Chapter 33: Wounds and Wants

Words : 1019 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 33: Wounds and Wants It felt like he was being pulled into nothingness—like losing consciousness, or maybe like being taken apart and rebuilt again. Or perhaps it was like drifting through a place where time didn’t move at all. Dominic couldn’t quite explain it, but his whole body felt strange and unsettled. It had only been a moment—less than that, even. But somehow, it felt like it had lasted forever. He blinked his eyes and in the very next instant, he was standing in a completely different place. So this is what teleportation feels like, he thought. The strange sensation of his body and mind being out of sync made him freeze. He couldn’t move right away. Shiao Yi must have understood what Dominic was going through because he waited silently beside him. The feeling of Shiao Yi’s hand holding his brought Dominic back to reality and helped him calm down. He could now tell how different this was from other types of transfer magic, like walking through one magic circle’s gate to appear at another. That kind of magic simply moved the body to a destination where a gate was already open. It didn’t feel like vanishing or being erased from existence. But this... this was something else entirely. A dry wind blew around him as Dominic looked at the area around them. What he saw was devastation. There were signs of destruction and battle everywhere. The crushed buildings, the broken spears and swords and blood were everywhere, and bits of human remains left behind by the monsters. The corpses of magical beasts scattered around made the air thick with a horrible stench. Some of the magical beast’ bodies were already melting and turning into blue-black mud. With so much blood soaked into the ground, it would become cursed earth. If a cleansing spell wasn’t used soon, nothing would be able to live here. The military army that had been stationed here had been completely wiped out. Dominic realized then that Shiao Yi had told him this with no emotion at all. It was calm and clear. As if he was already used to seeing things like this. As if this level of destruction was just a part of his normal life. Dominic tightened his grip on Shiao Yi’s hand. He never wanted Shiao Yi to become used to this kind of pain again. He didn’t want him to ever feel like this was "normal." The second teleportation was much easier than Dominic had expected. He had prepared himself for that same strange feeling again—like falling into emptiness. But before he could even feel anything, they were already come back in his room. "You’ve adjusted to it," Shiao Yi said, still resting in Dominic’s arms. "It takes a little time at first, until your mind learns to process it." His calm, kind voice reassured Dominic. He’s so gentle... The warmth of that thought made Dominic happy—and in that moment, he leaned in while still holding Shiao Yi in his arms and kissed him. They were back in his room now. That meant... this was okay, right? Shiao Yi would let him in, wouldn’t he? Without letting go, Dominic carried Shiao Yi to the bed. He laid him down on the sheets, pinning him gently, and hungrily sought out his lips again. "Hey! Stop it! This isn’t the time for that! Can’t you see we have more important things to deal with right now?!" Shiao Yi started struggling in Dominic’s arms. In response, Dominic only held him tighter. "Just for a moment... isn’t it okay?" Dominic said, his voice low and trembling. "I know. I know things are urgent. But I... I can’t hold it in. Do you have any idea how I felt when you were caught by that vine? My heart still hasn’t stopped shaking. I saw the corpses tangled in there." Shiao Yi froze and looked up at him, he was startled. Dominic stared into those dark eyes. If someone had told him that his precious Shiao Yi had ended up as one of those lifeless bodies— The thought alone made Dominic tremble with fear. The flaming magic circle, the Dalmasca army, even the Dashtadem Fortress—everything had left his mind in that moment. Without hesitation, he had burned away the vines with fire. If it meant saving Shiao Yi, Dominic would’ve turned the whole area to scorched earth. But because he’d been so desperate, so reckless... Shiao Yi had ended up being burned too. When Dominic saw that clear mark left on Shiao Yi’s beautiful skin, the regret immediately crushed his heart. He couldn’t lose Shiao Yi. Even now, his heart was still shaking with fear. Dominic wanted to feel Shiao Yi’s presence with his own hands. He wanted to leave his mark on every inch of Shiao Yi’s body and make it clear that he belonged to him. He wanted to etch himself into Shiao Yi and make sure he would never forget. If he didn’t, he couldn’t feel safe. The fear would eat him alive. "Shiao... my one and only." Dominic called his name with deep emotion and leaned down to kiss him again. "I said no! Not now! You think we can do this in the middle of the day?!" But Shiao Yi turned his head away and placed his hand on Dominic’s chin, stopping him to move further. Even though he wasn’t strong, Dominic couldn’t move his face at all. "Dominic... I’m not saying I don’t want it. I’ll let you hold me properly. I’m sorry I ran away this morning. I wasn’t ready, that’s all. But right now... I just can’t. Not like this. Please understand." "...I understand. I don’t want to force you." Dominic gave up and slowly lifted his body off him. Shiao Yi gave him a soft kiss—just a press of lips, like he was trying to comfort him. So gentle, as always... that’s Shiao Yi. Dominic couldn’t help but reach out to hug him again, but Shiao Yi slipped away quickly and jumped off the bed. Then, suddenly, Shiao Yi started taking off his shirt.

Chapter 33: Wounds and Wants

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