DiMENSIONS [IDOLiSH7]

20: The Calm Before the Storm

Note: hewlo lovely ppl! sorry for my long absence. ive been unexpectedly busy and did not have much down time to write. This chapter is very hard for me to write and tbh im not too confident about it. I hope it is okay and that i can still keep you reading. Enjoy!

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-Majabah, the night at the inn-

Riku's mind was heavy with thoughts after listening to Tamaki's story of what was happening to the two worlds. While the others were having their peaceful sleep at the inn, the lord quietly sneaked out and wandered around the silent village he protected with his life.

In fact, Riku was feeling quite selfish. He should be worried about the state of the two worlds, or at least of Majabah and his people, yet his mind was full of questions about his own body. He looked down at his hands.

What exactly am I?

My magic... does not feel right...

The lord felt the magic within his body overflowing as if it was reacting to something. He would feel hot one minute and cold the next. Riku wanted answers, and the only way to find out was to cast some magic. Then again, he feared he would not be able to control it and cause damage to this village. The dragon Tamaki did not seem to know what effect his power had on Riku's human body. "Huh? Weird feeling? I dunno. I gave some of my life force to Rikkun. That's all I did." –was what the dragon said when Riku asked earlier. The young dragon had no reason to lie.

"I am... no longer human."

Riku came to a stop and looked up at the starless sky. Tears started rolling down from his eyes. Little did he know his eyes were glowing like dancing flames, the same way Tamaki's eyes react to the changes in sunlight: inhumane. As a lord, Riku knew better than anyone that a ritual performed to let two individuals share magic power was considered the greatest taboo in Majabah. Yet here he was, living on someone else's life force. Even though it was rightfully given to him, it felt wrong no matter how he looked at it.

"I am not supposed to be here..."

Suddenly, the lord felt he could sense a presence behind one of the stone houses. He turned around swiftly, wearing a serious expression with a frown. "Show yourself!" Riku shouted. He was not preparing to cast any magic, but his body was surrounded by a glowing orange-yellow aura. His eyes lit up even more, making them stand out in the deepest night.

"M-my lord! It's Yaotome Gaku!" Gaku quickly showed himself and bowed with his head on the ground. The butler had thought his lord was about to burn him to ashes. "My deepest apologies, Nanase-sama. I was simply worried!"

Gaku was clearly panicking. He had never felt such pressure or an overwhelming amount of power from whom he served. Sure, he knew how powerful his lord was, given how he could single-handedly stop the volcanic eruption. Still, the man before Gaku made him feel weak by just looking.

Riku's eyebrows dropped when he saw Gaku's pale face. His aura faded as he ran forward to approach a trembling Gaku. "Calm yourself, Gaku. I was not trying to hurt you."

Just when Riku thought everything was over, Gaku's eyes did not stop showing fear when they met Riku's.

"My lord, your eyes..."

Riku did not understand why his butler was so terrified until he saw how his eyes glowed in the dark in the reflection in the water a villager put in the urn placed outside the house. He gasped as he touched his own face.

Riku returned to the grounded Gaku. He kneeled before his butler and bowed his head, which shocked the guy. "You know what you have to do."

Gaku refused to accept what was happening. He shook his head in denial and spoke with a shaky voice. "I cannot execute you, Nanase-sama."