By the Chains that Bind Thee (Part 3) by Fantasy Weaver

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Part Three of "By the Chains that Bind Thee". Read previous parts for context.

-Fantasy Weaver


Note

1: Some foul language ahead

2: Some adult content ahead

By the Chains that Bind Thee

Part Three

XXXXX

White eyes flashed before his vision.

Shay shook himself from the image. Before him, the High Mage and the Council of Elder Mages were gathered, himself and three other apprentices awaiting their passage ceremony.

He had been called first before the High Mage. Blank-faced, in hopes that his trepidation was left unseen, Shay knelt before the imposing man, waiting for something, a blow to his head, a crushing grip around his windpipe, anything. But nothing of the sort happened. The High Mage performed the passage ceremony as usual.

"You have showed the Council and myself through arduous trials that you bear the necessary knowledge and capabilities to further progress in your acquisition of magic. It is therefore time for you to further be linked to Synn, to further acquire the radiant beauty of the sun to power your arcane potential."

The High Mage moved aside, standing at Shay’s back. The morning sunlight filtered through the grand window before them, its warm rays washing over his form.

He knew what was coming, having done this many times already. This time, instead of excited anticipation though, all he felt was the twisting knot of dread in his lower belly.

The High Mage’s glowing hand placed itself atop his head.

The searing white eyes manifested in his mind’s eye again, accompanying the sickening buzzing and ringing that threatened to deafen him. He heard his pained moan as soon as the High Mage began chanting, eyes pinching shut as his hands clenched and twitched at his sides. This sensation was new. He had never been subjected to pain during a passage ceremony.

Briefly, something was whispered -or shouted?- in his ears, resonating inside his skull cacophonously. Immediately, his body went lax.

The High Mage’s hand removed itself from his head, and as it did, Shay’s shoulder-length hair began to grow rapidly, and as it did, the young man was aware of his aching cries turning softer, quieter, and he clamped his mouth shut. When his hair grew like this, it always felt so good, even if he didn’t want it to now. His hair reached down, snaking along his back as a golden glow surrounded it. It dipped past his shoulder blades, silken strands flowing along his spine, until finally, they settled at his waist.

A heavy feeling not unfamiliar came from the enchanted growth, but it felt so much more stifling now. Like a weight had placed on his subconscious.

"May thine mind be filled with Synn’s glory, may thine power grow as the hair atop thine head."

The High Mage bent down to his level, whispering words only he could hear.

"And pray thy never forget thy path."

XXXXX

Eyes the same colour as the sky stared back at his solemn features, ripples breaking the surface of the water as Shay gazed down into the pond.

His fingers idly played with the ends of his hair, unused to the lighter color and new length. The golden hue had turned to a perfect blonde, not yellow in the least, yet still far from being platinum.

"You could’ve given me the talismans yourself you know."

Shay turned around. Oras had appeared behind him, where he sat on an ornate bench in the large garden area. His presence immediately made Shay feel guilty for snapping at him when last they had been together. The memory left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"You were out, and I didn’t want to bother you. Didn’t know if you would see me," he added under his breath.

His friend sat heavily beside him, ruffling his sandy locks as he usually did when he was thinking too hard. "Listen, just because we had one disagreement doesn’t mean I’m going to hurtle a fireball at you if you get ten feet from me."

He snorted, smiling despite himself. "Your fireballs are so small, I probably wouldn’t even singe." He paused, furrowing his brow. "Sorry, that was unkind of me…"

"No, you’re right," Oras sighed, mouth tilting up in a semblance of a grin. "Compared to you, my magic is mediocre at best. You were being honest when you told me to focus on my studies. I think I needed that."

"No, no you didn’t," Shay turned warning eyes to his friend, yet knowing he couldn’t divulge any sensitive information, not about the initiation, not even about the trials and gods forgive, not about Eleos. "You were looking out for me and I said things I shouldn’t have. You don’t need to study as hard as I do. You take your time in everything that you do, but that doesn’t mean you’re less of a mage because of it."

Oras watched him carefully, his blue eyes conveying nothing, if not forgiveness. Forgiveness he didn’t deserve, the young man thought. "Did you get your head hit during your trials, or are you being nice on purpose?"

He found it in himself to playfully shove his friend. "I mean it. I was an ass and the talismans don’t even make up for that."

"Yeah, about those," Oras pulled one out, flipping it in his hand. It was one for dispelling magic. "I’m no expert on talismans or anything, but these are all for protecting, or warding, there’s even one made to harm someone if they get in the talisman’s range. Did you piss someone off? Should I be worried?"

He wouldn’t tell him. Worse yet, he feared he COULDN’T tell him, not when the buzzing and ringing began to disturb his thoughts again. He’s starting to sense a pattern, but he would need more time to confirm his suspicions about why he keeps getting these headaches. With what happened during his trials, he suspects these episodes must somehow be linked to his ties with the SunWoven Order.

He still recalls how loud the ringing had been when he unlocked the High Mage’s mind. His darkened blue eyes searched Oras features, briefly wondering if his friend had ever felt the same pain in his skull.

"Nothing to be worried about. Think of them as an apology gift."

Oras sighed, shaking his head at him. "You know you can talk to me for anything right? We’re friends. Anything. I’m here for you."

Not in this he isn’t. And Shay would rather die than get him involved. "Of course. I know."

For a moment, he thought Oras would continue pushing him, but the novice simply moved on to another subject. "So, nice new do. Bet that passage ceremony felt pretty good, huh?"

A shiver of disgust crept up his spine. If only Oras knew.

XXXXX

The night sky was graced with a full moon that night, its silver rays painting the hushed village in cool tones. The stars looked particularly spectacular; with not a cloud in sight, they shone brilliantly, like millions of diamonds on a velvety black firmament.

The fireflies had moved on from the valley, replaced with an annual gathering of native Luna Moths. Due to the high concentration of radiant magic around the towers of the SunWoven Order, fauna and flora alike often had a glow about them caused by the residual arcane energies, making the large moths stunning glow-in-the dark colors, ranging from pale greens, light pinks and soft yellows. A few gathered around the wisteria-strewn bridge, clinging to the hanging flowers as they awaited a possible mate.

Shay found himself drawn to the bridge come nightfall more often than he would care to admit. Safer it may be during the day, he couldn’t help but want to be around Eleos when he is at his most striking.

Except he wasn’t leaning against the trellis or pillars or draped over the archways overlooking the creek. His face fell, and for a moment, something akin to disappointment stabbed at the young man’s heart at the other’s absence.

His eyes caught something on the railing just under an archway. He approached, finding long black material hanging from the marble banister. Something told him he knew who this belonged to. Suddenly paranoid, Shay looked around, finding that he was still very much alone on the bridge. His gaze returned to the cloak.

Swallowing, one hand reached gingerly for the material, fingers lifting the cloak for better inspection. It was fairly light; not something one would wear in the coming colder months. The only reason the wisterias were sticking around was due to the heat generated by the SunWoven Order. The flowering vines here were old enough to have adapted to store that heat. Yet another consequence of the immense arcane power stored in the Order.

His eyes caught a small insignia in the inner layer of the cloak. He lifted the cloth to his face, angling it so the moon could give him just a bit more light…

A black, four-pointed star, lined in gold thread. He didn’t know why he was surprised. Eleos had never truly confirmed if he was a Mage of Stars, but all evidence had pointed to that being the case. Still, to see the symbol on his cloak, it was a lot to take in.

"Do be careful with the cloak. It’s worth more than you know."

Shay dropped it as soon as those drawling words had floated to his ears. His eyes searched frantically for the source of the voice, still finding himself to be alone.

"Down here little apprentice."

Down? Shay looked over the railing, at the creek below, finding Eleos to be sitting idly on a large boulder in the middle of the stream. How had he not noticed him before?

When he looked at him though, Eleos did blend in with the nightly surroundings, his dark clothing and hair like shadows under the moonlight. Only his golden eyes were vibrant in the obscurity, shining, glimmering beacons of light.

Shay felt himself heating up at the sight of the man, the moths fluttering silently around his dashing form, less nervous now than when he had arrived, though no less troubled. Eleos had a brow lifted at him, and with the way he smiled that dazzling, knowing smile, Shay had a feeling he was waiting for him to initiate conversation. That’s why he’s here after all. It’s why Eleos waits for him here.

But what he wanted to speak of was nothing to be taken lightly. Doubt ate away at him again. Was this truly what he should be doing?

"I wanted to talk," he began uncertainly, eyes shifting in trepidation, "with you. Of course with you, why am I here, otherwise?" The last part was said more to himself. He questions himself every time he gives in to the urge to see Eleos, not knowing if it was the right or wrong decision, not with everything that had happened. But he needed to speak with the man, now more than ever.

Eleos smiled wider, golden eyes narrowing. Cat-like; that’s how he would describe the man’s personality. Like now, that look he just gave him; why did he look so pleased? If Shay knew any better, he would think the man would start purring.

The handsome mage lifted himself, beckoning Shay down to the creek. "Come. Let’s have a walk. And bring the cloak while you’re at it, little apprentice."

His face heated with humiliation. ‘The nerve…’ He grabbed the cloak a little more roughly than intended.

There was a little path in the long grass by the creek, worn through time by the village residents, children and budding mages. Eleos waited for him there, holding out a hand for his cloak as Shay approached. He hadn’t noticed before from the bridge, but Eleos didn’t have his raven locks completely loose about his shoulders. He knew he shouldn’t take that book on Circles of Dark Magic as seriously as he once did, but it did state Mages of Stars always wore their hair loose. Yet another discrepancy.

The dark strands on top of his head were very loosely braided, wisps falling from it and framing his angular features. The hair on the sides were twisted into tight plaits flush with his head, joining the loose braid into a half-ponytail at the back, the rest hanging over his back, with the exception of two small braids coming from just behind his ears. Little glinting rings of gold were attached to a few of the strands.

Shay thought Eleos looked more striking this way, regal even. It reminded him of the elaborate styles that the Elder Mages and High Mage were prone to wearing.

How long he stared at the other’s hair like this, he didn’t know. They had started walking when he did, yet the other remained quiet as he gathered his thoughts. The more he uncovered about Eleos, the more he began to resemble the mages with whom he grew up.

How did Eleos know so many things about the SunWoven Order, things only a mage like himself, linked to Synn, would know? And if the conclusions he was drawing were somehow correct… What did that make of Eleos?

What did that make him?

He took a deep breath, fingers pushing a stray blonde lock behind his ear, noticing how much they were shaking already.

Eleos finally broke his focus, "You have something on your mind. Out with it, then."

Was he teasing him again? He decided he would rather not know. His voice was uneven when he started, "Last time, you spoke as though you knew what our initiation is. You," he breathed, running a hand through his blonde hair in agitation, "You seem like you know of my headaches, and touch m-me…" Here he stopped, his face heating in mortification. Eleos watched him closely, golden eyes conveying nothing. "Somehow, you’re able to banish them with your touch, you tell me to fight against something and I’m starting to-to think I’m going mad because of that, but then I had my trails, and then that THING, it came back at my passage ceremony and I don’t understand anything anymore and damn it, you use your hair as an arcane focus and I don’t even know if I want to go through with my initiation anymore, and, and-"

He was shaking, rambling, but he couldn’t stop, everything came out, without filter.

A silencing finger pressed to his lips, but it didn’t help in any way to calm him, if anything, it only made him feel so much worse, so much more stressed, and couldn’t stop the little sound of distress that left his lips then, no matter how hard he tried. He frowned, lips trembling as every accumulated bit of anxiety burst free, as every event that had happened pressed down on him.

He felt like he was suffocating. His eyes began to water, Eleos’ worried face distorting as his tears began to overflow.

When a sob ripped from his throat, Eleos slid his hand to his nape, and Shay could do nothing but allow himself to be pulled to that broad chest as the other shushed him quietly.

Eleos placed his chin on top of his head, Shay noticed in the back of his mind, had wound his other arm around his waist. He held him close like that, allowing the young man to cry into his neck.

"You’re alright, little apprentice."

He only cried harder, pressing a hand to his open mouth, eyes burning with the force at which he kept them closed. "No, I’m not! I can’t even go a day without hearing that incessant ringing, I can’t even sleep anymore because I’m afraid that something is going to h-happen to me, and I can’t even look at my friend anymore without feeling guilty for hiding everything from him! I don’t want him to become like me! I don’t want him to get to this point, and I-I don’t know what to do anymore! I feel like my life is crumbling around me, and the only time I feel normal anymore is when I’m talking with a Dark Mage!"

He sobbed harder than he ever had in his life, uncaring for the words he had just spouted off. Not even the constant rubbing of Eleos’ hand on his back was helping him. Nothing was.

"Look at me."

Oh gods, not again. Not now. No more of this terrible buzzing, the fuzz, the cobwebs the ringing that threatened to make him loose his mind, not the heaviness in his head, like chains were wound around his body, this stifling presence that he couldn’t shake off that had only gotten worse since he had noticed it. Not AGAIN. NO MORE.

His hands grabbed fistfuls of his hair as he shook it from side to side, body trembling something fierce as he screamed.

A hard, hot hand clamped over his mouth, muting his cries. "Forgive me, Shay, I know it hurts, I know it’s maddening, but you’re being a little too loud right now" Eleos whispered as he ushered -pulled- him away from the creek, further into the forest surrounding the village at the foot of the mountain.

He struggled half-heartedly, head still vibrating with noise so strident he though his eardrums would shatter at any second. He could barely hear Eleos speaking to him, nor the muffled sounds emitting from his own throat.

When the Dark Mage finally let him go, Shay immediately tried to run away, wailing until his throat was raw, but a steely hand grabbed his arms and manhandled him until Eleos had him against his torso again, one hand keeping his own pinned to his back.

He had to get away. He didn’t know, but something told him to run, to struggle and scream and not allow himself to be so close to Eleos.

What had that command been during his passage ceremony? That whisper that had flowed through his mind and made his body go numb?

Obey.

He needed to obey. He needed to run because that’s what it wanted right now. It’s what HE wanted right now-

"His influence on you is much more potent than last time," Shay heard Eleos growl, but the words didn’t register in his overtaxed mind. Only getting away mattered.

He screamed again, twisting his body against Eleos’ unyielding grip.

"F***, just-" Eleos struggled to maintain his grip, but finally, he got Shay in a good position, "-Synn be damned, ENOUGH!"

His hand buried itself in his hair.

Shay’s scream dwindled, lost his voice to the press of that hand. His eyes, which had been wide, panicked, suddenly turned into slits, eyelids growing heavy with a stronger sensation that began to override the headache, that silenced the ringing. "No…" he meekly protested, barely fighting against Eleos’ grip anymore.

Low, strict yet calming words fluttered over his ear, "Stop. This isn’t you. He cannot control you if you don’t give in. Don’t let his fearmongering take over your mind when it’s not his to have."

"Let go…" But the comforting sensation of Eleos’ presence, his hand pressing against his scalp, soothing away the terrible ache, it began to make him see clear. This isn’t him. He wants this; not to run away, he wants to speak with Eleos, he wants to be with him, he wants him…

He wants…him?

His blue eyes began to focus on their surroundings; Eleos had brought him into a grove far from the village, far from the creek, far from watching eyes. The moonlight filtered through the boughs of the willow trees, silvery rays catching on dewdrops and the colorful wings of Luna Moths.

"That’s right, just calm down…" Eleos spoke softly, and Shay became aware of how hard they were both breathing. His heart rate had slowed only somewhat, it’s cantering no longer the product of pain and fear but of their proximity to one another, of the deep feelings of care he could feel rolling off the Dark Mage.

After a few moments, Eleos finally let go of his hands, and had removed his own from Shay’s hair.

Shay took a deep breath, made one step, and found his legs were shaking so much he couldn’t stand. A gasp left his lips when he fell, stumbling backwards into Eleos. The man released a surprised grunt before they fell on their backs, the handsome mage’s arms loosely wrapped around the other’s midriff.

"Eleos…"

The man hissed as he had them sit, backing them up against the large trunk of the willow, Shay between his legs. "It’s alright, I shouldn’t have let you go so suddenly-"

"Don’t stop."

Shay had his head leaning against the man’s left shoulder, face tilted up to stare into those beautiful golden irises. His own blue ones were red-rimmed, eyelids nearly closed as more than fatigue took over. Eleos’ face contorted in confusion at his sudden demand. "What?"

Mortification forgotten, Shay was consumed by a need much stronger than flying back to the Order, and when he could feel his ears begin to ring again, his plea turned more urgent, "Please, please, don’t stop- my hair, don’t stop, it’s coming again I can’t-"

Understanding washed over those angular features, and soon, Eleos had his left hand tangled in his hair again.

"Oh gods…" he felt like crying again over how good that felt. This was him again, not whatever was making those headaches.

The man’s deep breathing lulled him as the other released a quiet, strained laugh, "Your will must be made of iron to resist Synn’s control."

"Synn’s…what?" Shay blinked a few times, body shivering as Eleos’ digits scraped lightly against his scalp. His focus was a fleeting thing, but he wouldn’t give in to his bodily needs, not yet, not when the other was saying such grave things. "What are you talking about?"

"Shay," he spoke gravely, arm tightening around his waist, "What happened during your trials? Your passage ceremony?"

He didn’t want to think about it, it scared him to even consider it, but Eleos was here, he had his hand in his hair, and against everything he had been taught, Shay found the man to be a protective, safe presence, and he wanted nothing more than to confide in him.

So, he did, his voice cracking at the memories, "I had to…I had to read the High Mage’s mind as my last trial. I-" he swallowed, "I astral projected into his body, but there were so many locks, and I started having the same headache while in the astral plane but it was so much worse, and at some point, it felt like there were two projections of the High Mage, but then I…"

He looked at Eleos, golden eyes filled with unimaginable sadness and knowledge. It’s as though he knew what this meant.

"I thought of you." There, he said it, his heart heavy with emotion, "I thought of how you helped me get rid of the headaches, and I was able to open the last lock but all I saw were eyes and fire and it was so hot I thought I was going to burn." He felt his eyes water. The Dark Mage’s other hand lifted from his waist, came to gently wipe the stray tear away. "The High Mage looked so furious at me, and when my passage ceremony came, I saw that thing again, and it had never been so painful before." He searched those golden abysses, imploring, "I don’t know what it means."

A beat of silence came from Eleos. "Eyes…white eyes?"

"Yes. How did you…?"

He feared he already knew the answer, but when Eleos said it himself, when he heard the words he had been dreading to hear since the last time they had spoken, spoken by the Dark Mage, it still shook him to his very core. "Shay, I was a SunWoven Mage. Just like you. That is, before I left," Eleos shifted his eyes away from his, lips thinning in displeasure.

"Why?" he found himself asking, pleading eyes trying to look into those downturned golden ones, "Why did you leave?"

An amused sigh left the handsome mage’s lips as he shook his head at him, raven hair shaking loose from his shoulder, "You have all the pieces and yet you still act like you don’t see the whole image."

What if he didn’t want to? What if he wanted to live in blissful ignorance, go back to being a clueless fledgling who simply followed the Order blindly? It hadn’t been a bad existence, he had enjoyed himself at times, even when studying the arcane so much his head hurt. The only thing he had ever known was crumbling around him and try as he might to piece it back together, the parts no longer fit, the image had shifted, and all he saw was burning apprentices and wrathful eyes that haunted his every waking hour.

But he couldn’t live in denial anymore. Even when a part of him still cried at him to not listen to Eleos, that he’s a Dark Mage, that Dark Mages do nothing if not manipulate others because that’s what he had always been told, he couldn’t help but follow his instincts, and they told a different story. They told of a person much like him, with emotions and a story worth being told, worth being taken into consideration. When he looked at Eleos, he didn’t see a liar, a manipulator, a villain; he saw a kindred spirit.

Maybe that’s why it was so hard for him to accept that Synn was a monster.

That’s what that thing was, wasn’t it? The embodiment of the sun, which he had only ever thought of as a benevolent, kind god that brought warmth and sunlight to their planet…Was that all fake? A terrible lie the Order was feeding him?

"It’s Synn, isn’t it? That’s what I saw?" He asked, eyes closing as yet more tears flooded his vision. Eleos said nothing, and at his silence, Shay pleaded, "Please, I need to know."

"…Yes."

He breathed unsteadily. "You’ve seen him before?"

"All SunWoven Mages see him eventually. Usually, a vision of Synn comes during the initiation, but…" Eleos watched him, fingers tracing soothing patterns on his scalp, "Sometimes, more powerful mages glimpse him early on."

More powerful mages? "But I’m just a pupil, I’m not-"

"A mage’s true potential comes from within. Not from passage ceremonies, not from a better arcane focus. Unlocking that potential is different for everyone. You must have found something within yourself that is able to overpower Synn’s influence which keeps you mages from developing your true abilities."

Something within himself?

He gazed long and hard at Eleos’ features.

Is his need for proximity with Eleos what had overpowered Synn? The will to push through the pain, in hopes of a reward? In the form of Eleos?

"Whatever it is," the Dark Mage was saying now, "Keep focusing on that. It will ward some of Synn’s grasp on your psyche." The man lifted his blonde hair then, and Shay wondered what he was thinking. "I say that, but I do hope you’ll reconsider trying to continue with these passage ceremonies."

"Why?" What was so important-

"What do the passage ceremonies do, Shay?" Eleos said, serious, letting the hair slip from his grasp, before burying his hand at his nape, "What is their significance?"

"They…" he blinked, shaking his head. He could barely concentrate when Eleos kept playing in his hair like that… "They allow us to get a deeper link with Synn by growing out our hair."

It was as he said it that his eyes widened in realization.

"And the more your hair grows…?"

Shay shook in uncontained fear. "The more powerful the link." He had only been reinforcing Synn’s presence in his mind through those blasted ceremonies.

Eleos lightly pulled the hair in his hand, the young mage’s scalp lifting from his skull. A small sound came from his throat. "I see the hair as less of a link…it’s more like chains. Shackles on your mind, to prevent you from gaining your full potential, to make sure Synn doesn’t loose control of you."

Chains. A weight on his mind. No wonder he always felt like his body was so heavy after each passage ceremony. Was that also a testament to Synn’s power over him?

A strained moan came from his open lips; Eleos’ hand had raked up from his nape to his crow in one delectable motion. Goosebumps littered his skin under his robes, raising the hair on his arms. Gods, why did it feel so good?

The last of his remaining self-control was slipping, but something bugged him, and he needed to ask Eleos before he was overcome with his body’s heat. "Why- how are you able to get rid of the headaches with just your touch?"

The man raised a brow at him, one corner of his lips turning up in an amused, yet curious simper. "I’m not doing anything, little apprentice. I’m only touching your hair."

"You-you have to be doing something, this isn’t…" Words. He could scarcely string them together anymore.

A firmer press of those fingers along his scalp had him squirming in delight, against his best efforts. A chuckle came from the other at his antics. "Most mages of the SunWoven Order are more sensitive to touch on their hair and scalp -I myself was- but you’re quite a bit more attuned to touch than others. You must have deep ties with your hair, more than most I would assume."

Did he? They had always been told that their hair is sacred, something not meant to be handled by anyone other than themselves or attendees of the Order, trusted people who knew the intricacies of their magical focus. They were taught to cherish their hair, to care for it more thoroughly than any other part of their body. Washing, anointing, brushing, combing, plaiting, styling, adorning with jewelry- all these things were of the outmost importance to them, and Shay had always derived some pleasure from the tedious tasks. Not the bodily pleasure he felt now; it was pride that swelled within him when he sat at his vanity and delicately untangled his hair, it was joy that he was becoming a better mage.

When Eleos had touched him that first time…when he had felt pleasure far different than what he had experienced before, he became increasingly aware of all the times before when he had sat too long at the vanity and began to pant as he brushed his hair, when people would brush past him and his hair would shift and cause his body to heat up. He had felt this pleasure before, in small doses throughout his life, and Eleos had awakened it fully.

"I…" another scrape of digits along his scalp had him whimpering, hands blindly grabbing the handsome mage’s arm still wrapped around his midriff. He closed his eyes, shamelessly burying his face in Eleos’ warm neck. "Oh, sweet heavens, please…"

"Please?" The other laughed briefly, seemingly delighting in the young man’s situation. "Please what? I’m only playing with your hair."

His pride be damned; he wanted Eleos to do something more, and there was no way Shay was letting him disappear without getting his needs, his screaming needs, met. The worst that could happen is Eleos denying him, and if that were the case, he would deal with the situation if and when it happened, but he would rather burn than let this opportunity pass.

"It feels so good…" his face flushed in embarrassment when he felt his shaft begin to harden under his robes. "Please, I need…"

Eleos’ golden eyes watched the writhing young man, gaze finding the telltale tenting of the white robes. "Well now, I’ve never seen something quite like this before" he murmured in fascination, only worsening Shay’s already apparent mortification. The man’s fingers only continued their ministrations, more confidently, as Eleos leaned his head against Shay’s. "Is my touch that stimulating, or is it that your hair is just that sensitive? Perhaps a bit of both?" he teased.

When his hair was gripped tightly and pulled, just once, he shamed himself with a high-pitched moan. "Ele…Eleos, I- mercy…" he couldn’t think straight anymore, not when the Dark Mage’s hand had moved from his waist, not when it pressed along his heaving body down so very, very close to his aching appendage.

With a whine, Shay spread his legs apart, a silent demand to please, for the love of all that is good in this world, TOUCH.

But the man stayed there, just barely close enough, leaving him hanging in desperation and unmet need. Impatience clawed at the young man, had him writhing against Eleos in hopes of getting that hand just a little closer. When it became apparent that Eleos had no intention of moving, Shay growled in frustration; his own hands would do the job if the other wouldn’t-

A sudden resistance met his arms, stopping his hands from reaching his ever-growing erection. He snapped his eyes open, spotting the problem immediately: strings of twilight colors had wrapped around his arms, preventing him from moving them beyond his waist.

He cast a pleading look to Eleos, but his face fell at the sight of the man.

He had always seen the other’s magic in the same golden glow that consumed him when he did magic, but the glow was different now; his hair flowed around him like a night sky, sparkling with shifting tones of deep purple, blues, greens and spotted with specks of silver, as though the galaxies themselves were a part of him. His eyes were no longer gold �" they shone as beautifully as the moon, and Eleos watched him tenderly with those mesmerizing irises, smiling lightly.

"Patience, and I will give you what you seek."

He was stunned for only a moment before he whined again, teeth clenching tightly with the effort to not cry out in anger at the man. How dare he make him wait; how dare he keep his hands away-

He sucked in a hissing breath, trembling when Eleos began to pull his robes apart. He revealed his stomach first, fingers grazing his sensitized skin, causing Shay to twitch at the light touch. Eleos didn’t cease his ministrations on his scalp either, no, quite the contrary: his hands were more assertive, fingers brushing his hair back from his forehead to his nape, finding the places which cause Shay the most pleasure.

When the handsome mage began to push back at his loose trousers, where the outline of his erection was obscenely apparent, Shay found it increasingly hard to keep himself from begging the man, "Oh please, please, Eleos, I need this, please-"

"Hush, little apprentice," Eleos whispered in his ear, smirking as the young mage trembled in barely repressed want, "you beg so beautifully…but good things come to those who wait."

He made his point clear by removing his hand from his trousers, instead coming to tangle it with the other in Shay’s blonde locks, laughing as the young man moaned loudly. Gods, if this continued, Shay believed he would die out of sheer desperation and anticipation alone without ever getting what he so desired right now.

Finally, though, Eleos brought his right hand back to his trousers and unceremoniously brought them down, as much as he could in their current position, and when he did, Shay released a low groan, eyes closing as he tilted his head further into the hand at his scalp. Yes. Finally.

"Goodness, so eager," Eleos smiled, his long fingers brushing against the smooth skin just above his shaft. A hum came from him. "I always forget that SunWoven Mages are nude down here."

What did he mean nude? Shay blushed further as he somehow managed to ask, "What are you- mhm �" talking about? Everyone-"

"Despite Synn’s rather monstruous form, he reviles anything deemed less than beautiful. Your genital area would usually be hairy, but that’s not a part of Synn’s beauty standards."

The thought of having hair around his shaft reviled him and made him curious in equal measure. Was Eleos by any chance…No, no he wouldn’t think about that, not when Eleos was winding his fingers around his base.

His hips bucked of their own accord, desperate for some form of friction. He had been waiting for so long already, he needed to be touched. The Dark Mage was pressing at his crown, fingers scraping along his scalp in tantalizing motions as he began to move his other hand in pumping motions along the length of his sensitive member. He moaned, eyes closing again.

But all too soon Eleos had removed his hand, and Shay sent him a pleading, questioning look. A glow came from his hand then.

"Let’s see how much better this feels on you."

Shay opened his eyes blearily, just in time to see the man’s magic accumulate in his palm and the glow dissipate. What was left was an odd substance, not unlike the oil Shay would use to satisfy himself when he could no longer fight the sensation. But this looked thicker in a way, more viscous…

Decidedly, when Eleos placed that slicked hand on him, Shay enjoyed it far better than any ordinary oil.

A guttural groan ripped from his throat as Eleos began a steady rhythm on him, that slick substance aiding the motion terribly, so much so, Shay thought he might come undone right then and there, but he held off, how, he did not know, but he did, if only so he could relish in the ministrations just a little longer.

Eleos didn’t confine himself to simply stroking his shaft, no, his hand would venture down and lightly tug at his tightening sac, causing Shay to bite his lips against every little sound that wanted to escape him. He couldn’t keep quiet though, when those long fingers came to press just under his pouch, in that warm spot he seldom gave attention. But the handsome mage devoted much time to this area, so much so, Shay began to see stars in his vision, before he would go back to running his fist along his member.

His knees bent, shook, his body growing rigid with every overwhelming sensation, from the pumping of Eleos’s hand on his shaft to the delicious feel of his other hand massaging his head, pulling at his roots, brushing through his locks.

By the gods, he could barely stand it. He made noises the likes of which he never had in his life. His torso came off Eleos’ own, his head lolling forward, mouth open, as sensation took over, never realizing that the Dark Mage was struggling to hold him back with the magic-infused strings at his arms, was following his movements so as to never let go of his head.

"You’re shaking so much, little apprentice. How does it feel?" The man smirked against his ear as he whispered those salacious words, his breath coming hotter and heavier. Was he enjoying himself as well? Shay could feel a distinct pressure on his backside, no doubt caused by Eleos’ own unmet need.

How did it feel? Was the man blind to his body’s reaction? Or was he playing, teasing him like he so often does?

"Mh- oh Gods! Please, I’m so-"

"That’s right, tell me when you’re about to burst so I can watch you fall apart."

F***. How could his words make his body light up so intensely? His low, commanding voice, rumbling through his core, had his head spinning wildly and his hand, speeding up and twisting over the head of his appendage was making his entire body quake, his legs twitch and move against his will.

The man ran his demanding digits up from his nape to his crown, grabbed him suddenly, and pulled his head back.

Wide blue eyes found shining, lustful, glowing silver abysses, before Eleos crashed his lips to his, swallowing his moan.

He came instantly, hands blindly finding Eleos’ hair, not noticing the spell on his arms had dissipated, and pulled the man to him, hips writhing as Eleos kept rubbing his sensitized organ, the slick of his seed mixing with the slippery substance used to pleasure him.

XXXXX


I do so wonder if you can see where the story is headed in regard to Shay's hair. Then again, attempt to theorize as one might, only I know the poor little apprentice's faith. For now, one will have to be content with Eleos playing with Shay's hair and driving him mad with need. After all, good things come to those who wait.

-Fantasy Weaver

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