“Today, I saw nothing, heard nothing, and knew nothing,” the guide Iris said. “We wandered into this beautiful waterfall, and we relaxed until sunset.”

The Monster Girl Iris looked around. Imposing hills enclosed the waterfall while lush greenery covered all trails. Cascading water muffled any noises that could have leaked, creating milky vapours, and cooling the remote atmosphere.

“No one will look for us, find us, or know what we did,” the Monster Girl Iris smirked. “Say, Iris, what should we do?”

Parmin sighed. She didn’t need to consult the Red Threads to know what Iris was thinking; just her look and tone betrayed her wicked thoughts.

The confused and nervous guide turned to Parmin for help, but Parmin’s still countenance offered her no consolation. Her tense legs wanted to step back, but her code of conduct forbade her from displeasing her clients.

At heart, she was a guide, a matchmaker, and the other Iris was her precious client.

The guide stepped forward, deeply inhaling. “I can cite the confidentiality code between the guide and their customers, but it won’t stop me from slipping up. Please do what you must.”

“Memory manipulation is a delicate art. There might be unintentional side effects. There won’t be any need for it if you agree to become mine.”

“Yes!” The guide perked up. Her excited tone contrasted with her nervous eyes. “Will I someday learn magic too?”

The Monster Girl Iris, taken back, broke her flirting expression. Her eyebrows arched downward. Her mouth opened agape but spoke nothing; this unexpected direction flustered her. She was supposed to lead her victim on and on until they reluctantly offered her their most prized possession, their heart.

“Enough with the teasing.” Chuckling, Parmin clapped her hands. The guide’s wet clothes fluttered, the moisture within them evaporating. “Iris, our dear guide, my girlfriend merely teases you. We won’t erase your memory, nor will we enslave you. But, can we trouble you not to speak of this incident?”

The guide was about to nod when she realised: would the other Iris be satisfied with this? She turned to the other Iris, whose face had grown pink, filled with uncertainty and embarrassment.

“We’ll do as Parmin said.” The Monster Girl Iris averted her eyes. “Have you finished inspecting the waterfall? I want to soak my fatigue away.”

“I haven’t, but knowing that you two are both magic users . . . my childish concerns must have amused you.”

“Your concerns aren’t childish. They are basic courtesy you lent to us.” Parmin got up, grasped the Monster Girl Iris’s hand, and walked to the guide. “There are a few clothes I can lend to you, but you are also free not to change. After all, a spell is enough to keep you dry and tidy.”

The guide observed Parmin’s figure and then her own modest body. The size didn’t match, but . . . the other Iris’s resembled hers.

“I’d like to change my clothes,” the guide said. “Iris, can I have your clothes? Lady Parmin’s size is . . . incompatible.”

“It’s called modest,” Parmin said. “You’re still growing, and they’re already a handful, aren’t they?”

“Parmin, what are you insinuating?” The Monster Girl Iris raised her right hand. The Virtual Space Ring glowed, sending out a pack of greenish swimsuits. “They might look revealing, but at least they cover all your precious parts.”

The guide accepted the present, walked to hide behind a large boulder, and changed her clothes. The rubber fabrics sticking to her skin tickled her. As she moved, the cooling winds of the waterfall caressed her body, sending chills throughout her exposed flesh.

Breathing in, breathing out, she adjusted her mind. Pinkness on her cheeks subsided. These clothes allowed for comfortable movement; their lack of coverage was a necessary sacrifice. Besides . . . getting seen by those two, it wasn’t that bad, was it?

“How do I look?” The guide came out from the boulder. As her eyes glimpsed at her clients, her breathing ceased.

Despite their similar attires, the two Irises differed in their temperaments. They expressed different charms, one of alluring mystery, other of glimmering purity. The Monster Girl Iris held her bosom high, her eyes conveying confidence, her lips beaming with natural grace. The guide Iris exuded a meek air, her legs shaking, her cheeks flushing, her essence inviting protection and compassion.

“It’s fascinating how you look the same yet differ in your disposition.” Parmin covered her mouth and laughed. “I wish I could have both of you and not just one. Am I too greedy?”

Unlike the two Irises, who donned cute two pieces, Parmin wore a one-piece with a thin, translucent silk dress that, despite concealing her skin, exposed her curvaceous silhouette. As she laughed, she rhythmically swayed, her earthly aura permeating her movements.

“It seems words alone aren’t going to reach you.” The Monster Girl Iris flicked her right wrist. Her Corruption Power surged around Parmin, grew tangible, and hurled Parmin into the water.

The impact sent water flying upward, creating screens of vapours. Their reflective surfaces glowed, illuminating the waterfall with heavenly quality. Disrupted by the quake, the serene jungle wobbled. Leaves, flowers, and vines fell from their places, painting the air with shades of nature.

The guide Iris, her face pale, rushed to the waterfall. For a moment, she forgot about Parmin’s being a magic user. She wanted to scream at the other Iris, but Parmin’s safety came first. When she arrived near the body of water, her legs halted, and a strange expression appeared on her face.

On a floating platform made of colourful thin threads, Parmin lazily lay. Her right hand held a flower stem, her right hand supporting her head. As the glittering mist swirled around her, she tilted her head and flashed a brilliant, heart-grasping smile.

“Lady Parmin?” the guide Iris said, her voice trembling.

She turned to the other Iris, who stood behind her. The Monster Girl Iris glared at Parmin’s infuriating, infatuating smile and found herself powerless, at the mercy of her devilish beloved.

“It’s not fair,” she said. “I can’t even get you wet if you don’t want to.”

“Become stronger, stronger than I could ever be.”

“Don’t regret it later.”

“Until then, let me play with your heart so that my mark will always remain inside you. Always.” Parmin pointed at the Monster Girl Iris. Countless red threads materialised and captured Iris, who futilely struggled.

Despite using her Corruption Power, her Transformation Phase ability couldn’t stop herself from getting flung onto Parmin’s mature, delicate body. Like a cute doll, she rested on the soft pillow-like breasts, her face agitated, her breathing restless.

The guide Iris yelped and covered her eyes, yet her vision slipped through the gaps between her fingers, shamefully peeking at the sensual couple caressing each other not with their hands but with their flesh. Did they forget she was still here? Were they inviting her? How come she couldn’t take her eyes off them?

Against her judgement, she stepped into the river. The cold currents coursed around her legs but failed to numb her heart. Only faint heat exuded by the intertwining bodies stirred her heart. She had never seen such an erotic, forbidden scene before; she wished to be a part of it, to taste for once the taboo, and to experience the fantasy she indulged in.

As the guide Iris approached, the Monster Girl Iris gazed at her and saw the pair of cloudy, intoxicated pupils. Seeing such muddled behaviour, the Monster Girl Iris frowned. Though her irresistible charm could blind her targets, she had suppressed her power when dealing with ordinary people. She couldn’t have enchanted this Iris, and Parmin, too, wouldn’t engage in such a distasteful act.

The Monster Girl Iris pushed herself away from Parmin. Her body lightly flew through the cooling air, landing on the rippling water surface. Her blue Corruption Power burst upwards, tainting the surrounding dark azure.

Vapours in the air flickered like magical orbs in a mirrorless dark room. They produced bright radiance that blinded the world, disrupted energy flow, and marked everything they touched with Iris’s tracking spell.

As Parmin caught the guide Iris and embraced her tightly, the Monster Girl Iris sprung from the water, shooting towards a particular direction, where all tracking magic failed to penetrate. Rustling leaves and bellowing winds danced chaotically, concealing an escaping shadowy figure.

Iris’s human appearance melted. Her slimy hands swung forward, sending sticky droplets infused with her Corruption Power. Purple tentacles surged outward and pierced through the flying leaves and petals, but they failed to constrict the hidden enemy. As they got close, their movement became sluggish, numbed by the magical freezing temperature.

“Show yourself!” Iris shouted. Her clear, wondrous voice echoed throughout the jungle. Flowers blossomed, bushes swayed, and the plants woke up from their slumber. Following her tone, they caught the twisting blurry figure.

Though the coldness froze the plants, they still left behind ice walls, obstructing all paths. The figure, shrouded in distortive layers of chill, turned around and stared at Iris. Her eyes, blazing with surprise, betrayed no alarm.

Uneasiness befell Iris, who narrowed her eyes. Her body turned dark. Black Corruption Power flooded out of her core. Everything darkened as the shadow stirred from the ground, morphing into countless ethereal hands. These palms clung to the intruder, whose glimmers revealed the pinkness of her delicate, snowy impression.

Stopped by choices and forces, the two maintained eye contact and silence. Iris’s pearly eyes penetrated the concealment, gazing upon the pair of grey, cloudy eyes. They returned Iris a hint of fascination, of trembling excitement such that Iris wondered what delight could result from this encounter.

“Who are you?” Iris said. “Why didn’t you fight back?”

The mist surrounding the figure dissipated. Her white hair weaved through the world, guarding her fragile body against the harshness of the outside world. She raised her right hand and reached forward, though she couldn’t touch Iris.

“I thought you need a little push to open your heart, but it seems I’ve ruined your everything,” the white-haired lady said.

“What did you do to her?” Iris glanced at the other Iris, who fell asleep in Parmin’s arms. “She isn’t a magical creation, but she is like me.”

The white-haired lady pulled back her right hand and pressed it on her chest. Her white dress, fluttering with her delicate movement, faintly glittered. “Do you believe in Fate?”

“Fate is but a shackle, an invisible chain. I don’t believe in absolute.”

“She, too, doesn’t believe in absolute.” The white-haired lady smiled. “If you ask for it, she will give you her heart. A Monster Girl and a human, isn’t this true love?”

Iris shivered. This talk about love . . . it was too similar to a certain Monster Girl. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to realise your affection, to accept your feeling. I mean no harm, unlike the one who put the Mark of Love onto you.”

“You know Nupian?” Iris held her hands close to her chest. Her engagement ring glowed.

“When you reach the True Master Tier—Solidification Phase for you of Corrupted Races—you can touch upon the ripples of the world. Such ripples carry secrets shared with the sky.”

The white-haired lady waved her hand. Her silver eyes flashed, and the vines, shadow, and all magic ceased their movement. The coldness nearing absolute zero engulfed her, though Iris, who stood near, suffered no distress. If she wished Iris harm, Iris wouldn’t even know what killed her.

“You . . . are you here for the Mark of Love inside me? Can you take it off me?” Iris resisted the urge to step back as she stopped channelling her Corruption Power. “If you promise not to harm my friends, I can tell you everything I know about Nupian.”

“Unfortunately, I’m weaker than her. If I erase her Mark of Love, I’ll be alerting her of my presence. Such recklessness is detrimental to your survival, isn’t it?”

“Are you going to wed me?” Iris faintly blushed. Something about this silver maiden gripped her heart. Despite knowing that such aura was simply the byproduct of her powerful existence, Iris found it difficult to negate its effect.

The white-haired lady shook her head. “Though I endorse the romance of the Corrupted and the Pure, I’m not your soulmate. You should marry those with whom you vow to spend your life.”

“You’re going to force me to marry Parmin and that girl?” Iris narrowed her eyes. “What will happen to them once they marry me?”

“They will gain a life-long companion. As for me, I’ll gain the residue of your love, an invisible scent that your flower of eternal adoration releases. With it, I can elevate my Domain and eventually transcend my limit.

“That Nupian should also be walking the same path as me, but instead of nurturing them, she seizes them.”

The white-haired lady shifted her gaze to the direction of the centre of Donhalgen. Her soft brows furrowed, expressing her reluctance. She wanted to talk with Iris more, clarify her reasons, and request her cooperation, but time wasn’t on her side.

“Our unexpected meeting ends now, Iris.” She sighed. “Please return to your date. It’s a mistake to rush your process; take it slowly, tenderly.”

“Where are you going?” Iris walked forward and reached out.

Her hands almost touched the white-haired lady, yet they couldn’t feel her. Her beautiful body dissolved into snowflakes, which scattered in all directions, dissipating her presence, magic, and traces from this lonely jungle.