"What the fuck?" Cassian muttered, his face twisted in shock as he read about the main character's nightly torments. He initially thought it was a horror story, but soon realized it was something entirely different. The woman experienced a torment he was all too familiar with—intense, restless desire.
To his surprise, the "Ravager" would visit her at night, easing her torment while she pretended to sleep, using a technique called sex.
Cassian was stunned as he processed this. 'Why would she read something like that?' he wondered, thinking of Lady Katherine. Despite his initial discomfort, he found himself reading on, unable to tear his eyes away from the vivid descriptions. They were so detailed that he could almost picture the scene unfolding before him, with the Ravager becoming a shadowy version of himself.
"Damn, this is intense..." he thought with a smirk, but as he continued reading and copying down the book, a strange sense of familiarity settled in. The scenes described felt uncannily similar to his own experiences—things he had felt or even done.
He could vividly picture himself as the male lead, easing the woman's so-called torments while she pretended to sleep. The realization hit him suddenly, and he muttered under his breath, "Shit, it's just like me and Lady Katherine..."
Cassian put down his pen, leaning back in his chair as the realization sank in deeper. The vivid scenes of the book kept playing in his mind, and he couldn't shake off the unsettling resemblance between the story and his experiences with Katherine.
He glanced around the room as if expecting someone to be watching, then let out a nervous laugh, muttering to himself, "Am I losing it, or is this actually hitting too close to home?"
"Was she awake every time when I did those things to her?" Cassian wondered, a mix of fear and excitement surging through him. Initially, the thought made him uneasy, but as he recalled how she never objected—not even when he explored every part of her—he started to believe that maybe she was okay with it. Or perhaps she had even orchestrated it all.
The idea left him confused; he couldn't fathom why she would do such a thing, but he knew he'd be thrilled either way. As he continued copying the story, reading each page, the parallels to their situation became clearer. The merchant's daughter in the story subtly manipulated the man into becoming her servant, then asked him to guard her while she slept.
The man, thinking she was asleep, would take advantage, while she secretly enjoyed every moment, pretending to be asleep. It was all too familiar.
Cassian's hands froze mid-copy as the realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. His eyes went wide, and his heart pounded in his chest, the story on the page suddenly feeling like a mirror to his own actions. "No way... it's just like us," he muttered, the shock making him sit back in his chair, staring at the words as if they might change.
Cassian swallowed hard, knowing that the next time he massaged her, he would have to find out for sure. He'd check if she was truly asleep or just pretending. But the thought of waiting until tomorrow night gnawed at him, his urges building to an almost unbearable level.
If it had been just that, it might have been manageable, but Cassian also had his upcoming meeting with Lucy. Who knew what kind of reward she might offer for copying down the book? 'Better be as exciting as tonight's going to be,' he mused with a smirk, feeling a rush of anticipation. With renewed excitement, he sat down to finish copying the book, hoping to wrap it up by midnight.
He knew he'd have an early start the next day, with Julius holding his lecture before work hours.
*yawn* Robert and Cassian stretched their jaws with wide yawns as they trudged into the training ground, moving lazily alongside the other attendees arriving for the morning session.
"Hey, you two lazy faggs..." A sharp, teasing voice cut through the air, making them turn around. It was Lumine, one of their fellow students from Julius's lectures. She grinned mischievously as she approached them, clearly enjoying herself. "Looks like you two spent the whole night screwing each other instead of getting any sleep," she teased, a smug smirk playing on her lips.
"Hey, Lumine..." they both greeted her with sleepy indifference, too tired to react to her insults.
Lumine was the same age as Robert and one of Cassian's regular sparring partners, who he planned to challenge today, hoping to finally secure a win. He had spent the past few days fighting her shadow in the training field, memorizing her every move. But that didn't guarantee a victory—he had never managed to beat her or Robert, whether in real duels or against their shadows.
Still, he wanted to win today, but without any guarantee. He knew that if he won with an overwhelming advantage, it wouldn't feel as satisfying. Plus, a challenging fight would sharpen his swordsmanship, even if he ended up defeated. Of course, losing would cost him 3 training points, but he was willing to take that risk; he at least wanted to win half of the duels required for the task.
With this in mind, he interrupted Lumine's teasing of Robert, which was clearly starting to irritate him, and asked, "Wanna have a friendly duel with me today after Julius's lecture?"
Both Lumine and Robert turned to him, surprise on their faces. Seeing Cassian's serious expression, Lumine pointed at herself and asked, a little incredulously, "You're asking me?"
Cassian nodded, making Lumine smirk. "Well, if you don't mind getting your ass handed to you, I'm all in," she said, her smile growing wider. "And if you lose, just let me know—who goes on top between you two when you're... you know, doing the deed?"
"Well, if you lose, be ready go top on me," Cassian said with a smirk, making Lumine chuckle as she shot back, "Like you could handle me being on top..."
Cassian grinned wider. "Yeah, I can handle any virgin just fine, no matter the position."
Lumine's cheeks flushed slightly at his comeback, while Robert, enjoying their banter, chuckled. "Who's calling who a virgin? I have a boyfriend way hotter than either of you could ever hope to be—even combined, you ugly losers."
Cassian raised an eyebrow, smirking as he replied, "Hey, relax, I didn't know you had a boyfriend..." His smirk grew, and he lowered his voice just enough for her to hear. "An imaginary one, I bet, considering you're still a virgin..."
Lumine's expression shifted, her playful smirk replaced by a slight frown as Cassian's words hit a nerve. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing at him. "You've got some nerve, Cassian. If anyone here screams 'virgin,' it's definitely you," she shot back, her tone sharp, but with a hint of amusement still lingering.
Cassian let out a short laugh, unfazed. "Oh, come on, Lumine, just admit it—you're all talk. Besides, I don't see you proving otherwise anytime soon."
She rolled her eyes, clearly irritated but not backing down. "And what about you, huh? I bet you'd fumble the moment a girl even touched you," she retorted, her lips curling into a smirk as she looked him up and down. "All bark, no bite."
Cassian leaned in slightly, matching her smirk with his own. "I guess we'll have to see about that when I win our duel, won't we? Unless you're too scared to find out just how much bite I've got."
Lumine scoffed, a competitive gleam in her eye. "Oh, I'm not scared, Cassian. Just don't cry when you lose—and don't expect any mercy just because you're a bit... inexperienced."
Robert, watching the exchange, snickered. "Man, you two should just get a room already."
Cassian and Lumine shot him a glare, but neither seemed willing to back down from the tension.
Both Cassian and Lumine turned away from each other with a sharp, synchronized huff, arms crossed and jaws clenched. The playful banter had taken a different turn, and now neither was willing to back down. Cassian felt a twinge of surprise at how their little argument had escalated.
What had started as a lighthearted challenge had shifted into a competitive standoff—almost like they were more determined to prove who held the upper hand, and oddly enough, who could throw the sharper jabs about being a virgin.
"Better bring your best, Cassian," Lumine muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. "Or else, you might have to finally admit you are into dicks…"
"I'm not," Cassian shot back, genuinely confused by the twist in their banter.
"But if you lose, you'll have to admit it," she continued with a smirk, leaning in slightly. "The stakes should be fair, don't you think? I loss, I go on top—which means, yeah, things get physical. But if you lose, you confess that you're just as faggot as you pretend not to be. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
Cassian's brow furrowed. He had only suggested that punishment as a joke, a way to tease her, but now he realized that Lumine seemed dead serious about making him say it. As he hesitated, caught up in the unexpected turn of events, Lumine pushed further, adding with a smirk, "And the dick you're supposedly into most... is this loser's?"
She pointed at Robert, who looked completely taken aback. "Why are you dragging me into this?" he protested, clearly not thrilled about being roped into their banter.
As Lumine shifted her attention to bickering with Robert, Cassian felt a new determination build up inside him. If she was so eager to force him into admitting something he wasn't, she must be equally prepared to face the consequences if she lost. It made the stakes feel higher than ever, and now, more than anything, he wanted to win this duel and see if she'd really follow through.