Perfect Assimilation: Evolution of a Shapeshifting Slime!

Kenji opened his eyes, feeling the warmth on his face. The Crusade had no stars. Unless a race conquered a Spire and turned it Vanguard, thus birthing a star to illuminate their territory, there was no morning or night inside the Crusade.

There was only endless darkness and the glow of artificial systems.

Solgrace was a Nexus city. Here, the morning and night were artificially created by the Lightlings who managed the environmental filters.

Even the air one breathed was artificial, a recycled mixture of gases designed to sustain life without the purity of a natural atmosphere.

Staying inside the city for more than a week would create various psychological and physical problems.

The lack of true energy flow would cause the core to stagnate. That was why all Crusaders went outside to the untamed lands after a week of rest. The city was a cage of comfort, and the body eventually felt the bars.

Feeling a slight movement on his chest, Kenji stared down. Ayla had been awake for a long time. She had placed her chin on his chest and was studying his face intently.

Even by the dim, artificial light of the morning cycle, her beauty sent waves of realization through him. Her silver hair was a mess across the pillows, and her gold eyes held a clarity that was unnerving so early in the day.

After all, he was a man, and she was not exactly his sister.

Because of that fact, his body reacted the way every healthy male body would if they were in his position.

The proximity, the warmth, and the softness of her form against his were biological triggers that his brain could not simply switch off.

His member became hard, poking onto her.

There was a slight change in Ayla’s face. Her eyes dropped from his gaze, trailing down his neck to his torso. She started to move her face down, her movements slow and inquisitive.

Kenji hurriedly stopped her by pinching her cheeks between his thumb and forefinger. He used the grip to reposition her head so she was forced to look back up at him.

"Ouch," Ayla said, her voice muffled by his fingers.

His fingers slipped slightly against her soft skin, reaching the corners of her lips and forcing them into a small "o" shape.

The sight was far more suggestive than he intended, and he felt a spike of heat hit his neck.

"Ahem," Kenji cleared his throat, his voice sounding raspy even to his own ears. "Let’s move or we will be late. Today is your breakthrough day. Did you forget it?"

"Oh," Ayla blinked, her expression shifting to one of realization.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief, seeing that he had successfully diverted her attention. It would have been beyond awkward if she realized he had become hard by her touch.

He told himself it was her mistake for lying on his body in such a way. This was the reaction of any healthy male placed in a similar situation.

It wasn’t because he was horny or lacked control. It was just biology.

Right?

Ayla acted as though she were moving away, pulling her chin back and shifting her weight. Just as Kenji began to relax, he noticed a flash of mirth in her eyes.

Before his brain could process the danger or the sudden shift in her posture, her hand moved beneath the covers. She reached down and clenched her fingers firmly around his hardened member.

Kenji’s face turned a violent shade of red instantly. His breath hitched, coming out in a sharp, jagged rasp.

"What are you doing?" he hissed through his teeth.

He was in a stupefied state. The sheer audacity of the move had paralyzed his ability to move or even think.

Ayla’s attention was no longer on his face. She was looking down toward her hand, watching the shape of his body beneath the fabric as she unashamedly groped the length of his shaft.

Her grip was curious, experimental, and entirely too firm.

"Are you in heat?" she asked aloud.

The volume of her voice terrified him. His grandfather’s quarters were reinforced, but the idea of an orderly or a guard hearing such a question made his heart hammer against his ribs.

He reacted with frantic speed. He used one hand to shove her back into the mattress and the other to clamp down over her mouth to silence any further observations.

The sudden motion flipped their positions. He was now hovering over her, his weight pressing her deep into the soft bed. In the scramble, the thin strap of her nightdress had slid down her shoulder, presenting her milk-white skin to the cool air of the room.

His weight made his body completely press into hers. Ayla had not removed her hand from his shaft. With the added pressure of his body coming down on top of her, her grip tightened even further.

A low, involuntary growl escaped Kenji’s lips. He felt the strength leave his arms. He could no longer support the weight of his head, and it fell forward, his face burying into the crook of her neck.

He could hear his own maddening heartbeat thundering in his ears. Against his chest, he could feel hers. It was steady. It was calm. It was perfectly normal, as if she were merely observing a scientific phenomenon rather than participating in a moment of extreme tension.

’Fuck,’ he thought, the word looping in his mind like a broken record.

"So, you are in heat," Ayla confirmed.

Her voice was muffled against his palm, but the vibration of her words tickled his skin.

"Shut up," he breathed, his eyes squeezed shut. He was trying to find the will to pull away, but the sensation of her hand and the scent of her skin made his muscles feel like lead.

"You like that way?" she asked.

"What?" he managed to choke out.

"Mating in silence?"

Kenji felt his soul nearly leave his body at her choice of words. He pulled his hand away from her mouth, staring down at her with a mix of horror and bewilderment.

Ayla looked back at him with total innocence, as if she had just asked him about the weather.

"It is a logical question," she continued, her head tilting slightly against the pillow. "The goblins scream. The hobgoblins roar. The humans I have observed in the memories usually make a lot of noise. But you are very quiet. Is that a Hayashi family trait?"

"It isn’t mating!" Kenji snapped, his voice a harsh whisper. "It’s... it’s a morning reaction. It happens. It doesn’t mean anything."

Ayla hummed, her hand giving a final, inquisitive squeeze before she finally let go. She didn’t seem convinced.

"If you say so. But your heart is very loud. It sounds like a drum. I thought maybe you wanted to mate."

She pushed against his chest, her strength surprising him. He allowed himself to be rolled off her, landing on his back and staring up at the ceiling. His face was still burning, and his heart refused to slow down.

"If you want it, we can-"

"Get dressed," Kenji cut her off, throwing an arm over his eyes to hide his shame. What was she actually going to say? Kenji preferred to think of that as an illusion.

"I am serious," Ayla corrected.

"Don’t read my mind." He gritted his teeth.

"Oh."

"The breakthrough room is reserved for the eighth hour. If we aren’t there, Grandpa will come looking for us. And if he finds us like this, he won’t just ’teach’ me. He’ll kill me." Kenji changed the subject.

Ayla sat up, her silver hair falling like a curtain around her shoulders. She adjusted her dress with a casual flick of her wrist.

"Grandpa is very fond of you. I do not think he would kill you. He would probably just make you do those pushups he mentioned."

"Just get out," Kenji groaned.

He heard the soft patter of her bare feet on the floor as she headed toward the washroom. The door clicked shut, leaving him alone with the hum of the artificial air. He took a long, deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.

He was a Crusader. He had faced monsters in the dark. He had survived an apocalypse tunnel. Yet, as he lay there, he realized that a small girl with gold eyes was a far more dangerous threat than anything he had encountered in life.

She didn’t understand the rules of being human, and that made her unpredictable.

He sat up and rubbed his face. He needed to focus. Today was the breakthrough. Ayla was moving into the Bronze rank, and with her Apocalypse Core, the energy release would be massive.

As per Grandpa, absorbing this energy would benefit him when he was breaking through. He stood up and began to dress, his movements stiff. He caught his reflection in the mirror.

"Monster," he muttered to the empty room, though he wasn’t sure if he was talking about Ayla or the parts of himself that had enjoyed the last ten minutes.

Ayla emerged from the washroom a few minutes later. She had washed her face, and the mischievous glint in her eyes had been replaced by the "open book" look she always had. She looked like a perfect, innocent granddaughter again.

"I am ready, Brother," she said.

Kenji didn’t look at her. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "Good. Let’s go. And Ayla?"

"Yes?"

"Never speak of ’heat’ or ’mating’ again. Especially not around Grandpa."

Ayla tilted her head, her silver hair shimmering. "Is it a secret?"

Kenji almost slipped. There was a teasing smile on her face. Of course she wasn’t that dumb. Kenji could only facepalm.

They stepped out into the hallway where the morning shift of soldiers was already moving toward the mess hall.

The reality of the barracks rushed back to meet them. The smell of metal, the sound of boots, and the heavy presence of Diamond ranked power in the distance.

The breakthrough was waiting. And beyond that, the Spire. Kenji straightened his shoulders. He had to keep her contained.

He had to keep her safe.

But as they walked toward the elevator, he couldn’t help but feel that the leash he was holding was already starting to fray.

* *

AN: Fifty Chapters milestone!