As soon as the door was shut, Nyx plucked the food and drinks from my hands and with a satisfied little hum, she sauntered to the kitchen, setting everything down.

  “Well, that’s one way to say, ‘thank you.’”

  Nyx paused, casting me a smirk over her shoulder.

  "Mmm. Merci, mon cher… but why would I need to zank you?" She tapped a clawed finger to her lower lip, eyes gleaming. "After all… you are mine, non?"

  Before I could fire back, she spun on her heel, closed the distance in two steps, and threw herself into my arms.

  And I mean full-body launch.

  I barely had time to brace before she wrapped herself around me. Arms over my shoulders, legs loosely locking around my waist, tail flicking behind her like a satisfied cat.

  Wow.

  Enferians ran hot,literally. Nyx felt like she’d just stepped out of a damn sauna, her warm, smooth skin pressing against mine as she nestled close.

  "Mmm, mon cher…" she practically purred, voice dripping with satisfaction. "I ‘ave missed zis…"

  I didn’t even know what "this" was, but she was clearly enjoying herself.

  Meanwhile, I was in a dangerously compromised position, with a half-naked succubus girl wrapped around me while my brain tried to process the situation.Two thoughts formed immediately:

  One. This would’ve been a cutscene in the game.

  Two. I needed a willpower stat because I was about to fail this saving throw.

  I cleared my throat. “Nyx.”

  She hummed against my skin, her warm breath brushing my neck. “Oui, mon cher~?”

  I sighed. “You’re gonna have to let go.”

  Nyx froze.

  Then, slowly, she pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes, her brows drawing together. "Pardon?"

  “I said you need to let go.”

  “Are you dying?"

  I blinked. “What?”

  Her grip tightened. "You are dying, non? You ‘ave some ‘orrible space disease you ‘ave not told me about? You ‘ave been poisoned? A terrible curse? An alien parasite is controlling your brain?!"

  "Nyx—"

  "DO NOT LIE TO ME, TIMUS!" she gasped, gripping my face and tilting my head as if she were checking for signs of fever.

  "I'm not sick!"

  "Zen why are you turning me down?!"

  She looked genuinely distressed. Like I had shattered her entire understanding of the universe.

  I exhaled through my nose, prying her off me as gently as possible. "I'm just... tired. Long day. Pirates. Almost died. You know how it is."

  Nyx stared at me like I had just spoken an ancient, forgotten language.

  "You... are too tired? For me?"

  I hesitated. "Yes?"

  She narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "You 'ave never been too tired for me."

  "Well, there's a first time for everything."

  She pressed a hand against my forehead. "You do not 'ave a fever... maybe a concussion? Brain damage?"

  I sighed. "Nyx, I promise you, I am fine."

  "Zen I do not believe you."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Nyx—"

  "Oui~?" she purred.

  "...Get off."

  "Non."

  I sighed, resigned to my fate. This was my fault. I should’ve known what I was walking into.

  I tried again. “I brought food. Are we eating, or is this a hostage situation?”

  She giggled, finally sliding off me with a smug little smirk, like she’d won whatever game we were playing. Which she hadn’t.

  I took a deep breath, regaining what little dignity I had left, then gestured to the table.

  "Sit. Eat. Then we can talk business."

  She gave a playful salute. "Oui, mon commandant~"

  Nyx practically pranced to the kitchen, humming to herself like the world’s happiest, half-naked housewife. Her tail flicked with dangerous enthusiasm as she opened a cabinet, grabbed some plates, and started dishing up the food I’d brought.

  I barely had time to sit down before she was already setting a plate in front of me, sliding a cold T-Cola next to it with a pleased little smile.

  "There," she purred, pressing up against my side, voice dripping with satisfaction. "Eat, mon cher. You must keep your strength up, non?"

  I nodded.

  "...You are different," she murmured, eyes narrowing.

  Nyx tapped her fingers against her lips, thinking. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened.

  "Ahhh," she grinned, looking smug as hell. "You ‘ave another girl, don’t you?"

  I nearly choked on my food. "Excuse me?"

  Nyx giggled, clearly enjoying this. "Oh, mon cher, do not lie~ You act… ‘ow do you say… éstrange. ‘olding yourself back, acting all stiff, and now—ah! You are nervous! Avoiding my eyes, choking on your food~"

  I wiped my mouth, leveling her with a flat look. "I am not nervous."

  She gasped, hands to her chest, eyes sparkling. "Ahh~ Is it zat Astra girl? Ohoho, I saw zee way she looked at you."

  I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Nyx."

  She beamed, unbothered. "Ah, mon commandant, you wound me! You ‘ave found a new woman, and now you do not want your precious Nyx any longer?"

  "...You seem way too okay with this possibility," I muttered.

  She shrugged, like it was obvious. "Of course. You are mine, but zat does not mean I cannot share~"

  I stared at her.

  Nyx giggled, pleased with herself, then leaned in close, her voice dropping into a sultry whisper against my ear.

  "So, mon cher~ if not a new girl… why do you ‘old back from me now?"

  I went still.

  Because saying ‘you’re a character from a game I played, and sleeping with you feels like breaking some weird fourth wall of existence’ seemed like the kind of thing that would get me locked in a psych ward.

  But it wasn’t just that.

  Part of me knew it would be wrong.

  Another part of me wanted to anyway.

  Instead, I stuffed a piece of food into my mouth and offered a response of profound intellectual merit.

  "Mmfh."

  Nyx sighed, rolling her eyes, but she still smiled, resting her chin against my shoulder.

  "Fine, fine. You will tell me when you are ready."

  I sighed. “It’s just. I’m not sure I could explain it, and even if I could, I doubt you’d believe me.”

  She let out a soft snort, crossing her arms. “Ah, vraiment? You realize who you are speaking to, non? Try me.”

  I was not winning this battle.

  So I did what any leader would do.

  I changed the subject.

  "You actually been eating properly?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  She paused mid-bite, then smiled sweetly. "I eat when I am ‘ungry, mon cher."

  "Uh-huh." I took a sip of my drink. "That’s not an answer."

  She shrugged, flicking her tail. "I ‘ave been… busy."

  "Busy doing what, exactly? You’re still working as a mechanic?"

  Nyx grinned, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "But of course~ Someone ‘as to keep ze ships from falling apart. And I make good money doing it."

  "You mean you scam desperate pilots who don’t know their thruster coil from their fuel injector."

  "Ahh, mon commandant," she said, pressing a hand dramatically to her chest. "You wound me!"

  I snorted. Yeah. That’s what I thought.

  She leaned in, watching me way too closely again. "And what about you, hmm? What ‘as my dear Timus been doing while ‘is poor Nyx was left all alone?"

  “I was busy for a few weeks, but I’m back now.”

  “Months, actually,” she replied, leaning back against the couch, arms still crossed. “Astra and zee others kept pinging me, asking if I ‘eard from you. But you just went—” she made a popping sound with her mouth—“poof! M.I.A.”

  I hesitated, watching her expectant gaze.

  What was I doing in the game before all this? Had I actually left Nyx here at Skov’s End? I’d played obsessively between shifts, between sleep, but the galaxy was so massive I didn’t have a clear answer.

  I spent forever unlocking clues to earn the Eidolon class.

  That much I knew.

  But the rest? It was hazy. Fragments, broken pieces that didn’t fit together. I remembered digging through obscure lore, chasing hidden quests, solving cryptic riddles buried in forgotten ruins.

  And in the end, the final requirement hadn’t been a battle, a relic, or some grand test of strength.

  It had been a choice.

  One I couldn’t remember making.

  Maybe that’s why I was here now.

  I glanced down at my hands.

  I had some of the powers Eidolon was supposed to have. But I still had no clue how to level up.

  Had I never finished the process?

  Or was I still paying the price?

  None of that would make sense to her.

  So, I made something up.

  “Yeah… I was taking care of something,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

  Nyx didn’t look convinced.

  “Oh, really?” She leaned back against the couch, arms crossed, staring me down. “And zis… something was so important zat you could not even drop one little message for, what, ‘alf a year?”

  Six months? Damn. I’d been gone for longer than I thought.

  “I was… back on Earth.”

  It was the truth. Kind of.

  Nyx snorted. Hard. Then rolled her eyes so dramatically I was surprised she didn’t sprain something.

  “Terra?” She laughed, low and rich with disbelief. “It’s been a smoking pile of rubble for years, mon cher. Try again.”

  I smirked, shrugging. “See? Told you it was hard to believe.”

  She tilted her head, lips pursed like I’d personally insulted her intelligence.

  "Ahh, you are so infuriating sometimes," she huffed, taking another bite of food. "I wait for you, I take care of you, and yet you play so distant now—"

  But luckily for me before she could throw something at me, the TV on the wall flickered to life.