Kafka arrived without warning, and vanished just as quietly.
After sharing a quiet meal, Kafka gave a brief farewell to Lin Shuang.
Once Kafka was gone, Lin Shuang finally remembered—it was time to draw a card.
A purple-tier draw, no less.
Who knew what might come out this time?
Hopefully something that lets her cast a proper spell.
Lin Shuang steadied herself. The power of Word Spirit was something she'd been looking forward to.
It would be even better if it was something on Kafka's level.
Draw!
As the purple light shimmered before her, Lin Shuang realized last time had just been a stroke of luck—she wasn't counting on it repeating.
The glow faded quickly, revealing a newly acquired skill:
[Mental Resistance ↑]
['This skill greatly boosts your resistance to mental interference, including Word Spirit techniques.']
['Miss, you wouldn't want to end up as Kafka's little toy, would you?']
"Mm..."
Lin Shuang stayed quiet for a moment.
It wasn't a bad skill. Resistance types were like passive buffs—unassuming, but clutch when it mattered.
Still…
She'd been hoping to flaunt something more showy.
How did she end up with a defensive-type skill?
She tried to recall—had anyone else in Star Rail ever gave her something like this, other than Kafka?
No matter how hard she tried, nothing came to mind.
Forget it. Maybe someone had.
Given Penacony's dreamlike nature, perhaps it showed up there.
That thought consoled her, and she quickly pushed the result of the draw out of her mind.
…
That evening, Acheron returned to rest.
She was already used to Lin Shuang's growing collection of accessories.
But—
"This outfit's new. Did you pick it up today?"
Kicking off her boots and undoing her coat, Acheron sank into the couch, exposing her firm waist and long, elegant legs.
She hadn't freshened up yet—traces of fatigue still clung to her.
Lin Shuang hung up the coat neatly, not turning around as she answered Acheron's question:
"Kafka dropped by. She bought herself clothes, and gave me a set too."
"Mm… Kafka."
Acheron's eyes lingered on Lin Shuang's back—on the ring, the necklace she now wore.
Lin Shuang walked over with a small smile, motioning at her outfit.
"It looks nice, but it's not really everyday wear."
"True. Still..."
Acheron trailed off, then lifted her hand and beckoned Lin Shuang over.
"What is it?"
Lin Shuang leaned closer, stepping to the sofa with curiosity.
Without warning, Acheron's hair turned white. She reached up, grabbed Lin Shuang's wrist—and pulled.
"Ah—!"
Lin Shuang let out a startled cry as Acheron dragged her down onto the couch.
But instead of following through, Acheron stood, her crimson gaze fixed on Lin Shuang's chest.
The necklace.
Snow-white hair spilled over her shoulder, mixing with Lin Shuang's—but clearly a different kind of white.
"...What's wrong?"
Lin Shuang looked up, confused by the intensity in Acheron's eyes.
Instead of replying, Acheron reached out, fingers brushing her neck, then hooking the necklace.
The amethyst sparkled in the dim light, a beautifully cut crystal.
Acheron admired it silently, then let her hand slide along Lin Shuang's collar.
Under Lin Shuang's puzzled stare, she undid the clasp and tossed the necklace aside.
"Ah..."
Lin Shuang turned her head, watching the necklace vanish into the gap between the cushions.
She didn't notice that her earring had now caught Acheron's eye.
With slender fingers, Acheron gently pinched her earlobe.
Before Lin Shuang could speak, the clasp was undone.
Acheron caught the earring in her palm, then casually dropped it onto the couch as well.
"You... I..."
After losing both accessories so suddenly, Lin Shuang still couldn't understand Acheron's intent.
But she did know what was coming next.
Meeting Acheron's eyes, Lin Shuang smiled faintly and lifted her left hand.
But Acheron reached for her right instead.
She lifted both arms and pinned them above Lin Shuang's head against the sofa.
Then, she slipped off the ring Kafka had given her—none too gently.
Leaving only the matching ring on Acheron's own hand.
So, Lin Shuang had thought Acheron was going somewhere with this. But seeing what was left…
She looked at Acheron, a little stunned.
Those blood-red pupils were still as dead silent as ever, and filled with a sense of oppression.
However, Lin Shuang has already adapted to such oppression.
Compared to this, Lin Shuang thought about it and couldn't help but said:
"Mei, are you unhappy?"
"...Really? Maybe. I haven't experienced it for a long time, so I can't quite remember it."
Acheron stared down at the girl who was tied up by her and gently pinched her chin with her fingers.
"But I only know that you are very dishonest."
As she spoke, Acheron had already reached out to unfasten the zipper and buckles around Lin Shuang's waist and abdomen.
"When I'm helping you forge your Permanence, I don't really like you wearing clothes given to you by others, so I'll help you take them off."
"…"
Lin Shuang was speechless for a moment due to Acheron's aggressive remarks.
Don't think I don't know that in this state you have completely remembered all your memories.
However, facing Acheron who was obviously serious, Lin Shuang had no room to struggle.
She could only watch helplessly as her dress was untied by Acheron and she was forced into a battle-damaged state.
When choosing close-fitting clothes such as dresses, people often choose styles with relatively small fabrics and almost no visible marks.
So, when Acheron saw Lin Shuang's underwear.
Her eyes suddenly became sharpened.
And it looks like she still has no intention of letting go.
Being stared at like that, even if it was Acheron, Lin Shuang would find it hard to bear.
"Mei...it's time to let go and let me change my clothes."
However, who knew that Acheron did not move at all, and even pressed forward again.
"No need, just leave it as it is. It's not like I haven't seen it before."
"How can this be the same?!"
Lin Shuang widened her eyes and watched Acheron ignore her arguments and sit on top of her.
Is this person unreasonable?
Acheron's weight bore down on her, deliberate, unyielding.
Lin Shuang could feel every inch of the contact—where skin met skin through loosened fabric, where breath mingled in the small space between them. Her pulse thudded, loud in her ears, quickening with every second Acheron remained so close.
The zipper had long been undone. The belt was gone. Her dress was little more than an afterthought now, clinging loosely to her figure, the curve of her waist exposed to the air.
She flinched slightly as cool fingers traced the edge of her ribcage—an elegant motion, precise and slow, like Acheron was mapping her out from memory.
Or reclaiming something that had always belonged to her.
"Still pretending to resist?" Acheron's voice dropped, husky with restrained heat, the faintest amusement in it. "Even now?"
Lin Shuang didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Her breath caught the moment Acheron's hand slid up, fingers brushing the underside of lace. Her body reacted before her thoughts could catch up—hips shifting, breath hitching, a warmth blooming low in her belly.
"You let Kafka dress you up like this," Acheron whispered against the shell of her ear, lips barely grazing the sensitive skin.
The heat in her words sank deep, molten and steady, leaving Lin Shuang trembling beneath her, her body warming up.
Her wrists, still held above her head, ached faintly from the restraint—but even that pain blurred into something more tender, more charged, when Acheron leaned down and pressed her lips to Lin Shuang's collarbone.
Each kiss was slow, trailing lower, chasing the edge of exposed skin.
It wasn't just about possession. Not entirely.
There was something reverent in the way Acheron moved—like she was peeling back layers of distance, stripping away every barrier Lin Shuang had so carefully built between them.
And Lin Shuang… she let her.
Because this—this was Acheron in a state she rarely showed.
Lin Shuang gasped softly when Acheron's fingers slid along her thigh, pulling the loosened fabric aside with ease, the sound of shifting cloth a whisper of intimacy.
"Mei…" she whispered again—this time not in protest.
Just a name, a breath, a surrender.
Acheron finally kissed her on the lips—deep and unrelenting—it wasn't a question.
It was a claim.
She could feel Acheron's tongue part her lips, slipping into her mouth with confident ease—slow at first, then commanding. Their breaths tangled, their rhythm lost to each other as their tongues met in a quiet, breathless clash of heat and hunger.
The taste of her—warm, familiar, and laced with something that felt dangerously close to longing—sent a shiver down Lin Shuang's spine.
Her breath came heavier, each inhale shallow and trembling. Her face burned, not from embarrassment, but from the slow, spiraling heat that pooled low in her core and spread outward in waves.
She had no time to resist it.
No will to.
And in that kiss—overwhelming, unrelenting—Lin Shuang gave in completely, her heart thundering in her chest as her body arched instinctively toward the one who had stolen all her breath.
Then, something deeper stirred.
The Nihility—cold and creeping—slid into the corners of her consciousness, threading itself through the cracks Acheron had pried open. It laced itself into her thoughts, mixing with the possessive warmth that now surrounded her, leaving her thoughts hazy, soft, weightless.
She felt her awareness begin to drift.
Her body still burned, still responded—but her mind… was slipping.
Like falling into sleep laced with desire. Like surrendering not just the moment—but her self.
The last thing she saw was Acheron's face above her—those crimson eyes watching her closely, possessively. But there was love there too. Fierce. Starving.
A love that did not ask. It took.
And even as her vision blurred, Lin Shuang saw the hunger in those eyes.
The kind of gaze that said:
You are mine. Entirely.
And with that, her consciousness gave way—sinking into darkness, wrapped in the heat of Acheron's touch.
--+--
T/N: SHEEEEE
I did that, well, I wrote it and then polished it with ai.
hope you enjoyed this shitttttt.