Selene Voss cried out, her voice breaking into a trembling sob as a tearing agony split through her. Never in her life—since the moment she had drawn her first breath—had she endured anything so brutal, so terrifying.
"Gods—how did it… how did it go in?" Kael Ashvane panicked. He thought he had broken her. He looked down—and saw blood spilling, staining the place where they were joined in a sight that turned his face ashen.
He recoiled in horror and tried to pull free.
The moment he moved, Selene let out another piercing cry—so sharp it froze him in place.
She shook her head wildly, breath hitching as a choking heat rose into her throat. Then, without warning, she broke into uncontrollable sobs.
Kael sobered halfway at once.
*I'm dead. I'm absolutely dead. I've ruined everything. How did I end up inside her? What have I done to her body?*
But even in his panic, what he felt below was… unbearable.
Her warmth. Her softness. The tight, living heat that gripped him like a velvet vise.
It was indescribable—overwhelming, intoxicating.
"Don't… it hurts… it hurts so much…" Selene whimpered, as if her body had been torn into a thousand fragments. She tried to pull away, desperate to escape the pain—but the slightest movement only made it worse. Her body trembled violently.
Her legs instinctively clamped shut, locking tight around his waist.
One cried. The other froze.
Neither dared move.
Then—slowly—something changed.
Kael's expression twisted.
He felt it.
Inside her… something was shifting. Subtle. Alive.
Her inner walls seemed to tighten, pulse—drawing him in, inch by inch, as though breathing him deeper.
"You… you're still—" Selene glared at him through tear-filled eyes, her cheeks flushed crimson. The pain had dulled slightly… replaced by something strange. A fullness she couldn't understand. A shame that made her unable to close her legs.
"I'm not! I didn't—this is you!" Kael protested in a panic, instinctively pulling back.
That motion wrung another soft cry from her lips.
But this time—
Beneath the pain, something else flickered.
Faint. Almost imperceptible.
A thread of pleasure.
"Gods… what is happening?" Kael froze, trapped between retreat and advance. Her softness clung to him, slick and tight, leaving no space at all. The sensations came in waves, each more intoxicating than the last, threatening to drive him mad.
Selene's heart raced in confusion, mortified by her own response.
"Get out… get out of me…" she snapped weakly.
Kael didn't dare press further. He began to withdraw carefully.
Selene had just begun to feel the pain ease—
Then something inside her was brushed.
A jolt shot through her body—sharp, electric, melting.
Her body trembled.
Something within her loosened—then flowed.
Kael felt it immediately.
The tight passage became suddenly slick, smooth—welcoming.
The sensation slammed into him like lightning.
He caught sight of Selene's face—eyes half-lidded, lips parted as she drew in breath—and the sight struck him with violent force.
Something snapped inside him.
Without warning, he surged forward again.
Harder.
Deeper.
He struck something.
At once, his entire body went numb.
Selene cried out sharply, her back arching as her body went limp. Her chin dropped onto his shoulder, strength leaving her completely.
Kael's teeth clenched as pleasure ripped through him. That fleeting touch vanished too quickly, leaving behind an unbearable craving. He thrust again—searching.
Found it.
That hidden place.
Soft beyond reason. Sensitive beyond belief.
"Don't… don't…" Selene whimpered, trembling violently. She didn't even know where he was touching—but the sensation was unbearable. Sharp, sweet, overwhelming. Something she couldn't reject, yet couldn't accept.
Warmth spread within her.
And suddenly—
A flood.
Liquid heat spilled forth, soaking him.
Kael groaned, completely lost. He moved like a man unbound, thrusting into her again and again. He didn't understand why—but it felt like the only way to survive the inferno building inside him.
Selene gasped, sweat beading across her skin. Her body felt as though it were burning alive. Her vision blurred.
"It hurts… it shouldn't… how can this… I don't want this…" she cried.
But the pain was fading.
Replacing it was something else.
A strange, tingling pleasure that spread through her limbs, overtaking everything.
Kael wrapped her tightly, driving into her in relentless rhythm. Her cries echoed in his mind.
*How can this be… how can this be…*
*I put something like this inside her…*
*Gods—why does it feel so good?*
Selene gasped as another deep thrust struck her. Pain flared—but pleasure followed immediately after, rippling outward in waves. Through blurred vision, she saw his face—sweat-soaked, intense—and something unfamiliar stirred in her chest.
Her body softened further.
Each movement became clearer.
Each thrust… sharper.
Her body responded on its own, warmth spreading everywhere, sticky sweetness clinging between them.
Kael recalled vague images—those forbidden illustrations he'd once glimpsed. Men buried fully inside women—
*So it can go deeper…*
He tested it.
Again.
Again.
Chasing that hidden place within her.
Selene couldn't endure it. Her body tensed, instinctively trying to push him out—
But her body betrayed her.
Instead, it clung tighter.
Wrapped around him.
Drawing him deeper.
Her control shattered.
Her hips lifted unconsciously, meeting him—seeking more.
Kael felt it.
Joy exploded in his chest.
He seized her hips, lifting her, driving into her harder—faster—lost completely. The more she yielded, the more fluid spilled between them, making every motion smoother, more frantic.
They were both drowning.
Bodies burning.
Minds dissolving.
Falling deeper into a realm neither had ever known.
Selene's breath broke into soft moans. It was her first time—she couldn't endure it. Her mind spiraled, unsure what came next, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Kael felt it too—something building inside him, swelling rapidly, unfamiliar and urgent. Then his eyes caught something—
A smear of crimson along her pale thigh.
Something twisted violently inside him.
His body surged.
Below, his flesh swelled, burning hotter—larger.
"Ah—!" Selene cried out, eyes snapping open. The heat inside her doubled—no, more. It burned like molten iron, melting her from within.
She tried to push him away—but her wrists were bound tight by the Eight-Claw Flamescourge, bruising her delicate skin.
Kael looked down—and froze.
His body had changed.
His shaft glowed like heated iron, crimson veins coiling across it like dragons.
But the pressure inside him—
He couldn't stop.
He lifted her legs high, pressing forward with savage force.
"Stop… I don't want… I can't—ah! Ah!" Selene cried, her voice breaking into something almost inhuman. A strange pressure built inside her—like she was about to lose control entirely.
She writhed desperately.
But Kael pinned her down, gripping her shoulders, thrusting harder—faster—unstoppable.
She endured it—barely.
Wave after wave crashed over her.
Then—
He struck it again.
That place.
Hard.
Everything went white.
Her lips parted—
No sound came out.
Kael shuddered, driven beyond reason by her expression. Something inside him broke free.
His body tightened.
He thrust again—again—
Then—
Selene's body convulsed violently.
Her hips jerked inward.
Her body curled, trembling uncontrollably as something burst from deep within her—her first release, overwhelming and unstoppable.
Kael felt it.
Warm.
Silken.
Her Lunar Essence flooded him, wrapping around him completely.
"Gods—what—" he gasped.
And then—
He broke.
Everything he had built surged out in a violent torrent, deep inside her.
Selene cried out, her body trembling, unable to control the flood of sensation. Pleasure and fear crashed together, overwhelming her completely.
"No… no… what is happening…" she sobbed.
Kael collapsed over her, still buried deep, lost in the aftershock, holding her tightly as the last waves passed.
Time blurred.
When he finally came back to himself—
Selene hung limp in his arms, boneless, her eyes half-closed, spirit drifting somewhere far away.
Cold dread slammed into him.
*I'm dead. I've done it now. I'm truly dead.*
She couldn't think. Her mind had gone blank. Only his body—solid, warm—kept her grounded.
*If Master finds out… she'll kill me. Tear me apart.*
But even then—
He felt no regret.
*Even if she cuts me into pieces… I deserve it.*
"Let me up," Selene said faintly.
He scrambled back at once, freeing her wrists from the Flamescourge. He didn't dare speak—only knelt there, head lowered.
"…Leave."
"Soror Selene…" he whispered, glancing at the bruises on her wrists, guilt twisting his gut.
"Leave."
Her voice hardened.
He fled.
Outside, the mountain night was cold and silent. Mist drifted like ghosts through the trees.
He stood there, dazed.
No sound came from within.
Fear gripped him.
*What if she…*
He turned to rush back—
The door opened.
Selene stood there, hair disheveled, wrapped in his robe. Beneath it, her torn garments were barely concealed.
"Soror…" he began.
She ignored him completely.
She walked past—unsteady, limping.
He rushed forward to help—
*Crack.*
The slap rang sharp across his face.
She kept walking.
He stood there, stunned, watching her disappear down the path.
—
"Hey! Wake up!"
Kael jolted upright in bed.
Mira Stonwell stood before him, bright-eyed.
"Master's calling me?" he asked, pale.
"Yes! We're heading down the mountain today—did you forget? Hurry, everyone's waiting!"
"…She didn't say how she'll punish me?" he muttered.
Mira frowned. "Punish you? What are you talking about? Go wash up!"
"…Selene… how is she?"
"She's ready already. Got up earlier than me."
Kael blinked. "She… didn't say anything?"
"Say what?" Mira tilted her head, then grinned. "Oh! She said you'd probably oversleep and told me to come drag you up. And look—you really did!"
Kael's heart pounded.
Relief flooded him.
He rushed out, bathed in a mountain stream, dried himself with The Sundering Flame Art, and returned, refreshed.
Mira examined the Lone-Bud Branch curiously.
"What a strange blossom…"
"Later," Kael said quickly, stashing it into the Wardian Satchel.
After hurried preparations, they gathered.
At the platform, Lady Magister Isara, Elder Velda, Shreve Lyra Farrow, and the others were already waiting.
Kael bowed quickly.
"Late again," Isara said coolly. "Any later, and you'd be staying behind."
Lyra smiled at him. "Overslept? What were you doing last night?"
Kael stiffened, glancing toward Selene.
She stood calmly beside Sylva Dreyn, expression unreadable.
Relief washed through him.
"I was… excited about the journey," he said.
Lyra's smile deepened, oddly knowing. "Too much excitement can lead to foolish mistakes."
His face went pale.
Soon, Dreamgate was drawn.
The great blade expanded, carrying them skyward.
Kael stood at the front, wind roaring past him as they soared above the Jade Peaks.
Below, the mountains stretched like a living sea.
Behind him, laughter.
Mira called out, "Careful!"
He turned—
And saw them all.
Each radiant in her own way.
Then—
Selene.
Their eyes met.
His heart thundered.
She looked away.
Cold.
Distant.
But—
Different.
Something had changed.
Something undeniable.
Kael stared, lost in thought as the blade cut through the sky.