Neo and Skaura reached Nyx Castle. The gates closed behind them with a heavy thud. Torches lined the stone walls, throwing long shadows across the floor. Neo walked straight to the throne room and sat down. The seat felt solid under him. He leaned back and stared at the empty hall.
A road between the Nyx tribe and the Stormfang tribe. That was the next step. Connect them. Make travel safer and trade possible. But both tribes were short on resources. Stone, wood, labor—everything cost more than they had right now. He needed numbers before he ordered anything. Sai would know. She always saw the practical side first.
Footsteps echoed from the corridor. Luna stepped in, Sai right behind her. Neo looked up.
"You’re late," he said. "That woman Lilith already left."
Sai stopped a few paces from the throne. "Lilith?"
"You know her?"
Sai shook her head. "No. But she spoke Lustinia. That’s the language of lust beings. Either a dark mage specialized in succubus arts... or a demon. A lust demon."
Neo’s eyes narrowed. Before he could ask more, a blue window snapped open in front of his face.
**Save both bunny and dragon tribe from the mist that is slowly killing them!**
**Failure: both tribes’ destruction and host death + the possibility of the mist expanding covering the whole forest.**
**Reward: increasing talent, and a random erotic skill.**
**Time remaining: 1.2 days.**
His eyes widened. Elina. The dragon queen. Were they under attack already? Mist? Monster or man-made? And why would the whole forest be at risk if it spread?
He closed the window and raised his voice. "Eva."
The white bunny girl appeared from the side hall a moment later, ears twitching. Neo met her eyes.
"We’re going to your hometown. Now."
Eva nodded once. Relief and worry mixed on her face. She wanted to check on her chief. She wanted to see her friends. She also wanted them to see how strong she had become—and the clothes Neo had given her. The ones that actually fit, that made her look like she belonged somewhere.
But the old thoughts still sat heavy. She couldn’t say no when people asked her for things. She still believed she didn’t deserve real care. She still distrusted most people and overthought every choice until it hurt. Yet the idea of walking back into that village, of watching the women who used to call her nothing but a thief stare at her now... that part felt good. She wanted their jealousy.
Neo looked at the women gathered in the room. "It’s dangerous. Enemies are attacking the bunny tribe. If we fail to stop them there, they’ll come here next. The attack is called a mist."
The girls’ faces hardened. No one looked away.
"We’ll find a way to defend our tribe," one of them said. The others nodded.
Neo turned to Sai. She already had an answer ready.
"Don’t worry. I’ll prepare a massive-scale barrier around Nyx."
He almost told her he had a skill that could do the same. The words sat on his tongue. Then he saw the look in her eyes—eager, focused, finally given something concrete to do. He closed his mouth and smiled instead. Sometimes the biggest help was stepping back and letting them carry it.
Sai felt the weight of that trust settle in her chest. She was needed. She could show what her magic could really do—raise a barrier large enough to cover the whole tribe and keep Neo’s home safe. That desire had lived in her for a long time: prove herself, feel useful, become someone her younger self would respect, become the person Neo could return to without doubt. She wanted to stand at his side without guilt, to be claimed in public if he chose it, to matter in a way that couldn’t be replaced.
The old flaws still whispered. She controlled instead of trusted. She answered every threat with more force. She treated people like things to secure and protect. The conflict never fully left: real connection versus control, wanting love while acting in ways that made others fear her, wanting to be better while power kept pulling the other direction, fearing loss while being the one who pushed people away.
She shook her head once, hard. Focus on what was in front of her. What she could actually control.
Sai stepped forward, caught Neo off guard, and kissed him. Soft. Brief. "Stay safe."
Every woman in the room stared. Jealous glares locked on her. Sai didn’t look away.
Neo’s hand settled on her waist. He pulled her in front of them all and kissed her properly—deep, tongue sliding against hers, no rush. When he broke it he kept his hand there.
"I’ll come back."
Sai’s eyes widened. It was the first time he had done something that bold in front of the others.
Neo nodded once more, then looked at Eva. "You’re with me."
Eva nodded. She knew why he chose her—he liked monster girls, and she was useful on the road. But other reasons lived under that. She still wanted to be the best thief alive, and she still wanted to steal his heart the same way she used to steal anything else. She liked traveling with him. She remembered the day he showed her the skill called Steal—how he could take almost anything he could see. Jealousy had hit hard. All the years she had trained, and he had a cleaner, stronger version of the same thing. She was trying to let that go. Improve herself instead. Raise her own proficiency until she could take what she really wanted. She wanted his love. She was also quietly obsessed with the way he took her from behind—how rough he got with her ass, how she liked the stretch and the burn.
Other desires pulled at her too. Stop stealing. Start clean. She knew a thief in his tribe would stain his name, and she hated that idea more than anything. Control her own fate. Get stronger. Yet the same flaws kept circling: control instead of trust, escalate every fight, take disrespect personally, refuse to let things go, push people away when they got close, hide fear behind aggression, never admit she was wrong, act before thinking, assume the worst, never fully trust, need control at all times, see vulnerability as weakness, struggle to show real care.
She didn’t want him to dump too much responsibility on her. Pressure broke her. She needed him to know her real limits so she wouldn’t lie and try to do more than she could. She wanted to help him reach his goals. Watching him happy felt good. She just wanted to keep the pace they had now.
Eva shook her head and finally snapped to Neo as he was shouting for her name.
Neo waved in front of her, telling her why she didn’t hear what he said—he was literally in front of her.
Eva rubbed the back of her head. "...Hehehe, sorry. I just was trying to think of something."
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