait until the esper woke him up to tell him to clean up his roommate.
Auren suddenly felt fear when he thought of the past. However, it was immediately dispelled when a familiar creature entered the room. He smiled, happy to see Auren awake and ready for another day.
"It's good to see that you're awake. How was it? I didn't wake you right away because it's Sunday and you're just going to accompany me to explore the town. Do you want to?" Lyore asked Auren directly, not knowing which of those to answer, so he just nodded. "Let's go downstairs and eat first. Aleng Elena is with her sibling, so we can't eat with her. She'll be back tomorrow morning, so if we want to spend the night on the road, that's fine. I'll take care of you and I'll pay for everything. Let's go." Lyore smiled again, and that smile was one of the things that made Auren's chest pound.
Lyore turned to get a cloak for them to wear for the tour later, while Auren held his chest and kept repeating that what he felt for the man was wrong. And this incident happened too quickly to say that he liked him. However, he knew his weakness was beautiful creatures like Lyore, especially since he was kind and approachable. Like Liam, his friend, even though he said he didn't have any special feelings for him, he could still guide Liam because of his admiration for his appearance and kindness.
Right, maybe all he felt for Lyore was admiration. Right. That was all he thought to calm himself down.
After his inner self's struggle, Auren and Lyore set out to have fun in the market. It's different from where he came from. So many lively people in each corner his eyes encounter. Even though they are not financially stable, they can still live happily with this livelihood. A way of living that he hadn't encountered in his life. His life is full of struggle.
Struggle to guide, struggle to stay safe because of his family, struggle to love, be satisfied, be free, and be himself.
Auren felt insecurities again, but before he was completely swallowed up by those emotions, he was bumped into by a hooded man, who was a bit bigger than Lyore and was five feet seven inches tall. Auren also noticed his sharp nose and noticeable jaw, which was unmistakably gorgeous. It seemed like he was facing Superman at that moment. Once again, he was slightly fascinated by the man, even though he couldn't fully see his face, so Auren touched his cheek.
At that moment, Auren automatically guided the man, and his golden eyes returned to their standard blue color for a few seconds before returning to gold. Auren only saw it momentarily because the man immediately covered himself and ran away.
Lyore was about to chase the man who hurt Auren, but was led by the thought of picking Auren up from where he had fallen on the cold cement of the road.
"Are you okay? Ill-breaded bastard. He didn't even help you or apologize? Rude." Lyore's disappointment at what happened was also as much as his annoyance with himself because he hadn't been able to properly guard Auren. "Are you injured?"
Auren shook his head, then took Lyore's hand. His ears got hot again because it was the first time he had held Lyore, and he also liked how he protected him.
No one has ever defended him against anyone else. Not even Liam has had this opportunity to protect him because he didn't let him know his situation.
"I'm fine. I didn't break a bone."
"Hey, even if you didn't break a bone. It might hurt too much, right? That! You have a wound. That animal. If I see him again, I'll tear him apart." Lyore complained, so Auren looked at the wound she was referring to, which was only as small as an inch. The blood she was talking about was as small as a drop of a needle prick, but that was all Lyore was worried about.
"I'm fine", Auren repeated after taking his palm and suggestively licking the wound. "All healed." He added, making Lyore turn his back on him.
Auren frowned at what Lyore did, asking himself what he did to make Lyore look back at him.
He had no idea Lyore turned away, so he wouldn't be rude in staring at what Auren had done. Since last night, Lyore had barely slept because of Auren's presence. He had a feeling he couldn't explain. It was like a force pushing him to like Auren, no matter who he was. To protect him from any bad event and make him happy beyond what he could see as happiness. Even so, he didn't know Auren very well.
The moment they were together wasn't enough to say that Auren was completely special to him. For now, he would continue to observe him. He would consider him a brother... a friend, so he wouldn't make mistakes just in case they had a different living rank.
What if he were a prince or something more in another place? What if he did something wrong and it would ruin their starting friendship? Not just with him, but also Aleng Elena? He wants to
Ask Auren. He wants to be close to him, but what if he's a nobleman acting poor and just testing them? Shouldn't he act more like a kind civilian? And shouldn't lust after him.
Those were what Lyore thought calmed his feelings.
"Are you hungry too? There's a delicious restaurant nearby, I know you'll like it." He said without looking back then started walking.
Auren followed him, but before they had gone far from the place, they heard a big explosion.
It was on their left. It was probably a mile away from them. They could see a big fire and smoke in that direction. The explosion was followed by another nearby, so they are even more nervous. They wondered what was happening until Auren saw a gate above one of the stone houses, and from there, human-shaped figures wearing black body suits and gas masks on their faces came out. There were only five of them, but the strength of their power was obvious because they immediately used the elements they knew to destroy the buildings.
"Is this right? They have human faces." Auren heard that question from someone wearing a gas mask. The other civilians could hardly understand it because they were wearing gas masks. Still, because Auren knew what kind of equipment he was, he could understand what they were saying.
"You shouldn't be fooled." Another one said and pointed a hand with lightning bolts at Auren. "Weren't we attacked by monsters like them with human bodies before? And because of them, my wife died. I can't forgive them!" The anger in the man's words was apparent, but unlike his great anger, his lightning bolt only looked small.
The man immediately let go of it while it was aimed at Auren, but instead of avoiding it, Auren seemed to be waiting for it to hit him. His mind was filled with questions until it appeared he wasn't thinking anymore. The sparkle in his eyes disappeared, leaving only confusion, and Lyore immediately noticed that and took action for Auren.
"Auren!" Lyore shouted and immediately hugged it, causing it to be the one struck by lightning and not Auren.
Lyore had planned to push the two of them away from there, but when he felt the lightning, he immediately lost consciousness.
"Fool. My power is not that weak to just catch it! Wahaha," said the male opponent, who laughed before speaking again. "Now, burn them! "
It seemed like an order, so another man went ahead and used his fire in various parts of the area. The wooden houses were burned, even those made of stone and cement were not spared either. They destroyed it, and still were not satisfied; even the people who were scared and chose to run away were the first to be hit by their power.
But in the midst of the chaos, everything seemed to be in slow motion for Auren now that he had regained awareness, while the unconscious Lyore was still hugging him. He trembled with fear when he saw Lyore's state. He knew he should leave that place, but how could he leave when this time, he saw the true nature of the espers on the other side of the gate? He saw how the espers of other guilds were destroying the place without mercy; whether they were real monsters or humans, they were still killing them.
The man who had hurt Lyore approached Auren and whispered to him, "Aren't you going to run, kid? It's better to destroy a young running monster like you?" Auren was surprised.
Isn't he also human like them? Don't they see that they are the same and that he has nothing against them? No way...
Auren's thoughts were interrupted by a barrel of wine hitting the man's head, causing him to fall beside him.
"Try me!" The man shouted, suddenly arriving and controlling various objects around him. Broken walls, wood, stones, and even broken goods hit the men.
The enemies immediately retaliated, but were no match for the strength of the man who had saved Auren.
The man's anger didn't end there because he eventually grabbed three of the five attackers with his levitation power and was about to split them in two when three more hooded men suddenly appeared.
"Finish them off!" The man commanded, and the three rushed forward.
The first one was only slightly taller than Lyore. He was holding a sword and wearing armor after removing his cloak. He had dark blue hair that reached his shoulders and hand black-colored eyes. You could also notice the mole above his lip, immediately catching Auren's attention. He rushed at one of the men who was not under the other man's levitation power.
Using his sword, he wounded him, but it wasn't enough because the man with the power of the wind was fast. This man used his power to get away from the man with the sword, but it wasn't enough because unbeknownst to him, the second man was already behind him.
A man who was barely wearing anything but a short vest and a scarf around his neck. It seemed like he was from the desert because of the color of his skin and also because of his clothing. He was five feet and eight inches tall. He was one of the tallest of those who arrived, and his short yellow hair, which seemed only two or three inches long, was also noticeable. His presence
Had a certain audacity that made his identity even more mysterious. Using it, he struck his opponent several times in the back with countless knives, causing him to fall completely and be unable to fight back.
Not far from them was another man holding a book as his weapon because this was where his power came from. A magic that is similar to the attackers. He could control more than the other men could control, and that was one of the causes of their downfall.
This man was wearing a long cloak that reached past his knees. His almost gray haircut was like that of a sensible student in Auren's world. He also had bangs, but they didn't cover his squinting eyes. His face was small like a child's, but his height was no more than five feet eight inches, like the man with the blade weapon earlier.
"Your Majesty." Said the man with magic. "Many were injured."
"I know." Auren's savior's hand clenched because he was still holding the bodies of the three who had rushed in earlier. But this time they were lifeless.
"Tsk. If only I had known, I would not have eaten. These enemies are really disgusting." Said the man with the knife.
"Be quiet. You have no respect for the king." Said the knight, who then knelt before his king. "What shall we do next, your majesty?"
"Before that, he must rest first, or he might completely lose his mind. Aren't you at the end of controlling your power?" Said the magician.
That's when the king felt how grateful he was to the guy who touched him. He didn't feel so heavy anymore because he had touched him. It seemed like he had healed him earlier, but when he used his power again, he felt heavy again.
"H-help..." They looked in Auren's direction, and the king noticed that this was the same man who had helped him earlier. "Help us, please." It was then that Auren's tears that he was holding out started to pour. His fear, anxiety, and all the feelings he had been feeling earlier were completely released through continuous sobbing and repeated requests for help.
No one from the three other persons approached him except the king, who immediately held him in his arms, the only way to regain the feeling of lightness he felt before.
"Help us. Ly... Lyore, treat him. Please." The king's eyes narrowed because he didn't get what he wanted from his touch on Auren. Auren immediately understood that puzzled look because the king's eyes were noticeably turning golden again. "I will guide you. I will ease the burden you feel in exchange for his recovery."
He bargained with pride while holding the king's biceps, taking the man aback by the gesture.
"Blasphemy!" The knight shouted out and was about to cut off Auren's hand holding the king's, but was stopped by a hand gesture from the king. "But your majesty. We don't know if what the civilian said was true?!" he added.
"He's right, your majesty!" the magician also contradicted.
"You know I'm not lying. And even if I were lying, what would you lose? For me, I would lose the person who saved me. I should have been the one to be hit by that attack, but he saved me because I was a stupid new acquaintance who just wanted to live safely in this world." Auren closed his eyes for a moment, only to tighten his embrace on Lyore's unconscious body. "I am ready to give up my freedom in exchange for his safety... your majesty", Auren said that with complete and full belief in himself, he was able to convince the king.
"What is your name?" He asked.
"Auren, your majesty. A guide from the other world."
Everyone was stunned. Even the civilians who had heard it with them were also stunned. And in an instant, it suddenly rained. It seemed that even the sky was surprised by the words of a seemingly weak man named Auren.