Deviant: No Longer Human

The evening had unfolded into a scenario far beyond her wildest thoughts—a twist of fate she hadn\'t dared to imagine.

Gasp!

In a sudden movement, Wang Xiao had ushered them back onto the bed with a determination that brooked no argument.

His hands, firm and unyielding, encircled the waists of both women as they found themselves trapped in an awkward silence.

"..."

"..."

There they were, Seraphine and Ericka, sitting stiffly, their gazes fixed ahead as if the answers to their turmoil lay in the void before them.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiao\'s fingers embarked on a deliberate dance across their skin, eliciting involuntary shivers and twitches that betrayed their outward composure.

A smirk played on Seraphine\'s lips, a private victory in the discomfort. \'At least, I\'m not crumbling like her,\' she thought smugly, stealing a glance at Ericka.

The latter seemed to have succumbed to the inevitability of their situation, her movements stilled, her defiance quelled.

Yet, the surface calm belied the storm raging within Ericka.

Her body might have been motionless, a statue in the midst of chaos, but her mind was a whirlwind of panic and disbelief. \'W-What is this madness? Why are we doing it again!?\' she raged internally, her thoughts filled with confusion and anger.

\'And why is Sera just sitting there, silent as the grave? Does she not feel this... this... violation?\' Ericka\'s heart thrummed against her chest, a frenetic beat of anxiety and fear.

She bit down on her lip, hard enough to draw blood, as Wang Xiao\'s embrace tightened, a possessive gesture that bound them together in their shared destiny.

Finally, her voice pierced the silence, delicate yet desperate. "Hey, Sera... Why this silence? Say something, won\'t you?" Ericka\'s words floated across the space between them, dressed in a smile that was too brittle, too forced to be anything but a facade of bravado.

"Huh?" Seraphine\'s response was tinged with surprise, her brows knitting together in confusion. "Silent? What on earth are you implying? Do you really see me as a coward?" She fired back, her voice laced with challenge, refusing to accept the label projected onto her.

"..."

Ericka found herself at a loss, her throat tight, a silent acquiescence almost escaping her.

"It\'s all your fault," she ultimately breathed out, a sigh heavy with resignation and unshed frustration.

!?

"Me? Heh! Don\'t pin this all on me, miss scientist. It\'s a simple case of cause and effect!" Seraphine\'s retort was sharp, her stance defensive. "You were the one lost to the wine, not I."

"You weren\'t drunk?" The revelation struck Ericka with the force of a thousand ton bricks, her eyes widening as the pieces began to fall into place, yet the puzzle remained incomplete.

!!

Seraphine momentarily faltered, realizing she might have overlooked crucial details in her account. "Hehe... I was merely testing you," she offered weakly, attempting to deflect.

Rustle!

"Enough! Sera, out with it—were you in full control all this while?" Ericka\'s patience snapped, her movements quick as she seized Seraphine\'s dress by the collar, her gaze sharpening into a pointed accusation.

"..." Amidst the heated exchange, a flicker of annoyance sparked within Seraphine. \'Why must this fat woman always escalate things to physical confrontations?\' she mused bitterly, acutely aware of her disadvantage in any test of strength against Ericka, whose robust physique nearly guaranteed her victory in such disputes.

"..."

As the room filled with the petty squabbles of two adults reduced to childish bickering, Wang Xiao reached the limits of his patience.

The weight of managing their daughters\' antics was burdensome enough without having to referee the adults\' disputes.

"You two—enough!" His voice, commanding immediate silence, an unyielding decree that brooked no dissent.

!!

Ericka, taken aback, could only utter a confused "Huh?" while Seraphine remained silent, her expression unreadable.

Without warning, Ericka found herself suspended mid-air, her surprise manifesting as a sharp gasp.

"..."

Below her, Seraphine\'s face bore a resigned acceptance, as if such outcomes were to be expected under Wang Xiao\'s watch.

"You both stop this childishness. And Seraphine, didn\'t you claim to barely know her?" Wang Xiao\'s voice was tinged with suspicion, his gaze piercing as it shifted between them.

??

"What?" Ericka\'s voice was a mix of disbelief and anger as she turned her glare towards Seraphine. "You said that to him?"

Seraphine\'s response was a dry chuckle, her composure unshaken even as they floated aimlessly. "Isn\'t it the truth?"

Ericka, "..."

"Enough," Wang Xiao interjected, his voice a calm force that halted the impending clash. "I have a habit of sleeping like this. So, you two can either find a way to coexist quietly, or I may have to resort to... alternative methods."

Ericka\'s expression shifted to one of bewilderment. Was their arrangement merely a quirk of his sleeping habits?

"And what might these \'alternative ways\' entail?" Seraphine inquired, her tone laced with cautious curiosity.

She was no fool to leap to conclusions without understanding the full scope of possibilities.

Wang Xiao\'s lips curved into a knowing smile, "Merely ensuring you\'re both too exhausted to break the silence."

!!

Instantly, both Ericka and Seraphine\'s lips twitched in unison, a rare moment of synchrony. "No need," they blurted out together, a flush of embarrassment coloring their simultaneous refusal.

"We can reach a truce on our own!" they declared together once more, their arms folding in rebellion even as they hovered mid-air, rendering Wang Xiao momentarily speechless with their synchronized protest.

\'What is the history between these two?\' Wang Xiao mused, a flicker of amusement crossing his features as the dispute dissolved into an uneasy peace, allowing him the prospect of rest at last.

His initial mission in Norhaven had been straightforward: crack open the secrets hidden within the phones, uncover the truth, and make a swift exit.

However, the discovery that Gabriel was the mastermind, coupled with the mysterious letter sent to him, had compelled Wang Xiao to extend his stay for the week.

Amidst the bedroom events, discontent simmered beneath the surface, its source not the obvious suspect.

Magnus, absent on a diplomatic mission, remained blissfully unaware of the invisible green hat that had appeared above his head.

The harbinger of real unrest was his daughter, Freya, whose concerns lay not with her mother\'s affairs but with a particular outsider: Wang Xiao.

Freya\'s disdain for Wang Xiao ran deep. Accustomed to the digital battlegrounds where strategy reigned supreme, she found herself outmatched and outmaneuvered in the real world by Wang Xiao\'s more direct, \'physical\' approach.

His preference for resolving conflicts with action over words left her grappling for a foothold in a game she didn\'t know how to play.

Throughout the week, Ericka played the role of guide, showcasing the expanse of Norhaven to Wang Xiao.

Their explorations extended beyond the city limits, the landscape unfurling below them as they surveyed the region from the sky.

Remarkably, Ericka seemed unbothered by the potential scandal of her affair becoming public knowledge.

Wang Xiao\'s curiosity about Ericka\'s apparent indifference was satiated by Seraphine, who revealed Ericka\'s ambitions to join Prometheus and her imminent departure.

This information painted Ericka\'s nonchalance in a new light; on the brink of vanishing from their world, the opinions of those she left behind held little consequence.

Wang Xiao, though intrigued by the mysterious Prometheus, found his interest piqued further by Ericka\'s next suggestion. "Let\'s visit Dragon Canyon," she proposed, abruptly.

"Hm?" The mention of Dragon Canyon piqued Wang Xiao\'s interest, the name itself evoking images of rugged landscapes and ancient mysteries. "Dragon Canyon?" he echoed, curiosity lacing his voice at the bold name.

Seraphine, joining the conversation with a nod of approval, lent her support to Ericka\'s suggestion. "It\'s nestled between Icevale and Norhaven, on Jan Mayen Island. Truly, it\'s a remarkable place," she confirmed, her endorsement unexpected yet welcome.

Ericka\'s suggestion to escape the warmth for the cool embrace of the glaciers was met with a surge of unexpected enthusiasm.

It became clear that her motives extended beyond merely showcasing the sights to Wang Xiao.

There was a deeper, more personal journey at play—a farewell tour of sorts.

The glint of nostalgia in her eyes spoke volumes, a silent testament to her desire to imprint the beauty of her homeland in her memory before embarking on a new chapter with Prometheus.

Jan Mayen itself was a marvel of nature\'s contrasts, straddling the realms of Icevale and Norhaven.

Despite its breathtaking landscapes, crowned by the imposing Beerenberg volcano and surrounded by pristine ice glaciers, the island remained largely untouched by tourists.

The presence of Norhaven\'s military, vigilant in their watch, had deterred many would-be visitors, preserving the island\'s secluded tranquility.

Yet, for Wang Xiao and others, the usual barriers that kept the island secluded from prying eyes were no obstacle.

Ericka\'s presence among them acted as a key, unlocking paths that would otherwise remain closed, her authority ensuring their passage was unhindered.