The Taste of Seduction

"Nnngh…"

Austin walked endlessly. As he was staggering and weak with how the war raged on, he found himself on the outskirts of a place that was no longer recognizable. The sounds of the war slowly died out, only his footsteps and the crackling flame of the village fire heard.

He didn\'t know why, but despite being hurt from the countless and relentless fights, he remembered the love of his life, Gwen.

His brows creased and his heart felt a pang of pain when he remembered that he was not chosen, but another man instead.

Luscious.

Austin stopped walking for a moment. With his jaw clenching and with his hands on the sides turning into a tight fist, he couldn\'t help but feel jealousy and hatred.

Since the war had begun, they had already gone on their separate ways but he couldn\'t help but wonder how she is doing—never daring to ask and go near her because he got his heart broken.

He was really forlorn and in pain when he found out that Gwen had chosen Luscious over him and up to this day, he carried it heavily in his heart. He loved her with every fiber of his being, but it seemed that it was not enough.

"Ugh… goodness…"

A familiar voice was heard, making his body stiffen with shock. The moment the body emerged from a pile of rubble, he almost stumbled aback, surprised with what he saw.

Even as the war raged on and on, Austin found Gwen\'s weak and feeble body lying in the midst of the chaos. He was tired and injured from the battle, but he somehow had the energy to walk around and coincidentally find her.

It\'s as if the whole place read his mind and granted him the opportunity to meet and see Gwen!

"…No…"

The woman looked at her abdomen. It was cut and blood oozed from it, surprising Austin even more as he saw that she was badly hurt. Seeing her after not being able to do so for so long, gave him mixed feelings.

He wanted to lash out on her for choosing another man when he had always been there for her… and he wanted to help her at the same time because he loves her until now.

Noticing that there is someone near her, Gwen with all her strength, decided to look up. The moment their eyes met, she gave her a faint smile, talking to him with such a weak voice.

"Au-Austin…" she stammered, her breaths becoming heavy as she grew more weaker by the second. "I know you\'ll… help me…" she managed to muster out, Austin letting out a sigh as he felt that he was being taken advantage of even though he also knew that it was never her intention.

"And you think I\'ll do because I love you."

"P-please…" Gwen almost begged, shaking her head as she forced herself to sit up, not wanting to lose consciousness. "Luscious will… look for me…" she looked up, some blood coming out of her mouth. "I\'m tired protecting everyone from this war. Help me… look for him."

Gwen with all her might reached out her hand in hopes that he\'ll grab it and help her. Austin hesitated, clicking his tongue as anger coursed through his body, knowing that she\'s asking a favor because of Luscious.

\'Cheeky… wanting to ask help from me just so you can look for him,\' he thought, hesitating but at the same time pressured. He didn\'t know whether to accept her favor… or just brush it off.

At first, Austin thought that Gwen deserved to be weak and frail, caused by the war. He felt a sense of satisfaction at the thought that Gwen was not as strong as he had always believed her to be.

Gwen coughed and snapped him out of his thoughts. With Austin\'s love still inside of him and with him feeling bad to see the woman he loves in this state, he let out a sigh, accepting her favor.

Love conquered all.

Austin felt weak when he saw how weak Gwen was, too. He could not bear to see her suffer, so he decided to do something that would preserve her body for all time.

Just as he was about to reach out to her to help her up, she already had lost consciousness due to the blood loss. Surprising him, he caught her in his arms, supporting her for her safety.

He was quiet for a while, looking at her with tears pooling in his eyes. He wondered what could be done to help her, and keep her at the same time.

Shall he help her in looking for Luscious… or decide otherwise?

The fire continued; the silence loomed over them. It took him a solid minute to come to a decision, now the man doing what he thought was best.

Austin crafted a crystal coffin laced with magic, and gently placed Gwen\'s body inside. He vowed that he would awaken her when the time was right, and they would finally be together. But he could not resist a threat.

He will tell her that if she did not help him control the continents, he would harm her daughter, Meredith.

Austin knew that his threat was terrible, but his love for Gwen was stronger than any other emotion he had ever felt. He knew that he would do anything to be with her, and he would not let anyone or anything stand in his way.

"Until then, Gwen," he said, a tear escaping his heart as he felt heavily that he should keep Gwen safe and not return her to Luscious despite her request.

He closed the lid of the crystal coffin and whispered a final goodbye to the love of his life temporarily.

The act was selfish… but he did not care otherwise as long as he\'ll be with her for who knows how long—until the time is right to wake her up.