There was a bit of commotion from the half-dozen well armed guards positioned outside when the door to the bedroom finally opened, after what seemed like hours of waiting. In reality it had only been a few minutes past schedule, but Xiangling was not one to allow even the most minor mistakes to happen on her watch.
With a gesture, Xiangling ordered her men to stand down and lower their weapons from the young woman. Ruiwen stared daggers at her, but made no sudden movements lest she provoke the soldiers any further. Xiangling frowned when she noticed the small, pale figure with bright curly red hair clenched tightly inside Ruiwen’s fist.
She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “You were ordered to deliver a corpse to Director Lin.” Xiangling reminded Ruiwen. “Why is it still alive?”
“I wanted to savor her. This is a special occasion after all.”
“We don’t have time for that.” Xiangling insisted, a bit more forcefully this time. Ruiwen ignored her authoritative tone and strolled past Xiangling and the rest of her armed guards. Once again she had to order them to remain calm.
Ruiwen opened a nearby cabinet and withdrew a tall, crystalline clear glass. “Unfortunately for you, I don’t particularly care for your schedules or demands.”
“Director Lin~!”
“-is not here to tell me what to do. I respect her authority, which is why I am following through with my obligation to her as promised. I’ll kill my friend as proof of my loyalty to the Amrita Corporation. But I’ll do it my way.” Ruiwen proclaimed, a sharp edge in her tone that sent chills down Xiangling’s spine.
For someone so young, she’s braver than most. Either that or just plain foolish. Xiangling debated in her own mind. If she was not aware that Ruiwen in the blink of an eye could dart across the room and slaughter half her men bare-handed before anybody could even try to stop her, or the security team outside could attempt to intervene, she might have continued bickering.
Right now, she had a strict schedule to keep and arguing would only make it worse. “Very well. If that’s the case just get it over with and we can all go home.” Xiangling replied. “I’ll be able to inform Director Lin that you proved yourself loyal.”
“Hmph. How kind of you.”
Please let this work. Maddie thanked whatever deity was watching over her that the eight heavily armed soldiers that had been assigned to ensure Ren went through with the assassination were more focused on the person holding her than the actual target.
Unlike Ren, Maddie had not undergone months of intense training to become a more talented liar. Her expression was written very clearly across her face for everybody to see. Fortunately it was still terror, which was very much to be expected from a woman about to be swallowed alive. By comparison, even Madeleine at her paltry two and a half inches stature was unable to detect the faintest tremor from Ren, who remained completely calm in the situation.
Ren prepared the cocktail carefully, and assembled all of the ingredients on a wooden cutting board while keeping the head of security, a woman named Xiangling, preoccupied with a conversation in Mandarin. As she did so, Maddie noticed Ren tap her fingers against one of the peaches she grabbed from beneath her cupboard.
Is that it? The magic peach thing? Maddie thought when she saw the gesture. The specific peach that Ren had pointed to was exceptionally big, ripe and juicy and covered in a golden skin with tiny hairs that glistened. Much more so than the other common peaches that came from the grocery store.
Either that or it was just an ordinary peach that would do absolutely nothing to keep Maddie safe throughout her sojourn into the stomach of a giant woman. To think she was about to leave her fate in the hands of ‘magic’ to keep her alive.
The cocktail included many ingredients, chief among them was peaches to add depth of flavor to the premade sweet tea. Ren chopped up and smashed some of the peaches together, but made sure to leave the special one that would supposedly keep Maddie alive intact so she could gorge on as much of it as humanly possible before she was gulped down. For the magic peach, Ren sliced it thinly to make it more clear which one was special.
I’m about to be eaten. Maddie realized in fear as she was the final ingredient to be dropped into the icy liquid, served with only a modest amount of liquor to keep her eyes from burning too badly. The moment her body breached the layer of ice on top, she swam with all her might towards the middle of the drink and ignored the fear and pain from her burning nose and eyes.
If she failed now, she would die.
Shit… Maybe there is something to this after all. I feel… Stronger? Healthier? More alert? It was difficult to describe, but even physical contact with the same liquid that houses the slices of magic peaches seemed to have a profound effect on her body.
It calmed her mind, and somehow Maddie no longer felt the pain stinging her eyes or even the burning sensation from a lack of oxygen in her lungs. Then she took her first bite of peach.
The taste was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It was absolutely delicious and sweet, with a complex flavor that was reminiscent of a summer morning on the tongue. Eager for more, she began to chew feverishly and swallowed. Maddie purred when she felt a renewed surge of strength course through her veins.
‘Just a smell from one of those peaches will extend your lifetime tenfold. By eating it, you’ll be perfectly fine inside of Ruiwen’s belly.’ That was the promise that Jisoo made.
The whole ‘immortality’ thing sounded absurd to say the least, but Jisoo promised it would work. Her word meant very little to Maddie, but in a situation as dire as this she had no alternative but to trust the woman who ordered her shrinking indirectly.
With the cocktail finished, Ren ripped the glass towards her lips and began to quickly swallow. By now Maddie had managed to choke down about three fourths of a peach slice, which may not have seemed like much until her size relative to the piece was considered.
The interior of Ren’s maw was very warm. Her saliva was mixed with whiskey, tea, and peach purée to form an extremely sticky, viscous solution that Maddie found herself lost in. Thankfully her roommate practiced excellent dental hygiene, and her breath smelled like fresh mint.
Once Maddie was drawn towards the back of Ren’s throat, unfortunately the odor became much more pungent. She was rapidly sliding down the bumpy, slimy surface of Ren’s enormous tongue like a water slide, and in the darkness she could just make out the silhouette of her uvula.
Even if I die here… No, don’t think about that. You’ll see the sun again soon. Maddie promised herself as she was plunged into the throat of the giantess, down the esophagus through a long passageway towards her stomach.
It was impossible not to feel at least a little fear, but strangely Maddie felt quite calm despite the gravity of the situation. This was undoubtedly one of the natural fears humans had inherited from their ancestors, to be eaten by some predator.
Once she slammed into what she imagined was Ren’s stomach, Maddie found herself unable to breathe. There was no oxygen, but still she did not feel panicked. Even as seconds ticked by, her body seemed to have lost its need for air. It was the exact same sensation she had while in the peach tea mixture.
How are my eyes able to adjust? There’s no light source but I can see just fine. And my senses have become accustomed to the smell almost immediately. Maddie realized and looked around. Ren had not eaten much, but she could espy slimy piles of ooze that remained of still digesting meats and carbohydrates.
It was only then that Maddie realized she did not feel any pain either. Human stomach acid is very powerful. It can dissolve flesh and even bones, but somehow it just feels… oily?
Maddie could not help but laugh as she realized Jisoo had not lied to her. Indeed, her consumption of the magic peach had rendered her practically invulnerable. It broke every scientific law imaginable, yet here she sat, a living beacon of impossibility.
I guess I just have to sit here until Ren pukes. She said it would likely be around fifteen minutes.
“How are you so certain this will work? Who’s to say the Peach of Immortality will keep Madeleine alive long enough to be regurgitated?” Suji asked quietly as the two sisters strolled through the train station as casually as possible.
Jisoo hesitated to give an answer. “Once I swallowed a speck alive, then drank a shot of rum right after that had a single droplet inside.” She revealed. “It kept her alive for over eight hours. Long enough for me to uh… remove her from my system naturally.”
“Why go through the trouble?”
“I wanted her to suffer more.” Jisoo said flatly, to which her sister appeared repulsed. “Look, I know it was a terrible thing to do. I’ve had to live with the memory of what I did to Alice and her big brother for months and only recently have I realized just how awful it was.”
“What exactly was going through your head when you decided to do something so cruel?” Suji pressed.
Revenge. That’s all it really was. Jisoo sighed and made sure nobody was in earshot before she continued. “Alice tried to kill Eren. She and one of her friends had made a hobby of killing specks.” She explained. “They would often record videos of them torturing them before killing them. Apparently it was a popular practice at their sorority to go out on weekends, get high, and kill as many random specks as they could find.”
“I see.” Suji replied quietly, in a much softer tone than before. No doubt she had expected Alice to have been some kind of paragon of virtue wrongfully stolen from the world. The truth was she had done her share of evil as well. “I guess I can at least understand your disdain for her.”
“That doesn’t justify what I did though.” Jisoo replied solemnly. “After weeks of torment, I think Alice finally saw her mistake. I didn’t believe him at the time, but Eren told me that her last words involved apologizing for what she did. And her brother didn’t deserve that fate he ended up suffering. Ultimately I hurt them both out of hatred for them as people, rather than a sense of justice for Alice’s victims”
“Hmph. Now you really do sound just like mother. She got through to you eventually.” Suji noted, a hint of pride in her voice. “Although try to have a more nuanced look on the world that she does. Our mother views all life as fundamentally sacred, she doesn’t view it as hers to take.”
“You disagree?”
“She’s sealed herself away on top of that mountain for so long, I think she has forgotten that not all people are redeemable. There are exceptions to every rule and I’ve definitely met some in my travels.”
Jisoo blinked in surprise. “You… Sound a lot like me a few months ago.” She remarked. “Shouldn’t we give everybody a second chance?”
“Absolutely. But I think it’s terribly naive to believe every person can be absolved of their sins. Some people won’t change, but that doesn’t mean we should judge the majority based on the evil of a very select few. Every case has to be judged individually.” Suji proclaimed.
But who are we to judge? We aren’t gods. Why should we be given any authority to pass judgment on others? Jisoo thought, but held her tongue. She and Suji spoke about their philosophies and outlook on life frequently, but now wasn’t the time. “Are you sure these facial implants will work properly?”
“So far I haven’t had any issues. To every camera that catches your face, you’ll be too blurry to see.”
“Well I just need to be absolutely certain.”
“I did break into your house and none of the cameras saw me then either, remember? Same with Heilongjiang.” Suji reminded her older sister. “Either way, it’ll be pretty risky to enter Beijing for you and remain undetected the entire time. Especially since you’ll be waltzing right back into enemy territory.”
“It’s not like I’ve made myself an enemy of the Amrita Corporation just yet. All I have to do is figure out what the hell is happening with Eren.” Jisoo explained.
Suji nodded in agreement. “You still have your doubts? You don’t think what Madeleine and Ruiwen said about Grace was true.” She mused. “I get that Grace is someone you thought cared about you, but let’s not forget who she really is.”
“I know Grace is… ruthless, to say the least. But when it comes to the people she cares about, she’s fiercely loyal and would do anything to protect them. She would never hurt Eren, that’s why I left him with her.”
“You had a dream about this, a memory echo triggered by something happening to him. Grace was responsible.” Suji said pointedly. “All evidence points to her having done something awful to him. And Maeve, for that matter. You need to accept that.”
How am I supposed to just ‘accept’ that Grace tortured her best friend for no reason at all?! It makes no sense. Jisoo thought, but decided not to press the issue. When she arrived in Beijing, she would know the truth. “Let me worry about Grace. You’ll need to figure out your own plan, since we can’t afford to be seen together.” Jisoo suggested and changed the subject. “I assume you’ll try to break into some facility? Steal more information?”
“I’ll be in the area in case you wind up in trouble… Just remember to keep your lips sealed about what’s happened to you the past months.”
“Nobody will know about the monastery, I promise.” Jisoo responded and clasped her fingers together. The train began to lurch forward. It would be a short journey from here to Beijing. “Once I have answers then I’ll contact you.”
“You’ve decided what you want to do?”
“I’ll retire from active duty, after I ensure Madeleine and Maeve are safe. That should be our next priority.” She stated.
It’s almost over I guess. I won’t have to worry about anything other than myself. Operation Deliverance isn’t my concern, I’ll leave it to Suji to see if she wants to continue this lopsided fight… She can’t stop the Amrita Corporation. Nobody can.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. The only sound was the massive wheels that propelled the train forward along with the distant engine which purred softly to push the locomotive across the countryside at two-hundred miles per hour. A respectable speed for an old passenger train that ran through the rural parts of China.
Suji glanced at her. “You look like you want to say something.” She said, as if able to read Jisoo’s mind. “What’s wrong?”
“...Why did you trust me?”
“I’ve already told you. You’re my big sister.”
That was her original explanation, but Jisoo had not believed it then and she still didn’t. “There were other ways you could have helped me. We could have met up in a different country altogether, or gone somewhere secret like one of your hideouts. You didn’t even try to hide where our mother was from me at all.” She mused while Suji listened silently. “Why? You must have known I wouldn’t abandon the Amrita Corporation but you trusted me to not reveal anything. Us being sisters wouldn’t change that. You even said that if I returned to the Amrita Corporation we would eventually become enemies.”
“Who knows? I could just be luring you into a false sense of security so I can kill you when you’re at your weakest. With a gesture I could shrink you down and use you to get into any facility I want.”
“You’re hilarious.” Jisoo said and rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the empty threat. Regardless, Suji chuckled. “Fine, keep your secrets. I was just curious.”
“I would think you would know me well enough by now to know that I’m not much of a therapist, or a loving family member you can spill your feelings onto and make you feel all better. That’s really only something our mother is good at. Besides, you would have never been able to fully trust me either if you couldn’t see her yourself. You had to see with your own eyes that she wasn’t what you thought she was, and you also had to see that people like yourselves with their fair share of sins can be redeemed given time.” Suji said encouragingly. “Mother always dreamed of having both of us together again. When she found out that I had spoken with you once, it was all she could talk about. She wanted to know so much about you. And I’ll admit that I really wanted us to be a family as well… It wasn’t until we met for the second time when I saw a chance for that to happen.”
“So you were willing to risk everything you’ve ever worked for just for the small possibility we could all be a happy family? Really?”
“Everything I’ve ever done in my life up until that moment was solely dedicated to the destruction of the Amrita Corporation. I made a decision to put my trust in you because I saw an opportunity for this to happen. To sit next to my big sister and have a friendly conversation between two siblings…” Suji continued.
She smiled and leaned her head against Jisoo’s arm as she began to doze off once the train reached a cruising speed. “I don’t regret my choice. Even if you turn on me and mother and go back to the Amrita Corporation, I’ll still have the memories to look back on that we spent together.”
The physical effects of a Peach of Immortality were especially apparent in those who had consumed another one recently. Ren had partaken in the divine fruit twice in her life before today; once when she first ascended, and for a second time after she completed her training as an operations specialist.
Her skin appeared especially radiant, and her eyes were speckled with small bits of gold. Although she was dressed in a loose, somewhat baggy shirt and pants while in the comfort of her own home, they now felt tight against her tense muscles as her limbs lengthened several inches.
Jeez… I’m fucking huge. She thought, slightly in awe of her own glory in the reflection of her bathroom mirror. Normally she was just under six feet tall without shoes, but now with the Peach in her system, she had shot up to be seven and a half feet tall in just a few short minutes.
It was a somewhat uncomfortable process, her body was still not very well accustomed to the Peach’s effects. An older, more experienced Descendant probably wouldn’t even have grown at all since their bodies were so used to it and had developed a tolerance for the initial spurt of power. To permanently increase their height required the consumption of countless Peaches.
And specks of course. Tens of thousands of specks.
Let’s just hope I haven’t digested Maddie yet. If she’s dead then it’s entirely Jisoo’s fault. Ren thought, and stared down at the sink. She closed the drain to be small enough to prevent a speck from sliding down into the bowels of the sewer, then touched her fingers against her lips as she prepared to insert them to the back of her throat.
On the first attempt, she simply gagged up a bit of saliva. Her eyes watered in protest, and instinctively she sucked in air to recuperate. Ren grimaced, and realized she would have to commit further. Unless she wanted to really copy Jisoo and wait until she had to use the bathroom and fish Maddie out that way.
This time she practically stuffed her fingers into her esophagus and heaved, and she felt a gush of acrid, repulsive liquid that oddly still smelled fondly of fresh Peaches wash across her hand and into the sink.
Along with a pale, bright-eyed woman with bright curly red hair that was slick with saliva and flecks of vomit. Maddie landed in a pool of the murky, bright yellow fluids that clung to her skin and immediately began to sputter and cough.
She then let out a high-pitched squeal when a torrent of icy cold water from the faucet above poured down over her shoulders with the intensity of a massive waterfall. Ren cringed as she wiped her lips with a nearby piece of toilet paper, then flushed it down the drain. When she returned, she noticed that Maddie had managed to crawl away from the epicenter of where the water was falling.
The redhead was thoroughly waterlogged now, but at least she was no longer covered in puke.
Ren squirted some soap into her hands and reached for Maddie, who shook her long curls aside several times until she could at least see properly. “Hold still. I need to wash all the residue off~.”
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Maddie suddenly lashed out and slapped Ren’s finger to the side with a surprising amount of strength. Ren blinked and noted there was a small red mark where she had been struck. It had actually caused her a bit of pain.
The Peach of Immortality had other effects on her too. She’s way stronger than she was before. Ren realized. Now that she was not covered in her puke, she could tell that Maddie was a lot bigger than she was before. Nearly six inches from head to toe, or double the size of an ordinary speck.
Moreover, Maddie’s previously pudgy, cute tummy which jiggled slightly when she walked and the additional weight she had gained over the past few months were completely gone. Now her belly was perfectly flat with impressive ridges seemingly carved into it, to form the unmistakable outline of her lean abdominals.
When the speck crossed her arms, Ren could also see the impressive size of her arms which were now nicely toned. She was actually a little jealous of Maddie’s new physique, she looked like an Olympian.
A very angry little Olympian who marched forward towards Ren, who struggled to meet her hateful gaze. “You mean to tell me after everything we went through together you were actually going to fucking kill me?!” She shouted as Ren looked down in shame.
“Like I said I didn’t have a choice~!”
“Yes you did! You absolutely did! From the very beginning you could have done something like this.” Maddie seethed. “If it wasn’t for Jisoo you would have killed me. All you care about is yourself and your fucking reputation.”
“T-That’s not true I tried to convince Sarah Lin~!”
“Well you didn’t. And when you failed at that, you resorted to killing me. You’re not a goddess, hell, you’re not even a human being. You’re just a fucking monster.” Maddie replied darkly. “I can’t believe I ever thought I could trust you.” She muttered and turned away from Ren to finish washing herself off with some of the soap that had dripped off from her finger.
Ren opened her mouth to defend herself, but couldn’t find the words. There was a lump in her throat, and her eyes felt watery. Even though she at any time could have smashed Maddie into pulp, or if she wanted to be more merciful, just turned around and left in the middle of her tirade, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
The woman who had just turned her back on her meant more to her than she had ever realized. While her family had more or less forgotten about her existence until she was called into action again, Maddie had kept her company. She had forgiven her for ruining her life in the first place, and tried her best to continue helping others in her own way.
What had she ever done to deserve this fate? Everything Maddie had ever done in the time Ren had known her was entirely for others' benefit. Sarah Lin had said it herself, she was a credit to the talent humans could possess. And in Ren’s opinion, the good they could do as well.
And even after she decided to trust me, to go as far as to befriend her own captor, I betrayed her the moment someone who meant nothing to me demanded it. Ren pulled her hands away from Maddie and sighed. “I’m sorry. You have every right to hate me.” She said softly. “I have no right to ask for your forgiveness because I know I don’t deserve it. And nothing I ever do will return your life to normal.”
“Just leave me alone Ren. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“...Maeve is still alive. She’s being kept prisoner somewhere in Beijing.” Ren reminded her. “I owe it to you to free her.” She promised.
Maddie simply scoffed. “And how exactly do you plan to do that? You couldn’t even stand up to Sarah Lin. Now you mean to tell me that you’ll go crawling back to her to have Maeve sent here?”
“No. We’ll go over her head and take Maeve back from Grace Chen ourselves.”