A Desperate Embrace Amidst the Storm

“Saranya, this way!”

Paresha pulled Saranya along, navigating through the chaos, hoping to find a suitable cabin for refuge.

Below deck, the situation was far more chaotic than on the deck above. Waves of frantic people surged through the corridors. Some sailors, following Borok’s orders, were attempting to repair the hull and drain water. Others, simply terrified of the demon race, had fled below like cowards.

Regardless, those below understood the necessity of mutual aid. Adrift at sea, they were helpless, their sole hope resting on the Monster. Thus, they naturally exerted every effort to secure their supplies and maintain the ship.

Led by a few seasoned sailors, the people organized themselves within the cabin, commencing repairs on the hull and salvaging waterlogged provisions.

Explosions continuously echoed from outside, likely the result of clashing magic. Though the ship’s body remained intact, the impact caused violent tremors, making the vessel sway wildly from side to side as tools and various items crashed about inside the cabin.

Saranya was already severely wounded, her movements compromised. She could not endure such relentless jostling.

“I’m sorry!”

After a quick apology, Paresha lifted Saranya by her hips and hoisted her onto her back.

Saranya was larger than Paresha, and with the added weight of their weapons, the priestess found it exceedingly difficult to move. They stumbled awkwardly, colliding with numerous sailors around them.

“What are you two doing?! Get to work and help!”

A middle-aged sailor, his patience finally snapping, roared at Paresha.

“She’s injured, don’t block the way!”

Paresha’s eyes blazed with defiance. She refused to yield, pushing past several sailors and enduring their curses as she continued to carry Saranya forward.

“Paresha…”

“Yes!”

“Kaelan… Kaelan is outside…”

Saranya was drenched in a cold sweat, looking as if she had just been pulled from a boiling pot. Her body was utterly depleted, crystalline droplets clinging to her hair, and her eyes blinked weakly.

These humanoid, intelligent demons defied everything she had known for years. The fact that they recognized her — did that mean they knew of her past actions?

She had once stood on the front lines against the demonic invasion, leading her brave soldiers to ambush monstrous creatures, doing everything in her power to delay the demonic tide. They had been consumed by fury, focused solely on slaughtering the beasts that had stolen their peaceful lives.

What shamed her now was that, recalling those deeds, she felt no pride. Instead, she was terrified that the enemy, knowing her past accomplishments, would single her out for special attention.

‘What… what’s wrong with me…’

‘Why am I so afraid?’

‘Why am I so utterly useless?!’

‘It was just a glance… merely a look from that man and woman, and I was paralyzed with fear, even wetting myself.’

In the past, encountering such a pathetic soldier would have driven Saranya to draw her sword and execute them on the spot. Such trash would only drag down their comrades, utterly worthless to her and her cause.

She couldn’t comprehend when she had transformed into such a craven individual.

“You must trust Kaelan. You, of all people, should have the most faith in her, Saranya. What’s most important now is getting you to safety—”

“They’re right…”

“Huh?”

Saranya’s face was grim, her eyes filled with despair.

“You should listen to those sailors. Go help them. Don’t… don’t worry about me anymore…”

Paresha immediately panicked. Of course, the girl didn’t understand Saranya’s true thoughts, assuming her injuries had simply worsened.

“Wait, just hold on a little longer! I’ll find a place right away…!”

“Don’t stay with me… otherwise… otherwise, I’ll be the death of you too…”

“No! You mustn’t say that!”

With no time for careful selection, Paresha glanced around, then shouldered open a cabin door.

The interior was pitch black. Paresha shut the door tightly, settled Saranya against the wall, and lit an oil lamp for illumination.

By the faint lamplight, they took in their surroundings.

It was a small, cramped space tucked into a corner of the corridor, typically used for storing refuse and cleaning supplies. In one corner stood a broken, person-sized, pointed iron cage, emitting a putrid stench and filled with a disgusting pile of decaying matter.

Saranya curled into the shadows of the wall, burying her head in her knees. Her shoulders trembled lightly. Incapable of action, she could only deepen the self-loathing festering within her heart.

“Please, let me check your injuries—”

“I’ve never accomplished anything, Paresha.”

“…”

The air hung heavy for only half a second before Saranya’s body was enveloped in a warm, soft embrace.

Paresha slowly knelt, adjusting her position, attempting to make Saranya more comfortable.

“You’re just hurt, very, very badly hurt…”

“We’ll die… all of us will die… none of this means anything…”

As if to confirm Saranya’s words, another explosion ripped through the air outside. This time, a part of the ship’s hull seemed to tear, and the violent lurch briefly lifted both of them off the ground before slamming them against the filthy side wall.

“Go save yourself, Paresha. You don’t owe me or your master anything… Don’t worry about me. Kaelan will ensure I’m fine. After all… I’m her toy… I just need to be a good toy… That’s all I can do…”

“You saved Westir.”

Paresha gently rested her chin on Saranya’s dark hair, her heartbeat seemingly quickening.

“And you kissed me… on the very same day, remember?”

“That kind of thing—”

“That’s Xiao Sha’s purpose… Xiao Sha will obey Kaelan’s commands. Xiao Sha will always protect you, Sister Saranya… Xiao Sha wants the three of us… to be together forever…”

Saranya’s icy blue eyes widened slightly.

As Paresha reiterated their unique bond this time, Saranya’s sense of helplessness and desire to flee significantly lessened.

Instead, a strange, hazy, bittersweet emotion seemed to slowly blossom within her heart.

She lifted her gaze, staring at Paresha in a trance. At the same moment, Paresha, as if sensing her, lowered her head and offered her a slightly shy, gentle smile.

“Ah… Ugh…!”

Then, as if possessed by an inexplicable impulse, Saranya leaned forward, her warm lips slowly approaching Paresha’s neck. Her pearly teeth gently closed in the dim light.

A thin line of blood welled from Paresha’s faintly reddened neck, tracing a path down her soft, fair skin before Saranya gently drew it into her mouth.

The priestess offered no resistance; in fact, she trembled with a surge of exhilaration, tightening her embrace.

“Hehe…”

To be together forever—this impossible fantasy, at least for this fleeting moment, Saranya believed it to be true.

If only time could forever freeze in this instant.

If only…

If only the subsequent misfortunes and disasters, the nightmarish experiences that would plunge her into despair and madness, had never come to pass, then all would have been well.