When the prince woke up, he didn’t particularly feel any different just yet.
But in hindsight, perhaps he should have. Or at the very least, he might have realized sothing was off had he not been far too busy staring into a pair of golden eyes fluttering right in front of his face.
Of course, that face deserved every bit of attention it received. Still, he really ought to consider how thoroughly it distracted him, enough that if such a greeting were ever attempted in public, a routine or entirely preventable assassination might actually succeed.
The prince couldn’t help but acknowledge that he very clearly needed to cultivate far greater self-restraint and a truly delayed sense of gratification.
Ahem.
As such, the self-aware husband didn’t go into detail later when describing how he woke up. The world didn’t need to know that Luca always woke him by pressing his face directly against his, nuzzling and unconsciously sending him signals that they didn’t really need to wake up and separate.
Even while lying on the ground, that had apparently remained true.
Only this ti, sothing was wrong.
Because when the prince tilted his head to check the ti, as he usually did after cuddling with his wife, the newly awakened perch realized that—contrary to what he had assud—he hadn’t been lying on the hard ground after all.
Huh?
The realization ca a beat too late. And in stark contrast to his usual warm reaction after receiving Luca’s beaming smile, Xavier promptly lost his composure when he noticed two things at once.
First, he was levitating several inches above the floor.
Second, he wasn’t rely levitating. He was even looking at himself.
A much more solid version of himself, very much still on the ground.
"!!!"
Keeping calm at that point was an ambitious goal at best.
Especially when he took a quick glance around and realized that everyone else was still completely asleep.
Not lightly dozing. Not stirring. Asleep.
The mop, unsurprisingly, had managed to take up an impressive amount of space, sprawled out as if the ground itself had personally invited him to get comfortable. Jax, on the other hand, looked like he had fully committed to embracing nature, limbs stretched out with careless abandon as though sleeping directly on the soil was a conscious lifestyle choice. Kyle lay on his side, one arm curved protectively in front of him, as if unconsciously making room for soone who wasn’t even there.
Off to the side, Cece was similarly face down on the ground, unmoving and utterly unbothered, while nearby, his younger sister Nina slept soundly with her white hair completely covering her face, enough to make her look less like a princess and more like an abandoned pile of fluff.
It looked less like a cultivation aftermath and more like a group of drunkards gathered together.
But at least they all seed comfortable and right at ho inside their own bodies.
So what about them?
However, just as panic crawled up Xavier’s spine, the disgruntled husband had to forcibly swallow it back.
Because Luca, eyes glowing faintly and looking far too delighted for the situation, suddenly exclaid, "It’s been so long since I’ve been able to do this! Wow!"
What?!
Xavier stared at him.
Then, slowly, as the logical side of his brain finally caught up with his consciousness, sothing clicked.
"...Was this what you ant," he asked carefully, "when you said you simply hid in the dungeon space using only your consciousness?"
The little chipmunk nodded eagerly.
And that was when it hit him just how alive this felt. Despite the fact that, in essence, they were little more than ghosts hovering above their own bodies.
Xavier trusted his wife implicitly. Even when the instructions defied logic and the conclusions seed completely out of this world, he trusted Luca’s judgnt regardless.
But there were tis when he didn’t trust himself.
Especially in cases like this where potent dical ingredients were notorious for having cognitive effects, and he wouldn’t have been the first person to hallucinate vividly after ingesting sothing powerful. So he checked.
Once. Twice.
Their bodies were still there. Chests rising and falling steadily. Breathing slow and even.
And sohow, that alard him more.
Gods.
He needed to keep it together.
He especially needed to stay strong when, instead of staying put and waiting until they could return to their bodies, his little daredevil of a wife declared that it was ti to take a look around.
What ti to look around?!
How could it possibly be ti to look around when they weren’t inside their bodies?
And what if he hadn’t woken up when Luca did? Would his wife have gone gallivanting about on his own without anyone knowing?
Apparently, yes.
Horrifyingly enough, his little chipmunk most definitely would.
Because Luca looked positively radiant as they drifted forward, excitent practically humd off him as he began exploring the dungeon space.
And for Xavier, it was an eye-opening experience to say the least.
Because just when they thought he already knew quite a lot about the dungeon space, it beca painfully clear that they had only scratched the surface.
Like when Luca showed him the difference when moving around like this.
"Here, look at what would happen if you gently hold your hand out like this."
The little explorer said it casually, as if he were suggesting nothing more than testing the texture of the bark. He stepped up to a nearby tree and placed his hand against it, fingers resting lightly on the surface.
The prince observed for half a second before following suit.
He could have used a bit of ntal preparation for that.
Because the mont his hand touched the trunk, the world shifted.
It wasn’t just bark.
Instead of a rough, solid surface, it felt as though his consciousness had slipped into sothing vast and interconnected. Lines of spiritual energy unfurled beneath his awareness, branching and overlapping in complex patterns.
"!"
Pathways pulsed softly, responding to his presence. The more he focused, the more they expanded, stretching outward in widening layers that went far beyond the single tree in front of him.
"!!!"
Xavier jerked his hand back, staring at his palm as if to check for oddities.
Just what was that?
Before he could even vocalize the question, his little wife, clearly treating this as an impromptu sightseeing trip, suddenly lit up.
"Aha! I knew it!" Luca exclaid, eyes sparkling as he turned in a slow circle. "There are still more places to see! Such a strong concentration of spiritual energy! What could that possibly be?!"
Xavier looked at him, genuinely baffled.
What did he an, what could that possibly be?
Unfortunately, wondering that turned out to be a mistake.
Because the next thing Luca said was, "It’s by the edge."
Xavier blinked.
Once.
Then again.
"By the edge?" he repeated carefully.
"Yes!" His little chipmunk nodded enthusiastically. A little too enthusiastically, if anything. "It’s really unusual, so I think we really ought to check!"
Xavier opened his mouth, and didn’t even get to close it.
Several questions attempted to line up in his mind at once. How could Luca sense sothing like that from here? What kind of edge was he talking about? And why did this sound like the beginning of a very bad idea?
But the poor husband had not put the appropriate defenses in place.
Before he could retreat, stall, or attempt to reason, the little fox turned to him with shining eyes and said softly, "Husband... can we go see?"
See?
Who in their right mind would go see?
"..."
Apparently, them.
"..."
Dammit.
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