CHAPTER 19 - FIRST WOMAN, FIRST BLOOD, FIRST LAUGH

The ground beneath my back wasn't ground.

It was warm, grainy, damp like a giant tongue. Every beat of my heart made an invisible film vibrate beneath my skin. The air was heavy, dry but sticky, saturated with that sulfurous smell I knew too well: sulfur, ash... and sex. Yes, there was that animal note, that acrid sweat that clings to your throat and makes you salivate despite yourself. This world... it wasn't the Earth from before. It was nothing like what I knew. And yet, I recognized it.

The Demon Continent.

I opened my eyes. A red sky, without sun, throbbed above like an open wound. Waves of heat rose from the black sand, twisting the light. A crater stood on the horizon, smoking, alive. The ground beneath me trembled slightly. Not a quake. A breath.

To my left, a woman I could instinctively feel thanks to our bond — Sae.

She was lying on her side, still asleep, one leg folded under the other, hips turned toward me in a posture that was anything but innocent. Her hair — white, long, almost liquid — flowed down her back to the small of her spine, following the curve of her column like a river of silver.

But it was her body that hypnotized me.

Her skin was pale, tight, without a single flaw. It shimmered softly under the red heat of the sky, as if coated in a moist film that accentuated every contour. Her bare shoulders were thin, almost fragile, but just beneath, her shoulder blades drew a sharp, sensual shape, like sculpted from living matter.

Her chest... fuck.

Even lying down, it rose with each breath in a lazy, provocative rhythm. Two full breasts, high, heavy without being grotesque. Perfect. Their tips were visible through the fine sheen of sweat beading on her skin. One arm partially hid one, but the other remained exposed to my gaze, free, sublime, trembling slightly.

And lower...

Her hips were wide, shaped to fit hands. Her flat stomach suggested a soft line descending to her lower belly. But it was her ass that drove me mad.

Two full, fleshy, firm globes, naturally lifted like a dancer's, but with that touch of flesh that called for palms, for biting. Slightly spread by the position of her legs, they formed an unreal undulation, an invitation.

A drop of sweat slid along her spine, passed between her shoulder blades, and slowly descended... until it was lost in the perfect crease of her ass.

My cock reacted instantly, pulsing with heat, hard enough to burst. I was inches from touching her. Inches from waking her another way. But I held back.

Not because I didn't want to. Because I wanted to understand first. Understand what she had become. What he had done to her. And most of all, what he had done to me.

She stirred slightly at first, as if her body floated between two states, between sleep and something else. A shiver slowly climbed up her spine, and her fingers — thin, pale — tensed against the black sand. Her breathing changed. Faster. More aware. Then she opened her eyes.

Two grey irises, almost silver. Motionless. Fixed. And yet lost.

She looked at me without seeing me. Her eyelids fluttered for a second, then froze again. No startle. No scream. Just that strange, supernatural stillness. As if she was waking in a world that wasn't hers — or no longer was.

I leaned in slightly, kneeling beside her, naked, tense.

— Sae?

She blinked slowly. Then her lips moved. A barely audible whisper, hoarse, dry, as if she hadn't spoken in an eternity.

— ...Is that my name?

My throat tightened.

— Yes. It's... the name you had. Before. Don't you remember me?

She shook her head gently. An infinitesimal, almost timid movement. Her silver hair slid over her chest, briefly revealing the perfect curve of her breasts. She tried to sit up, but her hand trembled. I caught her by the arm. Her skin was burning. Her flesh shivered under my fingers, as if it recognized my warmth.

She looked at me then, truly, for the first time.

— I don't know who I am... I don't know why I'm here... But you...

She stopped, her eyes drifting over my chest, my face, then locking onto my eyes.

— ...I know I need to stay with you.

I froze.

Not a rehearsed phrase. Not a forced submission. It was... instinct. A certainty etched deep within her. She didn't seem to understand it herself.

— Why? I whispered.

— I... I don't know. But it's here. She placed a bare hand on her chest, between her breasts. I feel it. Here. In every beat.

I swallowed. It was the mark. The soul bond. The system. But it wasn't just that.

She slowly sat up, kneeling, and the invisible fabric of the hot air seemed to shimmer around her. Her heavy breasts followed the motion, settling softly on her belly. She instinctively tried to cover herself with one arm, but found nothing. Her gaze dropped then, as if she were discovering her body for the first time.

— I'm naked...

She said it without shame, without real embarrassment. More like a strange observation. She raised a hand to her hair, brushed the tip of her ear, and flinched slightly.

— And my... ears... What am I?

— An elf, I said. Or... something that looks like one.

She turned to me, lips parted. Her gaze was pure, clear, but filled with a diffuse unease. Her legs slid under her, half-crossed, revealing a hip curve to damn a priest. She knelt, naked, offered, but with no awareness of her beauty. And that was the most dangerous thing. She wasn't playing. She just was.

I looked away for a second, breathing through my mouth to calm the rising fire.Too late.

My gaze slid over her smooth belly, over the invisible line descending between her barely-closed thighs, over the way she held herself — upright, calm, like a confused goddess fallen from another world.

My cock hardened again, involuntarily.

She saw it. Lowered her eyes. Said nothing. But instead of backing away... she stayed still.

I felt, deep inside, a shiver of acceptance. No fear. No resistance. Just that silent voice in her movements, in her flesh, that said: I am yours. Even if I don't know why.

And there, in the burning silence of the Demon Continent, something buzzed in the back of my skull.

A dull sound. Rhythmic. Rising.

[SYSTEM – LUST v2.01: GENESIS]

[Bearer detected. Soul Link in progress.]

[Module initialization pending...]

But I was quickly distracted from the system when another sound roared in.

— GRRRAAAAGH!!

A growl, hoarse and deep, echoed from the distant dunes. Sae, still on her knees, slowly turned her head to the horizon.

Something was coming. Something that wasn't human.

The growl rose slowly at first. Like the roll of thunder muffled in the bowels of the earth. Then it became more guttural, closer, vibrating in my chest. I grabbed Sae's arm without thinking and gently pushed her behind me. She didn't resist. She let it happen, docile, naked, barely trembling, her white hair sticking to her back like a shroud.

I stood up. And I saw it.

It marched straight toward us, crushing the reddish dunes with a heavy, unbalanced gait. Shirtless. Black skin, streaked with glowing red veins like metal heated white-hot. Nearly eight feet tall. Its maw, elongated, was a mix of dragon snout and human jaw, lined with uneven fangs. Two twisted horns jutted from its skull, but one was broken at the base, leaking dark resin down its temple.

A Darkhyrr.

— Tch... I muttered. An exile. A failure.

Normally, these creatures never roamed alone. They lived in packs, in tribes, in the cratered plains at the center of the continent. Their strength came from numbers, from collective savagery. But a lone Darkhyrr? A reject. A weakling. A castoff. And even here, beasts have their hierarchies.

It growled again, and its tongue lolled from its mouth — wide, slobbering, hanging like a dog in heat. Its gaze didn't lock on my face. It locked on Sae.

More precisely: her breasts.

I tensed. The instinct — raw, animal, pure — pierced through its eyes. No strategy. No speech. Not even fear.

Just one thing.

Flesh. Naked, feminine, submissive flesh. Sae's scent. Her kneeling posture. Her exposed skin.

I remembered then what I already knew. What my first-life memories had taught me, now returning with growing unease.

The males of this continent were beasts. Muscle. Cock. Brutality. But no language. No art. No real thought. Just reactions. Instincts.

Their females, on the other hand...

...were the absolute opposite.

Intelligence. Control. Power. They were the ones who ruled the regions. Who led armies, who schemed, who made pacts. And that's why this continent wasn't ruled by lords, but generals. Generals... all female.

I watched the grotesque shadow of the Darkhyrr approach. It panted like a rutting dog. Sae, still naked and kneeling, seemed to mesmerize it. She didn't move, didn't scream. Maybe she didn't even understand the danger yet.

But I did.

This continent was made for predators. And in this diseased ecosystem, I had to become the most dangerous of all.

Not by facing these beasts head-on. But by submitting their mistresses. By possessing them. By bringing them to their knees too.

I lowered my gaze to Sae. She was raising her head, her eyes shining with confusion, fear, trust. Naked, vulnerable, and yet ready to follow me to the end.

The Darkhyrr gave a final growl.

It was coming. Only a few meters away.

I slowly raised both hands, palms to the sky. My cock still hard, my back curved, my neck exposed.

A sign of submission.

— Noble Darkhyrr, I whispered, loud enough for its worm brain to grasp. I bring you a gift.

It slowed. Not from caution. From instinct. A beast flattered before being thrown the meat.

I dropped to one knee, then the other. My voice grew lower, almost trembling.

— You are strong. Stronger than me. I have nothing. No weapons. No armor. Nothing... except her.

I turned my head slightly to Sae. She remained frozen, half-upright. Naked, vulnerable, but her eyes... her eyes fixed me with a strange glint. No panic. Just doubt. Trouble.

She wanted to understand. But she didn't retreat.

— She is yours, I continued. A rare female. Beautiful. Pure. An elf, maybe. Or something more. Your tribe will respect you if you bring her back. She will be yours.

The Darkhyrr growled louder. A string of saliva splashed onto the sand between us. It understood. Its thin pupils slid from me to her. Its reptilian tail lashed the air. It approached. Slowly. One step at a time. Deliberate. Lustful.

Sae flinched slightly. But she didn't scream.

She trusted me.

It made the mistake of ignoring me, thinking I was too weak to inflict any damage.

It lowered its head. Sniffed the air. Its maw opened wide, ready to bite.

I sprang up in a split second.

A rock, fist-sized, wedged under my knee the whole time. My hand grabbed it. My arm shot out. A sharp crack. Its brow split open on impact. It staggered, but didn't fall.

I leapt onto its back.

My arm slid under its chin. My wrist locked behind its neck. My legs wrapped around its waist like a living knot. A hold. A fucking military chokehold. I'd learned that in my first life. But never had I executed it this fast.

It howled. At first. Then its growls drowned in its crushed throat. It thrashed. Hard. Very hard. But I squeezed harder still. My muscles shook. My ribs screamed.

I saw Sae. Kneeling. Naked. Staring. Mouth parted. She didn't move. Just... watched.

— Die, fucker, I hissed between my teeth.

A final spasm. Then a dull, dry, final crack.

Its arms fell. Its body too.

I stayed on top for a few seconds, panting, covered in sweat and sand. My back burned. My heart pounded against my ribs like a war drum.

When I stood... the demon was just a pile of hot meat at my feet.

I raised my head.

Sae still watched me.

Kneeling. Naked. Panting.

Her breasts rose with each breath, glistening. Her right thigh bore a streak of damp sand. Her lips trembled. And in her eyes... there was something else now.

I slowly lowered my arms.

To my right... something appeared. A light. No, an interface. Letters of fire suspended in the scorching air. They weren't projected. They were there. Real.

[SYSTEM — LUST v2.01: GENESIS]

Bearer identified: SoraMission accomplished: "Kill a Darkhyrr in unknown territory."

Rewards:— +3 levels— +50 shop points

[Main Objective]Kill the anomaly of this era: Aedan, the Hero (0/1)

A violent heat surged through my spine. I felt as if my skin was splitting from the inside, absorbing the air itself. And when my eyes met Sae's, still naked on her knees before me...

...I couldn't hold back.

— Hah... ha... hahaha...

My breath broke. My chest rose. And laughter burst out.

— AHAHAHAH! HAHA FUCK YES! Is this it?! Is this what you gave me, you divine mistake?! It's... it's perfect!

I clenched my fists, my muscles swollen from the level-up. My cock throbbed like an overloaded blade.

— Three levels. The most beautiful creature of this world naked at my feet. A system whispering to me to kill the fucking hero of this era...

I raised my head to the red sky, eyes wide open.

— I'M HERE, DAMN IT! I'M BACK!

Then, my gaze lowered.

To her.

Sae.

Her eyes, wide open, locked on me with silent intensity. A kind of awe. As if she was seeing... a god.

Me, naked, panting, muscles trembling, heart beating like a war machine, facing her — the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen —

...I knew it was only the beginning.

The beginning of what?

Of everything.