Chapter 4

Sophia's POV

I jolted awake and saw a beast-headed human body.

His entire body was covered in thick white mane, extending from the top of his head down to his neck, and below that was a naked human torso.

His body was covered in shocking scars, dark red blood flowing from his chest, gleaming with an eerie black-purple sheen under the moonlight.

The blood was mixed with thick black mist that writhed around his wounds like a living thing, slowly eating away at his body bit by bit.

I could feel his body temperature draining rapidly. With injuries like these, if left untreated, he would die.

I'd never seen this kind of creature at The Magic Academy.

I didn't want to get involved. Tonight had been awful enough already.

Publicly humiliated by George, that carefully cultivated Moonlight Grass torn to shreds, my heart ground into powder.

I couldn't even take care of myself, how could I have the energy to deal with a dying stranger beast-man?

But the moment I moved, the black stone I'd worn around my neck since I could remember suddenly burned intensely hot.

I gasped.

That stone had always been ice-cold, never showing any temperature change, but now it was hot as an iron bar just pulled from a fire.

Something even stranger happened.

The stone began to glow, silver-white threads spreading out, tightly binding me and him together, pulling tighter and tighter.

"No—!"

In my panic I turned my head away, my lips brushing against his furry cheek, the touch warm and soft.

My brain went blank for a moment.

His breath sprayed against my ear, hot and rapid.

I froze in his arms, my heart pounding so fast it felt like it would jump out of my throat.

Those silver-white threads still wound between us, showing no sign of loosening.

I tried pulling at them, but the threads didn't budge.

The message was clear—I couldn't leave unless I healed him.

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, and pulled out the small cloth bag containing the Moonlight Grass from my pocket. The dried petals still gave off a faint glow. Though not as full of spiritual power as fresh ones, they should be enough to stabilize his condition.

I placed the petals in my palm, closed my eyes, summoned what little magic I had, and whispered the healing spell.

The Moonlight Grass petals turned into scattered fluorescent light in my palm, flowing with my magic into the wound on his chest.

The black mist struggled violently, twisting madly like a burning venomous snake.

My magic fought against that dark magic, and slowly, the black mist began to dissipate.

Just then, something strange happened.

The mane on his body began to fade, revealing pale skin underneath. In just a few breaths, the beast-headed human creature disappeared.

In his place was a snow-white lion.

He lay across my lap, his massive body curled up, snow-white mane cascading down like moonlight.

Most shocking was his forehead—three distinct diamond-shaped marks glowing faintly gold in the moonlight.

Tri-Diamond Snow Lion.

An ancient divine beast, said to be as precious as a unicorn, rarely seen once in a thousand years.

How could he appear in the forbidden zone?

Before I could think, his body began convulsing violently again, black magical mist flowing over him as the remaining dark magic made its final desperate struggle.

He let out a low whimper, as if enduring tremendous pain, his whole body spasming.

I quickly pressed down hard on the black mist, my palm against the wound on his chest.

The moment my palm touched him, the sensation changed.

Not soft mane, but smooth, warm skin.

I looked down and froze completely. He had transformed into an extremely handsome man.

He lay across my lap, snow-white long hair scattered on the ground, merging with the moonlight.

His features looked like they'd been carefully carved by the finest sculptor—high, sharp brow bones, a nose bridge as straight as a mountain range, thin lips slightly pressed together.

His skin was white as the finest jade, yet didn't look weak. Below were broad shoulders, a solid chest, clearly defined abs.

My palm rested on his chest muscle, and I could clearly feel his strong heartbeat.

I was stunned, my face burning up instantly.

I jerked my hand back, my whole body shrinking backward, clumsily moving away from him.

I used magic to remove my cloak, shook it open, and covered him with it, hiding those parts that made my mind wander.

Then I knelt back beside him and continued treating him.

The Moonlight Grass petals were used up, my magic nearly depleted, but the black mist wrapped around him hadn't completely dissipated.

I gritted my teeth, summoned the last bit of my magic, placed my palm back over the scar on his chest, and silver-white light shone again.

His body jerked violently, a low groan escaping his throat.

The black mist made its final desperate struggle, surging madly across his body, trying to consume my magic.

But I didn't let go. Finally, the last of the black mist dissipated under my magic.

His breathing steadied.

Then he moved.

Those dark gold vertical pupils slowly opened. His gaze was confused for a moment, then slowly focused, landing on my face.

Before I could speak, he pressed his face against my palm and rubbed gently, like a tamed wild beast acting cute with its master.

Soft skin rubbing against my palm, carrying warm body heat and that intoxicating scent.

My heart skipped a beat.

That touch was too gentle, so gentle it made my eyes sting.

Just moments ago, George had looked at me with the coldest eyes, his friends mocking me with the cruelest words, the heart I'd offered trampled and crushed underfoot.

And now, this stranger's casual gesture somehow strangely soothed those still-bleeding wounds.

He was ten thousand times better looking than George. His body was ridiculously perfect too. Even covered by the cloak, those smooth muscle lines were still faintly visible.

And his scent—crisp and clean, carrying a warmth that made you want to get closer.

Without realizing it, I lowered my head, moving closer.

I could see the curve of his lashes clearly, count the fine golden patterns in his pupils, feel his breath brushing my lips, warm and shallow.

His lips were less than a fist's distance from mine.

Just a little lower and they would touch.

The second before my reason completely snapped, I jolted awake.

What was I doing?! I almost kissed a stranger!

I jerked my head up, my whole body springing back like I'd been burned, stumbling to my feet and running away.

No footsteps followed behind me.

I didn't look back, stumbling all the way to kneel by the lake, scooping up icy lake water with both hands and splashing it hard on my face.

The bone-chilling cold seeped through my skin, finally suppressing that inexplicable heat in my body.

I gasped for air, looking at my reflection in the water—disheveled hair, flushed cheeks.

I told myself to get a grip, took a deep breath, wiped the water from my face with my sleeve, and stood up.

I should leave this place, go back to the dorm, treat everything that happened tonight as a nightmare.

But after two steps, I stopped again.

That man still lay there, motionless, like something abandoned and forgotten by the whole world.

Just like me.

I stood two steps away, looking at him, my throat blocked by something, unable to make a sound or take another step.

I remembered the feeling of his cheek rubbing against my palm, that almost reverent gentleness that didn't seem fake.

How could a dying creature have the mind to pretend anything?

I bit my lip, cursed myself a hundred times in my head, then turned and walked back.

Kneeling before him, I reached out, wanting to check if he had any other hidden injuries.

Before my fingertips touched his shoulder, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.

The next second, the world spun.

I was flipped over by a tremendous force, my back hitting the soft ground hard.

By the time I realized what happened, he was already above me, hands braced on either side of my head, locking me in the small space beneath him.

Snow-white long hair fell from his shoulders, tangling with mine.

Those dark gold vertical pupils were right in front of me, reflecting my panicked face in their pupils.

My brain went completely blank.

"You—"

He lowered his head and kissed me, cutting off my unfinished words.

I froze completely, my brain crashing entirely.

His lips moved over mine. My breathing became completely chaotic, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.

I unconsciously grabbed his shoulders, nails digging into his skin, unable to tell if I was pushing away or clinging on.

I don't know how long passed before he finally released me.

The moment our lips separated, I gasped for air, face burning, eyes reddening, my lips still carrying the warmth of his.

He lowered his head, forehead against my forehead, nose tip to nose tip, our breaths mingling together.

He closed his eyes, lashes trembling slightly, and spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Finally found you."