episode_0009

“Heavy breaths…”

Taking advantage of Eliza’s absence as she went to bathe by the stream, Meisa and Victor indulged in a round of sex.

Although they had planned on having some fun while Eliza was away bathing, they couldn’t resist until her return.

“Victor, you seem quite… impressive?”

They lay on a sleeping bag, engaging in intimacy.

Amidst the sound of Victor’s vigorous member sliding back and forth against Meisa’s contrasting pink folds, accompanied by her intense moans with each thrust, their bodies collided rhythmically, creating a symphony of passion.

“It’s strange how I don’t get tired of it when we do it every day during patrols.”

“Yeah. Even the most indifferent person would naturally… Ohhh!”

Meisa reached her peak, and simultaneously, so did Victor within her.

As Meisa convulsed in ecstasy, Victor’s member slipped out from her quivering core. At its tip, a green condom filled with his essence clung tightly.

They were not in a formal relationship; they were merely sex partners.

Despite being childhood friends who engaged in sex whenever an opportunity arose, they hadn’t committed to each other due to a mutual fear of acceptance.

While Victor paid little mind to this fact, Meisa struggled internally.

She loved Victor, yet she feared rejection from him.

“…Today, I’ll muster up the courage.”

Meisa muttered almost inaudibly to herself.

Whether it was the radiant full moon or perhaps the numerous challenges she faced earlier that day, courage blossomed within Meisa’s heart.

This wasn’t the first time she had felt this way, but previous attempts at expressing herself always ended in hesitation.

“Hey, Victor.”

“Yeah?”

Victor was burying the condom in the ground to prevent the scent of semen from attracting any prowling animals.

“If you’re okay with it, let’s be toge-”

Gunshots rang out. Not just one shot, but several.

Awakened birds fluttered away quietly towards a quieter place.

“Damn it!”

Meisa cursed.

“Wasn’t that Rusta’s shot? She took the gun!”

Their response was swift. It was evident that something had happened to Eliza, who had gone to bathe alone. Hearing no further shots, they quickly deduced that the issue had been resolved or that Eliza was either safe or dead.

In less than a minute, they decided that Victor would search for Eliza by the stream, while Meisa would guard the base camp.

It was a flawed decision. Walking alone in the dark night could expose them to nocturnal predators, and leaving Meisa alone under the crazed gaze of the full moon was risky.

*

“The moon looks beautiful tonight as well.”

Sitting on the ground with a rifle slung over her shoulder, Meisa waited for Victor, gazing up at the brightly shining night sky illuminated by the stunning full moon.

The stars shone brightly alongside the moon, unaffected by artificial light pollution created by humans. However, compared to the distant light from far-off places, the moonlight seemed feeble.

Ironically, the moon, merely borrowing the authority of the sun to shine, appeared brighter than the self-combusting stars, but it was undeniably beautiful.

“…Does Victor love me?”

Unless Meisa mustered the courage to ask Victor directly, her timid nature left her uncertain about the answer to this question.

Alternatively, she could split her head open, extract a piece of her brain, and meticulously observe with her two eyes to determine if Victor loved her or not.

If nothing became apparent, another piece, then another, and another, and another, and another.

Digging out the brain from the head and failing to find proof of love, that’s the end. If you neatly close off love and go in search of another love, then that’s it.

“Ugh….”

Maya covered her head with both hands.

She had been suffering from inexplicable headaches, which worsened on nights when the full moon rose, but she had never experienced such frequent headaches as today.

“Please… I hope it’s not a brain tumor… Ugh.”

Maya recalled the vegetable shop lady who died of a brain tumor. The lady who, lying on the bed, scattered feces and urine, eyes wide open like a lunatic, screaming about a monster over there. The old image of her smiling and handing Maya vegetables in a basket had disappeared, leaving behind only the shell of madness.

Thinking that she might meet such an end herself, Maya shuddered all over.

Fortunately, the cause of the headache was not a brain tumor. Maya’s brain was clean, without a single tumor.

The disease sleeping inside Maya was more likely to destroy her body and mind than a brain tumor, and it was even more pure.

The madness of the moon, chain-jerking, another self hidden deep within the flesh.

“Why does my head hurt so much….”

Maya collapsed to the ground, still holding her head in her hands.

“Save me… Ugh… Anyone, please… save me….”

The plague dormant within Maya wanted to escape into the world. Though she had just opened her eyes a moment ago, she was tormented by immense desires.

Her desires were so pure and clean compared to the nature of the plague that it was almost pitiful.

In the end, the plague decided to peek outside for a bit. She didn’t know if she could frolic freely for ten minutes.

“Just a little, even for a moment.”

It was Maya’s voice, but not her words.

And the plague leaped over the barrier.

—

Long ago, long before humanity became the dominant species under the law of the “Wings,” Cali and her friends frolicked freely under the moonlight.

Fresh grass, tall trees, mountain animals fleeing at the sight of Cali, nocturnal birds emitting strange cries…

Everyone under the moonlight was Cali’s friend.

Cali, a Luna Fairy or ‘Hada de la Luna’ meaning ‘Fairy of the Moon,’ was rare even among the rare variant fairies. In her 34 years of life, Cali had never encountered any of her kind.

Perhaps Cali was unaware that she might be the last fairy of the moon remaining in this world.

Still, Cali had many friends. Mino, Blair, Osiris, and

(Demon)

There were no similarities between Maya and Cali’s appearance as Cali frolicked through the forest under the moonlight.

Unlike the tall Maya, Cali was petite, almost similar in height to Eliza, and her chest adorned with navy-blue nipples was slightly larger than Maya’s.

Instead of Maya’s healthy-looking tan skin, Cali’s skin was wrapped in thick purple chitinous layers. Her hair was not dark golden but a slightly curly lilac short hair.

Even Vene, another fairy, looked different. With two pairs of arms with insect joints, a pair of legs, fluffy lilac fur resembling a muffler around her neck, a pair of black horns resembling stag beetle horns protruding from her forehead.

She appeared more insect-like than Vene, another fairy.

“Cool! Beautiful! Lovely! Adorable!”

As a legitimate fairy, Cali also had wings like Vene.

Cali’s fluffy wings, resembling moth wings, unlike other fairies, allowed her to fly in the sky for extended periods. They could also be stored on her back through means undisclosed for maneuverability.

While Cali enjoyed leisurely flying in the night sky, she preferred running on foot, so she rarely used her wings.

“Everyone is truly beautiful! Noble! Grateful for being born!”

Truly, after a long time, Cali regained her physical form and savored the beauty of the world.

“Joyful! It’s been so long since I’ve felt this happy! I’m grateful to be alive!”

Unable to contain her joy, Cali began to sing with a beautiful voice. It was a song she sang happily while playing under the moon with her friends.

The red fox, despite its name, with its clay-colored fur, approached Cali dragging a heavy pouch filled with entrails, seemingly enchanted by the moonlight, speaking in the language of creatures born without the full blessing of “wings.”

Curiously, the fox gazed at Cali as she sang with adult-like eyes.

Approaching the fox swiftly, Cali crouched down to meet its gaze.

Initially curious, Cali stared back at the fox with her pumpkin-colored pupils, but gradually began to feel hungry.

The fox, sensing predatory intent from Cali’s gaze, attempted to flee, but whether due to the moon, or perhaps infected by Cali’s madness, it started tearing at its own face with sharp claws on its forelegs.

Despite the fox’s screams of agony, Cali gleefully watched as it inflicted self-harm, not stopping even as the fox collapsed from shock induced by bleeding and pain.

“Fell down~ Enchanted by the moonlight, were you?”

Cali, seemingly delighted, proceeded to skin the still-living fox with sharp claws, burying her face in its tender innards, tearing and consuming them.

The taste of fresh meat after a millennium was sweet.

It was a bit disappointing that it wasn’t human flesh, but oh well. With a little more patience, she could eat until she was sick of it.

Until the time came to embrace that day with open arms, Cali had to wait longer in the darkness.

“…It’s time to go back already.”

Time was running out for Cali. Mei-sa’s ego was still stronger, and Cali could only be swayed by Mei-sa’s ego.

“But if I just hold on a little longer, just a bit longer. Then… I can be free again.”

Setting the fox down, Cali reached towards the moon, imagining the beautiful world that would soon come, smiling brightly before being drawn back into the deep darkness.

Returning from the darkness to reality, Mei-sa looked around the surrounding forest with a dazed mind, unable to resist the encroaching drowsiness, using grass as a pillow and falling asleep.

With the plague she carried within her.