Chapter 236: Would you like a coffee with a sprinkle of divinity?
When Valen fearlessly told the Elder to move away, Natha had to hold himself back from coming over and kissed the man right there and then.
But when Valen took the first step into the lake, he also had to hold back from yanking Valen away, taking the man into his embrace. He even gripped the little elemental bird tightly because of that, but the bird was also tensed from the atmosphere that it didn’t feel it or let out a protest at all.
That was why he brought Eruha along; to hold his body. The vampire, from the moment Valen walked toward the lake, had stepped in the Lord’s shadow to lock Natha’s movement.
Because Natha, above everything else, had no confidence he could hold himself back from jumping into that lake and taking Valen away.
Especially when he saw Valen shudder, and then stumbled, and immediately, Valen walked really, really slowly, as if his legs were made of lead. He knew then that the trial had started, and he could see that Valen used every ounce of his mana to keep his legs from getting stuck in place. The small figure, which got even smaller and smaller as the lake swallowed him bit by bit, tensed under the pressure.
He heard the little bird chirp in a short, airy sound, as if gasping; and he could see Valen stopped for a bit, jaw and fists clenched. It was clear that Valen was in pain, because Natha knew that feature very well. He had seen it when Valen was still Valen, and later when Valen was in Valmeier’s body.
It was when Valen felt pain but tried to hold it in so the nurse wouldn’t sigh and gave an exasperated gaze. It was when Valen felt pain in Valmeier’s body but just held it in because no one cared.
--I don’t want them to worry about me
Natha recalled what he accidentally heard yesterday; Valen’s confession. He thought it would be painful and kind of scary but didn’t want to make others worried about him. Didn’t want to make his fiance worried about it.
And so here he was, biting his lips and clenching his jaw so he wouldn’t make a sound.
[He doesn’t want to give those old demons the satisfaction of seeing him struggle] the Salamander whispered inside his mind.