Chapter 23: Flerken, and the Lasso Farce
At the dining table.
Completely unaware of the trouble it had caused, the little orange cat happily devoured its meat, looking no different from an ordinary kitten.
Xi Nian sat on a chair nearby, bare-chested, wearing only pants.
Diana, now changed into fresh home clothes, stood behind him and softly asked, "How do you feel now?"
"It feels like… I want to swallow everything." Xi Nian looked at the food on the table in front of him.
"Then do it." Diana stepped back a few paces.
Xi Nian took a deep breath, then—
The skin on his back suddenly split open like a hideous, gaping maw. Eight tendrils twisted outward, lashing toward the table. In an instant, not just the food but the plates, cutlery, and tablecloth were all consumed, vanishing without a trace.
It all happened in less than a second.
When the tendrils retracted, Xi Nian looked normal again—except for the eerie blue-green glow flickering in his pupils.
"Well?" Diana traced her pale fingers lightly across his back as she continued to ask.
"There's no feeling at all." Xi Nian touched his stomach. "Everything the tendrils swallowed just now never actually entered me."
"Then it must be true." Diana nodded, her gaze shifting to the happily munching little orange cat. "It's a Flerken."
"Flerken?" Xi Nian blinked.
"Yes. They're a species from outer space. My mother mentioned them once, though she didn't know much detail. All I know is that Flerkens look like Earth cats, but they possess terrifying abilities, capable of swallowing vast amounts of matter into their own pocket dimensions."
"They're very dangerous," Diana said, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know why one of them would appear here on Earth."
"Is that so? I don't think Little Crown is as dangerous as you imagine." Xi Nian thought back. "If it were truly dangerous, then the first time I met it in the park, it could have swallowed me. And just now in the bath, it only bit me like a normal cat—it didn't use its swallowing ability."
"You want to keep it, then?" Diana asked.
Xi Nian looked at the little orange cat on the floor. "Since it's an alien species, leaving it outside would be even more dangerous, wouldn't it? If it stays with us, at least we can guide it, maybe even teach it."
"You're not wrong." Diana nodded in agreement.
She also thought of something else—
If the Flerken really was attached to Xi Nian, even dependent on him, then one day it could serve as his protector… or even as a medium to awaken new powers.
"And tonight—what do you plan to do? Can you fully control those tendrils?" Diana asked.
"Probably… not." Xi Nian spread his hands helplessly. "Whenever I get close to something, the tendrils instinctively want to swallow it, like breathing. This instinct isn't easy to fight."
Just like when he inherited his aunt's demigod abilities before.
These powers weren't his by birth—they were suddenly granted to him. That meant he couldn't always switch them on and off at will.
"I don't know if it will end in four hours." Xi Nian wasn't sure.
This wasn't like last time, when his powers were triggered indirectly. This time, it came from direct contact with the Flerken's liquid exchange.
If it lasted all night, he could forget about sleeping—he might swallow his entire bed into another dimension without even realizing it.
Who could stand that?
"I might have a way." Diana suddenly said.
…
In the room next door, the air was filled with the faint fragrance of violets.
Xi Nian lay on an icy-blue quilt, still bare-chested, his body faintly shimmering with golden light. A golden lasso coiled tightly around his torso, binding his arms and chest in layers.
Diana, dressed in a thin slip nightdress, leaned against the bed, reading an archaeology book under the warm glow of the bedside lamp.
"I have to ask, Auntie… this is your solution?" Xi Nian's head throbbed as he struggled against the Lasso of Truth.
Diana ignored his complaint.
"Go to sleep." she said.
"Fine." Xi Nian closed his eyes.
It had been a long time since he'd slept beside his aunt.
So warm… or not.
Under the dim golden light, Diana's slender figure was revealed by the thin slip dress, her long pale legs crossing gracefully.
How could anyone fall asleep like this?
"What is it?" Diana asked, still turning a page.
"Nothing." Xi Nian was about to brush it off when suddenly his words changed against his will: "Auntie, you're too beautiful, I…"
The room went dead silent in an instant.
Diana's hand froze on the page, her flawless face stiffening slightly.
Xi Nian's brain went blank.
He was finished.
He was so, so finished!
What had he just said?!
"You." Diana's cheeks flushed faintly as she explained, "Don't mind it. You're bound by the Lasso of Truth. Anyone caught in it can only speak their true thoughts."
"Oh… right." Xi Nian forced a laugh, wishing he could crawl under the bed.
Don't mind it? How could she not mind?!
"How was school today?" Diana deliberately changed the subject.
Under the lasso's power, Xi Nian answered honestly: "Not much happened. Gwen got upset with me for some reason. Also, a freshman girl named Kara confessed to me in front of everyone."
The room fell into another awkward silence.
Diana didn't know what to think. After a pause, she softly asked, "And… do you like that girl?"
Xi Nian confessed without hesitation: "I've only met her twice, so I can't say I like or dislike her. But my impression of her is… not bad."
"You're at the age for dating, after all."
Diana closed the archaeology book and smiled faintly. "If you think a girl is worth it, don't let the chance slip away."
Xi Nian suddenly said, "I think Auntie is worth it."
Diana's body trembled ever so slightly.
She set the book aside, turned off the lamp, and in the darkness said calmly, "Go to sleep."
Xi Nian didn't say another word.
That last sentence—was it just the lasso's magic forcing the truth out of him? Or was it something only revealed when one looked beyond their roles?
He didn't know.
All Xi Nian knew was that those words were exactly what he most wanted to say at that moment.
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