"Stop moving already"

"It's not needed, you're being noisy and annoying." "You're being childish then."

Ayren sighed, struggling to keep his patience as he watched Loon carefully soak a piece of fabric in a small bowl of water. They had returned to the tavern, and despite Ayren's irritated grumbles, Loon insisted on tending to his wounds. The swordsman's constant sounds of annoyance filled the room, but Loon remained focused on his task, seemingly unaffected.

"Do you really enjoy getting hurt?" Loon asked, tilting his head as he leaned closer to wipe the dirt and blood from Ayren's face.

"I like making things interesting," Ayren replied with a smirk, only to flinch when Loon unexpectedly slapped his face with the damp cloth. "You little... you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Ayren growled, grabbing Loon's wrist to stop him. Loon looked at him with an innocent expression, his head slightly tilted.

"I was just making it interesting," Loon said in a calm, innocent tone. Ayren stared at him for a moment before a soft giggle escaped, amused by the dragon's playful defiance.

"I am glad you're having fun" the swordsman said ironically to then raise his eyebrow "Why aren't you using your mana?"

"Why? Do you want me to throw a waterfall like I did to Umi?" he asked, and Ayren smirked, thinking again about that amazing moment he saw the Great Sorcerer walking soaking wet, making funny sounds with his shoes.

"Dressed like that and making those sounds... he definitely looked more like a Great Clown than Mage." Ayren smiled to then sigh "Maybe having that would be faster... Actually, whatever, it's enough" he tried to move Loon's hand away, but the dragon kept it there using some strength.

"I said no." Loon kept himself stiff and Ayren raised his eyebrow, keeping his stare on his blue eyes and slowly leaving the grab on the wrist of the immortal "You should also check your wounds on the arms and the chest. I see your suit is already damaged... Your skin won't be..."

"Tomorrow I will force someone to repair... I think we will stay here for some days, then we will move. I don't think Talon and Umi will like it if we stay here. You got some dragon hunters chasing you apparently." he said ironically.

"Dragon hunters?"

Ayren looked at him as he was more focused on cleaning his face than the conversation, and he seriously did wonder if he was just spacing out like usual or being clueless.

"Mage guilds..." Ayren took the fabric off his hand and wiped aggressively his own face under the grumpy stare of Loon "Focus. Those mages are looking for you, so we can't really

stay here for too long or we will bring trouble to the city, unless..." he crossed his arms "You join Umi's academy then he shall protect you." he said more like a tease.

Of course, he knew the half dragon would have never gone back to Umi.

I mean, if he did, then Ayren had no reason not to set the whole city on fire at that point.

Loon watched as Ayren turned his back, untying the leather straps on his forearms and tossing his tailcoat onto a chair near the room's small fire. Ayren flinched when he noticed blue droplets around him. He turned, and before he could say a word, a light sprinkle of water hit him.

He stood there, eyes closed as the water trickled down his face and dampened his hair. When he opened his eyes, he saw Loon chuckling, amused. A miniature water dragon, created from Loon's magic, was hovering playfully beside him.

Catching Ayren's gaze, Loon coughed, trying to compose himself. "You should really stop mentioning or even thinking about that... protection? He sent those mages into my bedroom."

"My bedroom," Ayren corrected.

"But now it's mine."

"No, it's mine."

Loon smiled mischievously.

"Fine, it's ours, I guess. Nothing wrong with sharing with a God."

"I said it's MINE," Ayren groaned, placing a hand on his forehead as if asking the universe for patience. He wondered if this was some sort of divine punishment—endless bickering over trivial things with the immortal, who simply tilted his head, oblivious to Ayren's frustration. "Enough chat, go to sleep, I will take care of my wounds." he said to then disappear behind the windscreen next to the fire, leaving to Loon only the shadow of his body shown in it from the light of the fire.

Loon kept staring at the windscreen, watching the swordsman taking off his shirt.

"Sleep?" the immortal said annoyed as he rested his chin on the palm of hand "To get annoyed by mages and their weird rituals...?" he muttered with a little grumpy expression printed on his face.

"...Weird rituals?" Ayren was looking at his own arms as he was talking from behind the windscreen, but he then peeked from it and raised his eyebrow noticing Loon's eyes staring to his side "I am here, you can sleep, I will stay around... and why are you staring at me?"

"Why are you behind the windscreen?" he asked, and Ayren looked at him with an annoyed stare.

"I'd rather not have another stupid weak attack from your little pet." he said as he got back fully behind the windscreen and Loon looked at his little dragon pet flying around him.

"He likes you."

"I am so glad." Ayren said ironically "Go to sleep."

"As you wish." Loon laid on his...

No, on Ayren's...

I mean on their... bed..(?) and stared at the cellar "I didn't use my mana because you said yourself you do not feel actually at ease when I do it, right?"

"At ease?" Ayren remarked those words and sighed from behind the windscreen "It's not that..." he replied as he looked at his own wounds healing fast because of his curse.

A part of Ayren was undeniably drawn to Loon's mana. He loved it, even craved it, and deep down he knew it was the more unhinged side of himself that yearned for that power. It was something he always tried to suppress, to bury under the guise of constant fighting and self-inflicted pain during battles. It wasn't easy to explain, but the idea of feeling what the Emperor had—what had driven him to imprison Loon—was maddening. Yet, it also made Ayren more certain of his decision to protect the immortal.

Loon's mana wasn't just powerful; it was overwhelming. Ayren could feel it around him, and he knew that the Emperor, with his arsenal of magical artifacts and mages to keep him sane, had still fallen prey to the insatiable desire for more. Was Ayren stronger than the Emperor? Probably not. But maybe, just maybe, his own streak of insanity allowed him to harness that desire, turning it into something protective rather than destructive.

At least for now, Ayren had never once felt the urge to see Loon broken or begging for his freedom again. That would have been an affront to his honor—not just as a swordsman, but as a man.

"Your mana is both your lifeline and your curse." Ayren said, emerging from the shadows, pulling out a shirt from his leather pouch of travel essentials. "It's why you're still alive, and it's why anyone who knows who you are would want to possess you." He glanced at Loon, his red eyes steady. "I'm not asking you to stop using your power. Your aura alone is soaked in mana. But when you use your healing abilities, especially that, it can make humans dependent on it. They'll crave it like an addiction." Loon listened, his blue eyes focused on Ayren, understanding the weight of his words.

"You think you'll go insane too?" The Immortal smiled gently, but Ayren sensed a hint of sadness behind the question. He approached the bed and planted his feet in front of it.

The swordsman crossed his arms and smirked, leaning towards the dragon, who flinched as he noticed his red eyes on him. Ayren saw the immortal laying on the bed as his long black hair was all over the bed sheet. He was wondering why Loon had the last part of his pointy ears a little red but tried to keep himself from asking if he was actually feeling okay.

"There's no way I'll go insane," Ayren replied with a smirk. Loon tilted his head, his bright blue eyes fixed on him. The swordsman tried not to let it show, but those eyes felt like they were pulling him into some calm, endless sea, balanced between heaven and hell.

"I'm happy," Loon said softly, his smile warm and genuine. Ayren felt his heart ease at those words. There was something about the immortal's moods that Ayren found himself enjoying, even without fully understanding why.

But then, there were the other moments—the ones where Loon looked hurt. In those instances, Ayren's madness seemed to grow at double the speed, and he couldn't figure out why. He'd spent his life wandering the country, doing tasks that would hopefully require him to draw his sword. People feared him, called him the legendary swordsman, and whispered about his unknown past and his fearsome skills.

No one dared to be his enemy. His mere presence, the oppressive aura that clung to him when he wielded his sword, was enough to make people feel as if they were already dead before the battle even began.

And now, here he was, dealing with an immortal who had no clue what he was doing to him.

"Am I the real clown?" Ayren whispered to himself, like he had a rewind of his life till then and fell into an existential crisis.

No, his mission led him to meet Loon. He did choose to help him and as a matter of honor would help him till he knows he will be safe.

Right? Good self-defense mechanism from meeting something in another world is called; psychological distress.

"Ayren." Loon's voice was soft as he was calling him. Ayren tilted his head as he noticed the immortal looking lost out of the window, enjoying the night sky "Thank you." he smiled a little "But as... for my mana... I was thinking..." he crossed his arms with a cute curious stare towards his own thoughts, to then lock his shiny blue eyes into his red ones

"Do you think I was born as immortal for the earth creatures walk on, but as also a curse for humans? It would make sense... I am like a cursed artifact." Ayren blinked as he was asking himself if he was hearing right under Loon genuine and curious stare "If humans discover me, my nature, they get cursed... They get insane..."

Loon paused when he felt Ayren's hand on his forehead. "I told you, if you get sick, I won't lose my sanity," he smiled, "but my patience..." Sighing, he pinched him. "You're not sick, but I think you need to sleep." He stepped back and crossed his arms.

"I was just..."

"Where did you even get that idea? To be a cursed artifact?" Ayren almost laughed and Loon pouted, looking again adorable.

"In the first months of imprisonment I wasn't used much, I could still walk and talk, so Umi and some guards used to bring me some novels to pass the time." he smiled "It reminds me of one of those novels with cursed artifacts."

"You..." Ayren sighed heavily and the immortal looked even happy like he was getting back the memories of him wandering around a library for the first time, and it was the Emperor's palace one

"The Emperor probably told them that when I was living in his palace, I would pass days in the library."

"How caring." Ayren said ironically and Loon looked at the swordsman with a little smile.

"No need to repeat who the Emperor was and what he actually did..."

"I wasn't about to." Ayren cut him off "But do not..." he sighed hard "Do not compare yourself to a cursed object... actually, do not compare yourself to an object in general, you're not." he said with an obvious tone like he was scolding him under his neutral stare "You're nowhere to be cursed, now sleep. I will stay on the roof of the building." he said as he grabbed his sword and climbed over the window.

Loon barely had a chance to speak before Ayren was already gone. The immortal chuckled for a moment, noticing how his little water dragon pet was floating nearby, looking irked by Ayren's abrupt exit from the conversation.

The Immortal couldn't help but smile, thinking again about his words "He's weird." he laid better on the bed "But... he's... he is really kind to me."

The immortal closed his eyes, and slowly in the whole room water pets and plants were appearing, creating a beautiful atmosphere for Loon to sleep. It felt like he was completely letting himself embrace a good night's sleep, probably because he felt safe.

Probably because he did trust Ayren so much that he could wonder why and how it happened so fast with him.

Was he regretting it? No, at least for now.

Ayren was on the roof, sat and finally enjoying some quiet time. His red eyes looked at the clear sky full of stars and he felt nostalgic once he saw different lights creating a big wave of colors between the blue, green and azure.

"Seems like the whole world without you lost so much for so many years..." he sighed as he gave voice to his thoughts.

He felt that. In a swift movement he jumped back to the room the two were staying in and he sighed once he noticed that the place looked literally like an aquarium even though the little pets were even earth ones. Deers, rabbits, and birds made of pure blue mana were wandering around the room like spirits.

Once he stepped inside the room, the little water dragon that was half asleep next to the pillow where Loon was sleeping, woke up and happily flew around Ayren, who narrowed his stare.

"Shut up." he said annoyed to then look at all the pets inside the room, who literally tilted their heads, making him even more irritated as they looked even happy to see him "You all better shut up or I will kill you." he mumbled annoyed, but then his eyes got totally enraptured by Loon.

He was sleeping as some blue, azure water butterflies, similar to the color of his jade horns, were laying on his dark hair. Some of the strands were messy all over the bed, making the immortal literally look like something untouchable because too stunning.

Ayren couldn't help but sit on the other side of the bed and he tried to keep his hand, but soon he found himself laying that on the forehead of the immortal. His red eyes were lost on his face, as his hand was slowly moving some of the strands off his cheeks, as literally all the water forms around were sleeping...

******

Loon woke up and almost shouted once he saw Ayren half naked, walking. The swordsman flinched and grabbed his sword as a reflex.

"You..." Ayren gnashed his teeth, nervous "Good morning." he said ironically to then throw an apple at him.

Loon closed his eyes and Ayren sighed as he noticed the little pet dragon positioning himself in front of his owner and literally incorporated the apple, becoming a ball himself.

"Is he getting hurt? It looks like he's about to explode." Ayren asked, pointing at the little dragon that now looked more like a pufferfish than a dragon.

"Water is water..." Loon laughed a little, laying a hand on the pet dragon, making it dissolve and reforming on the other hand, while the other had the apple. "See?"

"Nice magic trick, you surely would have a great career as a magician in the circus along with that clown of Umi."

Loon munched on the apple, shooting a grumpy glare at Ayren as the swordsman continued to prepare himself to head out.

"We're going to buy some supplies for you so we're free to leave, we better get out of the city as soon as we can" he announced, making the dragon happy to hear a we.

"Why? So we can avoid the mages who are looking for me to ruin the city and commit murder?"

"No, so I can go back to commit murder." he corrected him with an obvious tone.

With a sigh, the Immortal readied himself to accompany Ayren. Loon couldn't help but admire the swordsman as he tied back his long black hair, the red tips catching the light. Ayren wore a soft white shirt, laced at the neck, and fitted pants secured with a belt that held his sword. He exuded the air of a royal guard, not just in appearance but also in his commanding posture.

His stare got lost for some moment, Ayren looked at him and came closer "Are you ready to go?" he asked, and Loon smiled to then nod under his concerned stare.

Once the two were out, they moved towards some shops of the city and the markets to buy some supplies and clothes. After some threats, Ayren managed to convince the tailor to repair the tailcoat with magic with priority.

The deal was: his life or the tailcoat repaired within a day.

Loon was happy to see Ayren actually managing a conversation, a deal without seeing blood... in the exact moment at least.

"Do I have to keep this on... I mean there are so many creatures, I won't go noticed." he mumbled, walking through the streets, as Ayren was again feeling happy with his long black tailcoat on.

"You will, you're way too different from any other creature" Ayren said with an obvious tone laying the hand on his head "And try not to get lured... Mages of the Academy are here, so are Talon's guards."

"I can deal with them." the immortal said with a neutral stare and Ayren looked at him with a smirk

"True, but I know you don't like..."

"Don't like what?"

Ayren sighed and kept walking, leaving Loon confused... The swordsman looked calm as he was walking with the half dragon. He usually did hate being in cities as he'd rather fight against mercenaries or whoever outside, but that moment of peace weirdly was making him feel at ease.

"Wow... I am so glad you took me to a new side of the city!" Loon exclaimed as he noticed a statue in the middle of the street, decorated with flower beds and amethyst lights.

"The shops I wanted to go to were here." Ayren mumbled annoyed while the immortal was looking happy and excited. His tail was moving off the brown robe happily.

"I see." the immortal looked at Ayren, who was looking around just to check on the people sometimes staring towards them "Are we going to see more of these cities?"

Ayren sighed "Do you think I am going to take you on a pleasure tour?" he asked as he crossed his arms and the immortal looked for a moment like he was thinking how to answer, making him even more irritated "Seriously, didn't you get you got mages chasing you and who knows who else?"

Loon looked neutral "So what?"

Ayren tilted his head, wondering if the apple Loon ate was somehow drugged "So? You will have to deal with fights, liking it or not."

"I have you, isn't it something you love? I might be worried for you as I do not wish to see you hurt, but you yourself said we and in human terms it means you're with me. I have you, no?"

The swordsman felt for a moment paralyzed towards the calm reply of the immortal, whose eyes were on him, showing how sure he was of his own words.

Ayren laughed, laying the hand on the face "I swear... I wonder what kind of conversation you had with the Emperor."

"Why?" Loon asked, confused and Ayren couldn't help but feel like he was enjoying having him around.

Maybe the mess he was getting into wasn't that of a nuisance. Protecting an immortal in exchange he would get into fights and maybe, if lucky, some peace.

The swordsman in the end felt like his last mission was that cursed assassination. With that he thought his life was meant to end, but apparently it was just the start of his new cursed life.

His past kept getting in his mind and tormenting him, and he would use that malicious aura to enhance his sword and fight endless fights to calm that ferocious feeling.

"Because..." Ayren looked like he was about to scold him again "You look like the typical human who is clueless and gets himself in trouble, you can't just trust anyone like that. I could go to that clown of Umi and tell him to get you, who knows."

Loon raised an eyebrow. "You would never."

"I might surprise you," Ayren replied with a smirk, prompting Loon to tilt his head in curiosity.

"I mean, you call him a clown. You don't seem too fond of him, unless that's your way of showing interest. Are you into... those types of men?"

Ayren ground his teeth in irritation, while Loon appeared deep in thought. "In one of the novels I read..."

"Stop, you and your novels." the swordsman sighed hard and Loon looked at him with his sweet eyes "The only reason your friend is still alive is because as a swordsman with honor I do follow the law in cities."

With that said Ayren and Loon kept walking around the city.

"The one who came back from war,
the one who came back to rebuild what once was destroyed and lost
with sacrifices of thousands and blood rivers we now walk on
we keep the city in honor of our founder,
to remember what freedom is..."

Loon was leaning and reading the board that was explaining the statue's origin, placed in the middle of the city's gardens.

"Are you done acting like a traveler from a far land?" Ayren asked next to him, and Loon pouted at his unbothered stare.

He then looked at the statue representing a man hooded with some pieces of armor around the shoulders, waist, hips, arms. Looked more like a ranger.

"Who is that?" he asked and Ayren crossed his arms "Does it matter? He's dead anyway."

"Honestly, you're the best guide in the world today for someone who hasn't walked on this ground for years." Loon looked irritated, crossing his arms as well.

"Oh, you speak like it's my fault" Ayren leant against his forehead and Loon pushed his, hating the fact he was a little bit smaller than Ayren, who laughed as soon as he noticed the little dragon standing against him "Oh? Are you feeling like fighting me?"

"I can do that even with my eyes closed, noisy." Loon looked away "I do not fight, I hate it, you know it! Don't tease me."

"You knocked off three mages."

"Didn't you tell me that I had to protect myself?" he asked embarrassed, and Ayren laughed a little. "Indeed. I am glad."

Loon turned to Ayren, who looked serious like there was no joke behind that.

"Ayren... You do realize I'm never going to fight you, right? It's already difficult for me to consider hurting someone for my own protection, but I could never bring myself to hurt you, not even when we first met." He smiled softly, basking in the warmth of the sunny day, while Ayren listened, feeling sincerity in every word. "So..." Loon sighed, adopting a grumpy expression. "You'd better stop teasing me about that. I'm not as violent as you are." He moved his arms slightly, attempting to look irritated, but Ayren simply rested his hand on Loon's head, giving him a gentle pat.

"I know" he sighed, and the immortal looked surprised towards Ayren's calm stare that soon changed as he was striking his hair aggressively "You do not need to remind me how miserable I felt for that failure of a mission."

"S-stop, my hair!"

"Lord Fenir has returned! The Regent family is officially back in the city!"

Everyone turned to see a convoy of soldiers in armor identical to Talon's, making their way down the main street alongside a grand carriage

Ayren sighed heavily as he watched Loon join the crowd, eager to catch a glimpse of the Regent family's lord.

He almost laughed when Loon started to jump, to look better. He put himself closer to the immortal, and coughed while he was laying his arm on his waist level without touching, but also, not to make anyone touch him by mistake.

"He's just a Lord." Ayren spoke, Loon kept jumping, making his hood basically off his head all the time "Loon." he called him out and the immortal looked at him

"I want to see who rebuilt the city!" he had sparkles in his eyes that were shining with a lovely and lively blue.

"Stay quiet. He's just a regent family lord and not that significant. Let's move along." Ayren looked a bit anxious as he reached for Loon's hands.

Loon's eyes widened as he felt Ayren pulling him away from the crowd, but a sudden noise made him stop in his tracks, causing the immortal to bump against Ayren's back.

"Ayren!"

"Today is definitely not my day." Ayren muttered, wearing a perplexed expression. Without even glancing back, he placed his hand on Loon's head to keep him calm amidst the excitement of Fenir, who was cheerfully stepping down from the carriage.