Altaria stirred beneath Rem's rough shaking, her copper-red hair spilling across the bedroll in waves that caught the dim firelight filtering through the wagon's canvas. Her eyes opened slowly, hazed with that dreamy quality the fog induced, lips parting in confusion.
"Rem?" Her voice was soft, uncertain. "What's happening? Is it morning already?"
"Get up," Rem said, her voice coming out harsher than intended. "I need you to do something for me right now."
Altaria sat up slowly, still half-asleep, the Corruption Amulet catching light where it rested against her chest. She rubbed her eyes like a child waking from pleasant dreams. "Do what? You look... are you hurt?"
Rem's arms were covered in scratches and dried blood, fresh wounds still seeping where she'd clawed herself to maintain awareness. But Altaria's mind couldn't quite process the wrongness of it, sliding past the evidence like water over stone.
"Come with me to the pocket dimension," Rem said, reaching for Altaria's hand. "Everyone's waiting inside. We're doing something... special."
"Special?" Altaria tilted her head, confusion mixing with the fog's suppression. "What kind of special? Should I bring my staff? Are we training?"
Rem's thoughts scattered completely and she had to dig her nails into her palm until fresh blood welled up, pain snapping clarity back into place.
Right. Altaria was too compromised. Verbal persuasion wouldn't work when the fog had her this thoroughly. She needed something stronger, something that would break through the comfortable haze and force obedience.
"Not training," Rem said, moving closer until she was kneeling on the bedroll directly in front of Altaria. "Something else."
She activated Intimate Whisper and let her voice slide directly into Altaria's mind like honey. Something that will feel incredible if you just stop thinking and let me show you.
Altaria's breath caught, pupils dilating slightly as the mental voice bypassed her fog-dulled defenses. "I don't understand what you—"
Rem kissed her.
The Aria's Kiss lipstick activated immediately, the enchantment flooding through the contact and making Altaria gasp against her mouth. Rem took advantage of the parted lips to deepen the kiss, her tongue sliding past Altaria's in a claiming that was more dominating.
She could feel the exact moment the addiction took root—Altaria's confusion transforming into desperate need, her hands coming up to clutch at Rem's leather armor like she was drowning and Rem was the only solid thing in the world.
When Rem pulled back, Altaria followed automatically, trying to chase her lips. "More... what was that? Why did it feel—"
"Shh," Rem whispered, trailing her fingers down Altaria's neck to rest against the Corruption Amulet. The artifact pulsed with warmth, responding to the sexual energy building between them. "Just feel. Don't think."
Her thoughts tried to scatter and she bit her tongue hard enough to taste copper, using the pain to stay focused while her free hand moved to cup Altaria's breast through the thin nightclothes.
Altaria made a sound that was half-gasp, half-moan, her back arching into the touch instinctively. The Corruption Amulet flared brighter, feeding on her arousal, amplifying it back into her until she was trembling.
"Rem, this isn't—we shouldn't—" But even as Altaria protested, her body betrayed her, pressing into Rem's palm like she couldn't help herself.
Rem squeezed gently, then harder, watching Altaria's face flush deep red as the priestess training warred with her corrupted body and lost. The amulet had been working on her for weeks now, building sensitivity, rewiring responses, turning devotion to the divine into hunger for the profane.
"You want this," Rem said, her voice dropping into that sultry register "Your body knows what it needs even if your mind is confused."
She kissed Altaria again, swallowing the priestess's weak protests while her hand continued working, kneading the soft flesh until Altaria was gasping against her mouth. When she pulled back this time, Altaria didn't try to speak, just stared at her with glazed eyes and parted lips that begged for more.
Rem's free hand slid down, past Altaria's stomach, lower until her fingers pressed against the apex of her thighs through the nightclothes.
She hastily ripped off her panty, making her gasp and then entered a finger into the wet pussy, her fingers were met with a warm embrace, making it painful to pull away.
"Oh gods—" Altaria's voice broke on the words, her hips jerking forward involuntarily into the pressure.
"No gods here," Rem murmured, starting to rub in slow circles with her other hand that made Altaria whimper. "Just me. Just what I'm doing to you."
Her thighs, and the mat beneath her were already damp, evidence of how thoroughly the Corruption Amulet had prepared her for this. Rem increased the pressure, rubbing harder, faster, watching Altaria's coherence shatter completely under the assault.
Her purpose started dissolving and she had to scratch her nails down her own thigh, hidden pain keeping her anchored while she worked Altaria into incoherence.
"Please—I can't—it's too much—" Altaria was babbling now, words slurring together as she was being fingered, damn. Her hips were moving in rhythm with Rem's hand, like her body had forgotten everything except need.
Rem pushed harder, her fingers working the fold of her tight pussy until Altaria was shaking moans were spilling from her lips in an unbroken stream, until the priestess was nothing but desperation.
"That's it," Rem whispered, even though her own thoughts were fragmenting rapidly. "Let go. Stop fighting."
Altaria squired with a broken cry, her whole body going rigid before collapsing forward against Rem's shoulder. A huge pool of her cum dripped out, her torn panties long gone. She was sobbing and trembling, completely undone.
Rem caught her automatically, holding the priestess's weight while her mind screamed at her to hurry, to move, finish this before clarity scattered again.
She stood with effort, lifting Altaria in her arms. The priestess was lighter than expected—whether from Rem's enhanced stats or Altaria's naturally slight build, she couldn't tell. Altaria made a confused sound, still riding aftershocks, her head lolling against Rem's shoulder.
The dimensional portal shimmered beside the wagon where Kaisen maintained it unconsciously, and Rem walked toward it with quick steps that threatened to become stumbling as exhaustion pulled at her.
At the end, she carefully adjusted her grip and tossed Altaria through with as much gentleness as she could manage.
"Sorry!" The apology came out automatically as Altaria disappeared into the pocket space with a startled yelp.
Rem's thoughts scattered completely.
She stood there blinking in confusion, staring at the empty portal, unable to remember why she was standing here or what she'd just done. Blood dripped from her arms where fresh scratches seeped. Her tongue was raw from biting. Everything hurt.
Why was she—
She dug her nails into her forearm so hard she felt them break skin in four new lines, dragging down until blood ran freely.
Pain. Clarity. Purpose.
Run. Grab Kaisen. Get out of the fog before the cycle resets.
Rem spun and ran back to the fire where Kaisen sat blindfolded and patient, still waiting for her to come back and fulfill the promises she'd made. His arousal was palpable even from a distance, his body tense with anticipation.
She didn't have time for explanations or gentleness.
Rem grabbed him by the arm, hauled him upright, and in one smooth motion born of desperation threw him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"What—Rem?! What are you—" Kaisen's confusion cut off with a grunt as her shoulder pressed into his stomach, forcing air from his lungs.
Rem ran.
She didn't pick a direction based on logic or landmarks because there were none—just endless white fog pressing in from all sides, uniform and featureless. She picked a direction based on pure instinct and desperation, legs pumping as she carried Kaisen's weight and plunged into the white void.
The fog swallowed them immediately, visibility dropping to maybe five feet in any direction. White above, white below, white all around. Nothing to even indicate if she was running in a straight line or circles.
Kaisen was saying something, his voice muffled against her back. "—can't breathe—put me down—where are we going—"
The words blurred together into meaningless sound. Rem couldn't process them, couldn't spare the mental energy to understand when staying conscious required constant effort.
She bit her tongue until blood filled her mouth. The copper taste grounded her for maybe twenty seconds before her purpose started dissolving again.
Running. Need to run. Can't stop. Why am I running? Running from—
She scratched her nails down her arm without breaking stride, fresh wounds burning. At this point, nothing was left of the skin of her forearms, bones already sticking out.
—escape. Getting out. Fog traps us. Run until we're free.
Thirty more steps and her thoughts scattered again. This time she dug her nails into her bleeding palm, squeezing until pain screamed up her arm.
Clarity. Keep running.
Kaisen's weight shifted as he started to struggle, his confusion turning to alarm. "Rem, seriously, what's happening?! Why are we—let me help—"
She couldn't answer. Couldn't spare the breath or the focus. Just kept running while her legs burned and her lungs heaved, blood ran down her arms in crimson streams that looked black in the white fog.
Her grip on Kaisen was loosening, sweat and blood making her hands slippery. He was heavy—not impossibly so, but her stats only carried her so far when exhaustion and blood loss were dragging at her.
How long had she been running? Minutes? Hours? Time felt wrong in the fog, stretching and compressing randomly.
The white void around them never changed. Just endless uniform white pressing in from all sides like they were trapped inside a cloud that went on forever.
Rem's heart was hammering against her ribs hard enough to hurt, panic building with each identical step. Her stamina was draining rapidly , dropping toward dangerous levels.
What if there's no edge? What if the fog is infinite? What if I'm running in circles and we'll never escape?
She stumbled over nothing, nearly dropping Kaisen as her coordination failed. Caught herself at the last second, forced her legs to keep moving even though every muscle screamed for rest.
Kaisen was definitely struggling now, his weight shifting violently as he tried to get free. "Rem! Stop!"
Her grip loosened further, fingers going numb. She was losing him. Losing her balance. Losing consciousness to blood loss and exhaustion.
Phantom Step. Could use Phantom Step. Teleport forward ten feet.
But teleport WHERE? Into more white fog? What if she teleported them into something solid she couldn't see? What if the skill drained the last of her mana and she collapsed?
Her vision was blurring at the edges, darkness creeping in to compete with the white. Breathing came in ragged gasps that burned her throat.
Can't stop. Can't give up. If I stop we're trapped. If I stop they'll forget again. If I stop—
Her thoughts fragmented completely and by the time she managed to bite her tongue hard enough to bring clarity back, she'd lost count of how many steps she'd taken or how long she'd been running.
The fog pressed closer, heavier, like it knew she was trying to escape and was actively fighting to keep her contained. Every step forward felt like pushing through water, resistance building against her movement.
Rem's legs were shaking badly now, threatening to give out. Kaisen's weight felt like it had doubled, crushing down on her shoulder. Her grip slipped further—she was going to drop him, going to collapse, going to fail—
She stumbled again, this time going to her knees. Kaisen tumbled off her shoulder with a startled shout, hitting the ground hard.
Rem tried to stand. Her legs wouldn't cooperate. Blood loss had finally caught up to her, the world tilting sideways as darkness crowded her vision from all sides.
Get up. I have to get up. I have to keep moving.
Her body wouldn't obey. She knelt there gasping, arms covered in blood, tongue raw from biting, mind fragmenting into pieces she couldn't hold together anymore.
This was it. She'd failed. They'd die here in the fog, trapped forever, cycling through the same days until reality itself forgot they'd ever tried to escape.
Kaisen's hands were on her shoulders, his blindfold somehow torn loose, his face swimming in and out of focus. "Rem! Stay with me! What's wrong? What happened to you?!"
She couldn't answer. Couldn't think. Couldn't—
A voice cut through everything—the fog, the panic, the darkness closing in.
"Found you."
The tone was familiar. Feminine. Impossible.
Reality lurched.
The white fog vanished like someone had flipped a switch, replaced by—
Darkness. Not darkness, but the absolute void-black of space between stars. No ground beneath her knees, but she wasn't falling. Just floating in nothing while reality rewrote itself around her.
Rem tried to understand what was happening, but her mind was too fragmented, thoughts scattering before fully forming.
Where—
How—
The voice again, closer now. "I said I'd keep an eye on you, didn't I?"
Rem knew that voice. Had heard it laughing while her body transformed. Had heard it explain the Lust System's mechanics with cruel amusement.
Aria.
But why would Aria save her? This was supposed to be punishment, supposed to be karma, supposed to—
Her consciousness was failing, darkness and confusion and blood loss all combining to drag her under. The last thing she registered before everything went black was the sensation of falling while simultaneously standing perfectly still, and Aria's voice saying something she couldn't quite hear.
Then nothing.