Adam leaned against the cabin doorframe, watching X recline in her seat, her gaze fixed blankly on the ceiling. She sighed, once, twice.

  “Please tell me this is a prank,” she muttered.

  “Do you think I’d joke about something like that?” Adam replied dryly.

  She shot him a look. “Yes.”

  Adam’s smile was thin. “Well, I’m not. We need to get off the ship at the next stop.”

  X groaned. “And I was just starting to enjoy the trip… Everything’s been chaotic since you showed up.”

  “I know, right,” Adam yawned, tone deliberately impassive. “So… where’s the next station?”

  “Absolutely not,” X snapped, glaring. “Anywhere but Wrathriver Necropolis.”

  Adam raised an eyebrow. Of course it’s that place… The name tugged a bitter reminder of his origins in Outworld.

  “Anywhere but that corpse haven,” X insisted.

  Adam returned to his seat, calm to the point of unnerving. “I’m getting off at Wrathriver Necropolis,” he said evenly.

  X’s eyes burned with frustration. He only smiled, reaching for a bottle of champagne and two glasses. The pop and fizz punctuated the heavy silence between them.

  “You owe me,” X growled, teeth clenched. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to be pampered?”

  Adam poured a half-glass, sliding it across to her. “It’s decided then,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.

  “Fuck off,” X muttered, but her glare had softened.

  Adam chuckled softly. Hopefully, nothing major happens during the rest of the trip…

  Before he could dwell further, a knock echoed through the cabin.

  A deep, brooding voice followed: “Hello, esteemed passengers. My name is Korg. I am the conductor’s assistant. I’m here to escort you to your new room.”

  Adam exchanged a glance with X. That was fast…

  They nodded in unison and stood. X reached the door first, Adam following a step behind, arms crossed.

  The door opened to reveal Korg: a towering man, easily four times Adam’s bulk, muscles straining against a black-and-white tailored suit. His face was obscured by a crimson-and-white mask.

  “Pardon the intrusion,” Korg said smoothly. “Ulric and Uri, I presume?”

  “Yes,” Adam replied, stepping closer to X.

  “Fantastic. Kindly follow me,” Korg instructed.

  “What about our belongings and—”

  “Someone will deliver them,” Korg interjected politely. “If you prefer to carry valuables personally, you may. Otherwise, I can assist.” His gaze swept them both. “Any other concerns?”

  “No,” X said softly, smiling brightly. “Please, lead the way.”

  Adam’s gaze lingered on her. She’s grinning like a child… Is this an act—or is she actually into gym bros? He resisted laughing and wrapped an arm around her waist. X stiffened momentarily.

  “Everything alright?” Adam asked.

  “Perfect,” she said, eyes meeting his. “I’m glad we have such a strong man protecting us.”

  “You’ve always liked big and strong, huh?” he murmured, keeping his laugh in check.

  X smiled mischievously. “I married you, didn’t I?”

  Korg cleared his throat. “I’ll lead the way,” he said briskly.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  X winked at Adam and fell into step behind the assistant, chattering easily. Adam lingered a few steps back, observing silently.

  He ignored their conversation, focusing instead on the surroundings. Abstract oil paintings hung under soft lamps, each piece bizarrely independent in composition.

  I wonder what people see in these…

  His attention shifted back to X, laughing freely with Korg. He doesn’t even seem concerned that I’m right here… Adam smiled wryly. The man’s sheer size likely rendered him confident.

  Ten minutes passed, and they still had not reached the new cabin. Adam’s brow furrowed. Are they planning to seclude us?

  At last, Korg stopped in front of a polished wooden door, swallows intricately carved into its surface.

  “We’re here,” he announced.

  “Finally,” Adam muttered under his breath.

  “I was just starting to have fun,” X pouted, eyes still fixed on the door.

  Korg stepped back, bowing. “An attendant will deliver your things shortly. Enjoy your stay.”

  The man nodded stiffly at both of them, then departed.

  [Potential Source of Danger Detected]

  Adam’s eyes narrowed at the sudden system notification.

  “You’ve been staring for a while now. Jealous?” X teased. “Or… is it that you’re into men?” She tilted his head toward hers. “That explains a lot.”

  Adam swatted her hand away, suppressing a laugh. Korg was long gone, disappearing into the labyrinthine corridors of the ship.

  The creak of opening doors echoed. X’s voice followed: “Wow! I can’t believe there’s a cabin this beautiful onboard!”

  Adam turned.

  The room was a masterpiece. Gold and white intertwined, molding and ceiling carvings tracing the curves of wings and clouds. Sunlight—or enchanted lanterns—glinted off gilded edges, while golden chandeliers branched like ancient trees, crystals scattering light in every direction. The floors gleamed with inlaid filigree, and the subtle scent of sandalwood and citrus hung in the air.

  “It feels like a dream,” X laughed, diving onto the bed.

  The cabin dwarfed their previous quarters, furnished with elegance and every conceivable luxury.

  “Thank you, Mr. Conductor!” X exclaimed, arms flailing as she explored.

  Adam lingered by the entrance, appreciation tempered by unease. I just can’t shake the feeling that this trip won’t go as intended…

  “Come over here! Quick! Hurry!” X’s laughter echoed, breaking his thoughts.

  Adam snapped back into reality. His body surged forward with a terrifying burst of speed, closing the distance to the source of the scream in an instant.

  X was trembling in front of a door, partially veiled by peach-colored velvet curtains.

  He appeared behind her like a shadowed ghoul. “Where’s the—”

  X shrieked, jerking back. “Are you trying to kill me?” she snapped, eyes wide with fear.

  “You told me to come,” Adam retorted, voice low and dangerous. “Where’s the enemy?”

  “What enemy?” Her glare cut through him, but then she suddenly pointed at the door. “Never mind that. I wanted you to see this.”

  Adam frowned, suppressing his rising irritation. Surely she wasn’t making a fuss over a door, was she?

  “What about it?” he asked, calm but taut.

  “Open it,” X teased, a sly smile curling her lips. “Trust me. You won’t be disappointed.”

  “I have better things to do than—”

  Before he could finish, she grabbed his arm and tugged him forward. The door swung open, revealing a terrace-like extension. The tri-moons illuminated the star-studded sky, their light spilling across the vast canvas above.

  Adam’s complaints dissolved. Words failed him; the view was beyond anything he could describe.

  “I told you…” X murmured from his side.

  She held his hand, inching closer to the terrace’s edge. “It feels like we’re soaring through the skies,” she whispered. Twirling slightly, she leaned into his arms.

  Adam ignored her antics, his gaze fixed on the tri-moons. A room like this… it’s meant for dignitaries. There’s no reason they’d give nobodies like us a reception fit for royalty, he mused.

  X tugged at his collar, breaking his reverie. “Hey… you like them, right?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  X said nothing, only pointed.

  Adam followed her gesture. Something perched atop the golden railing.

  He blinked. Is that an insect?

  The creature crawled across the gilded surface, small and golden. Recognition struck him instantly: The golden stag beetle… the same one I saw before takeoff.

  X stepped forward, holding out her hand. The beetle crawled onto her arm, moving with deliberate grace.

  “It’s so cute,” she murmured. “I can see why people would like it.”

  Adam opened his mouth to speak, but a new system notification blinked into existence:

  [Potential Source of Danger Detected]

  He stared at the beetle, but it seemed ordinary, harmless even.

  “Look closer,” the demonic voice sneered, laced with mockery. “You’ll see something beautiful.”

  Adam obeyed silently, straining his senses.

  Nothing. Just a normal insect crawling across X’s hand. What am I supposed to see?

  Then a shift occurred. A veil seemed to lift from his vision. A subtle flowery scent filled his nose. Heat and pressure built behind his eyes. Headaches stabbed at his temples.

  And then he saw it.

  Crimson filaments, like stardust, emanated from X and the insect. The beetle’s body shimmered, revealing countless microscopic eyes lining its form. At its center, an even tinier organism wriggled, controlling the larger creature like a master puppet.

  One thought struck him instantly. Xyrath.

  “Put it down!” he whispered, voice tense, almost hoarse.

  X turned toward him, startled. “What?”

  “Put. It. Down. Now!” he repeated, urgency cracking his calm.

  “What’s gotten into—”

  Adam was beside her in an instant, lightning fast. His hand struck, knocking the beetle from her grasp. Before it hit the wooden floor, his other hand crushed it with deadly precision.

  X’s eyes widened. “What did you do that for?”

  Adam faced her, grim. “We have to get off. Now.”

  [Title: Devourer Activated]