As Mika looked down at Fauna, trembling on her knees, clutching the fallen feathersâhe felt a quiet thrill.
âThe bait has been cast.â He thought. âThe fish has bitten. Now...itâs time to reel her in.â
He schooled his expression into one of pure, innocent concern.
"Fauna...?" He asked softly, voice gentle and worried. "Whatâs wrong? Why do you look like that? Is it really that difficult a request? Is it that seriousâthat itâs brought you to your knees?"
He let out a small, reassuring chuckle.
"If itâs something like traveling to an unknown realm and fighting some otherworldly nightmare monster, thatâs no big deal. You can leave it to me."
"Or if we have to dive hundreds of kilometers into the deepest ocean trench for a rare herbâthat sounds like fun! We could make it a mother-son expedition. An adventure together. Iâd love that."
Fauna looked up at him, eyes still glistening with tears, but now softened by overwhelming affection.
His wordsâso positive, so innocent, so eager to turn even a crisis into something they could share melted her heart.
Even now, facing what he believed was a life-threatening condition, he was thinking of her. Of them.
She managed a watery smile.
Hearing his adorable offer, she slowly rose to her feet, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
"If it really was something like that..." She said, voice thick with emotion. "...then I wouldnât be on my knees right now. Iâd be excited. Weâd go together, just like you said."
"A mother-and-son adventure...Iâd love that too."
Her smile then faded.
She clutched the notebook tighter against her chest.
"But this...this is something much, much, much worse."
She took a hesitant step closer, cheeks flushing deeper.
"Itâs not hard at all. Itâs...simple. If we werenât mother and son, if we were just...some other man and woman, it would be easy. Normal, even."
She pressed the notebook to her mouth, muffling her words, voice trembling with shame.
"But because of who we are...this prescription...itâs embarrassing. Not just a littleâreally, really, really embarrassing. Shameful. Taboo. Something a mother and son should never, ever do."
She shook her head, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Itâs so absurd it feels like a cruel prank. Like the heavens are mocking me."
Inside, Mika had to fight back a smirk.
âA prank?â He thought. âYeah, it is. A extremely stupid, perfect prank. And Iâm going to make it work.â
But outwardly, he kept his expression hesitant, almost frightened.
"Fauna..." He said carefully, voice wavering just enough. "What is it? Now youâre scaring me too. What exactly is this solution youâre so afraid of?"
"I...I donât even want to say it!" She squeaked. "Itâs so wrong! Itâs too scary even for me!"
But Mika reached out and gently took her hand, squeezing reassuringly.
"Fauna." He said firmly, channeling calm authority. "Youâre a doctor. Itâs your duty. Even if a patient has a terminal illnessâone month left to liveâyou have to tell them the truth, no matter how painful. Thatâs what healers do."
He gave her an encouraging smile.
"Channel your spirit. Be brave. Tell me what it is."
His words struck deep.
Fauna felt a surge of resolveâmaternal, professional, inspired.
She took a long, shaky breath.
Closed her eyes for a moment.
Then opened them, meeting his gaze with trembling determination.
"Donât...Donât judge me while I say this, okay?" She whispered. "Just listen."
Mika nodded solemnly.
Fauna clutched the notebook like a lifeline.
"From what Iâve read...the reaction in your body is caused by an unknown compound wreaking havoc. We already figured that part out."
She swallowed.
"And the solution to neutralize it...thatâs the difficult part."
She glanced at him, then away.
"No serum, no antidote, no medicine or virus we inject will work. Theyâll pass right throughâunrecognized, ineffective. Normal methods are useless against this substance."
Mika nodded slowly, listening intently.
"But..." Fauna continued, voice growing quieter. "Even though your body canât recognize the compound and no machine or external agent can...the compound recognizes itself."
Mika raised an eyebrow, while Fauna hurried on.
"Itâs self-aware, in a way. So the prescription says...we have to extract a portion of it. Re-engineer and modify it so that, when re-injected, it doesnât merge back and continue the damageâbut instead attacks and destroys the original compound."
"Basically self-destruction from within."
Mika put on a thoughtful expression.
"Kind of like a vaccine." He said slowly. "Take a weakened or modified version of the pathogen, introduce it so the bodyâor in this case, the compound itself fights back."
Fauna nodded eagerly.
"Exactly." She whispered. "Thatâs exactly it. You take a sample, re-engineer it to become antagonistic, and introduce it backâso it fights and destroys the original compound."
Mika tilted his head, expression thoughtful.
"Thatâs brilliant." He said. "But...how do we even extract it? You said nothing can detect or interact with itânot even your blessing fully. So how are we supposed to get a sample and modify it?"
Faunaâs hand in his suddenly grew burning hot.
Her face turned the color of a ripe tomatoâflushed, steaming with embarrassment.
She couldnât meet his eyes.
"That..." She whispered, voice barely audible. "...Thatâs the part thatâs really embarassing."
Fauna looked up at Mika shyly, her eyes flickering with a storm of embarrassment and resolve.
"As for the re-engineering part..." She began, voice barely above a whisper. "I can do that myself. Because of my blessing, my body is completely immune to any poison, venom, aphrodisiacâany foreign substance. Nothing can harm me."
"And once the compound enters my body, it will be neutralized instantly...and converted into its exact opposite. A healing agent that will fight the original substance naturally."
Mikaâs eyes widened in genuine-sounding awe.
"Wow, Faunaâthatâs amazing. I didnât even know you could do something like that."
Fauna gave a small, timid shake of her head.
"I...I didnât know either. Not until now. The prescription revealed it."
She took a hesitant breath.
"But thatâs...thatâs the easy part. The part you donât have to worry about."
Her voice dropped even lower.
"The difficult partâthe part thatâs impossibleâis how we extract the compound from you in the first place. And how we send the converted version back."
Mika tilted his head, brow furrowing in confusion.
"Is it really that hard?" He asked. "Canât you just take a blood sample from me, use your blessing on it to convert it, then inject the modified blood back through an IV?"
Fauna shook her head slowly, cheeks burning.
"Itâs not that simple. The moment the compound leaves your body, it dies. Becomes inert. We need it aliveâactiveâso the converted version can fight the original when reintroduced."
She swallowed hard.
"And the conversion has to happen inside my body. It canât be done externally."
Mikaâs confusion deepened.
"But...how? Even transferring compounds between bodies needs some medium. You canât just go from body to body withoutâ"
Faunaâs whole body trembled.
This was the part she had been dreading mostâthe taboo core of the divine prescription.
She could barely look at him.
But his lifeâhis safetyâdepended on it.
And seeing the earnest, waiting look in his eyes, the quiet trust...she gathered every shred of courage.
"There is a place..." She whispered, voice shaking. "...where the substance is converging right now. Where all the blood and mana in your body is being forcibly redirected."
Her gaze dropped to the towering erection still throbbing between them.
She pointed with a trembling finger.
"Right there. Your...Your penis."
Mika blinked, processing, as Fauna rushed on, words tumbling out in a mortified rush.
"Itâs similar to how you treated the sisters earlier! Mika!"
"The aphrodisiac was released through repeated...climaxes. Here, the compound will be expelled the same wayâthrough your semen."
"And when you...release...a portion of the substance will come out with it."
Mika glanced down at his rigid shaft, then gave it a casual shake as if testing.
"So...as long as I jerk off a bit and let it out, part of the compound leaves with it?"
Fauna nodded, face flaming.
"Exactly. Strange as it is...itâs a mixture of intensified aphrodisiac effects, after all."
She took a shaky breath.
"Then...I have to take that released substance directly into my body. Immediately. While itâs still alive. To convert it."
Mikaâs eyes trembled slightlyâperfectly feigned realization dawning.
"Hold on...directly into your body? You mean..."
Fauna nodded, barely able to meet his gaze.
"Yes. It has to enter through one of my...natural openings. Either..." She touched her delicate lips with trembling fingers. "...through my mouth. Or..." Her hand drifted lower, resting just above her womb. "...into my...vagina."
Mika stared at her for a long moment, letting the weight sink in until finally he spoke.
"So basically..." He said slowly, voice laced with disbelief. "youâd have to...suck me offâkeep going until I finish in your mouth or Iâd have to...have sex with my own mother. And creampie you."
Fauna burst out, mortified.
"Donât say it like that!" She cried, face flaming. "Donât say it in such a crude, embarrassing way, you naughty, naughty boy!"
In her fluster, she reached out and lightly slapped the side of his erectionâscolding it as if it were the source of all the mischief.
Mika jerked slightly at the contact, but kept his expression innocently shocked.
Fauna then took a shaky breath, trying to regain composure.
"But...it gets worse." She whispered.
"Worse?" Mika echoed.
She nodded miserably.
"Once Iâve converted the compound inside my body, I have to return the h-healing agent to you the same way. Through direct bodily fluid exchange. No outside contact. No tools."
She looked up at him, eyes pleading.
"So you would have to take my fluids back into your body. Either..." She caressed her lips again. "...through a deep kissâmouth to mouth, exchanging saliva or..."
Her voice dropped to almost nothing.
"...I would have to release it into you your mouth. The same way you release into me."
Mika stared, letting the weight sink in.
"And...itâs not just once or twice." Fauna continued, voice breaking. "Like with the sisters you had to make them climax repeatedly to fully purge the aphrodisiac. Here...we have to keep going as well."
"Multiple times. Exchanging fluids back and forth until every trace of the compound is neutralized."
She leaned against him heavily, trembling, clinging to his arm for support.
"Only then will you be fully healed. The pressure will stop and you wonât be at risk of...of exploding."
"Or...atleast thatâs what the prescription said."