The night had been cruel to Auren.
For all his willpower, for all his calm and razor-sharp restraint, he found himself betrayed by his own mind. The books Eiran had shoved into his arms, innocently at first glance, but far from innocent once opened, had burned their words into him.
He had meant to skim, to humor the fox, and then toss them aside. But instead, one scene turned into a second, and then a third, until his heart was pounding with a rhythm that had nothing to do with combat training or collecting points.
It didn't help that the characters in the book weren't entirely unlike himself and… someone he refused to name. By the time the light on his bedside lamp appeared too bright in the dark night, Auren's body was too aware, his face too flushed, and his sleep too restless.
Dreams betrayed him too. He didn't even know he was dreaming and yet:
"Auren" he heard a name calling him, that deep melodic voice. The presence of death seemed too close to him. Auren didn't wait to see who it was, he could sense it. He could feel him. He ran like wind through the corridors and the long hallway that didn't seem to have an end.
"Auren. I will get you." The voice was calm and yet Auren's mind knew who it was. A smile bloomed on his face as he ran, feeling his heart pumping with excitement and thrill at the chase. The hallway seemed to narrow then lengthen. Auren opened the first door he saw and found himself right before the very person he was running from.
"Zevaros. I..." Auren tried to speak, chest heaving and throat dry.
"Shh... my little wolf. I have you now." Auren blinked and suddenly he was on the wall, a hand on his throat and those golden eyes stared right at him. Auren tried to fight but Zevaros bent down and took a bite of his shoulder making Auren wince.
"I will savour everything that you are. And you will receive it well." Zevaros' voice was by his ear. The smell of rust and arousal filled Auren's mind. His pants was slightly damp from the amount of slick his body was producing.
Auren saw those golden eyes gleam with sadistic madness before a jolting sensation coursed through his abdomen causing a moan to escape his lips. Auren couldn't see anything else just feel it.
When Auren woke up, long before dawn, covered in sweat, jaw clenched as though he'd been fighting an enemy. He only remembered the vague impressions, shadows pressed too close, fingers that lingered like fire all over his body, and an unshakable heat curling in his chest.
Auren got off the bed, tidied the wet bedsheets and placed new ones then threw himself into the shower, icy water crashing over his skin. He stayed under the stream longer than usual, willing the images to wash away, willing the uninvited warmth to leave him. But it didn't.
By the time he came downstairs and towards the classroom, hair damp, uniform sharp, his eyes were sharp too, only not at his usual target. Eiran was waiting. Fox ears perked, tail swaying in that smug, insufferable way that told Auren his friend knew. Knew everything.
"Well, good morning," Eiran said lightly, his voice lilting like silver bells. "You look… refreshed."
Auren gave him a blank stare. "You're a menace, fuck you."
The fox grinned wider. "You read them, didn't you?"
Silence.
"You did." Eiran's tail flicked with satisfaction. "And you couldn't sleep, could you? Ah, I've corrupted you, haven't I?" He placed a dramatic hand on his chest. "What a tragedy. I'll take responsibility, of course. You can call me your guardian mentor now."
The smack came fast, Auren's palm landing across the fox's arm before he could dodge. Not too hard, but enough to make the Kitsune yelp.
"Idiot," Auren muttered, brushing past him toward the hall. His ears were red.
Eiran rubbed his arm and trailed after him, grinning all the same. "Don't be so shy. Curiosity is healthy. Besides, now you won't faint the first time Zevaros..."
Another smack.
The day stretched long, packed with assignments, sparring drills, and point accumulation tasks. Nexus Academy wasn't forgiving. Every hour they weren't training was an hour someone else could be pulling ahead.
Auren and Eiran both knew the stakes. They worked with quiet determination, occasionally sparring, occasionally arguing, but never losing pace. Still, by sunset, their points looked discouragingly small compared to what they needed.
"It feels like climbing a mountain with no peak," Eiran sighed as they walked back toward the dorms. His tail drooped. "Even with both of us grinding like this, we're far from the two hundred and forty points."
Auren said nothing. His silence wasn't agreement or denial, it was focus. Always calculating, always planning. The fox both admired and resented that about him.
"How many points do we have so far?" Eiran asked curiously, he wanted to know what their effort resulted in.
"We have around 80 points. We have less than 3 months to the inter-academy games. This gives us about 12 weeks of earning points." Auren answered as he planned.
"Urgh. Let's just get over with the afternoon class." The two went to their other classes, after all a perfect attendance record amounted to about 30 points each week.
That night, Auren lay in bed slightly exhausted, his terminal glowing faintly in the dark. He had no desire to touch the books again, not tonight, but his fingers itched for something else. It had been weeks since he logged into Mortal's Heaven, the game where Zevaros's shadow lingered like a constant puzzle piece waiting to be fitted.
Caving in to temptation, Auren took the headset from his drawer and donned it on. The familiar hum greeted him, the world unfolding in fractal colors before solidifying into landscapes. He expected emptiness and a few game quests, maybe the quiet dust of abandoned fields.
But no, the first thing that greeted him was a glowing mail notification. It was from Zevaros from 2 days ago.
Auren's pulse quickened. He opened it. The message wasn't an answer. Not directly. It was a challenge, like always. A series of scattered words, half-riddles, half-clues, pointing to a trail somewhere in the game's endless sprawl.
: 'If you want your answer, come find it. Come take it.'
This was the core message of the jumbled words. Auren's lips curved despite himself. That man never said things plainly. Always a chase, always a test. Always baiting him into stepping deeper. It was like he was courting him, "haha death courting me"
Without hesitation, Auren set out. His MMA character sprinted across digital pathways into the plains, fought through mobs, and followed the string of riddles like a hound chasing scent. It was reckless.
He did so many quests as the game minutes turned to hours. He talked with various NPCs getting the directions based on the clues left for him. He knew it was risky to just go forward without a plan or sufficient preparation, but he didn't care, he believed he was strong and could handle whatever came to him. Each clue led him further into the world map, until at last....
Death.
It was abrupt and merciless there was no buildup. His character was slaughtered in seconds by a hidden trap. The head went flying and sparks flew as the screen turned black, then red.
YOU HAVE DIED.
Respawn Penalty: 24 Hours.
Progress Reset.
Auren blinked. For the first time in a long time, he had been caught. Not just caught but obliterated. Most players would rage. Curse. Throw their terminal across the room.
But Auren? He laughed. A short, sharp sound at first, then a quiet ripple that surprised even him. His chest thrummed with an unfamiliar exhilaration. Zevaros had baited him, cornered him, killed him...and instead of anger, all Auren felt was thrill.
It was ridiculous. He should be frustrated. Instead, his eyes gleamed in the dark as he closed his terminal.
"Bastard," he whispered to no one.
And he couldn't wait for those 24 hours to end. It seems he was overconfident and Zevaros showed that to him plainly. Auren removed the headset and placed it on his bedside drawer then looked towards the books by the desk.
"Do I really want to?" Auren muttered as he contemplated his choice.
He already dies and he can't enter Mortals Heaven for another 24 hours. And so Auren took the book and began reading. Sadly, it resulted in yet another restless night.