MTLNOVEL Chapter 124: [124] Kiss of Life
Xavier floated in darkness. The pain was gone. So was the cold. The fear. Everything reduced to a quiet emptiness.
Am I dead again? This feels different from last time.
Something warm blossomed in his chest. Not uncomfortable. Like sitting before a hearth after being out in the snow too long. The warmth spread outward, fingers of heat tracing paths through his limbs.
This isn't so bad.
Muffled sounds penetrated the darkness. Screams? Shouts? They seemed to come from very far away, distorted as if traveling through water. Xavier tried to focus on them, but they slipped away like dreams upon waking.
Someone's calling me.
The darkness began to lift. Replaced by blinding white. Snow? Sky? Both merged into a painful brightness that forced him to close his right eye. His left stayed open, revealing winter sky and swirling snow.
Something heavy and warm pressed against his chest. Moving. Shaking him.
"—avier! Xavier! Can you hear me?"
The voice sounded wrong. Stretched and warped.
A shadow fell across his face. A figure leaned over him, blocking out the painful light. Dark hair whipped in the wind. Tears froze on flushed cheeks.
Naomi.
Her mouth moved, forming words he couldn't quite grasp. She looked terrified. Behind her, something massive crashed through the snow. A wagon? It sailed through the air as if struck by an invisible giant, wood splintering, canvas tearing. Bodies tumbled like rag dolls.
Xavier tried to speak, to move, to warn her. Nothing worked. His body refused to respond.
Naomi's hands pressed against his face, her tears falling onto his cheeks. Warm. So warm against the cold. She was saying something. Shouting. Her voice kept fading in and out.
"—need you to—"
"—everywhere—"
"—please—"
The warmth in his chest pulsed stronger. Something inside him recognized the danger, even as his mind drifted. The heat grew uncomfortable, then painful, like his blood was turning to fire.
Naomi's hand cracked across his face. The shock of it snapped his hearing back into focus.
"WAKE UP!"
The sound of screaming filled the air. Not just Naomi. Everyone. The caravan was under attack. Through his one open eye, Xavier saw dark shapes moving through the snow. Guards fired crossbows. Swords flashed. Blood painted the snow in crimson splashes.
Naomi grabbed his shoulders, shaking him violently. "Xavier! I need you!"
Her lips crashed against his. The fire inside him surged, racing through every vein and artery, burning away the fog in his mind.
The world snapped into terrible clarity.
They lay in a shallow depression in the snow where he'd pushed her down. Blood—his blood—stained the white around them. A massive crystalline spine had embedded itself in the snow inches from where they'd fallen. The wagons had formed a rough circle, but the defensive formation was breaking down as Thornbeasts darted between them, launching deadly projectiles.
Naomi pulled back from the kiss, her eyes wide with fear and something else. She stared at him, then at the air around them.
"Your eyes—Xavier, what the hell are you doing?"
Xavier became aware of a pink haze surrounding them. It emanated from his skin, pulsing with each beat of his heart. His Essentia.
A scream cut through the chaos. Thirty feet away, a guard fell, multiple crystal spines protruding from his chest. The Thornbeast that killed him turned, ice-blue eyes fixing on Xavier and Naomi in their vulnerable position.
"We need to move," Xavier said, his voice rough. He tried to stand but the world tilted sideways. "Shit."
"When you pushed me down." Naomi's hand came away bloody from the back of his head. "You saved me."
The Thornbeast crouched, its crystalline spines rattling against each other like wind chimes made of ice. It was preparing to attack.
"Get behind me," Xavier ordered, forcing himself to his knees despite the vertigo.
"Are you insane? You can barely—"
"Now!"
The pink energy around Xavier intensified, coalescing into the familiar form of his meter. The numbers flickered into existence: 0/250.
Naomi will die if I hesitate.
The Thornbeast launched three spines in rapid succession, the deadly projectiles whistling through the air.
Xavier moved.
Not the careful movements he'd practiced at the academy. Not the speed he'd shown during sparring sessions with Aurora. This was something else entirely – as if his body had been holding back until this moment.
He twisted left, the first spine missing by inches. Ducked right, the second grazing his jacket without penetrating. The third he met with his ironwinter steel dagger, deflecting it into the snow.
Perfect Dodge: +10 points.
Perfect Dodge: +10 points.
His meter read 20/250.
The Thornbeast's eyes widened. It hadn't expected him to survive that volley. It charged again, massive paws kicking up snow as it closed the distance.
Xavier stood his ground, dagger held in a reverse grip. The world continued to move in slow motion around him. He could see individual snowflakes suspended in the air. Could count the crystalline spines along the creature's back. Could hear Naomi's panicked breathing behind him.
The beast lunged, jaws wide enough to take his head off.
Xavier stepped into the attack.
His body twisted at the last possible moment, its jaws snapped shut on nothing as he slid past its flank. The dagger in his hand found the gap between the crystalline plates protecting its neck, sinking deep into flesh.
Toxic blood sprayed across the snow, steaming in the cold air. The Thornbeast howled, a sound like breaking glass that sent shivers down Xavier's spine.
Counter Strike: +15 points.
His meter climbed to 35/250.
The wounded Thornbeast recovered, joining its pack as they formed a semi-circle around Xavier and Naomi.
"When I move, run for Efler's wagon," Xavier instructed, his voice eerily calm despite the danger.
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Trust me."
Suddenly, all four creatures fired a volley of crystalline projectiles simultaneously—a deadly wall of spines hurtling toward them.
Xavier pushed Naomi down and spun to face the attack. His body moved on instinct, each dodge flowing into the next as his meter climbed.
Perfect Dodge: +10 points.
Perfect Dodge: +10 points.
Perfect Dodge: +10 points.
Time slowed further. Xavier could see each spine's trajectory as clearly as if it were mapped in the air.
65/250
The beasts charged the moment their volley ended. Xavier met the first with his dagger, slashing across its face before ducking under the second's lunge. The third nearly caught him with its massive paw, but he rolled beneath it, coming up behind the creature to drive his blade into its flank.
Counter Strike: +15 points.
Counter Strike: +15 points.
95/250
Xavier felt something building within him—that same heat he's felt since being brought back by Naomi. His entire body hummed as he faced the wounded pack leader. The beast's eyes locked with his, both recognizing this as the decisive moment.
They moved simultaneously—the Thornbeast leaping, Xavier lunging forward.
In that moment, something fundamental shifted within Xavier. The space between instinct and action collapsed into perfect synchrony—body and Essentia becoming one unified force.
When a hunter faces death with everything they have...
The dagger in his hand suddenly blazed with golden electricity, crackling energy spiraling up his arm like living lightning. Time seemed to stop completely as understanding flooded through him.
When their focus transcends fear, when protecting someone becomes their entire world...
The golden sparks did not discriminate in choosing their vessel. They simply recognized the moment when a hunter reached that perfect threshold—that rare instance when intention, action, and power aligned without hesitation.
When they strike with perfect synchrony between body and Essentia...
Xavier's perception expanded exponentially. He could see the individual ice crystals forming the beast's body, could count the milliseconds between its heartbeats. His understanding of Essentia deepened in that frozen instant, grasping concepts that had seemed impenetrable just moments before.
The golden spark awakens.
Space itself warped around his blade as he channeled his power through it, creating a localized distortion that bent reality to his will.
Silence. And then…
"CRITICA!"