Kaiser had faced many things in his life. He had seen battlefields drenched in blood, had walked through places where even monsters feared to tread, had stared down men and beasts alike without so much as a twitch of hesitation. And yet… This woman unnerved him.

Still, he didn't pull away. Didn't yank his hand free from her grasp. He simply stared at her, unblinking, before speaking in a calm, even tone. "…I don't even know your name."

The woman—no, the thing holding his hand suddenly froze. For the first time since their encounter, she blinked. Then, ever so slowly, her head tilted to the side, the motion eerily smooth, like a puppet on loose strings. "Oh."

A soft exhale, more surprised than anything. "Oh, how terribly rude of me," she murmured, blinking again, this time as if she were genuinely caught off guard by her own mistake. "I was so taken by our little moment that I completely forgot."

Her grip on his hand loosened, just slightly, and she stepped back—not much, just enough to present herself properly.

Then she smiled. It wasn't wide this time. Not unhinged, not deranged, not stretched beyond human limits. Just a simple, polite, almost charming smile. "My name," she said, tilting her head in a way that almost seemed playful, "Is Selvira Taipan."

She placed a gloved hand over her chest and bowed her head slightly, her movements elegant, deliberate, the poise of someone who knew how to perform courtesy, only when she wanted to.

Kaiser allowed her to hold his hand a moment longer than necessary, his unreadable gaze steady and piercing, as though weighing her very soul. Then, with a grace that spoke of decades of refinement, he withdrew his hand, not abruptly, nor with any hint of force, but with a deliberate, unhurried motion that made it clear the act was his choice alone. His fingers flexed once before he brought his hand to rest over his heart in a gesture both regal and intentional.

"Kaiser Dios." he introduced himself, his voice low and measured, each syllable carrying the weight of lineage and authority. His posture was relaxed yet commanding, every movement exuding the quiet dignity of one born to rule.

Selvira tilted her head, studying him as if trying to peel back his layers with just her gaze. Then, her lips curled, amusement flashing in those abyssal eyes. "Ohhh," she exhaled, something slow and indulgent in the sound. "Oh, I see now."

Her gloved fingers brushed over her lips, as if savoring some delightful secret only she had uncovered. Her stare flicked over him, not just his face, but the way he stood, the ease in his posture, the polish in his appearance, the effortless way he commanded attention without demanding it.

"My, my," she murmured, smile widening ever so slightly. "Either you were born into something grand… or—" her voice dipped, playful yet unsettling, "We have so much more in common than I first imagined."

"That so?" he said, his voice smooth, but edged with something just sharp enough to be dangerous.

Selvira let out a small, breathy laugh, pressing a hand lightly to her chest as if he had just flattered her. "Oh, I do hope so."

Selvira's hands slithered back around his, slow and deliberate, her fingers wrapping over his knuckles like ivy curling around stone. Her grip was lighter this time, softer, almost tender, as if cradling something precious, and Kaiser didn't pull away. Not yet.

She sighed, a blissful, trembling exhale, and tilted her head, her too-wide eyes drinking in every inch of him like a revelation. "Now that introductions are over…" she murmured, squeezing his hands ever so gently, "we are truly friends, aren't we?" Kaiser remained silent, but her smile only widened.

The blackness of her gaze swallowed him whole, devouring every flicker of movement, every breath he took, like she was memorizing the very essence of him. "Oh, Kaiser Dios," she breathed, reverence dripping from every syllable. "You don't know what you've given me, do you?"

Her lips parted, her smile stretching too wide for a normal person, as though her skin struggled to contain something that should not be human. "Fear," she exhaled, shuddering, as if the very word was enough to send her into ecstasy. "I felt it. I felt it."

Her hands trembled against his, fingers twitching, gripping, savoring. "For years, I gave it to others," she whispered, almost dreamily. "Gave them the most beautiful, most raw of emotions. That perfect, helpless trembling, the way their bodies move before their minds understand, the moment their hearts beat so fast, so violently, they don't even know if they'll live long enough to run."

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to something reverent, something worshipful. "I gifted them that."

A giggle escaped her. "And what a wonderful, wonderful gift fear is!" she continued, her voice shaking with sheer joy. "It is pure, it is honest! No pretense and no false masks, just the truth of the body and soul, screaming together in beautiful, harmonious terror."

Her breath hitched, another delighted shudder running through her. "But all this time," she whispered, eyes locking onto his, "I was only ever the giver." Her fingers dug into his hand, desperate, clinging, as if holding onto something infinitely precious.

"And then," she exhaled, "you gave it to me." A pause. A single, breathless second where she simply stared passed.

And then she laughed, not the polite, restrained laughter of someone merely amused. Not the arrogant chuckle of a predator toying with prey. But something raw. Unhinged. A laugh pulled from the depths of someone who had never, ever felt anything this wonderful before and could barely contain it.

"You—" she gasped between laughs, shaking her head. "You should have seen me! Oh, Kaiser Dios, it was magnificent! My legs were weak, my breath caught in my throat, I swear that my own body betrayed me!"

She sighed in pleasure, her grip tightening even further. "And now I understand," she whispered, tilting her head. "Now I see why they run, why they scream, why their eyes are so wide before I finally—"

She stopped, then smiled. "You made me understand."

Her hands shook against his. And then, slowly, gently, she caressed his palm with her thumb. "You are wonderful," she whispered. "Truly, wonderfully, beautifully horrifying." She clutched his hand like a lifeline.

"Oh, Kaiser Dios," she whispered, breathless, eyes full of something indescribable. "You are the most precious thing I have ever met." And then, she leaned in. Close enough that he could feel her breath against his skin. Close enough that the unnatural scent of her wrongness coiled around him like a second shadow. And in a voice so soft, so gentle, so genuinely reverent, she whispered… "…Do it again."

"Gladly," Kaiser answered.

Kaiser's expression didn't change. He merely inhaled, adjusting the angle of his stance ever so slightly, planting his feet with the practiced precision of someone who had thrown a million strikes before. His entire body coiled, muscles tensing like a drawn bowstring, his core twisting as he generated force from the ground up, every ounce of his strength focused into a single, devastating motion.

He threw a right jab, his arm snapping forward like a piston, his entire body behind the blow, his knuckles aimed directly for her stomach with enough force to cave in ribs, to send a lesser opponent crumpling to the ground before they even registered the impact… But then he saw something.

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Even before the punch connected, before the moment of impact, before the collision of bone and flesh, she moved. It was instinct, the body's natural reaction to danger, to death. He saw her shift, the slightest pull of her muscles, the faintest recoil of self-preservation kicking in, her body already prepared to slip away, to let the force of the strike pass harmlessly through empty space.

And then, at the last possible moment, she forced herself back into it. Her smile widened, a sickening, unnatural stretch of her lips, her dark eyes shining with something manic, something far beyond reason, as if she welcomed what was coming.

Then Kaiser's fist slammed into her.

She had tried to block as both of her hands came up, palms together trying to form a hasty defense, but it didn't matter. His knuckles crashed through her guard like brittle glass, breaking through the resistance of her arms, her forearms bruising instantly from the sheer impact as his fist sank into her stomach.

Then she flew away.

The force of the punch sent her rocketing backward, her body careening through the air like a ragdoll, her coat whipping around her as she crashed into a stack of garbage bins with a thunderous clang, metal denting, trash scattering, the entire alley trembling from the sheer violence of it.

Kaiser didn't follow up on that strike. Right now, his mind processed everything in rapid succession—how his strike had landed harder than expected, how the sheer power behind it was slightly more than it had been in Arkhold, an increase that, while not drastic, was still noticeable. He flexed his fingers, feeling the residual heat in his knuckles, his body recognizing the change before his thoughts could fully catch up.

But that wasn't what unsettled him. It was her and the way she had chosen to take the hit. Kaiser had met fighters who didn't flinch, who didn't hesitate in the face of pain, warriors who conditioned themselves to endure damage rather than avoid it, but this was different. This wasn't resilience. This wasn't an act of endurance.

'What kind of lunatic would get hit on purpose?' The thought barely formed before his own mind answered, almost dryly. His eyes narrowed slightly, his breath steady, his body still primed for the next movement.

She had to be like him, or at the very least, something close. From the pile of crushed metal and discarded trash, a sound emerged. Soft and breathless, shaking with something that wasn't pain, but laughter. A low, breathy giggle that grew, rising from the wreckage until it burst into the open.

"Ahahahaha!"

She pushed herself upright, her hands trembling against the dented trash can, her hair disheveled, her coat stained with dust and grime, but her smile… Her smile was wider than ever, stretching across her face with something between sheer delight and unhinged euphoria. Her fingers pressed against her stomach, where the impact had landed, her whole body trembling, not with weakness, not with damage, but with thrill.

"Oh, Kaiser Dios…" she exhaled, her voice trembling with something almost reverent. "That hurt." She looked up at him and she beamed.

Her arms were bruised, a dark, blotched mess where his fist had shattered through her guard, her stomach visibly aching from the impact, her body bearing every mark of the damage she had taken. Her long, green coat was filthy, coated in grime from the trash she had crashed into, her hair slightly disheveled, strands sticking out at odd angles.

And yet, she was happy. Not just the sick amusement of a battle-crazed warrior. Not the hollow grin of someone pushing through pain for the sake of their pride.

No.

This was genuine, pure joy, as if she had just received the most wonderful gift in the world. She pressed a hand to her stomach again, fingers twitching slightly against the sore flesh, feeling the pain, tracing the wound as if committing the sensation to memory. And then her grin only widened.

"Again."

The moment the word left her lips, she moved, and she was fast, far faster than he had expected.

Kaiser barely saw her as she launched herself at him, her body blurring as she crossed the alley in an instant, closing the distance like a streak of shadow and motion. His instincts screamed, his muscles reacting before his mind could fully process, his body dipping, legs bending, torso lowering.

'Just in time.'

A silver gleam sliced through the air where his throat had been, missing him by inches. She had slashed at him—her fingers curled, sharpened nails slicing like claws, moving with a precision that told him this wasn't wild, reckless aggression. There was skill in her movements, an innate sharpness that only came from countless battles, from a lifetime of experience.

As he ducked, he saw her gaze lock onto him, tracking him with unnatural focus, pupils wide with something between obsession and ecstasy.

Kaiser exhaled. 'Fine'.

If she wanted it so badly, then who was he to deny her? His stance shifted again, feet planting firmly as his body twisted. He drove his weight downward, legs flexing, spine coiling like a spring. Then, in an instant, he exploded upward, channeling every ounce of his strength into another devastating punch. His entire form moved in perfect unison, striking the exact same spot.

The moment he committed to the strike, he saw it happen all over again. The reflex, the instincts, as if her body knew to avoid all on its own. It moved before she could even think, her weight shifting, her form just slipping outside of his range, dodging the attack with pure reaction, but then… She forced herself back into it again.

The moment of impact was raw. His knuckles drove into her bruised stomach once more, slamming against flesh that had already been battered, already aching, already tender.

But this time flames flickered from Kaiser. First it was just a spark, a brief ember escaping from where his fist connected, but then it became more. It became a tiny wisps of fire, curling from his fingers, trailing up his arm.

Kaiser barely registered the way she shook from delight, her body trembling, a gasping, shuddering breath leaving her lips as she relished the pain, her grin stretching impossibly wide.

Because at that moment he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at his hands. The fire had come from him. He flexed his fingers, staring as faint, flickering embers danced along his knuckles, tiny sparks still escaping from the remnants of his strike.

But before he could focus, before he could understand what was going on with him in that moment, she moved again, and she was even faster then before. The ground cracked beneath her as she lunged, her entire body shaking with exhilaration, her breath ragged, her voice filled with something raw, unfiltered, utterly deranged.

"Ah! Yes!" she screamed, her voice dripping with sheer bliss. "I can feel it! I can really feel it now! My heart—my heart might actually stop! I might die!"

Her sharp nails hardened, the fingers stiffening together, merging into something more precise. In an instant, they became a blade, sleek and sharp, her outstretched hand thrusting forward, aiming straight for him, but Kaiser didn't move, instead, he met her head-on.

His hand shot forward, not to dodge nor to block, but to catch it. And as a result a sickening sound followed his action. Her sharpened fingers pierced through his palm, slicing cleanly through flesh and muscle, the tip of her makeshift blade exiting through the back of his hand.

A lesser man might have flinched, but Kaiser was no lesser man. His fingers clenched tightly around her wrist, ignoring the sharp pain radiating through his hand, his grip like iron, completely unshakable.

Selvira's body reacted instantly as her instincts tried pulling her away, trying to retreat, her body screaming for her to move, but this time, it wasn't her choice to stay in place. Kaiser held her there, his grip refusing to let go, forcing her to remain right where he wanted her, and before she could process what was going on, his other fist came crashing down straight into her face.

The impact sent a shockwave through the alley, dust and debris kicking up as his knuckles sank into her cheekbone, the sheer force twisting her head violently to the side.

And yet, even as blood trickled from her lips, even as her head snapped back from the strike, even as her body spasmed from the sheer force.

She smiled.

But Kaiser wasn't disturbed by it anymore. He pulled his hand back once more and punched her again. This time, she raised her free hand to block, her fingers coming up in a weak, desperate attempt to stop the blow, yet it didn't matter, as his fist went straight through.

Her arm bent wrong, bones shifting under the pressure, her body shaking, but the smile never left her face. A good thing, since Kaiser didn't plan on stopping.

Again.

His knuckles slammed into her skull, her head jerking back, the force rattling through her entire form.

Again.

Her body shook, her breath hitching, a sound leaving her lips that was far too close to a moan.

Again.

Crimson splattered against the brick walls of the alley.

Again.

Her laughter was breathless, bubbling up through bloodied lips, delirious, delighted.

One final time.

He reared his fist back and drove it into her head with enough force to send a crack rippling through the air.

Then he let go, only to kick her with all his might. His foot struck the exact same spot on her stomach, the already bruised flesh caving under the impact. The force sent her flying, her body twisting mid-air before she crashed into the brick wall of the alley, her back slamming against the cold stone before she collapsed onto the ground, unmoving for a long moment.

Dust settled and silence overtook the ally, the only sounds being the flickering embers that escaped Kaisers body.

And then, from the crumpled heap of bruises, blood, and tattered clothing, she laughed. Not weakly, not in mockery, but in sheer, overwhelming joy.

Her fingers twitched and her body trembled as she pushed herself up, her head snapping toward him and her eyes gleaming with something unholy.

"Oh, Kaiser Dios…" she exhaled, her lips curling, her voice quivering with something between reverence and utter bliss. "That hurt, that really, really hurt."

Her chest heaved, her entire body shuddering, fingers twitching as she pressed a hand to her aching stomach.

"Please, last just a bit more."

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