At the dining table.
The little orange cat, oblivious to the great trouble it had caused, was happily eating its portion of meat, its eating behavior no different from an ordinary kitten.
Vincent, sitting on a chair nearby, was only wearing trousers, bare-chested.
Diana, having changed into a new set of loungewear, stood behind him and softly asked, "How do you feel now?"
"I feel like... I want to eat it all," Vincent said, facing the food on the dining table before him.
"Then eat," Diana stepped back a few paces.
Vincent took a deep breath, and then—
The skin on his back suddenly split open, like a gruesome, gaping maw, and eight tentacles twisted and grew. They surged forward towards the dining table, devouring not just the food, but also the plates, cutlery, tablecloth, and everything else.
Everything was completed in just one second.
Vincent, with his tentacles retracted, was again indistinguishable from a normal person, only his pupils gleamed with a soul-devouring cold blue light.
"How is it?" Diana's slender, pale fingers traced over Vincent's back, continuing to ask.
"I don't feel anything at all," Vincent touched his stomach. "None of the things the tentacles just swallowed went into my stomach."
"Then it should be correct," Diana nodded, looking at the little orange cat happily eating. "It's a Flerken."
"A Flerken?" Vincent blinked.
"That's right. This is a species from outer space. My mother once mentioned it, but her understanding of it wasn't very detailed. I only know that Flerkens look like cats on our Earth, but they possess terrifying abilities, capable of devouring vast amounts of things into their species' unique dimension."
"This species is very dangerous," Diana narrowed her eyes, pondering. "I don't know why this extraterrestrial species would appear on Earth."
"Is that so? I don't think Little Emperor is as dangerous as you imagine," Vincent recalled. "If it were truly dangerous, it would have used its Flerken ability to devour me the first time I met it by the park. Besides, just now in the bathroom, it only bit me like a normal cat, and still didn't use its Flerken ability."
Diana said, "Your choice is to keep it?"
Vincent looked at the little orange cat on the floor: "Since it's an alien species, wouldn't leaving it outside be even more dangerous? If it stays with us, we can at least stop and teach it."
"That's true," Diana agreed with his point of view.
She also thought of something.
If the Flerken truly had a good impression of Vincent, or even depended on him, it could protect Vincent closely in the future, or act as a catalyst to provide abilities.
"So what are you going to do tonight? Can you completely control the tentacles?" Diana posed a question.
"Probably... not," Vincent spread his hands. "As long as I get close to something, the tentacles will instinctively want to devour it, just like a person habitually breathes. This Flerken instinct isn't that easy to control."
Just like when he previously gained his aunt's demigod abilities.
These powers and abilities were not inherent to Vincent but suddenly acquired, so the switch for the abilities could not be controlled at will.
"I don't know if four hours will be enough," Vincent was a little unsure.
This time, it wasn't an indirect activation of abilities like last time, but a direct fluid exchange with the Flerken.
If it lasted all night, he wouldn't be able to sleep—lying in bed, perhaps the next second, the bed would be devoured and banished to an unknown dimension by himself.
Who could endure that?
"I have a method," Diana suddenly said... In the room next to Vincent's, the air was filled with a unique violet scent.
Vincent lay on the ice-blue duvet, his upper body still bare, but faintly shimmering with a soft golden glow. A golden Lasso of Truth bound Vincent's body, including his arms, wrapping around his entire upper body in circles.
Diana, dressed in a slip nightgown, sat on the adjacent bed, reading an archaeological book under the dim yellow light of the bedside lamp.
"I say, Auntie. Is this the solution you're referring to?" Vincent, unable to move, felt a headache coming on.
"Mm," Diana softly hummed, continuing to read the archaeological book. "Block your second mouth, and the tentacles won't be able to come out."
Vincent was speechless.
He understood the logic. However, this scene, why did it feel a bit like a bondage play?
"Go to sleep," Diana said.
"Alright," Vincent closed his eyes, but his attention was inevitably drawn to his aunt beside him.
It had been a long time since he had slept with his aunt.
So cozy—not.
Under the dim, warm glow, his aunt was only wearing a thin slip nightgown, her graceful and alluring curves fully visible, with her two long, fair legs crossed below.
Who could possibly sleep like this?
Vincent restlessly twisted his body, his face suddenly stiffening, as another tentacle, besides the ones on his back, instinctively reacted.
"What's wrong?" Diana was still turning the pages of her book.
"Nothing..." Vincent was about to brush it off, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his words changed to: "Auntie, you're too beautiful, and my XX there reacted."
In an instant, the air in the room suddenly fell silent.
Diana's hand, turning the book, paused, and her exquisite face also stiffened slightly.
Vincent's mind went completely blank.
He was dumbfounded!
Dumbfounded!!!
What did he just say?!
Words he would never say to his aunt, just blurted out like that?
"You," Diana's face flushed slightly, she said, "Don't mind it. What's binding you is the Lasso of Truth. Anyone bound by it will reveal their true thoughts when questioned."
"Oh, oh, is that so?" Vincent chuckled awkwardly, wishing he could crawl under the bed.
Don't mind? How could he not mind!
"How was your day at school today?" Diana deliberately changed the subject.
Bound by the Lasso of Truth, Vincent candidly said, "Nothing much, Gwen got angry for some reason. Also, a junior girl, named Kara, publicly confessed to me in front of everyone."
Suddenly, the room fell into a subtle silence again.
Diana didn't know what she was thinking, she remained silent for a moment, then softly asked, "Then, do you like that girl?"
Vincent continued to reveal the truth without hesitation: "I've only met her twice, so I can't say if I like or dislike her. However, my feelings and impression of her are quite good."
"You are indeed at the age for dating."
Diana closed the archaeological book and smiled slightly: "If you think a girl is nice, you should actively seize the opportunity!"
Vincent suddenly said, "I think Auntie is very nice."
Diana's body trembled slightly.
She put down the archaeological book in her hand, reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, and said calmly in the darkness, "Go to sleep early."
Vincent did not speak again.
Were those last words the truth, forced out by the divine power of the Lasso of Truth? Were they words that could only be spoken after disregarding taboos, common sense, and their relationship?
He didn't know.
Vincent only knew that those were the words he most wanted to convey at that moment.