"Ready to go, boy?"

Mercy released a small whinny as he nuzzled against Jiaoying. This, unexpectedly, prompted a wave of jealousy from Solomon.

"Why does it seem that every pet I get seems to end up liking you better than me?"

Jiaoying smiled at him and winked.

"...Oh, that’s right. You’re irresistible."

With a giggle, Yari wrapped her arms around Jiaoying from behind and kissed her neck. "She certainly is."

"And you all make me sick. Seriously. You don’t have to touch each other every goddamn chance you get it. We all know you’re in love, now can we please move on!" Everett complained with a black eye suspiciously shaped like Solomon’s fist.

"Don’t listen to him." Nila patted her younger brother on the back. "He’s just upset because he had to find out what words mean the hard way!"

Solomon tilted his head. "What words mean what-"

Everett stood up and immediately covered Nila’s mouth with his hand. His nervous smile was "Nothing, nothing, it’s nothing, don’t listen to her, she’s crazy!"

He started dragging his sister into the woods before she could protest.

Childishly, she slipped her tongue out of her mouth and covered his tongue in slob. Everett recoiled in disgust and slapped her with his now spit-covered hand.

The two were on the ground fighting before they took even a single step.

Solomon, Yari, and Jiaoying watched Giselle try and fail to break them up, then turned back to one another.

"Well, safe travels, my goddess." Yari kissed her sweetly before wrapping the woman in a hug. "Please travel safely and swiftly."

"Always...I’ll be back for the three of you soon."

No words could have made Solomon or Yari smile harder.

Jiaoying rode out on Mercy, prompting the horse to run at full speed.

After days of resting, the horse happily obliged and rushed back to the rift to Komen in only two days.

Looking back over the damage that had been done, Jiaoying was even more baffled.

Now that she could properly witness what had happened and wasn’t trapped inside a rampaging fury, it was shocking.

Four alien twenty-year-olds had caused this much devastation, nearly all by themselves.

"Aliens... Unbelievable..." Jiaoying shook her head with a subtle laugh.

’I know. And you had one inside you just this morning. In fact, there’s still a bit of him in there, isn’t it, you little whore...?’

Jiaoying’s blood abruptly ran cold.

She looked down at her hand, and she could see it. Familiar patches of blue skin were coming and going along her body, almost as if Fury was playing with her like a toy.

’I have to tell you.. I haven’t had any action in ages and that... Mmh, it was exceptional... I’ve gotten so used to making others cry that I hadn’t thought of just how wonderful it would be to have a man bring me to tears.’

"...Stop." Jiaoying instinctively reached for her medicine, only to realize she didn’t have it. She hadn’t taken it in days now.

’Those aftershocks just won’t leave my.. I mean, our body. Such delicious little memories that I can barely stand it. Can you feel how wet I’m getting..?’

’I said stop...’

’I only wish delightful little Yari hadn’t gotten out of bed so soon. Mmh-mmh-mmh, that warm chocolate skin of hers looks so sweet... But I bet those strawberry pink insides would taste even better-’"

"I SAID STOP!!"

Mercy came to a rather abrupt halt, not realizing Jiaoying wasn’t talking to him.

He looked back at her, only to find her breathing heavily and her eyes glowing like twin suns.

She stared fiercely into the shadows beneath her, where an amused pair of eyes stared right back at her.

None else could see this fierce confrontation save for the two of them. Making her mount hopelessly confused.

"You listen to me, you demonic bitch..." Jiaoying growled. "I will never give my husband or wife to you. I would sooner cut out every single nerve in my body than EVER allow you the honor of their touch!"

Fury laughed in the shadows. ’Oh, but what would that even do, dearie? Would you really hurt yourself just to get back at me-"

The spectre didn’t even get to finish before Jiaoying whipped out a knife and stabbed herself in the hand.

Fury’s eyes sharpened for a moment. Meanwhile, Jiaoying did not even flinch.

"Don’t ever question what I would do to keep you from them. I was weak once and let you near the good parts of my life, and you destroyed everything. Even if I have to kill myself, it will never happen again."

For the first time, Fury went silent first. There was no laughter. No fleeing mockery. Only sweet, simple silence.

Jiaoying would have laughed if her mood weren’t unbearably shitty at the moment.

Unconsciously, she touched her stomach.

Physical affection was one of the most damning things that the creator had ever conceived.

When you live without it, you think you don’t need it.

When you suddenly get it and have to go without, you feel as if you’ve been condemned to hell.

Jiaoying had become obsessed with sex as of late. The jokes of the others confirmed it.

Every moment of every day, she wanted to be kissed till she couldn’t breathe, coddled until she fell asleep, and ravaged until she broke.

She had been thoroughly infected by the disease of love. She was practically enslaved to her partners.

But at the same time, it had made her frighteningly unstable.

Because there was nothing that she wouldn’t do, no one that she wouldn’t kill, in order to make sure that no one got to know the pleasure of their bodies.

They were her treasures. She marveled at the ground they walked on.

And just like a dragon, Jiaoying wanted to hoard them away from anyone else.

"... Sorry to scare you, buddy." Jiaoying patted Mercy reassuringly.

After spending the next few seconds making sure his passenger was of sound mind, Mercy continued the end stretch of his journey.

Upon standing under the rift to Komen, Jiaoying was actually a little bit relieved to be traveling home.

Though that feeling lasted all of five seconds before she noticed something was wrong.

"L-Lady Xu! I am hereby placing you under arrest!"