CHAPTER 204: THE VINES

"I feel like something’s watching us," Shiao Yi muttered uneasily. "This place makes me nervous. Let’s hurry up and get out of here."

"I agree," Dominic said quietly. "These are demon world trees. We can’t let our guard down."

He was probably thinking about that blue violet vine like magical beast they had seen in the ancient magic circle at Dalmasca.

Even so, his tone was oddly calm, as if the danger didn’t bother him much.

Shiao Yi realized that he, too, didn’t feel as tense as he should.

Maybe the longer he stayed in the demon world, the more the poisonous air here affected him.

He felt strangely light-headed almost cheerful.

It was like being drunk or high; if he started laughing now, he might not be able to stop.

Of course, he wasn’t under any drug’s influence.

Maybe there was something in the air down here that caused it... or maybe the strange pressure of this underground world was affecting his body without him realizing it.

Then, suddenly, something green flashed across his vision.

"What—?" he blinking his eyes and gasped.

In that instant, a thick vine had coiled tightly around Dominic’s torso, lifting him off the ground.

It moved like a living creature, twisting and tightening like the tentacle of some animal.

Dominic immediately drew the sword at his waist and swung to cut the vine, but more of them lashed out, wrapping around his arms and wrists before he could strike.

With a flurry of movement, several more vines struck all at once, coiling around his legs and shoulders until he was completely bound and suspended in midair unable to move.

Shiao Yi didn’t even have time to be shocked before the same thing happened to him.

The vines wrapped around his body, yanking him upside down and hanging him in front of Dominic in a ridiculous acrobatic pose, his legs awkwardly spread apart.

The pressure around his chest made it hard to breathe.

So that’s it, he realized.

These plants must have stopped doing photosynthesis.

They catch prey like this to absorb their magical energy instead.

Even though he was dangling helplessly Shiao Yi couldn’t help feeling a strange sense of satisfaction.

At least one of his questions about this bizarre world had just been answered.

The air of the demon world was thick with magical energy, Dominic had said that himself.

Instead of relying on light for nourishment, perhaps these plants absorbed the magic that was floating through the atmosphere.

That would make sense, Shiao Yi thought, he nodding to himself in grim fascination.

While he was busy making sense of the mystery, things had taken a serious turn for Dominic.

He was struggling to break free, he tried to pull the vines with all his strength and kicking against the vines, but the tentacle-like branches only coiled tighter, wrapping around his arms and legs until he could barely move.

Some of the vines slithered under his collar and ripped through the fabric of his uniform with frightening ease.

The sound of tearing cloth filled the air.

That material was supposed to be thick and durable, the fact that the vines could shred it so easily showed how powerful they were.

Looking at Dominic that was hanging upside down, Shiao Yi could only watch this scene helplessly.

Dominic’s sword had been knocked from his grasp and even his belt was torn away.

His clothes were shredded, leaving him nearly exposed while his body bound and suspended in midair.

Shiao Yi’s face burned as he realized how vulnerable Dominic looked, the sight in front of him both shocking and strangely unreal.

He himself was in almost the same condition, he was trapped and dangling in the midair by the vines unable to move.

However, his mind that was numbed by whatever strange vapors filled the air couldn’t even panic properly.

His thoughts drifted in slow motion, his focus stuck on Dominic’s desperate struggle rather than his own.

Was this what the trees wanted? To strip away the outer layers and drain energy directly from the flesh?

There was something in the air that dulled his fear and clouded his mind.

He knew this was dangerous, but his body refused to react with the urgency it should.

Across from him, Dominic looked dazed too as if the same strange haze had taken hold of him.

The vines seemed to sense which of them was the stronger source of power.

They focused more on Dominic, tightening and pulsing around him, their surface gleaming faintly as if feeding on his magic.

They slid across his chest and arms, probing as though to draw energy straight from his skin.

Shiao Yi’s heart pounded in his throat.

The strange, living forest was feeding not on blood or flesh, but on magic itself and Dominic was the main course.

Dominic’s expression shifted from confusion to strain as the strange vines tightened around him.

His breathing grew heavy and a faint flush spread across his skin where the tendrils touched.

It wasn’t lust, not really and it’s more like a forced reaction to the stimulation running through his body.

The vines probably had no intention beyond feeding; they were plants, after all, driven only by instinct.

They seemed to be drawing in the magic that surrounded Dominic’s body, the same energy he had used to shield himself from the miasma of the demon world.

Each tendril trembled as it absorbed the power, sliding and curling against his skin in a slow, methodical rhythm.

The contact made Dominic’s body jerk involuntarily, his muscles tightening as he struggled not to react.

To Shiao Yi who is watching this scene helplessly, the scene was unbearably intense.

The vines themselves had no emotion, but what they were doing and how Dominic looked under their hold was almost too much to take in.

His companion’s body that was usually so composed and commanding, now looked fragile and exposed, every motion caught between resistance and surrender.

More vines coiled upward, lifting Dominic’s legs and spreading them apart so they could reach every trace of energy in his body.