'No other choice.'

The thought cut through my mind as the wyvern loomed above us, casting its shadow above us.

Nisha, however, had already made her decision. She yelled at me with an urgency that brooked no argument.

"We don't have time to think about what's next! Just do it!"

She swam forward as she said this, and the water didn't resist her — in fact, it surged beneath her, carrying her with unnatural speed.

'Kassie…'

As I called out mentally, Kassie lunged forward like she was born for the water, swimming along with the current in smooth, powerful strokes. Behind us, the wyvern was already diving in for another attack, its claws extended and gleaming.

Sadly for it, we reached the edge of the rushing water before it reached us. The current thrashed and rushed around my body, dragging us forward — and the edge, as I had suspected, dropped away into nothing.

A vast, colossal waterfall.

And with the rushing water, we descended, cascading down like fallen angels. My senses went numb, battered by the relentless force of the torrent. Water filled my ears, my nose, my mouth. There was nothing but the roar and the fall.

Pretty boy and his wyvern descended after us, the rider's limbs sharpened into blade-like appendages that cut through the water's momentum. But we were a step faster, already slipping over the edge with the waterfall's flow. The creature simply dragged its leg along the surface of the water and launched back toward the sky, riding the redirected momentum.

It flew in wide circles, watching and hoping to find us.

But to its eyes and senses, we were gone.

To my own eyes and senses, we were gone too. Because as we plunged into the pool below — this time with even more devastating force — everything muffled out. The impact drove the breath from my lungs and sent me spiraling toward unconsciousness. Sinking into the dark water, I simply gave out.

And then there was nothing.

***

My eyes slowly fluttered open to a world of dull, aching pain.

The first thing I saw was the dim glow of a lantern swaying from a beam overhead, its light casting crooked shadows across wooden walls hung with nets and hooks.

There was the smell of salt, smoke and the faint tang of fish clinging to everything.

And somewhere distant, the whisper of insects in the night.

I shifted, and a rough wool blanket scratched against my skin. It wasn't until my head cleared a bit more that I noticed something else — something hot between my legs.

'Huh? Morning wood?'

Strange. Beyond the obvious strangeness, I mean. I felt like I was waking up after a very long time, and it definitely wasn't morning. The lantern, the darkness pressing against the shuttered windows — this was deep night.

My gaze drifted downward with a slight frown. There was a large bulge shifting beneath the blanket. The sensation grew clearer with each passing second. Something slick and hot was moving up and down my dick, twirling around the head, clenching with an intensity that made my body flush hot and cold at the same time.

I almost groaned before the realization finally clicked into place.

Someone was sucking my dick.

I flung the blanket away, revealing the amber-eyed, brown-skinned woman beneath. Her black locks tumbled across her face as she looked up at me, mouth frozen mid-motion.

She blinked once. Twice. Like a thief caught with her hand in the vault.

Then she slowly pulled back, coughing and letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Ahem! Ha, I saw that you were quite uncomfortable. You weren't waking up, so I was thinking—ah—maybe I could help you wake up in this manner." She gestured vaguely, warming to her explanation. "You know, there are actually folks who talk about stuff like this waking men up. Have you heard of the Wood Disease? It's a kind of disease that affects men specifically, where their manhood becomes hard as wood and refuses to go down, hence driving them unconscious. So don't think about anything bad, okay? This was simply me trying to save your life."

I gave her a flat look, my eyes half-lidded.

'Really? Wood Disease? That's the best she can come up with?'

I held the stare. She coughed, looking away, and gently helped me tuck my dick back in. Her eyes lingered though — wistful, disappointed. Almost pained, in fact.

But I wasn't about to let her walk away. She had awakened the beast.

The beast must destroy her once more.

'You didn't learn your lesson the first time? Fine then.'

Just as I moved to act, footsteps echoed from outside. The wooden door swung open, and a young girl stepped through — tall and lithe, with cyan blue eyes and lustrous black hair pulled into a messy bun, loose strands framing her face.

She froze the moment she entered, her gaze flicking from Nisha to me.

Then her face lit up.

"You're awake!" She practically shouted it. "You're awake! Father! The boy is awake!"

She spun and ran back outside, her voice growing distant as she called for her father.

I stared at the open doorway, thoroughly confused.

'What the hell is going on?'

The night air drifted in, cool against my skin. Goosebumps rose along my arms. I suppressed a shiver and turned to Nisha, my voice serious.

"What's going on? Where are we?"

She sighed and leaned back on her hands, her earlier playfulness fading.

"I'm quite shocked myself." She paused a little. "We were saved by the village men. They call this place Rivermarrow — a small village at the border of Aetheris Kingdom."

I exhaled heavily, dismay settling into my chest.

"We're still in Aetheris? Just how big is this damn nation?"

"Second only to the Empire," she responded.

'That was rhetorical, Nisha.'

"But be cheerful," she continued, a small smile tugging at her lips. "The good news is we're not far from Mishard Thicket anymore. Once we get there, we'll rendezvous with the others and head to Faeren Heights. From there, it's a straight ride home."

I let out a long breath.

'Finally. We're almost there.'

But then the phrasing registered. The good news is. People didn't frame things that way unless there was something else — something that contrasted sharply with the good.

I looked at her, studying her expression.

"...There's bad news, isn't there?"

She returned the look with a coy smile.

"Of course there is."

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