The sound that rolled out from the pleasure house was not a moan, nor a scream... it was a choral cry of ecstasy, so pure and radiant it might've been mistaken for the song of angels.

Inside, the Saint Sister straddled Pip, her face tilted toward the heavens, golden hair a tangled crown of rapture, tears streaming down her cheeks as Pip worked his magical hips. Her body trembled with every ripple of pleasure coursing through her.

Outside, the courtyard had become a gathering ground.

Monks in flowing white robes, robed cultists with glowing tattoos, even a few confused townsfolk had formed a massive semicircle facing the house. They chanted his name… "Praise the Divine One!" Clapping hands and singing hymns composed over the last few days by his rapidly growing following.

Each time a fresh cry of bliss escaped from within the house, a hush fell. And then, as though on cue, the crowd erupted into renewed cheers, some collapsing to their knees, hands raised to the sky. A few nearby vendors had already set up makeshift stalls selling Pip-themed candles and soaps.

Vuvi stood at the door, leaning against the frame, arms crossed and a flask in hand.

"I feel like I'm running a religious festival," she muttered.

Veena appeared beside her, carrying a small parcel. "You're not wrong."

Vuvi took a long sip. "Two weeks on the road suddenly sounds like a vacation."

Veena chuckled. "You sure you're okay? You've been twitchier than usual."

Vuvi hesitated. Her smirk faded into something tired. She looked out over the cheering crowd, then down at her drink.

"I always knew… the day I activated Pip and left home… I knew he'd change things," she said quietly. "I knew he was special. But this?"

She motioned toward the crowd.

"This wasn't part of the plan. I wanted to help women, sure. Make some coin. Build a brand. Not… start cults. Get summoned by church leaders. Get targeted by demon baronesses."

Veena placed a hand on her arm. "And yet here we are."

Vuvi gave a hollow laugh. "Yeah. Here we are."

Another otherworldly moan echoed from inside the house.

Both women paused.

Then giggled.

"For all the stress this brings," Vuvi said, eyes softening, "hearing someone be that happy... yeah. Kinda makes it all worth it."

She turned to Veena. "Sorry for being moody."

Veena pulled her into a quick hug. "It's fine. As long as we've got our fearless, slightly drunk leader, we'll manage."

But then… a rumble.

The house shook.

Just a little. Barely a tremor. But enough to jostle the lanterns hanging from the porch beams.

They both turned toward the source.

Another rumble. This one stronger.

From inside, the sound of furniture scraping. A low, strange hum rising like a choir from deep beneath the floorboards.

"What the hell—" Vuvi started, bolting inside.

They collided at the stairs with Penelo, Lula, and Sera, all shouting at once. Zora floated behind, his jaw unhinged and eyes wide.

"It's Pip!" Penelo gasped. "Something's happening!"

"I told you something was glowing upstairs!" Lula yelled.

RUMMMMBLE.

Mika and Xenara, perched on the roof nearby, snapped to attention. They turned toward the epicenter of energy.

Xenara leaned forward to peek through a window, then gasped. Her eyes widened like dinner plates. "Oh gods—"

She fell backward, tumbling off the roof and landing in a bush.

Mika stepped forward, peering through the glass. The holy light within hit her like a slap to the face. She staggered back, her halo flickering, golden wings twitching in alarm.

"Holy shit," she breathed. "He's ascending."

Vuvi kicked the bedroom door open, and an explosion of blinding radiance met her.

A column of pure white and gold surged upward from Pip's chest, bursting through the ceiling. Every surface in the room glowed. The furniture had been thrown against the walls. The air buzzed with static.

In the center of the room, Pip floated above the bed, arms splayed, head thrown back. The Saint Sister knelt beneath him, her face bathed in tears, hands clasped in prayer.

She looked... thoroughly blessed.

"PIP!" Vuvi screamed, covering her eyes. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

But he didn't respond.

His eyes glowed white. His limbs jerked. The divine crystal at the center of his chest pulsed erratically.

"Something's wrong!" Veena shouted behind her. "He's not in control!"

Sera tried to step closer but was thrown back by a pulse of force.

Zora conjured a barrier to block a flying chair.

Then…

BOOM.

A final pulse. Energy erupted outward in a tidal wave, blasting everyone back.

And then…

Silence.

Smoke curled from the floorboards. The lights flickered. The humming stopped.

Vuvi groaned, sitting up. Her head throbbed.

Her eyes found the bed… and she froze.

Pip lay there.

No, pieces of Pip.

His limbs were scattered. His torso split open. Sparks crackled from his spine. His divine crystal sat among the debris, cracked and dimly glowing.

Vuvi screamed.

"NO!"

She scrambled to the bed, falling to her knees. She grabbed at his pieces.

His hand, his head… trying to reassemble them in vain.

The rest of the team gathered behind her, stunned, speechless.

"Fix him! Fix him!" Vuvi sobbed, shaking his frame. "I made you. I fixed you a dozen times. I can fix you again. I—"

"Vuvi—" Veena whispered, stepping forward. "What... what happened?"

"I don't know!" Vuvi shrieked. "I don't know! He was fine! He was fine!"

A gentle hand touched Vuvi's shoulder.

The Saint Sister stood over her, calm, glowing with afterglow and reverence.

"I know," she said.

Vuvi looked up at her, face wet with tears. "You what?!"

"I know what happened," the Saint Sister repeated.

Vuvi lunged, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Tell me!"

The Saint Sister didn't flinch.

"The Great Mother," she said. "She took him back."

Silence.

Dead, heavy silence.

Even the cultists outside seemed to fall quiet.

Vuvi's hands dropped. "...What?"

The Saint Sister's eyes welled with tears… not sorrowful ones, but ones of awe.

"I felt it," she said. "When I was with him. The light. The warmth. The voice. It was Her. She came down... through him. And then she took him back."

"No," Vuvi whispered.

"It wasn't death," the Saint Sister continued. "It was… ascension."

Vuvi stood, trembling, staring at the broken frame of the construct she had built with her own hands. "No. No. I didn't build a god. I built a pleasure construct. I made him out of junk and dreams. I made him—"

She fell again, clutching the crystal to her chest, curling around it like a mother with a newborn. Her shoulders shook with sobs.

Lula fell beside her, wrapping her arms around her. Penelo did the same. Veena placed a hand on her back. Sera crouched beside the bed, stunned.

And for a long moment… none of them spoke.

They only cried.

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