Later, Elmistrae pulled back, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

Rin, lightheaded and slightly dazed, just blinked at her.

"Did it work?" she rasped, her voice barely a whisper.

Elmistrae studied her intently for a moment.

"Functionally, yes," she finally admitted. "But you…" a flicker of surprise crossed her features, "by all accounts, you should be unconscious right now."

Rin shook her head, the movement slow and deliberate.

"No... I'm okay." It wasn't entirely true. Her body felt slightly hollowed out, a lightness bordering on disorientation.

But, she was nowhere near being unconscious.

Elmistrae's gaze narrowed.

"There's something... different about you, human. Something odd. I can't quite place it, but specifically, your tolerance for Essence transfer is... unusual. I would write it off as just you having a strange resilience that others don't, but this fact coupled with your passive ability and, well... Something is off."

Rin managed a weak smile.

"Maybe that's why I passively give it off in the first place. I can resist exchanges well."

"I hardly believe the Divine brought you to this world purposefully to please succubi like me," she cackled. But, then, Elmistrae nodded slowly, her earlier flirtatious demeanor replaced by a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps." A predatory glint returned to her eyes. "Regardless, the experiment has proven successful. Rin, I have a very important question to ask."

"Go ahead."

"Will you continue helping me like this?" Rin's brows shot up. "Though this was not enough for long-term sustenance, it was more than enough to keep me running for a few days. Plus, you are from Libera, are you not?"

"I am."

"Then, what do you say? It's not like it would be hard to find one another."

Rin took a deep breath, forcing herself to appear more in control than she felt.

"Yes," she bargained, "but only if there's something in it for me too."

"By all means, what do you need?"

"I'll get back to you on that. But, the gist of it is that I... There's a group of people I'm hunting. You've probably seen their name pop up once or twice on the news, the Scorned. I figure a couple as wealthy as you and Harlan must have some connections..."

"I would agree with that."

"So, what do you think? I, uh, help 'feed' you every now and then, and you help me out when I need information."

A slow smile spread across the succubus's face.

"An intriguing proposition," she purred. "Very well. I agree."

They shook hands on it.

"The rest of this expedition is pointless, wouldn't you agree? Come, let's head back to the others."

Rin couldn't help but agree.

As Elmistrae stood, offering her a hand, Rin couldn't help but wonder what she'd gotten herself into.

But one thing was certain, she'd gained an ally.

And, given the caliber of her enemies, Rin needed as many of those as she could get.

---

Together, they walked back towards the ruined structure, the weight of their newfound connection hanging heavy in the air.

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As they approached, they saw the others gathered near a cluster of cages.

Inside, Mr. Harlan and his men sat slumped, their faces etched with disbelief and a dawning sense of fear.

Cara, arms crossed, stood beside them.

"What happened?" Rin asked, her voice a touch hoarse.

Cara's gaze flickered between Rin and Elmistrae, a flicker of understanding passing between them.

"Mr. Harlan's little expedition, launched under false pretenses, got people killed," she explained grimly. "We'll be pressing charges against him as soon as we head back into town. And... You."

Her eyes moved to the woman standing near Rin.

It was clear she wasn't too happy about her involvement in all this.

Rin glanced at Elmistrae, expecting to see anger flare in the succubus's eyes.

Instead, Elmistrae met her gaze with an emotion Rin couldn't quite decipher. It wasn't sadness, nor was it defiance. It was a chilling indifference.

"Meh, he deserves it," Elmistrae finally spoke, her voice devoid of warmth. "Harlan is an actual murderer after all."

Rin blinked.

"What?"

"Oh, he killed quite a large number of people," she gestured vaguely towards the cages. "Those who shared my company before. He'd bring them to me and kill them afterward."

"What!? Why?"

"Because he could not handle the idea that I might leave him."

"And you just let that happen?" Cara asked. "You're not helping your case."

"What else could I do?" Elmistrae asked. "As much as I found his actions distasteful, without him, I literally would just die, right?"

Rin stared at Elmistrae, a horrifying truth settling in her stomach.

"This is why I was so insistent upon us undertaking this project. I was sick of it. I couldn't merely stop him because I needed the help, but now," Elmistrae continued, her gaze locking with Rin's, "I have found a different solution. A more… agreeable one."

Cara looked back and forth between them, eventually settling for a glare at Rin.

Rin mouthed, "I'll explain later."

"We've… worked something out," Elmistrae said, turning to address the wider group. "There's no further need for this expedition. You're all free to return home. And, you know," she nodded toward Cara, "you'll have a very hard time getting Harlan behind bars without help."

Cara raised a brow.

"What exactly can you do to help with that?"

"We can discuss that back in Libera. We'll work something out, surely."

At that moment, Harlan crawled forward.

"E-Elmistrae, m-my lady, what are you doing?" He looked up at her with disbelief in his pupils. "Surely, you won't-"

"Save your breath," Elmistrae told him. "I've hated you for quite a long time, Mr. Harlan. Why wouldn't I do this?"

---

The morning sun cast long shadows across the ruined structure. A sense of frenetic activity filled the air.

The others were busy packing their belongings, the expedition abruptly cut short by the revelation of Mr. Harlan's true motives and Elmistrae's surprising solution.

Rin lingered near the edge of the camp, her gaze lingering on Elmistrae.

The woman was now openly sitting amongst them, not caring about the looks and glares sent her way.

She seemed… different. There was a newfound calmness in her eyes, a weight lifted from her shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Rin sought out Dylan.

He stood by a lone tree, sharpening daggers.

"Hey," Rin greeted, her voice hesitant.

He looked up. The boy was clearly surprised to see her.

"Morning... Everything packed?" He asked, a little awkwardly.

"Almost," she replied, stepping closer. "Listen, about last night…"

Dylan's smile softened.

"Don't worry, I won't pry. You certainly don't owe me explanations."

Rin shook her head.

"It's not that. Actually, I…" she hesitated, unsure how to phrase her question. "What did you think about what Elmistrae said? I mean, given that... You know..."

Dylan paused, his gaze flickering to Elmistrae for a fleeting moment.

Then, he met Rin's eyes, his expression turning serious.

"Honestly? I related to it." He sighed, lowering his daggers.

"Really?"

"Being an incubus isn't a very pleasant experience a lot of the time. I've done things…" He sighed. "Things I'm not proud of, all to survive. If she's found a way to regulate herself through you, then… good for her." He shrugged, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

"Maybe," Rin ventured cautiously, "maybe, uh... You-"

The words almost escaped her lips before she could stop them, but Dylan cut her off.

Dylan chuckled, a dry humorless sound.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart. Even if it would work, I'm not interested in making you sleep with a sex you're not attracted to."

Rin's eyes widened.

"I mean, it's fairly easy to tell what team you play for," Dylan said with a smirk. "You wear your emotions on your sleeve. Anyway, don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine."

His words held a gentleness that surprised her.

"I-I see," she whispered, feeling a warmth bloom in her chest at the boy's kindness that had little to do with the rising sun.

"Thank you for the offer, Rin," he countered. "We should work together sometime."

"Yeah," Rin smiled. "I'd like that."

He winked, then turned back to his daggers, a thoughtful expression etched on his face.

Rin lingered for a moment longer, the weight of his words settling in.

After speaking with Dylan, Rin wandered through the camp, the weight of his words and the whirlwind of the previous night settling in.

She caught Alea's eye. The once arrogant classmate now held a different glint in her gaze, a spark of newfound knowledge or perhaps even ambition.

Maria and Cara worked diligently, packing supplies with a renewed sense of purpose. The rest of Rin's classmates helped with that.

Rin glanced down at her own hands, the lingering warmth from Elmistrae's touch a stark reminder of the extraordinary events that had transpired.

In the midst of it all, a single question echoed in the quiet corners of her mind:

Who, or what, was Rin truly?

The answer remained shrouded in mystery, but she hoped she'd get it one day.