Pier roamed his eyes around the place they have arrived at.

By the way he guessed it, they were now at the side of the second mountain with how the ground was in a slightly descending state.

"Is this... Nightfall?" He asked with uncertainty. The green-eyed man beside him nodded his head in response.

"Yes, this is Nightfall," Pier's mouth was turned into a silent 'o' shape while he continued to roam his eyes around.

The houses were not that big. Some were at the top of the trees and some were located at the bottom.

However, there was one thing that every house had in common.

"There's no light in every house?" Pier asked and Ciaran responded with a low 'yes'.

"We cannot afford to bring any source of light in the houses because it will attract the monsters in the mountain," He explained and Pier felt pity for the people who lived in the said place.

"I see..." He said as he hugged himself tighter inside the cloak.

'Is this the problem they wanted me to solve?' He thought. Does the member of nightfall want him to slay the monsters with his ice magic so that he can have light for their homes?

Why were they living on one of the most dangerous mountains anyway?

"Everybody, disperse. The guest and I will discuss the things we needed to do," Ciaran spoke in his loud voice and the others undoubtedly nodded their heads at their chief's words.

"S-Shadow! Would it be okay for you to do all the explaining alone?!" Hex asked with a loud voice towards Ciaran who was standing beside Pier.

"I don't see any problem with that, Hex," Ciaran replied but the vampire-looking man was about to protest when a hand covered his mouth.

"We understand, Chief. Please have a good rest after your discussion. You too, Pier," Clone spoke as she covered Hex's mouth who was struggling to breathe.

"O-Okay" Pier hesitated in replying but did so anyway.

Pier watched as the members of nightfall all went in different directions. Some got into the houses made of wood and others changed into crows as they flew towards the houses at the top.

"I'm guessing you guys can shapeshift into crows?" Pier asked and Ciaran responded.

"That is correct. Come, let me explain to you the details you wanted to know," He spoke and Pier nodded his head.

He followed Ciaran as they walked through the grassy area until they reached a tree that had a strong and sturdy-looking body.

Pier looked up and indeed, there was a house that was pretty much larger than the other ones he have seen as they walked towards Ciaran's place.

"Is that your place?" Pier asked as he was looking up the tree.

"Yeah, you do know how to climb, right?" Ciaran asked and Pier widened his eyes at the question.

"I...I'm going to climb that?" The tree was very big, not just that, it was very tall and he who did not have any experience with tree climbing even back on his previous life, he was basically unskilled...

He did climb the trees on the Yuko Boundary but the tree right in front of them was multiple times the size and height of the one he climbed back then.

"Of course, how are we going to get on my house then?" Ciaran asked and Pier had a disbelieving look in his eyes.

"I don't know how to climb trees," He admitted and Ciaran's eyebrows raised at the statement.

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"Then get on my back"

"Wha-huh?"

"Get on my back," Ciaran proposed and Pier's expression was unexplainable as he was comprehending what the green-eyed man said.

"Won't I die if the two of us fall if you accidentally let go while climbing?" He asked in a terrified voice and Ciaran placed his hands under his chin as he looked up. He was imitating a pose as if he was thinking.

"Well, you stay here or get on my back," He spoke as he started to touch the big tree.

"I cannot shapeshift because I needed to accompany you," He explained and Pier sweatdropped before facepalming himself.

"Fine!" He threw his hands up in the air before coming near the chief of Nightfall.

Ciaran crouched down as he waited for the young master to climb on his back.

Pier stared at the large back of Ciaran as he hesitated.

'I do not have acrophobia but I would definitely die if I fell from that height though,' He thought but clung on Ciaran's back anyway.

The young master placed both of his hands on Ciaran's neck and they intertwined when the hands met in front. His legs also constricted around Ciaran's waist as he securely placed himself in Ciaran's back.

"I swear to god if you're gonna fall I'm gonna castrate you," He threatened as he tightly embraced the tall man.

Ciaran chuckled at the words as he started to grab on the tree's trunk and elevate himself. They both started to climb up the tree at a slow pace.

"How old are you by the way?" He asked and Ciaran stopped thinking for a moment while he climbed.

"Is it important?" He replied and Pier nodded his head.

"Not really but I just want to ask. Is it not allowed?"

"No..."

"Then how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-three,"

"What?!" Pier exclaimed and Ciaran tightened his grip on the tree trunk as the voice was close to his ear.

"Don't shout!" Ciaran told Pier and the young master closed his mouth.

"Wow, you're very old," Pier told him again after a few passing moments and Ciaran scoffed.

"You're eighteen, we're only five years apart"

"Still old," The young master spoke as he mocked what Ciaran told him back when they were still riding the carriage.

"I guess. That's why you're so childish sometimes," He teased and Pier flicked the back of Ciaran's head with his finger but quickly intertwined them again because he might fall.

"Be glad I'm even being friendly with you," He reprimanded while Ciaran was groaning at the pain of Pier's flick.

"Haah, whatever you say, young master," Pier's eyes rolled at the statement as they both kept quiet.

While Ciaran was climbing, Pier was busy looking around the other trees. He noticed that Ciaran's place was further away from the other houses and it seemed like Ciaran was a loner.

"Chief, are you a loner?"

"Huh?" Ciaran asked as he did not hear the question properly because he was busy focusing on climbing the tree.

"I assumed they were your friends earlier but you seemed like you have none at all," Pier judged. He did not want to admit it but there were times he was judgmental just because of the firsthand information he gets from the people around him.

"I... that's rude saying people have no friends you know?" Ciaran spoke as he climbed higher and Pier tightened his grip on the man's neck.

"Well, it's just my assumption. So do you?" He asked again. He was not a fan of dead air especially now that he was clinging like a koala on another man's back.

"Everyone here is my friend"

"Wow, that's nice Mr. Popular"

"It's true"

"Why would you ask if that would be your answer anyway?" Ciaran questioned Pier's words and the young master pouted as leaned his head on Ciaran's exposed neck.

The hood of Ciaran's cloak was removed because they were climbing so Pier can see Ciaran's head.

"H-Hey" Ciaran called out when he felt the light pressure and the ticklish feeling of Pier's white hair brushing against his neck.

"Whot?" Pier asked in a disinterested voice as he continued to lean his head.

"It's ticklish, get your head off my neck," He spoke and Pier sighed before removing his head from Ciaran's neck.

"You climb so slow I might fall asleep any time soon!" He whined and Ciaran sighed before replying to the young master's antics.

"I have to be careful because you are an important person and losing you if we fall would make everything go to waste" He explained and Pier lightly laughed at Ciaran's reply.

"Do you really need me that much?" He asked again.

"Yes"

"How much"

"What do you mean?"

"On a scale from one to ten, how much do you need me?" He asked imitating the random posts he saw on social media.

"Eleven"

"Wow... that much?"

"Yes"

"Damn, might as well make the most out of it. Ciaran! Climb faster or I will not help you!" He commanded as he laughed and Ciaran rolled his eyes at Pier's childish acts.

"If I can I would," He said as sweat started to form on the man's head. Even though it was cold, it was still an effort for Ciaran to climb a very huge tree with another person on his back.

"Then let me help you," Pier whispered as he got closer to Ciaran's ears. The man flinched as he almost let go of his hold to the trunk in sudden surprise.

"H...How?" He asked after composing himself.

"Hold the trunk tighter, I'll move to your front," He spoke and Ciaran's eyes became wider.

"What- ah!" Ciaran let out a gasp of surprise as Pier held onto his arms instead of his neck and if he wasn't tightly holding on to the trunk he would have let go and fallen down the tree. They were already at about half of the way so the impact would deal huge damage for Pier.

The young master clutched on Ciaran's arms as his legs untangled and he moved slowly.

"Make some space from the trunk," Pier commanded while he was moving and Ciaran departed himself from sticking too much to the trunk to let the young master in front of him.

When Pier was finally in front of Ciaran, he looked up at the green-eyed man as he held on to Ciaran's neck and his legs found their way around the man's hips.

Ciaran gulped at the proximity the two had.

"I'll make you propel slightly into the air so you'll have an easier time climbing," Pier spoke before he completely closed the distance between him. Ciaran flinched again but this time it was because the warmth from Pier's body started to spread in his own.

Pier looked from the back of Ciaran's neck as he opened his hands and focused a little bit. He pointed his hands downward and wind magic manifested.

He imagined it to be a strong force made out of wind and immediately, strong gusts of wind started to come out of the young master's palm. The wind hit the ground and it was starting to push Ciaran upwards.

Though it was not strong enough to lift a person. It was only enough to push them.

"Go climb," Pier whispered as he hugged Ciaran tighter because he was starting to lose his energy bit by bit with how strong the wind magic he produced was.

Ciaran had shivers on his arms and neck as Pier's warm breath and low voice entered his ears.

"Okay..." As Ciaran climbed, Pier was half focusing on his wind magic. It now made their climbing a little bit faster.

They were quiet for a few minutes and they were getting nearer to the house at the top of the humungous tree.

"Hey, Ciaran," Pier called as he removed his face from looking at the back and moved to look at Ciaran's face.

"Y-Yes?" Surprised by the young master's sudden voice and action, he stopped climbing for a moment and turned to look at Pier.

Their faces were so close and Ciaran could feel Pier's small, light breaths reach his face.

"What's your surname?" Pier asked as he watched a strand of Ciaran's brown hair fall from his face.

Without thinking, Pier blew on the strand of hair to remove it from the climbing man's vision.

Ciaran held tighter on the trunk as he was able to intake the breath Pier blew.

It was sweet

It was intoxicating

Ciaran took deep breaths after something stirred inside of him at Pier's careless actions.

"Aegenwulf..." He spoke lowly as his own breath was caught in his throat.

"Aegenwulf? Woah, compared to your first name that one sounds better," Pier commented as he grinned. His hood was removed and it fully displayed his silky white hair and pale frost skin.

Ciaran was stunned at the smile.

It was so beautiful and captivating that he had to close his eyes for a moment and regain his focus.

"What's wrong? Pier asked as he stopped producing his wind magic from his hands and immediately went to touch Ciaran's cheeks.

"Are you tired?" His concerned voice and soft touch did not help with the issue that Ciaran was losing focus.

"Am I too heavy?" Pier asked again and Ciaran shook his head.

Ciaran looked around and saw that there was a large branch a few feet away from them so he started climbing in that direction while carrying a confused Pier in front of him.

When they reached the branch, Ciaran sat on it as he took deep breaths.

"H-Hey, Ci-Ciaran, are you okay?!" Pier asked with worry as the person did not seem he was well.

"Pier... huff... can you... can you remove your cloak?" Ciaran spoke as his serene green eyes locked with the young master's striking blue ones.

Pier's eyes widened with surprise with the sudden request

"O-Okay..." He then started to remove the cloak from his body and the cold started to bite down on his skin.

'I think he's cold though so I'll just give this to him' He was considering Ciaran's state because the man might not be able to move with how cold it was.

When he finally removed the cloak from his body, Pier handed the clothing to Ciaran.

Ciaran stared at the young master who was now only wearing a black long sleeve shirt and white cotton pants that they had bought from the City as well to change with Pier's clothes.

"C...Can I come closer?" Ciaran asked as he gulped multiple times and weirded out by the situation, Pier nodded his head slowly.

"Sure..." at the response, Ciaran came closer to the young master.

It was until Ciaran was right in front of Pier that he was staring down at the young master.

"Pier... it's suffocating," Ciaran spoke as he neared his face on Pier's own.

Pier also started to inch his body back because he thought Ciaran might lose consciousness for unknown reasons.

"Hey, don't fall unconscious out of nowhere!" Pier begged him because the young master did not know what to do if Ciaran loses consciousness and they would be stuck on the large branch for who knows how long.

"Can I embrace you?" Ciaran asked without hesitation and Pier stopped moving backward for a second.

"Just... just for a minute..." Ciaran spoke as he gulped multiple times again.

"O-Okay...?" Pier did not know what to do with the sudden turnout of the situation so he simply agreed to the man's request.

Without wasting a second, Ciaran embraced the young master.

Pier's body was cold due to the environment but the presence of warmth was also there.

Ciaran started to trail his nose from the young master's hair down to his ears and it settled on Pier's neck.

Hnngh...

Surprised with the action and the feeling of Ciaran's breath on his neck, Pier held on to the man's hair as he patted it multiple times.

Ciaran continued to embrace the young master. The scent removed by the cloak returned and it entered Ciaran's nose.

The faint scent of rose and the strong smell of a refreshing fragrant fruit coursed through Ciaran's head.

He inhaled again.

And again.

Pier only listened to Ciaran's breathing as he continued to pat on the large man's head to calm him down.

"A-Ah, Ci...Ciaran..." Pier stopped patting when he felt something wet lapping on his neck.

Ciaran unknowingly started to lick the young master's exposed neck. His tongue grazed over Pier's pale neck and his nose continued to graze over the other parts where it could reach.

"You're so sweet, you smell so sweet..." Ciaran spoke lowly as he started to place pressure on his teeth.

"H-Hey, what...ah...what are you doing?" He asked as a sudden pain after getting his neck all wet by the man was detected by his brain.

Ciaran leaned into the embrace and now his whole body was leaning on the young master's.

"You're heavy!" Pier complained but the green-eyed man did not listen. He continued to breathe hard while still licking Pier's neck.

"A..Ah...hnghh..." The young master could only speak a few words at the sensation the man was bringing him.

"I...I can't control myself, I... I'm so sorry," Ciaran spoke before his teeth bit Pier's neck.

Pier could only shiver and open his mouth at the feeling.

He gripped Ciaran's hair tighter as the pressure from the man's bite continued until it started to subside.

"W-What... haaah" He sighed as he felt Ciaran's breath start to calm down while they were still embracing.

"I... I did not mean to do that, I'm so sorry..." Ciaran spoke as he embraced the young master tighter. He wrapped his arms around Pier as he buried his face again in the neck.

The spot where he bit the young master now was swollen and it was so noticeable given how Pier was so pale.

"Have you calmed down now?" Pier asked as he ran his hand through Ciaran's hair.

The man did not speak but he gave a silent nod as a reply to the question.

"I-I will explain..." He spoke weakly but he still did not remove his face from Pier's neck.

"I don't know what happened with you but we're already close enough to your house, let's go there first and you can tell me what happened," Pier spoke in a calm voice and the worry on Ciaran's chest subsided a little bit.

"O-Okay..." He spoke before departing from the hug. He immediately wore the cloak on Pier's exposed body as he bowed his head in shame.

"I'm sorry..."

"Stop, you're acting like a small child and it does not fit with how you look," Pier teased and Ciaran did not respond.

"Come. Let's continue, we're almost there," Ciaran nodded his head before he got up and the two started to climb again. Pier was still in front of him but the young master noticed that Ciaran was avoiding his gaze.

When they reached the top of the tree where Ciaran's house was located, Ciaran immediately dragged Pier inside and made him sit down on a comfortable seat.

"Why are you in a rush?"

Ciaran did not bother answering but instead, he also grabbed a stool and sat in front of Pier.

"Pier, actually I am..."