"WAAHH!" A yawn escaped him before his eyes fluttered open, blinking at the flashes of sunlight filtering through the leaves, pooling warmly over his face.
He sighed.
Raising his hand, he studied his fingers—slowly curling and uncurling them one after the other. After a moment, he exhaled again and looked down.
"Huh? Did a nuclear bomb drop here?" he muttered.
The ground was pitch black. Charred. Lifeless.
He jumped down from the tree.
"Ugh," he grunted, the fall hitting harder than expected.
Around him, what once was a forest had been reduced to ash. Trees obliterated. Bone fragments littered the scorched earth.
Ether beasts?
That was the only explanation that made sense.
He pressed forward, walking deeper into the forest of ruin.
Destruction.
It was as though the tree he'd slept on had been spared—everything else had perished.
Then, he heard it.
"Ahh… Haah… AHHH! Sobs ahhh… Sobs ahh… sobs"
The cries were disjointed and pained, each note twisting his expression into a mild frown.
He followed the sound until he stumbled into a clearing.
Everything was frozen.
At the center knelt a girl surrounded by the corpses of countless creatures. Her fingers clutched her throat as if trying to claw the pain away, tears rolling down her cheeks. She gasped—begging for air that refused to come without agony.
Her eyes were hollow. Most of her pink hair was singed. Her clothes were burnt off completely—she was entirely exposed.
He looked at her, then tilted his head.
"Do I want to?" he murmured, voice flat. There was no pull, no desire.
"No… I don't feel the need," he concluded, walking toward her with practiced ease.
She looked up.
Her eyes widened in horror, and she scrambled back. Her body, vulnerable and bare, seemed to involuntarily present itself—hips swaying, breasts jostling, as if she were inviting him. But he wasn't tempted.
Not even slightly.
All urges had been wiped from him. He moved only for one reason now.
Revenge.
"I… feel strange…" he muttered, glancing at his palm.
The tattoo was glowing fiercely once more.
"I wonder… would I feel pleasure?" The thought came and went.
Before she could crawl far, he coated his body in ether and closed the distance, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the charred earth.
"Look at me."
Tears streaked her cheeks. Fear drenched her expression. She was completely exposed, her chest on full display, but he didn't seem to notice—or care. His gaze held no lust, no hunger, only cold calculation.
She trembled, horrified. And yet, the more she looked into his eyes, the more she realized—
He wasn't interested.
"I. Can. Kill. You." His words were slow, deliberate.
At last, she stopped struggling. It was useless anyway. Her body had long betrayed her.
She couldn't hurt him.
She didn't know why, but something inside her recognized it.
She was no longer her own.
"Now," he continued. "You can obey and save yourself the pain, or keep deceiving yourself and we can stay here all day."
She bit her lip. Blood. More tears. Shame burned hot under her skin, but the pain had become unbearable. She was losing her mind. She had endured this torment all night.
"Please… make it stop… I beg you," she whimpered, taking shallow, terrified breaths—each one a dagger.
He watched her for a moment. Then finally spoke.
"Breathe."
And she did.
Oh, she did.
The moment air filled her lungs again, her eyes rolled back, and her entire body trembled in bliss. It was like inhaling heaven itself.
"Hm," he muttered. Then, "Wear this. Quickly."
With a flick of his hand, he summoned clothing from his spatial ring and tossed it to her before turning and walking to a nearby tree, arms folded, staring at the sky.
…
When he looked at her again, she was dressed.
A gown now hugged her figure. It was white with blue lines along the midsection and hem. The top resembled a monkey jacket, with a thick belt that emphasized her chest.
"Good. Where are we?" he asked, scanning the burnt forest.
"At the border of… Montelia," she replied quietly after a pause.
She hadn't received any inner garments. Asking for them seemed pointless—and humiliating. She felt as if she were still naked. The sensation made even standing feel unbearable.
"Montelia? You brought me all the way out here?" he muttered, clearly surprised.
It made sense now. No one lived here. No rules. No witnesses. She could do as she pleased.
Ether beasts were the only threat.
She looked away. He wasn't sure why.
"Do you have a way to get back?" he asked.
She bit her lip, hesitating. Then nodded. "Yes."
"…A scroll?" he asked.
"A spell," she replied.
"Teleportation?" His brow furrowed.
"Not completely. There have to be anchors where we—"
But he'd already stopped listening. He had what he needed.
Get a teleporter. Then to the North Pole, he thought.
He sighed. "Let's go."
"What?" he snapped. She was hesitating, and he had no patience for stupidity. If she turned out to be useless—or still tried to kill him—he'd simply order her to die.
Eventually, she would obey.
"Please… you didn't give me… all the clothes," she said, irritated and ashamed. She couldn't focus—not like this, exposed and close to a man.
"Huh?" He looked her up and down.
"What's wrong? I see no issue," he said casually.
A vein twitched on her forehead. Was he blind? Her breasts were still clearly visible through the thin fabric. Was he stupid? Or just doing this on purpose?
"My…" She bit her lip again.
Ashamed.
"Let's go," he said, already turning away. "Use the spell. Get me to the nearest city."
"WAIT!" she screamed.
"You're not to talk. Only cast spells. And twenty meters is the furthest you can stay from me. Also, if I die for some reason… you'll die too," he said flatly.
She gritted her teeth.
She would kill him.
Oh, she would kill him.
HOW COULD SHE WALK IN PUBLIC LIKE THIS?!
HOW?!