CHAPTER 236: YOU... ARE CROSSING A LINE.

"Come in," said Elion, pushing the door open with a slight movement of his wrist. The doorknob didn’t even need to be turned—the magic embedded in the structure seemed to recognize his presence, opening the passage with a soft, almost conspiratorial whisper.

Kael hesitated for a brief second before crossing the threshold. What he saw left him... stunned.

The room was spacious, much more so than the motel’s discreet facade suggested. The walls were made of polished stone, but warmed by beams of magical light that wound like enchanted vines, emitting a soft, amber glow. Carpets floated lightly above the floor, as if they had been enchanted to keep dust from accumulating. The air had a sweet, almost intoxicating scent—a mixture of rose petals, mint leaves, and something deeper, like melted amber and ancient relics.

But what really made an impact was the... bed.

"Is... is that a heart-shaped bed?" Kael asked, stopping immediately in the middle of the room, his eyes wide. "And—what’s that on the ceiling?!"

He looked up and let out a choked gasp. Above the bed, a perfectly polished crystal mirror occupied almost the entire length of the ceiling. The edges were encrusted with braided silver threads that glistened with magical preservation runes — nothing there was accidental. It had been made to last. To impress. And, above all... for purposes that were far from innocent.

Elion walked past him, indifferent to her son’s shock, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"The room adapts to the mental state of its guests," she said with feigned sweetness. "Apparently, your subconscious has a peculiar sense of humor."

"My subconscious?! Mine?!" Kael took a step back, pointing at the bed. "Do you really think I imagined... this?!"

"I don’t know," she replied, feigning innocence. "But someone here clearly needs to work on their repressed impulses."

He snorted, unsure if he was more annoyed by the implication or the fact that she might be partially right. He tried to ignore the bed and focused on another detail: curtains made of translucent fabric floated lightly in the corner, even though there were no windows. A magical illusion seemed to simulate the sunset outside, a golden twilight hue that would never completely darken. There was a fireplace burning without wood—fueled by fairy fire—that exuded constant, comforting warmth. Next to the fireplace, a bookcase floated slightly above the floor, with books whose titles rearranged themselves according to the visual attention of whoever looked at them.

"This all seems... wrong," Kael muttered, still analyzing the environment.

"Wrong is stinking of ancient blood and dusty old libraries," Elion retorted, already removing her cloak from her shoulders. She threw it on an enchanted chair that automatically adjusted to her weight. "Go take a bath. The steam is infused with restorative essences. It rejuvenates the skin, mind, and mood."

"You sound like a salesman for magic tonic..."

"I’m a tired mother with a son armed to the teeth and covered in unstable magic. I want peace. And a hot bath will make you more tolerable. Go on."

Kael hesitated for another moment, then walked past her toward the bathroom door, which opened on its own. Steam was already escaping from the edges like a living creature—aromatic, dense, and comforting.

"Is there at least one mirror in the bathroom without a gold frame in the shape of a seductive snake?" he asked as he entered.

"I can’t promise anything," Elion replied, sitting on the edge of the heart-shaped bed, now lying on her side, observing the decor as if evaluating a spectacle. The mattress sank with suspicious comfort, almost too welcoming. "But at least you’ll come out of there smelling less like forbidden grimoires and more like civilization."

Kael closed the door behind him, but his voice still came muffled from inside. "If I come out and there are scented candles floating in the bathtub, I’m leaving."

Elion smiled broadly, now alone in the room. The bed pulsed slightly beneath her—ancient enchantments that reacted to touch, intention, moods. And as much as the place had been a "coincidence," she knew very well that certain spells never chose a form by chance.

"Great start," she muttered to herself, crossing her arms behind her head and staring at the mirror on the ceiling with a serene air. "Much better than the library."

...

Steam escaped gently from the edges of the door as Kael entered, the dense, welcoming air enveloping him like a warm mist. He paused for a moment, assessing his surroundings. Light-colored tiles perfectly aligned covered the floor and walls, and the bathroom’s structure revealed an unmistakable aesthetic: elegant minimalism, clean lines, and a large bathtub in the back. A Japanese bathroom—complete, traditional, and strangely inviting.

"Of course..." Kael muttered, dragging out the words with resigned weariness. "That’s all I needed."

Next to the bathtub was the classic wooden stool and a low mirror. Aromatic soaps and small bowls with magical liquids for purification were lined up with almost ceremonial precision. He sighed, took off his travel clothes, sat down on the stool, picked up one of the small bowls of heated water, and poured it over his shoulders.

The feeling was... too good. As if the heat not only cleansed the skin, but also the soul.

Kael began to wash himself in silence, his movements automatic and careful, as if he respected the environment — or perhaps he just knew that it was useless to fight against the magic of the place.

His thoughts began to wander, inevitably.

"The problem with the elves... partially solved," he muttered, lathering his arms. "But I can’t ignore what’s still to come. That grimoire... Sylphie’s uncle... even my own crazy mother. None of that is over."

He poured more water over his head, letting it run down slowly.

"But if I want to survive all this, if I want to be ready when it happens... I’ll need more. More strength. More souls."

The echo of his own words bothered him a little. Absorbing souls. It sounded cruel, but to him, it was natural—almost inevitable. Each soul, another spark of power, of knowledge, of memory.

"I need to start close by," he thought aloud. "See how Sylphie, Irelia, and Amelia are doing..."

His face took on an indecipherable expression. The three girls, who had become adults in the blink of an eye due to a spell that had gotten out of control, now had the bodies of warriors and eyes that carried much more than just youth. And he... well, he no longer knew how to act around them. They were no longer children. Nor were they mere allies.

"Are they okay?" he wondered, splashing water on his neck. "Sylphie has always been the most impulsive... Amelia must be hiding something... and Irelia..."

He stopped. Irelia. She had looked at him the last time as if she knew something he didn’t—or didn’t want to—understand.

Kael let out a long sigh, resting his arms on his legs and staring at the floor for a while.

"This life after reincarnation has turned into complete chaos," he said in a low voice, almost as if talking to himself and his own soul.

He closed his eyes. The sound of running water in the background, the heat enveloping him, the scent of magical herbs relaxing his muscles. For a moment, he let the weight of the world wash away with the soap suds.

Kael closed his eyes, trying to prolong that rare moment of peace. The water ran off his shoulders as if washing away not only the dirt, but the tensions of the last few days. The heat, the silence, the steam... everything seemed to conspire to leave him in a brief state of tranquility.

Then he heard it.

Creeeek.

The door creaked softly, the sound too slow to be an accident.

Kael didn’t even turn around.

He let out a long sigh, tired of being surprised by life. "You’re not going to do that, are you?" he muttered, his voice tired from someone who already knew the cliché well. "Of course you are..."

Silence for a second.

Then, warm arms wrapped around him from behind. A firm touch, familiar. Familiar.

Kael stood still, his body tense.

"You’re evil..." Elion whispered in his ear, her voice low, like a spell being cast. "You played dirty with me."

He felt what was coming before it even happened: the soft bite on the side of his ear, a calculated provocation. Her hot breath ran down his skin.

"I know what you did to your grandmother," she whispered, as if confessing an ancient secret. There was sweet poison in those words, something between a threat and a memory.

Kael swallowed hard, not answering. He still didn’t turn around. He still didn’t look.

Her presence was undeniable. The heat, the smell of ancient magic mixed with steam. The close contact, too intimate. Too tense.

"Mother," he said finally, in a low voice. "You... are crossing a line."

She laughed, a muffled sound that vibrated in the air like unstable magic. "Kael, dear... I drew that line."

He clenched his fists, not violently, but with the strength of someone trying to maintain his center. "Mom..."

"What?" she whispered, bringing her lips even closer to his skin. "You’ve already dived into this. You... you crossed a line when you did that to my mother, my son."

Finally, he turned—slowly, his gaze serious, steady. The heat still present, but now facing the storm contained in the depths of his eyes.

She stopped. The playful smile grew even wider... "As far as I know... you only didn’t eat my mother’s pussy because you wanted to lose your virginity to me..." Elion whispered.