Chapter 658: Sudden Intruder

The force of it was so intense that it shoved Sol backward.

He staggered several steps as the howling essence wind battered his chest, raising an arm against the sudden pressure. As the sheer weight of that gathering pressure was heavy enough to pin him down.

The whirlwind expanded rapidly, swallowing Veylara completely and stretching outward until it covered the entire pond and the surrounding moss.

The hanging willow branches whipped violently. Water from the spring was pulled upward in glittering arcs before being drawn into the spinning mass. Sol was forced to the outer edge of the clearing, feet sliding on the damp ground as the pressure continued to push him back.

Despite being able to force his way through, he did not interrupt.

Whatever was happening, it was clearly centered on her. Interfering with a sudden, violent gathering of ambient essence around a Layer 4 practitioner... especially one who had just spent hours in extreme physical and spiritual vulnerability... was a good way to cripple or kill both of them.

Sol stayed where the force allowed him, eyes locked on the roaring column of power that had swallowed the Warchief.

Inside the tornado the silhouette of Veylara’s body was barely visible, arms slightly out from her sides, head still tilted back.

The essence poured into her without resistance, sinking through skin and core as if her body had become a perfect vessel.

The strange fullness she had spoken of earlier, now made sudden, terrifying sense. Something had already been planted or awakened inside her during the night. The ambient essence of the valley was simply answering the call.

Sol dropped his arms, locking his posture into absolute defense.

He didn’t care that he was standing completely naked in the middle of a swirling essence storm, covered in sweat, piss and cum. The only thing that mattered was guarding her while she was trapped in whatever terrifying state this was.

He channeled his sun core, letting his neon-crimson eyes burn with a fierce, warning light as he scanned the perimeter of the grove.

The gold-silver radiance of his Free Use authority rippled outward in the surrounding perimeter, but was focused around Veylara to feel minute changes, stabilizing the ground beneath his feet and creating a dead zone of lethal deterrence against anything foolish enough to approach.

Hold on, Sol muttered under his breath, Don’t you dare break.

Within the blinding column of the essence tornado, Veylara’s silhouette now hung suspended.

Her body was rigid, bathed in an ethereal, golden-white luminescence. The chaotic, frantic energy was rapidly being tensed, compressed, and drawn inward through her skin, feeding directly into her sun-core.

As if summoned by his own grim thoughts, the thicket of scratchy thorn-bushes and dry scrub directly behind him rattled wildly.

CRACK-SNAP!

The thicket behind him rattled wildly.

Branches snapped, leaves thrashed, like something large forcing its way through the undergrowth at speed.

Sol spun on instinct, body dropping into a combat stance even though he was still naked and still covered in the evidence of the long night. His core flared, ready to unleash the full destructive power of his Free Use Use and essence or whatever physical power he had left.

Whatever was coming through the trees would not be allowed to reach her.

He planted his feet, eyes narrowed on the violently shaking wall of foliage, and prepared to meet whatever had been drawn by the sudden, massive disturbance of essence.

Behind him the tornado continued to roar, completely hiding Veylara from view as it poured the essence into her body without pause.

He would not let anything disturb her.

The wall of scratchy thorn-bushes and dry scrub finally parted.

"Be at ease."

The dry, composed, and undeniably familiar voice rang through the roaring essence tornado like a silver bell.

Sol blinked, his lethal stance hitching halfway through. The aggressive spike of adrenaline stalled right in his chest.

Instead of a beast or an enemy scout, a familiar figure stepped into the moonlight was High Shaman Zephyra.

She wasn’t wearing her usual grand silver ceremonial robes. Instead, she had on a simple, loose-fitting white linen robe, her silver hair flying, and her milky-white eyes carrying that unreadable, ancient clarity. She held a carved wooden staff in one hand, using it to steady her footing on the uneven ground.

She stopped at the edge of the clearing, white eyes wide, taking in the entire scene in one sweeping glance: the massive spinning column of essence that had swallowed the pond and the willows, the naked Warchief barely visible inside the storm and Sol standing guard in front of it...

For a long, agonizing heartbeat, dead silence stretched between them... broken only by the roaring column of white-grey energy spinning around Veylara a few paces away as she simply stared.

Zephyra’s gaze didn’t stay on Sol’s face. Her pale eyes drifted downward, tracking slowly along his broad chest, his waist, and finally landing dead-center on his exhausted, semi-soft cock hanging unashamedly in the open air, still glistening with fresh fluid under the silver light.

Then a slow, wicked smile curved her lips.

"Well," Zephyra said, her melodic voice carrying easily over the roar of the tornado with a dry, teasing lilt. Her white eyes dropped deliberately, lingering on the thick cock still hanging heavy between Sol’s legs, then rose again with open amusement.

"I knew the victory celebrations were running wild tonight, but I did not expect the Saviour of the Veynar standing naked in Veylar’s private spring, covered in what I can only assume is the Warchief’s... enthusiasm."

Sol’s face went through several expressions at once.

He kept his combat stance for another heartbeat, then slowly straightened, one hand moving awkwardly as if he might cover himself before realizing the gesture was pointless. The High Shaman had already seen everything. Multiple times, in fact.

"Zephyra," he managed, voice rough. "This is... not what it looks like."

"It looks exactly like what it is," she replied, still smiling. She took a few more steps into the clearing, completely unbothered by the howling essence wind that continued to shove at Sol’s back.