Chapter 49: Pride, Pain, and Passion
Riya woke slowly.
His breath was slow, deep.
The sensation of warmth still clung to his skin, faint traces of last night's pleasure echoing in his nerves.
The silence in the capsule was soothing—almost sacred.
He rubbed his eyes, smirking slightly.
"Crazy girl," he murmured, stretching.
He stood, got dressed, and stepped out of his room.
The soft hum of the capsule greeted him—familiar, sterile, and quiet.
Rin was already there, sitting on the edge of the platform, her arms crossed.
She didn't look at him.
That was the first warning sign.
Riya blinked. "Hey, morning."
"Morning," she replied flatly.
"…Right," he said.
"Something happen?"
"You tell me."
Silence.
Then it clicked.
The look in her eyes—sharp and cold like polished steel—wasn't confusion.
It was jealousy.
Pure and unfiltered.
She stood. "Last night. You were... connecting again."
Riya didn't deny it.
"You knew this would happen," he said.
"We've talked about it."
"And I accepted it! I did!"
"I know why you're doing it, Riya!"
"For power, for the timeline, for the world!"
Her voice cracked. "But what about me?"
"What am I supposed to feel every time you go to bed and enjoy it with someone else?!"
He took a step back, caught off guard by the pain in her voice.
"I'm not some trophy you keep on the side,"
she hissed.
"And you're not some hero above the rest of us!"
She turned away from him, storming toward the hallway.
"Rin—"
"I'm sleeping in another room tonight."
Then she was gone.
Meanwhile.
Rani stood at the fork.
One corridor glittered with promise—etched in gold, glowing with the light of ancient magecraft.
The other was dark, narrow, and pulsing with unease.
The red sigil above its archway was uneven and rough, intentionally crude.
A warning to those led by instinct.
She didn't hesitate.
"The obvious reward is bait," she said quietly, and stepped toward the narrow path.
Lu Bu followed in silence.
They moved through a shifting labyrinth of pressure plates and timed runes.
Arcane traps activated and died as Rani directed her Servant with precision, disabling one mechanism after another.
No wasted motion.
No wasted words.
They reached the final chamber.
Two doors stood at opposite ends.
One gleamed—etched with circuits, offering immense value to any magus.
The other was plain, marked again with the crude red sigil.
Between them, a single pressure plate.
A voice crackled above them.
"One prize."
"One path."
"Choose what you value."
Rani analyzed the situation with the detached clarity of a machine.
To the left: treasure beyond comprehension—Atlas archives, crystallized blueprints, raw magical enhancement.
To the right: a glass panel revealing a chained child, shivering beneath a slowly descending magical guillotine.
She approached the sigil door.
No comment.
No drama.
The vault behind her sealed.
The guillotine halted.
The child's form cracked, shimmered—then melted into that of a trembling, bound Master.
"You pass," the voice declared. "
Not because you had strength—but because you had restraint."
The Master stared up at her, pitiful and broken.
Rani raised her hand and cast a clean, quiet spell.
The Master died instantly.
She turned away.
Lu Bu tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable, as if silently acknowledging her choice.
Rani didn't respond.
She simply stepped forward as a low mechanical hum filled the air.
A capsule descended from above, sleek and silent, its hatch opening with a hiss of compressed air.
Without hesitation, she stepped inside.
Later That Night.
The room was dim and quiet.
Riya sat alone in the common area, arms resting on his knees.
He hadn't moved since Rin left.
He hadn't chased her.
He knew she needed space.
But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
The room doors opened.
Rin stepped in quietly, still in her combat uniform, her red jacket slightly unzipped.
Her eyes met his.
No anger now—just exhaustion.
And a hint of something else.
Vulnerability.
She stood across from him for a long time before speaking.
"I'm not here to fight again."
He nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry," she said, voice low.
"For blowing up like that."
"I deserved it."
She sat beside him, close but not touching.
"I get why you're doing it."
"Connecting with the Servants."
"I know it's how you get stronger... how you'll get to see your family again."
"But…" She hesitated.
He looked at her, expression somber. "I won't lie to you."
"I don't just do it for the power."
Rin's breath hitched slightly.
"I like the way it feels."
"The pleasure."
"The intensity."
"Every woman I connect with offers something different."
"Not just strength—but sensation."
"And I'd be lying if I said I didn't crave it sometimes."
Silence.
"I understand," she finally whispered, voice almost trembling.
"If that's who you are… I get it."
Riya stood. "If you can't handle that… if you need to walk away—"
"Don't." She grabbed his hand, suddenly standing up and pressing it firmly to her chest.
Specifically, her left breast.
Her heartbeat thumped beneath his palm.
Her eyes were wide, cheeks flushed. "Don't leave. Even if I hate how much you enjoy it… I can't live in a world without you any longer."
He stared into her eyes. "Rin…"
"I'm not going to pretend this is easy."
But I... I love you." She bit her lip.
"So if you're going to touch other women, then touch me more."
"Make love to me more."
"Need me more."
Her hands moved to his chest, pulling him closer into a kiss.
There was hunger in it—yes—but also warmth, and the tremble of a heart that had held back too long.
He lifted her into his arms.
They didn't speak as he carried her to the bed.
The door slid shut.
She was already stripping her clothes off, revealing smooth, pale skin and that flawless figure he had longed to touch without guilt.
Her thick, curvy hips swayed as she turned around and rested her hands on the edge of the bed.
Riya moved behind her, undressing without a word, heart pounding—not just from lust, but from the weight of everything unspoken now finally set free.
"Here," she whispered, arching her back, presenting her thick, perfect ass to him.
"I want to feel all of you."
"No holding back."
His hands ran across her skin, gripping those soft cheeks, spreading them gently as he lowered his mouth and kissed along the curve of her spine.
Rin shuddered.
Then, slowly, he pushed forward—guiding himself into her tight, hot entrance from behind.
Her body clenched hard around him as he entered her ass, slowly, carefully, until he was fully buried in her warmth.
A gasp escaped her lips.
Then a moan.
Not from pain—but from relief.
From trust.
"Riya…" she whimpered.
"Please… love me."
He did.
He moved with care and heat, his hands sliding up her waist, her back, her breasts—kissing her shoulder, her neck.
Each thrust was deep and slow, savoring her entirely.
They rocked together in rhythm, sweat forming on their bodies, the sounds of breath and soft moans filling the room.
No Servant connection.
No powers.
Just them.
Just Rin and Riya.
When they finally reached their peak, they clung to each other—her trembling beneath him, him holding her like she was the last thing in the world.
They didn't let go.
They lay there, tangled, breathless.
"I love you," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes.
"I love you too," he murmured, kissing her again
She held him tight, pulling him back inside her as they drifted into sleep—still connected, still locked, still one.
Her legs wrapped around his waist possessively, as if anchoring him in place, refusing to let him drift even an inch away.
Her thick, plush ass clenched around him with stubborn intent, locking him deep inside her—her body making sure he wouldn't slip free, that he would stay buried where he belonged.
Their breaths slowed in rhythm, warm exhales mingling as their foreheads gently touched, sweat still glistening between them.
Rin's fingers tangled in his hair while her lips brushed his cheek with quiet affection, a silent thank-you he didn't need words to understand.
He shifted just enough to tighten his hold around her, their bodies a perfect, fused shape beneath the blankets.
No walls.
No defenses.
Just raw closeness.
A vulnerability neither of them feared anymore.
She sighed softly against his chest. "Don't ever leave me…"
He kissed her hair. "I won't."
And so they slept—two souls finally aligned, love and lust interwoven, as the faint pulse of mana shimmered between them like a heartbeat.