The two exchanged glances.
They both knew it was over.
Once could be excused, but twice—both tied to the same thing? That meant Lorien already knew.
Wanda had clearly gathered up every last white feather, yet Lorien still claimed he saw them. And now he was directly bringing up the blanket—what were the odds of that being a coincidence?
Gwen suddenly realized and blurted out in a panic,
"Lorien knew all along! He knew from the very beginning!"
She thought back to his questions at lunch. That mysterious smile. He’d been waiting for her to admit it. And she had chosen to lie.
Wanda panicked too.
"What do we do?"
If they were caught, they were finished.
After a moment’s thought, Wanda suggested,
"Let’s just admit it. Say we accidentally tore the blanket while fighting over it..."
Gwen fidgeted nervously with her hands.
"But the problem isn’t the blanket—it’s that we fought."
"And at lunch, I said you weren’t there because you were in the bathroom shaving."
Wanda blinked.
"Shaving?"
Gwen’s eyes flicked downward.
Wanda instantly understood.
"Gwen~! You—"
"Oh, stop, just think of something!" Gwen quickly cut her off, hugging Wanda’s hand. "What do we do?"
"Admit it!"
Wanda pulled her hand free and walked toward Lorien on her own.
Gwen hesitated, torn. But there was no better option. And if Wanda confessed first while she didn’t... that would make things worse.
So she didn’t dare wait. Gwen quickly ran after her.
...
In the master bedroom, with a loud bang, Lorien stood inside, smiling as he watched the two girls squeeze their way in.
Once Gwen and Wanda were inside, they froze, forgetting what to say.
Lorien spoke calmly.
"Close the door."
Wanda trembled at his words. Gwen had no choice but to turn back and shut it.
Click.
As the lock slid into place, Lorien nodded in satisfaction. He stepped aside and gestured toward the bed.
"No need to explain. I already know everything."
"Both of you lie down. Fifty strokes each."
Gwen and Wanda exchanged a glance. They knew they were done for.
Wanda glanced at the clock. Only 5:30 PM. How many hours would this last?
With no choice, they obeyed, doing exactly as Lorien ordered.
Lorien raised his hand and struck twice.
But after each had taken two blows, neither of them screamed.
He looked down. Both of them were biting the sheets, fists clenched tight. Clearly, they were holding it in, too embarrassed to cry out and show weakness.
After two strikes each, Wanda and Gwen let out a breath of relief, finally loosening their grip.
Lorien smiled.
"You don’t think this is over, do you?"
Wanda: !!!
Gwen: Wuwuwu...
...
Lorien turned to Wanda first.
"Gwen said you were trimming the small bushes. Let me see how you did. Do you need me to tidy it up for you?"
Wanda shook her head.
Lorien narrowed his eyes.
Wanda hesitated, but in the end, she knew she had no choice but to show him. And of course, she hadn’t trimmed anything.
Lorien smiled and shook his head.
"Not neat. Doesn’t look good. I’ll fix it for you."
"Wait, I can do it mysel—"
"Gwen."
"On it~!"
The moment Gwen heard her name, she immediately offered her loyalty. She skillfully pinned Wanda’s hands with her legs, then grabbed hold of her legs with both hands to hold her in place.
"You two!"
No matter how Wanda struggled, it was useless. She wasn’t stronger than Gwen.
Lorien reached into the air. A hair clipper appeared in his hand.
"Relax, Wanda. Trust my artistic sense."
He switched it on.
Bzzzzzz~~~
The blade hummed to life. Lorien stepped forward to "create."
Wanda: Wuuu~~~
Bzz...
Bzz...
Before long—
"Done."
Lorien put away the clippers, looking at his masterpiece with satisfaction. He even blew gently.
"Phew~"
Wanda shivered like a leaf in the wind.
"All done."
Lorien gave a satisfied pat.
"Let me see, let me see."
Gwen immediately let go and turned around to look.
Even though Wanda tried to curl up into a ball, it was too late. Gwen had already seen.
"Wow So cute!"
What Lorien had done was first shave everything flat, leaving only a fine layer. Then, with incredible precision, he had shaved the word love in flowing script.
Normally, clippers couldn’t manage something like that. But with Lorien’s touch, the word came out perfectly.
The letters weren’t large, but under the light, they stood out clearly.
Love.
It meant affection.
And Lorien’s love for Wanda carried two meanings.
One: to melt her heart.
Two: to melt her body.
When Wanda looked, her face flushed crimson, as if she might bleed. Her ears burned scarlet. It was like she was on fire.
On the outside, she looked as proper as ever. But one glance down there—scorching hot.
That was the charm of contrast.
...
"What about her?"
Wanda quickly wrapped herself in a blanket, then pointed straight at Gwen.
"Lorien, she’s lied to you so many times. This bad girl deserves punishment too!"
"Wanda, you—!"
Gwen stared in shock.
They had done this together. And Wanda had betrayed her!
Lorien only smiled and gave Wanda a reassuring look.
It wasn’t about scarcity—it was about fairness.
And that, Lorien understood well.
Which meant Gwen’s punishment would have to be even harsher.
"Don’t rush, Wanda. Haven’t you heard that the main course is served last?"
Wanda’s eyes lit up.
"Then I’ll help you!"
After saying that, she shot Gwen a glare.
"Told you you should’ve just surrendered!"
"You want me to help?" Gwen snorted.
She stripped without hesitation, laying naked in front of Lorien. Then she deliberately spread her legs in a horse stance.
Hiss~~
Lorien kept a straight face, but inside he drew a sharp breath.
This was... getting a bit exciting.
The next moment, he reached into the void and pulled something out.
A marker pen.
Gwen froze as realization hit her.
She didn’t have any hair.
So shaving wasn’t an option.
Then what was Lorien planning to do...?
Drawing.
Lorien smiled.
"I’ve enchanted this marker. As long as I don’t will it away, whatever I write with it will never fade." Read full story at novel·fiɾe·net
As Gwen’s legs trembled, he added,
"And it’s pink. If you want it erased, you’ll have to make it up to me."
With that, Lorien crouched down and began to draw.
Gwen: Waaaahhh~~~
Her tearful expression only made Wanda smirk. Wrapped in a blanket, she stepped closer, watching with amusement.
"Hmm~?"
Gwen grit her teeth through the strange sensation, glaring back at Wanda—only to see her eyes widen in surprise at what Lorien was doing.
That could only mean one thing.
His drawing was impressive.
Sure enough—
"Done Phew"
Lorien put the pink marker away and blew lightly.
Gwen immediately looked down.
"Yaaah~~~!"
Right there, in the smoothest spot, was a pink heart swirling with detail.
She stared at it, her face flushing scarlet, just like Wanda’s had earlier.
"Why is mine so much bigger than Wanda’s?"
"Why?"
Lorien smiled.
"Because you knew you were wrong and still tried to get away with it. That’s the punishment you deserve."
But...
Gwen looked at the heart again.
It was humiliating.
If she covered it, she looked like a pure and flawless maiden.
But once the heart was revealed...
Purity turned into desire.
Shame burned her cheeks as she covered it with her hands.
Wanda immediately tried to pry them away.
"Let me see, let me see."
"No!"
"Just once. Yours is really cute too."
"I said no!"
Soon the two were wrestling over it, fighting to see the drawing.
Lorien chuckled softly, then clapped his hands.
He pulled out a new set of props.
"Alright, today we’ve got something different."
"Whoever manages to hold the other down gets to try first."
The moment Wanda and Gwen saw what he held, they turned against each other in an instant.
But Wanda was at a disadvantage physically.
It didn’t take long before Gwen had her pinned, hands locked behind her back, kneeling in front of Lorien.
Lorien smiled as he fastened the restraints on Wanda.
Before he added the blindfold, he glanced at Gwen—
and secured one on her too.
"Hey! Didn’t you say the winner takes all?"
"Yes. And aren’t you the next one?"
"You’re playing word games!"
"Only realizing that now? Too late."
"You tricked me!"
Not long after, Lorien pulled out a washable marker.
Today, he intended to show them what it really meant to leave his mark.
...
Meanwhile, in the depths of the universe—Titan.
Beyond a massive ring of shattered debris, Thanos stood with the Infinity Gauntlet on his left hand and the Soul Stone in his right.
Ebony Maw dropped to his knees in reverence.
"Congratulations, Lord Thanos, for becoming the exalted wielder of an Infinity Stone."
The others followed his lead. Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight also knelt in respect.
Supergiant was still en route. She spent most of her time wandering the cosmos, gathering intelligence, but the news of Thanos claiming an Infinity Stone meant she would return to celebrate.
But Thanos would not wait.
Under the watchful eyes of his generals, he raised the Soul Stone and brought it slowly toward the socket on the Gauntlet.
With a clear ding~, the stone clicked into place, settling at the knuckle of the little finger.
The next instant—
BOOM~~~!
A devastating shockwave blasted outward from Thanos’ body.
The three generals were hurled into the air, slamming against the surrounding stone formations before sliding to the ground with heavy thuds.
"Lord Thanos..."
Ebony Maw, pressed against the ground, raised his head. He saw Thanos clutching at his skull, face contorted in pain.
Thanos gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed, as though he was resisting something clawing at his mind.
BOOM~~~!
Another shockwave erupted violently.
Ebony Maw swept his hand, pulling piles of rock to shield the other generals. The barrier dulled the force, but only slightly.
"What’s happening to him?" Corvus Glaive demanded.
Ebony Maw’s gaze darkened as he answered.
"The Infinity Stones carry severe side effects. Each one is different.
The Power Stone demands physical strength.
The Soul Stone requires spiritual strength."
In other words, Thanos’ body and mind were strong enough to wield the Stones—any of them.
But his first was the Soul Stone.
The most dangerous of them all.
The Soul Stone was alive.
The trial on Vormir had been created by the Stone itself. Within it lingered the fractured essence of Nemesis. Her will still haunted it.
Was that influence dangerous? Without question.
Originally, the true Infinity Stones existed as a single set across the entire Multiverse.
And there was a seventh—the Ego Stone.
Nemesis, weary of her own solitude, had shattered herself into six fragments of immense power, the Infinity Stones. Together with the Ego Stone, they formed seven.
Once reunited, Nemesis would be reborn.
But the Living Tribunal had decreed the Stones forbidden, scattering copies across every universe. Only the Ego Stone remained unique—unchanging, for it was Nemesis’ core.
...
Back to Titan.
BOOM~~~!
Another shockwave ripped through the battlefield.
Proxima Midnight, watching Thanos writhe, cried out in desperation.
"What do we do?! Ebony Maw, can’t you help him?!"
"Only Supergiant can ease the torment of soul power," Ebony Maw said coldly.
He didn’t mention his own ability. His power was telekinesis—a gift of mind, not soul. It would not help here.
So they waited.
Fortunately, Supergiant was already on her way.
Moments later, she arrived—and immediately saw it: Thanos locked in battle with a surging tide of soul energy.
"Lord Thanos!"
She unleashed her psychic might, flooding the air with mental energy. Her dominance over the mind was immense. She could not erase the Soul Stone’s curse, but she could steady him.
From afar, she projected wave after wave of mental force.
Gradually, Thanos’ twisted expression eased. His hands fell away from his head. His breath steadied.
The glow of her power pressed on until, finally, Thanos opened his eyes again.
For a heartbeat, orange light flickered within—the Soul Stone staring through him.
He looked at Supergiant and raised a hand. She ceased immediately.
Then, turning to the generals who had regrouped, Thanos spoke.
"Where are the other Infinity Stones?"
Supergiant bowed.
"According to reports from the Chitauri, the Mind Stone within the scepter lies on Midgard. Intelligence also suggests the Time Stone may be housed in Midgard’s sorcerer sanctum."
Thanos’ brow furrowed.
"Tell me of the Ancient One."
"According to Midgard intelligence," Supergiant replied, "the Ancient One is dead."
At once, Ebony Maw stepped forward.
"Asgard has already perished in Ragnarok. Midgard’s sanctum is without the Ancient One’s protection. This is our chance!
If you claim two more Stones now, Lord Thanos, you will become the one who has wielded the most Infinity Stones at once in all of history!"
He was not wrong.
They believed the so-called Transformer civilization held only the Power Stone and the Space Stone—two in total.
If Thanos obtained two more, he would have three. That alone would surpass them.
The generals all knew it, even if Ebony Maw didn’t say it aloud.
Thanos looked down at the Gauntlet—five sockets still empty.
And then, within him, the hunger surged.
The ambition to claim them all.
And the vow of vengeance against anyone who dared stand in his way.
That meant you, Transformer civilization.
He would have revenge.
Thanos’ gaze hardened with cruel resolve.
He looked back at his generals.
"Supergiant, continue your surveillance of Midgard.
Integrate the Chitauri into our legions.
The rest of you—expand. Build me armies. Larger, stronger, countless more!"
All the generals dropped to one knee in unison.
"By your command!"