The laboratory below Hirunkit Holdings buzzed faintly - the hum of arcane wards and flickering glass tubes filling the air like restless whispers.
Felix stood over a workbench that looked like an alchemist's fever dream - vials glowing blue and gold, runes half-burned into the metal, and what might once have been a perfectly fine cauldron now smoking like a crime scene.
William pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're sure this is safe?"
Felix didn't look up. "Define safe."
Est, perched on a nearby stool, snorted into his coffee. "He means: will it explode, poison someone, or summon another demon this time?"
Felix twirled a crystal rod between his fingers. "Unlikely." A beat. "Probably."
William groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "You're a menace."
"Correction," Felix said, adjusting his spectacles with theatrical precision. "I'm the only menace keeping your Guardian from turning this city into divine ash every time he sneezes."
Est leaned closer, curiosity winning over caution. "So the venom-what does it actually do to him?"
Felix's tone softened slightly as he poured a few drops of silver-blue liquid into a rune-etched vial.
"It corrupts his essence. The venom's designed to mimic shadow - it seeps into his power, forces his light to fight back. That's why he loses control. The antidote should stabilize it... if his system doesn't reject it first."
William frowned, his usual calm cracking with worry. "You're saying every time he's poisoned, he risks burning himself out?"
"Or burning everyone else down," Felix muttered under his breath. "Which is why," - he lifted the vial with a triumphant grin - "I need him to drink this and not panic when it tastes like dying rainbow."
Est blinked. "dying... what?"
Felix shrugged. "Creative magic is an art, not a cuisine."
William exhaled, already resigned. "You're going to make him your lab rat again, aren't you?"
"He volunteered," Felix said defensively.
"After you bribed him with coffee and sympathy," Est pointed out.
Felix grinned. "It worked, didn't it?"
The room went quiet for a moment. Beneath the jokes, the unspoken truth weighed heavy - Sky's power was unraveling faster each time, and the Supreme's injuries were still healing in silence upstairs.
William's gaze flicked toward the elevator that led to the penthouse levels. His expression softened, almost wistful.
"No one's gone near their room since last night."
Est gave a knowing hum. "Probably for the best. Anyone who knocks on that door right now has a death wish."
Felix smirked. "And here I thought immortals didn't die easily."
"Not from age," Est said, "but from Supreme's glare? Absolutely."
A brief, uneasy laugh circled between them - the kind that comes from people too aware of the danger to find it truly funny.
Then Felix turned back to his work, the blue glow of his potion reflecting in his eyes.
"Still," he murmured, quieter now. "If this antidote works, maybe... maybe he won't have to keep fighting himself."
William's voice softened. "You mean Sky?"
Felix nodded. "Both of them."
The silence that followed was deep, understanding. Somewhere high above them, the Supreme's sigil pulsed once, faintly - and the light in Felix's vial flickered in answer, as if the curse itself had heard.
---
The room was still.
Only the faint rhythm of rain against glass filled the space - soft, steady, and alive in the silence.
Nani sat at the edge of the bed, bathed in the dim light spilling from the city below. The world outside glittered cold and distant, but here - in this room - time felt suspended.
Sky slept restlessly beside him, breath uneven, strands of hair damp against his temple. The sheets were tangled around his waist, exposing the pale shimmer of his guardian mark - still faintly glowing where power had torn through him.
Nani reached out, his fingers hovering an inch above that mark. Even now, he could feel it - the pulse of divine light beneath fragile skin, the warmth that could burn him to dust and yet drew him closer all the same.
"You shouldn't have done it again," he murmured softly.
"Not for me."
The Supreme's voice was barely a breath, but it trembled - with something ancient, something human.
His own sigil burned faintly across his chest and arm, lines of molten gold crawling like fire beneath his skin. The protective mark that should have shielded him now fought to heal, each flicker of light stealing fragments of strength. Every beat of his heart carried pain - and yet, all he could look at was Sky.
His guardian.
His curse.
His love that never learned how to die.
He brushed his fingers through Sky's hair, the gesture tender, almost reverent.
"You always find me," he whispered, voice breaking just enough to sound real.
"Even when I forget who I am... you still call me back."
He remembered another name then - one that hadn't passed his lips in centuries.
The name once spoken in the dark before the flames consumed their world.
The name that ended every war in his heart.
"Niran..."
The word fell like a confession, a prayer he hadn't meant to say.
And though Sky didn't wake, his hand twitched, as if some part of him heard it - recognized it - even in sleep.
A small, pained smile touched Nani's lips. He closed his eyes briefly, forcing the ache down.
"This time," he said quietly, "I won't let you burn for me again."
Then-
A knock.
Soft, hesitant.
But it cut through the stillness like a blade.
Nani's head turned sharply toward the door, the gold in his eyes dimming to something dangerously cold.
Another knock.
"My Lord," came William's voice, careful, respectful. "Felix needs to check on the Guardian."
The tension in the room shifted - not anger, but something protective, territorial. Nani's hand moved instinctively, his fingers brushing Sky's wrist before he rose.
"He's sleeping," Nani said, his tone a low command that made the wards in the walls hum.
There was a pause. Felix's nervous whisper carried faintly through the door.
"I... I know, but if I don't make sure the venom's residue is gone, he could relapse. Also, I think Est's holding a charm that's starting to smoke, so please-"
William sighed. "We'll be quick, my Lord."
Silence. Then - the faintest sound of a breath from inside, one that wasn't quite a sigh, wasn't quite surrender.
The lock clicked open.
Felix entered first, clutching a glowing vial, followed by Est and William. The air in the penthouse felt heavier - like walking into a church after a storm.
Sky slept soundly still, faint light threading through his veins.
Felix exhaled, whispering, "By the moon and the damn stars... he's stabilizing."
Est elbowed him. "Told you your crazy potion wouldn't kill him."
Felix shot back, "I said it was probably safe, thank you very much."
William stood a few steps behind, his eyes flicking briefly to Nani - taking in the half-healed sigil, the faint scorch marks along his collarbone, the pain he was trying to mask.
"You shared his light again, didn't you," he said quietly.
Nani didn't answer.
He simply looked down at the sleeping Guardian - the corners of his mouth softening despite himself.
"He needed me," was all he said.
And that simple truth hung in the room - heavy, devastating, beautiful.
---
Felix leaned over Sky, muttering to himself as glowing threads of spell-light stitched faintly across the Guardian's ribs.
"Okay, okay... pulse is steady, breathing normal, no dark residue. He's healing-beautifully, actually. I might cry."
Est crouched beside him, wide-eyed. "You can really see the energy moving like that?"
Felix flashed a grin. "Trade secret. Centuries of witchcraft and caffeine."
He paused, squinting thoughtfully. "You've got potential, though. Maybe you should be my apprentice."
Est blinked. "Really?"
Felix wiggled his brows. "Sure. You'd look cute in a robe."
William, leaning against the doorway, groaned softly. "God help us all."
Est ignored him, practically glowing. "Can I start today?"
Felix nodded sagely. "Rule one-never blow yourself up. Rule two-if you do, leave a note."
Sky, still half-awake, exhaled a laugh that turned into a wince. "Don't encourage him, Felix..."
Felix grinned wider. "Laughing. Excellent sign of recovery."
He pressed a final charm against Sky's chest, watching the last flicker of silver vanish into skin. "There. The venom's purged, your power's stabilizing. Try not to nearly die again for at least a week, okay?"
Sky smiled faintly, then looked past him - sensing before seeing the shift in the air.
The atmosphere cooled. A presence like moonlight through glass swept across the room.
Nani entered, dressed in dark tailored silk, his hair loose, aura subdued but commanding. William followed, expression unreadable.
For a heartbeat, no one moved. The Supreme's eyes softened as they found Sky - awake, color returning to his cheeks.
"You're awake," Nani said quietly, his tone a rare warmth that made Felix freeze mid-fidget.
Sky started to sit up, but Nani was already beside him, one hand on his shoulder. "You should rest," he murmured. "I have matters to attend to today. Stay here until I return."
"I'm fine," Sky said automatically.
Nani's gaze held him, gentle but unyielding. Then, with a motion so casual it stole everyone's breath, he brushed his knuckles against Sky's cheek - a slow, lingering touch - before ruffling his hair in quiet affection.
"That's an order, Guardian."
The room went dead silent.
Felix's mouth fell open. Est's eyes went wide as moons. William... blinked twice, expression torn between disbelief and resigned horror.
Felix whispered, "Did the Supreme just-pat him?"
Est mouthed, He touched his hair.
William cleared his throat sharply, trying and failing to hide a twitch at the corner of his mouth. "My Lord, the car is ready."
Nani's lips curved, faint amusement breaking through his usual calm. "Good."
He gave Sky one last look - something that lingered between promise and apology - then turned to leave.
Felix exhaled only after the door shut behind him. "Okay, I take it back," he whispered. "I think your vampire boss might be in love with you."
Sky's head snapped toward him. "He's not-"
The protest faltered halfway out. His pulse betrayed him, thudding hard against his throat. He could still feel the warmth where Nani's fingers had brushed his cheek - faint, impossible warmth from someone whose touch should've been cold.
Est leaned forward conspiratorially. "He definitely is. You saw that look? If anyone ever looked at me like that, I'd combust on the spot."
Felix nodded solemnly. "Honestly? Same."
Sky dragged a hand down his face. "Both of you need serious help."
But his voice was softer, his usual dry edge dulled by something uncertain - a tremor that wasn't quite denial.
Felix grinned. "Sure, but you didn't actually deny it."
Sky froze. "What-? I literally-"
"See?" Est cut in, delighting in the chaos. "You're stuttering. Wolves don't stutter unless they're emotionally compromised."
"I'm not emotionally-" Sky groaned, pushing off the headboard and turning his face away from them, the tips of his ears burning crimson. "Can we not analyze my emotional state like a case study?"
Felix hummed thoughtfully. "Too late. It's basically science at this point."
Sky glared at them both, but the effort was weak - his shoulders slumped, his expression caught somewhere between flustered and fond.
Finally, he muttered under his breath, almost to himself,
"He's impossible..."
Est tilted his head. "Who? The Supreme or you?"
Sky didn't answer. He stared toward the door where Nani had disappeared minutes ago - the faint echo of that touch still lingering like a ghost on his skin.
The room filled with light chatter again - Felix jotting down potion notes, Est asking too many questions - but Sky stayed quiet, gaze unfocused.
And for the first time, he didn't know if the thing racing through his veins was the Guardian's power...
or something far more dangerous.