WIEDERGEBURT Act III: Chapter 4

Garret led me into a large room that seemed even bigger than it actually was because of how little decorations were present. The mostly open space featured a small table with chairs off to one side, and on the other side was a couch. Four columns reached to the ceiling. I didn’t know if they were meant as support or decoration. At the very back of this office was a desk, where Empress Hilda was sitting.

“Your Majesty Hilda,” Garret started with a bow. “I’ve brought Master Eryk to you, as requested.”

“Thank you,” Empress Hilda looked up from whatever she had been working on, smiled at Garret, and then glanced at me. “Come closer, Eryk. I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Garret smiled as he backed away. Meanwhile, I walked closer to the desk the empress was sitting behind.

Empress Hilda was not alone. Valence, her first husband and Kari’s blood-related father, stood behind her. He was wearing the golden armor of an Imperial Royal Guard general. The gleaming chestplate, shoulder pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves gave his already impressive physique and height a majestic aesthetic. His face was cold as if hewn from stone. While he didn’t move so much as a muscle, he did follow me with his eyes.

It was kind of disconcerting.

As I reached the desk, I studied Empress Hilda. She was wearing makeup, something I couldn’t remember seeing her wear before, and her shoulders were hunched forward as though weighed down by something.

“You look tired,” I said without thinking.

While Valence shifted slightly, Empress Hilda gave me a wan smile. “I have been rather busy. As the ruler of Nevaria, I have to allocate funds toward any projects dealing with the reconstruction of the city, read through reports regarding matters and problems the city has, create and sign off on reformations that I believe will benefit the city, and reject proposals that I believe will not help Nevaria grow. The Demon Beast attack only added more to my workload, so I’ve not been able to take a break.”

I had no idea what went into ruling a nation, and when I was the master of Brave Vesperia, Kari was the one who’d done most of the work. She understood the inner-workings of running a sect better than me because of her mother’s teachings. Now that I was standing here, I could fully appreciate how difficult Kari had it back when she and I created a sect together.

“If you are calling for me now, you either have something so important to speak to me about that it couldn’t wait any longer, or you are mostly finished with your work,” I deduced.

“It’s the latter in this case.” Setting down her quill, Empress Hilda leaned back in her chair and studied me. Because she looked like a more mature version of Kari, it was a little unnerving. Just a little. “I have not had much time to speak with you about the Demon Beast attack, but now that my workload has settled down, I would like to ask for your opinion on the matter. You have already told me about Dyr and her unique power, but I would like to ask if you believe she was the only problem. More specifically, I want to know about this Skygge you spoke of earlier.”

At the mention of Dyr, my heart grew heavy, though I did not let my own guilt over what happened consume me. I knew I had done everything I could to save her. I also knew that pondering over “what ifs” and “if only I had done this instead” would not help. She was gone, and no amount of wishful thinking could change that.

Instead of wallowing in failure, I turned my thoughts toward Skygge. Recalling the final battle inside of the sewers, I remembered how I had cut off Skygge’s head, but more than that, I thought back on how his head had not been a human head. That man had not been human at all.

He had been a Sekbeist.

For just a moment, I considered lying to Empress Hilda. I was worried that if I revealed what I knew, she would somehow uncover my secret, that I had traveled back in time and was actually several decades old. The thought only lasted for a moment, however. Even if she somehow figured out my secret, it wasn’t like it mattered. Nevaria’s safety came first.

“You are right to be curious about that man,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sure Kari gave you a basic rundown of what happened in the sewer. The one known as Skygge was not human. He is what’s known as a Sekbeist. I do not know what they are. The only thing I’m certain of is that they are an enemy of mankind, and that they were also somehow responsible for the Catastrophe several thousand years ago.”

I paused here and looked at Empress Hilda. I was expecting to see shock, or perhaps even fear, but that was not what I found. Instead, I was the one who became shocked when I saw not even a hint of surprise on the empress’s face.

“What do you know about these Sekbeists?” asked Empress Hilda, leaning forward only slightly.

Taking a deep breath to mask my surprise, I brought to mind all the information I had gained on the Sekbeists.

“The Sekbeists are divided into four classifications: Grunts, Elites, Beasts, and Warlords. Aside from that last one, these are classifications that humans came up with. I don’t know if the Sekbeists actually call themselves that.” I paused to recollect my thoughts. “Grunts are the weakest of the entire race, but they are also the most numerous. Elites are intelligent, capable of human speech, and a few of them have proven themselves capable of using the darkness element like Skygge. Beasts are intelligent and powerful enough to destroy buildings with their bare hands. That said, they cannot use the darkness element like Elites can. However, the true threat are the Warlords. They’re even more powerful than the Beasts, but they are also able to use the darkness element to create weapons that have the ability to erase everything they touch.”

Empress Hilda remained perfectly still as she listened to me talk. Her face gave away nothing. I couldn’t tell if she was surprised or not by everything I was telling her. When I finished, I took a deep breath and stood there, waiting for her to say something.

“You seem to know a lot about these Sekbeists,” she said at last. “It sounds as if you’ve had run ins with them before.”

I pondered what I should say in response to that, but then I shrugged. “The Sekbeists are my second greatest enemy and a threat to everything I love. I’ve fought them on several occasions.”

“Is that so?” Empress Hilda glanced at Valence. “Please bring the book that is kept hidden within the Royal Treasury.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Valence said with a low bow. He glanced at me once more, then moved from behind Empress Hilda and made for the door, leaving the empress and me alone.

“Empress Hilda?” I asked.

“I believe I asked that you call me ‘Mom,’” Empress Hilda said with a slight but dangerous smile.

“Uh… right… um… Mom.” No matter how many times I said it, the word still sounded weird coming from me. Having been an orphan my entire life, I simply couldn’t get used to it. I don’t think that discomfort would ever go away.

“Your knowledge of the Sekbeists is quite extensive, but it is also lacking,” Empress Hilda said to me, once more sending a ripple of shock through my body.

“You… know about the Sekbeist?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise.

Empress Hilda nodded as her expression turned grave. “Nevaria was built as a bastion against the Sekbeist incursion many thousands of years ago. The Astralia Royal Family have been protectors of this knowledge since the founding of this city. Have you never wondered why every person who becomes Nevaria’s ruler takes on the Astralia family name? It is because only an Astralia is allowed to possess this knowledge.”

I think I had become so shocked that I was growing numb. Empress Hilda was hitting me with too many surprises. Even so, the longer I thought about what she said, the more it made sense, the more everything made sense. I now felt like I understood why the Demon Beast Invasion of Nevaria happened in my previous life. Of course, the conclusion I came up with was frightening.

“You suspected Skygge was a Sekbeist after learning about him from Kari,” I said at last. It was not a question.

“I did.” Empress Hilda answered me anyway. “When I was first inaugurated as empress, my father-in-law shared the secret of the Sekbeists with me.” She breathed in, then sighed. “I have reason to believe that many of the incidents that have happened in Nevaria are the result of the Sekbeists interference. The destruction of the Alchemist Association, the loss of knowledge regarding Spiritualism, and the Leucht Family’s recent betrayal. I’m fairly certain all of it can be laid at their feet.”

Rubbing my face, I tried to come to terms with what I was being told. Everything made too much sense. It made so much sense I was getting a headache.

I had long since wondered why the Demon Beast Invasion happened, but now that I was being told this, I understood that it had all been a plot by the Sekbeists to destroy Nevaria. That said, I did wonder why they were going about this in such a roundabout manner. Could it be that they didn’t have the numbers required to destroy the city-state? Maybe there was some other reason they couldn’t outright attack us? Perhaps this city had a secret defense that could be activated in the event of a Sekbeist attack? I had no idea. My head was spinning.

Valence arrived through the door several moments later, carrying a large book in his hand. He set the book on the desk and took up his position behind Empress Hilda again.

The book was thicker than any I’d ever seen. It must have been several thousand pages. It was also about two or three times the size of most leatherbound books. The cover was old and faded, and while the pages were in surprisingly good condition, I could tell from how yellow they were that this book was thousands of years old.

Empress Hilda grabbed the book and flipped it open. She did not appear to be reading through the pages, but merely glancing at it with nostalgia.

“I shall inform you about what I know of the Sekbeist, so please pay attention,” Empress Hilda began, and I straightened my spine as I listened closely. “The ones you classified as Elites can be divided into two types: Warriors and Shamans. The Warriors rely purely on physical abilities, while the Shamans are like Spiritualists. However, their talent to manipulate the darkness element is far greater than most Spiritualists. Only someone who has reached the Third State of Spiritualism can match them. From what I know, Shamans are very rare, so there aren’t anywhere near as many of them as there are Warriors. At least, that is what was written in this book.”

I tried my best to absorb the information she was giving me. This was incredibly valuable knowledge that I did not have in my previous life.

“Similarly, the ones you call Beasts and Warlords are actually one and the same,” she continued, once more correcting my faulty knowledge. “Warlords are just Beasts who have lived for thousands of years and gained incredible powers over the Void.”

“The Void?” I asked.

“The Void is… hard to describe,” Empress Hilda said, halting as though unsure of how to explain what she wanted to say. “It is believed to be a higher tier of the darkness element, but the explanations in this book are vague. The Void has the ability to cut through almost every known substance. Only a material known as mythril can withstand it, and even mythril will eventually be destroyed if it touches the Void too many times.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Supposedly, a race known as the Dweorgs are able to craft weapons and armor that can withstand the powers of the Void, but they have not been seen in our world since the Catastrophe.”

So Empress Hilda even knew about the Dweorgs? Did that mean she also knew about the nine worlds?

Empress Hilda continued flipping through random pages of the book, but then she slowly shut the book and pushed it toward me. I glanced at it with uncertainty. The empress smiled when she saw this.

“I would like to let you borrow this book and read through it,” she explained. “I’m sure it will be informative and help you gain a better understanding of our enemy.”

“I understand.” I could have said many things, could have asked her why she was letting me borrow something so valuable, but all I did was pick the book up and hold it to my chest. “I’ll read through it quickly. Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.” Empress Hilda waved off my thanks like what she had done wasn’t a big deal. “You are marrying my daughter. That makes you my son. You also already have a lot of knowledge on the Sekbeists and have made them your enemy. The Sekbeists are enemies of humanity, just as you said, so I’m lending you that book in the hopes that the knowledge contained within will help you better combat them should they appear again in the future.”

I nodded and was about to turn around. Empress Hilda’s words had been spoken with a clear tone of dismissal. However, just before I turned, I remembered what I wanted to speak with her about.

“Empress… erm… Mom?” I said tentatively.

A large smile blossomed on the empress’s face. “Yes?”

“I have a request…”

“What is your request?”

Taking a deep breath, I said, “I would like to form a sect whose purpose is exploring the Demon Beast Mountain Range, gathering medicinal ingredients, and securing the area surrounding our city to prevent future attacks.”

My biggest reason for wanting to create a sect was because of the Alchemist Association’s current problem. Nevaria could not afford to run out of alchemy pills, but if the Alchemist Association had no ingredients, they couldn’t refine pills. My goal was to create a group that would explore the Demon Beast Mountain Range, discover areas heavy with ingredients, and slay Demon Beasts for their monster cores, which were a key ingredient in many pills.

As soon as I finished speaking, the smile on Empress Hilda’s face widened even further. “I’ll speak to the Eieran Family about finding a building that you can use as a sect headquarters. Once you have everything ready, we can have the town criers announce your sect’s creation and inform everyone that you are looking for members.”

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Knowing a dismissal when I heard one, I bowed to Empress Hilda, turned around, and left the room behind.

***

The evening was late. I sat before my desk, staring at the two moons that floated outside my window. A cool breeze blew in through the open window. It buffeted my long green hair, but I paid no attention to that as I thought about all the things I had learned today. Sitting in front of me was the book Empress Hilda had loaned me. It was currently open.

This book answered some of my biggest questions, but it also left me with even more questions than answers. Beyond that, it made me realize that even though I had defeated Skygge and the Leucht Family, the danger Nevaria was in still hadn’t vanished.

Skygge was an Elite Sekbeist of the Shaman class. I did not know how long he had been working with the Leucht Family, but that hardly mattered. A Shaman had been working with a noble family to eradicate Nevaria. Had he been working alone? Was he part of a larger group? I did not know, and not knowing left me fearful that there might be an even larger threat lurking somewhere beyond my perception.

As these thoughts whirled around inside my mind, incessantly worrying me, a knock sounded at my door, followed by a voice.

“Eryk?” Kari asked. “Eryk, are you in there?”

“I am here.” I stood up and turned toward the door. “The door is unlocked if you want to come inside.”

The door opened and Kari entered the room, closing it behind her and locking it shut.

Gazing upon this young woman, I could not help but admire her choice of clothing and the way it looked on her. Her blue negligee was several shades lighter than her eyes. Black lace went around the hem and formed straps over her shoulders. A bow in the middle tied the two ends together, keeping her massive breasts from being completely exposed. The V-shaped gap beneath her breasts allowed me to see the expansive and glorious sight of her soft stomach and cute belly button. Beneath that, she was only wearing lace underwear tied together with string.

“I hope no one else saw you in that,” I said at last.

Kari smiled. “Don’t worry. I used the Flash Step to get here. None of the maids, butlers, or guards saw me.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Are you okay, Eryk?” Kari suddenly asked. “You’ve been distracted ever since you went to speak with Mother.”

“Nothing gets past you, does it?” I asked with a smile.

Her smile turned into a grin. “I am your fiance, after all. I like to think I know my future husband very well.”

Chuckling a little, I held out my hands. “Come here.”

Placing her hands in mine, Kari allowed me to lead her to my bed, where the two of us sat down. I didn’t say anything at first. As the soft foam underneath me conformed to our bottoms, I thought about everything I had learned from the empress and reading the book she loaned me. Kari didn’t rush me. She sat there, staring at my face with a knowing look in her eyes.

“I’ve discovered some information that makes me question a lot of the knowledge I have been taking for granted,” I said at last before launching into an explanation of what I had discussed with Empress Hilda.

Unlike her mother, Kari became shocked by the things I told her. Her eyes widened when I informed her of the Sekbeists, her face paled when I talked about what kind of creatures they were, and her body shivered as I told her of the threat they represented. Despite all that, she still listened to me until the very end.

“It sounds like these Sekbeists are a big problem,” she said at last.

I almost snorted. “That’s an understatement. They are likely one of the greatest threats we will ever face. I…” Trailing off when I saw the strange expression on Kari’s face, I slowly realized that she was thinking hard about something and grew curious. “Is something wrong?”

“… No,” she said at last. “At least, I don’t think so.” She paused and looked down at her hands. “It’s just that… I feel like I’ve heard of these Sekbeists before, but I can’t figure out where. It’s like… like I should know about them for reasons I don’t fully understand.” She looked up and smiled at me. “I’m sorry. That probably doesn’t make much sense.”

I frowned for only a moment before wrapping an arm around Kari’s shoulder and pulling her to me. She didn’t resist. Leaning her head on my shoulder, Kari scooted her body across the bed until our thighs and hips were touching.

“I wouldn’t say it doesn’t make sense, but it does sound odd,” I said at last. “It could be that you have heard the Sekbeist mentioned somewhere before and just can’t remember when. Maybe your mother mentioned them once.”

“Maybe…” Kari didn’t sound convinced, but she didn’t say anything either.

A gentle silence descended upon us. Neither of us was willing to break the silence right away. However, I eventually looked back at her—more specifically, I looked at the massive amount of cleavage that was visible thanks to her clothing.

“Was there a specific reason you dressed like this tonight?” I asked casually.

“Tee-hee.” Kari lifted her head from my shoulder and grinned at me. “Since tonight is my night to sleep with you, I thought I would wear something provocative.”

As she spoke, Kari leaned up and placed a kiss on my cheek. I took a deep breath. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could already feel my libido skyrocketing. It didn’t take much for this woman to drive me crazy.

“You certainly accomplished your goal,” I admitted, turning my head to face her. “You really do look incredibly sexy. It’s taking everything I have to hold myself back.”

A brilliant sparkle shone in Kari’s eyes. I would have called it childish, but then she placed a hand on my thigh and began rubbing it.

“We can’t have that,” Kari purred. “It’s not healthy to hold yourself back like this. Allow me to help you relieve your tension.”

I couldn’t say much as Kari leaned up and kissed me, but words were no longer needed in this setting. Tilting my head down, I returned Kari’s kiss, though she quickly got the better of me and plunged her tongue into my mouth. She took to kissing the same way she took to exploring dungeons, with a lot of passion and enthusiasm.

Closing my mouth around her tongue, I suckled on it. Kari released a surprised moan. However, she was soon kissing me harder. Meanwhile, she had moved her hand across my thighs and soon reached my crotch. I groaned into her mouth as she rubbed my cock through my pants. My breathing grew heavy as my nether regions grew stiff and began pushing against her hand and the fabric of my clothing.

“Off,” Kari mumbled between kisses. “Take those… off…”

I nodded and broke the kiss long enough to stand up and discard my shirt, pants, and underwear. Kari did not remove her clothes, but I believed she planned on having me remove them later.

The moment I sat back down, Kari was on me, kissing me again as she reached out and wrapped her hand around my shaft. Her hand was soft and gentle yet also firm. Feeling her hand glide across my burning hot skin felt far better than the few times I had been forced to relieve myself.

Because I didn’t want to be the only one receiving pleasure, I reached down and pressed two fingers against Kari’s still clothed pussy. The plumpness of her lips as I pushed against the fabric made me even harder. As I stroke her lips from the base near her butt all the way to the top, Kari released several cute noises as her panties became increasingly damp.

Her breathing had grown heavy. Nasally gasps escaped her mouth as she kept kissing me with fervor. Finally, I slipped my hand inside of her pants and underwear and began stimulating her directly.

“HRRRNNN!!”

Kari was already wet as I rubbed my fingers along her pussy. Her juices coated my fingers as I moved up and then down, enjoying the feel of my fingers being wedged between her soft vaginal lips. Her thighs clenched a little when I inserted a finger into her sodden entrance, but then she spread her legs, making it easy for me to pump my finger inside of her.

I soon inserted a second finger, and I would have inserted a third, but Kari could not fit three. She had always been tight. No matter how many times we had sex in my previous life, two was her limit.

“Hrn! Hn! Hrn!”

The nasally moans and gasps produced by the goddess on my bed spurned me on. The feeling of her soft hand on my cock, rubbing me up and down, caused a red haze to fall over my eyes. I was getting lost in the sensations of Kari.

Still pumping my fingers inside of her, I used my thumb to work her clit out from underneath the small hood of skin. A loud scream echoed inside of my mouth as I rubbed her clit. The stimulation proved to be too much after having already been so thoroughly worked up, and her insides twitched uncontrollably as she came all over my hand and stained the bed. At the same time, I lost control over myself. My cum splattered against her hand.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

“Heh… hoo…”

The two of us breathed heavily through our nose and mouth as we spent a moment recovering from our orgasm. Kari’s skin had become a healthy and vibrant shade of red. She looked like she was glowing.

“Eryk…”

I pushed Kari onto the bed and leaned over her. I wasn’t sure how I looked to Kari, but right now, I found her irresistible. Her bright and big eyes were hooded and sensual. Her large chest was heaving within the confines of her negligee. While I was sure I thought this a lot, I had never wanted Kari more than I did right now.

“Kari…” I leaned down and began kissing her neck. Kari sighed and tilted her head, granting me more access. “I want to be inside of you. Right now. I don’t think I can stand another second of this.”

“Mmm. I know how you feel. I don’t think I can take much more either.”

Her words were as good as her saying I could do it. Kissing my way down her neck and across her collar bone, I soon reached the swells of her breasts, which I spent a moment kissing before I reached the bow. That I undid with my teeth. As the bow fell away, I pushed her negligee aside and revealed her incredible breasts. They were big but somehow remained perky. It was partly good genetics, but I also think it was because of her strong Spiritual Power. The more powerful a Spiritualist was, the younger ad more attractive their bodies became.

I gazed at the light pink nipples that capped off her breasts, already stiffened into a pair of points. My mouth salivated. I leaned down and took one of her nipples into my mouth, swirling it between my tongue, nibbling on it, and then tugging it with my teeth.

“Ahn! Eryk! W-wait! You know how sensitive those aaaaaare!” Kari’s last word was drawn out by a cry as I began playing with her other breast. My fingers easily sank into the soft flesh of her chest. She swung her head back and forth as I played with her chest, licking one and fondling the other.

However, both of us knew the main event couldn’t be held off for much longer.

I soon left her jiggling, heaving bosoms and made my way down her stomach. I spent some time kissing her soft belly. It was completely flat, but it didn’t have a six pack like Fay and it wasn’t as taught as Lin’s stomach. There was a softness to her stomach that made me want to pinch it, though I spent more time licking and kissing it than anything else.

Finally, I reached the prize.

After undoing the strings on her underwear, I removed the article and gazed at Kari’s glistening cunt. Her lips had become engorged from arousal. The puffy petals of her vagina were pink and wet. I actually wanted to eat her out first. However, I knew she wouldn’t be able to stand another round of foreplay.

Grabbing my dick, I rubbed the tip along her entrance. My cock became coated in her secretions. Kari released a moan of complaint.

“Stop teasing me and stick it in!”

“So impatient,” I muttered as I pushed myself in until my head had become engulfed by her nether lips. The two of us groaned as I kept moving. I was going slowly because I liked seeing how my cock spread her vagina apart.

“S-shtop…” Kari muttered. “No more… teashing… no more! I—uuuggghhh!”

I bottom out inside of Kari. Gazing at our conjoined hips, I soon looked back at Kari’s face. Her chest had become an even more vibrant hue. Slick with sweat, it shone in the moonlight as she took several deep, shuddering breaths that caused her tits to bounce and jiggle. Leaning over, I pressed my chest to hers and gazed into her eyes.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve… been ready… you’re the one who is… who’s not doing what he’s supposed to…” Kari said through her pants.

I laughed just a little as I rocked my hips, stopping Kari from saying whatever she’d been doing to say in response to my laughter. After she released a soft moan, I retracted my hips until just the tip of my dick was still inside of her, and then thrust it forward. A loud slapping sound echoed around the room as my balls came into contact with her butt cheeks, but that was nothing compared to the noise Kari made.

“OOOHHHHH!!!!”

Enjoying that response, I decided that I wanted more. It wasn’t long before I was thrusting inside of her with more vigor than before. More slapping noises echoed around us.

“Hyk! Hyk! E-Eryk! You’re going sho deep! It feelsh like—ah! Ah! Ahn! Ish like you’re hitting my womb!”

“Ugh… I’ll never get over… h-how tight you are… Kari!”

I found that talking soon became impossible. Kari must have felt the same. She was no longer able to say anything, though that was fine. The lewd cries she released were already more than I could bare. If she actually had the capacity to talk and said anything more, I’d probably lose myself and cum right then.

Not only was Kari’s pussy tighter than a vice, but she was incredibly warm and wet inside. Her squishy walls conformed around my dick and tried to milk me. The way her walls rubbed against my cock sent electric jolts of pleasure straight through my brain. I gritted my teeth as my balls began tightening and did my best to stave off my impending orgasm. I needed to wait. There was no way I would be the only one cumming!

Somehow, Kari managed to find her voice and began screaming. “Eryk! I feel it! It’s cumming! It’s cumming! It’s cumming! I-I-I’m… ERYK!!!”

A bright glow suddenly appeared on her chest as the symbols showed up once more. Kari’s legs suddenly locked around my backside and pushed me inside of her, until it felt like I was knocking on her womb. I quickly sought out Kari’s hands. I laced my fingers through hers as I grunted and released my own load inside of her. We clenched each other’s hands as our bodies shook. Kari’s thighs quivered against me and my butt had clenched. I thought I might have pulled a muscle there.

As the feelings subsided, I collapsed forward, straight into Kari’s tits. Her dirty pillows bounced as I rested my head on them. They were covered in sweat, but I honestly loved the feeling. If I wasn’t so tired, I would have rubbed my face in them.

“Eryk…”

“Hmm?”

“I’m so tired.”

I snorted a little and pushed myself up. Kari was gazing at me with half-lidded eyes that were fluttering as if she was fighting against the desire for sleep.

With a sigh, I climbed off the bed and stood up. I took a moment to gaze at the blonde beauty in my bed, lying there with her legs hanging from the edge. Her pussy was dripping with both her own love nectar and my semen. That… actually made me hard again, but Kari clearly wasn’t up for a second round right now.

I lifted Kari into a princess carry, pulled the covers back with my foot, and climbed in bed. Setting her down, I pulled the covers over us and snuggled close to Kari. She turned on her side, wrapping her arms around me as she buried her face in my chest. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, but I could already tell from how deep her breathing was that she had fallen asleep.

“Oh, well.” I sighed. “I can tell her tomorrow.”

As I closed my eyes, I wondered about those strange symbols that kept appearing on hers, Fay’s, and Lin’s chest every time we had sex. Would I ever learn about what those symbols meant?