Chapter 101: Let’s Get Married
And suddenly... abruptly and rapidly, the world fabricated around them began to fracture step by step, structural cracks appearing within the very fabric of reality itself!
The prescription glasses dissolved from the face of Lucy, who sat upon the chair; nor did the moment stop at merely shedding the glasses, but it dispersed her formal medical attire as well. In a single microsecond, her form transmuted into mere sparkling luminous particles and shapes, dispersing into thin air!
The false reality collapsed around them like castles built of sand, the location transmuting entirely into pitch-black, profound darkness... And in the absolute heart of that void, Lucy’s features glowed with a faint, intensely captivating frown, overflowing with mild annoyance toward Cain—who had returned to his former body, his towering stature, and his hair, which had appeared short, lengthening once more to regain its flowing grace.
Cain exhaled a deep breath, speaking with a forced smile as he shook his head: "Phew... Lucy... I know not how to utter this, yet you truly made me experience absolute terror! You mastered the role to a terrifying degree!"
Lucy did not speak immediately; rather, she lowered her eyes, gazing downward in absolute silence, as though experiencing sorrow or disappointment over the unmasking of her trick.
Yet that quietude did not endure... For with lightning-fast, surprise speed, she teleported instantly from her position to manifest directly before Cain’s face!
She whispered, staring into his eyes with burning gazes: "Do you truly believe you can escape this easily, Cain? Do you know what customarily happens to anyone who dares to annoy me, you mischievous Cain?"
Her face was extraordinarily close to his... close to such a degree that her warm breath caressed the pores of his skin, inducing a numbing effect akin to pure opium, causing his body to shudder with subtle, hidden ecstasy!
Cain replied in a faint voice: "In truth... I know not."
She drew even closer until their lips nearly brushed, stating: "Rather, you ought to know... for remaining ignorant of what I am capable of executing is a profoundly terrible thing for your safety!"
In the twinkling of an eye, the darkness vanished, and the two returned once more to the dimension of the Pleasure Paradise... a place where the majority of its colorful blossoms appeared to have been plucked; for the surrounding environment was submerged in every manner of wicked, magical plants and blossoms possessing violent aromatic effects.
Cain swept his gaze across the surroundings, utterly shocked: "My God!.. Did you utilize that entire, staggering quantity of blossoms upon me? I truly wonder... how long have we lingered here?!"
Lucy slowly drew back from him, while Cain remained standing, retrieving in his memory the form of the orchard, which had now lost nearly half its blossoms after Lucy had funneled the fragrance of so many through his breath throughout the preceding period.
Cain felt the distinct effects within his mind; for most of the time, he had been dazed, lacking complete awareness of his entity and oblivious to the precise details of what transpired. Yet he had sensed the heavy weight of every passing second... and with the passage of burdensome time where every microsecond was tasted, hours and days became utterly devoid of significance, until his mind grew incapable of calculating time, his focus having centered entirely around the trance of absolute ecstasy!
Lucy stated, adjusting her appearance with indifference: "Hmm... I reckon we lingered here for approximately three continuous months..."
Cain froze in his tracks: Three months?!
That was an extraordinarily long time! Were those cursed blossoms so powerful as to rob him of his consciousness for three entire months?!
The image of Amelia immediately flashed into his mind... Had he abandoned his little girl in the outer world for three full months? Although he had issued strict orders to his subordinates to care for and protect her during his absence, and despite his absolute trust in their devotion, this prolonged absence meant he had failed to execute his daily check-in task provided by the System to grant his daughter that rare item of the [Celestial Level]!
Now, after all this absence, his daughter would inevitably be furious with him for forgetting the journey he had promised her!
Lucy noted the grimace across his face, stating in a nonchalant tone: "You appear profoundly shocked, Cain... Worry not in any case; for time within this dimension flows vastly faster than our outer world. Regarding those three months we spent here, you may consider them approximately three hours for those over there!"
Cain breathed a sigh of relief, yet remained displeased with himself... How could he allow himself to be subsumed in this manner, drowning in his pleasures while forgetting his duties and the thorny issues awaiting urgent solutions?
Lucy turned toward him with a malicious smile, stating: "Well then... since you made me displeased by ruining my illusory world, as a fair person—or as they say on Planet Earth in your memories: ’democratic’—I shall grant you the right to select your upcoming mode of punishment!"
Cain released a sigh painted with apparent surrender... Did Lucy truly wish for him to select his mode of torture himself? Though fully aware that she would inflict no genuine physical harm upon him and that the matter was nothing beyond mind games and seduction, he could not demand that they leave immediately to pursue his affairs; for such a demand would grant her greater incentive for severe torment, trapping him here longer and escalating the dosage of sadistic games!
And though he enjoyed his time with Lucy, he harbored no desire to sink deeper into her madness while saddled with massive responsibilities.
Suddenly... before his eyes, dozens of additional blossoms were uprooted from the sprawling field around them via Lucy’s long-range magic, causing them to float using her aura above her palm in the air.
Lucy stated in a villainous tone: "The name of this formulation is the [’Dream But You Can Only Dream’ Formula]... It simply strips your willpower away completely—every single inch of it! It reduces you to a helpless spectator while your body is utilized and manipulated as pleases me..."
At that moment, Cain was seated under the shade of a massive tree, his garments tattered, frayed, and terribly soiled as a result of previous rounds of pleasure, while he gazed at Lucy standing before him with coquettish charm devoid of a shred of embarrassment, clad in that tantalizing black bikini he adored on her!
Cain knew with absolute certainty that displaying refusal and panic before Lucy served as a green light and instant consent in her eyes! Therefore, he would not grant her what she craved—to enjoy herself solo while his opinion remained a mere margin.
Cain shook his head, stating in a cold, analytical tone: "Hmm... and what is enjoyable about that? The matter would be as though you were dallying with a lifeless, soulless corpse! I would be subservient and robbed of willpower, yet what is special? You will not feel that I am awake and truly observing you, and your attempts to provoke me will be utterly pointless because I am fundamentally incapable of resistance... I hold that the gazes of resistance stamped across a victim’s face are what render matters far more delicious and thrilling!"
Cain was not the sort of person who took pleasure in torture, yet he understood with absolute perfection how Lucy’s twisted mind functioned; he was speaking to her in the language of her deep-seated desires!
Lucy paused for a moment, tapping her chin: "Hmm... you have a point; this might become dull after a short duration... What think you of this, then?"
Lucy tossed several blossoms away, summoning other blossoms featuring gradient colors and adding them to the cluster hovering above her hand: "What think you of this formulation? This mix shall be titled the [’Attempt But You Cannot’ Blend]!.. You shall be capable of moving your body, yet at an extraordinarily slow, frail pace... and the single thing you shall be capable of uttering and executing fluently without slowness is repeating aloud: ’I love you, Lucy!’"
Lucy was not sadistic out of hatred or intent to harm; despite her experimental craving for those recipes, she was lenient, executing it purely to terrify Cain and witness the delightful expressions of panic across his face... Yet she would never truly be harsh upon him, unless... perhaps if he consented himself!
As for Cain, who observed Lucy’s smile overflowing with a sense of triumph, he was battling an overwhelming urge to burst into laughter; she was enchanting and gorgeous even as she attempted to feign ferocity! Her nature would never alter, no matter how hard she attempted to adopt a terrifying facade to enact vengeance upon him for manipulating her within the previous illusion.
Cain stated, exhaling a forced sigh: "Haaah... that sounds truly terrifying and nightmare-like! Yet what difference does it make? After a brief duration, I shall realize that resistance is futile, and that even if I attempt, I shall alter nothing, surrendering to the slowness..."
And here, the spell inverted upon the sorcerer! Lucy became the one angered and displeased! This compliance was not what she sought... She wished to witness him battling and resisting with zeal! Why did he constantly possess a response that ruined her plans and compelled her to alter her mind?!
Yet suddenly... an extraordinarily villainous, highly innovative idea flashed within her mind!
Her eyes widened, and she stated with zeal: "What about this, then?! Though implementing it via illusion magic is difficult, it is well worth the effort! What think you if I plunge you into an illusion of a dark, desolate realm containing a single illuminated tunnel to escape from... and you must flee and break through before I manage to apprehend you! The moment I catch you, I shall do with you as I please until you break free and run once more toward the finish line!"
Lucy drew inspiration for this innovative concept from horror games she had read about in Cain’s memories from his former world, Earth, firmly believing that in this manner, he would be struck with terror and the thrill of the chase!
Cain chuckled covertly, then stated with brilliant coldness: "And who informed you that I would flee in the first place? I shall not run; rather, I shall await you in the most obvious spot within the tunnel for you to come to me and take me... and I shall make no attempt to flee from you thereafter in any case!"
Lucy’s cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment, her face burning! How could he shatter her pride and strip her of dominance with such simplicity? How could he refuse to submit to the game of fear?!
She genuinely felt he was an extraordinarily annoying man who mastered trapping her within her own psychological webs!
Cain contemplated her for a moment, then stated with deeper gravity: "I believe what terrifies a human most in this era is neither terrifying forms nor chase games... but bureaucracy, long lines, and endless official paperwork! Well then... I believe it behooves us to exit this dimension right now, for I have numerous pressing affairs and urgent obligations awaiting me out there."
Yet Lucy, whose thoughts were battling within her head to seize the steering wheel of control, had an entirely unexpected, monstrous idea flash within her mind!
She stated suddenly in a crisp, decisive voice: "Let us get married!"
The idea initially appeared as an ordinary, emotional proposal...
So Cain stated with a calm smile as he rose to his feet: "Very well... I shall prepare the official marriage documents the moment we exit. I have contemplated this matter for a long time, and it shall be a truly splendid day... Therefore, let us exit this place!"
Lucy blocked his path, stating with eyes burning with determination: "No! We shall not marry in this simple, conventional fashion!"
Cain knitted his brows in bewilderment: "What mean you?"
Lucy drew close to him, a mysterious smile glistening upon her lips: "We shall marry with an official, legal marriage... obtaining a genuine marriage certificate... in your former world: Modern Earth!"