Kian's POV
"Uh oh," Kian blurted as he lunged forward, wrapping his arm around the man's torso to steady him. But he was heavier than he looked, and the sudden dead weight yanked him off-balance.
Instinctively, he dropped to one knee, left hand darting behind the falling head, right arm still cinched tight around the torso. The momentum was too much. His planted knee skidded on concrete, unable to anchor both of them, and then his hip struck the ground hard.
He tried to twist, to roll them sideways, but the man's dead weight pinned him flat against the pavement. Kian's left elbow scraped and burned, skin tearing raw, and his head hit the ground with a thud that starred white across his vision.
His breath left him in a sharp gasp. Concrete scraped his knuckles, and the raw patch on his elbow throbbed.
"Owwww…" Letting out a small whine, Kian pushed himself up and gently adjusted the unconscious man's position on the ground, thinking at least he had avoided giving him a concussion.
Then he chanted the reverse mantra to take away the vision he gave earlier, covered his eyes with that hand, and murmured, "No more surprises when you wake up. And hopefully no more headaches."
The whole ordeal, however, had attracted people's attention.
"He is fine. He is fine. Too drunk." Kian waved his hands, reassuring the people around him who had started closing in to ask if he needed help.
And he wasn't lying about him being fine. For people looking at the spirit dimension for the first time, it could be a little stressful.
When he saw that not only the white thread appeared connecting both of them, but the other person's core energy was almost as strong as his, he assumed he would be fine.
Apparently not.
Still, he was very excited as this was the first time he met a person with a clear indication that he could trust him. The thought of having a partner to work with fired up the dead neurons in his bored brain.
With all the giddiness and buzz, he realized that he was actually feeling happiness, which was short-lived, remembering the man hadn't woken up yet.
Way to go, Kian. You made the poor man so overwhelmed that he fainted. How can you expect him to agree with you when he wakes up? He argued with himself as he looked around. Spotting a nearby hotel next to the building, the man exited earlier, he decided to take him there; it didn't look like he could wake up any time soon.
"You… are supposed… to be… my… bodyguard," Kian huffed as he picked the man up a few centimeters above the ground, bridal style, but immediately put him down.
You don't look like a guy who would appreciate being treated like a princess.
That was the only reason, and it definitely was not because the man was too heavy for him to lift without breaking his own back.
"It is my fault you're like this. Let's get you rested first." He changed his approach, picking him up piggyback style with his legs trembling at the weight, and walked toward the hotel.