The forest around us was dark except for the glow coming from the pool. Moonlight filtered through the branches. The air smelled of damp earth and moss.
I took a deep breath and we inched forward together.
The moment we stepped out from our hiding spot behind the tree, the hum of Magic increased. I felt like I could hear chimes almost, but… there weren't any.
We could reach the edge easily, but the pressure around us was immense. There had been no visible shift, but it now felt like we'd stepped inside a cathedral. Power spread in all directions.
Up close, the surface looked almost like liquid light.
Penguin leaned forward from my pocket, letting out a small awed sound.
The itch in my chest was still intense, but it wasn't reaching out anymore, as if the movement had gone still.
I didn't know what to do. I don't think Llewellyn did either.
We were also still very drunk.
"System," I whispered. It really did feel like we were inside a cathedral; it was very disconcerting. "What are we supposed to do with this?"
[System Notification: No action required. Pool of Living Magic is not a quest objective.]
"Then why the 100,000 Coins?!"
I tried to keep my voice down, but… really?! Come on.
[System Notification: Discovery reward. Locating Living Magic in its undisturbed state is of extraordinary value.]
Yeah, but—
"For what?!"
A pause. Then—
[System Notification: The System is not authorized to disclose that information.]
The itch in my chest spiked and my hand flew to it.
Fuck. What?
Wind rose through the trees.
Then, a voice echoed. It said, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome—
Goosebumps ran through my body.
I swallowed.
"Did you hear that?" I said. I couldn't say if it was young or old, male or female…
"Yeah," Llewellyn said, suddenly on guard.
A gust of wind rose out of the blue, lifting sprays of water.
We jumped back, startled, but some landed on us. Judging from Penguin's chirps, on him too.
Then—
There was a soft pop and Lumos tumbled out of thin air, landing on a patch of moss right next to us.
What!!!
"Did you summon him?" I asked Llewellyn, startled.
Llewellyn's eyes widened.
"No! He shouldn't be here—this is too dangerous." He knelt down to scoop him up, but before he could, Lumos shook his coat and sprinted off straight toward the edge of the pool.
"No!" Llewellyn yelled. Before either of us could stop him, he leaned down and drank from the glowing surface.
Llewellyn lunged forward, but some sort of barrier stopped him.
"Lumos, come here!" he called.
Lumos' tail wagged, but he kept drinking.
The wind picked up again, enveloped Lumos for a second, then… it subsided.
Lumos shook himself and trotted back toward us, as if nothing had happened.
Fuck.
Llewellyn rushed forward and picked him up, pulling him away from the pool.
"Are you okay? Why did you do that! System, is he fine?!"
[System Notification: Creature "Lumos" has been exposed to Living Magic. Heightened magical sensitivity detected!]
A second later—
[System Notification: Creature "Lumos" has been exposed to Innishaean Magic. Blessing of the Land detected.]
What? What?
Both Living Magic and Innishaean Magic too?
"Did you get that?!"
Shit, this was ridiculous.
We'd sent Lumos to Llewellyn's Core Partition to make sure he was safe! We got here and he ended up getting summoned?!
Penguin tried to jump out of my pocket again and rush toward the pool too, but I didn't let him.
"Hey, hey, hey—where are you trying to go?" I said.
Penguin pecked at my fingers, annoyed.
"No," I told him.
What if he got unstable again? The shard had been safe and… yeah, Lumos seemed fine, but we didn't know anything about this Pool of Living Magic!
Penguin exploded in a small tantrum. Then—
Droplets of water lifted from the pool, followed by small spiraling streams that curled upward, suspended—hundreds of them.
In the split second that followed, they splashed on us.
What the— Had that been Penguin?!
"Penguin!!!" I said, spluttering.
[System Notification: User Ryo and Partner Llewellyn have been exposed to Living Magic. Heightened magical sensitivity detected!]
[System Notification: User Ryo and Partner Llewellyn have been exposed to Innishaean Magic. Blessing of the Land detected!]
Then—
[System Notification: Partner Llewellyn's Vital Signs have been stabilized!]
…Wait, what?!
What the fuck?!!
"Did you— You had unstable Vital Signs?!" I asked, appalled.
"No?" Llewellyn said, looking just as baffled. "Not that I know of?"
Wait, but hadn't I seen a notification about this before? That time at his place, after the cat artifact?!
But I thought the System had just used that to make us share a bed! Or that it was caused by the fight or something! He really had problems with his Vital Signs?!
"System?!!!!!" I said.
The wind rose again and subsided but… no answer from the System.
What the fuck, what the fuck. Maybe it had just been the Destabilized Whiskey? But I had drunk it too, and I had received no unstable Vital Signs notification!
I tried to feel Llewellyn through the bond, but nothing felt unusual.
"How do you feel?" I asked, touching his arm. His hair fell over his forehead, slightly damp from the water.
"Fine," Llewellyn said, still holding Lumos, though he did lean into my touch. "I don't feel anything unusual. Except—"
Except?
Llewellyn shuddered a bit then leaned forward and kissed me.
Oh. Uh. Um.
Yeah, okay.
I kissed him back.
Penguin chirped again, looking proud of himself.
"You gave me a heart attack," I told him, looking down at him, "you know that?! You can't do stuff like that, especially in a place like this! It's—"
Llewellyn swayed suddenly and tipped forward against me.
He was burning up.
Fuck. What?!
"Llewellyn!!!" I called.
No answer.
Chills went through me. I'd become aware of the hum again.
…I was full-on panicking now.
"System," I said. "Have you recorded this location?"
[Affirmative.]
"Then we're leaving."
The wind rose immediately. The same voice echoed. This time it said—
Don't leave, Don't leave, Don't leave, Don't leave—
Fuck.
"Who are you?!" I yelled. "What did you do to him?!"
Penguin chirped at me.
Wait, was he… scolding me?!
He needs help, He needs help, He needs help, He needs help—
Take the water, Take the water, Take the water, Take the water—
What? Wait, did it mean the Magic from the pool?!
"System, is it safe to collect some water or Sleeping Magic or whatever that is?"
[System Notification: User Ryo can collect Living Magic safely.]
I bought a couple of vials from the System Shop, helped Llewellyn down, and rushed toward the pool to fill them.
Some of it touched my hand but… nothing happened.
More, More, More, More, the voice said.
He needs more, He needs more, He needs more, He needs more—
I swallowed and filled about ten vials, before moving them to my Inventory and rushing back to Llewellyn.
"What's wrong with him?!" I asked. "Why is he unstable?!"
Heart, Heart, Heart, Heart—
What?!
"His heart?! Does he need a doctor!?"
Did he have heart problems?!
No, no, no, no—
Heart Capacity, Heart Capacity, Heart Capacity, Heart Capacity—
Loss, Loss, Loss, Loss—
I remembered those school pictures of Llewellyn, and Llewellyn saying, "I wasn't doing very well."
Shit, is that what this was about?
Why now?! And what could I even do?
"But you said he's been stabilized now?!"
For now, For now, For now, For now—
"What can I do?!"
I'd bonded with him— Why didn't the bond help?!
"System, will this water help him or harm him? And should I give him the sobering potion?"
[System Notification: No sobering potion necessary. Drinking Living Magic will expedite Partner's recovery.]
I uncorked a vial and tipped it into his mouth.
Llewellyn drank it, then his forehead came to rest on my shoulder, Lumos still in his arms.
Fuck, he was really burning up.
I held him. What could I do?
"Who are you?!" I tried again.
No answer, but… I noticed that the hum around us had relaxed.
"Is he going to be alright?!"
No answer again, then—
Keep him safe, Keep him safe, Keep him safe, Keep him safe—
"I'm taking him home," I said.