The festival had been going for what felt like hours, and I was starting to genuinely wish we could just go home already.

The celebration had shifted from joyful dancing and music into something much more explicit, residents pairing off or grouping together with complete lack of self-consciousness, intimacy becoming very public very quickly.

Home sounded really good right now.

Earth, with its privacy and walls and complete absence of public sex, seemed like paradise compared to this.

Even for a realm that celebrated sacred intimacy, this was excessive.

Beside me, Azryth was observing with his usual composure, like this was just another cultural practice to understand, which it was, but it was also extremely uncomfortable to witness this much of it.

Then the Elder appeared at the base of our platform, carrying a tray draped with white silk, moving with ceremonial care.

The music quieted slightly, residents pausing their various activities to turn some attention toward us.

"The Blessed Union has honored us with their presence," the Elder said, voice carrying across the clearing. "And now, we honor you with our most sacred treasure."

He climbed the platform steps slowly, reverently, and stopped before us.

With careful hands, he pulled back the white silk.

Underneath was a whip, beautiful and clearly ceremonial, woven silk in deep crimson and gold wrapped around a leather core, the handle carved from dark wood inlaid with precious stones that caught the light.

This was art, not crude, meant for sacred ceremonies.

"The Sacred Pleasure," the Elder said softly. "Used in our most holy ceremonies, in the bonding of souls, in the expression of trust and vulnerability between those who love, may it serve you as it has served us."

He offered it to me with both hands.

I took it carefully, the silk soft against my palms, the handle warm and smooth.

The moment my fingers closed around it, everything stopped.

The music cut off mid-note.

The residents froze exactly where they were, mid-movement, mid-breath, like someone had pressed pause on the entire dimension.

Then they started dissipating.

Not violently, just fading, their forms becoming translucent, wisping away like smoke, expressions of joy still on their faces as they disappeared.

"Oh," I said. "At last."

The dimension shuddered, reality rippling like disturbed water, golden light flickering at the edges of my vision.

Around us, Henrik, Mara, and Ryota were already standing, relief visible on all their faces.

"Finally," Mara said. "We can leave this cursed place."

"Thank god," Henrik muttered, grabbing his tablet.

"The gate," Ryota said, already moving. "We should go now." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

We climbed down from the platform, the realm fragmenting slowly around us, not the violent collapse of Switzerland or Tokyo, but steady dissolution, structures in the distance beginning to break down into soft pink foam that drifted upward.

We had time, but not much.

Halfway across the clearing, I stopped.

"Wait," I said. "Where’s Void?"

Everyone stopped, looking around.

No small floating furball, no cheerful chirps, nothing.

"I haven’t seen it since the ceremony started," Ryota said, scanning the area.

Panic spiked through me. "Void!"

No response.

The dimension shuddered again, harder this time, more structures dissolving into foam.

"We have to find it," I said, turning back.

"Of course," Azryth said immediately, already moving with me.

"Let’s split up," Mara suggested.

We scattered, calling out, searching through the dissolving festival space.

"Mama..."

Faint, weak, coming from near the temple.

I ran toward the sound, heart pounding, and found Void on the ground near the temple’s base.

Not floating.

Just lying there, looking smaller somehow, dimmer.

"Void!" I scooped it up immediately, the small form warm against my chest but wrong, energy flickering weakly instead of the usual bright presence.

Azryth reached me seconds later, concern clear on his face when he saw Void.

"What happened to it?" I asked, but Void just made a small sound, eyes dimmer than usual.

The others arrived, Henrik’s expression shifting to worry, Mara frowning.

"Is it sick?" Mara asked.

"Maybe it ate something bad?" Azryth suggested, studying Void with careful attention. "Or too much food?"

"Maybe," I said, holding Void carefully, but uncertainty gnawed at me.

The dimension shuddered violently, the temple behind us starting to crack, pink foam spreading faster now, a wave of dissolution moving toward us.

"Let’s get out of here!" Henrik shouted. "Quickly, now!"

We moved fast, not quite running but close, the realm dissolving more aggressively around us, ground fragmenting beneath our feet, beautiful pavilions crumbling into foam.

The gate was ahead, still intact, still stable, our only exit.

And that’s when I noticed something was wrong with me.

My body felt hot, uncomfortably so, sweat forming on my skin despite the pace not being that strenuous.

I glanced at Azryth and saw he was sweating too, face flushed in a way I hadn’t seen before.

Something was definitely wrong.

My skin felt too sensitive, every brush of the ceremonial robe against it sending sparks through my nerves that shouldn’t be there, heat building low in my stomach and spreading outward.

I felt slick starting to form in my ass.

This wasn’t normal.

This wasn’t the dimension collapsing.

This was something else entirely.

We reached the gate and passed through, reality inverting.

One moment: dissolving realm.

Next moment: solid Seoul pavement.

We stumbled through into the cool night air, and I realized immediately we were still wearing the ceremonial robes, revealing silk that probably looked ridiculous outside the context of the festival.

Cell Leader Park was waiting with his coalition personnel, and his entire face lit up when he saw us.

"The Heavenly Demon Lord and Queen return!" he announced, voice full of enthusiasm. "And in ceremonial attire! The sacred robes suit you both beautifully, truly you embody the..."

His voice cut off when he actually looked at us properly, concern replacing enthusiasm.

"Are you injured?"

I could barely stand.

My legs felt weak, heat flooding through my entire body in waves, slick definitely present now and getting worse, everything feeling hypersensitive and overwhelming.

I grabbed Azryth’s arm for support and felt him tense, his own breathing harsh, sweat visible on his skin, eyes darker than usual.

"Riven?" Ryota’s voice, worried, and I felt Void being lifted from my arms carefully.

"Something’s wrong," I managed, voice strained.

Azryth’s hand found my waist, steadying me, but his grip was too tight, control clearly slipping.

His breathing was as ragged as mine, body radiating heat that matched my own.

"The water," he said, voice rough and low. "At the ceremony."

The calabash cups.

The blessed water for the union.

The cool sweet drink we’d both consumed without question.

Oh no.

Oh fuck.

Aphrodisiac.

They’d given us aphrodisiac as part of the blessing, to enhance the sacred union, to celebrate intimacy.

And we’d drunk it like idiots.

My knees buckled, Azryth caught me, and I felt his whole body go rigid against mine, heat radiating from him in waves, both of us affected, both of us losing control rapidly.

Cell Leader Park was saying something, concern in his voice, coalition personnel moving closer, but I couldn’t process any of it over the roaring in my ears and the overwhelming need flooding every nerve in my body.

I looked up at Azryth, saw my own desperation mirrored in his eyes, felt through the binding that he was barely holding on, that we were both on the edge of something we couldn’t stop.

"We need a room," I said, voice breaking. "Now."