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The goat sat alone on the soft piano bench. One deep breath, then another. And another, and another, retraining their thalamus to connect to their amygdala and brainstem. Thousands and thousands of tiny explosions energizing a previously inert beast, a biological supercomputer, constructed by their own design.

Oh, to breathe again. Like a metronome, their heartbeat kept the time.

And so Niya's paws danced across the piano's keys, engaged in an intricate tango with the polished ivory. Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major. Deep in their soul remained the muscle memory necessary to play the tune, as much of an exercise in nostalgia as bodily coordination. The sound made their jaw go slack. Two neurons connecting, then ten, then hundreds and millions displaying a morbid pantomime. Tears welled in their eyes. Just for a moment they returned-

The square red bricks of Leipzig made Niya's mind melt. A slight breeze carried the scent of salted bread in the air. The bakeries slammed their doors shut. The sun set over the lead-paint horizon and turned the sky into a slurry of pink, yellow splotches above the marketplace and spiral towers-

And he ruffled his brown jacket and said, "I can't believe how beautiful things are," and "I can't even imagine a more perfect moment." But it neared the crescendo and Niya replied, "I could. But even if I could return to that place, so long ago, how would I recognize it?"

Beit Jala.

The girl hated the feeling of gold coins on her fingertips. It made her hands feel sticky. And the burlap sacks which surrounded the weighty metal scratched at her palms. The same feeling as the chairs in the opera house - god, the opera house. And every morning she would wax her horns in the stained mirror and stare at her body and When did her face become so long?

And the clouds frowned, the glowing orb in the sky spun around the entire earth tens of times as his skin molted from his bones and his jaw mouthed "I love you" for the final time. The girl shattered on the gravel. She reached her claws out and grasped at his ripped coat but he died and it looked like tar in the darkness and she was there.

Blood flowing into a sewer grate. The smell of shit permeated the air and stuck in her nose for weeks, like her insides rotted, and she took the boys' skulls and cracked them like eggs between her fingers, three of them, and they were young. The youngest didn't even scream, he just cried between her hands-

They were poor and stupid and the eldest's hand slipped. And his blade pierced ????'s abdomen and spilled him onto the street. It was supposed to be a stick-up job.

_ _ "Make a deal with me," Niya said. She was practically begging. "Just shake my hand, just shake my hand, please, don't leave me here."

_ _ But sepsis had already set in. Three neat piles of meat and blood. What did his face look like? In her mind, it was a blank sphere-

It was all in the way he curled his lips when he smiled.

_ _ "I can't live like you. I'm sorry."

He would rather die than live by your side.

The moon gave his face a pale milky glow. And ????'s grasp loosened, and the girl's world ended and the opera house closed and the moon crashed to the ground and the boys quivered under the weight of their crushed windpipes-

Nothing was keeping her there anymore.

_ _ That was the night Niya learned that the dead still dreamed, and corpses walked the earth. She passed through the fields of Nuremberg, Munich, Grossglockner, Alpi Carniche-

She sat on the peak of Medetsiz Tepe and stared at the moon and thought, He would've adored the stars tonight. Her tears created pock marks on the freshly fallen snow.

The demon's entrance to Beit Jala was heralded by nothing. She walked the empty streets with cloven hooves, distended horns, pupils which eerily bent. Nothing was as it had been. The streets were paved over tens of times, shifting and breathing like flesh.

There was a blooming field where her father's farm once stood. Ancient irrigation canals criss-crossed the land's undulations like tattoos. The ground was alive. And her hooves tore wounds through the fleshy trenches until they wouldn't move anymore, and she laid among the blood-red poppies and remembered the taste of grilled barley cakes from a wood stove.

"Niya?"

The demon's paws suspended above the piano keys, awkwardly drooping like withered leaves. They shook their head and wiped the tears from their eyes.

"Yes?" they asked, and turned toward the voice.

Nerai stood in the doorway and leaned against its frame. A tight black vest hugged his body. He smiled anxiously and asked, "You alright?"

Niya nodded, mustering a short-lived grin. "Yep, I'm fine," they said. "Sorry, didn't know you were in the house tonight. I thought you'd be out training."

Nerai shrugged and replied, "I decided to push off training until tomorrow. I was actually planning on taking a trip tonight."

The goat raised their eyebrow. They tapped their hoof on the glazed wooden floor. "A trip? Better be a good one to push off your training."

The apprentice idly tapped his claw on the doorframe and said, "I'm thinking about heading to the inferno beach. Yaknow, just to watch the water."

Niya chuckled. "And build sand castles? That place is dangerous to people with mortal coils, you know."

"Maybe," Nerai shot back. "But I can think of one person who might want to accompany me. Keep lil ol' me safe."

Niya rolled their eyes, then glanced at the piano.

"But if you're seriously busy, that's fine," Nerai added. "I can find Kazimir and ask them. They're at the market. I just thought I'd offer it to you first. We can spend a chill afternoon together at the beach."

A huff. "Fine. I can go with you." Niya then stood and brushed down their crop top, a simple white thing accompanied by gray sweatpants. They sighed and said, "You ready?"

"Mhm."

And so Niya started toward the door, beckoning for Nerai to follow.

Strong gusts of wind surrounded Niya's body like a hurricane as the pair landed on the beach. Its sand was charcoal black, permeated by the occasional white fleck. A wine-dark sea expanded beyond the beachhead with a reddish violet tint, its seafoam boiling hot as it overflowed onto the warm damp rocks.

Nerai jumped from Niya's embrace into the sand with a hefty thump and stretched his back. "Wow. It's beautiful out here," he said, and stared at the crimson sky. Tiny rocky landmasses rose above the horizon and reached for the salmon-colored clouds.

"To think mortals call this place Hell," Nerai said.

Niya retracted their wings and stepped to Nerai's side. "Hell for them, Heaven for us," they replied. They looked down at the dragon. "What do you want to do now?"

Nerai thought for a moment, eyeing the ground. Strange shells, pebbles, the occasional bone. "How about skipping rocks?" he asked.

The goat huffed. "Fine," they said. "Show me how."

Nerai grinned stupidly and searched through the sand, then lifted a smooth dark pebble. "So first, you get a really flat pebble, like this."

"Mmm."

"And then you just toss it in the water, but at an angle. So it skids on the surface." And Nerai held out the pebble, beckoning for Niya to take it. "You should try."

Niya stared at the pebble. "I don't understand."

"Like, the mechanics of it?"

Niya scoffed and said, "I thought you had more substantive plans for this place. I don't see the purpose of this."

"Oh." Nerai's arm flopped to his side. He shuffled his feet. "Well, the point is to pass the time and talk to you. Did you... not do stuff like this when you were a mortal?"

Something strange passed over Niya's maw. "No," they said. "I didn't. I had better things to do."

Nerai frowned. He then sat on the sand and idly tossed the stone across the water, watching it skip across the waves. "Fine," he said. "What did you do in Beit Jala?"

Niya stood above him, their arms crossed. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Mmm." Nerai hummed as he poured over pebbles in his palms. Most were too angular, too long, too hefty... damn. And all the while, Niya remained silent.

Anxiety bubbled in Nerai's chest. He abruptly dropped the rocks to his side and glanced at Niya. "Can you tell me... anything about your past? We've been dating for months, but I barely know anything."

Niya's eyes narrowed. "Is this all you came here to do?" they barked. "Throw rocks into the ocean and ask me stupid questions?"

The dragon sighed. He didn't respond.

Nerai's eye then caught on a long, flat pebble to his side. He grasped it in his lavender palm, then flung along the hot frothing water. Even before it sank beneath the waves, his claws were awkwardly clinking beneath another small aggregate of pebbles.

"You know, when I was a mortal, I used to read a lot," Nerai said, attempting to fill the air. He stared at the water. "Mostly books about magic tricks... cuz, you know, that was my job." He smacked his lips. "But I used to go to this river near my apartment complex. Alone, usually on cloudy days. And I'd just skip rocks for hours. Sometimes I'd bring a bong and smoke up on the side. But most of the time, I just sat and watched the water and did nothing in particular."

"Okay."

Nerai breathed heavily. "Sometimes I really miss the time I spent there. It was quiet, and I felt aimless and poor and shitty. But there was a certain... I dunno, a certain appeal to having nothing to do. Just being bored, and thinking."

Niya didn't respond. They just glanced at the folding waves. Their crests revealed shadowy splotches in the water. Occasionally a small lifeform grazed the water's surface. A fin, or a wiry tentacle which disappeared back into the deep.

Nerai continued, "The reason I brought you here with me is because I wanted to share that experience with you."

"So you wanted to share nothing with me?" Niya echoed.

"No," Nerai said. Disgust contorted his maw. He stood and turned from Niya, trudging along the shore. His feet sank in the beach with each step. He spat, "Forget it. You can walk with me if you want, or you can go home if you're so bored. I'm not gonna make you stay here with me."

And so the dragon meandered along the thick dark sand with Niya in tow. Spindling tropical trees passed by his left side. Blood-colored branches and tree trunks contorted into strange spirals, their leaves absorbing the crimson light through viscous black pigment. Birds flew overhead, the occasional demon speeding next to them, accompanied by the chirping of hellish insects. Anthropomorphic animals laying on beach towels as they read books or spoke or played in the red-violet water. Their voices slowly faded into the distance.

Nerai's thighs burned. His mortal coil had certainly become hardier since his apprenticeship began, but he still had trouble with arduous physical tasks. Brutal heat emanated from the boiling water. His violet tail dragged along the ground, creating a continuous ravine in the sand.

"Where are you going?" Niya asked.

Nerai responded, "I don't know. I'm just walking."

Niya scoffed. Their tail flitted. They said, "There is nothing interesting on this beach, you know. If you want to walk aimlessly somewhere, you ought to go to the city."

"What if I want to see nothing?"

Niya audibly huffed. The sound made Nerai stop in his tracks. The couple stood together on an isolated stretch of beach. Silence perforated by the cooing of birds.

Nerai turned to face Niya. His face was scrunched in frustration. "Why are you being so mean to me?" he asked.

"I'm not being mean to you."

"Yes. Yes, you are. You're my girlfriend, and I'm trying to spend time with you. Why even come along with me if you're just going to complain the whole time?"

Niya barked, "You brought me to a boring place. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to me!"

"I_am_ talking to you."

"No, you're not." Nerai glanced away in exasperation, flopping his arms against his sides. "You're not talking to me. You're criticizing me. For everything. Why are you being so... critical? Can't we just have a regular conversation like couples do? Tell stories? Something?"

Niya stared wordlessly. They didn't know what to say.

"You know, usually people open up a few months into the relationship," Nerai continued. His voice grew louder. His fists clenched. "Like, is it a crime for me to want to know you? I bring you places I like, you complain. I bring you places you like, you can barely say you love me." He threw his claws into the air. "And in any place, you don't tell me anything_about who you are. Where the hell even _is_Beit Jala? _Who are you?"

Niya's biceps tensed. Their throat strained. Their jaw clenched.

"I don't have to tell you anything," they spat. Their eyes were wild.

Nerai stepped closer. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "You don't have to. But you should. Give me something, anything."

"You've lived less than one percent of the life I have. You don't know what it's like to be immortal."

"Then teach me."

Niya gripped the boy's shoulder, staring into his eyes. The goat's slitted pupils shook with rage. Their hot breath spilled onto Nerai's face, filling his nostrils with the smell of lavender. A quiet desperation emanated from Nerai's gaze.

"Do you really want a taste?" Niya asked. Their voice was low and stern.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Niya asked.

"Yes."

"Then strip. And I'll show you what I've experienced."

"But-"

Niya's eyes narrowed. "Trust me," they said. "I want to show you something only a lust demon can."

"Can't we just talk like normal people?" Nerai asked.

"Nerai, we are not normal people."

The dragon's hackles fell. His shoulders slumped. Frustration and arousal mingled on his maw. "Fine," he said, and slid his vest over his head. His pants fell from his hips, then his underwear, until he stood nude on the warm sand. His penis grew hard as it met the warm sea breeze.

The dragon's voice cracked as he spoke. "There," he said. "Is this what you want?"

Niya stepped toward Nerai and said, "Yes." They licked their lips, as if sizing up prey. "It's exactly what I want."

The goat snapped, and their clothes evaporated into black dust. Their hefty breasts fell free against their chocolate-colored tum and laid atop their abs. A huge fluffy package nestled between their thighs, the red tip of their capricid cock poking free from its thick sheath. Wiry sinews, as thick as Nerai's forearm, ran along their legs, ending in a pair of hard obsidian hooves.

"Just so you know, I'm going to be rough," Niya said. But Nerai already knew.

The behemoth then rubbed their palm along Nerai's shoulder blades, tracing their fingers along his tendons while staring into his eyes. The boy's resolve had yet to be broken; his gaze betrayed a mixture of anger, lust, and resolution. Tension wrung beneath the dragon's soft scales. They needed to work it out.

Niya growled and shoved their maw onto Nerai's, squeezing the boy harshly against their bosom. A rumble emanated from their chest and shook the boy's ribcage as his mouth was thoroughly violated by the demons' prehensile tongue. The wet organ snaked from Niya's maw and briefly danced with Nerai's tongue, then molested every inch of the boy's orifice, licking along his fangs, his molars, his lips, and finally past the base of his tongue...

Fuck, Niya's scent was overwhelming. There was something intoxicating about their warm, perfumed breath. It flowed relentlessly from the goat's soft lips and electrified Nerai's olfactory nerve. His spine tingled and crumbled like putty in Niya's claws, his flesh malleable, his arms limp.

The demon's slick tongue worked its way past Nerai's and plugged his throat, wiggling against his moist insides and filling his chest with warm saliva. Desperate, muffled gags emanated from Nerai's full maw as the dragon gasped for air. Oxygen dwindled, making his body convulse in a pleasured frenzy, his eyes rolling back into his head. The world spun. Niya's grunts and growls echoed between his ears, melting his consciousness into a slurry of light and sound, barely lucid, with no clear beginning or end...

A sudden gasp. It took a moment for Nerai to realize the noise came from himself. Niya had removed themselves from the dragon's maw; they stared downward at the boy with half-lidded eyes, their tongue lolling from their mouth and licking at their lips.

The world slowly reformed in Nerai's mind. Light coagulated into solid shapes. His skin shuddered at the slightest touch. He kicked his feet, only to realize he was hovering a foot above the ground, suspended by Niya's paws under his arms.

"Pathetic," Niya spat. Millennia of rage made their body shake. Their hot red cock was fully erect, at least 7 inches in length, and flared against Nerai's prone legs.

"Your mortality makes you weak," they said. "I will force it out of you."

The goat then unceremoniously dropped Nerai onto the sand, his legs crumpling under the weight of his body. The boy barely managed to hold himself up on all-fours. His lungs wheezed. He coughed globs of spittle onto the sand, watching helplessly as Niya's hooves rounded his backside.

Razor-sharp claws then lifted the boy's thick tail and exposed his puckered asshole. The soft smack of Niya's lips, followed by the wet warmth of their tongue on his perineum. A labored gasp came from Nerai's maw as his tailhole was violated. His lower body went slack, only for Niya to suspend the boy in the air by his tail. Nerai rested his chin on the sand, tensing his pucker with each hard thrust of the goat's muscled tongue.

Another loud rumble erupted from Niya's chest as they assaulted the vulnerable boy. Some primordial impulse compelled Niya to push Nerai to his limits. They needed to hear his screams, the labored, pained moans that come with being sliced open. The demon yearned for the taste of his blood on their lips, the piercing of fangs on flesh, the wide-eyed panic of prey that's been captured, his yelps as their fangs first pierce his fleshy scales-

Niya's tongue burrowed farther, farther, farther into Nerai's tight pucker, writhing against his soft insides. They pressed their appendage down on the boy's prostate and savored his helpless whimpers. Clear, sticky precum dripped from Nerai's pathetic cock onto the sand. His flesh contorted and shivered around Niya, perpetually on the brink of overstimulation. He attempted to push himself away from Niya's tongue, but his body could barely move-

Niya pushed their snout flush against the base of Nerai's tail, allowing their tongue to slither completely inside Nerai's hole and coat his insides in a thick layer of saliva. Every thrust of their appendage was animalistic, every grunt and moan was feral.

Fuck, they couldn't take it anymore. A guttural cry erupted from Niya's throat as they retracted their tongue from Nerai's insides. Bloodlust exploded from their chest. Their entire body felt like it was on fire. Every graze on Nerai's scales, every terrified expression he made, intensified their need for blood.

The goat dropped Nerai's tail and allowed him to slump forward on the ground, completely immobile. Tears poured from his eyes from complete overstimulation. Every sensation felt like it broke him, again and again, fracturing his fragile mind. But some part of him called for his own destruction. He yearned to have his flesh torn open; if his tongue would move, he would have begged to be bitten like prey-

Intense pain suddenly radiated along Nerai's spine and electrified his peripheral nervous system. He violently writhed against Niya's body. Adrenaline rushed through his heart to his arms and legs, but it was too late. The predator's claws had sunk too deeply into his flank. His life spilled out onto the black sand. He cried out in pain as Niya's sharp fangs penetrated his shoulder and ripped at his warm flesh. The demon's grin turned crimson as they greedily lapped at his blood. The smell of copper permeated their nostrils.

Niya's jaw then unhinged from Nerai's flesh, allowing a piercing howl to flow from their lips. Nerai's limp body laid beneath them, his back a blank canvas. Muscles spasmed beneath his skin. He had given up, his face near-buried in the sand, the slightest gasps blowing the particles away from his face.

More. Niya still needed more.

Claws unsheathed from their fingertips. They positioned their fingers along the nape of Nerai's neck, taking a deep breath. The goat savored the view for only a moment before raking their claws downward, creating dark red stripes along the boy's violet scales. Nerai's spasms were lesser now, his voice shrill and weak. His claws curled helplessly around clumps of crumbling sand, clenching with every new wound.

Niya scratched Nerai's back again, and again, and again, until deep bloody ravines covered his shoulder blades. The boy simply shivered in the sand, his body shaking less and less with every flash of pain until he remained completely limp. Upon lifting their claws for the final time, Niya noticed that he wasn't bracing himself anymore. His whimpers became soft. The chirping of birds infiltrated the silence. Niya unclenched their hands.

The demon then gripped Nerai's arm and unceremoniously flipped the boy over. He didn't even flinch. The reddish light met his face, and Niya stared into his half-lidded eyes. Anger surged within their chest. They weren't sure what they were searching for. Submission? Hatred?

Instead, Nerai's gaze was desperate, pathetic; tears welled below them and streamed down his cheeks, flowing into the ground. But still, something terrifying shone there in his eyes. Behind the pain, the gasps, and tears, adoration remained. Niya froze.

A lone pout emerged from Nerai's battered chest, causing him to wince and cough. His voice emerged as a mere whisper, barely distinguishable from the waves crashing on the shore.

"I love you."

Niya's jaw relaxed, their hands unclenched. The embers disappeared from their eyes. No. No, no.

_ It was all in the way he curled his lips when he smiled._

_ _ Their heart sank. Blood dripped from their teeth, their claws. For the first time in millennia, the demon's limbs shook. They couldn't look at themselves. There was too much blood.

"I'm sorry," they said. They reached out and held the boy gently in their arms, lifting him upward into a sitting position. "I'm so sorry."

Something familiar rose in the demon's chest. An ancient feeling, something centuries gone, a deep sadness. Spots of Nerai's blood soaked into their fur. Tears formed in their eyes and rolled down their cheeks. Words caught in their throat as their chest was wracked with sobs.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Manic nerve signals shocked Niya's cerebrum. Time slowed. Their breathing stopped.

And for just a moment, she remembered how the hot sun shone on her face through the clouds. How she used to hide in piles of chaff from their sister. She once burned herself on the stove and ate barley cakes afterward.

She remembered how the smoke suddenly made the air unbreathable. It billowed from the horizon. The neighbor had warned them, then rode off on a horse. War drums. She told this story in Leipzig. And ???? nodded along, as if he knew.

One hundred foot soldiers, from a kingdom whose name she never knew. They wore cone helmets. But when she revisited Beit Jala, the roads were different. Upended by the sand, and by thousands of passerby and beggars.

She didn't know how much time passed between Beit Jala and Leipzig. She wandered for millennia until she found him, curled in a back alley, and pitied him enough to feed him, like a stray animal. He followed her like one, too. He was the first and only human to refuse a deal from her.

She told him everything. She told him that the wooden barrel was cold and hard, and that her arms cramped from hiding for so long. She told him about the clattering of hooves and metal, and how her mother cried when her father was slain. She told him about burying him in the torched fields, and how the sand stuck in her sandals, and how the sun wore on her face until Milcom shook her hand in the desert.

One day later, she found the soldier. He'd been crushed under a house. His legs were broken and his arm was broken, he was broken. He could barely speak. But he told her where the army was camped. Less than a day away. And she arrived, and lit them on fire. ???? asked if she regretted it.

"I regret everything I do. I'm sorry."

"Niya."

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Niya couldn't stop shaking. Their chin rested on Nerai's shoulder. Spittle and tears fell from their face. They screamed.

"Niya."

"I'm-"

"Niya. Breathe." Nerai's voice was raspy.

The goat's chest heaved. Their thalamus reached frantically for their brainstem, latching on with considerable effort. Still they failed to silence themselves, breathing in-between a series of shallow hiccups and sniffles.

Nerai gently removed Niya's head from his shoulder and held their face in front of him. The goat glanced to the side.

"Niya, can you look at me?"

"N-no."

"Please?" Nerai wiped a tear from Niya's cheek. "I want to see you."

Slowly, Niya's gaze rested on Nerai's face. He was alert now, and concerned. His clutch was tight. Blood had stopped flowing from his shoulder.

Niya inhaled and said, "I'm a bad person, and I'm so sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not." Niya struggled to keep from wailing. "I hurt you. You're bleeding. I wanted to show you how much everything hurts and I, I got carried away, and I hurt you-"

Nerai's eyes narrowed. "Niya, listen to me."

"There's too much blood."

"Niya, listen to me."

The dragon's grip tightened around Niya's biceps. His tone was firm. Niya's ears perked.

"Everything's okay now. You're safe. I'm safe. Everything is gonna be okay."

Niya gulped. They straightened their back and inhaled sharply, still clinging to Nerai.

"I'm sorry that I've been mean to you," they blurted. "I feel like shit."

Nerai tilted his head and asked, "Why's that?"

"I'm just remembering everything," Niya replied. They swallowed. "It's fucking terrifying."

The dragon frowned. "I'm sorry," he said. "But I love you. And I'll listen to whatever you need."

Niya huffed. They cleared their throat. "Thank y-you," they sputtered. "I just... when I was playing piano earlier, I just couldn't stop thinking about everything. And when I came here with you, I was still thinking about it..."

Nerai wasn't sure how to respond. He thought for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry for pushing you about your past. I should've known you were in so much pain."

"Yeah." Niya hiccuped. "It's... but I understand why you're so mad at me."

A pause. Niya awkwardly backed away and shifted to Nerai's side, leaning against his shoulder. The pair stared at the ocean together as Niya steadied their breathing. Waves crashed on the shore. A sailboat weaved between rock formations in the distance. A tentacle swept across the surface of the water.

Nerai broke the silence and said, "I didn't know your past was that traumatic."

Niya replied, "Nobody does. Except for Kazimir."

"Again, I'm sorry for pushing you."

"It's okay." Niya sighed. "I don't want to make it seem like I don't want to spend time with you. But I have, and I've been acting like a piece of shit, and I'm sorry." They looked at the dragon.

"I love you, Nerai."

Nerai replied, "I love you too."

Niya pursed their lips. Stray tears still fell from their eyes. They sniffled, but attempted to regain their posture. "How's your shoulder?" they asked.

The dragon rotated his arm, then flexed it. "It hurts, but you didn't bite too deeply," he said, and chuckled. "This mortal form is fading anyway."

"And your back?"

"It, uh..." Nerai frowned. "It hurts, but hey, I'll live."

Niya hummed. "Mmm. When I get like that, it's like I totally lose control. Again, I'm sorry. I should've kept myself in-check and talked with you first."

"Yeah. You should've." Nerai sighed, then smirked. "But for what it's worth, your piano playing today was beautiful."

"Thank you," Niya said. A faint smile rose to their lips. They coughed. "I learned how to play in Leipzig."

"Where?"

"Germany, 18th century."

"Oh." Nerai tapped his fingers in the sand. "Do you think you could teach me sometime?" he asked.

"Yeah. And then... if you want, I can tell you more about what I did there," Niya said.

"Really?" Nerai's eyes lit up.

"Yeah," Niya replied. They gazed into the distance. "The architecture was beautiful."