When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 480: A Kiss From The Prince

Chapter 480: A Kiss From The Prince

Sensing the weight of everyone’s gaze upon him, Gu Luoxin’s fur bristled in agitation, a loud siren blaring in his mind.

W–What was it? Why were they staring at him like that?! Surely they couldn’t expect him to— no, impossible! He had barely evaded the first crisis by not revealing his personal task, but if... if Noir were to kiss him and he turned back into a human... what would have become of all his efforts? It was like laying his feelings bare for everyone to see!

No, first things first, why would Senior even kiss you, you dummy?!

Suddenly, a hand grasped his body, causing his entire mouse to flinch in shock. One second he was still perched on Noir’s shoulder, and the next second he found himself cradled in Noir’s palm, staring up into the man’s captivating emerald eyes.

In an instant, Gu Luoxin’s heart raced into overdrive, nearly sending him into a cardiac arrest. "S–S–Senior?!" He squawked in a mixture of panic and incredulity. He attempted to retreat, but Noir curled his four fingers, blocking his escape.

Tremors wracked his entire body, and his nerves felt even more frazzled than the first time he had to go on stage to perform— no, it couldn’t even be compared in the first place. Right now, he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, and his mind felt as though it had burst into flames with hundreds of mini Xinxins running around and wreaking havoc within.

W–What was Senior planning to do? He couldn’t be thinking of... that... in front of all these people...?!

But apparently, he was the one panicking because Noir remained as unperturbed as ever. "What?" He questioned, arching a brow. "You want to regain your human form, right?"

From the very start, he had declared himself the only person who could lift Gu Luoxin’s curse – no questions asked.

Yet this subtle gesture failed to register into Gu Luoxin’s mind, who felt like he was about to keel over on the spot. "Y–Yes ciit, but..." he stuttered, hiccuping.

In truth, they could have easily avoided this situation altogether. There was no pressing need for Gu Luoxin to lift his curse. After all, they had completed their main task and would leave the Cycle soon. If he endured this form for a few more hours, he could revert to being a human once they returned to their world.

And what were a few leisurely hours compared to the thrilling days he had spent in a literal fight for survival?

Yet no one brought up this crucial point, not the other players, not Shen Nianzu, not Jin Jiuchi, not even Noir.

Everyone watched in anticipation as the Prince spoke to the brown mouse, "Then it’s all set." With that, he leaned in.

The man’s handsome visage was suddenly magnified in front of Gu Luoxin’s eyes, causing his heart to stop for a few seconds.

AHHHHH!!!

Nothing remained in his mind aside from a hysterical scream as he squeezed his eyes shut, his muscles locking up in nervousness. What happened next seemed to unfold both excruciatingly slow and also too rapid for his mind to comprehend. His five senses were on high alert, fully attuned to the movement of the person before him— the heavy presence looming over him, the warm breath that tickled his fur, and then...

Chu.

A gentle kiss brushed against his snout, as delicate and tender as the first snowflake of winter, setting his whiskers trembling uncontrollably.

Gu Luoxin was positive he had died in that one moment, only to bounce back to life again when Noir pulled back. He snapped his eyes open with a gasp, his breathing ragged as he struggled to draw in huge gulps of air into his aching lungs.

W–Was it over? Had he finally been freed of his cursed form?!

He anxiously inspected his own body, but much to his dismay, he found himself still perched on Noir’s palm. No shift of perspective, no dazzling burst of light, and definitely no magical transformation.

"..."

A heavy and awkward silence settled over the scene.

"What’s happening?" Lumina was the first to break the ice. She flew toward Gu Luoxin with a perplexed frown on her face. "The Prince’s kiss failed to lift the curse? Could it be... he’s not..."

After the incident with the Queen, it was understandable that the first thought that crossed Lumina’s mind was that the Prince wasn’t the brown mouse’s true love all along.

But that was quickly rebuked by Gu Luoxin, his words tumbling out before he could even process them. "No, he is ciit! If it’s not him, then—" who?

The last word remained stuck on his throat as the implication of his sentence dawned on him. D–D–Did he just... confess indirectly?! As he stood frozen in mortification, Lumina placed a gentle hand on his paw, closing her eyes as a soft glow emanated from her palm, only to fade away moments later.

She let out a soft ’oh’ of realization before turning to Gu Luoxin, her expression apologetic. In that moment, an ominous foreboding filled Gu Luoxin’s heart, and it was proven true when Lumina delivered the grim news,

"I’m so sorry, Xinxin. It seems like... you are a real mouse."

A real mouse!

He had inhabited the body of a 100% genuine and authentic mouse who bore no curse whatsoever! There was no curse to break, meaning he didn’t need the kiss in the first place. And yet he had still obtained it... and he had even so boldly proclaimed Noir as his true love... right in front of the man himself!

Gu Luoxin: "..."

Can someone just kill me now?

"Pfft—" Jin Jiuchi burst out into laughter, sending him into fits of hysterics as he pounded the ground with his fist. "HAHAHAHA!!"

Gu Luoxin: "...!"

H–H–How dare he! Unforgivable!! From now on, there is only blood feud between us!!!

Tears of shame and mortification filled Gu Luoxin’s eyes. He dared not even lift his head to meet Noir’s eyes, fearing that he would also see a twinkle of amusement there. If that were to happen, he would really combust on the spot!

Presumably taking pity on him, Lumina swiftly changed the topic and twirled through the air with flourish,

"Alright— now that I’ve regained my magic, behold this!"

From her palms radiated countless dazzling spheres of light, scattering throughout the town like stars. The fractured streets began to mend and the broken buildings rebuilt themselves. The injured were miraculously healed as they wandered back to their homes in a daze. That included Caen, who staggered back into the direction of the palace, as he was the one who needed rest the most among them.

In less than two minutes, the town was restored to its former glory, and the palace, which had almost turned to ruins, stood proud and unscathed once more. It was as if everything that happened last night was nothing more than a fleeting nightmare, and now they were truly ushering a brand new day.

"Wow...!" The players exclaimed in awe at the breathtaking magic unfolding before them.

One by one, the glowing spheres returned to Lumina’s body, leaving only a handful behind which then flew towards the players, transforming into return tickets.

Lumina’s smile was radiant as she addressed them, "There are still a few hours until you have to depart. How about we resume the ball that was interrupted last night?"

***

Bright sunlight streamed in through the tall windows and soft music filled in the air, accompanying the pair who were happily dancing across the ballroom floor.

At long last, Jin Jiuchi could finally claim his reward to dance with his jade doll, and he was so on cloud nine that he didn’t even think of stuffing his stomach with food. Meanwhile, other players like Six’s team, Xiao Zhong and Old Tao were having a blast with the available cuisines, having not eaten anything since the day before.

Bizarre creatures of severed limbs and a lone eyeball connected to them served as peculiar yet endearing wait staff as they ferried drinks around the room, with two hands and two legs forming a group. The players were weirded out by their appearance at first, but upon learning that they were Lumina’s friends, they soon grew accustomed to the creatures’ presence.

Moreover, they appeared harmless and adorable, except for the fact that they liked to pinch and kick Jin Jiuchi out of nowhere, much to the man’s frustration.

(Apparently, Lumina had a lot of bizarre friends, but it was best not to bring it up lest a lot of nightmare creatures show up all of a sudden.)

Far removed from the joyful scene was another table where Noir sat, quietly enjoying a plate of bread and a cup of coffee. He tore off a small piece and handed it over to the brown mouse who remained with his butt turned to him at all times.

"Mn," he offered.

"T–Thank you ciit..." Gu Luoxin replied with a small voice as he dragged the bread to himself, still couldn’t bring himself to face the man directly.

And so, the two of them shared their meal in silence, with Noir dipping his bread into coffee while occasionally tearing off a small piece for the brown mouse, who chewed on them with a depressed air.

When the large hand once again came into his peripheral vision, offering bread, Gu Luoxin’s attention was drawn to the fingers which had returned to their normal state. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. It’s good that Noir had recovered, but... what was that? Gu Luoxin couldn’t shake off the image of those skeletal hands from his mind, and before he knew it, he found himself peeking over his body at Noir, whose every movement was oozing with elegance even as he was stuffing bread into his mouth.

"What is it?" Noir asked without looking up, causing Gu Luoxin to jump in surprise.

"I..." he squeaked. "I just wanted to ask about your hands..."

"Mn, they’re fine now."

"Oh..." Gu Luoxin blinked, dejected. It seemed like Noir had no intention of sharing more, and Gu Luoxin dared not press further for fear that he would overstep his bounds.

However, his gloominess must have been so evident, for Noir paused for a second before asking, "Want to know?"

That one question was enough for Gu Luoxin to forget the embarrassing moment that could top the black history of his life. Shifting his butt, he turned to face Noir and gave an earnest nod, his rounded ears perked up attentively.

The corner of Noir’s lips twitched as he reached out to gently press down on the brown mouse’s head with the tip of his finger. "But why should I tell you?"

Gu Luoxin: "...!"

H–How hateful! He should have known that Noir would not be so kind, but still, he always fell into the same trap over and over—

"Just kidding," Noir interjected, interrupting his angry internal monologue. Picking up a piece of bread, he stuffed it into his mouth and replied with a muffled voice, "I have a Joker skill card." His tone was so very casual, as if he was discussing their meal rather than dropping a sentence that could cause a huge stir in the entire Nightmare Cycle.

Gu Luoxin’s jaws dropped to the ground. He had a— what?!

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Cycle 5: Glass Slipper Town — The End

A/N: this marks the end of the fifth Cycle, I hope you enjoy it because God i burst out laughing so many times writing it hahaha please let me know what you think in the comment section, and if you haven’t left a review, consider leaving one to motivate me ^^ thank you so much for still sticking around despite my meager updates QAQ

next cycle will be quite simple as well... or not cos it will be a battle royale ;-; but i’d very much like to keep it simple, for things will finally get serious when we reach the high-level cycles later (reminder that we’re still in mid-level ones) i hope you’ll be looking forward to it! But for now, we will enjoy a little intermezzo in the real world ^^