Deviant: No Longer Human

Perched at the edge of the dock, Wang Xiao gazed pensively at the distant horizon, his eyes flickering with curiosity.

It was already the 9th of February, and after spending a few days in Monaco with Lila, he was contemplating their next destination.

"Did you want to come with me?..." He had noticed her earlier, emerging from the water to sit beside him, her legs swinging playfully.

Her cheeks were irresistibly pinchable, her expression endearing, and her legs were slender and delicate.

"Uh-uh..." She shook her head, seemingly in refusal, but Wang Xiao\'s tone suggested it wasn\'t a question but a directive.

"You seem strong." His lips twisted into a smirk, amused by her apparent defiance.

"Mmm..." She pressed her lips together, emitting a noncommittal murmur that neither confirmed nor denied his observation.

"Want to arm wrestle to decide who is stronger?" His eye twinkled with mischief as he made the challenge.

"Huh?"

Naomi was momentarily taken aback, her wide, oceanic eyes blinking in surprise as she raised her hand, examining her small wrist and the delicate fingers of her right hand.

"!"

Wang Xiao\'s eyes twitched slightly; he wondered if understood his hidden motives?

He was really just looking for an excuse to scoop a feel of the softness of her hand, but asking directly seemed awkward.

"Mm."

With a determined nod, Naomi turned and propped her elbow on the rough wooden surface of the dock, steeling herself for the challenge.

◉⁠‿⁠◉

A broad smile spread across Wang Xiao\'s face, delighted by her spirited response.

A few minutes later...

Bam!

"Heh..." Naomi let out a triumphant smile, her eyes sparkling as she reveled in what she perceived as victory, blissfully unaware that she had been cleverly manipulated to being taken advantage of.

Wang Xiao\'s eyes twitched with amusement.

He was merely toying with her; did she genuinely believe he could be so easily defeated?

"Let\'s go for another..." His voice trailed off, a playful smirk on his lips, just as he was about to give her a memorable lesson.

But at that moment, Naomi rose gracefully from her seat.

"Huh?"

As Wang Xiao observed her, he felt as if a gentle breeze had brushed past him, her white gown flowing around her like something out of a celestial dream.

Yet, it wasn\'t just her ethereal presence that disarmed him, but the moment she reached out, placing her finger delicately against his forehead.

"!"

In an instant, a deluge of forgotten memories surged through his mind, overwhelming him.

He shook his head, a trace of disbelief shadowing his features. "Such an embarrassment..."

He muttered under his breath, not over the present mishap but haunted by the echoes of his former self.

Splash!

Before he could even blink, Naomi had leaped into the water and vanished beneath its surface.

"Why is she in such a hurry...?"

He puzzled over her haste but felt no compelling urge to pursue her.

After all, if his memory served him right, she too had only recently tasted freedom after an extended captivity.

That thought jogged another memory...

"Aurora!?"

What had happened to her?

It had been merely a few weeks; the world couldn\'t have changed so drastically in such a short span.

Nevertheless, Wang Xiao\'s figure began to be enveloped by an omnious, swirling mass resembling dark sand before he completely disappeared from the spot.

In truth, it was not dark sand but dark matter.

It exists everywhere; it\'s just typically invisible to human eyes.

A residual byproduct left behind after the utilization of Aether.

And it wasn\'t solitary; the dark matter held myriad other elements within its depths, including fragments of souls that twinkled like stars in a night sky, all coexisting yet concealed from human sight.

Under normal circumstances, neither Wang Xiao nor anyone else could surpass the speed of light.

But within Dark Matter, omnipresent as air... traveling through it rendered the concept of speed irrelevant.

He could simply traverse to wherever it existed.

Of course, Wang Xiao was in a rush!

But his urgency stemmed from entirely different reasons!

A sudden recollection hit him like a bolt: Amelia was about to give birth.

If he missed this momentous occasion again, that woman would hold a grudge for an eternity.

It was already the second week of February!

Fortunately, the passage of time within the Graveyard of Gods was distorted; otherwise, he feared that by the time he returned, this universe might be on the brink of collapse.

"Huh? Where is he?"

Lila, returning to find Wang Xiao, who had been clad in brown shorts and a sheer, white shirt with a bikini peeking through, was shocked to find the place deserted.

"Mr. Kidnapper!"

She called out for him, but there was no response, and her bewilderment deepened.

Typically, he always reappeared, even if she summoned him into the void.

As for his real name, he had never shared it, and she hadn\'t pressed the issue.

Indeed, Lila was relishing a delightful vacation.

Little did she know, the world around her was about to shatter.

And it wasn\'t just her world at stake.

The following day, an announcement swept across the internet: "Frostholm" was now under the dominion of the Eighth Prince, and any intruders would be repelled with force.

The "God Particle" was declared a crucial alteration to the world order, asserting that even the destruction of the land would not halt its pervasive spread.

An ominous declaration followed, proclaiming that those succumbing to God Particle Poisoning were, in fact, the chosen ones destined for heaven.

Caught in storm of despair, the people could only reluctantly submit to this new reality, praying that they might be among the blessed destined for celestial ascension.

Many attempted to discredit the Guardians and this newly emerged Eighth Prince as mere fabrications, but such dissenting voices were quickly silenced or censored.

The populace had witnessed firsthand the awe-inspiring might of the Eighth Prince, leading some to elevate him to a divine status, akin to the son of God.

Understandably, Wang Xiao was filled with fury over these absurd claims...

Except that nearly his entire physique, including embarrassingly personal details, had been splashed across the internet, rendering him helplessly exposed.

In desperation, he turned to Luna, relying on her vast network to manage the fallout.