The Lycan King's Muse

Ep 50: Light, Dark, and Everything in Between

I hold him close to me. His skin is burning so hot. His eyes flutter as he tries to keep himself awake.

"Help!!" I cry out. "Anyone–"

"No," Lyall grabs my arm. There is no strength in him at all. "Don't... No one can know I have trouble shifting."

As soon as he finishes saying the words with so much struggle, Ganesh, Naver, and Athena come back to the room. Unlike me who is panicking, they look really calm. "Thank the Goddess you're here," I say exasperatedly, "Lyall is..."

"I've locked down the entire wing," Athena says instantly. Her words make me feel like this is not the first time this has happened. "My warriors would not let anyone in. Neither would yours." She is referring to Lyall's warriors.

"And that kid is on his way to the dungeon," Athena adds.

Lyall nods weakly, but he is still tossing and turning on my lap. His bones bend and crack so unnaturally. He grits his teeth, trying to withhold himself from screaming.

No transformation ever takes this long and looks so painful. "Oh, Lyall." I cup his face. My hands glow warmly on his hot skin. Yet Lyall leans into me as if he is savoring my touch.

My magic flows to him, but it can only relieve his pain so little. I would need to visit that barren field in his mind, since I still couldn't figure out his soul's manifestation, and find out a way to help him from within.

I look at Ganesh with confusion. None of the twins look like this is a surprise either. They only look concerned.

"Can you help him?" I ask. My voice is raised. It's frustrating that I am the only one scared for Lyall now. How can the others look so calm when Lyall is hurting like this?

"Oh, Mars," Ganesh says, "Don't worry. It's just a side effect of Lyall's curse. His transformation takes longer and more painful."

"But..."

'Why aren't you all panicking like I am now?' is what I want to scream to them.

Athena seems to read my mind and says, "Lyall limited his transformation. He hasn't even transformed in years. But he said you could help him if he has to transform one day."

"Me?"

The lycan warrioress tilts her head. "You seem to know what you're doing." She is gesturing at my glowing hands.

"Well, let's drag Lyall to the bed first so Mars can help him," Naver says.

Wait a minute. They all seemed to have made up their minds that I can help Lyall. I mean, I can try. I've taken out Elisa's pain before and I've been helping Lola to help her transform. Perhaps I can help Lyall, too.

While Athena and I half-carried Lyall to the bed, I look at Naver and Ganesh. "What do you guys usually do when Lyall transformed forcefully like this?"

The twins look at each other, then shrug. "We waited," Naver says.

"And we prayed to the Goddess that Lyall would survive," adds Ganesh.

"You guys did nothing?"

"What can we do?" Both of them answer me at the same time. "Oh, we made sure no one could see Lyall by barricading the room with magic." Naver raises his hand. A yellow light appears in the air, like a vine weaving through to the door, windows, and walls. Those golden vines cover the entire room, even the hole in the bathroom.

"It's a form of a shield," Naver says as I let Athena lay Lyall on the bed. My head spins to the entire room. My eyes are tracing those vines. "Or a cage."