New Skill Unlocked

"Fight back!" Fenrir roared. He kept throwing the spells at Hyeon. How was he supposed to defend himself against a freaking wolf god? In the past, his phoenix always took over his body when he was in danger. It knew what to do, but right now, he was just normal Hyeon!

The balls were getting bigger and faster. The only thing he could do was dodge, duck, and jump out of their paths.

One orb was aimed at his ankles. Using his bo-staff reflexes, Hyeon did a front flip and landed awkwardly on his foot. A snap of a bone made him wince. Because of the weird landing, he slid on the grass and fell on his butt.

Another golden ball flew at his face again, but he couldn't move quickly because of the injury. Although he could heal quickly, a broken bone can't heal in seconds. Hyeon raised his arm to shield himself.

*STOP!*

The incoming pain never came. He slowly lowered his hand. The orb that was supposed to strike him had stopped in front of his palm. He held it in his hand as if he was the one who conjured it. The bumblebee-yellow sphere swirled like the inside of a lava lamp. Hyeon hadn't noticed before, but there were shimmering sparkles floating in the center. It was unexpected because Fenrir was known as the villain in Norse mythology, yet could create something like this.

*Pretty.*

Fenrir kneeled down in front of Hyeon. The glow in his eyes and mouth were gone. The Gleipnir was slowly disappearing, too. He cupped Hyeon's hand to inspect the glowing ball casually resting in his palm.

"Does it hurt?" he asked curiously.

"It doesn't, but how is this possible?

"I suppose it's because my power is a fire element. You're a phoenix, so perhaps you can manipulate other's abilities if they derive from fire." He smiled a little. "Remind me to never make you my foe."

Hyeon gestured to the many holes that peppered his pants. The burn blisters hurt like hell. "Except I got burned until the end. How could I catch this one but not the others?"

Fenrir put his hands around the ball and made it smaller until nothing remained. He then poked Hyeon's forehead. "You think too much in here. Trust your instincts more often. We're animals, after all."

The touch made him blush. Their faces were close enough that they could—

In the distance, a siren dolphin-jumped from the water. The sight made Hyeon remember his deer friend. "By the way, why are Haruma and Shika being punished?"

Fenrir stood up and brushed the loose grass from his trousers. "They failed to watch and protect you. The two spirits I trusted the most neglected their task." He offered a hand to the wounded dýr.

"It wasn't their fault for what happened, though," Hyeon argued as he accepted the gesture. His ankle was swollen.

"As I said, they need to remember their place and not get carried away by the joys of men." Fenrir's tone warned from the backtalk.

"At least they could come with me, unlike someone I know," Hyeon muttered.

This pissed off the wolf. He stormed up to Hyeon and towered over him in anger. Hyeon didn't flinch; he was used to this testy behavior. The two had a stare down. Neither wanted to look away first. It would show who was weaker.

"It seems there's another servant who needs to remember their place."

"Where?" he challenged. "Under you?"

*What did I just say?!*

Fenrir roughly grabbed the back of Hyeon's light hair to force his face upward. Their lips were millimeters apart. Ear-deafening thunder clapped above. The sky became darker.

"Since you suggested it yourself, then yes. That's exactly where you belong."

A sudden burst filled Hyeon's chest. It was aggressive and almost...hostile? The feeling was definitely uncharacteristic of him. Just a month prior, he'd be a timid lamb in the presence of a wolf. All the worries he had just now—Shika, Haruma, the basement, his newfound skill—were forgotten.

Hyeon smirked with malicious defiance. "Then show me, Master."

*Since when was I like this? Who is this person talking?* The phoenix was still absent, so it had to be himself, right?

Fenrir clicked his tongue. "This is why I didn't want your first soul to be so wicked. This is the result of your senior's carelessness. It'll only get worse if you continue to absorb similar souls."

"I have a hunch that you don't mind."

The statement confused the deity. "What makes you think that?"

"Because," Hyeon teased and rubbed Fenrir's bulging crotch. "My instincts tell me you're hard."