An orgy unfolded between four attractive men and two women, their sultry moans, grunts, and the rhythmic sound of flesh striking flesh echoing in the air as if composing a primal symphony, raw and unrestrained.
They weren't drawn.
'Is this normalcy for Beyonders?'
He watched in silence, curious but strangely unaffected. There was no subtle spark of lust stirring within him. Instead, his gaze drifted to Quivara at his side, her expression as indifferent as ever.
The revelers noticed them and abruptly stopped.
The four men, captivated by Quivara's beauty, stared at her with hungry, lustful eyes. Their fervor seemed to peak, their focus entirely on her form. One of them, a man with a rugged, muscular build, stepped forward, his desire overcoming reason.
"She's mine!"
He growled, lunging toward her, as Quivara waved her hand.
"Huh?"
For a brief moment, confusion flickered across his face as he questioned why his vision had suddenly turned upside down.
His head had been severed cleanly from his neck, tumbling to the floor with a dull thud as blood sprayed violently into the air. A sharp, crescent-like aura hung briefly before vanishing.
"You-!"
Second head tumbled to the ground with ease.
Antara watched, an uneasy feeling churning in his gut.
He saw the woman cast a spell aimed directly at Quivara, but it abruptly changed direction midair.
With a nimble sidestep, he narrowly avoided it, glancing over his shoulder, he saw the aftermath—the remains of several trees, cleanly obliterated, their remains scattered in jagged ruin.
'Almost.'
Before he could fully process it, the woman's body was split lengthwise, cleaved apart by Quivara.
Antara understood the truth of his situation all too well—he was the weakest here, and that made him the most vulnerable.
One of the men sprang into action.
He was already clad in his battle suit, his presence crackling with newfound intensity as he charged toward Quivara, his sword, shrouded in a shadowy aura, gleamed with a sinister light as he swung it downward with all his might.
"Die!"
She met him head-on.
*Boom!*
Quivara caught the blade effortlessly.
Before the man could react, her other hand struck his head with such force that it disintegrated into red dust. His limp body, still upright for a brief second, finally collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.
The remaining man and woman—still naked—stood trembling, their eyes locked onto Quivara.
"L-let's talk about this. I can give you anything… even my soul."
The man's voice trembling as he raised his hands in surrender, his gaze clung to Quivara's face, smitten.
"Yes, yes! We can even offer you insight into the black sphere."
The woman added hastily, mimicking the man's gesture. Her wide, panicked eyes flickered toward Antara. Disgust twisted her face, bringing her to the verge of retching, but she somehow steadied herself.
"Dress up."
Quivara commanded, the two let out audible sighs of relief.
Antara's gaze lingered on the corpses, their forms transforming into what resembled sketches in colored pencil— even their things — as though they had become part of this distorted nature. However, what struck him as most unusual was the blood —it had not changed.
"We should keep moving."
Quivara's eyes lifted skyward.
Antara followed her gaze; the sky, along with the sun as if slowly melting into itself.
***
Antara's sweat trickled down his forehead and back as he struggled to catch his breath.
They had stopped walking—just for him.
The two additional party members cast silent glances his way, their disdain and repulsion almost palpable. Though they made no explicit remarks, their mere presence conveyed enough.
"Speak only what's necessary."
Quivara's eyes fixed on the pair.
The handsome man smiled softly, his gentle demeanor almost radiant, his mannerisms bloomed with a charm that seemed effortless, his gaze flickering from her lips to her eyes.
Guessing the situation, introductions were necessary.
"With eyes like yours, it's like the universe couldn't choose just one masterpiece—so it gave you both."
He locked eyes with Quivara, beauty ought to be praised as it rightfully deserves.
"My name is -"
His head flying through the air, Antara's gaze followed the motion of the head.
'Is he for real? Does he have a pea-sized brain?'
Antara was deeply bewildered by these Beyonders, had he not just witnessed Quivara deliberately display her immense strength, making it clear to simply do as she said?
Something felt off.
"Necessary."
She turned her gaze to the woman, who stood frozen in shock, by how casually the man's life had been extinguished.
"A-ah, y-yes, the Black Sphere… there's a Guardian who sketches monsters that block the array exit. And on the way, there's Faded Strokes—a place filled with inanimate objects that… that chatter nonsense."
She paused, her brow knit tightly as she fought to articulate her thoughts.
"They're harmless, but if one begin to understand what they're saying… do not respond."
Quivara glanced at the sky for a fleeting moment before tossing an object toward Antara.
He caught it reflexively—it was a sheathed dagger.
Without a word, she turned and disappeared.
Antara and the woman exchanged a glance, the weight of silence pressing upon them.
"HAHAHAHAHA, what is that woman is thinking? What could that pathetic little dagger possibly do?"
Her unnatural smile widened as she began to stride forward with newfound confidence, her posture now predatory. She knew their relationship was closer to that of strangers.
She reached out, brushing her fingers against Antara's face, he trembled under her touch, his demeanor shifting to one of prey, his gaze avoiding hers entirely.
"Do you know the saying, that a person should submit to their circumstances?"
She took the dagger from his hand, tossing it into the distance before lowering herself onto the ground. Her earlier repulsiveness had evaporated, replaced by a lustful glimmer in her eyes.
"Do you know, that when you mate with those possessing 'Charms' far higher than your own, the pleasure increases exponentially?
Hundreds, thousands of times more… to the point where it becomes immeasurable. Beyond words, beyond feelings—something that defies even meaning itself.
Of course, it depends on the rank and title they hold."
His gaze lingered on her as she kneaded her own bosom, her movements slow and deliberate.
"R-really? Then what's your Charm?"
"Mhmm~ I've forgotten the name, but I know it's within the second rank. As for my title… Ugh~ That too, I've forgotten."
"D-do you know Love Attunement?"
"… Just something couples share. Now, enough talking. I want to see the look on your face when you're inside me."
Antara's demeanor shifted, unusually calm, as he couldn't ask further.
"I see now. That explains why your party, and even your reasoning, spiraled into nonsense. It's all because of this strange place."
She paused, as though he had succumbed to madness, while he continued.
"Do you realize that you're already dead?"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Name: Antara
Affiliation: Soulmate Enhancer (Locked)
Description to Unlock: Find your soulmate through physical touch or have lovely marriage.
➢ …..
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
When she touched him, there was no notification.
"Your body has been preserved by the anomaly of this place. What you are now is only a fragment of yourself. Your scent is the same as the surroundings, as if you've fused with them.
Let's put it this way—you are Half-fragmented. Half-sketched."
Her body began to dissolve, consumed by the untamed forces of nature itself.
"W-what did you do to me?"
"I suppose that's what happens when you finally become aware?'
Antara tried to piece together the truth, he guessed their situation —a failed attempt to overcome the challenge in Black Sphere, this might be the result, or there could be more he couldn't comprehend.
It's very strange, but luckily, this happened.
He reached for the dagger.
As he lifted his gaze, the truth of Quivara's actions began to sink in.
She had left to save herself, he would have done the same if their positions were reversed.
The sky above split apart—vast, impossible tears slicing through the expanse. From the ruptures, multiple colossal hands emerged, each the size of towering mountains, clawing to force their way through.
They tore at the fabric of the heavens with devastating strength, the melted remains of the sky cascading down like molten rain. Between the cracks, something loomed, peering through from the other side.
'Is it a god?'
Antara felt fear, but it was detached, surreal—more like a dream than reality. It didn't feel real, and yet... it undeniably was.
He stride forward toward the Black Sphere.
Why gave him the dagger? It implied one thing: 'Survive on your own.'