The Parasite's Dream of Corruption
After Yustia exhausted all her strength and collapsed, I parasitized her. But unlike my previous hosts, she was far too powerful for me to do anything right away. The black mage host I'd prepared for such a situation had been utterly annihilated by her sword strike, leaving not even a trace behind. Still, even if I couldn't steal her personality outright, I could subtly interfere. I burrowed into her mind, searching for weaknesses. Shockingly, Yustia was even more impregnable than I'd imagined. This woman had drawn strict lines against everything, as if she didn't care if she died tomorrow. She had almost no attachments, and her emotions were as parched as cracked earth in a drought-stricken field.
I belatedly realized that my plan to threaten her by taking Elia hostage in a pinch had been utterly foolish from the start. If I'd tried that, I would've died much sooner and far more decisively. Yet Yustia had thrown herself in to protect Elia. Even though she inwardly suspected Elia was under my control, she still revealed that opening. Why? That question was answered when I discovered a man buried deep in her memories. The man named Mael held immense sway over Yustia's mental world.
Yustia loved Mael. They'd never had a physical relationship—not that it mattered, since this woman was astonishingly pure in that regard; it seemed she'd never even shown interest in such things. He was the one being with whom she could truly let her guard down. So when Mael died, it hit Yustia hard. He'd left her with a dying wish to protect the city's future, and she threw herself into fulfilling the final request of the man she loved. Quite literally. From that moment, Yustia vanished, replaced by the Silver Knight—a cold, stoic female swordswoman guarding the city.
But even so, Yustia had always lingered somewhere within. Clinging to the few remaining parts of this city that she loved. That's where I found my opening. To conquer this woman, who clung to her duty with inhuman devotion, I had to target that faint remnant of her humanity. Just as she'd erased Yustia to become the Silver Knight, I would erase the Silver Knight and drag Yustia back into the world. Of course, I'd reshape her to obey me meekly.
In the brief time she drifted into sleep, Yustia dreamed. In the dream, she walked through the labyrinth with Mael, just the two of them. She knew it was a dream. Her astonishingly rational mind rarely allowed even such simple escapism—especially not now. A long-dead man from ages ago wouldn't suddenly return. Moreover, the Mael before her was hazy in places, shrouded in mist. Her memories of him had faded with time, too worn to recall sharply anymore.
But that didn't mean she—or he—could wish for time to stop. Even this moment alone together felt more like sorrow than happiness to Yustia. When they reached a secluded spot, Mael turned and spoke to her.
"Yustia."
He drew close, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her down to the ground.
"Mael?"
Yustia stared up at the man now straddling her, her face full of bewilderment.
"I'll be gone from this world forever soon."
His words were true, piercing her heart with pain.
"I love you, Yustia."
His lips brushed her nape, then whispered in her ear. Normally, she'd have found such words embarrassingly corny, but years of isolation, loss, and longing had festered her wounds, exposing her vulnerabilities.
"I do too..."
"I want to have you."
Mael slowly removed her armor. Even then, Yustia didn't grasp what he intended. She simply resolved to give him whatever he desired, at least in this moment. He stripped off the padded clothes beneath, leaving her in her undergarments. Embarrassed, she flushed red.
"You're so beautiful. Why hide it?"
"No need... to show it off..."
"I want to see you more often."
He whispered that, then pressed his lips to hers. Startled by the sudden kiss, Yustia accepted it willingly. Even in the dream, it felt vividly real, just like in reality. Her chest tightened with trepidation. Her face heated, and a poignant ache stirred deep between her legs—a sensation utterly foreign to her. In truth, this was her first kiss ever.
"I wish you'd show more of yourself, Yustia. Let everyone see what a beautiful woman you are. That way, I can be proud of loving you."
"I don't... really know about that..."
"You'll learn in time. You still have plenty of time ahead."
Plenty of time. She'd never thought that way. Her time wasn't hers to keep. Mael removed her undergarments.
"Stop... it's embarrassing..."
"It's fine. It's just us here."
Of course, no one would come. This was their private realm, deep in the subconscious—an imaginary space no one could invade.
"I'm scared of disappearing."
Mael said, revealing a vulnerability she'd never seen. But Yustia had always imagined it deep down. Everyone fears death, even her. To die, be forgotten, and vanish without memory—terrifying.
"I want to leave my mark inside you."
He buried his face in her breasts as he spoke. No one else remembered this tragic man of fateful sacrifice and sorrow. Only she knew. So Yustia opened her arms, pulling Mael into her embrace. In a remote corner of the labyrinth, the naked man and woman pressed their bodies together. Yustia thought it fittingly dreamlike—until Mael thrust his manhood inside her.
"Ma—Mael?!"
Yustia panicked. But Mael offered no explanation, simply driving deep, withdrawing slowly, then plunging in again.
"Haah...!"
A sweet, melting moan escaped her lips. Yustia was shocked she could make such a fragile sound.
"I love you, Yustia."
He whispered, kissing her, while below, his rigid length demanded more. It felt like pouring honey straight from the jar, she thought. Unprecedented bliss, satisfaction, fulfillment. Pleasure. But it also made her hesitate. Once she knew this, she couldn't return to ignorance.
Yet in the end, Yustia couldn't refuse Mael. How could she reject this pitiable man's wish, his heart? Besides, she knew deep down—this was her desire too.
"Yustia. Bear my child."
"Yes... Mael...♥"
Even if it was an empty promise, a vain indulgence of futile longing, Yustia accepted it in this moment. She felt something warm flood inside her. Overwhelmed by happiness, she embraced the faintly mist-shrouded man and smiled tenderly.
After spending a long time making love with Mael in the dream, Yustia awoke and stared blankly at the wooden ceiling of the infirmary for a while. Tears soon welled in her eyes and spilled over. An inexplicable sorrow surged through her. No, she knew the reason all too well. She was just desperately ignoring it. Peering into that deep abyss of emotion would make it impossible to escape.
She had to be strong. That's why she armored herself. But she was a woman—a fertile woman who'd never known a man. After gaining the authority to advance to the next round, her time had frozen; she no longer aged. In other words, her passion as a virgin and her duty would last eternally.
That dream made her confront a fatal emotion she shouldn't have. She was lonely. But this solitude was different—instinctual. No matter how strong she was, no matter her iron will, she couldn't resist this fundamental weakness, this biological need etched into her very design. Through that dream, Yustia recognized her femininity for the first time.