Ch. 214 Break Time
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 214: Break Time
Three people and one fused being huddled together.
In the eerie blue-green space, the warm smell of stew spread, feeling out of place.
“Is it good?”
“I can’t taste it.”
“What?”
The small figure, hands bound, was gulping it down messily yet eagerly. When Riley casually asked, that was the answer he got.
How dare they criticize the stew Riley made?
“Aah! Don’t misunderstand! Put the knife down! I just don’t have a sense of taste!”
“Then you should’ve said so earlier… Apostle?”
“Yes…”
Perhaps because of its constitution, the usual gloomy aura of an Apostle was absent, so Riley hadn’t noticed.
“Aren’t you a fused being from the Cult of Unity? How’d you become an Apostle?”
“I was told to, and it was possible, so I did.”
The moment Riley heard that, a strange discomfort welled up.
Suppressing it, he asked another question.
“What did you gain in return?”
“In exchange for no sense of taste, I was freed from starvation. To be precise… I still feel hunger, but I won’t die from it.”
“Kinda underwhelming.”
Eyes that see what others cannot, the ability to neutralize surroundings with a single snap, stealing vocal cords to brainwash and control other creatures—
Not starving to death was fine, but it wasn’t as grand as the abilities listed above.
“All of my sisters became Apostles, so our powers weakened accordingly.”
“Sisters? …… Now that I think about it, I was once bitten by a little girl like you.”
The Beastkin. It had torn into his shoulder. Not a pleasant memory, but where else would he get an experience like that?
“Yes, we’re all sisters. Failed creations.”
“Failed?”
“We were all born as byproducts of the artificial saint project.”
So that’s why they devoured the real saint so eagerly?
“But you’re too unique to be called a failure or a byproduct. You’re practically a complete work.”
“That’s why my master was so displeased with me.”
“Why?”
“‘I made you as a joke, an experiment—so why did you succeed? I couldn’t create a girl with pure magical power, so why did you steal that miracle?’”
She spoke calmly between sips of stew. Her eyes were resigned.
“Wow… Saying that to a treasure like you?”
“A creator can treat their creation however they wish.”
Sugar frowned.
“How old are you?”
“Physically, twelve.”
“…”
“But I’ve only existed for less than four years.”
“The world’s gone to hell.”
Sugar irritably tore open a chocolate bar.
Now Riley understood the source of that strange discomfort.
A little girl. A continent-destroying switch with eyes full of resignation.
If Sugar hadn’t escaped that winter mountain long ago, who else would’ve carried a burden like hers?
“They always push their burdens onto others.”
“…”
“The things they hate most, the hardest things—they never do it themselves. They always make someone else bear it.”
B-13 clenched her mouth shut.
It was just… a strange feeling.
No one had ever said such things to her before. She had never even considered it. Born by her master’s hands, she had silently obeyed every command. Even when she hated it, even when resentment filled her, she still obeyed.
But the saint’s words struck something deep inside her. It felt like they scratched an itch she couldn’t reach.
Then Sugar asked another question.
“What’s your name? You must have one.”
“…B-13.”
“B-13? That’s your name?”
“Call me whatever you like.”
She was born from a test tube. What else could her name be?
“Your master’s the leader of the Cult of Unity, right? How could they not even give you a proper name? Capturing innocent people, modifying them, ruining families—what kind of monster does that?”
“…Not giving me a name is the issue?”
“Now my arm’s twitching.”
“No, it’s weird. What did you say your name was?”
“You must not understand since you’re young, but a name is important.”
To call a name, to be called by one—Sugar had understood its importance since childhood.
How precious it is to recognize “you” and “me.” The line that defines existence.
B-13, who didn’t yet understand, swallowed her stew in silence.
Sugar stared at her for a moment, then stopped. At the very least, this girl had no part in what happened to Leon’s mother.
‘Judgment for that should be left to Leon.’
For now, Sugar decided to treat her as just another child of the cult.
After a long moment of thought, something flashed in her mind.
“Vivi.”
“Huh?”
“Your name. From now on, I’m calling you Vivi. ‘B-13’ is too long and stiff.”
The girl tilted her head in confusion.
“’13’ kinda looks like a ‘B’ if you squint. Try putting ‘1’ and ‘3’ together.”
“Now that you mention it, I guess…”
“Right? So you’re Vivi. Two ‘B’s.”
Sugar nodded to herself, pleased with her own idea.
The test-tube-born being just blinked, looking baffled.
“Anyone want more stew?”
As if declaring the conversation over, Sugar turned away to ask the others.
Vivi stared blankly at her retreating figure—the white hair swaying, the faint scent of stew lingering warmly in the air.
It felt… nice.
***************
Everyone checked their watches.
“Mine stopped earlier, during daytime. It’s like time froze the moment we got here.”
As Riley spoke, Sugar let out a big yawn.
“We barely moved, but I’m already sleepy…”
“Being tense in an unfamiliar place and then finally relaxing will do that.”
So they decided to rest before moving on. No geometric shapes had attacked during the meal, and this spot seemed safe enough.
While Riley set up a simple barrier, Sugar rummaged through her dimensional storage bag—made on Sky Island—and pulled out a blanket.
“Huh. Only one left…”
She handed one to Trace and Vivi, leaving just a single blanket.
“Ah… I don’t need—”
“Shh!”
When Vivi, still bound by ropes, tried to hop over and return the blanket, Sugar shot her a glare.
Stay put, brat. Don’t interfere with the adults.
The look alone made Vivi shrink back.
“Riley and I can share this one…”
Then, as Riley finished the barrier and walked back, Sugar spoke up shyly.
“Only one left?”
“Mhm…”
“Got it. Come here.”
Riley took off his cloak and spread it on the ground. Sugar scurried over and sat down.
Trace, watching them, stroked his chin before casting a curse on his own ears.
“Wake me if something happens.”
Then he closed his eyes.
A cool guy.
Seeing this, Riley sat in front of Sugar. She naturally clung to him as he lay down, pulling the blanket over them both.
“Warm…”
They curled up together.
Above them, the sky wasn’t blue but a dark, starless void. Ribbons of tangled light spiraled like living things, and floating geometric shapes rotated slowly—an eerie, oppressive sight.
Right now, they were trapped in this bizarre space.
No exit in sight. No guarantee they could even escape. Vivi had told them how she’d wandered here endlessly after being swallowed by the black serpent.
Anxiety took root deep in Riley’s chest. Worry gnawed at him, suffocating. He wanted to scream, kick, lash out—
But he didn’t.
Because you’re here.
That’s enough.
For this brief moment, nothing else mattered—not the strange space, not the stifling void, not the world’s unsolvable problems.
“Hehe… Riley…”
“Sleep. Who knows when we’ll get to rest again?”
“Mhm…”
As he whispered and closed her eyes for her, Sugar obediently nestled into his chest.
She really was tiny. A fragile thing that could break with a flick.
“…Sugar.”
“Yeah?”
They’d learned so much today. Heard the cult’s insane plans—so absurd it wasn’t even funny.
Countless questions swirled in his mind.
What would the cult do to Sugar now?
Would they let her go just because they’d made a replacement?
A crucial part of their descent ritual was in their hands—how would this change things?
And most importantly—could they even escape this place?
Amidst it all, one answer burned in his heart, just for her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll… make sure everything turns out fine.”
The weight of those words crashed into Sugar’s chest, seeping deep.
Fool. Childhood friend. Idiot. What do you mean, ‘make sure’?
But there was something she wanted to say to him—this boy who cherished her, whom she cherished in return.
“Riley.”
“Yeah.”
The same exchange as before.
But this time, Sugar’s words carried something different.
“I always… tried to push you away.”
It was a truth everyone knew.
“I didn’t want you near me when things got dangerous. But you stuck around anyway… never leaving. So I thought—if it’s for you, I’d be fine with dying. If it meant you’d be safe, I’d throw my life away without a second thought.”
“…”
“You’re the same, aren’t you?”
“I don’t need that. Stop it.”
“Me neither. I don’t need it.”
Sugar let out a weak laugh.
“Riley. Honestly… I think our relationship is sick.”
Their obsession with each other was extreme. A selfish, destructive kind of love. As long as you’re safe, I don’t matter. Blind devotion that ignored the other’s feelings.
“I don’t care.”
“Me neither. I don’t care.”
They were both sick like that.
“But lately… I’ve been thinking differently.”
One of them had begun to change.
A confession, carrying the weight of that shift.
“It’s true that I’d die for you in a heartbeat… but more than that, I want to keep living with you.”
“…”
“I want to stay with you, over and over and over… forever. I’ll say it too—I hate the thought of you leaving my side.”
The same words the man had once said to the woman by the lake.
“So… when the next crisis comes, instead of one of us trying to sacrifice ourselves… let’s work together to overcome it. That’s the plan I want us to follow. How does that sound…?”
Hesitant, stumbling words—so unlike Sugar, yet so her at the same time.
Riley, still holding her, suddenly flipped her onto her back and pinned her down.
“You… why have you changed so much lately?”
“Have I changed?”
“You have.”
“How?”
“You’ve melted.”
“And?”
“You’re soft.”
“And?”
“You’ve… become honest.”
The now-honest woman curled her lips into a smile.
She didn’t even need to ask, Have I really changed? He’d already answered.
Women love it when men notice the little things—a haircut, a new perfume, a change in fashion.
They want to be seen.
And right now, Sugar’s face relaxed, her expression blooming with quiet satisfaction.
Riley traced a finger over her plush lips. When he playfully prodded, she parted them slightly, tongue peeking out.
He slid his finger inside, and she instinctively sucked on it, swirling her tongue like she was savoring candy—or something else entirely.
“Honestly, hearing you say that… it’s a relief.”
“Huh?”
“You’re so… I don’t even know how to describe it. ‘Obsessed’ isn’t strong enough. ‘Crazy’ is the only word that fits.”
Is that how you’ve always seen me? Sugar’s face twisted into a pout.
“Don’t make that face.”
He loved even that.
“But you’re changing. The fact that you’re saying these things means you’ve started caring about yourself too.”
Riley put it bluntly.
Sugar had spent her whole life suppressing her heart. She carried guilt for loving him—her friend, her family—and turned it into a sense of duty. I have to protect your happiness. I’ll sacrifice anything for it.
But today, she’d faced everything.
A woman who’d finally acknowledged her feelings now wished for happiness—together. A desire that had always been there, but one she’d refused to see.
And so, here and now, she’d proposed a new rule: No more self-sacrifice. A wish born from love.
“So… you’re saying it’s a good change? You approve?”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe…”
The moment she voiced that wish, he’d noticed. Of course he had. He knew her obsessions, her sense of duty—he’d carried them with her all this time.
To Riley, it felt strange.
You, who I thought would never change… are changing.
You’re really, truly…
Becoming a woman.
“…”
He pulled his finger from her mouth. Her tongue chased after it, disappointed.
Instead, he kissed her. She immediately looped her arms around his neck, pressing close. Playfully, Riley kept his lips sealed—so Sugar licked and nipped at them, begging.
Let me in. Let’s mix together.
“Mmm… nn…”
Her tongue prodded insistently between his lips, whining. When he finally relented, she surged inside, eager. He couldn’t resist her pleading and met her halfway.
“Ah… nn… hah…”
The moment their tongues touched, she giggled breathlessly. Hot flesh tangled together, merging—no, maybe even hotter than usual.
Since they were outside, she muffled her moans, but the wet, sticky sounds were unmistakable.
.
.
.
And somewhere nearby, a certain someone was listening.
What… what are the Saint and the Grimoire’s owner even doing?
Under her blanket, the four-year-old (in actual age) girl frowned in confusion. Weren’t they supposed to be resting? Why were they being so loud?
She almost complained—but something told her she really shouldn’t interrupt. So she just quietly closed her eyes and tried to ignore it.
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