Viktor lifted his other hand defensively, wincing as he touched his tongue gingerly. Blood smeared across his fingers. "Hey! Wait! Weren't you the one kissing 'me'?!"

Kaida stopped mid-swing, her fist hovering in the air.

Her breath came in ragged gasps, her chest heaving as she stared at him—at his dark eyes, now fully open and focused, at the way he was looking at her with that infuriating smirk starting to form despite the blood on his lips.

"You..." She couldn't even finish the sentence.

Her hand dropped slowly as the reality of what just happened crashed over her in waves.

He was awake.

He was 'alive'.

The tears she'd been holding back started streaming down her face again—not from grief this time, but from sheer, overwhelming 'relief'.

"You pervert," she whispered, her voice shaking. She turned her head away, one hand coming up to wipe at her mouth like she could erase what had just happened. "I thought you..."

She couldn't say it.

Couldn't admit how terrified she'd been.

Everything had happened so 'fast'—the panic, the desperation, the frantic attempts to save him—that now that he was actually 'responding', her mind didn't know how to process it.

She sat back on her heels, breathing hard, her hands still trembling as she stared at the ground.

Viktor gave her a wink—which she caught from the corner of her eye—and then his gaze drifted downward.

Bella.

The cat-girl was frozen in place beside his hips, her golden eyes wide as saucers, staring at something with an expression caught between shock and mortification.

Viktor followed her gaze.

And immediately understood.

His cock was standing at full attention—thick, veined, the skin stretched tight and flushed a faint violet hue that definitely hadn't been there before. It jutted upward proudly, twitching slightly as if acknowledging the attention.

'Oh.'

'Right.'

'That happened.'

Viktor's smirk widened despite himself. "Aren't you a pervert, Bella?"

Bella's entire body 'flinched' like she'd been struck.

Her hands flew up to cover her face, her ears flattening completely against her skull as her tail whipped around to cover her eyes as well—doubling down on the denial.

"N-No! I don't—I wasn't—!" Her voice came out muffled and high-pitched, her face turning so red it was visible even beneath her hands. "I wasn't looking! I swear I wasn't looking!"

The fact that she was still 'peeking' through the gaps between her fingers completely undermined her protest.

Viktor chuckled—a low, rough sound that made Kaida's jaw clench even harder—and then he tried to sit up.

"Agh—'shit'—"

Pain lanced through his chest like white-hot knives, and he immediately regretted moving.

Kaida was at his side in an instant, her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back down gently but firmly. "Hey! Don't over-exert yourself!"

"No, I'm fine," Viktor muttered, waving her off even as his face twisted with pain.

"You're 'not' fine!" Kaida snapped. "Your ribs are broken! You were bleeding out two minutes ago!"

"Yeah, well..." Viktor grimaced, one hand pressing gingerly against his left side. "I'm awake now. That counts for something."

He managed to prop himself up on one elbow despite Kaida's protests, his gaze sweeping their surroundings for the first time.

His brow furrowed.

"So," he said, his voice still rough, "where the hell are we?"

The cavern stretched out around them like the belly of some ancient beast.

Black stone walls rose up into darkness, disappearing beyond the reach of the faint phosphorescent glow coming from patches of moss scattered along the surfaces.

The ceiling—if there even was one—was invisible, swallowed by shadows so thick they felt solid.

And the water.

Just... the water.

It formed a massive underground lake that spread out before them, its surface smooth as glass and dark as ink.

It looked 'endless'—extending so far into the cave that the far shore was completely invisible, lost in the blackness.

The water didn't ripple. Didn't move.

It just 'sat' there, reflecting nothing, like a void carved into the earth itself.

The only sound was the steady 'drip... drip... drip' of water falling from somewhere high above, echoing through the chamber with unnatural clarity.

There was nothing else.

No plants except the glowing moss. No debris. No signs of life.

Just stone, water, and the three of them.

Alone.

Kaida wiped at her face again, smearing more tears across her scarred cheek as she tried to get her breathing under control.

Her red eyes darted around the cavern, taking in the oppressive emptiness of it, before landing back on Viktor.

He was still propped up on one elbow, looking around with that infuriatingly casual expression like he hadn't just been 'dying' a few minutes ago.

"Wait," Kaida said, her voice still rough but regaining some of its edge. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Were you 'crying'?"

Viktor blinked, then turned to look at her.

His lips curved into a slow smirk. "Me? Crying?" He gestured vaguely at the water dripping from the ceiling. "Pretty sure that was just the cave."

Kaida's hand clenched into a fist.

She raised it.

Aimed at his stupid, smirking face.

But then her eyes dropped—catching sight of the broken ribs, the blood still seeping from shallow cuts across his torso, the unnatural angle of his chest where bone had snapped—

Her fist stopped mid-swing.

She let out a frustrated growl and lowered her hand, though her jaw remained clenched tight enough to crack teeth.

"Bastard," she muttered, her voice shaking with suppressed emotion. "You were the one who kissed me like a 'beast'."

Viktor's smirk widened. "Was I?"

"You—!" Kaida's face flushed crimson again. "Don't play dumb! You grabbed my hair and shoved your tongue down my throat!"

"Mm." Viktor tilted his head thoughtfully. "From my perspective, you were the one with your lips on mine. I just... reciprocated."

"'RECIPROCATED?!'"

Viktor chuckled—low and dark—and the sound made something in Kaida's chest twist uncomfortably.

Then he turned his attention to Bella.

The cat-girl was still covering her face with both hands, her entire body trembling like a leaf in a storm. Her ears were pinned flat, her tail wrapped around herself protectively.

Small, muffled whimpers escaped from behind her palms.

Viktor grinned.

And then, despite the pain screaming through his broken ribs, he started to 'stand'.

"What are you—" Kaida's eyes widened. "Don't you dare—!"

But Viktor was already on his feet—or trying to be.

He swayed dangerously, one hand pressing against his side as he pushed himself upright. His legs shook, his vision swam, but he forced himself vertical through sheer stubborn willpower.

"Oh—" He grimaced, his jaw clenching as fresh pain lanced through his chest.

But then he 'stretched'.

Both arms went up over his head, his spine arching as he rolled his shoulders back like he was working out a kink from sleeping wrong instead of recovering from 'multiple broken bones'.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Kaida practically shrieked, scrambling to her feet. "SIT DOWN BEFORE YOU—"

"At least hide that 'thing'," Kaida snarled, her face burning as her eyes involuntarily dropped, "or I'll cut it off!"

Viktor's cock was still fully erect, jutting out proudly from his hips, the violet-veined skin stretched tight and twitching slightly with his pulse.

And reflected in Kaida's red eyes—

She could 'see' it.

The image burned into her vision like an afterimage from staring at the sun too long.

7.9 inches. Thick. Long. Those strange violet veins pulsing faintly beneath the skin like they were alive.

She wanted to look away.

She 'couldn't' look away.

Viktor followed her gaze, glanced down at himself, then looked back up at her with a grin that was absolutely 'infuriating'.

"Hm?" He patted his belly with one hand—'pat pat pat'—drawing her attention to his torso. "Did you see it?"

Kaida blinked, confused. "See 'what'?"

"May not be six-pack abs," Viktor said, still grinning like an idiot, "but they'll be soon." He traced his fingers along the faint lines starting to form on his stomach. "There are lines. See? Definitely progress."

Kaida stared at him.

Then at his stomach.

Then back at his face.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!" she roared. "YOU'RE SHOWING OFF YOUR 'ABS' WHILE YOUR COCK IS—"

Viktor suddenly turned.

Not toward Kaida.

Toward 'Bella'.

The cat-girl let out a strangled squeak as Viktor took a step closer, still completely naked from the waist down, his erection leading the way like a battering ram.

"Bella," Viktor said, his tone teasing, "you've been awfully quiet."

"N-No! Don't—!" Bella scrambled backward on her hands and knees, her face so red it looked like she might spontaneously combust. "Stay away! I wasn't looking! I swear I wasn't—!"

Viktor reached out toward her, his hand extended like he was going to pat her head—

But the movement made him pivot.

His hips turned.

And suddenly his 'ass' was facing Kaida.

Kaida's eyes went wide.

"You—you—you—'YOU'!" Her voice rose with each repetition, becoming progressively more high-pitched. "WHAT IS 'THAT' IN YOUR ASS?!"

Viktor paused mid-reach.

Blinked.

Looked over his shoulder at Kaida, then tried to crane his neck to see what she was staring at.

"What's what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"'THAT'!" Kaida pointed with a trembling finger, her face a mix of horror and disbelief. "THERE'S SOMETHING—IN YOUR—FUCKING ASS!"

Viktor twisted further, trying to get a better angle.

And then he saw it.

Protruding from just above his tailbone—A tail.

Black. Sleek. Maybe two feet long and tipped with a spaded end like a heart or maybe a 2D-Cockhead.

It swayed slightly as he moved, the motion lazy and natural, like it had always been there.

Viktor stared at it.

Kaida stared at it.

Bella peeked through her fingers and stared at it.

For a long moment, nobody said anything.

The only sound was the steady drip... drip... drip of water echoing through the cavern.Then Viktor's lips curved into a slow, dawning grin.

"Woah," he said, his voice filled with sudden understanding. "IT CAN MOVE!"

"M-MOVE?!" Kaida's voice cracked as she swiftly moved, pulling her dagger up to cut it off as she hurled, blurring to save his life while yelling at his slow response. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'IT MOVES'?! YOU GOT A SNAKE ENTERING YOUR BUTT!"

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