Chapter 122: Getting Closer

****Slightly MATURE CONTENT at the end****

A shrill cry brought the men in black back to their senses and without hesitation, the group drew back and fled in different directions.

They had wanted to drop their task and seek shelter the moment the sky had turned overcast. It was the Assistant Leader that had held them back with the threat of not getting paid for the mission. Now that he was dead, there was no one to stop them from fleeing for their lives.

Princess Qamari and Crown Prince Lail watched the scene with indifference. They had expected such an occurrence. It was the very reason why they had targeted the Assistant Leader. With him out of the situation, they wouldn't even have to do anything before the others scattered.

"We also need to get out of here and find shelter." Crown Prince Lail lowered his spear and looked into the depth of the forest with a pensive expression. At a time like this, when they were injured and exhausted, staying away from unexplored regions was the sensible thing to do.

However, the circumstance was not giving them the option to do the sensible thing. They had no other choice but to enter the gloomy forest. 

"Come, the forest is our only chance for survival now!" Grabbing Laila's hand, Crown Prince Lail dashed into the cover of the dark trees.

As they ran, chunks of ice fell around them, some obstructing their path and others grazing their skin. By the time the two entered the dark forest, there were bruises of various sizes on their arms and legs.

Crown Prince Lail kept his gaze fixed ahead as he pulled Laila along, his sharp gaze looking out for any signs of danger.

Boom!

An ancient tree on their right was hit by a large snowball, causing it to immediately bend from the added weight. Crown Prince Lail pulled Laila closer to his side, protectively circling his arm around her shoulder as he kept moving.

Under the threat of death, the two had no time to worry about their close proximity, thinking only about their survival as they walked through the depths of the eerie forest. 

"Careful, there is a hole ahead!" Crown Prince Lail quietly warned Laila, the two trying to maintain their balance under the violent tremor of the ground.

"Isn't this only an Ice Cyclone? Why is the ground shaking as well?" Princess Qamari asked in surprise.

From what she had read, Ice Cyclones only released hails of ice rain that changed the entire environment's temperature over time. They would affect the region so drastically that anyone caught within that frozen landscape would turn into frozen statues.

As they normally occurred only once in a thousand chance, the elders of the seven academies didn't pay them much attention, only recording brief information about the Ice Cyclones and informing the apprentices to immediately seek shelter upon spotting it.

Unfortunately, it just happened that the Ice Cyclones appeared on Princess Qamari and Crown Prince Lail's first venture to the Forbidden Zone.

With time, the snow will disperse and the temperature will return to normal. But how long that would take was also unrecorded.

"The tremors and vibrations might be caused by a beast horde. They are more sensitive to danger than humans and are probably racing to seek shelter. We just need to ensure not to encounter them."

"Under the current circumstances, I am not sure if that will be possible."

With grim expressions, the two continued their trek through the dark forest. The Forbidden Zone had no celestial bodies, and the only source of light, the trillions of stars, were shrouded by the multitude of dark clouds, enveloping the land in absolute darkness.

As such, Princess Qamari and Crown Prince Lail had to navigate through the darkness with the help of their heightened senses and magic ability. But since they were afraid of attracting the attention of the rampaging beast horde, they had to use their magic power at a minuscule quantity to light their path.

Soon, the tremors decreased as the beast horde receded into different parts of the forest. However, Crown Prince Lail and Princess Qamari had a hard time maintaining their pace. The temperature of the Forbidden Zone was dropping at an alarming speed, freezing their blood as frost covered their faces and their speed dropped.

"I...I don't think I can keep going." Princess Qamari rasped through cracked lips.

The frost covering her lashes made her look like a snow-woman. Thankfully, she had covered her head and face, which provided her with a little bit of heat as she breathed.

"Hang on a little longer. We should be able to find a cave to shelter in." Crown Prince Lail rubbed her arms to warm her up, but since they were frozen cold as well, it was no use.

Princess Qamari huddled closer to him, her senses clouding as her head grew heavy.

"I...I think I am coming down with a...cold." She stuttered through clenched teeth.

Her limbs were frozen numb, providing her with no feeling as she dragged herself through the knee-length snow. As she moved with barely open lids, her right foot stumbled upon a stone, bringing her crashing towards the ground.

'This is it. I am going to fall head-first into the snow and suffocate to death.' She hopelessly thought.

But just before she fell, strong arms came from behind and wrapped around her waist. Her back pressed upon a hard chest, but as the owner was just as cold as herself, there was no warmth transmitted.

"Are you okay?" Crown Prince Lail worriedly asked.

"I...I can't see, my head feels as...heavy...as...a...mountain." She stammered.

"Hold...hold on...just a bit...more." Crown Prince Lail wasn't in any better condition than Princess Qamari. But since he had gone through trials more arduous than this in the Ocean of Blood, he was able to endure.

The same couldn't be said for the delicate princess.

"This isn't good, I need to find...shelter." Half dragging, half carrying the barely conscious woman, Crown Prince Lail scanned the stark white landscape for any semblance of a shelter. However, no matter where he looked, he only saw a flat, snow-covered landscape.

Gradually, his anxious heart filled with dread and his already numb limbs trembled. Just when he was about to lose hope, he sighted a tiny cave buried under the cover of snow. With Princess Qamari in his arms, he staggered to the little cave.

"Huff, huff...Laila, hold on. We...will be warm soon..."

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He mumbled the words to the unresponsive woman, his warm breath fogging his sight as he finally reached the entrance of the cave. Blindly making his way inside, he carried her deeper into the cave, wanting to be as far away from the bellowing entrance as they could.

After what felt like an eternity, Crown Prince Lail finally stopped to catch his breath. With Princess Qamari still in his embrace, he leaned against the cave wall and their bodies fell.

"Ah!"

Crown Prince Lail abruptly widened his eyes, just to find that the place he leaned on wasn't a wall, but the gaping maw of giant foliage. He attempted to straighten their falling figures and even summoned his spiritual weapon, Black Serpent, to propel themselves out of the gaping mouth.

However, all his efforts were useless as numerous green tendrils shot out and pushed them back into the belly of the plant.

"Sigh, I guess this is the end." For some reason, even though he was reluctant to die so soon, Crown Prince Lail did not feel devastated at the idea of dying with the slender figure in his arms.

With Black Serpent in one hand and the white-robed woman in the other, Crown Prince Lail peacefully closed his eyes.

Roar!

Growl!

Roar!

"Ah!" 

Crown Prince Lail woke with a start, the roars and growls of various beasts causing him to scan his surroundings before he even figured out where he was. After a period of vigilant search, he failed to spot any wild or magical beasts. His tense muscles relaxed and he slumped back on the ground.

It was only then that he sensed the heavyweight on his chest. Lowering his head, he saw the covered head of the woman in his arms and his mind cleared.

"That's right! We fell inside the body of a magical foliage." As he recalled what happened before he fainted, Crown Prince Lail tightened his hold around the slender figure and placed a finger at her nose. Although shallow, she was still breathing, still alive.

He released the breath he had been holding and looked around.

Only this time, he was searching for the figures of beasts. Considering that they were still alive, he wanted to know where the magical foliage had sent them.

And what he saw took his breath away.

Crown Prince Lail and Laila were sitting in a sea of flowers. Red roses, orange gardenias, green lilies, blue violets, purple lavenders, and many more which he couldn't even name. What was more, every flower gave off a faint light as they gracefully swayed on an unnatural wind.

And in the center of the sea of flowers was a large pool of crystal clear water. The water emitted warm air and the faint fragrance of flowers, making the entire region seem like an illusionary realm of flowers.

"Where are we?" He asked in wonder.

When the giant foliage swallowed them, he didn't expect them to land in a sea of flowers. Not only were they still alive, the place they landed in turned out to even have a hot spring, warming up their frozen blood within moments.

As he thought of this, his gaze shifted back onto the motionless girl. Even though she was still breathing, she remained unconscious, making him worried.

"Her body wasn't able to tolerate the freezing temperature." He remarked with a frown.

Seeing the hot spring, he decisively stood and picked her up, carrying her in his arms as he entered the pool of warm water. Immediately, the water pooled around them as it embraced their figures.

"Sigh."

Crown Prince Lail sighed in pleasure. The water wasn't only warm, it was also fragrant, invading his senses and unblocking every blood vessel and meridian in his body. Closing his eyes, he sat and leaned on the edge of the pool with Princess Qamari in his arms.

Their clothes got drenched and stuck to their bodies, exposing every curve and muscle.

"Hmmm..." The woman, who was still unconscious, moaned in pleasure at the sudden warmth enveloping her. Wanting to get even closer to the warmth, she snuggled further into the embrace of the man holding her on his lap.

Crown Prince Lail instantly stiffened. The woman in his arms radiated a faint fragrance similar to lavender. As she snuggled into his chest and her warm breath fell on his skin, her arms wound around his neck and drew him closer.

The two bodies pressed tightly together, and he clearly felt her proud perks and soft mounds. An explosion went off in his head, throwing him in turmoil as his blood rushed to his brain and his body heat rose.

"This..." He was stumped.

When he decided to bring her into the hot spring, his only intention was to warm her blood and help her regain consciousness. He never thought about how awkward their situation would become when they entered together.

With burning cheeks and labored breath, he grabbed her arms to disentangle her from himself.

However, that resulted in her shifting on his lap, making his blood boil even hotter.

Crown Prince Lail painfully closed his eyes, the sweet torture testing his control. His breathing became heavier as he tried to calm his racing heart, but Laila's warm breath and unintentional seduction made the task difficult.

As if that wasn't enough, she pulled him closer, rubbing her chest against his, as she buried her head in the nook of his neck.

That one action broke through his final line of defense.. Unable to hold himself back, Crown Prince Lail placed his hands on Laila's slender waist and drew her tight against his body.

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