That night, Amelia and Kain were lucky enough to catch a show. While not a big one like that they had been hoping for, it was enough.

It was the same man who had suffered backlash. Yes, he hadn’t died, but he was wishing he had. Every day, there were bouts of agony.

As if the punishment of the oath wasn’t enough for him, the man couldn’t help but tuck away a piece of fish.

Some time after all the fish had been thrown away, he was seen sneaking into the kitchen. The minute the smell of the fish hit the stove, the aroma wafted its way into everyone’s senses.

It smelled divine.

Some stomachs growled. Others had deep looks of regret at having thrown away such a good piece of meat. It smelled so good without any seasonings. What would it smell like if there were?

Despite everyone’s hunger, they still remembered the warning. Even if it smelled good, what use would it be if it were poisonous? Still, they couldn’t stop their bodies from subconsciously swallowing.

They watched the man sit and eat the fish bit by bit. The joy on his face made them regret even more.

He finished the fish and leaned back on the counter, closing his eyes to savour the taste.

"Why is he still okay?" Amelia frowned.

He held her in his arms as if this were a regular couple’s movie night.

"Just watch," Kain replied.

It started with an itch. The man rubbed his stomach carelessly, still savouring the flavour.

The man’s brow furrowed, and he continued scratching his stomach. The itch became worse. He kept trying to scratch his stomach, but it only made things worse. Then his hand went to his throat. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He tapped at first, then started scratching. Then, the coughing started, weak at first, then it became a hacking cough. The sound came from his lungs. He tried to catch his breath without much success.

Then he began to change colour. He alternated between alabaster and maroon, finally settling on the colour of a cooked lobster.

His body jerked and spasmed. Pustules began breaking out on his skin. He fell to the floor, writhing and twitching.

Everything was quiet except for the choking sounds he made. Finally, it went quiet.

The people on Floor One who had seen everything felt their bodies tremble. They couldn’t help thinking about what would happen if they had been the ones to eat it.

The thoughts they had of keeping some of the next hunt for themselves were immediately thrown out the window.

It was better to eat a little than have a lot and end up poisoned.

Back on Floor Five, Kain and Amelia had also finished watching the show.

"Not bad," Kain said as he turned off the monitoring. "Half-baldy lasted longer than I expected."

"Sounds like you’ve seen this happen before," she said as she drew circles on his chest.

Absentmindedly, Kain hummed, "I’ve seen worse. There was a guy who turned green and managed to grow a tail. His..."

He stopped talking, folding his lips. He peeked at Amelia out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, she was smiling softly, looking up at him, fingers still drawing circles.

"Continue," she said. "I want to hear more about the guy who grew a tail."

Kain covered her hands with his. The small, delicate hands were slightly cold. He kissed the tips of her fingers without looking at her.

He felt somewhat guilty for not telling her anything about their past lives. But he would rather not burden her with the past. It was enough for him to know.

But now, she heard what he said. Not to mention that gleam in her eye. It was obvious she suspected something. She must have. She used to see him every chance she got before the collapse in his last life.

Of course, she would notice the difference. But she didn’t say anything and trusted that he had her best interest at heart.

Even when doubts crept in, she wouldn’t put pressure on him to say anything.

Looking into her clear eyes, he wasn’t sure what to say.

Amelia saw his complicated gaze. She had known for a long time that he wasn’t telling her everything. She chose to believe him because he was still Kain.

Had it been someone pretending to be him, she would have killed that person without hesitation. Then she would have started searching the world to find him.

Not even this godforsaken apocalypse could stop her. She would have to see his body.

She straddled him, not waiting for him to come up with a lie or force himself to tell the truth. Whatever the reason, she chose to believe he refused to tell her because it might harm her.

"You don’t need to tell me," she whispered against his lips.

She slipped her hand from his, reaching under his shirt to feel his muscles. She felt his body shiver.

Her eyes met his. She could see his restraint, and she could see his desperate possession.

He wasn’t like this before. He might have liked playing games, but he never looked at her like this. Right now, he looked like he wanted to swallow her whole.

His eyes glowed in the darkness, sending shivers down her spine. She ran her thumb under his eyes, down his cheek, and landed on his lips.

They parted, and she felt his hot breath on her finger.

She felt as if she was being pulled into a vortex. Her breathing was heavy, and she couldn’t help pressing her body against him. Their breath mingled.

His hand found her waist, and his fingers tightened. Kain didn’t expect her reaction. He had wanted her to scream, yell, force him to tell her everything he was hiding.

He also didn’t want her to know. He was sick. He could always joke and pretend with others, but with her, she was truly his safe harbour.

Thinking about when he just came back, he didn’t want to get close. He wouldn’t allow himself to think too much about anything. He only told himself that he would repay her kindness.

His mind constantly went back to that night. The desperation of the situation.

He didn’t need to do what he did. They could have died together, but he was selfish. And she was eager to help him.

He wanted her to force the truth out of him, but she didn’t. Instead, she did...this.

She rolled her hips. Her breasts pressed against him. She swiped her tongue along his lip. She didn’t kiss him, only sharing the same breath.

Those eyes, those vibrant green eyes, told him he was everything to her. She would do anything for him. Yet, she was willing to shield him if there was danger. She would fight with all she had to protect him.

The contrast of complete surrender and refusal to yield was intoxicating to Kain.