Don’t throw it.

Cerina’s hands tightened around the object, her body wracked with confusion, fear, and that unbearable, inexplicable hunger. The thought of eating the stone lingered, circling her mind like a vulture. She couldn’t banish it, no matter how absurd or horrifying it seemed. Her breath quickened, shallow and uneven, as she stared at the tubular shape that now felt alive in her grasp, pulsing with a rhythm that matched the frantic beat of her heart.

Her lips parted before she realized what she was doing. Her tongue flicked out hesitantly, brushing against the smooth, warm surface of the elongated tube. The taste was… indescribable. Not metallic, not bitter, not even earthy—just something otherworldly, a flavor that filled her mind as much as her mouth. A shock of sensation shot through her, her body locking up for an instant as the pulse of the object suddenly surged.

The churning in her stomach twisted tighter, almost unbearable now, but somehow… it felt right.

Before she could think, before she could resist, Cerina tilted the object and slid the tubular stone over her tongue and into her mouth. It fit unnaturally well, the shape gliding effortlessly as though her mouth had been designed for this very act. The moment it passed her lips, the pulsing waves intensified, radiating outward from the stone and flooding her entire body. Her hands fell away, but the stone didn’t drop. It stayed perfectly balanced in her mouth, almost fused to her.

Cerina’s eyes widened as warmth pressed outward trying to escape her chest, then lower, pooling deep inside her. It wasn’t just hunger anymore—it was satiation… euphoria. The stone seemed to hum now, its waves turning into a rhythm that remained in sync with her heartbeat, her breathing, her very thoughts.

And then the voice returned.

Good, you’re learning.

Cerina tried to pull the stone from her mouth, but her body wouldn’t obey. The hunger was gone, replaced by something stranger—an overwhelming sense of connection, as though the object was a part of her now, inseparable and essential.

Instead, her hands gripped the bedcover as the stone began to move on its own. Gliding slowly up and down her tongue as her lips gently closed around it.

“What… is this?” she mumbled, her voice muffled by the shaft in her mouth. But the voice didn’t answer.

Instead, images began to flash in her mind—shapes, symbols… words. They came too fast to grasp, leaving her disoriented and trembling. The warmth inside her deepened, spreading through her limbs, and she felt as though she might melt into the sensation.

Finally, the stone’s pulse began to slow, its rhythm settling into something more subdued, almost gentle. Her right hand, now shaking, rose instinctively to her mouth. She grabbed the base of the object’s shaft and helped it slip free. With effort, she pried the stone past her lips, gasping for air as it left her lips with a satisfying pop.

She held it before her, the object now slightly different—slender, gently curved, tip gently rounded like a mushroom—its surface gleaming faintly with her saliva. The hunger was gone, replaced by a hollow ache deep in her belly which couldn’t be reached.

Can’t it?

Cerina stared at the stone, her mind reeling, as she wondered what she’d done… and what she could do.