Chapter 174: _Vulnerable Before The Three Of Them Elian’s POV
[Well, it seems your crazy plan might actually work after all.] Elian huffed at the system’s words at the same moment that Lucian got to the pressure chamber. The Alpha Prince raised his fists, ready to punch it to smithereens when Kyren suddenly yelled out behind him. "Back off. You don’t need to do that." The rogue king walked toward the machine while Axel ran, standing helplessly when he got in front of it. Lucian gritted his fangs, whipping his head at Kyren. "Oh, I’m sorry. Do you have a better option to get our mate out of whatever contraption that is?!" He gestured at the chamber while Elian struggled to catch his breath. His eyes were hazy, his chest heavy with so much pressure that he thought his bones were going to collapse in on themselves. Cold sweat soaked his body as his eyes flitted through the faces of each mate through the glass walls of the machine. "Turn off the pressure chamber." Kyren didn’t say a word to Lucian; instead, yelling out a command to the robotic system in the training room. Elian squinted but then let out a relieved breath when the machine actually turned off, freeing him from its pressuring force and forcing him to fall flat on the floor. [Welp. Did we learn a valuable lesson today?]
[Well, it seems your crazy plan might actually work after all.] Elian huffed at the system’s words at the same moment that Lucian got to the pressure chamber. The Alpha Prince raised his fists, ready to punch it to smithereens when Kyren suddenly yelled out behind him. "Back off. You don’t need to do that." The rogue king walked toward the machine while Axel ran, standing helplessly when he got in front of it. Lucian gritted his fangs, whipping his head at Kyren. "Oh, I’m sorry. Do you have a better option to get our mate out of whatever contraption that is?!" He gestured at the chamber while Elian struggled to catch his breath. His eyes were hazy, his chest heavy with so much pressure that he thought his bones were going to collapse in on themselves. Cold sweat soaked his body as his eyes flitted through the faces of each mate through the glass walls of the machine. "Turn off the pressure chamber." Kyren didn’t say a word to Lucian; instead, yelling out a command to the robotic system in the training room. Elian squinted but then let out a relieved breath when the machine actually turned off, freeing him from its pressuring force and forcing him to fall flat on the floor. [Welp. Did we learn a valuable lesson today?]
Elian clenched his fists, groaning in pain.
At that same moment, Lucian and Axel opened the door leading into the chamber, rushing hastily into it like they were struggling to get to him first.
"Elian, are you okay?" Axel asked but Lucian sneered over his head.
"Of course, he’s not okay. He looks like he’d have been minced meat if we hadn’t gotten here before lord Kyren’s—"
"If you’re about to place any blame on me, Alpha Prince, I’ll suggest you hold your tongue and place that energy on getting Elian out of there," Kyren said with pure contempt while Elian tried to pretend he wasn’t there.
He kept his eyes closed, even as Lucian and Axel grabbed both his arms, helping him to his feet.
’Can you please stop giving me crazy missions like this? I’m not some hooker or something.’ Elian said mentally but the system was unimpressed.
[I’m not the one who made you step into the device. Heck, you could’ve easily just stripped in your bathroom and sent that help message instead of whatever this is.]
Elian’s brows furrowed but he didn’t have the time to react. Lucian and Axel both got him on his feet, the latter placing his hand on his naked chest while the former rubbed his lower back.
"What were you thinking going into this thing anyway?" Axel asked in a soft voice as they led him slowly down the steps of the pressure chamber.
[That’s right... Just a little bit more physical interaction to drive this mission to completion.]
Elian swallowed hard, his eyes flicking to Kyren who stood with his arms folded in front of his chest.
The Rogue king’s face was stoic, but his crimson eyes glinted with a worry that was hard to miss.
" I-I wanted to train." Elian stuttered, glancing at Axel with a wry smile. "But I guess I didn’t really know how to operate this thing."
Kyren suddenly stepped forward, his footsteps slow and deliberate. "I’m assuming someone led you here in the first place. Didn’t they tell you how to operate the chamber?"
Elian’s body shivered slightly when he remembered Farrell and his prior direction to alert the training hall’s robotic system if he didn’t know how to use something.
He couldn’t let Kyren suspect that he did any of this on purpose.
"F–Farrell led me here actually." He explained with a wry smile, intentionally placing his hands on both Axel and Lucian’s chests. "I’m fine, guys. Thank you for showing up, but I don’t need to be babysat."
Those words were meant to let their guards down.
And it worked like a charm.
Lucian and Axel finally let go of him, giving him space. He glanced back at them, smiling thankfully before bringing his eyes to Kyren.
[Cue dramatic fainting in three, two...]
He seemed to have underestimated the pressure left behind by the machine and paid dearly for that. His eyes became hazy, his head spun and before he knew it, he fell forward.
"Elian." Kyren reacted quickly, grabbing him by his shoulders, but so did Lucian and Axel, who simultaneously held him by his waist.
Elian gasped when his chest hit flush against the cold surface of Kyren’s armour. His throat bobbed as his eyes trailed to Kyren’s crimson gaze, which was now oddly filled with suspicion.
As for Axel and Lucian, their touches lingered behind him, the Alpha Prince’s grip on his bicep only slightly loosening while the Beta kept his hands on his waist steady.
The awkward silence that followed was enough to make Elian close his eyes and pray he didn’t go into psychosis from all the cringe.
[Welp... This should do. Congratulations, fruitcake! You’ve completed the mission: Get your mates to touch you intimately simultaneously within the same room. Mission reward as promised: 500 Ascension points.]
[Although I was seriously expecting more spice and angst. But this should—]
"Hold up." Lucian suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with realisation as he let go of Elian. "This is it, isn’t it? What I heard you talking about close to the library?"
Elian stiffened, his mind backtracking as Kyren helped him stand steadily, placing him by his side.
That gave Elian the chance to stare Lucian straight in his silver eyes while ignoring the distraction that was Kyren’s arm around his waist.
"Lucian... What are you talking about?" Elian asked with a raspy breath, but Lucian chuckled bitterly.
"Don’t play games, Elian." He raised a finger while Axel blinked at him with confusion. "Something involving ’all three of them’ doing intimate stuff with you. You tried making me think I misheard you, but... But it all makes sense now."
Elian’s jaw tightened as he glanced at Kyren. The rogue king squinted but remained silent, clearly waiting for a better explanation of what was going on.
Dear goddess...
"If Farrell truly led you to this place, he would’ve told you to use the robotic system if you got into some kind of trouble." Lucian continued, sounding like his detective mind was going full spin. "Which means you wanted all of us here. Together. To fulfil whatever crazy plan you had going on."
Elian’s lips parted with shock and complete confusion on how to handle this while Axel waved his hands at Lucian.
"Whoa, whoa... Listen to yourself, Lucian." He blurted. "Why would Elian want—"
"Ask him, Beta." Lucian sneered, glaring at him first before swerving his head back to Elian. "I’ve always wanted to understand what it is you’re hiding from us, Elian. From me."
A cold shiver ran down Elian’s spine while the system was oddly silent.
He was alone in this. Under the scrutiny of his mates.
"Whatever it is must be so damn important if you’re willing to pull a stunt like this." Lucian shook his head, his voice filled with disappointment. "Screw this."
Without another word, he walked past Elian and Kyren, leaving the former to shrivel with guilt.
Axel blinked at Lucian, glancing briefly at Elian before giving him an apologetic smile. "I need to go make sure he doesn’t... Do anything rash..."
He didn’t complete his sentence but Elian got his message. The Beta patted his shoulder, exchanging a look with Kyren before running after Lucian.
When two of them had walked out of the training hall, Elian’s shoulders dropped with defeat.
At that moment, the five hundred Ascension points he won didn’t seem relevant. How could it when he felt like shit?
"Elian." Kyren’s voice broke him out of his reverie.
The rogue king’s fingers found his chin, forcing him to turn his head to him and those crimson orbs.
Elian felt bare and vulnerable before him as he whispered: "Talk to me, little flame. Was what Lucian said more than random rambling? Or did you really call us here to... Further some goal?"
They stared at each other for several seconds, their breaths mingling as Elian held himself back. His chest was heavy and he felt like offloading everything.
And when he said everything... He meant EVERYTHING.
[That "everything" better not involve this system, fruitcake.]
Elian heard the system’s sharp warning in the same way he’s always heard it since his rebirth.
But this time, he could no longer see the reason for keeping this huge secret from those he cared about.
Yes, he had to admit it... He cared about all three of them. As toxic as Lucian was at the beginning and even whilst ignoring Kyren’s darkness.
They were more than just pedestals in his rise out of being an Omega. And it was time he started treating them that way.
[No offence, but you’ve technically only known them for a few days. Are you sure you want to risk—]
"I’m tired of keeping this from you, Kyren." Elian blurred out the system’s voice, turning to face Kyren fully. "I’m tired of keeping this from all of you. I knew I’d have to say something eventually but..."
He paused, his lips pouting when he saw the silent curiosity in Kyren’s eyes.
"I... I didn’t think I’d have to do it so soon." He finally let out with a heavy breath, lowering his head slightly.
He might regret this decision later. But fuck it!
[Goddess, have mercy on us all...]
"Kyren, the truth is that this is my second life." Elian finally let the proverbial cat out of the bag, raising his chin with a shuddering voice. "I was reborn after getting killed in my first life. And that’s not all..."
[You could still salvage this by leaving me out of it. Don’t be—You’re not listening to a damn word I’m saying, are you?]
Nope.
"I was reborn with a robotic system in my head that gives me gamefied missions." Elian let that all out under a breath, gulping hard. "I have the Omega Ascension System."