Between Thirst and Restraint

Lucian’s eyes slowly opened.

The first thing that came into focus in his hazy vision was Shana’s face looking down at him.

Light brown eyes filled with a mixture of worry and relief.

And… the soft sensation that had been touching his dry lips just moments ago.

Wrapping an arm around the back of Shana’s neck was almost entirely instinctive.

Like a man who had discovered an oasis in the middle of a desert, he began to greedily draw in her lips.

Perhaps startled, Shana inhaled sharply.

The cool water she had been holding in her mouth flowed into him, easing his thirst.

But it wasn’t enough.

Lucian kissed her as if he meant to draw out even the last trace of saliva left in her mouth.

“Lu— ngh— cian…….”

Shana struggled, pushing against his chest, but Lucian—clearly not fully conscious yet—did not loosen his grip.

The moment their tongues tangled, the strength drained from Shana’s body as she tried to pull away.

His hot tongue pushed in without hesitation, sweeping through her mouth with desperate hunger, like a beast tormented by thirst.

Lucian’s eyes remained closed.

He kept seeking her lips—licking softly, nibbling as if tasting her, then drawing her in deeply again and again.

No matter how out of it he was, the kiss had gone on too long.

Too deep.

Too intense.

Feeling her breath run out, Shana gathered her remaining strength and shoved at Lucian’s shoulder.

“…Ha!”

When their lips finally separated, Shana gasped for air she had been holding back.

A metallic taste bloomed in her mouth.

Only then did she remember that Lucian had been coughing up blood earlier.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

She snapped sharply, but Lucian didn’t answer.

On the contrary, as if he had never grabbed her or kissed her at all, he lay limp, eyes blankly open.

“Lucian?

Lucian?”

Shana checked his complexion again, touching his cheek.

He was still pale and burning hot.

But perhaps because of the kiss, his lips alone were unusually red and swollen with moisture.

Only then did Lucian seem to truly awaken.

He roughly rubbed his lips with the back of his hand.

A faint red liquid smeared across his knuckles and along his cheek.

“…Shasha.”

His fever-dulled eyes finally focused, taking in the situation in front of him.

Lucian slowly licked the inside of his mouth.

Seeing Shana’s slightly flushed face and her flustered demeanor, he seemed to realize something.

“Ah…….”

After watching his expression, Shana quietly asked,

“…Lucian, are you okay?

How does your body feel?”

“My body’s… fine, but…….”

He blinked as he spoke, then noticed Shana’s changed clothes and corrected himself.

“Why… are you wearing that, Shasha?”

Perhaps because of the fever, his voice was hoarser than usual.

“I put it on when I went out for a bit.”

Shana replied casually.

Lucian frowned.

“Why would you wear… something that shows so much?”

“I didn’t have a choice. I needed to blend in.”

As she spoke, Shana placed a hand on his forehead.

“Hm, you’re still running a fever.

You’ll need to recover more before we can return to the capital.”

At that moment, Lucian’s gaze drifted to her waist, revealed when she lifted her arm and the fabric shifted.

“Lucian?”

Blood began dripping from Lucian’s nose.

“Ah— didn’t your nosebleed stop?

Wait, I’ll wipe it.”

As Shana pulled out a handkerchief and stepped closer, Lucian urgently slapped her hand away.

“Don’t touch me.”

The sharpness in his tone—something she’d never heard before—made Shana unable to hide her confusion.

“Don’t touch you?”

“Yes.”

Lucian covered his nose with his hand and muttered a quiet curse.

“Damn it… my condition’s not good right now.

Don’t come too close.”

His voice softened slightly as he continued.

“Not good?

What do you mean?”

Shana asked again, worried.

She dampened the handkerchief with fresh water and gently placed it on his forehead.

Lucian flinched at the cold touch but didn’t stop her this time.

“This won’t do.

I should go find some herbs with fever-reducing effects—”

But the Lucian who had been pushing her away suddenly grabbed her arm.

“Lucian?”

“Don’t go.”

He bit down on his lower lip.

“I don’t like… being left alone after you leave, Shasha.”

“…….”

“There’s nothing wrong with my mana.

I don’t feel any rejection…

I’ll get better if I just rest a little.”

He spoke with effort.

‘Can I really trust that?’

As Shana hesitated, Lucian spoke again.

“…Shana, earlier… what did you give me to drink?”

“Huh?

That was……”

She hesitated briefly, then answered honestly.

“The drink the Calis cult uses for their ritual. Don’t worry, Lucian.

I drank it first, and there weren’t any serious side effects.”

She added that in case he was worried about adverse reactions.

Lucian dragged a hand down his face.

“That’s not the issue…

What were you thinking, making me drink that?”

“I needed to suppress the Mana Rejection, even temporarily.

If I hadn’t, you’d have suffered much worse internal damage.”

Lucian stared straight at her.

“Shasha…If I’d lost consciousness completely, you should’ve just left me here and gone back alone.”

“How could I leave a patient behind?”

“Why not?

You could’ve just left me— cough, cough!”

Mid-sentence, Lucian started coughing, blood staining his palm.

Seeing that, Shana grabbed his unsteady body.

“That’s something you say while coughing up blood?”

His face was smeared with blood, making him look miserably ill.

Lucian let out a sigh.

“Just… Shasha.

Please… move away.”

“…Why are you acting like this?”

“Ha… Shasha.”

He leaned close to her ear and whispered something that sounded like a groan.

“Ever since I drank that stuff you gave me, my head feels scrambled.

There’s only one thought in my mind now.

Do you know what it is?”

“What thought?”

Shana swallowed.

After drinking the beverage, Lucian was the only one showing such a clear change.

Lucian glanced outside the tent.

Shana followed his gaze.

The eastern sky was beginning to brighten faintly.

Which meant the Calis cult’s frenzied ritual would soon begin.

“In a few hours, the sun will rise and the ritual will start…

Everyone out there is going to drink this together, right?”

Lucian muttered something.

It sounded like “perverted bastards,” but maybe she misheard.

Twisting his lips into a bitter smile, he continued.

“Lucian, is it… that hard to endure?”

“No.

I wouldn’t do it here even if it killed me……”

His voice dropped low.

He even seemed to grit his teeth slightly.

Shana felt the same way.

Doing anything like that in a tent with no soundproofing was… problematic.

No—she hadn’t even considered doing anything with a patient to begin with.

Lucian’s complexion was deathly pale, but his lips were strikingly red in contrast.

“If I rest just a little more…I think I’ll be able to use teleportation. Until then, just leave me alone.”

“You can teleport from inside here?

You said there was a barrier.”

“You can’t enter from outside.

But leaving is fine.”

“…Okay.”

Shana nodded firmly.

“I’ll nurse you until then.

So don’t worry.

Just rest.”

Lucian stared at her for a moment, then nodded weakly.

“…Alright.”

He closed his eyes again.

It didn’t look like he was asleep, but—

Shana briefly considered changing back into her old clothes, bothered by how the fabric fluttered whenever she moved.

Because the night was quiet, his breathing sounded louder.

For the first time, Shana properly looked at her outfit.

As expected of clothing from a land without sewing, it was meant to be draped on.

It felt like it could slip off with a single wrong tug.

It was a daring outfit she would never have imagined wearing under normal circumstances.

Belatedly feeling embarrassed, she rustled the fabric, trying to adjust it—

When Lucian suddenly spoke.

“Or… want to just knock me out?”

“What?””

“Here.

If you hit the carotid artery between my head and neck with that wooden stick over there…

I think I’d pass out cleanly.”

He gestured toward a solid-looking wooden rod in the corner of the tent.

“…Lucian, do you know that can cause brain damage?

Knocking someone out like that is extremely dangerous.”

“Oh.

Didn’t know that.”

Lucian smiled lazily, stretching his lips.

‘…Did he really not know?’

For no clear reason, Shana found his words suspicious.

Lucian closed his eyes again.

If he couldn’t knock himself out, then falling asleep as quickly as possible was better.

With his body in this condition, no matter how aroused he was, he should be able to sleep.

He had to.

Shana’s image resurfaced in his mind.

It felt like her scent lingered at the tip of his nose.

Rustle.

The sound of fabric brushing came from very close by.

Someone was approaching, right beside him.

What reached his ear was Shana’s soft voice.

“Lucian…

are you thirsty?

I could… wet your lips at least…….”

Was this… a hallucination?