Ellios felt as if he was floating.
No—flying.
Or perhaps falling.
The sensation was impossible to describe. There was no ground beneath him, no sky above him, no direction his body could recognize. It was simply darkness—endless and silent.
The darkness stretched in every direction like an ocean without waves.
Inside that endless void, Ellios stood alone.
Fear crawled slowly through his chest.
His instincts told him something was terribly wrong. A primal terror whispered that this place was not meant for humans.
Yet he remained standing.
His heart pounded, but he refused to run.
He didn't even know where running would take him.
Then something moved.
At first it was only a ripple in the darkness. A faint shifting, like a shadow sliding beneath black water.
Ellios's breath caught.
From the void emerged a shape.
Long. Massive. Coiling.
A yellow python.
Its scales shimmered faintly in the darkness, glowing like dull gold beneath a hidden light. Its body was enormous—far larger than any snake could possibly be.
The creature's eyes opened.
Golden.
Cold.
Ancient.
They looked directly at Ellios.
The python moved slowly toward him.
Ellios tried to step back, but his legs felt heavy, almost frozen in place. Fear tightened his chest.
The massive serpent circled him once.
Twice.
Then it moved closer.
Its body slid against him—cool, heavy, impossibly strong.
Ellios gasped when the creature began to coil around him.
The pressure tightened around his waist first.
Then his chest.
Then his arms.
Each coil locked him deeper in place until he could barely move.
"Wait—!"
He tried to push the snake away, but it was useless. The serpent only tightened its grip, its massive body wrapping around him possessively.
There was no space left to breathe.
The coils pressed harder.
The python's head lowered until its glowing eyes were inches from his face.
Ellios's heart thundered in terror.
Then—
He woke up.
His eyes snapped open.
For a moment he couldn't breathe properly. His chest rose and fell as he tried to understand where he was.
The ceiling above him slowly came into focus.
The familiar room.
The yellow curtains.
The soft bed beneath him.
Reality returned in pieces.
And then the pain hit him.
Ellios winced sharply.
His entire body ached.
Not just a little pain—his muscles felt sore in places he didn't even know could ache. His limbs felt heavy, his back stiff, and his skin burned faintly wherever he moved.
"Ah…"
He shifted slightly and immediately regretted it.
That was when he noticed the marks.
His arms.
His shoulders.
His chest.
His neck.
Faint bruises, bite marks, and traces of possession decorated his skin like strange symbols.
Ellios's face turned red.
It took him a few seconds to remember.
The night before.
Hastur.
The kisses.
The way his body had been held and explored.
At first there had been pain.
Sharp.
Overwhelming.
Then pleasure followed.
Then pain again.
Then pleasure stronger than anything he had ever imagined.
His thoughts grew hazy as he remembered flashes of the night—his breathless voice, Hastur's low whispers, the feeling of being completely surrounded by another presence.
It had gone on until his mind simply couldn't keep up anymore.
Until he had lost consciousness
somewhere between sensation and exhaustion.
Ellios covered his face with one hand in embarrassment.
"I really…"
He couldn't even finish the sentence.
Despite the soreness and the marks covering his body, a small smile slowly appeared on his lips.
He felt happy.
Not just because he had a boyfriend.
But because he had finally done something he had secretly dreamed about for years.
Sleeping with a man. Hastur.
Not with some girl forced on him for appearances.
Not pretending.
Not hiding.
But with someone he actually wanted.
With his boyfriend.
The thought alone made his chest feel warm.
After a moment Ellios tried to sit up.
Bad idea.
The moment he pushed himself up slightly, his muscles screamed in protest.
"Ah—!"
He collapsed back onto the bed immediately.
His body refused to cooperate.
Ellios sighed helplessly.
"I can't even get up…"
Just then the door opened.
Ellios froze.
A familiar figure stepped inside.
A tall man wearing only yellow sweatpants.
Shirtless.
His skin pale and smooth, his muscles defined but not exaggerated.
Golden eyes.
It was Hastur.
Ellios immediately turned his face away in embarrassment.
Hastur walked toward the bed calmly.
Ellios could feel his presence approaching even without looking.
"Morning," Hastur said quietly.
Ellios muttered something incoherent.
Hastur stopped beside the bed and looked down at him.
His gaze slowly moved across Ellios's body.
Across the marks.
Across the bruises.
Across the clear evidence of what had happened last night.
His eyes darkened slightly.
Not with regret.
But with satisfaction.
He leaned down and slipped one arm under Ellios's back and the other beneath his legs.
Ellios panicked slightly.
"Wait—!"
But before he could protest further, Hastur lifted him easily.
Ellios yelped softly.
"I'm naked!"
Hastur didn't even pause.
"I already saw everything," he replied calmly.
Then after a second he added,
"And I don't forget."
Ellios's face burned red.
Being carried like this made him feel incredibly embarrassed but strangely safe at the same time.
Hastur walked into the bathroom and placed him gently inside the bathtub.
The water had already been prepared.
Warm steam rose softly into the air.
Hastur adjusted the temperature carefully before turning back to Ellios.
"Relax," he said simply.
Ellios sank slightly into the warm water.
The heat eased the soreness in his muscles immediately.
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
Hastur picked up a sponge.
Ellios watched nervously.
The moment the sponge touched his shoulder, Ellios stiffened.
Hastur began cleaning him slowly.
Carefully.
The movements were gentle.
Not hurried.
Not rough.
His eyes followed every mark on Ellios's body.
Every bruise.
Every bite.
Every place where he had claimed him.
The sight stirred something deep inside him.
For the first time in his long existence, Hastur felt something he could not easily categorize.
Satisfaction.
Possession.
The joy of marking his prize. He thought maybe he should mark him more as his. Is this just the influence of him being human or what. He didn't care only knowing he felt good. Pleased.
But also something more complex stirred in him. The dragon in his pants that's meaningless since he became human became restless again. It's like he got the taste and he's now addicted. No wonder human do this as often as they can.
Looking at Ellios now—sitting in warm water, his skin marked by their night together—Hastur felt an unfamiliar certainty. For the first time he thought maybe something isn't meaningless.
Ellios was not meaningless.
In a universe full of things that came and went without consequence, Ellios stood out like something precious.
A rare object.
A treasure.
Mine.
The thought came naturally.
Ellios suddenly felt a chill.
Even though the water was warm.
The way Hastur was looking at him made him feel like prey being observed by an apex predator.
Like at any moment he might simply be devoured. Ellios didn't think he can continue doing it.
Thus.
Ellios cleared his throat awkwardly.
Then he reached out and took the sponge from Hastur's hand.
"I can finish myself," he said quickly.
Hastur watched him for a moment.
Silent.
Then he stood up.
"Breakfast is ready," he said calmly.
"Finish washing and come eat."
Without another word, he turned and left the bathroom.
Ellios stared at the door for a moment after it closed.
Then he slowly looked down at himself.
The marks.
The soreness.
The warmth still lingering in his chest.
A soft smile appeared on his lips.
For the first time in his life, Ellios felt something he had never experienced before.
He felt wanted.
Not as a tool.
Not as a servant.
Not as a weapon.
But as a person.
Someone desired.
Someone cherished.
Someone claimed.
Ellios sank deeper into the warm water.
Even though his body hurt, he couldn't stop smiling.
Everything felt worth it. If it meant having moments like this.
Moments where someone looked at him like he mattered.
Moments where he didn't feel alone.
Moments where he could simply be himself.
And somewhere beyond the bathroom door—
Hastur stood in the hallway for a moment, his golden eyes thoughtful.
For the first time in ages, something in the universe had become… interesting.
And he had no intention of letting it go.