He scooped a basin of clear water from a stone jar in the corner. The water rippled gently, reflecting his somewhat tired yet calm face.

  Draven squatted down and carefully cleaned the marks on their bodies. Water slid down their skin, washing away the sweat, but it couldn't completely dilute the marks left by last night.

  His movements were gentle, as if afraid of hurting them, and also as if trying to make amends for the side of himself that had lost control.

  After finishing the cleaning, he pulled out Viola's clothes and helped them change into simple garments. He hadn't prepared many women's clothes, so they had to make do for now.

  The animal skin on the bed was soaked with sweat, so he found a snake skin and replaced the wet blanket. The cold and slippery snake skin instantly cooled the entire bed, and in turn slightly reduced the heat in the air.

  He gently opened the door, and just as he stepped out, he bumped into Titus standing guard.

  Titus's eyes were filled with deep reverence and an indescribable envy. His small eyes shone as if witnessing a miracle.

  "You heard all that?" Draven frowned and gave Titus a kick on the rear, sending him off to guard the village entrance."Don't just stand here dumbly. Go watch the village gate."

  He wondered how much Titus had heard. Spitting on the ground, he felt a mix of annoyance and helplessness.

  Returning to the room, he bent down and lifted the still-dazed Liliana with extreme gentleness.

  Tears hadn't yet dried on Liliana's face, her eyes swollen as if stung by bees, murmuring in pain. His heart clenched sharply, like being pricked by a needle.

  He kissed her gently on the forehead, offering a small measure of tender comfort. Liliana seemed to sense something and relaxed her furrowed brow slightly.

  Then he carried Martha to the small bed next door. She clutched the hem of her clothes tightly.

  From his storage ring, Draven pulled out a horn— Bronan's bull horn."This was a gift I specially prepared for you."

  Martha was startled, carefully taking the copper horn. Her eyes reddened instantly, tears quickly soaking her thick lashes."Draven, I'm happy."

  Draven was momentarily stunned, then smiled and pulled her into his arms, kissing her eyes softly."Thank you, Martha, my good woman."

  After settling Martha, he returned to the stone house. Sylvia hadn't been carried out— not because he favored others, but because the bed was already full enough. More importantly, he knew some things had to be said clearly with Sylvia.

  By the bed, Sylvia leaned on Viola's shoulder. They were covered with a thin blanket, but their exposed skin was marked with bruises and purples, shocking to see.

  Sylvia pursed her lips slightly, her eyes showing a mix of joy and fear— afraid yet unable to hide a sense of pride.

  Draven felt as if his heart had been set ablaze, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curling into a grin. He climbed onto the bed and stayed beside them, unwilling to leave, like a mischievous man who had gotten a taste of sweetness.

  Viola softly comforted Sylvia, whispering intimate words. Seeing Draven's smug expression, she shot him a glance and scolded,"You have no sense of boundaries at all. Look at what you've done to her."

  Sylvia's face flushed hotly, lowering her head in silence, but she secretly stole a glance at him, eyes full of shyness. Draven thought that look could melt his heart.

  Grinning broadly, he nestled between them and pulled both into his arms. Viola seemed used to it and shifted to lean comfortably against him. Sylvia, however, was still stiff.

  Draven chuckled softly, lifted Sylvia's chin with his hand, and looked into her eyes. She instinctively tried to avoid his gaze, but his hand held her firmly in place.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Then came a deep kiss— gentle yet possessive.

  Sylvia struggled a bit, weakly punching his chest. When she almost couldn't breathe, she gently pushed him away, lips moist, eyes shimmering with tears.

  Draven laughed heartily and turned to tease Viola again. Viola couldn't stand his naughty hands, firmly holding him down, cheeks flushed, begging him to stop. The playful tussling lightened the mood in the room.

  Sylvia rested in Draven's arms, feeling an unprecedented sense of peace and relaxation. She knew many things could never be undone, but she did not regret.

  For the first time, Draven truly understood what it meant to have one on each arm— feeling so happy he was nearly floating. But he had not forgotten the serious matter at hand.

  He suddenly remembered the strange state from last night. That feeling was like his entire being was swallowed by some force, his body uncontrollable, consciousness hazy, as if he had become another person.

  His face darkened slightly as he spoke in a low voice:

  "Sylvia, you saw me like that last night. Do you know what happened? That was something beyond my control." His tone was soft but serious, trying to describe the state he had been in.

  When she said this, Sylvia gave Draven a sharp glare, her eyes filled with a mix of grievance and reproach."Do you know you almost killed me just now?"

  She muttered unhappily, her little face flushed bright red, like a girl who's been bullied but doesn't dare to really get angry.

  "I didn't mean to..." Draven defended himself quietly.

  At this moment, Viola spoke softly from the side, her tone still carrying a hint of lingering fear:"Really, Draven, you were like a completely different person then. Your eyes were so terrifying, like you wanted to swallow us whole."

  She turned her head aside, unwilling to recall that scene any further.

  Draven's expression darkened as he listened. Of course, he remembered that moment when he completely lost control, as if swallowed by an overwhelming force. For a while, he didn't even recognize himself— as if another beast had taken residence inside his body.

  Sylvia turned to face him. Her movements were still a bit slow, clearly her body hadn't fully recovered yet.

  "Don't move too violently." Draven instinctively steadied her.

  Sylvia hummed softly and reached out her hand to press against his forehead. Her palm was still somewhat cold and weak, but she checked his internal state with utmost seriousness.

  "What's wrong?" Draven frowned, feeling his heart tighten. More than anyone, he knew they had to figure this out— otherwise, if something like this happened again, no one could bear it.

  Sylvia pondered for a moment, then slowly said,"That rampaging power has completely disappeared."

  She paused, then added,"And feel for yourself— your strength now is much greater than before, isn't it?"

  Draven was stunned. He closed his eyes and focused on the flow of energy inside him. Sure enough, he sensed his power was far more abundant than before— that sense of explosive force and weight was almost undeniable.

  "Indeed, I only broke through not long ago, but now my power seems to have jumped several levels at once," Draven frowned, hardly daring to believe it.

  Sylvia's expression also grew serious."Draven, think carefully. Have you come into contact with anything strange? Or been influenced by something?"

  Draven lowered his head in thought. His brow furrowed deeply as he quickly recalled everything that had happened recently.

  Suddenly, a scene flashed before him— in the forest, when he lost control and let the succubus Valeria take great advantage of him.

  Valeria had even left licking her lips!

  Draven slapped his thigh, as if he had finally connected all the dots. He hurriedly jumped off the bed.

  He pulled out the blood-red spear from his storage ring, gripping the shaft tightly, as if holding onto some answer.

  "Sylvia! Take a look at this weapon!" he said, raising the spear mid-air."It can absorb power from enemies and return it to me. Yesterday, I killed over a dozen enemies, including two leader-level ones!"

  He quickly recounted the battle, especially emphasizing that he fought the succubus leader to save her.

  At that, a flicker of light appeared in Sylvia's eyes, but she quickly restrained her emotions and focused on the spear before her.

  "Let me see." She reached out her hand, but lacked the strength to fully grasp it, only lightly touching the spear tip with a finger.

  A faint glow flowed from her fingertip like pure water climbing slowly up the spear.

  Sylvia closed her eyes and concentrated her senses. Her brows knitted, and her breathing grew shallow, as if enduring some discomfort.

  After several seconds, she suddenly opened her eyes wide, her face pale, sweat beading on her forehead.

  "Draven! This isn't an ordinary bloodline weapon!"

  She said this while placing her palm over her heart, as if calming the pounding inside.

  Her voice trembled slightly:"What I just saw was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and an extremely ancient, wildly violent aura— like some ancient being awakening from slumber."

  Viola, startled by Sylvia's condition, quickly hugged her and gently patted her back to comfort her. Draven carefully put away the spear and leaned in to assist with the examination.

  Sylvia leaned against Viola's soft embrace, her little face resting on Viola's chest, clearly shy, slightly struggling but eventually settling in.

  After a short rest, she calmed down somewhat and said quietly,"Draven, you'd better not use this weapon again."

  Her tone was extremely serious:"It has already left something inside your body. Even if you can't feel it now, it's slowly spreading."

  At this point, Sylvia suddenly stopped. Her expression looked as if something was choking her, her eyes filled with more fear and confusion.

  "That lingering power— it should still be inside your body."