The morning came, and Zaeryn stirred, a soft groan escaping him as the pale light filtered lazily through the curtains. His body felt heavy—pleasurably so, like it remembered every moment from the night before.
Before opening his eyes, he felt soft, warm lips press gently against his.
A smile touched his lips. He knew that warmth, that tender pressure, that subtle, familiar scent. It could only be Sage.
"Good morning sleeper," Sage whispered, her voice a low, comforting murmur near his ear. He felt her shift closer, her warm body brushing against his, fingers gently raking through his hair.
"Morning," he replied, voice thick with sleep and lingering pleasure. He reached out, his hand finding her slender waist, pulling her closer against him. He wasn't ready for this perfect moment to end.
She chuckled softly, a sound that vibrated against his chest. "Tempting. But I can't stay like this all day—I have much to take care of." She leaned back slightly, a subtle resistance in her posture.
"Just a little longer?" he murmured, tightening his grip. His lips found the curve of her neck, trailing small, teasing kisses along her skin—each one intentional. He was trying to coax her back into bed for another round. Consequences be damned.
The idea of her leaving—of being alone after such a night—suddenly felt hollow.
"Zaeryn…" she breathed, her voice laced with genuine reluctance. "You know I want to. But work calls. Important work." She kissed him again—quickly, like tearing herself away—before untangling and sitting at the edge of the bed.
"Call in sick," Zaeryn said, reaching for her hand, fingers brushing lightly against hers. "Say you caught something last night."
"Oh, I caught something alright. But it's not contagious."She leaned down again, lips brushing his ear as she whispered, "Don't make it harder."
"Isn't that your job? To make it hard?" he quipped, eyes still half-closed, voice lazy and amused.
Sage rolled her eyes, but her smile lingered. "Shut off the dirty part of your mind for a second. I meant… don't make it harder for me to leave."
"And we can't spend the day together, even though we really want to... because you probably have things to do too.* she added with a smirk.
Zaeryn stretched under the sheets, sighing. "Yeah, you're right. I'll probably need to go back and get more tests done."
"Exactly." She stood up, brushing her fingers through her hair as she walked toward the bathroom. "I'll take a shower and then head out."
Zaeryn watched her go, a quiet sigh escaping him as the warmth faded from the bed. She moved with effortless grace—her form still breathtaking, even in the soft morning light. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving him alone in the stillness.
A grin crept across his face as the idea of joining her in the shower crossed his mind—maybe steal a little more time together.
"Eh… scratch that," he mumbled to himself. He'd probably succeed—get her all hot and pliant again, pressed against the tiles. But once they were done?
She'd kill him for making her late. He knew exactly how she could be.
So instead, Zaeryn turned over and decided to drift back to sleep. It was still early, and he didn't feel like starting the day just yet.
Not long after, Sage stepped back into the room, hair damp, towel wrapped around her. She found him fast asleep again.
The next time Zaeryn woke up again. The sunlight was higher now—mid-morning, maybe later. Sage was already long gone.
He sat up in bed but didn't get up. He just sat there, staring into space. The silence that followed wasn't comforting anymore. It felt heavier now. Thicker.
As the haze of sleep cleared, reality returned with all its sharp edges.
He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, forcing his mind to catch up.
His fight with the fade. His conversation with the two goddesses Astraea and Marea.The Dragon Lord.
His bizarre, intimacy-fueled power.
His life, which had gone from a frustrating grind to something utterly insane… all because of some cosmic glitch. A divine error. A system that didn't exist in any physical sense—he couldn't touch it, locate it—but it was there. Threaded into his being. His essence.
He was an 'oopsie' in this world.
Oddly, he liked that. If his transmigration hadn't been planned, if it wasn't fate or design… then maybe nothing was set in stone. Maybe anything was possible.
He emerged later, his hair styled, fresh clothes on, and a slightly smug look on his face. For some reason he was in a happy mood when he exited the shower, well, until he descended the stairs and saw Aeris waiting with a cup of synth-coffee in hand, lounging on the couch like a queen judging a performance.
She looked at him over the rim of her mug, eyes narrowing with that signature glint of mischief. Her gaze raked over him—top to bottom—slow and amused.
"Hmmm."
Zaeryn was confused. "What?"
Aeris set her mug down with lazy precision, the faint clink punctuating the tension in the air. She shifted on the couch, one long leg uncrossing and re-crossing just as deliberately, the hem of her oversized shirt slipping further up her thigh.
Her smirk curled, knowing and unbothered.
"Well," she said, her voice low and dry, "someone had quite a night
Zaeryn paused mid-step, blinking. "I had... what? How would you even know that?"
She took another deliberate sip of her coffee, her gaze still fixed on him. "You were loud. That's how."
He nearly tripped. "Uh, what? No way, I'm always very quiet."
Aeris chuckled, a low, dismissive sound. "I'm pretty sure Ysmeine would say you're lying."
"Yes, I could hear you from down here." Ysmeine chimed in from the kitchen doorway, a faint blush on her cheeks.
Zaeryn's eyes widened. 'Shit, this is seriously awkward,' he thought. 'I thought I turned on the vocal dampening fields that block out noise—but turns out I forgot.'
His mind scrambled to figure out how bad this was. Had anyone else heard? Ysmeine and Aeris, definitely. But Arya? Mireille? Because they were in the same house.
His cheeks flushed hot with shame. He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Ysmeine's gaze. 'This sucks, I can't even look her in the eyes right now.'
He looked at Aeris. "No, I'm pretty sure I was not that loud, so it was probably just your eyes… I mean, ears." He stammered, trying to deflect.
Aeris leaned back into the couch cushions, crossing one perfectly sculpted leg over the other. "Well, you weren't. But Sage surely was," she drawled, a wicked glint in her eye. "Goddess, that girl can really—"
Ysmeine quickly cut in, stepping fully into the living area. "Aeris, enough, no need to make him feel even more embarrassed, " She then turned towards Zaeryn, a look of warmth but no-nonsense. "Next time, please, the dampening fields. It's not hard."
Zaeryn nodded slowly, lips tight. "…Yes. Of course. Definitely. Absolutely. My deepest apologies to your ears, Ysmeine."
Ysmeine's lips twitched into a small smile. "It's fine, love. Just… plan better."
She paused, her tone turning sly.
"And honestly? You shouldn't be ashamed of Sage's reaction."
Her smile grew a touch wider.
"Sounds like you really… make her happy." she teased.
Zaeryn was caught off guard by that. He still could not get used to how she always quickly shifted from being stern to teasing him. "Thank you."
"Hey!" Aeris then uncrossed her leg and pointed her chin at him, a half-playful, half-serious challenge in her gaze. "Where's my apology? My room's right next to yours, genius. I got the full concert."
Zaeryn crossed his arms, his grin creeping back. "Poor you, stuck listening to the show. Why didn't you turn on the sound barriers or whatever they are called, huh?"
"Excuse me? Don't you dare flip this on me, noisemaker. Next time, I'm blasting music to drown you out."
Zaeryn grinned and sank onto the couch beside her, slipping an arm around her shoulder. "You should—but you won't. I bet you enjoyed the show."
Aeris didn't reply or try to deny it in any way, instead she just leaned into him slightly, the barest smile teasing her lips.
Zaeryn shifted, stretching out across the couch and resting his head on her lap. She didn't stop him. Instead, she looked down at him, eyes amused, and brushed a lazy finger across his lips.
Ezra looked up at her, as he could now see that she was wearing something thin—really thin. A long, sheer robe clung to her like a second skin, whispering over her curves. There was nothing underneath.
From this angle, he could see everything, the soft swell of her breasts, the way her nipples stood out clearly beneath the transparent fabric, proud and unbothered. Her skin practically glowed under the morning light, flawless and inviting, every detail on display.
Zaeryn was used to this, since he and she were very comfortable around each other, but still, she still took his breath away.
Aeris noticed.
"Oh?" she said, tilting her head with mock innocence. "Is my outfit… distracting you?"
"—uh—well, it's…" he stammered.
She arched a brow, then chuckled. "Relax. If I didn't want you looking, I'd have worn something boring."
Her fingers threaded gently through his hair.
Ysmeine, meanwhile, had moved to the wide bay window, her back mostly to them. Her fingers traced an intricate pattern on the glass, not looking out, but deep in thought.
A subtle frown, almost unnoticeable, was visible at the corner of her lips. She looked at her wrist device, her frown becoming even more noticeable. The playful banter behind her was a distant hum against the quiet storm brewing within her.
She walked away from them, disappearing into the hallway.
Zaeryn frowned, a flicker of concern crossing his face. He knew Ysmeine well enough to recognize that subtle shift; she was bothered by something. He wanted to follow her, to see if he could help, but then Aeris's voice pulled him back.
"So, what's up with you?" she asked, her tone suddenly serious.
"What do you mean?" Zaeryn responded, a slight confusion in his voice.
Aeris gave him a half-serious, half-disappointed look, her fingers still threading gently in his hair. "Did you already forget? What happened? With you?"
Zaeryn remembered what she was talking about. "Oh. Well, I don't know…." He began to explain, recounting everything from receiving the invitation from Ryan.
He carefully left out the part about meeting the goddesses, being transmigrated, and, of course, anything about his new system.
After he was done recounting everything, he remained lying on her lap, as he waited for her reaction.
"And Ryan… he was your tutor," Aeris said, her voice softening slightly as she looked down at him. "Sad what happened to him."
"Uh… yeah, don't remind me," Zaeryn mumbled, sitting up and closing his eyes briefly. The sight of Ryan's body, now a Fade, was still a lingering, ugly memory. He let out a sigh. "I feel like, I…." He paused, searching for the right words, his brow furrowed. "It was… awful. Having to kill it. I know it was just a Fade, just a monster, but… it was Ryan. It used to be him."
Aeris watched him, her playful smirk completely gone, replaced by a hard line. She reached out and squeezed his arm, a firm, no-nonsense grip. "I know," she said, her voice low and tight. "It's always ugly. But that wasn't Ryan, Zaeryn. Not anymore. It was just the husk left behind. You did what had to be done. For him, and for you."
"Yeah, you're right," he said, pulling himself back together. "Anyways, is everything okay with Ysmeine?"
Aeris sighed, leaning her head back against the couch. "Mom's trying to talk to Athea, but there hasn't been any contact between them in years now."
"Athea doesn't reply to her." She explained, her voice filled with frustration. "Athea is the only one who has enough political pull to get you off the council's radar."
Zaeryn could not help but frown at the thought of Athea now ignoring Ysmeine.
"Yeah? Fuck Athea," Zaeryn spat, his voice sharp with raw emotion, louder than he intended. "I couldn't care less if she was alive or dead. What has she ever done for me? Nothing. Not a single thing. Never tried to reach out. Never cared. Why should I need her now, when she's been gone my whole life?"
Aeris's gaze hardened, but it wasn't anger directed at him. It was a shared frustration, a silent understanding of his pain. She squeezed his hand caringly, "Yeah, but you need her," she said, her voice softer, almost weary. "Or else they will make you a lab rat."
"I won't let them. I'm only playing along for now," he said, his jaw tight.
He kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. He was planning to play along with the council, yes, but only until he was strong enough that they couldn't force him to do anything at all.