Chapter 865 Overstimulated



Lee Seng stepped out of his room with a towel around his neck. He dried his hair with one hand while he sat in one of the kitchen counter seats. He could still feel the odd sensation telling him where everyone was. Keng bounced over, almost throwing Lee Seng into a frantic state. 

"Why do you look so spooked?" Keng asked, poking his head into Lee Seng's view. Lee Seng brushed off the feeling and shook his head. Keng pulled the seat and sat, turned towards Lee Seng. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Lee Seng lied. Keng's human ears twitched. He narrowed his eyes at Lee Seng and cocked his head to the side. 

'What's wrong?' Keng telepathically asked Lee Seng. 

'Nothing.' Lee Seng lied, again. He turned away from his brother, focused on drying his hair.

'What's wrong? You've been acting shifty ever since those lights went off. You can tell me.' Keng reached for Lee Seng, grabbing his arm. Lee Seng could feel the strange energy wash over, overstimulating him. Keng watched as his brother shook his head, wanting to pull away. He began to feel what Lee Seng felt - a disturbance. Keng pulled away and Lee Seng was left with a bitter taste in his mouth.

'What was that?' Keng asked. Lee Seng shook his head and stood up. He didn't answer Keng as he returned to his room and shut the door, locking it.

"What's wrong with him?" Evan asked.

"Dunno." Keng replied. He stood up and walked over to the door. He knocked on it three times and heard nothing. "Lee, what's wrong? What was that feeling earlier?" Still no response. He knocked three more times with no answer. "Hey, are you okay? Did something strange happen that you're not telling me about?"

Lee Seng barely made it to the bed when the overwhelming feeling took over. His body lurched into the air, spinning him onto his back. His eyes filled completely purple as stars flew outwards. Numbers filled his head as the roman numeral 'XI' appeared on his chest. Dark Matter wrapped around Lee Seng, holding him together. 

Flickers of memories not his own came to Lee Seng. He could see Keng and Calis together. They chatted and Keng smiled. It flashed and Keng sat at the edge of a cliff, dangling his legs. He soaked in the last moments of the twin suns. Evan climbed into view and said something Lee Seng couldn't get. Keng turned and smiled, motioning him over.

One memory would half-play and then it would move onto the next one. Keng's memories filled Lee Seng's mind. He could feel the raw emotions. He could feel it all. The sad feeling that stayed in the pit of his heart while he masked it with a smile. 

The memories died and Lee Seng found himself lying in the dark. 'How long did I pass out?' He pushed himself into a sitting position and listened as the TV quietly played. There were hushed voices talking. Lee Seng's stomach growled. The overwhelming feeling was gone. There was a strange sense of peace now.

Lee Seng made his way to the door, unlocking it and opening it.

"I don't know what's going on with him. I–" Keng's voice stopped. It grew silent for a moment until Keng spoke much louder. "Lee?" Lee Seng pushed through the doorway and yawned. He pushed his hand up his shirt and scratched his stomach as he wandered over to the kitchen. He flicked the light on and looked around, gathering his surroundings. 

"Are you okay?" Ritsuka asked, making his way over to Lee Seng.

"I'm fine." Lee Seng answered. He turned and looked at them. "Now."

"W-what happened earlier? Why'd you lock the door and not answer?" Keng asked. Lee Seng studied Ritsuka and Keng for a while, not answering. The memories were fresh and more questions came up than an actual answer. 

"You okay, dude? You look like you're going to pass out." Ritsuka rounded the counter. "I'll reheat some food for you. Go sit." Lee Seng nodded and moved to sit at the counter. Keng pulled up a seat and faced Lee Seng.

"What happened earlier?" Keng asked.

"Dunno." Lee Seng replied. "I want to understand what the Serpent meant, too."

"Serpent?" Keng raised an eyebrow to his brother. He looked over to Ritsuka who was genuinely curious too. Ritsuka grabbed the plate out of the fridge and threw it in the microwave for a couple minutes. He leaned on the counter, giving his attention to Lee Seng.

"Trina's Last Wish." Lee Seng spoke. "It's supposed to be a supportive spell. You say your wish and it boosts whatever closely relates to your wish… Why did it summon a Serpent?"

"What serpent?" Ritsuka asked.

"An almighty being of sorts. It travels between the Realms, watching the Realms. It told me it would awaken me fully even though I've already been awakened. I don't know what that means… I came back feeling overstimulated by all of your energies." Lee Seng explained. "I went to breathe in the other room and fell asleep…"

"Overstimulated by our energy…?" Keng whispered. 

"What exactly did the Serpent even talk to you about?" Ritsuka asked. 

"Stuff about fate and how my thread is currently thinning. I'm about to embark on something that could cut my string, I guess…" Lee Seng answered. Ritsuka stared at Lee Seng's eyes for a while. He leaned forward more as the microwave beeped. "What?" Lee Seng moved away and turned to look at Keng.

"His eyes…" Ritsuka whispered. "They're… fully purple now." Keng grabbed Lee Seng's head and checked.

"Holy crap, they are purple!" Keng shouted a bit too loud. Ritsuka turned away and grabbed the food. The microwave closed as he moved to grab some rice for Lee Seng. "Why are they purple now?!?"

"Dunno." Lee Sneg gently removed Keng's hands away from him. He turned as a fresh plate of piping hot food slid over to him. Ritsuka handed Lee Seng some silverware and leaned on the counter, again.

"They weren't like that all the time, so something must've happened, hm?" Ritsuka asked.

"I mean…" Lee Seng stopped. He embarrassingly remembered one of the memories. It was Calis and Keng lying in a field. They were looking at the stars and then they both turned to look at each other. His face grew red as he looked downwards. 

"What?" Keng asked. "Are you okay? Are you somehow sick?" He reached for Lee Seng's face, but was met with resistance. 

"I'm fine. I just… nevermind." Lee seng scooped a large bite of food into his mouth. 

"Why is he red?" Keng asked Ritsuka. Ritsuka shrugged.

"At least he's eating." Ritsuka said. Keng nodded. 

'Why were their faces so close…? Was I right about Keng? Does he really like Calis more than he lets on…?" Lee Seng thought. He set his utensils down and straightened himself out. He slapped his face a couple times. Keng and Ritsuka gave him odd looks, but didn't say anything. Lee Seng continued eating his food, almost choking on it.

"Don't eat so fast. You'll kill yourself before we even begin the last stretch of the journey." Keng slapped Lee Seng's back. Ritsuka grabbed some water and handed it over to Lee Seng. They watched Lee Seng down the water, watching some of it fall onto his shirt. Lee Seng let out a cough and wiped his mouth as he set the empty cup down. Ritsuka took it and refilled it. 

"Good?" Ritsuka asked.

"Dandy." Lee Seng coughed. He wiped his shirt out of habit and let out the remaining coughs. 

Lee Seng, Keng, and Ritsuka sat on the couch watching TV. Lee Seng had calmed down and the three were just enjoying the late night while the rest slept. Lee seng's mind continued to replay Keng's memories. The sadness in his heart wasn't anything surprising. Lee Seng was in a coma for those two years and the sadness Keng felt must've been intense. Lee seng could empathize with it, but Keng managed to feel something else when he was with Calis.

'Is it really what I think it is…?' Lee Seng wondered. He stood up without realizing it and the other two looked at him.

"You gonna try to go to sleep?" Keng asked. Lee seng snapped out of it and turned to look at them.

"I gotta do something." Lee Seng started over to his room. 

"Where are you going now?" Ritsuka asked.

"To Daros. I wanna check on Lady Vix'i's research." Lee Seng lied. 

"He's lying again." Keng whispered to Ritsuka.

"I won't be long. I just need to figure out some stuff. Maybe she'll know what's happening to me." Lee Seng stopped at the doorway and looked at his friends. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

"Hey, do you need me to go with you?" Keng asked, standing up.

"I'll be quick!" Lee Seng waved and entered the room. He moved to the closet and slipped on some clothes and socks. He slid on his shoes and strapped on the armor set he had been given. He turned and exited the room and noticed Keng and Ritsuka were waiting for him.

"Do you have to go now?" Keng asked. "Why not go in the morning?"

"It's probably still daylight over there." Lee Seng answered. "I'll be back before we go to the guild." He chanted and disappeared, leaving Keng and Ritsuka.

"He disappeared." Keng sighed. "Why does it feel like he's avoiding something…?"

"It's in your head. We got some time before everything starts. Let's try to rest as much as possible, hm?" Ritsuka yawned.