"A 'DeBastator'—'B' for bastard son; the rest of the word refers to 'devastator.' An aberration devoid of reason, physically or mentally deformed, that in the end can't even be controlled by the family that raised and educated it."
Lía thought to herself. "Much less someone I can control—at least not with this sick body I have. Who would've imagined that the descendant of a vampire and a lycanthrope with pure bloodlines would fall from the sky like a star and end up right in front of me? I regret not following the news, not keeping up with the events that torment humanity. Sure, I saw on the news that they were hunting your family and that humans had reached hell, but it isn't enough…"
"Setting that aside," she kept thinking, "even if I use my vampire abilities to make you my slave, you won't be bound by that bond, since you also have vampire blood in your veins. My body, my abilities, my knowledge—none of it will be of any use in being able to, at the very least, make an agreement with him. All I can do is trust and hope for the best. Now that I think about it, when I carried him in my arms, he didn't look as dangerous, vicious, or violent as people describe. Besides, not all hybrids are creatures like that."
—I… trust you… —Lía said, looking into the eyes she was starting to fear so much, as soon as she managed to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat and clear her thoughts.
After speaking out loud, Lía realized she hadn't sounded very convincing. There were better things to say, and maybe those could be the last words she'd ever get to say. She felt like the biggest idiot in all the shiny yellow hell she lived in.
Something ran through Rey's insides. To him, it felt electrifying and relaxing at the same time. Confidence flooded him, along with reasons to believe in someone who, in a way, believed in him. No one had ever said those four words to him before. Her face showed fear, but she wasn't lying, while the faces of his master, parents, and friends lied—but they never feared. The words that came from her delicate lips were sincere, brimming with vulnerability, even if they were frightened. On the other hand, the way the doctor offered her body vaguely reminded him of Silvia, before she'd offered him the key to knowledge.
With intimidating steps, Rey circled the female's body. As soon as their eye contact broke, even though he was only a little more than half her size, Rey made his body grow until he was at her height, trading breath with her without having to fully transform into a beast. Two spans taller than the doctor, and after completing the circle, Rey placed his semi-transformed hand back on the delicate face of pale skin.
Lía was forced to lift her gaze and meet the eyes of a much more intimidating version of her patient. Panic took hold of her body and screamed at her to run with all her strength, but that behavior wasn't logical for someone who self-lacerated and had wanted to die most of the time. Much less for her, who liked dangerous situations so much.
Long seconds passed with Lía staring at the boy who bent her will with his gaze. Rey's eyes seemed like endless labyrinths she got lost in and found herself again from time to time. A labyrinth where the walls stopped existing and darkness swallowed everything, leaving only the white gleam of two sharpened eyes.
Time stopped in every sense of the word. The tick-tock of the clock seemed to come alive and grow as complex as it was capricious. Lía's heart became a third person, making its desperate existence known in the desolate room made up of two. Her inner system was chaos—so much so that her legs almost wouldn't respond and her breathing hovered on the edge of losing control.
With the rising heart rate she was experiencing, she noticed that certain areas of her body stopped being pale—her ears, her face, her exposed chest, and the pelvic area hidden in her intimacy all flushed. It was starting to get very hot, so hot that her body broke out in a cold sweat, beads that slicked her palms, along with a heavier lubrication of saliva in her throat.
"Ohhh! He still hasn't said anything—surely because he's trying to keep his instincts in check so he doesn't kill me," Lía thought. "It's understandable; to him I'm a threat. He's studying me with his gaze, sensing me with his nose, intimidating me with his presence. He wants to make me understand he's stronger than I am, and it would be much more sensible for me to take back my words if I'm not capable of keeping them…"
As if all the swollen, damp skin weren't enough, tremors and jolts laid claim to the position of the girl's rounded legs, as she fought with every ounce of her being to stay standing.
"If I truly trust him, I wouldn't have any reason to run," she told herself, slipping into a pessimistic state. "But the fear I'm feeling isn't good. Fear that translates into insecurity about the decision I dared to make."
Panic, fear, terror, dread—never experienced before—brought her a paradoxical sensation of excitement, lust, and morbid curiosity all at once.
"He keeps looking at me without saying anything," she continued in her mind. "I didn't know that being on the verge of dying could make me feel this excited. I feel fire between my legs, heat at my opening, and something hard bumping my belly. Ecstasy isn't helping me either—sexual availability could be interpreted as interest; it's also another way to deceive. My inability to control my body's reactions is the greatest enemy I've ever had to deal with in this life—and in this moment that's so crucial for me to keep living."
Despite having her hands out, the female body—minutely observed—tried to grab the long sleeves of the white coat she wore, intending to cover herself just a little more.
As time passed, Rey noticed every small tremor from Lía: the tiny beads of sweat seeping from the pores of her white forehead that gathered before sliding down; the way blood pooled under her skin; and his own frightening reflection inside those eyes staring fixedly at him.
Rey decided to be cautious. With a hint of disappointment on his face, he turned and moved a little away from the personal space of the girl with her hair tied up. He remembered the words his father had once told him: "Don't fear losing when you act for good, and do good deeds trusting the outcome without letting doubt hold you back."
—It's not that I'm trying not to kill you… to show you I'm different. So— is there anything you want, anything you need in exchange for all the peace I'm planning to take from you?
The young man left the vampire stunned with what he said, and then he stepped back.
—No… not for now, —she answered.
Rey, without giving her time to voice her doubts, added:
—Why did you say you trust me?
As soon as she could regain control of her breathing and bring her hands to her chest to help her heart stop racing, Lía answered the negotiation they were beginning.
—Let's say it's something inside me. I wouldn't know how to explain it to you… —On pure instinct, she stopped her carefully chosen words, because she realized the young man might figure out they weren't true. Quickly, after clearing her throat, she corrected herself—. I wouldn't know how to explain it to you in a way you'd understand without changing how you see me. By the way, how do you know what I'm thinking? It's a little curious—my father could also tell what people were thinking, and he never told me.
Lía made a clever move—a question to get the young man to open up, so she could escape how tense the situation had become.
—It's not that I can know what you're thinking —Rey answered casually—, but your eyes speak very clearly. Your body also gives off signals I can interpret more easily. Unlike words, gestures tend to be much more sincere and stick closer to how someone is thinking.
—Fascinating… —she said—. What made you that way? What made you so attentive and distrustful?
—The burden I carry on my shoulders. I'm always surrounded by people watching me. When I still wasn't able to communicate with words, I didn't realize how important looks were, and I made mistakes because of my ignorance. From then on I learned to read expressions, but that doesn't mean I understand them completely. By the way… does what your skin smells like mean sexual desire? In a way, it tempts me not to act rationally. I could mean to devour you, but at the same time it's not like I'm hungry. It might sound strange, but when I stood in front of you and made myself bigger, I was seeing whether you'd kiss me.
Rey stopped, taking in how nervous Lía got in the compromising position she'd ended up in. The doctor managed to lower her gaze and, as a result, realize what it was that had been pressing against her belly.
—Of course I would've kissed you!! —she shot back, lifting her eyes, flushed—admitting she'd missed several chances to use the assets she'd, for a few seconds, lost confidence in. After all, she couldn't remember how long it had been since the last time she'd been with a man. —But it's not going to work.
—Oh? —Rey kept studying the doctor's behavior, to the point that he moved closer to smell her hair—. Why do you think it's not going to work? Tell me the reason—but if it isn't a good one, I'm not stopping.
—It's not that I don't have a good reason —she replied, regaining her confidence and moving her hips slightly—. It's work hours, and this isn't exactly the most appropriate place for you to stop holding back and do what you want to do to me. In this society there are rules—things you can only do at the proper time and under certain circumstances for them to be appropriate.
—Hmm? —Rey looked genuinely confused.
—If you learn this society's customs —she continued, nervous but also speaking sensually—, you'll understand what I'm saying, and you'll know when it's the right moment to touch—or to let yourself be touched.
—I'm interested in your knowledge, your body, and your abilities. Is there anything you want in exchange for me?
—Honestly, your situation makes you look adorable —Lía replied, seductively touching her patient's chest—. So adorable you make me want to teach you—or corrupt you. And yes, I want something in return.
—I thought you were the type of woman who surrenders and gives it all up for someone stronger —Rey said, feeling Lía's hand slide down over his abdomen, seeing in those eyes the willingness she had to satisfy his demands.
—You're not entirely wrong… —Lía conceded—. I should also confess that your presence feels like that of those males who want to solve every problem that worries the people around them and refuse to learn or listen.
Rey smiled at Lía. In a way, the two of them understood each other. Even more now, with her touching his member directly.
—If you want my purpose to be teaching you and guiding you, while little by little I reveal all my secrets to you—even my most hidden desires—I'm asking you to listen to me and obey me absolutely in everything from now on. You also mustn't think about any females who aren't me. In exchange, as a member of the temple of the amorous arts, I'll give you the greatest pleasure you will ever be able to feel.
Rey fell silent, considering the proposition while he felt Lía grip and massage his erect member.
—Mm, —Rey confirmed, making the expressions of someone who understood the situation.
—The more you obey me, the greater the pleasure you're going to feel.
—Just you touching me already makes it feel like something's going to come out, —Rey said out loud, which drew a smile from the female seducing him.
Ready to use the movements that had been able to leave any man or woman defenseless and breathless, Lía suddenly brought her left hand to the base of the young man's member, and after brushing a few strands of hair away from her face with her other hand, she leaned forward far enough to caress the tip of what she was holding with her tongue.
The moment Rey saw his member disappear into her mouth—even as it was being worked by her delicate hand—he felt a scorching heat that yanked from him, in one pull, the very last drop he'd been holding in his testicles.
Lía didn't look offended by the "gift" at all—on the contrary, she kept the convulsing piece of flesh inside her mouth, then slowly drew it out, sucking, drawing, and swallowing the white nectar. After taking it all, she wrapped her tongue around the tip of Rey's organ of desire, cleaning it until it shone.
If that was only the beginning, Rey felt intrigued by what might happen in the future.
Still trying to recover from the intensely pleasurable sensation he'd received, the moment Lía straightened up, he nodded, accepting the proposal.
—Yes?! —Lía said, as if she couldn't believe it. She was so excited she could practically burst with happiness—. For now, I'll let you catch your breath. You can keep in mind that I like taking risks from time to time. In those moments, just let yourself be carried away by the emotions I can provoke in you—the ones that don't make you act rationally.
That phrase made the young man tilt his head, remembering his mother, who had warned him about women. *She's a little different from what I thought,* he told himself. *Still, it's nothing bad. She won't have the same motives as my parents' servant, but both leave my body satisfied, so I have no complaints as long as it stays that way.*
Lía read the gesture as doubt, so she continued:
—For now, focus on paying close attention to me at all times. By the way, here are the lenses… Yes, lenses—that's what these thin layers of rubber are called, the ones that disguise your eyes. With these, you won't draw attention. Go back to your previous size and put these clothes on.
Setting his thoughts aside for a second, Rey went back to his normal size so he could put on the lenses.
Now calmer, he sat on the bed, willing to wait while Lía finished what she'd started, as if it were simply a task to complete. She moved several chairs, organized objects, and took notes.
Lía turned away. Even though she'd managed to accomplish something she'd considered impossible at first, she began to regret taking even further advantage of the situation with the agreement she'd made. "If someone loves you, they'll accept you no matter what. You have to make him love you so he'll accept you," she repeated in her mind again and again, then continued her reflection. "He's receptive to letting himself be carried away, which means I can do it. I can make him love me… I can win his heart, even if I end up losing mine as a consequence."
Both young people, lost in thought, sat trading a silence stronger than any stare. No word dared break the tension in the air, because each of them knew the other was right there—and wouldn't leave.
Right in the middle of the moment the vampire was going through, when she had to decide what question might rekindle the conversation, White stepped out to stretch and breathe fresh air.
Without showing much emotion, the immense white beast on all fours leapt onto the bed beside his companion without making a single perceptible sound. Then it began to lick his face all over and wrap him in its claws, trying to warm him.
Lía, who hadn't noticed the third presence, turned with the most coherent question she could have formed. The instant she saw something unexpected, the vampire dropped everything she had in her hands. White and Rey reacted to the noise, glancing toward where it had come from, and then looking at the one who'd caused it.
Unable to speak, the girl watched as the gigantic feline climbed down from the bed and approached her, as silent as a ghost.
Now, yes, the doctor told herself, on the verge of a panic attack. Maybe I really can die. Either fear or this beast—one of the two is going to put an end to my immortality.
Near Lía, White lowered its head to sniff what had fallen on the floor. Then the enormous feline, white-furred with black stripes, lifted its huge shaggy head to sniff the hand of the girl frozen with fear.
Lía kept her eyes tightly shut as she tensed her entire body. She felt an uncomfortable, rough tongue rub her hand—like a chunk of coarse wood being sanded down.
—She feels grateful because you watched over me and bathed me while I was unconscious —Rey said, his face full of amused expressions at the doctor's overly cautious behavior, the same doctor who minutes earlier had launched herself mouth-first to first base, so to speak.
—Where did an animal like that come from?! —Lía exclaimed in a trembling voice, then thought, Breathe deep, Lía. This thing isn't the problem. They seem to be together. The problem is that I might have to go through the embarrassment of explaining what I did while he was unconscious.
White wasn't going to comment on the way Lía had bathed Rey. After all, Rey bathed the household servant the same way whenever she asked him to. Besides, it understood that its closeness wasn't welcome to the girl it wanted to "thank," because she was behaving the way small animals did—the ones it used to hunt to eat. Before its appetite woke up, White decided to go back to Rey, since its "gratitude" wasn't being received well.
—It's nothing in particular, —Lía started the conversation—, but it's not good to have your pet out. If someone sees it, it'll cause us a lot of trouble.
—I hope you didn't just refer to me in an inappropriate way, —White said in its usual ill-tempered tone, baring its teeth as its muzzle wrinkled. Refusing its "gratitude" had already been offensive enough; it wasn't about to tolerate degrading words on top of that. Because as a wild, powerful beast—descended from the guardians of paradise—Rey was its property, not the other way around.
I'm definitely hearing voices, the doctor told herself. That animal can't talk to me—much less understand me. Animals don't talk… do they?
Lía was stunned. She rose up onto her toes at the angry expressions on the giant feline. From all of this, Rey understood it wasn't normal for her that animals could speak and understand. With an air of certainty, he took the chance to explain while running his hand over White's head.
—Through a magic spell, she and I can share the knowledge we have—and what we're interested in knowing. Like understanding a new language. —Rey closed his eyes, then opened them toward Lía—. You shouldn't have used any term for her other than "part of me." The one who walks beside me on four legs is everything I have, and the moment I accepted that, I became everything she had. It's an insult to call her a pet.
Understanding that the animal present wasn't just a mere beast or a pet like she'd called it, Lía apologized from the heart and added a question:
—How was I able to hear her without her having to speak to me?
—Let's say it's… another magic spell, —he said, stroking White's back from the nape down to the base of the tail.
Lía thought about asking whether White was angry with her, but she assumed she'd end up going down a very dangerous path.
—I'm leaving, —White said in its usual ill-tempered tone, jealous of the vampire who was stealing her companion's attention.
So she is angry, Lía thought, her hand still raised as if she wanted to say something—anything—to make it right.
When the enormous feline vanished into the air, Lía was astonished all over again. She knew she'd lost the habit of seeing supernatural things; even so, it was unbelievable that a gigantic four-legged beast could simply disappear like that.
With White no longer prowling around, the atmosphere returned to normal. Lía knew she had to leave fear behind if she meant to fulfill her purpose as a woman with the time she had left. Pretending to lose her balance, she deliberately slipped when she stepped on one of the products she'd dropped earlier. Rey, with excellent reflexes, didn't hesitate—he quickly scooped the female body into his arms to keep her from falling onto the shards on the wet floor. With her pressed to his chest, the boy no longer knew what to do or how to act; he only knew that pulling away would feel wrong.
Desire flared again between their bodies. Rey and Lía both breathed faster. She leaned closer, and her eyes made it clear what she wanted: to touch him, to excite him, to kiss him, to devour him, to show him what a woman was—far deeper than she already had.
—You're a vampire, —Rey stated—. Your skin looks sickly, and your posture is a little off. It isn't usual for someone with a strong nature to lose their balance. Are you really that weak? If so, take from me as something extra, on top of the agreement. I suppose it'll be enough in exchange for letting me learn this society's customs and obtain your knowledge.
Breaking eye contact, Rey began to angle his neck toward the doctor's mouth. Something surged inside the boy, ready to continue the exchange despite the cocktail of unfamiliar sensations twisting through him.
—From this point on, —Rey said, flinching as pain bit into his neck—, I'll listen to you and obey you absolutely. I also won't think about any females other than you.
"Mmm. Listen to me and obey me absolutely. What a shame a vampire can't be another vampire's slave," she thought as she swallowed Rey's blood. "But if he ends up keeping those words, would that go against what I want? I don't want him as my slave—I want him as a man. My mind is unraveling, and my body feels like it's going to burn from the inside, just thinking about having a stag as powerful as a 'DeBastator' under my absolute control. Ufff. At first I only wanted his lips, but I don't know how to control this ambition flooding my veins. Pacts with demons are always made for something in exchange. What price will I have to pay for a contract like this?"
One swallow after another, Lía kept drinking, unaware that her own neck was being punctured. "The taste of his blood is indescribably delicious—intoxicating. With just the first sip, I feel like I've recovered from all the exhaustion these fifty human years caused me; even my thoughts are clearer. It's as if, by his scent and his presence, I can't even manage to feel hatred. Like this, I can't refuse being with him—held in his arms, before what he is…" After a moment, her mind sharpened and another thought slid into place. "The primordial vampires were said to possess countless abilities. Among those powers, they're supposed to be able to bite without causing pain, feed while making you feel good, drive fear away, and devour the hatred you carry inside." She swallowed again, then froze. "He told me, 'I suppose it'll be enough in exchange for letting me learn this society's customs and obtain your knowledge.' Why would he say something like that? Are these on my neck not his lips, but his teeth sinking into my flesh? Taking my memories?!"
Worried, Lía stopped biting and pulled back, searching the young man's face for a reaction to what she was thinking.
"Pure-blood vampires," the doctor remembered, "can develop the ability to unravel the essence, knowledge, and skills of anyone whose blood they consume. They can even experience a portion of what someone has lived through—not to mention they're immune to anything involving mind control or memory alteration."
Life rushed back into the girl's face. Even with her eyes disguised, the blue of her irises pushed faintly through the thin black rubber layer. Her fangs lengthened slightly, and power surged through her body from nothing more than a small sip of Rey's blood.
But Lía was afraid. She didn't want to believe Rey had the abilities she had just suspected. If he did, she'd be exposed—her intentions, her motives, the purposes behind everything she did. All of it would be laid bare.
Blood ran from the corners of Rey's mouth. After swallowing the last mouthful, he wore the stunned expression of someone in shock. In jagged fragments, he could see fifty years of a life that would crush anyone.
Without knowing when or where, Rey became trapped in the landscapes Lía had seen—landscapes that made up her memories. Through eyes searching for the answer to survival, Lía saw herself in a great city of towering golden buildings, shining like light for all the young, while authorities chased her without mercy. The crowds were splendidly dressed in the finest linen, embroidered with silk in vivid colors.
With his ears, Rey heard the same noise Lía had heard in what was described as an eternal day: symphonic festivities, the footfalls of people singing and dancing in harmony toward the temple of the amorous arts. Lively, beautiful priestesses talked and laughed, ready to serve men's pleasure for the enjoyment of sex, even the elderly. Bodies against bodies made sound—shouts, moans, insults, and praise.
With raw nerve and flesh, Rey felt the sorrow and loss of control Lía had felt when husbands, in celebration of their weddings, had to let their wives go. Virgins said goodbye with sadness in their eyes, to give themselves to the king of that world—the demi-god man who spread madness, who from his throne watched undefeated since the beginning of time.
With the touch of his hands, Rey felt what it was like to wash the bodies of small creatures who couldn't survive the first night of sharing a bed with the king, superior to all human kings. Those same hands ended up shackled by authorities who dragged her through the street, naked, all the way to the castle.
In his bones, Rey felt the tremors that ran through Lía, sparked by the powerful figure—taller than anyone else—who loomed over them, nude. Lía, sprawled on the ground, lay before the violent body of Gilgamesh, two-thirds divine and one-third human. Heads rolled across the floor before the one who was and would be remembered as the first in every battle.
With his sense of smell, Rey caught the blood-scent born of the violent thrusts of the one who drove his arrogant virile member wherever he pleased. Chin lifted high, the king of humans trampled the unfortunate who dared step into his path, like a tornado passing through.
There, in that world of images, Rey watched Gilgamesh make and unmake everything at his whim—killing whoever he wished, raping whoever struck his fancy, regardless of where they came from.
"Why doesn't anyone face him?" Rey wondered.
Lifted from the bloodied ground within the walls of the castle known as Eanna, Lía watched her own feet drag as she was forced forward, leaving the great buildings behind. The city—one no other in the universe could compare to—no longer looked so fascinating. The castle, unmatched in size and beauty, was now painted in blood and cruelty. The golden palm trees, the shining gardens, the diamond orchards, the immense crystal stairways, the gold that formed the streets, the silver and bronze scattered everywhere—they were no longer precious.
Back to prostituting her body, Lía now lived as the "priestess/servant of the amorous arts," as someone else's property, rising each day to greet the people who lived and worked there alongside her.
The other love-servants greeted her back. They—mere numbers to the owner—numbered more than a million beautiful women per temple, their only function to offer their bodies for countless activities. Unable to choose their clients, for considerable sums of money, other goods, or even with the temple receiving nothing at all, they were always required to make themselves available—or be discarded.
Lía saw herself with a room of her own, the main attraction of that entire moon, described by her former owner as "the closest thing to a god." Not because of her enchanting beauty or her grace and technique in bed—which were extraordinary—but because she had been the sole survivor of the death sentence by sex of Gilgamesh himself. One night with her guaranteed any human they wouldn't have to go to hell. And so the richest men of Belldewar and the nearest planets came to the temple before they died, only so they wouldn't go to hell—to end up in her arms.
—They say no one could survive a night with her, —someone's voice could be heard—. That her victims receive the favor of King Gilgamesh, who is proud to have experienced sex with the only survivor of his death sentence by penetration. She has personally learned the king's lethal amorous arts—arts so perfect and divine that only those who aren't mortal can experience them and live through it. It's sex of gods.
But behind the doors of the temple of the amorous arts, flesh, semen, and blood were the drugs Lía consumed as the years passed. One dose of someone else's death after another between her open legs on the immense bed. That was how she dulled the fear of loneliness, of never truly being loved by anyone, of being immortal, of belonging to someone else. But fear waited to welcome her the moment the effects of those drugs wore off.
With other servants who knew the "sex of gods," and the inevitable deterioration of her body, Lía had days with more time to think about what the true meaning of life was. And when she could no longer go on, they told her, "With time the answer will come," but it never did.
—Where is my savior? —she asked the air, day after day—. Someone strong I can rely on, someone whose tongue can lick the wounds of this heart already in decline. —Through the window, Lía listened to the rain with its characteristic hum—. It's raining… Rain, please never stop, as long as possible—flood this moon and cover even the largest building with you; deep down I'm sure I'll be calmer. But if my body is the problem, then I have no way to fix it, —she screamed, driving a knife into her veins—. This way, the pain will help me keep a clear vision of my dream—and keep these demons at bay.
She paused before continuing.
—Dreams, so fleeting and distant. How long has it been since I stopped dreaming—or living off my memories? Courage is what matters most. Looking at my body like this is how I realize beauty is defined by people. Isn't it ironic that as the years pass, you're more afraid of losing things that have no value? —she went on, talking to herself.
From outside the closed doors, voices said:
—She's a bit unbalanced. Are you sure you want to buy such a worn-out product when we have better offers?
Through the doors, Rey watched a familiar face enter. It was Román, who still preserved the same appearance.
—You're a priestess of the amorous arts, but you're also a living, thinking being, like someone like me, —Román said, seeing what looked like a rag doll, patches sewn into flesh all over her body—. Circumstances make us different, but we have something in common. Even though you threaten your own life, your eyes tell me you're looking for happiness in it. You're waiting for someone, even as you live and suffer, even as you fix yourself up and destroy yourself. That waiting isn't entirely bad—it makes us alike. One day, just like you, I asked myself a question… When will the one we're waiting for arrive? Mmm… now that I think about it, will they be good? Have they already been born, or not yet? What kind of world will they create? I have no idea. But even if that kind of existence compares to a god—or to a demon of dark magic… desperately waiting for such a being isn't entirely bad. Join me, daughter of Brenk.
Hearing her father's name, she lifted her gaze along with her hand to accept the imposing man's proposition.
Back in the present, in a single second, Rey was able to reach all the knowledge that weighed heaviest in that heart.
Fearing the worst, the vampire covered her mouth with her hands and, deeply ashamed, said:
—I'm sorry. Forgive me—don't look at me like a monster. It wasn't my intention to try to manipulate you.
Before Rey had time to understand or say anything, Lía spun around and ran out, covering her face. She wanted to get away from him—because after seeing her memories, maybe he wouldn't be able to do anything but hate her, since she had the body of someone society had used and discarded more times than could be counted, her value as property at rock bottom. The shame of being exposed was immense—so immense her vision blurred, and she couldn't move with the care she usually had going from place to place. A few steps before reaching the door to leave and gather her thoughts, she collided with the solid body of someone else.
Someone who had obviously violated the orders not to enter the place where the "fallen from the sky" stayed. But the one standing there with a look of disgust and revulsion, glancing over his shoulder at someone who, to him, was nothing more than used-up toilet paper, was a subjugator—a member of Gilgamesh's personal forces, who was also his son; someone responsible for executing hundreds of people suspected of not being human; someone who could do as he pleased.
—Heliúk?! —Lía cried out, as fear replaced shame.
Rey could tell that when Lía spoke the name of the man in front of her, something truly bad was about to happen.