Chapter 98: An introduction into a world you’ve never known
Cass woke up slowly the next morning. Without Sam around, he had no timer, no duties, nothing. It felt...strange to just, open his eyes and stare up at the fucking mural without Sam prattling on next to him.
Cass shifted in the bed, the sheets sliding against his skin as he rolled around in the bed, flopping this way and that.
What was he doing?
Nothing happened in the night like he had worried, and nothing strange happened again. He was hungry though, and thanks to the small stash of non-perishable food that Sam made sure he had, and knew where it was, Cass could make something for himself, and he could warm up some water for himself.
He’d learned how to warm up water with magic, so that was exciting. It felt like he was living out his true isekai dreams, and he giggled like a schoolgirl as he sat, tea pot filled with the ’safe’ water, his hands against either side and said the magic words.
He had a wide smile on his lips when steam began to rise from the tea pot.
It was...a slow morning, but it wasn’t unenjoyable. He didn’t know what he was expecting to happen to him, but he got to lay around in his god awful bedroom and read, drink tea, eat a few cookies that were safe, and that was pretty much it.
He did feel a few body aches every now and then, but that was about it. At least, for the first half of the morning. When it began to hit mid afternoon, Cass started to feel a bit warm.
His heart began to feel like it was pumping a bit too much in his chest, and he felt short of breath. When he checked his forehead he could tell that he had a bit of a fever, but he wasn’t sure what to do.
Should he take some of the healing tonic? Would that help? Probably not for something like a fever, right?
Despite being ’modern medicine’ it was kind of used like a snake oil product. A fixer of anything. Honestly, the holy magic felt a little more realistic, so Cass hesitated to take it. He’d...be fine, wouldn’t he? If things got worse, then he would take it.
It was mid afternoon, shortly after Cass realised that his body was...not quite right was when Sam did the first food drop off. A soft knock came from Cass’ bedroom door, showing that Sam was in the outer chambers.
"My Lord? Are you still conscious?" Sam asked, worry in his voice. Cass chuckled.
"I am still conscious, Sam." Cass replied and heard Sam sigh in relief on the other side.
"Oh good. I was worried it was going to be a bad one, but if you’re still conscious, it shouldn’t be too bad." Cass wondered what the fuck Sam knew if he was able to say that, but also knew that Sam wouldn’t talk about it.
Cass had asked him, but Sam had clammed up as soon as the words had left Cass’ mouth. He had avoided eye contact, nervous, and it was clear that Sam had a theory, but didn’t even want to tell his Lord, who had shown loyalty to, about his theory. Cass wondered how fucking bad it was that Sam could make comments like this, but wouldn’t speak the truth.
What did Sam think Cass went through?
"Well, I’m glad you think so." Cass replied, sighing. "I’ll grab the food in a second. Thanks for checking in, Sam." Cass called and heard some shuffling around on the other side.
"Are all of your other supplies okay? Do you need anything else?" Sam asked and Cass chuckled, looking over at the mess he’d already made.
"No, not yet. I’m still fine. It’s barely been 12 hours, Sam. I should be okay for now." It was clear that Sam was hesitating for some reason, and Cass almost thought he was going to say whatever was on his mind before he heard another soft exhale on the other side of the door.
"Alright. I will be back around tomorrow to check on you again." Sam said, and Cass heard his footsteps fade. Once again, Cass was alone.
After he made sure that Sam was truly gone, he unlocked his bedroom door and pulled in the tray. The food was warm, and it looked like Sam had made sure he had a great variety of food. Cass sat down on the bed, cross-legged, and ate the food with gusto. A book was open as he ate, a cup of warm tea nearby.
Honestly, if this wasn’t advertised as the worst fucking experience of his life, Cass wasn’t so sure if Lord Blackburn had made this seclusion week up just to get a mental health break. Despite the loneliness, he was having a great time.
Reading all he wanted, no work, no interacting with the fucking male leads who made his life living hell. No interacting with the female lead and supporting character that he didn’t like either.
Just...romance novels, BL, and bubble baths. Speaking of, he should take another one tonight too. Wait, would that be bad for him if he had a fever? He didn’t know the logistics of that. For some reason, hot water and a hot body didn’t seem to sound like a good idea, and Cass pouted.
He didn’t want a cold bath. He wasn’t a degenerate, nor one of those people who believed that cooling the body could extend their life. Why the hell would he want that? He was already dead. He was haunting someone else’s body right now.
Plus, could Lord Blackburn’s body even handle a cold bath? He was so sickly most of the time that Cass worried a strong wind would knock him over.
Wait, should he take this time to try and get stronger? Hmm. Maybe.
If he put a book below him, he could try to do some push ups. Maybe that would help him pass the time.
~
Cass regretted his choices.
Lord Blackburn wasn’t weak, he was pitiful. The man couldn’t even hold up his own body weight with his hands. He had to go onto his knees to do push ups, and even then, he could barely do 5.
Plus, this seemed to be the exact opposite thing he should have done. He was now sweaty and his clothes clung to his body. He felt overly sensitive, the feeling of his clothes sticking to his skin making him irritated and annoyed. He had to take off his shirt, the feeling of sweat rolling down his spine and dripping off of his face. It was a sensation that he had been used to in his old body, but felt strange in Lord Blackburn’s.
Was it because this wasn’t his body? Or because he took a month or so off of maintaining his body? Hmm, there were too many options, and now Cass was sweaty, exhausted, and short of breath.
He moved towards the bathroom, planning to have a quick shower or bath or something just to get this off of his body when something changed.
Cass’ vision shifted, and before he knew it, he found himself on the ground. Shocked, since he’d just been walking, Cass glanced around. Everything was morphing, moving, wiggling. It was like he was tripping, but he knew that wasn’t the case. His hands didn’t feel like his own, and he could hear how loudly he was breathing to his own ears.
He grabbed at the floor, at one of the carpets there, curling his fingers around the edge as he tried to ground himself. What the fuck was happening? What was going on? His body suddenly felt like it was one fire. His skin felt like it was rippling along his body, molten hot lava beneath the surface.
A searing pain felt like it went from his eyes, through his brain and down his whole body to his toes. He let out a choked gasp, bending over as he tried to pull air into his lungs.
What the fuck was this? What was this? What the fuck was wrong with Lord Blackburn?
Cass couldn’t think straight, his thoughts scattering as soon as he tried to form them. All he felt was heat, pain, and the sound of his own breathing.
It felt like he blinked, and then he found himself in his bed, the sun set, and darkness filling the room.
He couldn’t remember getting up onto the bed, how he got up here, nor when he did it. The only thing he knew was that the searing, horrible pain was gone, but the heat hadn’t left.
Cass’ body felt like it was on fire. It was uncomfortable, unusual, and Cass couldn’t help the moan of complaint that left his lips.
What the fuck was this? What the hell was this? Where was this stemming from? Why the hell had Lord Blackburn kept this from him? This was so fucking important! Did he think that Cass was going to back out because he didn’t know about this?
He was right to be afraid, but that still didn’t mean that Cass wasn’t pissed about this!
He’d clenched his hands so tightly on the sheets around him that his nails had penetrated and shredded the fabric. When had he done that? He had no idea.
In agony, Cass flipped over onto his back, staring up at the fucking mural above him. He glanced away from it, the fucking omen bothering him as he glanced around. It was only then that he realised a certain part of his body was awake, and at attention.
Why the fuck was he hard?