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The Gem of Peace (Yep & Ryoka Sulfinare)

Souta nodded at Jasmine when she asked that he was back already. As for her question, Souta chuckled a bit. "I'm just much faster than he is. He should be here any moment now."

After that, Souta turned back to Skoul as he spoke. He nodded but then rested one elbow in his hand, as his other hand went up to his lips as he thought. "Go... yes... but where... Surely even by now, the entire country is probably looking for us. If we go to town to town, we'll surely be caught and intercepted at some point. Unless you managed to defeat every Death Force soldier in town, even the ones that were after Jasmine and I, then the Death Force is sure to know what I look like at the very least."

Souta soon trailed his gaze down at the gem in his arms. "I suppose carrying this thing around out in the open in itself isn't very clever, either. We're probably best to keep a low profile and just stay away from all kinds of civilization as best as we can for a while... Let the Death Force lose trace of us and thin them out a bit. No doubt they're going to be torturing people trying to get information out of everyone. If random people see us, someone is bound to get scared and listen to their demands spitting information out about us."

Lifting his gaze from the gem, Souta looked at the rest of them. "That said, I suppose the best thing we should be doing now is simply getting away from here and gaining some distance. The further we go the more the Death Force will have to spread out, and in the situation we our found, they won't be able to easily get back up. If anyone else has a better plan though I am all for it."
 
The three kept quiet until Souta was completely finished with talking. It was Skoul who spoke. "Yes, you are right. The Death Force should already know. They can speak with Malphas through telepathy. I killed all the soldiers I saw, but there are bound to be some who saw the scene and escaped. Even if no one could notify Malphas of the gem in time, he will have sensed the number of deaths in Meadowtown. That will be enough to send him someone to investigate the cause, and as you said, while most townspeople will try to remain loyal to you, very few will be able to hold their tongues when interrogated."

Skoul stood. "I agree that we should remain in the forest. The desert and field surrounding this place offer nowhere to hide, and the possibility of crossing this desert before tomorrow's dawn, while remaining undetected, is slim. However, it would not hurt to move toward the desert while remaining far enough inside the forest to hide from the Death Force. That way we will be closer to the desert when we are ready to cross it."

Now he looked at Souta specifically. "As for the gem, I have a way to hide it, but I will discuss more when we are ready to camp for the night."

"It sounds like we have our plan," Isaac said. He glanced at Jasmine to see if she had any disagreements, but she showed no such signs. He looked at Skoul. "I have to say, Skoul, for a native, you sure do have a firm grasp on the English language. I mean, I don't intend to stereotype, but most natives I have met on Caspitus struggle with it, and I am sure there is a similar pattern for the ones from Kior. I understand that the reason for this is because the language the natives speak is far different from English. Were you your tribe's translator?"

Skoul looked at Isaac for a few moments, clearly pondering over what to say, before looking at all of them. "It is not something I wish to talk about, but I suppose I need to tell the truth, if I expect all of you to trust me. However, that can wait for another time, when we are settled and there is no possibility of eavesdroppers. For now, let me say that I am not what I appear to be."

Right after saying that, there was the rustling of bushes--the same ones that the two teens had passed through earlier. Sure enough, it was just Sylas. A neutral expression still remained on his face, but anyone observant enough could see that his eyes were lightly glazed over in thought as he walked over to the four without a word.
 
Souta shivered. The desert. He had completely forgotten about that. "Ughh... the desert... that is going to be very hard for me... Simply put, I am very useless in heated conditions... A little above room temperatures I can handle fine. But anything above that, and I begin to feel sick. Too much and I can hardly function properly... my abilities shift from better or to worse depending how hot or cold the area around me is..."

And with nowhere to hide, that meant no shelter. Meaning there would be no place good for him to rest to feel even a little bit better.

The teen stayed silent as he listened to Isaac and Skoul talk for a bit before hearing the rustling of bushes behind him. Dropping his arms to his sides, he glanced back at Sylas. He noticed the eyes, but he was already expecting it. He just hoped what the other teen was thinking of was exactly what he had told him about whether he would do it his own way, or leave. He didn't need any liabilities in this if he was going to pull this off.
 
Sylas went over to stand next to his mentor, still saying nothing. Isaac looked at him for a moment before returning his attention to the others. "But when we do cross the desert, it won't be during the day, right? We would have a greater chance of being seen, not to mention we aren't well-equipped for the blistering sun. Not that any of us, except maybe you--" He glanced at Souta when saying "you". "--are any better prepared for the freezing nights, either."

"I could skin some beasts," Jasmine said. "I don't think I would be able to fashion the pelts into anything, but as long as we aren't attacked, simply wrapping them around ourselves should be enough. The fur should be thick enough to keep us warm, and I should be able to have them prepared before we're ready to cross the desert--especially if Skoul could help." She looked at the man, seeing the nod of his head.

"In any case, we should leave now," Skoul said. "We need to cover more ground. Hopefully we can come across a spot that will be secluded enough for us to stay in."

Unless Souta had any qualms about it, they would begin to walk.
 
Souta would listen, but wouldn't really speak except chuckling slightly when he was mentioned about being prepared for the Desert's cold. That would be his only saving grace; but he'd be spending those cold nights most likely recovering. By the second day; third day if he managed to struggle on enough, he would most likely be too weak to even walk and would have to be carried let alone be able to be ready for combat. By that point, they'd most likely would need to find an inn or some place with a bed or he would be out of it for even longer without proper rest. If their resting times are much like that cave, he was not going to last.

With nothing else to say, Souta followed while still keeping the gem cupped. Although there was only few hours left before the sun would set, they would be able to get at least a little bit more distance before it was soon too dark to see without it being dangerous to see where they were going.

"We're by the ocean it seems... at least I can smell it from here." The teen would soon speak up out loud.

As where they would end up now, would be a pretty dense forest clearing. Small, but that would probably make it all the better for them in keeping hidden. Here was as good a spot as any for them to stop, and Souta pretty much announced that by the fact he walked over to a tree, turned his back against it and sat down cross-legged.

"If nobody minds, I can keep watch first. I did nap for an hour or two after all earlier..."

Souta wasn't used to this. He was trying his best to be the team leader. But he wasn't a leader. He was a loner. He always made his own decisions for himself and not made decisions that would effect others. He found himself unable to demand and order; but instead was weakly asking... he knew this, but why couldn't he seem to alter his attitude?
 
When Souta decided on a place for them to stay for the night, Isaac set the backpack he had been carrying down on the ground. At the topic on who would keep first watch, he said, "Unless you feel compelled to, Souta, I wouldn't mind taking first watch off your hands. From the sounds of things, you, Jasmine, and Skoul have had quite the day. You three are far more deserving of the first shuteye than Sylas or I." Sylas nodded his agreement. He had lost his thoughtful expressions some time ago, apparently having come to the decision to stay since he never made any attempt to walk off.

"I can take watch at some point," Skoul said as he stood inside the clearing.

"I would offer, but I don't think a bow's very effective in protecting anyone in this kind of scenery," Jasmine said, a soft, sheepish smile on her face. After what happened earlier, she would rather not be in charge of the lives of four sleeping men, not when there was the chance of another surprise attack that she would be the least bit effective in stopping.

After it was decided on who would take watch when, Jasmine said, "We should probably eat something." She looked at Isaac, then at his bag. "You don't have anything, do you?"

"All I have is bread and some fruit," Isaac said, "and I didn't plan on having extra mouths to feed, so I'm afraid there's not enough to satisfy five people."

"In that case, let me go hunting," Jasmine said with a smile. "I should start getting pelts, anyway." She turned to face Skoul. "Would you mind coming with me?"

Skoul said he could, and the two left. If Souta decided to come with them, they would allow it. As for Isaac and Sylas, the two sat down in a cross-legged manner. After a few moments, Sylas would close his eyes, his hands resting in his lap, as he began to meditate. If Souta went with the other two, Isaac would do the same. Otherwise, Isaac would turn his attention to Souta. "So, Souta, where is that you are from? From here in Kior, right? Where at?"
 
Souta looked at Isaac and smiled a little. "Thanks for the offer but I'm good. Besides I can set some icy traps just in case while everyone else sleeps."

Watching Jasmine and Skoul head out, Souta apparently opted to stay behind. As the boy stood up, setting the gem on the ground and the icicles from the knuckles extended out. Souta would casually be walking around, aiming and firing the icicles either at tree trunks, or places in the ground. Each contact an icicle made expanded out into a icy puddle of sorts. Apparently these were Souta's 'traps'.

He cocked his head in the direction of Isaac when spoken to. He growled deep in his throat that nobody but him would be able to recognize at the question. He detested thinking about his past; let alone where his parents lived. Souta was able to maintain a neutral tone however when he spoke.

"I was born in Port Sal. But I ran away from there at an early age and have just pretty much lived by my own. I don't like to say it but these clothes I see aren't mine. I had to steal them unless I wanted to be running around naked attracting more soldiers. Only way to make a proper living in Kior now seems to be either making weapons, trading goods; or being in the Death Force itself, of course.
Apparently Port Sal used to be one of the better towns for merchants to make a profit from. The place before Malphas's rule used to be booming. It's still one of the bigger places for trading but only a shadow of its former glory since stuff from overseas come in. Of course, all that has nothing to do with why I left."
 
Isaac said nothing more on the matter of who would keep first watch. He watched Souta go around the area, placing what must have been the traps he mentioned. At the mention of the town Souta was from, his eyes lit up out of recognition. Since they hailed from the east of this continent, Port Sal was the first town they set foot in. It certainly did not seem to be booming as far as its economics were concerned, but he understood the reason behind this. Since Malphas took over, other kingdoms couldn't trade with Kior as readily. Isaac understood this to be because they just didn't accept imports unless the supplies were something they couldn't obtain themselves.

Even tourists were rare now. The Death Force kept a tight watch over who left; only those employed on a ship had permission to leave the shores. Smuggling people was a possibility, but the chances of success were slim, as, from what Isaac heard, the soldiers were careful about checking the crates and barrels that went on the ships. An elderly man who lived in the town once told him a story about how the soldiers caught a young woman hiding in a wooden barrel. They put her in an iron barrel so she wouldn't be able to break out, drilled small holes into it so she could have air, put it in a cage so no one could reach it, and set it in the middle of the town. The townspeople were forced to listen to her pleas as they passed the area until she fell completely silent. When that happened, the soldiers took out the body, its clothes soiled by her waste and her hands bloodied from her desperate attempts to somehow break free. They warned everyone that they would face similar punishments if they were found trying to escape by boat.

However, as Souta said, it still appeared to be the town that was better off, besides maybe the capital, but Isaac and Sylas had only seen the towns on the southern half of the continent. Compared to Port Coral, Port Sal was a lot better off, but that was probably because there were more countries east of here.

"I see," Isaac replied when Souta finished speaking. He didn't bother trying to ask him anything else that would be personal. The teen didn't seem to care for that--and for good reason, perhaps.
 
Since Isaac didn't pursuit his past, Souta only shrugged and continued what he was doing. Shooting only a few more icicles and creating puddles that were hidden in obscured locations. By the time he was finished, Souta had gathered a bit of sweat on his forehead. A puddle of ice to maintain by itself was quite easy to do; almost natural. But for every puddle of ice he had and linked himself to, the strain became slightly harder and harder. Thankfully for Souta; it was just tension and stress rather than constantly having to feed energy. Once his watch was over, he'd have to release them and everything would be fine again and he could just go to sleep. He'd probably become too exhausted when they reached the desert anyways, or at least he assumed such.

With setting up protection with his watch, Souta walked back towards the tree he had sat himself at earlier, leaning his back against it as his legs were sprawled out and the gem in his lap. Unless he was spoken to, he would close his eyes in an attempt to concentrate in order to keep the stress for himself down. Although he was questioning if he was overdoing the amount of 'puddles' he had placed. Then again, his life, and the others were depending on him while he was keeping watch. It was better to be safe than to be dead or have others be dead.
 
Isaac let the silence fall over the area. He joined his apprentice in their nightly meditations, the two remaining statuesque during the next hour. By then, Skoul and Jasmine returned to the site with the hulking man carrying two beasts about the same size as him that were common throughout the forested areas of Kior. He pulled them through the brush by supporting most of their weight on his shoulders and upper back, his arms trembling a little from the effort he had to exert to pull them along.

"We're back~!" Jasmine sang once they were fully inside the clearing. Skoul dropped the corpses to the ground with two dull, heavy thuds. Although it might've been hard to tell because of the lack of lighting, the pelts were relatively clean. One corpse was beheaded with most of the blood soaking the thick, brown fur around that area, and the other had a trail of red running from the wound where it's heart was located. "I'm afraid we didn't have much luck, but Skoul will look for more tomorrow while I start preparing the pelts. But for now, how about we eat?"

Skoul helped Jasmine prepare the meat and when Jasmine started cooking it, Skoul started skinning the corpses. He didn't stop until the food was ready. Shortly after both Skoul and Souta would be finished eating (assuming Souta even ate), Skoul would look over at the teen before settling his eyes on the gem. "If you wish, I can now tell you about the solution I have in mind for hiding the gem," Skoul said as he looked at Souta.
 
Souta indeed ate, having not had eaten all day at all other than what little sustenance his icicle had provided for him; and a weak breakfast earlier before that; which was only an apple. Souta generally ate less than the average person; but today was much less than he normally would provide himself -- if he could.

During eating and after finishing, the Gem would lay seated on Souta's lap; although he still remained at the tree away from the rest of the group. His eyes were closed resting; still tired from the day's events until Skoul spoke. Blinking curiously, Souta nodded his head. "Do tell." He responded with as he looked at the large man. In response to being spoken too, the teen held the gem with both of his hands on each side, but didn't lift it from his lap.
 
Skoul gave a single nod of his head after hearing the Chosen's response. He pulled off both of the gloves he was wearing, revealing the black markings that lay underneath. The lines swirled around his fingers and over his hands in a way that was both beautiful and uniform. They weren't for decoration, though. "The natives developed a form of magic that allow them to use seals to give themselves certain abilities that spells cannot, or at least not as well."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," Jasmine, who was halfway done with her meal, said. "No one knows much about it because the natives kept most of the details to themselves."

"That is correct," Skoul said.

Before the man could continue with his explanation, Sylas asked, "Is it something like what Korene Kridla uses?" He mainly regarded Isaac when speaking.

"The exact form of magic," Isaac replied. "The group was founded by a native in Caspitus. From what I understood, he didn't reveal too much about the art, but enough so that we could continue to use the seal that he gave to his first disciples. However, the knowledge is limited to only two people at a time. Only when one dies unexpectedly or begins to get old is the knowledge passed down to someone else."

"So then what do those do?" Sylas asked as he looked at Skoul.

"The basic explanation is that they allow the user to hide an item. It is what I use to keep my spear out of the Death Force's sight." He looked from Sylas to Souta. "I can put the markings on one of your hands and we will not have to worry about the gem being taken. It also will not take any time for you to use the seal." Skoul would also need to put a marking on the gem, and that was the main reason he hoped Souta would accept. It would be a chance to test the gem, see if it would resist magic. Maybe it wouldn't be much of a test, but it could give them an idea on whether the gem possessed any kind of magic abilities.
 
Souta barely understood what was being talked about; just barely, but he got the more important bits. If he had the markings, he would be able to hide the gem... or they would... something to that extent.

"And with the markings on my hands and I wearing gloves... it shouldn't be easy to notice... is that right?" The teen would have asked, but even before receiving a response, he would have shrugged and kept on talking. "Well, I don't see any harm having a few marks will do as long as I can remove them sometime once this is all over. Asking anyone to hold the gem out in plain sight for anyone to see is just asking that person to be targeted and potentially killed..."

With that said, the young teen stood up on his feet off of the tree and walked towards Skoul. Still, he held the gem in both hands, positioned at his lower stomach. "What do I need to do?"
 
Skoul listened to the Chosen's response, finding a potential issue in that he wanted to be able to remove the markings once the journey was over. However, he didn't answer right away, instead taking that moment to think it over. It wasn't until Souta was standing in front of him and had asked the question about what he needed to do that he finally answered. "First, yes, the gloves will hide the markings. However, I am not sure if the markings will be able to be removed. If there is a way, I did not learn about it, and the only way to know is if we can rescue a native from the Death Force who is knowledgeable about the magic. If not that, then you would have to hope that the gem will somehow disappear or be destroyed upon the journey's completion. That should get rid of the seal.

"Assuming you are fine with that chance, I will begin to create the seal." If Souta answered in the negative, he would stop there. Otherwise, he would continue: "I will only need you to give me one of your hands. However, you will have to remain still through the pain. The drawing of the seal has to be exact. A single error in the strokes could change the seal entirely. I don't think you will want me to unintentionally place a curse on you." Skoul looked Souta in the eyes as he said the last part. He didn't want to terrify the boy out of going through with it, but he wanted him to understand the importance of the directions.
 
Souta listened to Skoul intently. He mentally frowned hearing that the marking most likely could not be removed, but at least it was potentially possible in two ways.

"Assuming we get through all of this anyways, having drawings on my hand will be the least of my worries... I just don't want to have a--" He paused for a moment. He almost said to have a memorable scar yet again. But he stopped himself, and just shook his head. "Either way, I'm ready."


Listening to the rest of what Skoul said, Souta slowly quirked his left eyebrow up, potentially at the part when he mentioned there being pain. Souta was very used to pain, but it didn't help him from asking the question of: "Just what are you going to be drawings this seal with? A molten knife? I have a high tolerance towards pain, but just how painful are you referring drawing this seal will actually be...?" He didn't ask this because he was afraid of pain; give him any kind of endurance test and Souta would be pretty confident he could pass it just to either prove himself, or even boast off. But if the work had to be perfect on Skoul's end; that kind of added an entirely different aspect of it considering the punishments for failure could be potentially fatal. If it seemed too high, than Souta would make precautions... with his own methods.
 
At the question, Skoul said, "I must conjure a special flame to draw the seal, so yes, it will burn. I would say that it isn't as painful as being burned by a regular flame, but the duration of the pain will make it difficult to withstand. I would offer the possibility of periodically stopping the seal drawing to give you a chance to rest, but that may be unwise. There are certain points in each seal at which it would be safe to take a break. However, I do not know enough about this magic to know those safe points." He looked down at the giant leaf he had used as a plate, where a bone sat. He picked it up. "If you need something to bite down on during the drawing, you can have this. Or find a stick. Otherwise, if you are ready, I will prepare the spell."
 
Souta tilted his head slightly curiously as he listened to Skoul. He didn't do well with fire; of course, being pretty much adjacent to the element of ice. There was a reason the desert would make him weak. It wasn't that fire or heat hurt more; it just had a illness-like side effect; while side effects from the cold or icy conditions were pretty much null for Souta.

"No, I won't bite down on anything. It won't help me. I'll be screaming anyways if it's a flame. It's not that it hurts as much as it will seem like; I just don't do well with fire...
But the fact I will be screaming; it may alert nearby Death Soldiers. Perhaps we should do this at the desert instead; we'll be out in the open anyways there so if I scream we will know if anybody will be able to hear it or not. We're not going to be hitting a town anytime soon anyways."
 
Skoul gave a single nod of his head. "If you wish." He let it go afterward.

Now that they had food in their stomachs, it wasn't long until they all decided it was time to sleep. Skoul, Isaac, and Sylas laid out their bedrolls. Since Jasmine never had the chance to grab one yet, she had to resort to something else. Fortunately, they had the two pelts from the beasts. She took one and lay the fur face up. It was a good thing that it wasn't going to get too cool tonight. It would allow her to sleep without needing a blanket, since the other pelt was a little dirtier.

Being used to sleeping outside and on the ground, the others didn't take long to fall asleep, particularly Skoul and Jasmine, thanks to being more worn out from the day's events compared to Isaac and Sylas, who didn't have nearly as much excitement. Still, nonetheless, Isaac seemed to have little trouble with drifting off, and the three slept soundlessly. Sylas, however, didn't have as much luck. After laying on his side for some time with his eyes closed, he sighed, rolling onto his back. He opened his eyes, able to see fairly well in the dark since they had grown accustomed to the darkness. For a few moments, his gaze remained skyward, staring at what stars lay beyond the break in the canopy. It was quiet out. No crackling of a fire; they had put it out when they all called it a night. There were crickets, and the occasional hooting of an owl, but that was about it. It was peaceful.

Unfortunately, that didn't help him get to sleep. He just wasn't tired. With another sigh, Sylas crawled out of his bedroll and stood before walking over toward the edge of the clearing, where he remembered Souta had went. He confirmed this when he spotted the other male in one of the trees, sitting on a branch that must have been about ten feet up. Once he reached the tree, he stopped and looked up. "Mind if I stay up with you for a while?" he asked, feeling the need to do so since they hadn't exactly hit it off well. This was his attempt to try again, assuming Souta wouldn't turn him away. If the younger male said yes, Sylas would step closer to the tree, but then he stopped, eying the trunk. He had never climbed a tree before, and there appeared to be no easy way to scale it. Because of that, he wasn't sure if he wanted to try, and embarrass himself in the process. And, of course, if Souta said no, then he would turn away and walk back to his bedroll.
 
The way Souta sat on the branch was with his back towards the trunk; but not resting against it. His right leg dangled down while the other leg was bent up towards him; where his left arm rested against his knee and his body leaned towards into it. His right hand was near his face; if Sylas looked, it would be seen that he was holding an icicle that he held in his hand. Perhaps he was doing that just to keep himself occupied since ice never really did have a taste; it was Souta's habit when he was bored or thinking alone.

Hearing the other teen approaching him though, Souta pulled the icicle away and turned his head to gaze (or at least it seemed like gazing from the low light levels) at him, at least until he asked if he could join him. Souta blinked with surprise. "Of course." He responded with. Unlike Sylas, Souta didn't believe they got off on the wrong foot. Souta merely saw it as Sylas giving him a chance to like him for who he was or not; and give him a choice if he wanted to do this or not.

Watching the other teen step to the tree, Souta raised an eyebrow at first, before an amused smile crossed his face. He knew why the teen wasn't making a move yet; or at least he guessed it was because he was no tree climber. Souta however couldn't just necessarily help pull him up with his hand; or else he would fall over himself.

Opening his right hand holding the icicle; the spike of ice disappearing into little bits of sparkling white dust, Souta shifting himself so his hands were planted behind the tree and his back to Sylas. He moved himself down as he gripped the branch with both of his hands as he dangled below the branch. "Grab on to me." Souta would instruct. Apparently the younger teen was confident in his strength being able to lift the both of them up with just his arms so Sylas could get up the branch with him. Of course, the other teen seen his muscle; it probably was indeed possible for the younger teen to do such a thing.

Assuming Sylas would grab onto Souta, either by wrapping his arms around his chest or bringing his arms from under his armpits to grab onto his shoulders like a pull-up bar; whatever he may feel comfortable, Souta would begin to pull himself up, letting out a grunt from the effort and initial exertion. His arms would shake a little as his biceps flexed on the strain; but after a few seconds as his arms shook, he would indeed begin lifting them up at a slow rate. If Sylas had his arms wrapped around his chest, the other teen would certainly feel his muscles flexing as he used them to work. Although Souta was capable of handling both their weight; the branch itself may have been unable to support both their weight in one concentrated spot.
 
Sylas hadn't been inclined to believe Souta would be more likely to give one answer over another, so he hadn't been surprised by the younger teen's response. Either way, his thoughts didn't linger on it, since he was currently trying to figure out how to climb the tree. That was when he considered asking Souta if he wouldn't mind coming down here. He looked up at him, but before he could open his mouth to ask, he noticed that the teen was shifting on his branch until, at last, he lowered himself off of it. However, it looked like Souta wasn't coming out of the tree like Sylas had assumed.

A questioning look swept into Sylas' eyes at the direction, although it might not have been noticeable in the darkness of the night. Not that it mattered,since Souta wasn't facing him. Before he would give an answer, he looked up at the branch, unsure on how thick it was. The shadows made it difficult to tell. "Okay," he said, deciding they could attempt it. He stepped up to Souta and looked up. Well, that left the younger teen's rump in his face, but Sylas looked passed it, not having any particular reactions to it. After the things that happened during his childhood, he was comfortable with other bodies, so it wasn't disgusting to him like it might be to other kids. He reached up around the front of the other male and, while standing on the balls of his feet, he grabbed onto Souta's shoulders, pulling himself up so he would be better situated. He too had muscle, although, due to how his navy robes were rather loose on him, it might not have been noticeable, and even then he doubted he had the same amount as the other teen.

Well, this certainly put him in...an interesting predicament. He could feel what heat radiated off of Souta due to their proximity, and his pelvis was somewhere around the other male's rear end. Combine those two factors with him being able to feel Souta's shoulder and upper back muscles flex from the effort he was exerting, Sylas was left with an erection. Normally, he felt no embarrassment toward such things--it was a natural occurrence for males, after all. However, he had never been in a situation where someone else might be able to feel it against them. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't aware of Souta's past. Given that, he wasn't sure how the Chosen would react if he did notice it. Of course, there was no way to really pull that part of himself away, but he would have if he could have.

This predicament left his mind clouded, so he hadn't heard the branch begin to creak. Most likely before Souta would have much of a chance to react, the branch cracked, leaving Sylas speechless as he felt them go crashing toward the ground. He grunted upon impact, his face contorted from the pain shooting through his back. "Ow..." Well, if Souta couldn't feel his bulge before, he certainly could now. "Sorry," Sylas muttered, mainly referring to his erection, although he didn't stop to consider if the other teen would understand that. Instead, he temporarily forgot about it and snapped his head in the direction of the others, realizing that they definitely had been in earshot of the commotion. However, none of them appeared to be awake. It looked like Jasmine had stirred, but that was it. Either they were heavy sleepers or they just had their eyes closed.
 
Souta indeed could feel the other teen's bulge, but out of respect he hadn't said anything. In fact; he too stirred, but not enough to gain a stick like the other teen had. In fact; Souta found the situation funny. It was not like Sylas was trying to molest him or rape him; if anything Souta had put him in this position. He concentrated at the task at hand for lifting him and the other teen up.

Then he heard the branch creaked.

Sylas could probably hear Souta mutter a quiet "Uh-oh..." under his breath as he stopped lifting them up. But if the branch weakened under their weight before -- it surely would now that it had less strength to hold them up with. And thus Souta's next reaction was to let go of the branch, but it cracked a moment too soon and thus broke just before Souta let go of it. The result was them crashing into the ground and then the branch landing right in front of them. Souta grunted too upon impact and he lay still for a moment. He found himself actually taking the time to enjoy the feeling of the other teen's erection against him. Any time Souta had been touched it was some adult trying to get self gain for himself by molesting him. Sylas was no adult; nor was it for self gain.

Letting out a low moan however at the pain that was soon passing away, Souta let out a chuckle at Sylas's apology. He turned his head to look behind him; not at Sylas but the others behind him sleeping to make sure they didn't stir. Sighing they were still asleep, Souta's eyes moved as best they could to look at the other teen under him. "If you are afraid of anything sexual with me because of my past, I don't feel like that. It's mostly women and the Death Force that make me go on edge when they come in contact with me... specifically sexually. To be honest, today was the first day I actually shot out something, although I assumed I could for a while now..."
"You're not trying to hurt me; or intend to hurt me or abuse me... I don't know why but this actually feels kind of nice..."

It didn't go without saying by this point, Souta's own growth was starting and pressing against the fabric of his shorts, the older teen could see the very visible tent that now formed in Souta's shorts. The teen however didn't make any motions to move off of Sylas; unless the older teen made motions to... maybe.
 
Sylas looked from the sleeping adults to the teen on top of him when he heard his chuckle. A questioning look showed in his eyes, which changed more into curiosity when he saw Souta's eyes on him. He listened to him, at first confused by "shot out something," unsure of what he was talking about, but it soon registered in his mind. Well, the Chosen's explanation put him more at ease, since he wasn't freaking out about it or anything, but what came next kind of surprised him.

"You--It--" He shut up. His mouth was trying to act before his brain could catch up. No reason to bumble like an idiot. Well, that was only a small part of the reason why he went quiet. Actually, most of it was because Souta's last few words had brought his own attention to, well, there. The feeling of Souta's butt against his erection was definitely more prominent, with the teen sitting on top of him. It was in between his cheeks, which only served to drive him wilder.

With his breathing growing heavy through his nostrils, Sylas' gaze lifted up from Souta's rear to his back. Sort of hesitantly, he placed his right hand there, the tips of his fingers curling over his shoulder. He swallowed hard, allowing his hand to slowly, gently drift downward, feeling the muscle that lay beneath the shirt. In his mind he pictured what Souta looked like beneath the fabric. Even though he made sure not to pay attention to his nudity when they first met, he had still gotten enough of a glimpse to have some idea of what he looked like--enough to where the image was strong in his mind.

Most of his history had been with men--very few women--but those had never been his choice; he was forced into the encounters. And the purpose for them was always the same: to give the other person a release, in any way they saw fit. Like Souta, he had been nothing more than a tool. Those times were completely different from what was happening now. He wasn't being used, and neither was Souta. It was all okay, assuming the Chosen saw it that way. Right now, he could relish the warmth that the younger teen's body emitted, as well as the feeling of them against one another.

Yes, there was something nice about this.

Sylas snapped out of his thoughts by the time his hand arrived at Souta's hip. Then he stopped. No, he couldn't do this. "Y-you have to get up." He looked toward Souta's face, or at least as much as he could, if he was still looking forward. His pupils were dilated and his jaw was slightly slackened. Oh, he wanted to do something with the other male; he had to use every ounce of his willpower to suppress his desires. If Souta had not yet moved, then Sylas would take his hand from his hip and place it on his back, lightly pushing out of an attempt to get him going.
 
Souta turned his head back around by the time Sylas was stuttering with his words; although his head didn't rest against the other teen until he had his hand touching his shoulder. By then, Souta had laid his head back down and slowly closed his eyes. He felt a sort of sexual energy he had never felt before. And he found himself very willing to comply. As he felt the other teen's hand going down his shirt, Souta's breath became deeper and he flexed out his muscles more to give the other teen a greater touch. He couldn't contain the moan that escaped his lips.

His erection was so hard that it hurt. It was also so tight against his shorts it hurt that way too. The willingness to comply grew deeper. As Sylas's hand neared his hip, Souta's own hand that was still gloved rose up to come in tact with Sylas's to follow him down. Although it stopped when Sylas's hand stopped too.

When the other male spoke, Souta slowly opened his eyes part way. He didn't want to move. And when the male gave him the small nudge, Souta still didn't move.

"Sylas." Souta spoke out in a quieter tone as to not wake the others. As well, his eyes were still closed. "I've never been touched in any affectionate, or loving way before, until today..."
"Even though I am being hunted by the most dangerous man in the world, right now, this is the safest I have ever felt in my entire life."
"This may be the worst day in my life... but I want something good to come out of it... I want to know what it's like to actually be desired, so I'm not afraid of being desired anymore... please...?"
 
Souta didn't seem interested in complying, so Sylas was prepared to actually push him off this time; he moved his hand to where his arm and shoulder connected, but he didn't do anything more than that just yet. He stopped at the younger teen's words. He listened, actually listening, partly because of the quiet tone that was used, but also as if he was being drawn in. His heart beat faster. Those words meant something. They made him feel important, needed.

"Desired." His gaze settled on the tent in Souta's shorts, and he swallowed hard.

"I...I can't," Sylas breathed. His voice too was quiet, although the choice to do so wasn't conscious. He tore his gaze away, but it didn't go far. It landed on his stomach, and the image of his six pack flashed before his mind's eye. "I'm sorry..." His hand trailed down from Souta's shoulder. Stop. But it didn't. It slid down his chest, his palm rubbing against a nipple, and caressed the hills and valleys of his six pack. His breathing faltered, a quiet, slow, short gasp. "...but it goes against my teachings." Finally, he stopped his hand where it was, but he didn't take it off Souta's stomach, and he stroked it with his thumb. "I can't have sex casually."
 
Souta soon brought his hands together slowly and pulled off those gloves of his and set them to his left side before he let out another low moan as Sylas's hand slid down his chest again; and a breathy groan which it brushed against his nipple. Souta continued to flex his muscles as his nipples hardened some at only the brief contact. By now, the tip of his shorts was now becoming slightly damp as he was leaking pre-sperm from become so aroused at the situation. Souta by now had a light layer of sweat on him as Sylas's hand was resting on his stomach and stroking it with his thumb; Souta's heavy but slow breathing could be seen by his rise and falls of his stomach. "No... this has a meaning... an important meaning to me..." Souta breathed out. "Sylas... I don't want to just know what it's like to be desired... I need to know... Just at least once, please." Souta begged him. He meant every word he said.

Even before Sylas said an answer though, Souta's right hand would move up to the end of his shirt, and slowly begin pulling it up some. He only had to slightly arch his back before resting back down on top of the teen to pull his shirt up all the way to his neck; revealing his entire stomach and chest for Sylas. He would have pulled the entire shirt off but was afraid Sylas might move away then.
 
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