Mummy Evolution

In the Past.

After an exhaustingly hot, steamy hour with a fire literally burning inside him, Sett finally had enough. He stood up and stretched himself in some distant desert, having run a long distance from the palace.

Damn, I am exhausted, he muttered a curse inwardly.

The whole hour, Nadia had become liquid fire and gave him the most absurd sexual experience in his life. She was fire—and fire coiled around him in the most intense way by coursing through his manhood; in ways he didn't even know was possible.

Sett loved and hated it at the same time.

"The moment you come out, you are dead," he growled, his voice thick with frustration.

A playful flutter of warmth danced in his gut.

"Then I am not coming out!" A small, fearful voice echoed inside him.

Sett smirked. "Okay, then." He crossed his arms. "Stay inside me. Let's see how long you last."

A pause. Then, in the sweetest, most coaxing tone—

"Please let me go, hubby." Nadia's voice dripped with honeyed persuasion. "I'll be an obedient wife from now on. I swear! You know me, I just… I just got a little carried away…"

Sett's eye twitched. Acting cute won't get you anywhere!

"No," he said flatly. "You'll kneel and beg for forgiveness first, and then I'll think about letting you off." A thought crossed his mind, and his smirk deepened. "Oh, and give me a daughter."

Nadia let out a scandalized laugh. "No way! I'm still way too young for that! Maybe in a few more years. Afte my twentieth birthday, perhaps."

Tsk.

"Then no escape for you." Sett sneered. "You'll be my personal slave for a few days. Maybe I can throw you at my mother for some training."

"Ugh! No, no, no!" She groaned dramatically. "I would rather give birth than mentor under your demon mother. She hates me more than all your other wives!"

Sett blinked. "Not really."

She shook her head, then asked, "So, can I go?"

He chuckled. "Oh, you can go if you really want to."

The truth was, after an hour of playing around, Nadia was just as drained as he was. Even if she wanted to escape, her current state made it impossible. Sett was a Tier 4 Tomb Raider, after all—far beyond her level in physical prowess.

"Please~ Aren't you my cute hubby?" she pleaded. "Don't do this to me."

She knew Sett never made idle threats. If he said he'd turn her into his errand girl, then that meant she was doomed to a very frustrating few days. Nadia didn't mind Sett abusing her sexually—she even like that quite a bit.

But knowing him, he'd probably really end up giving her a big belly this time.

"I am not cute and I am not letting you leave. You can try though."

Seeing it was not working, Nadia changed her approach. "You would never hurt her if Zainah did this to you! Right, I now understand. Really, I should have understood this long ago."

Sett's face changed. "Zainah would never do this!"

"Ah!?!" Nadia became really angry this time. "Yeah, yeah. Side with that bitch. It's always been like that anyway."

Sett's eyes twitched. "If she said something wrong about you, I'd correct her as well."

"Get lost—she wouldn't dare talk about me behind my back."

"You are really annoying, just get out of my body already."

"Yeah, whatever. I guess that's my place in your heart."

Finally, just as Nadia started feeling dizzy, she left Sett's body in the form of a small ember of red flame. Her face was incredibly gloomy—as if she had just been emotionally hurt. She tried to sneak away but a firm hand wrapped around her ember-form the moment she left.

"Where might you be going, young lady?"

"I wonder."

She nervously sweated and tried to wiggle away, but it was no use.

His hand was iron!

Bastard, he is using Death's Call on me to weaken me.

"Now, now. What should I do with you?"

"Hubby, one should be gentle to their wives," Nadia said righteously. "Remember, I am a feeble woman. Your woman. Yes, I might not be as important as Zainah to you but how can you bear to be rough with me?"

Sett looked down on her with his golden eyes.

Damn the bastard was hot, Nadia cursed inwardly.

He said, "I am a person who prefers gender equality. Women never show any mercy when hitting me, my mother is always beating the shit out of me. So why should I show mercy when hitting women?"

"Ungentlemanly behavior!"

With a final huff, the ember in his palm flared and shifted, expanding until Nadia stood before him in her human form once again. Her dark red hair tumbled down her back, glowing like embers in the sunlight.

Due to all her clothes vanishing, she was absolutely naked.

Knowing the allure of herself to him, she crossed her arms, her wide, impossibly adorable eyes staring up at him with an expression so heartbreakingly sweet that any husband would have melted on the spot.

"Okay, make me your slave or whatever."

Sett sighed, planting a hand on his face.

I am so weak.

"You know my weaknesses, you hateful woman."

Nadia smiled, wrapping her hand around his arms, chest brushing against him.

He began to move away.

"Did you like me being inside you?"

His face darkened and he kicked her into the dune close by. She just spread her arms wide and laughed, sand covering her naked body. But Sett noticed the lack of her earlier vigor. There was deeper insecurities hidden in her words.

This woman really did not know how to pretend.

He walked up to her and gave her one of his hands.

She took it.

Sett didn't pull her up immediately. "You know what, Nadia. I know what you want to hear. You want to hear me say that you matter as much as Zainah, right?"

She looked away, then said in anger, "If you know it, might as well say that. Oh, I guess you don't like lying."

Sett pulled her up into his arms, sand falling inbetween them like glittering sparkles.

"Yeah, I don't like lying to people I adore but—."

Nadia paled.

So she really didn't amount as much as Zainah in his heart, huh?

Nadia had always had that thought in the back of her mind, but to understand it was the reality felt like someone had torn off a part of her flesh.

He hugged her tight.

Nadia, the fiery woman, began to cry.

Seeing that, Sett also paled. "Wait-wait a moment!"

"Sett, Sett, you swine!" she said with gritted teeth. "I don't want to listen to your roundabout excuses. Tell me one thing. Do you really like Zainah more than me?"

Even if you do, can't you just lie?

Nadia was not prepared for such heartbreak when she rushed to meet him.

Sett hugged Nadia tightly. "You—damn the tombs. Let me explain myself, it's not so simple!"

"It IS SIMPLE!"

She pushed him away. Her eyes were red.

"It is simple, Sett. IT IS!"

Then, she turned around. "It is simple but you make it complex. The answer is clear enough, I am not blind nor deaf."

Sett took a deep breath. "Wait. Listen to me."

Women. Each and everyone of them had one of these annoying days.

She turned back.

Sett nodded. "I want to be honest with you, Nadia. But I can't really wrap my head around your stupid question."

Does Sett himself even know the answer of who he liked more?

That was a fundamentally stupid question in his mind.

Sometimes, affection wasn't a simple ranking system. He cherished Zainah in a way that was unique to her, but Nadia also held a different kind of significance. Zainah was his first love, the one who shaped him, while Nadia was the one who shook up his world and brought chaos and passion into his life.

"It is true that I would not have been as mad if Zainah did the flame stuff to me, but that's because she just isn't the type. I would be more confused at it than anything—but you, I kind of expected it from you, you know and I am just venting my frustrations."

Nadia raised her eyebrows. "So we are equals? If me and Zainah were being held hostage and you could only save one person, who would you save?"

Sett paused.

Nadia shook her head. "Or wait, don't answer—this is the stuff from my nightmares."

Sett stood rooted on his spot, then looked up at the sky. There was no right answer to her question—whatever he answered, he would be digging a hole for himself. But, deep down, he knew the answer.

"I'd gladly split myself to save you both. Even if it kills me after."

She stared blanlkly, then bumped his chest with her elbow. "You do know how to dodge questions effectively."

Sett looked at her, golden eyes shining. "What did I answer in that nightmare of yours?"

She rolled her eyes. "You said, word to word; 'You're strong, Nadia. You'd survive. But Zainah can't.' I was so, so fucking mad I destroyed all the pictures I had of you." That was a lie.

Sett sweated. "I see. I would never say that, though!"

Sett was not an emotionally dense idiot!

That was a backhanded way of saying she was not the priority. It put her in a position where she had to be strong while Zainah gets to be protected. Nadia wouldn't just be hurt—she'd feel like she was being pushed aside, like she wasn't allowed to be the one he cherishes most.

Sett then began contemplating deeply about it all.

"Oh, wait. Don't take me so seriously." Nadia blushed and wrapped her hand around his face, bringing it to her chest. "This is the problem with you men. My father is the same. Even if I say something as a joke, you become so serious about it. Honestly, I don't even care if you love Zainah more."

Sett nodded. At the same time, he came to a conclusion—he was doing something to make Nadia feel that he favored Zainah more than her. He had to dote on Nadia more!!!

Meanwhile, Nadia snickered in her heart. It was more emotional than I liked, but in the end, he has forgotten all about punishing me.

He even seemed to dote on her more than usual now.

At least, Zainah's name had some use.

This was it—the prettier a woman, the better she will be at guilt tripping. Sett looked sideways at her, noticing the intentions but not minding them. It was cute.

"Come on, let's go back to the palace."