Turning Chapter 981

Before heading to the sea, Yuder recalled the intimacy he had shared with Kishiar. It had only been a few days ago, and yet, everything now felt drastically different.

Back [N O V E L I G H T] then, they had been facing a calamity with no guarantee of survival. It was a time when they had learned something new about the connection between them, something Yuder hadn’t known before. He had even needed to consider the first connection from his previous life, which he hadn’t thought necessary to explain in detail. It made his head ache in many ways.

But perhaps because of that, Yuder had come to a renewed realization—that he was the only one who could protect Kishiar, even those emotions the man tried to hide. It was a truth, like a law, that no pain could ever outweigh that fact.

And so, in that moment of passion, it felt more like Yuder was pulling Kishiar up, who had been trying to retreat, and wrapping him tightly in his arms, not letting him sink. The one who had protected Yuder until now was, for once, being embraced by him—and Yuder had poured out everything within himself. He set aside all shame, wringing out every drop of moisture from his body, indulging greedily in what might have been the last moment they could ever share if things went wrong.

Perhaps it was why, when they had clasped hands and endlessly sank beneath the sea together, nothing about it had felt unfamiliar—because the sensations he’d felt during that union had already been experienced countless times that day.

But now, unlike then, they had succeeded in changing the future once more, and in return had gained peace and relief. So this time, their lovemaking was nothing short of a celebration—a confirmation of victory. A moment to share the joy of having survived all those life-threatening trials. A tangible sense of reality. A silent acknowledgment of every exhausting moment they could never voice to anyone. And finally, solace.

"Ugh... ahh. Hh... ah..."

The sensation of being filled, then emptied again, moved in endless waves within his abdomen. Like sand caught in the tide, the inside of his body contracted, clenched, and clung tightly, burning through his brain. Yuder swallowed the overwhelming pleasure, letting out moans, and moved constantly along the lingering scars on Kishiar's body.

Whenever their bodies were entwined, Yuder sometimes found himself standing at two crossroads. One was pure lust, shared without the intrusion of anything else. The other was passion immersed in countless emotions and thoughts—an attempt to swallow and share them together. He had once thought that a union like the former meant nothing. But ever since his heat period, he had come to realize that even that had its worth, and at times, deliberately emptied his mind to focus solely on pleasure.

But this time, without question, it was the second kind.

Every touch—his cheeks, forehead, shoulders, back, thighs—wherever he ran his hands, he felt fine bumps and scabs, teasing his skin. When he parted his wet lips to cover and suck on the wound on Kishiar’s shoulder, the firm muscles beneath tensed, and his breath escaped like a sharp gasp. At the same time, the thrust became even deeper, smoother, and pierced upward into the depths of Yuder’s abdomen with force.

“Ah...!”

Yuder's head fell back, and Kishiar's fingers cradled the nape of his neck, where dark, blood-filled veins spread, ensuring it wouldn't snap. The breath that brushed against the veins below his heat-drenched ear should have felt messy and vulgar—but to Yuder, it felt more like a priest praying before an altar.

Like a formless wave, their bodies held no fixed positions. With every blink, everything changed. From facing one another while connected, to holding each other in a tight embrace. Then Kishiar lay back, pulling Yuder atop him, thrusting upward. Then again... who could say anymore. Even the positions no longer felt meaningful.

He didn’t know how many times he had climaxed. Each time his stretched insides clung and detached, the slick, clear liquid that emerged splattered with wet sounds. Gritting his teeth against the crashing waves of sensation, Yuder arched his back and let out a long moan at the squeezing tightness between his legs. Kishiar swallowed that embarrassingly honest sound in an instant.

Haah. Like trying to prove they were still alive, they repeatedly reached out—hands and lips endlessly seeking one another. They were more breathless than they had been in the deepest sea, yet didn’t stop confirming each other. It wasn’t hunger or thirst—it felt more like tenacity.

At the final moment, Yuder released his scent for him. It had already been leaking out, but now it grew thicker, surrounding Kishiar completely.

Accepting it willingly, Kishiar released his own in return, trying to envelop Yuder. His red eyes were so dark they seemed nearly black. As Yuder kissed the trembling golden lashes, he stared at the vision of golden threads swirling in the space between them, like a dream.

"Imprint..."

Behind the Kishiar he embraced, threads rolled like waves rising high. Yuder felt the indescribable, profound emotions and raw pleasure that Kishiar experienced surging into him like a waterfall.

Those emotions, pouring in like water, etched countless things into Yuder’s once empty, sand-like insides and then faded away. Water, lacking form, might seem too weak to leave a mark. But when it strikes over and over again, even solid rock can be carved through.

So perhaps Kishiar had called this moment, these shapeless, layered emotions leaving their trace, an "imprint"—and nothing could have been more accurate.

With that thought, Yuder closed his trembling eyes, right before reaching a climax that burned through him like fire.

Between his shut lids, the cold, dark sea—like death—drained away completely...

—

Exactly two days passed. Until Lusan recovered and returned to the Cavalry, no one disturbed them in the commander’s quarters.

Officially, it wasn’t a formal vacation—it was time given for recovery. But what they did was not so different from the break they had taken after finishing their mission in the West.

Yuder either wore nothing or draped clothes loosely over himself, lying carelessly on the bed or across Kishiar’s body, eating whatever food the man offered him. Kishiar, too, abandoned his usual pace—living days as if they were weeks—and did nothing but hold Yuder close.

Books and swords didn’t come between them, not even once. Yuder grew used to waking up sprawled across Kishiar’s chest. Becoming aroused from the gentle touch that stroked his exposed back and thighs in his sleep was nothing unusual. Sometimes they even had deep conversations about what had happened in the South while in that state.

The Cavalry’s furious opposition when they first arrived, the illegal fight ring, the day of sudden hail, the terrifyingly high waves, and the abnormal rift... So much had happened. But Yuder hadn’t realized just how much he had to say about it all.

Until now, he had been too busy to reflect properly on everything that had happened. But simply wanting to, without worrying about what came next, offered a surprisingly new sensation.

It was nothing like a report or a strategic discussion. He just said whatever came to mind, honestly voicing his regrets about what he could’ve done better, or bringing up people they had met.

When Yuder confessed about Elpokin’s past life, Kishiar sincerely said he was glad. When Kishiar shared the discomfort he had felt staying underwater for so long, Yuder considered various ways his powers could be used to help and explained them one by one.

They laughed over the absurd characters from the illegal fighting ring, lamented their shortcomings on the day of hail, and even exchanged cold, indifferent comments about the now-deceased Duke Hern.

In short—it was the kind of chatter one might hear in a bar.

“...I used to think there was no point in looking back, but this feels strange.”

“But doesn’t it feel good once you start talking?”

Yuder paused briefly, then nodded.

“Yes. ...I suppose it does.”

“It’s a good thing to have someone you can share anything with. I’m glad I can be one of those people for you.”

“Who else would I even talk to like this but you, Commander?”

“Oh no. The other members would be terribly hurt if they heard that.”