CHAPTER 36: TO BE MILES AWAY (+18)

The forest beyond Watch Hill was less threatening—but no more alive.

The branches remained dry, the shadows crept with more intent than the winds, and the sound of their own footsteps seemed to sink into the ground rather than echo. Even with the paladins defeated, there was something in the air. A weight. An expectation. As if the world was waiting to see what the group would do next.

Eren walked ahead, as always. His eyes attentive, yet distant. Since the appearance of the entity called Sylha, his focus seemed divided.

The mind operated on two levels: the immediate tactical plan—protect, analyze, advance—and the deeper one, where doubt lodged like an insect gnawing at the roots of thought.

"She knew my name."

Kaela walked nearby, silent. Her wounds had already healed, but she kept her gaze fixed on the surroundings, wary.

Since the ghost had appeared, her aggressiveness had diminished and perhaps a fear had settled in her. But Eren noticed—she was paying attention to everything. Too much, even.

Morwynn followed them among the branches, in absolute silence, like a shadow stitched to the landscape. And Nyssa... Nyssa walked close to Eren. Almost glued to him.

Her eyes leapt from shadow to shadow, but there was a different concentration in them. As if she sought more than just safety.

When the sky began to darken, Eren raised his hand and pointed to a clearing surrounded by fallen logs and natural stones. A good place to rest. Low visibility. Multiple escape routes.

"Here. Let’s set up camp."

Kaela was already starting to gather branches. Morwynn began weaving a partial cover between the trees. Nyssa stood still for a second, then perked up and slid to the center of the clearing, seeming more excited than usual.

"C-Can I show you something?" she asked, her tone anxious and slightly hopeful.

Eren turned, arching an eyebrow.

"Show us."

Nyssa closed her eyes. Her body briefly shimmered in blue, and then she molded upward. From her translucent skin, a layer extended forward in an oval shape. The center thickened, solidified slightly with circular layers. It looked like a bubble... but it wasn’t.

The structure wavered in the air for a moment, then positioned itself in front of Kaela—who, suspicious, threw a small stone against the barrier. The object struck, trembled... and was repelled with force.

"This is...," Kaela murmured.

"A shield," Nyssa said, with a shy smile. "A liquid shield. I... I learned it on my own. After training with Morwynn."

[New Skill Unlocked: Liquid Shield (Nyssa)]

[Description: Conjures a semi-transparent barrier that blocks light physical and magical attacks for up to 5 seconds. Shield breaks if overloaded.]

[Duration: 10 seconds | Cooldown: 30 seconds]

[State: Stable]

Eren crossed his arms and nodded. The gesture was small, almost imperceptible... but to Nyssa, it meant the world.

"Approved."

The slime smiled brighter, returning to her usual form and bubbling softly as she went back to the fire. Morwynn landed silently next to Kaela, who was already arranging stones for the central heat.

In minutes, the camp was functional. A narrow field of vision, but defensible. Enough warmth to not freeze at night, but not strong enough to reveal their presence from afar.

Eren remained seated on one of the rocks, watching the flames. The mind still in motion. The image of Sylha coming and going. The touch. The words. The look.

"You still don’t remember," she had said.

As if she had already been by his side.

The girls slept.

Kaela, lying with her arms crossed under her head, like a sentinel at rest.

Morwynn, partially wrapped in her own web like a cocoon of vigilance.

Only Nyssa remained awake, pretending to sleep near the warmth of the fire.

She watched him with half-closed eyes, her pupils pulsing with faint light. Every movement of his was recorded—the way he remained still for long minutes, like a living statue. How he sometimes didn’t even seem human.

Eren didn’t sleep. He never slept.

She knew that.

What did he do when everyone else fell into slumber? Think? Plan? Daydream? Or just wait for the next threat?

Nyssa slid slowly, trying not to make noise. She settled next to him, but without touching. She wanted him to notice. She wanted it to be natural. She wanted it to be her.

"M-Master..." she said in a low voice.

Eren just turned his face, without speaking.

She swallowed hard.

"You... seem quieter than usual."

"I’m thinking."

"About us?"

Eren didn’t respond. His silence was answer enough.

Nyssa curled up a bit more, molding into a more humanoid shape, her hair falling like thin water strands over her shoulders.

"Do you want... to talk?"

"No."

Another silence. But she didn’t move away. On the contrary, she moved a little closer.

"Then... do you want to come with me? T-To a quieter place?"

Eren shifted his eyes.

"Here is already quiet."

She bit her lower lip. Her eyes shone with a hesitant but determined tone.

"A little more... quiet."

Eren was silent for a few seconds. Then he stood up, without protest. He imagined she would like to talk to him alone. It was natural, all the girls had been pulling him one by one for some time now.

"Okay. Let’s go."

The path Nyssa led was short, just a few meters beyond the fire’s field of view, but it seemed further than it was. Each step of hers was a calculated gesture—not out of strategy, but out of shyness. Her translucent body trembled slightly with each approach, molding more firmly into the humanoid form she so liked to use near Eren.

She led him to a niche of rounded stones covered in lichen, where the trees formed a sort of natural dome. There was no direct light—only the pale reflection of the dormant mana in the environment.

Nyssa stopped. Her hands were clasped in front of her body, her gaze downcast, but furtively curious.

"I-I just wanted to be... with you. Without anyone else around..."

Eren watched her in silence. One of the things he knew he had to do was maintain his monsters; otherwise, they might end up losing affinity with them.

And even without saying a word, Nyssa seemed to understand that he was willing to listen—and perhaps more than that.

Nyssa took a step closer.

The gentle warmth of her body began to radiate in the cold air. Her touch, even before it happened, seemed to prepare the environment.

"C-Can you... touch me?"

She spoke as if offering her own heart.

Eren didn’t respond with words. He simply raised his hand and let his fingers rest on her damp waist. Her gelatinous skin molded to the touch, enveloping his fingers with a living, pulsating warmth. Nyssa gasped.

"A-Ah... it’s always so... good..."

The slime moved even closer, pressing her body against his. Her embrace wasn’t firm like Kaela’s. It was enveloping, like a warm wave embracing bare skin. Her body didn’t resist—it accepted. It molded. Her breasts pressed against his chest with the texture of liquid silk. Her thighs wrapped around his leg like a continuous caress.

Nyssa moaned softly as Eren slid his hand down her back, feeling the ripples of warmth and viscosity her body transmitted. Each movement was accompanied by a sigh or a muffled sound.

"M-Master..."

She whispered it, as if each time she called him that, she melted a little more—literally.

Eren brought his hand to her face, where her softened features quivered under his touch. The slime’s eyes were half-closed, moist with desire and affection. When he ran his thumb over her lower lip, she moaned softly and lightly licked it.

"Mmh... t-taste of you..."

Nyssa leaned in and touched her lips to his—cold at first, but warming with the touch. Her kiss was... slippery. Deep. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a fusion. Her entire body seemed to want to envelop Eren, to cling to him like an extension of himself.

As they kissed, Nyssa began to slide her hands down his body. With slow, wet touches, without pause. Every inch touched was followed by an almost feverish warmth and a small shiver. Eren felt the pressure, the moisture, the constant glide—as if he were being slowly bathed by a warm river.

She murmured between moans:

"I-I want to be useful... I want to make you... s-stay with me forever..."

Eren grabbed her waist, pulling her more forcefully. She moaned loudly this time, throwing her head back, exposing her neck that glowed in shades of soft blue.

He ran his lips over it, feeling the temperature rise beneath the translucent skin. She melted in his hands, literally, but reformed herself. Her body trembled, and every part pressed released a sound—splish, hhnng, ahh, slrp...

"M-Master... t-touch me... wherever... you want..."

The submission was pure. But it wasn’t empty. Nyssa wanted to surrender—as someone who loves, not as someone who obeys. Every touch, every tremor, came with liquid emotion flowing along.

She molded herself to fit better against him, pressing against his hips, her entire body pulsating. Eren felt the pressure—and the warmth. It was like being enveloped by a living essence. She whispered his name between wet, repeated moans all the time.

"Mmh... Eren... Eren..."

The world around faded away. What remained was a body molded by pure desire, a soul surrendering with warm moisture and increasingly muffled moans, and a breath intertwining in the dense forest air.

[Affinity with Nyssa: 100%]

[New Passive: Bond Shield – While Nyssa is protecting Eren, both gain increased magical resistance for 5 seconds after intimate contact]

[Status: Body in sync | Deep emotional bond | Reinforced unity]

After long minutes of muffled moans, moist caresses, and a connection more sensitive than any magic, Nyssa calmed down on him, her body still warm, still molding to his, breathing as if truly alive.

She trembled slightly, the texture of her body reacting to the last waves of pleasure and warmth. Her breath came out irregularly, like small muffled sobs.

"I-I’m sorry if... if I was too much..."

Her voice was weak, sweet, almost a lament—but there was a spark of fear. Not fear of him, but of having gone too far, of having crossed an invisible line that only exists in the mind of someone who loves and doesn’t know how much they can allow themselves.

Eren looked at her, his eyes still shadowed by the mist of desire, but his expression was neutral. A trace of sweat trickled down his temple, and his body, even relaxed, held the tension of someone who rarely truly surrenders.

Then he responded in the only way Nyssa needed:

"You did right."

He thought that at least he had managed to regain his affinity in an environment as hostile as that. This could be useful.

But those three words wrapped around her like a spell. She closed her eyes, smiled... and stayed there.

But not for a few minutes. Not for a brief rest.

She knew.

She knew that Eren didn’t sleep. She knew that even while the world rested, he remained there—always active, always thinking. And for that reason, she decided she would stay too.

The night enveloped them like a veil.

The forest air grew denser, and time seemed to empty.

Nyssa kissed him again.

This time, slower. More intimate. She molded to his body again, wrapping her legs around him, sliding in soft touches over his stomach, arms, and shoulders. Each touch brought a muffled moan, but now more subtle, more prolonged. The pleasure was no longer frantic—it was calm, constant, as if she wanted to memorize every contour of him.

Eren didn’t stop her. He let himself be carried away. With each new venture, each new fusion of bodies, it was as if both forgot where they were.

Nyssa guided with sweetness, but not with hesitation. She was submissive, yet never weak. She knew exactly what she wanted: to be with him until the sun rose — even if the sun never truly shone there.

She moved like a warm current. Her body pulsed around him, pressing in all the right places, adapting to the desires he didn’t voice, but expressed through heat and muscle tension. Her moans filled the space like an almost sacred song, wet, muffled, sometimes broken by a "Eren..." spoken with reverence and surrender.

"You are... so warm... so firm..." she whispered, between kisses. "Can I... can I have you just for a little longer...?"

Eren pulled her by the waist, feeling his muscles melt under her touches. Time ceased to be linear. She made him forget about the threats, the guild, the system. Just for a few hours, there was only the now. And a wet, warm, living body wanting to mold itself to his with all it had.

And so they continued.

Another hour. And another.

She moaned against his neck, her arms and legs wrapping him in liquid caresses. The heat between them rose and fell like tides. With each new cycle, each new peak, the bond seemed to deepen. They were connected by something the system couldn’t explain.

[Affinity: 100% – Stabilized]

[Connection Level: Prolonged Emotional Synchrony]

[Latent Passive: Protective Veil (Nyssa) — During rest with Eren, Nyssa maintains a protective shield in continuous state, reducing magical detection.]

The sky, at last, began to lighten.

But the forest did not change.

Instead of the soft blue of morning, the light filtering through the trees was greenish, like a pane of frosted glass. The shadows remained, stretched, motionless. The branches bent more than usual, as if watching from above.

Nyssa nestled against Eren, breathing slowly, her body still fluctuating in temperature. Even after all that time, she remained there, serene. For the first time in a long while, she seemed complete.

"Eren..." she murmured, her voice broken with exhaustion and affection. "Thank you for... staying."

He did not respond.

But he ran his hand over her head, caressing with firm and silent fingers. The touch wasn’t affectionate. It was acceptance.

She smiled and whispered:

"I’ll stay with you... as long as you want."

And then, slowly, she regrouped. Her body returned to a firmer form but still molded around his leg, as if silently saying "don’t let go."

Only when the sounds of the field began to return — the rustling of leaves, the sound of a branch breaking in the distance — did Eren rise.

The forest no longer seemed nocturnal, but neither did it seem diurnal.

The trees cast no natural shadows. The sky was opaque. The leaves dripped a dark, slow sap. Birds didn’t sing. Insects didn’t hum. It was as if nature itself were... suspended.

"Let’s go." he said.

Nyssa nodded, shyly. She was still breathless but tried to gather herself with a smile. Her body slid off his until it returned to the ground, and she followed him closely, still clinging, but now in silence.

They returned to the makeshift camp unseen. Kaela was waking, rubbing her eyes, her wild hair spread over her shoulders. Morwynn was already waiting for them, sitting and weaving something between her fingers with attentive eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" she said, without looking directly.

Kaela sniffed the air and raised an eyebrow at Eren.

He did not respond.

Nyssa lowered her eyes, but she was smiling.

The night had passed. And something had changed.

Now, it was time to move on.