Felix was beaming as he and Hyunjin returned. He felt tired, like he was on the edge of magic exhaustion, but he just felt so overwhelmingly happy. The fireplace was crackling peacefully as Hyunjin laid out the silver thread around the camp. Felix felt so thankful that Hyunjin was able to make the barrier as well because Felix was running out of energy.
"Hey," Chan said as Felix joined him on the bedrolls. "What did you and Hyunjin do?" he asked, placing his hand on Felix's cheek and brushed his thumb over Felix's cheekbone. "You look really happy."
"Hyunjin helped me with my magic," Felix said, unable to hold back the wide grin. Happiness was coursing through his veins and it felt like he was bursting at the seams. He leaned closer to Chan to press a kiss on Chan's lips. "Look at this," he continued, pulling back from Chan.
He focused on the ground, brows furrowing as he tried to feel the magic again. When the tingle sparked at the tips of his fingers, he shifted his focus lower and exhaled. The dirt moved as a flower broke through, pale yellow petals opening to reveal a brighter yellow inside. Felix smiled as he looked between Chan and the primrose.
"Would you look at that," Chan cooed and Felix's chest felt even warmer as Chan reached out to brush his fingers over the delicate petals. "It's beautiful."
"Thank you," Felix said, blinking as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm really happy."
"You're amazing," Chan said, taking his eyes off the flower to look at Felix. He placed his hand on Felix's cheek, gently bringing him closer to kiss him. "I love you."
"I love you too," Felix whispered, nuzzling his nose against Chan's. "We should sleep."
"We should," Chan said, letting go of Felix cheek to lay down. Felix followed suit, placing his head on Chan's chest and he laid close to Chan. "How are you feeling?" Chan asked, threading his fingers through Felix's brown hair.
"Happy but also nervous," Felix murmured, the exhaustion catching up with him and washing over him like a tidal wave. "I don't... I don't know what to expect."
"Neither do I," Chan whispered and Felix hummed, placing his hand on Chan's chest, resting it over his heart. "I pray Hyunjung found her backup in Myllin."
"I hope she did," Felix said, turning his head a little to press a kiss against the fabric of Chan's shirt before resting his head on Chan's chest again. "I'm just praying we'll make it out alive."
"We will, vorel," Chan said and Felix's heart squeezed as Chan spoke in Draconic. "I made a promise to you. I will do everything in my power to protect you and stay by your side," he continued, craning his neck so he could kiss the top of Felix's head.
"I will do everything I can to stay with you," Felix murmured, voice heavy with sleep. He fumbled a little with his hand, warmth blooming in his chest as Chan took his hand.
"Go to sleep, love," Chan said, voice rumbling in his chest and it was quickly lulling Felix to sleep. He murmured a low reply to Chan but he wasn't sure if Chan heard him, as sleep claimed him.
When they reached the city on the foot of Silmator, the whole city was eerily silent and still. Felix, along with the rest of the group, tensed up and they were on alert. Dread was creeping up on him as they walked through the streets and his heart was beating loudly in his chest. He wasn't sure what to expect.
"I don't like this," Jisung whispered. "It's way too quiet around here."
"Considering a majority of the city was just betrayed, I think it's understandable why no one's out here," Changbin replied, voice a quiet murmur. Felix looked between the three dragons, swallowing hard as he noted how tense they all were. It was understandable. Chan was walking in front of Felix and leading the group through the streets. Their goal was to get to the castle. If they got the castle, they would have an advantage.
