The stranger tried again and again to break the barrier but Simon held on with everything he had, gritting his teeth as he poured more flow into it. He had almost nothing left, no energy, no magic, it was a miracle that he hadn't already colpsed on the floor like the other familiars, probably because he had awakened his use of the flow in this desperate situation.

  “Fine, you want me to take care of you first ? Be my guest !”

  The person turned around and walked towards Simon, ready to trample him. The knight didn’t flinch, he didn’t have the strength. He simply closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. If he was to die while protecting someone, it would be a great honor.

  But before he could feel anything, a terrifying growl shook the ground and his closed eyelids were fshed by a vivid pink light. When he opened his eyes again, the stranger had disappeared. In his pce, towering over him, stood a beast. Thomas had completely transformed, nothing human remained anymore. His front legs were skinny with rough skin, like those of a bird, and the back ones were covered with dark fur, but both had sharp cws. His head was round with gigantic eyes that took most of his face, like those of an owl, with a long mouth filled with several rows of sharp teeths. It was like a bird, a hyena, and a shark had fused, but with the long whip-like tail of a lizard. It was grotesque, disturbing, and terrifying. But Simon didn’t have the strength to react.

  The creature was the true form of a Shaman. It had attacked the stranger because he was recognized as an enemy, but now that the beast was alone with a familiar near an artifact, it was obvious what would happen. Simon lifted his gaze and immediately saw the big erected penis between the creature’s legs. He gritted his teeth. He couldn’t take any more, if Thomas were to pounce on him, he would really be putting his life at risk. However, all the other familiars were unconscious and they really needed to do this circution to save the kingdom, and for Thomas to finally go home. And more than that, the Shaman would prefer if he did it with Simon, it would be less of a burden on him if he were to regain his senses.

  So the knight didn’t fight it. The only thing he could do was muttering in a low voice :

  “Be gentle, please…”

  He was fading in and out of consciousness, his body too battered and tired to function properly, but Simon still felt that someone was taking him by his clothes and dragging him towards the altar. He had dirt in his nose and mouth, but there was a strange feeling inside him. All the air, the sky, everything was still pink, as if the awakening of the true Shaman had changed the world, and there was an aura coming from the beast that made Simon’s hair stand up. It was as if Thomas was emanating a warm wind, and it made the commander more sensitive.

  ‘Is it like an aphrodisiac ? Well, I’m gd, at least I won’t suffer as much…’

  He heard the sound of ripped fabric but didn’t realize that he was naked until he felt something wet on his back. It was the creature’s tongue that was exploring him and licking every part of his body. It felt disgusting, but also exciting. At this point Simon wasn’t able to tell what was happening anymore. There was a mixture of pleasure and pain, and everytime he was breathing in this strange aura, it was like something was brewing inside him, like his organs were boiling and changing shape, but he wasn’t able to tell exactly what was going on. He was forced to come back to reality, however, when something suddenly entered him and cut his breath. It was way too big.

  “Wait… stop…”

  The creature didn’t hear him, or didn’t listen, and started to move his hips with vigor, pinning Simon on the ground, who couldn’t breathe with his face full of dirt. Everything felt exhirating, dangerous but orgasmic, and he didn’t know if he was loving it, or hating this feeling of being ripped apart. But the more it continued, the more he felt his organs move and shift, as if something was changing within him. But he didn’t have any freedom to think about it, his mind was becoming blurry.

  Suddenly, the beast’s penis seemed to grow even bigger inside him, and the mixture of pleasure and pain, with the ck of air in his lungs, made him pass out. The st thing he felt was something wet filling him.

  ***

  When Simon opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the decorated ceiling of his guest room in the Shaman’s manor. His mind was hazy, and he had trouble understanding what was happening, and why the twins were at his side with big grins. It felt strangely eerie.

  “How…”

  He tried to speak but his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in months. Tira ran to him with a gss of water, while Tari was nodding with satisfaction.

  “Take your time commander, you can rest more if you need.”

  With the help of the boys, Simon sat up, his back resting on a few pillows. It felt very comfortable, which was even more strange in a sense. He took a few sips of water, cleared his throat, and spoke.

  “How am I here ?”

  Tari shrugged.

  “We found you in front of the door, bruised and battered, with scratches and bite marks all over you. There was blood everywhere.”

  Tira scratched his head.

  “We think that our master left you here before leaving.”

  Simon suddenly stiffened.

  “Leaving ?”

  The twins looked at each other in confusion and eventually took a calm voice to expin the recent events to the knight.

  “Well, you succeeded in repairing all seven artifacts, right ? News traveled fast, since the curse suddenly disappeared.”

  “Of course, we have kept the matter about the st familiar a secret, so nobody knows that the curse was created by someone.”

  Simon looked even more confused.

  “Last familiar ? No, I don’t care about the plot of the game, I’m asking about Thomas, why did you say he was leaving ?”

  Both boys tilted their heads in unison.

  “Well, didn’t he say that he was leaving after repairing the artifacts ? Since the curse disappeared, nobody saw him so we are guessing that he went back to his dimension. We thought he would break down before he could succeed, but we underestimated him.”

  “Yes, it’s impressive to be able to do five artifacts in a day and not have his powers run amok and take control. We were sure he would have gone mad.”

  The commander started to shake, he was sure that something was wrong.

  “No, he did lose his mind… And he said that the game wouldn’t be over just with the artifacts, he must still be here !”

  Simon tried to stand but his legs gave in and he fell on the carpet. The twins immediately ran to him.

  “Calm down, you shouldn’t get agitated in your condition !”

  “What condition ?”

  The knight tried to check his body, searching for an expnation. Maybe he was still cking flow, or maybe he hadn’t recovered from the consecutive circutions, but what he discovered was more chilling. He had felt vaguely at the st artifact that his organs were shifting, but the change seemed to still be there. More than that, he could find a second source of flow inside him, tiny and flickering, but still present. He lifted his head in horror towards the twins.

  “What’s this ?”

  Tira smiled and gently patted his shoulder.

  “Our master left you with the gift of life. A Shaman is growing in your womb.”

  Tari nodded.

  “I thought he hated us, but he might have grown attached to this dimension after all.”

  But Simon wasn’t happy, far from that, because he knew something they didn’t.

  ‘Letting me have his child while he loves Bael ? That’s impossible.’

  The feeling was growing again in his heart, something was terribly wrong. With the help from the boys, he sat on the bed, caressing his belly in disbelief.

  “How much time has it been since you found me ?”

  Tira counted on his fingers before deciming with a big smile :

  “About a month ? It’s a sensitive period, so be sure to stay calm and take care of yourself.”

  But Simon had no intention of doing that. Thomas wasn’t aware of the child’s existence, he was sure of it, and he would never want this baby to exist. So the knight sprang up, leaning on the furniture and the walls to run out of the room.

  “Wait, don’t…”

  He didn’t leave any room for the twins to catch up to him, instead he accelerated again, his weak legs shaking under him, until he reached the marble stairs, and let himself fall.