Chapter 310: Ch 309: Exchanging Magic

Lyra froze at those words, and her expression became even more complicated.

"You really are unfair, you know? Why did you have to say that and make my heart skip a beat?"

"What did I do?"

"You keep saying things like that as if you do not realize what they do to me. Don’t you recall that I confessed to you already?"

Kael frowned slightly, but Lyra quickly turned away before he could question her further.

"We should look around. There has to be something here that connects this place to the outside."

Kael nodded and followed her through the room, although his attention remained focused on the faint traces of corruption surrounding them.

The room looked peaceful, but something about that peace felt unnatural.

It was almost as if this place had been created specifically to keep Lyra trapped inside a memory she never wanted to leave.

And if that was true, then Kael had a feeling that Seraphina and Iris were trapped inside similar memories of their own.

The first thing Kael tried was to open another door. But except for the bathroom, no other door would open. Even the door that brought him and Lyra here had disappeared, meaning that there was no way to get out for him.

"Did the door disappear? It happens far too often, so don’t worry. I will likely be able to open it again if circumstances align."

That did not sound as reassuring as Lyra was hoping it would be.

Still, what could Kael even do now? He was stuck here, and he could not even access his magic properly. He had no choice but to wait for his magic to recover on its own, which was going to take some time.

"Ah, if I knew this was going to happen, then I would have taken a magic-absorbing flower. That would help me recover much faster."

But what use was it to cry over spilled milk? Kael had to focus on the present now.

"Lyra, are you able to access your magic properly?"

Kael asked the demon queen, who looked a little surprised.

"I can. Why do you need my help with something? Hey, I really don’t like the look on your face. Back off right now! I said back off—!"

Kael grabbed her hand, which forced Lyra to stay in her place. She avoided looking at him, knowing fully well that Kael was going to propose doing something dangerous. But she could not keep looking away from him forever.

In the end, she made the mistake of looking at Kael and instantly fell victim to his shining eyes.

"Lyra, can you allow me to borrow your magic for once? I promise I will not take too long."

Kael looked at Lyra with shining eyes, which made her immediately take a step back.

"I don’t think I should give you any of my powers. Your face tells me that you are going to cause a problem—"

"Me? What kind of problem can I even cause? Don’t you trust me at all?"

Kael asked, stepping even closer to Lyra, and she let out the biggest sigh he had heard her take.

"Fine! I guess I cannot help it. I will help you out with this once. See, this is how generous I am! I am even willing to go as far as to help my rivals..."

"Thanks. I am sure they will be proud of being saved by you as well."

Kael reached out and ruffled Lyra’s hair. He could spot her pink blush as she looked away. She did extend her hand toward Kael, and he grabbed it before he started tugging at her magic.

Magic exchange like this was not taboo, but it was not encouraged either. And the reason behind it was magic compatibility.

One could get seriously hurt if they tried to take more magic than their body could handle. But that was only a problem for immature people who did not know the essence of their magic. Kael had long passed that stage.

Now, he could even change the nature of the magic he used. So taking in Lyra’s magic was not difficult for him.

But what was difficult was enduring the look on her face. It looked far too stimulated, to the point that it was almost embarrassing to look at.

"How long is it going to take?"

Lyra asked in a breathless voice, and Kael had to pretend he did not notice her face or the way she was reacting. Her hand felt sweaty under his own, so he tried to be as swift as possible.

"Ugh, you better take proper care of me once we are done here. I don’t think I can handle this for much longer..."

Lyra’s eyes closed, and she fell asleep. Kael finally breathed a sigh of relief once he had enough magic to perform his spell.

Kael carefully released Lyra’s hand and looked at the magic now swirling around his body. The borrowed power was slowly merging with his own, restoring the flow of mana that had been disrupted after entering this strange domain.

"Alright, this should be enough."

Kael stood up and stretched his fingers before turning his attention toward the walls of the room. The familiar surroundings were starting to feel less comforting now that he knew they were part of the corruption’s domain.

There had to be a way out.

More importantly, there had to be a connection between this place and the corruption outside.

Kael closed his eyes and allowed his newly restored magic to spread through the room. He could feel the faint presence of corruption hiding beneath the peaceful atmosphere, almost as if it were trying to conceal itself from him.

"Found you."

Now, he only needed to get himself and Lyra out of her domain...which was easier said than done. The room had sensed his attempts and was now trying to exert its pressure on Kael.

It was going to take a little time before he could use their magic again.