CHAPTER 94: _DRAMATIC FAINTING

Elian’s POV

*****

[Scanning vicinity for source of explosion...]

[Well, well... Magic traces detected. Probably from an artefact of sorts, with no technological inner workings.]

Elian kept his eyes shut for a few seconds due to the smoke but when he heard the yells and agitated screech from Estella... Oh, he just had to see it.

"What the fucking heck was that?" Estella yelled, pointing at a guard the second Elian opened his eyes.

Her expression was like she was about to kill, while Magnus had a holographic flat tablet in his palms, clicking on it with squinted eyes.

"I thought you said this place was hidden?" Estella continued, hitting Magnus on his shoulder.

"Would you relax?!" Magnus yelled back through a cough. "I’m checking on our energy and surveillance systems."

"Don’t tell me to calm down!"

[Oh, the part of the movie where the villains turn against each other. This is your shot, fruitcake!]

’If you haven’t noticed, I’m bound to this fucking chair.’ Elian said mentally while trying to catch his breath, subconsciously pressing his legs together.

His stomach still coiled from his heat, his head swirling. In his haze, he noticed the man who had attempted to assault him standing in front of him, looking all confused.

Elian felt like kicking him in the balls but knew that would be stupid.

[Would it?]

’He’s a soldier and I’m weaker than an average werewolf. Not to mention... His armour protects him.’

[Ugh, am I going to be your personal reminder until the day you get old and develop dementia?]

Elian blinked, his eyes flicking to Aurora in that moment. She curled closer to the wall her chains were clamped to but the look in her eyes...

It was the look of someone planning an escape.

They locked eyes for a heartbeat, Aurora nodding at him once before closing her eyes.

[While your mate’s sister—the sane one—is preparing her princess fury move. YOU have something that’ll make you beyond an Omega...]

Suddenly, the system’s translucent blue screen flickered to life in front of Elian, causing his eyebrows to furrow. He blinked at it at first until he was able to see what was on it.

His strength Ascension pills!

[Each one gives you a strength boost that puts you well above an average werewolf for one minute. Which would be enough to break through...]

The ropes!

"Our men outside noticed a few figures cloaked in black fleeing the scene." Magnus’ voice was finally heard by Elian just then.

The latter had only heard all their voices as whispers while he communicated with the system.

"Then a few should chase after them!" Estella snapped, turning away from him and waving her hands in front of her face due to the smoke.

Elian squinted, trying to keep his focus on her when all of a sudden, the creep of a guard stepped closer to him, leaning in.

"Even in all this chaos, you still reek of those... Intoxicating pheromones." The guard whispered, his voice coming out as a growl.

The guards behind Elian ran from that spot, securing the room at different corners.

"They destroyed our energy systems." Magnus blurted at the same moment that the crystal lights in the room finally flickered off like candles under a storm. "Shit!"

Elian swallowed hard, trying hard to see the creepy guard through the darkness.

[His face is literally five inches away. He’s begging for a kiss at this point... Or a headbutt straight to his teeth.]

Elian’s legs ached with an annoying arousal, his arms behind him trembling as Estella and Magnus yelled orders at the other guards.

"Dude, could you like... Step back?" Elian managed to rasp, "accidentally" pressing his forehead on the guard’s. "You need a mint... And maybe a good wank at a corner. Cause I ain’t the one."

No sooner had those words come out of his mouth than the guard grabbed his jaw, causing him to yelp from the pain.

[Unlike the heat Suppression Pill, you don’t need to swallow a strength Ascension pill to get the boost... No pun intended.]

[Does the host want to take one now?]

Elian grinned despite the pain in his jaw, taunting the guard even more. "I think deep down the reason you’re more riled up by my pheromones than the others... Is because you’re confused. You’re having an identity crisis and you hate it."

The guard’s growl became cold, his eyes lighting up with a yellow light in the darkness. But that flicker showed Elian an emotion he could use to his advantage.

Hesitation.

Well, he has no time to deal with an asshole’s sexuality issues.

’Give me the pill. Now!’

The second he said mentally, the system flickered once with a blue light before making a "Ding" sound in his mind.

Elian’s eyes flashed with that blue light for a millisecond but that was enough to disorient the guard.

[Operation: Breakout is a go!]

Elian felt the strength surging through his veins and reacted accordingly, ripping out of the ropes binding him and then sending a punch straight at the guard’s jaw.

The guard staggered, hitting the marble floor with a thud.

At that same moment, a feral howl tore out of Aurora, who lit up with a bright silver light at her corner. She got on her feet, her silver hair floating around her like a goddess.

"The Omega is escaping!" A guard yelled, spotting Elian.

Suddenly, just when he was about to get on his feet, still shocked by how his punch knocked out the guard, Estella flung a glowing stick of golden light into the air.

It levitated above her for a second before lighting up the entire room, driving off the smoke as well.

She stood underneath the light with cold eyes locked directly on Elian.

[Run!]

Elian wasted no time, glancing at Aurora who was out of her chains and tearing her claws through the chests of two guards.

He gave her one last nod before sprinting out of the chair and toward the door behind him, following the system’s direction.

"After him! We need him alive!" Estella screamed behind him but he didn’t dare look back, getting in front of the metal door and opening it.

He stepped into a narrow hallway lit up with blue crystals and ran through it, his heart beating heavily and his eyes getting blurrier by the second.

He heard footsteps approaching behind him and pushed himself to run faster.

[Time left for strength boost: 42 seconds... Also, Aurora is behind you. You two might actually make it!]

Elian smirked, not having enough time to enjoy the feeling of finally being strong. Finally knowing what it was like to be beyond a—

BOOM!

This explosion came from his right side, blowing up the crystal lights on that wall and hitting him with a force that pushed him against the other wall.

He gasped, air leaving his lungs and pain searing through every nerve ending as the ceiling above caved in on him, dust and ash spreading in an instant.

"Elian!" Aurora’s scream echoed behind him as her footsteps hurried.

Elian’s sight blurred, his limbs trembling as blood trickled out of his mouth.

[Host losing consciousness... Elian, please hang on. You’re so close to... Wait...]

The system loaded, seemingly finding something.

In his final moments, Elian caught a scent that made his body warm.

It was like pine, incense and carried a familiar musk.

Could it be...?

"Elian!" He heard his name being yelled one last time, a pair of strong hands grabbing him.

Strong hands which definitely didn’t belong to Aurora.

As darkness engulfed his sight and all his senses, he heard a growl, one so guttural that it seemed the person would kill gods to protect him.

[Host unconscious... again. At this point I’m adding "dramatic fainting" to your character traits.]

The system’s voice was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.