After creating a ruckus that would echo through dwarf folklore for generations, Jax slipped back to his assigned room.

He immediately checked his balance.

[Current DP: 1,299]

'Holy shit. That's... a lot.'

His fingers itched. Time to shop.

"System. Open shop."

Instead of the familiar interface, a gray locked screen appeared. Every item grayed out. Every category inaccessible.

[SYSTEM SHOP: TEMPORARILY LOCKED]

"What the fuck?" Jax stared. "System, what is this nonsense?"

A notification flickered to life.

[Notice: Current system undergoing emergency recalibration due to cross-dimensional parameters. The Bitch Goddess intervention had changed future quests and shop items availability. Shop functions will be restored once system adapts to Valdoria's unique energy signatures, power structures, and local opportunities.]

[Estimated Time: 3-5 days]

Jax blinked. 'Wait. The Goddess didn't design this system?'

[Correct. This system predates your summoning. Origin: Classified.]

'So there's another entity involved. Someone or something gave me this before I even got here.'

He rubbed his temples. 'You know what? Fuck it. Why should I give myself a headache thinking about it? The system's entertaining me. It's helpful. That's all that matters.'

He pushed the door open.

And froze.

Adelina sat on the edge of the bed, hands folded in her lap. Her expression was unreadable.

Then Jax remembered.

'Oh. Right. One bed. Because we're "mother and son."'

Gulp.

The silence stretched like taffy.

Jax turned to Adelina, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Well, Your Majesty. Looks like we're sleeping together tonight."

"Absolutely not." Adelina crossed her arms. "You're sleeping on the floor."

"The floor?" Jax walked to the bed, running his hand over the surprisingly soft blanket. "But this bed is so comfortable. And I killed thirty beasts today. I'm exhausted."

He stretched dramatically, flopping onto the bed face-first. "Ahhh. Perfect."

"Jax Rayne, get off that bed right now!"

"Can't hear you. Too comfortable." His voice was muffled by the pillow.

Adelina's eye twitched. She grabbed his ankle and pulled.

Jax didn't budge. "Wow. For a Phase 2 healer, you're surprisingly weak."

"I swear to the gods—"

Jax sat up, laughing. "Relax. I'm joking." He slid off the bed, grabbing the old bandit cloak from earlier. "The floor's fine. I've slept in worse places."

Adelina blinked, surprised. "You... you were joking?"

"Obviously." Jax laid on the floor near the small fireplace. "What kind of guy do you think I am?"

'Don't answer that.'

He lay down, using his folded cloak as a pillow. The stone floor was cold. Hard. Uncomfortable as hell.

Adelina stood awkwardly by the bed, watching him. "Jax..."

"Go to sleep, Your Majesty. Big day tomorrow."

She hesitated. Then climbed into the bed, pulling the thin sheet over herself.

Minutes passed.

Jax closed his eyes, trying to ignore the cold seeping through the blanket.

"Jax?"

"What?"

"Are you cold?"

"I'm fine."

"You're shivering."

"I said I'm fine."

More silence.

Then, quietly: "Come up here."

Jax's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"I said come up here." Adelina's voice was firm. Commanding. "That's an order."

"An order?" Jax sat up, eyebrow raised. "You're not my queen."

"No." Her voice softened. "But I'm your 'mother,' remember? And mothers don't let their children freeze on cold floors."

Jax stared at her. Her expression was serious. Almost... concerned.

'She's actually worried.'

He stood slowly. "You sure about this?"

"Don't make me repeat myself." She scooted to one side of the bed, patting the space beside her. "And leave that dirty cloak. We'll share the blanket."

Jax climbed onto the bed, layering his blanket over both of them. The bed was small. Too small. Their shoulders touched.

"Better?" Adelina asked.

"Yeah." Jax's voice was quieter now. "Thanks."

She turned onto her side, facing him. "You don't have to act tough all the time, you know."

"I'm not acting."

"Yes, you are." She reached out, hesitating, then gently pushed a strand of hair from his forehead. The gesture was so natural. So motherly. "You're just a boy. A boy the same age as my daughter. A lost, tired boy pretending to be something scarier."

Jax's throat tightened. "You don't know anything about me. I'm not acting. I'm just... used to it. I love the way I am now."

"I know more than you think." Her hand rested on his cheek. Warm. Soft. "I know you're alone. I know you're scared. And I know you don't let anyone see it."

"Stop." His voice cracked. "Just... stop. Alone? That's the best path. Scared? I'm not scared of anything."

But she didn't stop. Her thumb brushed his cheekbone. "It's okay to be vulnerable, Jax. Not everything has to be a battle."

For a moment, he just stared at her. This woman he'd violated. Humiliated. Broken.

And yet here she was. Comforting him. Caring for him.

'What the hell is wrong with her? What's wrong with me?'

"Why are you like this?" he whispered.

"Like what?"

"Kind. After everything I did."

Adelina smiled sadly. "Because someone has to be. And maybe... you need it more than you know."

She pulled him closer, and before he could protest, his head was resting against her chest. Her arms wrapped around him. Holding him like a child.

"Sleep, Jax," she murmured. "Forget everything for tonight."

"You don't have to—"

"Shh." Her fingers ran through his hair. Gentle. Soothing. "Just sleep."

And against every instinct, every wall he'd built, Jax's eyes closed.

___ ___ ___

Morning came with chaos.

"THE MAYOR'S BEEN POSSESSED!"

"A DEMON! IN OUR TOWN!"

"SOMEONE CALL THE PRIEST!"

Jax and Adelina rushed to the window. Below, a crowd had gathered in the town square.

The Mayor was tied to a wooden post, his face bruised and swollen. His three wives huddled together, sobbing. His elderly mother stood front and center, a dwarf smithing hammer in her gnarled hands.

WHACK!

She drove the hammer into his gut.

"DEMON! LEAVE MY SON'S BODY IMMEDIATELY!"

"Mother—oof—I'm your son! What's wrong with you?!" the Mayor wheezed.

"STOP DECEIVING ME!" She turned to the crowd, wild-eyed. "I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES! THE DEMON DOINGS!"

She pointed at the wives. "TELL THEM! YOU SAW IT TOO!"

The black-haired wife nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face.

The old woman turned back to her son, raising the hammer again. "I SWEAR, DEMON, IF YOU DON'T LEAVE HIS BODY, I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL IN THIS BODY!"

She looked around frantically. "WHERE'S THE GELDING KNIFE?! I'M GOING TO CUT HIS COCK OFF AND BURN IT!"

The black-haired and brown-haired wives grabbed her arms, desperately holding her back.

"MOTHER, NO!"

"WAIT, PLEASE!"

Beside Jax, Adelina's jaw dropped. "Is she... serious?"

Jax bit his lip, struggling not to laugh. His shoulders shook. "Apparently."

"Do you think a demon actually—"

"Who knows?" Jax shrugged innocently. "Demons are tricky bastards."

Adelina studied his face. Suspicious. "Jax..."

"We should leave. Before they start a witch hunt." He grabbed their bags. "Come on, Mother."

The carriage ride was quiet at first.

Adelina sat across from Jax, her arms crossed, her eyes locked on him.

There had been this same conversation going on: "You're not going to tell me what really happened back there, are you?"

Jax looked up from adjusting his boot. "How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't do anything. The gods punished him for his greed."

"Uh-huh." Her eyes narrowed. "I've been with you long enough to recognize that devilish smile you had back there."

"What smile?" Jax said innocently. "That was just me being satisfied with divine justice."

Adelina leaned back, studying him. "Fine. Maybe I was mistaken."

Silence.

Then Jax smirked. "You know, for a queen, you're terrible at interrogations."

"And for a boy your age, you're disturbingly good at lying."

"It's a gift."

"It's concerning."

Jax laughed. "You sound like my sister."

"You have a sister?" Adelina's expression softened.

"Had. I mean—" He caught himself. "It's complicated."

"Everything about you is complicated."

"That's fair."

Bump.

The carriage hit a pothole.

Hard.

Adelina lurched forward, crashing into Jax. Her lips collided with his.

Thud.

Time stopped.

Her eyes went wide. So did his.

For a heartbeat, neither moved.

Then Adelina's eyes fluttered shut. Her hands grabbed his shirt. And she kissed him.

Not accidentally. Not hesitantly.

Desperately.

Her lips moved against his with a hunger that shocked them both. She climbed onto his lap, straddling him, her fingers tangling in his hair.

Jax froze, mind blank. 'What the—'

But his body responded. His hands moved to her waist. Then lower. Cupping her ass through the fabric.

Adelina moaned into his mouth, her tongue sliding against his in a deep, messy French kiss. Her hands slipped under his shirt, nails dragging across his chest.

Jax's breath hitched. His grip tightened.

'This is insane. This is—'

And then she stopped.

Adelina pulled back, gasping. Tears streamed down her face.

"We can't." Her voice broke. "We can't do this, Jax."

She climbed off him, retreating to the far corner of the carriage. Her hands covered her face.

"I'm a mother. I have a loving husband. You're the same age as my daughter." Her shoulders shook. "And yet I... I want you. I don't know why. I don't understand why."

Sob.

Jax's chest tightened. His lust screamed at him to reach for her. To take what she was offering.

But he didn't.

'If she were anyone else, I'd manipulate her. Force her. Use her.'

He looked at her tear-streaked face.

'But she's different.'

"Adelina." His voice was soft. Serious. "Look at me."

She peeked through her fingers.

"I respect you," Jax said quietly. "More than I've respected anyone in a long time. You've shown me kindness I didn't deserve. You've cared for me when you had every reason to hate me."

He leaned forward, his eyes locked on hers. "So if you're not ready—if this crosses a line you can't come back from—then we stop. Right here. Right now. And I'll never bring it up again."

Adelina stared at him, stunned. "You... you mean that?"

"I do."

Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. But this time, she smiled. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a moment.

Then Jax grinned. "But seriously, you're really horny. First when I was naked by the campfire, and now this. You just need an excuse, don't you?"

THUD.

Her fist drove into his gut.

"OOF!"

"Shut. Up."

Jax wheezed, laughing despite the pain. "Worth it."

Adelina turned away, arms crossed, face burning red.

But the corner of her mouth twitched.

Hours later, as the carriage rolled through the countryside, Adelina stared out the window.

'What the hell is wrong with you, Adelina? He's a child.'

But then the memory flashed through her mind. His force fuck. His stamina his vigorous moment, She somehow found pleasure in it . The way he'd fuck—

Her face went scarlet.

'Why do I keep thinking about it?!'

She slapped both her cheeks.

Smack. Smack.

Jax glanced over. "You okay?"

"Fine," she said quickly. "Perfectly fine."

'I'm losing my mind.'

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