Grendel groaned. His body pulsated, his eyes sparked, and thousands of thoughts flashed within his mind.

How had it come to this?

Both had encountered emptiness. All they once had believed in; All they had deemed important and worthwhile they had lost from one day to another. When the void had confronted them, it offered them two choices. It could swallow them, numb their souls and hearts, and in turn, grant them bliss through nihilism.

Or they could fight. They could face the void every day for the rest of their lives, carving a piece of substance out of the nothingness. And in return, they would suffer as the emptiness tried to embed its concept onto them. They would continue with the knowledge that their lives resembled a house of shards about to shatter.

For one reason or another, they chose not to give in. It might have been their subconscious, but they fought. One filled the emptiness in their hearts with treasure, the other with justice. Their desires compelled them to continue lest the void would swallow them.

And in the face of defeat, they couldn’t give up. Their cravings intensified, and they decided to satisfy their hearts with their flesh.

Ragna carved her nails into his chest. Her teeth felt Grendel’s body up like a feather. Piece by piece, she tickled his throat, his chest, and more. Their tongues intertwined; their saliva mixed. Grendel let passion and consumption overwrite his mind.

Ice cooled his skin, poison burned his brain, and heat and cold played with his nerves. They repeated and changed in eternal rhythm. These two contradictions brought his mind to the brink of collapse.

Sweat, vanilla, and fruits lingered in the air. Grendel inhaled the scents, the control over his body diminished.

Sweet. Sweet. Oh, so sweet.

Deep blue eyes like a crystal sea, and violet pupils like wildflowers, gazed at each other and mixed up their desires. To protect what one deemed important; To bring forth justice – both tried to overwhelm the other and compel to follow their ideal.

Ragna whispered into Grendel’s ears. The words of a titan left her lips, burrowed into Grendel’s brain. He should reject her commands, but when her feet played with his body, the words drowned under his moans.

She caressed him; She bit him.

Her fingers breezed over his skin, and her tongue rolled over the pain. As if she poked his bruises, the sensations sent shockwaves through his brain. His lips trembled, his muscles shivered, and he drooled like an idiot.

In exchange, he begged to follow her instructions. She led him, and under her command, he fulfilled her desires. Whatever Ragna said, he would do.

The playful imp had turned into his teacher. If he wished to feel pleasure, he had to obey.

Wasn’t that justice as well?

If she made him feel good, he had to return the favor. That was only just. In this void, she allowed him to carry out his desire. And he provided her with another coin for her treasure.

Yes. This was mutually beneficial. And it felt good. Why should anyone condemn them for their desires? Didn’t they have a right to happiness? Where would there be justice if anyone but them could receive bliss? They had to carry out and continue and continue and continue for their cravings would never find an end. Couldn’t they forget it all and ravish in trivialities? This was just a moment where they let it out. They had a right to that.

Ragna was gorgeous. She was smart and mesmerizing.

Who cared that he didn’t know her for long? So, what if his feelings might be shallow? And she consented for one reason or another.

Why did he have to find excuses because he wanted to have sex with a hot girl he liked and found sympathetic? What if his desire for justice would have forced him to kill her had she won the gambling match?

Because even now, he sought to fill his emptiness. That was what this was in the end. Two empty people tried to fill the void in their hearts. For a moment, it might work. But in the long term, it would lead to suffering.

Two empty people couldn’t help each other. How could one give something when they had nothing?

Futile. It was futile. They needed someone else.

Ragna had Altera. She could give her actual happiness. And he? He had ... he had ...

Tears started to flow out of Grendel’s eyes, and his body tensed up. At the same time, he and Ragna moaned.

A moment later, his muscles relaxed. All his strength disappeared, and he covered his eyes with his arm.

Words left Ragna’s lips. Words he couldn’t hear and didn’t want to hear. Her fingers combed through his hair like a mother would caress her child.

He peeked behind his arms, gazing into Ragna’s warm smile. Neither pity nor condensation did her face reveal. Understanding shone in her eyes.

The tears wouldn’t stop.

Why was he so pathetic?

֎

“Don’t take it so hard.” Ragna stabbed her salad bowl with her fork and took a bite.

The void had disappeared, and reality had returned.

Around an hour had passed since she had slept with Grendel. They were eating at a café near their motel.

Grendel looked at their table. “I swear that had never happened to me before.”

Ragna rolled her eyes. “You know how often I’ve heard that one?”

Grendel raised his head and blushed. “I... I didn’t mean it like that.”

Ragna chuckled. “Relax, relax. It’s all fine.” A sigh escaped her lips. “It’s just sex. You guys put way too much weight into it.”

“Easy for you to say.”

One would think, in this modern age, men wouldn’t need to prove their masculinity anymore. And of course, a man’s ability to “conquer” women played right into that. She couldn’t fault men for following an instinct that evolution had ingrained into their genes, but culture had continued to carry this idea that dominated and prevented them from seeing the beauty of sex.

Her eyes narrowed. “But still. What exactly had happened? Suddenly, everything was gone but us.”

Grendel exhaled. “In a way, you’re losing control of your powers. It happened during the gambling match, and it happened just before. The sex quelled them, but it won’t be for long, and it’ll get worse.”

“So, what can I do?”

Grendel shrugged. “You’ve to rein them in. But I couldn’t tell you how to do that.”

While she didn’t regret the sex, having to sleep with someone every time she lost control of her powers would lead to trouble. Not to mention it could screw up any of her plans at any moment.

“And now what?”

“It seems intense emotions and physical exhaustion help you.” Jareth took a chair.

“Is there someone she can fight?”

Ragna and Grendel turned their heads to Jareth, faced each other, and looked back at him.

“Where have you been?” Ragna asked. “And where did you come from?”

“I was having a nightmare.”

“You were sleeping?”

Had Jareth provided another hint at his origins? Not that she could do anything with his words, and right now, she had to put it in the back burner. Her problems took higher priority. But once this day had been over, and she had gotten the Honey back, she would try to solve this hunk-shaped enigma.

Jareth hesitated for a second before he answered. “Yes. But back to my initial question. Is there someone she can fight?”

Grendel rocked on his chair. He fumbled with his fingers until he pulled out a ticket from his pocket. “You can fight at the Colosseum.”

Ragna raised her brow. “What do you mean?”

“You can fight at the Colosseum to earn Honey if you win against your opponent. You have the choice to either cash it or store it. You’ve to fight another round, but the winner will get double. Since it’s not gambling, you can try it as well.”

“How much Honey are we talking about?” Ragna crossed her legs.

“The current champion has been fighting for about three months. The prize is a million Honey.”

Ragna let her fork drop into her salad. A grin appeared on her face. “Enough to get a ticket to Avalon.”

She pushed her chair back and stood up. “Come, Jareth. We gotta go.”

Picking up the ticket from the table, she strolled behind Grendel and wrapped her hands around his chest.

“Thank you.”

Grendel’s body became stiff, but then, he relaxed.

“You’re welcome.” His voice had turned into a mumble that could only reach Ragna’s ear.

“And don’t get too hung up about what happened. I enjoyed our time together.”

She kissed him on the cheek and walked away with Jareth as Grendel caressed the lipstick on his skin.