It had been three days since the first experiment.
The room was dim, silent, and cold—until the tranquility was shattered by a breathy whisper against Ares' ear and soft fingers trailing across his chest.
"Mmm… wake up, sleepyhead," Nia purred.
But Ares didn't budge. Completely knocked out, he lay still like a corpse. Not even Nia's suggestive wake-up call stirred him.
Sylvie, who had been quietly getting dressed nearby, grimaced. "Ugh. Pervert. Creepy."
Unfortunately for her, Nia's hearing was sharper than most. Her head turned slowly, unnervingly, toward Sylvie. Their eyes met. Nia didn't blink. Her stare was icy.
Sylvie instinctively froze. "W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Nia tilted her head slightly, an eerie smile curling her lips. "Nothing… But wouldn't it be interesting if people found out you're not a virgin and not married?"
Sylvie's entire face turned beet red.
"W-W-What?! H-How did you—how do you know that?!"
Panic bubbled up inside her. No one knew—not even her own parents. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Her thoughts were scrambled. She looked like she was about to explode with embarrassment.
Nia leaned in closer, her voice a whisper laced with menace. "I wonder how your parents would react if they heard... everything."
Sylvie didn't respond. She couldn't. Without another word, she turned and quietly walked into the bathroom. Nia returned to her seat beside Ares, casually poking his cheek. No remorse. No guilt. Just quiet curiosity.
Meanwhile, Ares slept soundly.
But in his dreams… he wandered.
He opened his eyes to a familiar place—an endless void sky above, and endless waters below. The dreamscape again. He had been here before. The strange silence, the strange peace, the strange pull to walk.
He stepped forward.
Water sloshed beneath his feet as he walked through the shallows. Minutes passed—then what felt like hours. Still, he walked. His legs began to ache. His body begged him to stop, but he didn't. He clenched his fists and kept going.
Then he saw it.
A break in the monotony. Color. Something different.
A small island, just ahead—barely a hill of sand, with a single palm tree standing like a lonely sentinel. He hurried toward it, stumbling, nearly falling. When he finally reached the island, he collapsed face-first into the warm sand, panting, his clothes soaked in sweat.
"What is this place?"
A voice answered, smooth and calm.
"This place is another world… not that you remember, anyway."
Ares bolted upright, spinning around to find the source. No one.
Then he looked toward the tree.
There, leaning against it, was a woman who seemed pulled from a myth. Long golden hair, radiant blue eyes, and a body wrapped in divine white garments trimmed with gold. She had wings—huge, angelic wings—and a golden aura danced around her like sunlight itself bowed to her presence.
She was beautiful beyond words. He blushed instinctively.
She smiled, still looking out at the horizon. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
Ares blinked, caught off guard. "W-What? O-Oh… yeah. It is."
Silence again. Only the lapping of water against the sand.
He finally gathered the courage to speak. "W-Who are you?"
She turned toward him, her expression unreadable. Then she gently raised her hand, pressing her finger against his forehead.
"That's for me to know… and for you to find out."
A burst of light engulfed him.
"W-Wait—!"
His eyes snapped open.
He was back.
Ares shot upright in his bed, his body slick with sweat, heart hammering against his chest. Before he could even catch his breath—
"Good morning," Nia whispered beside him, her smile unnervingly wide, her face mere inches away from his.
"GAAAAAH!" he screamed.
Nia tilted her head. "What? You looked like you were having a pleasant dream."
Ares scrambled out of bed, mumbling a quick apology as he accidentally shoved her aside and rushed to the bathroom.
"W-Wait—!" Nia tried to warn him.
Too late.
He opened the door.
Inside, Sylvie stood fully nude under the shower, her back turned until she turned her head—eyes wide, mouth open in shock. Her entire body froze. Ares didn't move either.
"A-A-AH!!" Sylvie screamed, scrambling to cover herself.
Ares' eyes widened. He slowly, very slowly, closed the door.
'Oh no…'
Before he could step back, he felt a shadow loom over him. Turning, he came face to face with Jones—fully awake, and glaring at him with an expression that could burn steel.
"W-Wait, Jones! It's not what it looks like, I swear!"
Jones said nothing.
He raised his left fist.
"W-We can talk about this! Like civilized men! P-P-Please—!"
SMACK!
Ares crashed back onto the floor.
What a way to start another day.