Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

Kiyomi leaned against one of the courtyard pillars, her golden eyes glinting in the fading sunlight as Cain and Maris squared off in the center of the Training Ground. Her tails swayed lazily behind her, the picture of relaxed confidence, but her expression carried that familiar smirk everyone expected of her.

Playful. Mischievous. Unbothered.

That was what people saw when they looked at Kiyomi. That was what she wanted them to see.

Inside, however, she felt the dull gnawing in her chest again, a hunger that never seemed to fade no matter how many magic cores she consumed or how many gullible men she tricked with her illusions. She hated the hunger. Hated what it made her feel. Hated what it made her do.

The hunger was a constant reminder of what she was.

A Kitsune.

It wasn't the charm magic or the fox tails or even the heightened senses that bothered her. It was the need for Essence. Her body required it like air or water, but the easiest way to collect it was through intimacy. Her entire being was built for it, every curve, every motion, every coy smile designed to tempt and lure. Men always fell for it, too.

But Kiyomi couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't give herself to anyone just because her body demanded it. So she found ways around it.

She would craft illusions, weaving fantasies for men who lusted after her, making them believe they were touching her when they never were. They would wake exhausted, convinced their fatigue was from the intensity of their night together, never realizing she had simply taken a measure of their blood and Essence while they were trapped in her spell.

It was enough to keep her alive. Barely.

But it was never enough to silence the hunger.

She hunted monsters too, especially the ones with magic cores rich enough to dull the pain in her chest for a few days. The cores kept her sane, kept her moving, but she could never escape the emptiness entirely.

And now, standing in the courtyard, she felt something she had never felt before.

Her golden eyes locked on Cain.

The amount of Essence radiating from him was staggering. It was like standing near the heart of a roaring fire after days in the cold. Just being near him made her senses sharpen, her hunger scream inside her. It was instinctive, primal. She wanted it. Needed it.

Kiyomi's tails flicked behind her as she forced herself to focus on the mock duel instead of the pulse of energy coming off Cain.

Maris moved first.

The violet-scaled warrior darted forward, her spear a blur as she thrust and spun with precision. Cain shifted smoothly, his Blink skill carrying him out of reach in bursts of speed that made him seem to vanish and reappear between strikes. The sharp sound of metal striking stone rang out whenever Maris's spear missed its mark.

Cain kept dodging, his expression calm, unreadable. He moved like a man who knew exactly where each strike would land before it even came close to him. Maris was fast, her attacks relentless, but Cain was always one step ahead, always just out of reach.

Kiyomi tilted her head, watching the play of muscle beneath Cain's shirt as he slipped around another thrust. Her lips curled into a faint smile, though she felt the hunger rising again. It was worse when she was near him. Her whole body reacted to the Essence pouring off him like steam from boiling water.

She pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth and forced the feeling down.

Control. She always needed control.

Cain finally spoke as he sidestepped another vicious strike that cracked the stone where he had been standing a moment earlier.

"You're pretty strong," he said calmly, almost conversationally, like they were discussing the weather instead of trading blows.

Maris only grunted in response, golden eyes blazing with effort as she tightened her grip on her spear. She didn't speak, didn't rise to his remark, just kept pressing the attack with sharp precision.

Kiyomi cupped her hands around her mouth. "That silence means she agrees with you!" she called out, her voice carrying across the Training Ground.

Maris's tail lashed behind her, but she didn't look away from Cain. Her next strike came even faster, a sweeping arc aimed at his legs that forced him to Blink backward in a flicker of motion.

Kiyomi laughed softly to herself, the sound light and teasing, exactly what everyone expected from her. She let them think she was just amused by the fight. That she was just the playful rogue who never took anything seriously.

No one ever questioned the mask.

Not when she smiled like that.

She leaned back against the pillar again, golden eyes following Cain as he finally countered, his sword flashing once, twice, forcing Maris to twist her spear into a defensive stance. He never overextended, never left himself open, but Kiyomi could tell he was holding back just as much as Maris was.

Her tails shifted restlessly behind her as the hunger clawed at her insides. She imagined, just for a moment, what it would feel like to touch that Essence pouring off him. To draw it in. To silence the constant ache that never left her body.

She closed her eyes briefly and let out a slow breath. No. She wasn't some starving animal. She wouldn't lose herself like that.

The fight in the center of the Training Ground slowed. Maris backed up a step, her chest rising and falling with exertion. Cain lowered his sword slightly, eyes sharp but calm. Neither of them spoke at first, the only sound the faint wind cutting across the open courtyard.

Finally, Cain nodded once. "You have skill," he said simply.

Maris gave another grunt, her expression unreadable, but she didn't argue.

Kiyomi smiled again, sharp and amused, tails flicking behind her. "See? Silence. That means she agrees with you," she called out again, her voice sing-song.

This time Maris shot her a glare, but Kiyomi only widened her smile, pretending not to notice the way the dragon girl's tail lashed with irritation.

It was easier to play the fool.

Easier to let them think she was nothing but a mischievous rogue with nothing on her mind but teasing and tricks.

Easier than letting anyone see the hunger she fought every single day.

The mock duel ended, Cain and Maris stepping apart without another word. Mira clapped once, brisk and businesslike, already giving instructions for the next exercise.

Kiyomi stayed where she was, leaning against the pillar, smiling faintly as if nothing in the world could trouble her.

But inside, the hunger still burned.

It always did.