Instinct

Disordered raindrops pattered on the deck. Through the round porthole, Clo could see the pitch-black sky and lightning surging within the dark clouds.

Her gaze didn't linger long on the gloomy sky. The weather exacerbated her already low spirits, and this unease was amplified by the pattering rain and thunder, gradually making her feel a little short of breath.

She looked at Li Yue sleeping beside her and gently pulled the blanket up, ensuring her shoulders weren't exposed. Li Yue's sleeping posture had changed after she sustained severe injuries. Or rather, she no longer suppressed her so-called nature; when she slept, she would always cling tightly to Clo.

Clo struggled with great effort to extricate herself from Li Yue's embrace. She casually threw on a jacket, wanting to get some fresh air. The ventilation system in the cabin seemed poor. Although both Li Yue and Clo were clean people, the extremely faint musty smell between the wooden planks of the cabin was magnified many times by Clo's unease.

The air outside the cabin was relatively fresh, carrying a touch of dampness from the rain and the unique salty scent of the sea. It wasn't unpleasant, but it couldn't be called pleasant either. Those who lived at sea year-round might be accustomed to it, but Clo hadn't left the Academy in over two years. The most complex scent she usually encountered was in Ishtar's greenhouse.

Faintly, she could hear the shouts of the sailors on the lower deck. Her first-class cabin was on the uppermost deck, among the best in terms of hygiene and ventilation. Further down, in the passenger cabins separated only by curtains, there would likely be unpleasant smells of sweat and odors emanating from the public restrooms.

It seemed the heavy rain had caused some damage to the hull, and emergency repairs were underway. However, judging by the sailors' demeanor, it didn't appear to be a major issue. Clo yawned and sat idly in the corridor. Faintly, she could also see some wisps of smoke, as if someone was smoking in the hallway.

Soon, she smelled the smoke she disliked. She waved her hand to clear the smoke, only to see several blurry figures behind it.

“Miss, why are you sitting out here alone?” A man in a bathrobe slowly spoke. His breath carried the scent of alcohol, and he seemed quite drunk. His clothes were disheveled, and the tie of his bathrobe was undone. If not for the dim light, Clo might have caught a glimpse of his genitals swaying within his robes.

“Just feeling... unwell.” Clo stepped back two paces, not wanting too much contact with a drunkard. Moreover, he was just an ordinary person, seemingly a merchant.

“Feeling~ unwell?” His voice seemed to twist and turn, sounding distorted. His gait was also very strange, saliva constantly dribbling from his lips, as if he were an imbecile. “Want to try this? It's guaranteed to be good~”

He pulled out a strange packet of powder from his embrace and spread it open before Clo. Although Clo hadn't researched much in this area, she had at least studied potions for a short while.

“This is a prohibited substance... is he like this because he just came from an orgy in the cabin?” Clo covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. “How disgusting...”

“Miss... just try it...”

The drunkard's hand reached out toward Clo. In that instant, Clo, inexperienced in such matters but skilled in magic, hesitated about which spell to use. She couldn't guarantee that any small offensive spell wouldn't result in death in her current state.

“Damn it... I've been too focused on studying dark magic.” The magic runes on Clo's wrist flashed, deflecting the drunkard's arm, but she didn't notice another hand reaching for her even faster. “Tsk, I was careless.”

If I retreat now, I'll be tackled to the ground... Tsk... How disgusting...

“Whoosh!” The magic runes on Clo's arm flashed, but seemed to have no effect. In that instant, a crimson light streaked past, and the outstretched arm was violently torn off by an inexplicable immense force. The spurting blood condensed into a long line in the air, then solidified into a long strip of blood crystal.

With a brief, scalp-prickling sound of flesh being severed, a complete humanoid body slowly began to “disintegrate.” The head dropped to the ground with a thud, followed by the limbs, and then the internal organs and blood spilled onto the floor like mercury.

Li Yue, dressed in her pajamas, appeared before Clo. Not a speck of blood stained her. Her deep crimson eyes looked at Clo, she swallowed, and her stomach rumbled.

In her hand, she held a heart that, seemingly unaware its body was completely dead, still beat twice with vitality before falling completely silent.

“Clo... I'm hungry.” Li Yue murmured softly, then opened her mouth to bite into the heart in her hand.

“Wait!” Clo grabbed Li Yue's wrist. Li Yue looked at her in confusion. After a moment, Clo found two biscuits in her ring. “You're not allowed to eat human... organs. Eat this.”

“Ugh, it's not tasty, I don't want to eat it...” Li Yue didn't throw away the heart, a hint of resistance on her face.

“No. If you keep this up, I'll start to dislike you.” Clo pressed the biscuits into Li Yue's clean hand. Li Yue's mouth puffed out, but the girl in front of her was more important than the hunger in her belly that only fresh blood could sate.

“Ugh... not tasty... so tired.” Li Yue yawned. Her mind seemed unable to control her body's movements for too long. Everything that just happened appeared to be out of instinct, instinctively hunting down the creature that threatened Clo.

“This huge pool of blood... Ugh... It'll be bad if it's discovered.” Clo wiped the blood from Li Yue's palm, repeatedly cleaning each of her fingers with a disinfectant wipe.

“Easy.” Li Yue mumbled, her mouth full of food. She snapped her fingers, and everything transformed into lifeless ash, scattered by a gentle breeze.

“Ugh, so sleepy...” Li Yue leaned in gently and fell asleep again, embracing Clo.

“...” Clo was silent for a long time. She gently brushed the hair from Li Yue's face. “Thankfully... reason can still suppress the instinct to feed...”

“But how long... can this last...?”