CHAPTER 222: MY HOME

The last line faded into the starlit sky.

The arm that had been wrapped around Shiao Yi’s back tightened, drawing him closer.

Shiao Yi looked up at Dominic’s face.

"My home," Dominic whispered.

He leaned in, his voice low and rough.

"I have found my home."

Shiao Yi lifted his hand and wrapped it around the back of Dominic’s neck.

Then their lips met. It’s just a soft kiss at first, but then it’s deepened into a kiss that stole his breath away.

Their bodies shifted and lowered, the world narrowing to the warmth of skin and the scent of earth.

The weight of Dominic pressed gently over him as they fell together onto the blanket.

"W–wait, Dominic? Dominic!" Shiao Yi gasped, his voice half panic, half laughter—but Dominic didn’t stop.

In the wide silent wilderness, the only witnesses to their closeness were the countless stars scattered across the night sky... or at least, that’s what Shiao Yi liked to believe.

...

Relying on rumors about some ancient ruins, Shiao Yi and Dominic had been traveling through the wasteland for several days.

It was a barren land of dry earth and rough, weathered rock formations.

Only patches of tough grass and a few thin crooked trees broke the monotony.

Still, compared to the endless desert he had once crossed, this place felt far more alive.

The insects and snakes peeked out at the sound of his horse, Marengo’s, hooves, while the shadows of birds passed over the empty sky above.

In such a land, large monsters rarely appeared, there simply wasn’t enough prey to sustain them.

Even nomads didn’t venture this far and they hadn’t seen a single person for days.

They would likely reach the ruins tomorrow.

Dominic had already used magic to scan the wide surroundings, but he couldn’t sense any trace of the shadowy magic energy known as miasma.

Still, he couldn’t ignore even the faintest fragment, such places were often laced with traps.

Perhaps the ruins had once been a fortress, or maybe a church. Someone—or something—had taken the protective magic circles and sacred inscriptions meant to guard humankind and twisted them, seeding them across the world with traps hidden inside.

Whoever was behind it had been both patient and cunning.

What a troublesome thing to deal with.

Still, Dominic couldn’t deny that because of all this, he was able to take this quiet journey with Shiao Yi, just the two of them.

He tightened his arms slightly around Shiao Yi’s waist, feeling the warmth of the man sitting in front of him on the saddle.

"What is it?"

Shiao Yi tilted his head back to look up at him, his dark eyes catching the sunlight.

Dominic leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"I love you, Shiao Yi."

"Wha—! It’s the middle of the day!"

"There’s no one around."

Dominic smiled.

Shiao Yi’s face immediately turned red and he looked adorably flustered.

This mission was starting to feel more like a honeymoon than official work.

Shiao Yi had insisted he wanted to learn how to ride on his own, but Dominic had no intention of teaching him.

He wasn’t going to give up the bliss of holding Shiao Yi close in his arms like this and feeling his body move with each step of the horse.

Then—tweeep!

A sharp silly sound broke the quiet.

The light flickered from Shiao Yi’s chest pocket.

"That’s probably Aaron," Dominic said.

Shiao Yi reached into his pocket and pulled out a communication device. It was a thin rectangular metal plate embedded with magic stone that currently glowing with a soft yellow color.

"Shiao Yi, how are you? I thought you’d be reaching the ruins around now..."

"Too noisy," Dominic muttered.

He leaned over Shiao Yi’s shoulder, pressed a key on the communication device and ended the call.

"Ah—how cruel..."

Click.

The line went dead.

"Ah, it got cut off. It’ll take another whole day before I can reconnect," Shiao Yi sighed.

It was just a prototype, so the magic efficiency wasn’t very good.

For some reason, the device couldn’t handle continuous communication.

Once connected, no matter how short or long the call was, it required a full day before it could be used again.

It was a major issue that still needed to be solved.

Not that Dominic minded.

Avoiding the loud and talkative Aaron for a day or two, or even three sounded like a blessing to him.

As the sun began to set, the light turned the rocky cliffs red.

This region stayed dry and clear almost all year round, with little rain even during winter.

Soon, the nights would start to grow cold, but for now, after the heat of summer had faded, the air was comfortably warm.

They chose a spot in the shadow of a rocky hill for their camp.

Together, Dominic and Shiao Yi tended to Marengo, brushing his coat and giving him water in thanks for his hard work that day.

They gathered dry grass and fallen branches along the way, built a small fire, and boiled water for herbal tea.

Sitting together before the flames, they ate a simple dinner of hard bread and dried meat.

It was plain and tasteless fare—but somehow, with Shiao Yi beside him, Dominic found it delicious.

He caught himself wishing they could keep traveling like this forever—just the two of them, wandering from one quiet horizon to another.

Shiao Yi stretched out on the blanket they had laid beside the fire.

The days of riding over rough uneven ground had worn him out.

Dominic knew Shiao Yi was strong and disciplined, he never complained, no matter how difficult things became.

Still, Dominic secretly wished that Shiao Yi would allow himself to relax more, to lean on him, even just a little.

Sometimes, Shiao Yi unconsciously treated Dominic as his superior.

Dominic didn’t like that.

He didn’t want the invisible wall of rank between them.

Their bond wasn’t supposed to be distant or formal, Shiao Yi was his lover, his only one.