That night was pure chaos inside Bam's chambers. Not the kind where assassins lurked in shadows, but the kind where his mind waged war against his heart.
"Is she really telling the truth?" Bam pondered, replaying their adventure into the ancient temple frame by frame in his mind.
His fingers unconsciously traced his lips as the memory of that kiss flooded back, sending electricity through his veins. With a frustrated growl, he slammed his fist into a poor pillar beside him, the sharp crack echoing through his chambers.
"Have you gone completely insane?" he mumbled to the empty room, running his hand through his disheveled hair.
His eyes hardened as he stared at the moonlight streaming through his window. "Whatever. I'll never believe her tricks. Never again," he declared to the silent darkness.
Only the soft hooting of a night owl answered him.
Sleep claimed him quickly—his desperate attempt to silence the storm raging in his mind. But fate had other plans...
The dream came again, but this time with crystal clarity. No blurry edges, no fading details—a perfect 4K vision like a VR game.
Bam found himself dressed in heavy furs, completely unsuited for the desert kingdom he ruled. Around him stretched an endless landscape of pristine white snow that sparkled under a pale sun.
"Did Ra abandon this realm?" he wondered, but his dream-body moved on its own accord, trudging forward and leaving a trail of deep footprints in the snow.
Author's note: 'Ra' is the Sun God.
The silence of this frozen world was absolute. Not a soul in sight until—
CLANG!
The metallic sound sliced through the quiet. Bam's eyes darted toward its source, and his legs carried him forward without permission.
Then he saw her.
A lady, her hair pink as cherry blossoms, eyes fierce as a wary lion and what she did? She was fighting a bear with a sword elegantly.
Wait. A bear? Yes, a literal bear.
Bam froze, not from fear of the massive beast, but because his heart hammered against his ribs like war drums at the mere sight of her. Something about her was achingly familiar yet completely foreign.
The woman danced around the bear, her movements fluid and precise. With elegant yet devastating slashes, she reduced the massive creature to a lifeless heap on the blood-stained snow.
Bam's lips parted, as he saw the lady dance with her sword and slash the bear to pieces elegantly. FINE. NASTILY.
After a delicate display of 'How to slay a wild bear', the lady wiped the sweat in her forehead.
"Phew. I feel sorry for you," she whispered, kneeling to close the bear's glassy eyes. "But your existence threatens my people." She took two respectful steps backward and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry... for being selfish."
A smile tugged at Bam's lips as he found himself entranced by this warrior's strange blend of ferocity and compassion. Then—disaster. Her eyes locked with his.
"Bambam!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with pure joy as she waved enthusiastically, as if he were the greatest treasure she'd ever found.
"Princess..." The word tumbled from his lips unbidden, laced with emotions he couldn't understand.
....
Bam bolted upright in bed, gasping for air like a drowning man. The dream clung to him like a second skin, too vivid to dismiss as mere fantasy.
His hand clutched at his racing heart. "Just what the hell was that?" he whispered, bewildered and breathless.
The midnight stars still glittered outside his window. The same night owl watched him with curious eyes, tilting its head as if equally confused by the human's distress.
Sleep would not reclaim him tonight. Not after that.
....
It was not just Bam.
Across the palace, in the women's wing, Yetao jerked awake, his body drenched in sweat as if he'd battled nightmares. But it wasn't fear that accelerated his heartbeat—it was confusion.
"He called me... Princess?" Yetao whispered into the darkness, the fragments of his dream colliding with recent memories.
"I'm sorry, Princess," Bam had said in the temple, words that had seemed like nonsense at the time.
Yetao's brows furrowed into a knot of confusion. "Is this the effect of that ancient spell? How long will these visions haunt us?" He slapped his cheeks hard enough to leave crimson imprints, desperate to ground himself in reality.
Looking down at his sweat-soaked nightclothes, he made a decision. "It must be around 3 AM now. Might as well wash up and start the day early."
With that thought, he hurried toward the bathhouse.
Yes, the same one he'd been using since his arrival, blissfully unaware that it was exclusively reserved for King Bam.
.....
Fate, that mischievous weaver of destinies, had similar plans for the king.
Unable to face his dreams again, Bam had also sought refuge in the steaming waters of his private bath. The warm water embraced his tense muscles as he tried to make sense of the visions that had invaded his sleep.
So lost was he in contemplation that he barely registered the soft footsteps approaching—until his warrior instincts flared to life.
"An assassin at this hour? Give me a break," he thought wryly, remaining still as he waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Meanwhile, Yetao entered the bathhouse, his mind so preoccupied with dream fragments that he initially failed to notice the occupied waters. Only when a ripple disturbed the surface did he freeze in place.
"Shit! Someone's here? At this hour?" His first instinct was retreat—discovery meant his secret would be exposed. He turned to leave when—
COUGH
The unmistakably masculine sound halted Yetao in his tracks. His confusion rapidly transformed into righteous fury.
"A man? In the women's bathhouse?" His blood boiled at the thought. "Which perverted scum dares to invade this space?"
Righteousness clouded his judgment as he crept forward on silent feet, his dress clutched tightly in one hand while the other held fresh clothes—perfect for smothering an unsuspecting peeper.
Reaching the entrance to the main bath, Yetao spotted a muscular back rising from the steaming waters. His jaw clenched in indignation.
"Fine. I'll beat the living daylights out of you, you #@$%$@#!" he thought viciously.
But Bam was no ordinary opponent. He's a God, dude. He had detected the presence long ago and was simply waiting.
The moment Yetao launched his clothing projectile, Bam's hand shot out like lightning, seizing the attacker's wrist. In one fluid motion, he twisted to capture his assailant's throat—only to freeze mid-action as recognition dawned.
"You?!" Yetao gasped, disbelief etched across his features.
Bam released his grip instantly, but the sudden movement threw Yetao off-balance. With a spectacular splash, he tumbled directly into the bath—and onto Bam's chest.
When Yetao resurfaced, sputtering and disoriented, his hands were inadvertently pressed against the king's bare abs.
"Shit!" He scrambled upright, water cascading from his soaked clothing, pink hair plastered to his face. Despite the bath's warmth, his rising body temperature owed more to fury than heat.
"What are you doing here?" Yetao demanded, his expression morphing into pure disgust.
Bam, ever the man of few words, simply tilted his head and responded with maddening casualness, "What do you think?"
Yetao was momentarily speechless before finding his voice again. "Even though you're a king, there are certain places you shouldn't enter," he hissed through clenched teeth.
Recognition flickered in Bam's eyes as he realized Yetao's misconception. But rather than correct it, amusement tugged at his lips. This drama was too entertaining to end prematurely.
"What place does a king have no access to? Everything belongs to the king," he replied with a raised eyebrow that made Yetao's insides twist with rage.
"Wow! Would you look at this advanced piece of shit?" Yetao thought, his fists clenching as he fought the urge to land a punch on that smug royal face. But self-preservation prevailed—barely. With a dramatic eye-roll, he attempted to exit the bath when Bam's hand shot out, pulling him back in.
"I asked: WHAT PLACE does a KING not have permission to enter?" Bam pressed, his voice dangerously low.
That. Was. It.
Yetao stomped on Bam's foot with all his might, aiming to crush royal toes. Bam flinched but oddly felt no pain—a detail that registered somewhere in the back of his mind.
"Look here, you pervert," Yetao snarled, eyes flashing with barely contained rage. "No matter how many good deeds you perform, peeking inside a women's bathhouse will guarantee you're oil-fried in the deepest pits of hell!"
"Did you forget I'm a God?" Bam reminded him with infuriating nonchalance.
Yetao rolled his eyes so violently they might have glimpsed his skull. "#@#@##!#@#!$#@$@!$#!"
(Letters have been censored for reader's eye protection)
Bam couldn't understand a single word. But he somehow knew that those aren't some pleasant words. He was about to deliver the devastating revelation—his ultimate UNO reverse card—when a voice called from outside.
"King!!"
With lightning reflexes, Bam pulled Yetao against his chest, concealing him completely.
"What?" he barked toward the entrance.
Yetao's heart thundered against his ribcage, his face pressed against the king's damp skin.
"We were on patrol and heard noises. Is everything alright, Your Majesty? Do you require assistance?" the soldier inquired respectfully.
Annoyance flashed across Bam's features. "Do I appear so helpless that I would summon the likes of you for aid?" His voice dripped with menace, sending the soldiers into visible panic.
Glancing down at the trembling Yetao in his arms, he added with a smirk, "Or did you imagine someone would possess the audacity to infiltrate the king's private bath?"
The soldiers departed with hasty apologies, footsteps fading rapidly down the corridor.
Yetao's eyes widened to saucers as realization crashed over him like ice water.
"Can you please remove yourself from my chest?" Bam suggested with mock concern. "I'm a pervert, you see. I might do something unspeakable if you continue clinging to me."
Yetao recoiled as if struck by lightning, creating maximum distance between them.
"So... this is your bath?" The question emerged as a mortified whisper.
Bam released a dramatic sigh. "It has been by bath long before you started using it. But since you used it, I was being a gentle man and used the other bath house near the palace. But you're so mean", Bam held a pity performance dramatically.
"And what did you call me? #@#@##!#@#!$#@$@!$#!" Bam continued to pour out the same words like a diss rap even though he didn't know the meaning.
Yetao's face flushed crimson with humiliation. "...op," he mumbled, barely audible.
"Hmm? I didn't quite catch that," Bam teased mercilessly.
"STOP!" Yetao screamed, his entire being vibrating with embarrassment, lips and hands trembling uncontrollably.
Bam's teasing smile faltered as something flashed through his mind.
"STOP..." a voice echoed from somewhere beyond memory.
"I'm not going to betray him," Dream-Yetao's voice whispered—words never spoken in the dream itself.
Bam's vision blurred as reality seemed to shimmer around him, the Yetao before him momentarily fading into mist...
To Be Continued.....