ã€ŠThe Last Kingã€‹


 chapter one

    Roland stared at the magic circle that appeared in front of him.

    It was perfectly symetrical in every way and had small glowing runes and symbols lining its edges that continued to move in a strange circular pattern until it reached the center of the circle.

    They held a meaning that would have been indecipherable to any regular person. Roland however, instantly recognised the language, the "intent" behind them, and determined the circle''s usage at a mere glance.

    Up until then he had been lazing under the moonlight in a rather secluded  area that only he knew, staring aimlessly at the sky.  He did that often these days.

    However, the appearance of the sight before him was quite unexpected. A pleasant surprise.

    He let out a small smile.

    A summoning circle. How interesting , he thought, faintly amused.

    He could feel that oppressive aura emanating from the glowing circle before him, crackling with energy and spreading light to its surrounding. He felt the soft, insistent whispering at the back of his mind that urged him forward, to step onto the circle and be transported to some far off place.

    There were few who were capable of summoning beings from across the vast multi-verses. The power required was phenomenal.  No ordinary mage or other such person could provide the mana and mental strength that could withstand searching through the endless sea of various universes.

    Usually very few could resist a summoning of this level once it was successful completed. Roland however was a different matter. If he did not allow it, virtually no being could summon him.

    Most people, if they knew what was happening at the time, would be angry about being forcefully taken to a strange world. Roland had known people who had been Summoned before. They were understandably annoyed at the fact.

    For his part though, he was only a bit curious. See, a Summoning such as this was very unpredictable.

    You never quite knew what you¡¯ll end up with. Although, it could also be said to be quite effective.

    When using this particular type of summoning magic, the circle¡¯s power would take on a slight bit of sentience, connection with the mind of the summoner.

    It used that connection to narrow down it search to find the person or creature that best suited the summoner¡¯s needs or wants, therefore lessening the strain on the summoner¡¯s mind so that it is not instantly shattered and thrown out across the ether.

    Of course even then the summoner using this kind of magic cannot use the spell for very long, hence the need for a strong mind and will. Unless you have enough mana to power it the spell won¡¯t work but even if you had that, without powerful mental strength you may as well give up because one of two things would happen: Either you mind would be shattered, as mentioned before, or, if you¡¯re lucky, the spell would simply fail.

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    You would lose the ability to perform magic for several years, but at least you¡¯ll live.

    Well, only Grand Summonings like this come with such high risks though.

    For these, even if you succeed, even if the mind of the summoner is quite powerful, you could not sustain the spell for long as the mana consumption rate is too high and there is no guarantee the time would be sufficient to actually summon anything that met the requirements.

    In short, even if the spell succeeds you may end up with nothing and if it failed the repercussions are not really worth the risk. A person would have to be really desperate to use a spell like that.

    Of course, Summonings came in different types and levels. This one, a Grand Summoning, was of the highest level.

    The other types, for the most part,  wouldn''t bring much harm at all.

    But what surprised Roland was the fact HE was being summoned. Meaning someone, somewhere, needed him. Needed his power.

    Though, the power that the summoning circle emitted was nowhere near strong enough to force Roland to go anywhere he did not want to.

    That was why the circle was in front of him rather than having appeared underneath his feet as it would have usually done. In most cases the summonee wouldnt have a choice in the matter.

    But this time was different. Since it was him, It couldnt bring him any place againt his will.

    In a situation like this, it was more like a cry for help rather than a kidnapping.

    Roland gave a mental shrug.

    Well, it isn¡¯t as if he  had anything better to do right now, though that person would probably throw a fit once he was gone. Well, him leaving would have happened eventually anyway.

    It was a bit early, but this way was easier, no?

    Oh well.

    It was geting boring on this planet anyway, he thought.

    Having already decided his course of action, Roland stepped onto the circle.

    "Now then, let¡¯s have some fun shall we?"

    But before even the last word was spoken, he was already gone.

 chapter two-- Updated (December 29)

    Author''s notes; It is currently December 29, 2015 as I write this. I have made changes to this and the last chapter. I will likely do the same for the other chapters at some point but nothing too major. Just smaller things that i think i would make the story better. Anyone who has read the original version of this may spot the differences though. I prefer this version since i was not too experienced with writting stories before and feel i did a better job this time around. That is all.

    ------------------

    Lilith stood inside a large hall.

    " if we''re doing this it has to be now. i can sense them approaching. it wont be long till they arrive. "

    A voice called out to her, calm yet betraying a faint hint of unease.

    "Are the preparations complete? "

    Seeing a tall figure stepping in from the shadows, Lilith was able to put a face to the voice, one she knew well. Closing the doors behind him, the figure spoke once again.

    " Yeeh. Call James inside so we can begin. As for myself, i''ll let Reina know we''re ready. "

    " Will do. " The gold-haired boy replied.

    After seeing him off, Lilith walked to the other end of the hall where a large dais was raised. it was there that her sister Reina stood, her long blood-red hair set ablaze by the light streaming in from the gigantic stained glass window which dominated the wall behind her.

    As a child Reina always cried easily, always shrank at the slightest provocation. She was weak. Even when others laughed at or ridiculed her, she never stood up for herself or spoke a single word of protest. That was a type of strength, but not one that mattered.  Not in the place they lived.

    In the worst cases she bore everything silently until she was alone, and only then would her tears come.

    It was not a choice, rather, it was something that couldnt be helped.  Reina was not in a position where she was able to defend herself.

    And so Lilith took it upon herself to protect her sister, to be her knight when it was required. It was a duty she took seriously. Because it was what she felt she owed her little sister... Because Lilith was living the life she should have had.

    If not for the difference of a few months, their lives would have been reversed. Born of different mothers, if only Reina had been born first, she would be the one to recieve all the care and attention. At least, for the first few years.

    of course Lilith would be facing the judgement and sneers of others, but she was strong, talented. She would have thrown those sneers back at them.

    If not for the other Reina she had gotten to know over all this time, Lilith would think there was no hope for her sister to ever be fine without her sister to guide her.

    But now, looking at Reina stand upon that dais bathed in sunlight, in Lilith''s mind she  looked so solitary, so alone. Unreachable.

    Lilith''s throat felt raw, her eyes starting to burn with unshed tears.

    Taking  a moment to calm herself, she called out to her sister.

    " Everything is in place, we''re just waiting for you. "

    " ... It''s okay, I''m already done here."   It was a soft, pleasant voice. "The spell requires a lot of concentration, so i was just preparing myself. Don''t worry, i''ll be fine, Lilith. We all will" she said upon seeing my expression.

    For a moment, it felt as if Lilith''s  heart would break. But, even with the risks involved, none of them would live past the day at any rate. Only knowing that, could Lilith allow her sister to go through with something like this.

    "How can you be so sure?" she asked. " Nothing has been alright so far"

    Reina shook her head.

    "Im not sure. It''s just a feeling I have. I feel. . . Peaceful. Safe. Dont you? Cant you feel it as well? This is the right thing to do, Lilith. I cant explain it, but im certain everthing will be fine."

    "I wish i shared your certainty. But I dont like the idea of it. Finding someone else to save us. We cant be sure anyone can save us anyway. Or would even want to help at all.  Not like we even have much choice at this point."

    Lilith know how she sounded, but the words came out unbidden.

    " Perhaps. But even still, I cant help but have the sense that things will turn out for the best. I dont know who will show up, but i have faith in that person"

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    Lilith wasn''t convinced.

    " You havent even met the person yet. Having such baseless faith, that isnt like you."

    Reina suddenly seemed troubled.

    " I know that. But . . . "

    "Well, it doesnt matter, i suppose. Having a bit of faith is all any of us can do at the moment." She smiled gently. Lilith chose not to question her sister any farther.

    If this faith of hers gave her some comfort, then Lilith didnt want to take that away from her. Rather, she wished that she also had such feelings. But, the reality of the situation made that difficult.

    "Did you tell Saren to bring his brother back in?

    "Yeah,  here they come now. "

    As they walked in the two brothers didnt say anything. Their tall, blond frames were a familiar sight and offered some slight reassurance.

    In their long journey together, they had both proven to be trustworthy and reliable. The family that Lilith and Reina never had.

    Saren, with his fierce protectiveness and unyeilding attitude was like the older brother that would go to any lengths to protect the other three.

    James, quiet and thoughtful, was one who listened only to his own ideals. For them, he would make war with the world itself. He had often been both the most troublesome and clear headed of them all, never willing to admit defeat.

    For her part, Reina had been the one needing the most protection. Yet, she kept the group together in the darkest of times. Weak, yet strong. The contradiction was something Lilith had never noticed before their journey began. It was as if she had two personalities inside her.

    One was the little sister who couldnt fend for herself, and the other was a person  who needed didnt need anyone. The one who could take on anthing by herself.

    The one who seemed infinitly more real.

    Perhaps, that was who  Reina would have been if things were allowed to take their natural course  without interference.

    Once they climbed up the few steps of the dais, the four created a small cirlce. Seeing them holding out their arms toward her, she grabbed their hands.

    Lilith felt the strong current of their mana reaching out for her own, mingling together. having that much power coursing through her was exhilerating. suppressing the feeling, she held a palm out to her sister, ready to transfer the power that was neccessary to start the summoning.

    When their hands touched, it was like something was sucking the energy right out of her at an astonishing rate. It was like a vast, bottomless abyss with infinite hunger. Lilith saw her sister''s irises glow a bright silver. A large magic circle appeared on the dais, illuminating the entire room. It seemed as if everything else faded from existence.

    Although Reina performed the spell, Lilith could feel the enormity of the universe. No. . . Not just this universe, but others as well!

    It was a odd feeling, with no words to describe it. Could this be what it felt like to be a god?

    It was too much. It felt like her head would explode, like her soul would be ripped apart and thrown across the endless void of time and space. Too much. Too much. Too much.

    Reina must be feeling this far stronger than myself. Her mind, how could it withstand something like that?

    Is it worth it? What they were doing, would it help at all?

    Perhaps not. They, from the moment of their birth, their destinies had been planned out.

    Their bodies, even, had been designed to meet only one purpose.  Once that purpose was met, what would they become? Husks. Shells of their former selves.

    They knew that. That is why, in our selfishness, we had came up with this insane plan. Because, they had no other choice.

    And yet now, after coming so far, her  heart is filled with doubts. So many things we could have done instead. None able to give us what we want.

    Will this?

    What they were doing right now, was even this included in their calculations?

    Was their current actions truly their own choice or was it simply all going according to "their" plans?

    And just when the thought entered her head, the doors exploded.

 chapter three--Updated (December 29)

    Author¡¯s notes: EDIT(June 26)

    Just wanted to let any new readers know that there are many info dumps in later chapters and not enough character interactions. I will be focusing on interactions more in the future, so you can merely glance at the info dumps if you want and not take it too seriously.

    If you can get through those, then you might like the story.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The doors exploded, sending chips of wood and dust everywhere.

    Slowly, leisurely, several figures walked in, each one emitting an aura of absolute power.

    Their mere presence almost seemed to distort space. The pressure coming off of their combined bodies made the air feel heavy, almost chokingly so.

    ¡®Immortals¡± Lilith whispered, her heart filling with dread.

    They were what the four had been afraid of. Before, there was no sign of enemies as strong as this. But, some time ago, something changed that caused the men before them to start moving in on them.

    They had been very lucky to escape so far.  It seems that luck had now run out.

    The men looked indifferently towards Reina, who was still in the middle of the summoning. Slowly, a cruel, mocking smile came to the middle one¡¯s face.

    ¡°A summoning, eh? Ha, how ridiculous. Did you become so desperate as to resort to this? Did you think it work, against us? No matter how you struggle, you cannot escape the plans our master have set for you. All this . . .  Is meaningless. ¡±

    Looking at the four of us with obvious disdain, he continued, ¡° But, since you are determined to fight till the end, i suppose we could humour you. Our masters need you alive, not whole. Who shoud we start with first?  Ah, how about the pretty red-hair over there?"

    Without another word, his arm flashed with inhuman speed and sent a sword made of condensed magical energy flying straight at us.

    There was no time to react.

    An instant later, the sword pierced through Reina''s chest. Her eyes, which until then had glowed with an inner white light as she was still in the middle of the spell, reverted back to their original emerald color. Blood ran down her mouth.

    "Reina!" Lilith cried out.  Reina''s body, not even two feet away from her, started to fall.

    The sword, having finished its purpose, dissolved into tiny particles of light. Lilith was feeling shock, hatred, fear, and worry. But she bit her lip and held it in.

    She was losing too much blood. At this rate...

    "Bastard!" Saren drew a sword from his waist and charged at them recklessly.

    A loud boom resounded throughout the hall and Saren was thrown backward. smashing against the wall before crumbling on the floor. He looked towards his brother, passing a silent message befre passing out.

    "Lilith, the summoning failed, take her and go!" But it was useless. The Immortals didnt bother with an exchange of blows.

    They assaulted him with waves of pressure that left him unable to fight. Against such weak opponents, the Immortals didnt even need to raise a hand.

    The entire thing was pitiful. Against the other dangers, the two brothers had been reliable. But against the absolute power of the five Immortals, the two seemed weak and pathetic in comparison.

    But all that was lost on Lilith. Right now, with Reina dying, it was only the two of them in their own little world. Nothing else mattered right now except  her sister.

    Lilith was numb. The presence of the Immortals had made her lose all hope of surviving. And yet, despite that, she still didnt want to see her sister die before her.

    Reina whispered something.

    Lilith had to lean closer to hear, and what she heard was unexpected at this point.

    What she whispered was...

    ¡°He¡¯s here...¡±

    Standing in front of the, was a man she had never seen before, facing the Immortals. He was tall, perhaps 6''2, and though he was slim his figure was long and lean like a panther, seemingly built for explosive power and speed. His hair was midnight black like a raven¡¯s wing. She couldn¡¯t see his face.

    He had no weapon on him that she could see.

    Lilith felt something from him. A certain aura that dominated the air around him.

    When he spoke, his voice was calm and carrying a faint hint of amusement.

    " Ah, well, isn''t this interesting. I was expecting a battlefield, and yet all I find is a few Immortals? I''m disappointed. But, it appears the situation itself is worth my attention. It''s not every day an Immortal goes around harassing children  like this"

    He turned his head toward the two of us, revealing a handsome face with azure blue eyes.

    She didn''t know why, but Lilith felt exposed under his sharp gaze.

    ¡°Oh? That''s quite the Curse you girls have there. It''s actually attached to your souls. I wonder who you pissed off to get them.

    Well, never mind. Before that, let¡¯s get that girl there fixed up. Ah, she¡¯s already half-dead. That''s no good. I didn''t give you permission to die yet, you know " There was a bit of arrogance to his words, and yet also a hint of friviolity that implied there was little that could faze him.

    He waved a hand, and soon light spread across Reina''s body. Lilith was shocked. The fatal wound, something that was caused by the attack which would ever heal on its own,  was completely gone by the time the light faded, not a mark to be seen. As if it never happened.

    While Lilith stared in amazement at the now-missing wound, the young man looked at the five Immortals. Not a trace of fear could be seen on his face.

    The leader of the Immortals spoke, his voice cold.

    " I dont know who you are, boy, but it is best that you move aside. Our business is not with you."

    Before he even finished talking, the young man¡¯s body flickered and an instant later he appeared in front of the Immortal.

    A thin, gleaming sword had somehow appeared in his hands, and was held against not the Immortal¡¯s throat, but the inside of his still open mouth.

    The Immortal was in a state of shock. He never even saw the man move yet he had already drew his sword and held it into his throat before he even finished speaking?

    In all his life, he had never experienced such a thing.

    A cold sweat running down his back, the Immortal didn¡¯t move an inch.

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    ¡°I didnt say you could speak, did I? You''re annoying me. Ah, and I dont appreciate you harming those kids. Since they are the ones who summoned me here, I cant let them get bullied, now can I? ¡±  he smiled.

    He was answered by various attacks from the other four Immortals. Without another word, he stabbed his sword through the other man¡¯s throat, killing him.

    It has to be said, Immortal are some of the most powerful beings on the planet. Simply stabbing their hearts or brains will not cut it. Even doing so would be exceedingly difficult. Their bodies were harder than steel. Not to mention the vast combat prowess from an untold number of centuries and battles. Yet how could he kill one so easily? A wound like that shouldn¡¯t be enough to takedown an Immortal.

    No matter how she thought of it, there was no logical reason for the Immortal to have died by an attack like that.

    That said, even as they fought with everything they had, they were played with like children by the strange man

    Whether it be in speed, skill or raw strength, they were far outclassed by the young man.

    Everytime they exchanged blows, it was like their every action was controlled by the strange man. No matter how the Immortals attacked, their weapons never came close to harming their opponent.

    Never had Lilith seem someone who moved so fast, yet  made it seem as if they were merely taking a leisurely stroll.

    30 seconds in the battle and one Immortal was decapitated while the other was hacked to pieces. She didn¡¯t see how, only the result. Them, along with that first one, made the numbers drop to only two.

    The Immortals who remained felt an inescapable sense of fear that they couldnt explain. They had faced countless dangers and tribulations before, yet now, against this man, they felt small and insignificant.

    No matter how swift their weapons were or how intricate their techniques were, against him they were all useless.

    Thee way he fought was both skillful yet unpredictable. They could clearly see the man''s blade, yet when they went to block it, the sword came from another direction entirely and they had to scramble to keep up.

    Yet what terrified them most, was that throughout everything, the man didnt loose like faint almost amused expression and neither did he move to attack any of their fatal points.

    Did that not imply he didn''t consider them his opponents at all? Did that not signify he was merely playing with them like a cat would play with a mouse?

    They inwardly despaired, yet they didnt back down.

    Couldn''t.

    The remaining Immortals struck in unison. One fired a bolt of condensed energy in the form of lightning, the manifestation of his power being discharged all at once.

    The other lunged at Roland¡¯s heart, his sword arm steady as an arrow flying towards its mark, while the sword itself was  glowing with a fierce red aura. His spirit energy, the power of his very soul,  was coating the blade and made it reach an entire new realm of power.

    To everyone¡¯s shock, Roland only raised a single palm and took on the bolt directly.

    With a flash and a loud boom, the attack was completely nullified. His hand didn¡¯t even bear a scratch.

    Then he materialized another sword, just as the first Immortal did, and launched it at the one who shot the bolt, plunging it with deadly accuracy at his heart. Driven by the force of the sword, the Immortal went flying backwards and was pinned to the wall by the sword. However, the sword, unlike the first immortal''s, didn''t disappear.

    For the other, Roland, in a show of inhuman precision and  control, used the tip of his blade to stop the Immortal¡¯s sword.

    As the two points of their swords met, a shock-wave went off in the hall, knocking the Immortal ten feet away. Roland, for his part, was not affected at all. Walking  with a calm, unhurried  gait he soon stood over the last living Immortal. With a flick of his hand, the man''s head was severed.

    Having watched the scene, Lilith was in a daze.

    It was amazing. In less than a minute, five Immortals, beings that made Lilith and the others couldnt hope to beat, were  killed with such ease. Reina, bearing a wound that normally couldnt be healed, was saved with but a wave of a hand.

    Just as Reina had said, everything had turned out far better than what Lilith would have thought possible.

    Was this him? Was this really the one that Reina summoned to save them?

    If it¡¯s the man before her, then . . .

    -------------------

    Roland looked to the two women behind him. The one he healed was unconscious but, obviously, alive. After using the method he did, he dared anyone to try dying with him present.

    The boy that was thrown against the wall was injured but was fine. There was another, even younger boy who passed out from the pressure by the five immortals. Well, that was understandable. Not many his age could even survive being in the same room with one Immortal, not to mention five. The fact the two lived after suffering the Immortal''s arrival was fairly amazing.

    Roland thought that if it was anyone else, forget moving to attack, they wouldnt even have the chance to think about moving before being turned into meatpaste from the combined pressure five Immortals could emit from their presence alone.

    After he carried them to the dais with the other two and healed them, he looked towards the black haired female, who now unconscious as well. How strange. She shouldn¡¯t be¡­

    And then he felt a subtle energy in the room, ancient and yet young at the same time.

    Wait, this feeling. The only one person Roland  know with this particular type of energy, and that would be¡­

    ¡°Ah~, so you noticed me. Quicker than I expected. It¡¯s nice to meet you again, Roland~. Haha, I truly never thought that girl over there would be able to summon you, of all people! She must have a monstrously high compatibility with you! How interesting~! Very surprising, since she seems a bit weak willed. Ah, and don¡¯t mind the other woman. I just put her to sleep for a bit so the grown-ups can talk~¡±

    It was a friendly voice, a bit inherently mocking yet one that was filled with good humor that was hard to get angry at. It was a voice he knew instantly. Roland smiled.

    ¡° Loki.¡±

 chapter four--Updated (December 29)

    Author''s notes: not much to say. i added a short scene in chapter 3 that detailed how the bolt throwing immortal died,  as i didn''t say what happened before, and so people might think the MC  just forgot there were five and didnt kill the last one. Yeah you may have assumed he died at some point in the fight, i just want to make it clear he did die and state how. i will edit this later. i might have made mistakes in this chapter, and not just spelling, but the story itself. Well, enjoy

    --------------------------

    "Loki"

    And sure enough, when Roland looked behind him, a tall man with sleek black light armor was smiling at him.

    He had boyish good looks, young looking yet his features were perfectly aligned and pleasing to the eye. He often liked appearing as a young boy, as the current form clashed with his sense esthetics.

    However, to greet his friend, he chose to come in thos form, if only for a while. The two had been friends for some time now and they could even be considered something like sworn-brothers to one another.

    In fact, Loki would never show this amount of consideration to that many others.

    Knowing that, it was evident how good their relationship was.

    As a God, Loki was very powerful. His influence didn''t simply exist in one universe, but spanned multiple universes and planets. He was not just a figure in any single planet''s mythology or religion.

    In fact, there were many planets under his jurisdiction. Many who worshipped not only him but others of his pantheon as well.

    ¡°Indeed. You look surprised, Roland.¡± he grinned.

    Without waiting for Roland to reply, he continued.

    ¡°Here I was, just helping The Morrigan collect a few soon-to-be-dead souls, and I find you with a group of dead Immortals. Serves them right. They are getting quite arrogant these days.  Well, with you here things won''t get boring anytime soon! Oh, if you''re wondering how I know you got here by summoning, I just read that red haired mortal woman''s mind. I hadonly just gotten here afterall.  So, how long do you plan to stay? "

    ¡°Before I answer that... Loki, since you are here, this planet must under the influence of the Aesir, right?"

    Then Roland remembered the name he mentioned.

    ¡°Wait¡­Morrigan? No, that''s not right, she''s from a completely different pantheon. If the Aesir are dominant here, how...?"

    Roland knew the Morrigan would not be collecting any souls on this planet unless she and her pantheon were the ones in control here. But, logically, Loki being here in physical form would mean that his own pantheon were the ones governing the planet.

    Seeing his confusion, Loki started a rather long rant.

    ¡°Ah, let me explain. In most cases, Gods and Goddesses of different pantheons do not coexist together, even if the planet holds mythology from other pantheons. But, you know that already.

    Anyway, usually there is always a pantheon that is dominant and allows Gods of that pantheon to materialize much easier on the planet they are dominant on.  But there are special cases. You see, this planet is huge~.  Much larger than your own. And the mythologies from several pantheons are nearly equal in power and influence here.

    Namely, the Aesir, the Olympians, the Tuatha De Danann, and Solomon 72 Pillars. Well, the 72 Pillars are Demons and fallen angels, but still, they are quite influential even here. So, it was agreed by the groups to make this world a sort of neutral ground between them. Think of this planet as kind of like a little vacation spot for gods.

    Meaning, any from those pantheons can materialize here without worry. Well, its a bit more comlicated than that these days, but that''ss the gist of it. And some gods and goddesses are major deities here. Which, as you can guess, means those who are worshipped more often or are simply more popular here. In fact, The Morrigan and I are more powerful on this planet than on some others, because to those who worship our pantheons, they place more importance on us. Or, you know, just like us more.¡±

    He started laughing a bit.

    ¡°Thor is still sulking that I''m more powerful here. He always hates when others steal the limelight! Not that i really care about those things. I mainly just stay away from such annoying matters." Loki saw how Roland was barely paying attention. " Ah, and you don''t have to make that face, Morrigan doesn''t even know you''re here yet. Even I didn''t know of your arrival.¡±

    Roland, who was still processing the information Loki just unloaded onto him, was showing an obvious displeased expression.

    Loki wasn''t aware of  the history between Roland  and Morrigan. He was curious, but he never got anything out of either of them.

    Roland was momentarily more interested in how she and Loki were both on the planet, but now that his curiosity was satisfied, he suddenly remembered exactly why he didn¡¯t like meeting Morrigan. Luckily she didn¡¯t know he was here. If she did, it would be troublesome in various ways.

    Thinking that, Roland wondered if Loki intentionally dropped her name. Probably to get a reaction like this from him.

    A god of mischief indeed, he thought wryly.

    Roland chose not to comment on it.

    ¡°if that¡¯s true, then it¡¯s fine. As for that question of yours, I don¡¯t really know how long I¡¯ll be here. I was wondering who would be able to make the summoning circle lock-on to me but Immortals don¡¯t pose enough danger to make the spell call me. There were plenty of others who could have taken care of them. Yeah, as you said the compatibility between me and the red haired girl did indeed seem unusually high, yet that alone wouldn¡¯t be enough for me to be called just to face a few Immortal.¡±

    It really was a strange thing. The fact the summoning circle appeared before him  meant the summoner was in enough danger where only a few beings could have been of help.

    There were, of course, a few others who could rival myself in power, but the spell believed Roland to be the most suitable for the task. Not only that, but the transfer from his original location to here was extremely fast, which meant whoever summoned him must have quite a high compatibility with him. Which in itself was surprising enough.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Compatability took in various factors, such as innate potential and personality

    A person whose personality was similar to his own, yet not only that, but who also had both talent and potential that was almost comparable to his own?

    Very few could boast such a thing.

    No, isnt this a first?

    ¡°By the way, why would you be helping Morrigan collect these souls? Should she not do it herself?¡±

    He wondered if she was slacking off again.

    ¡°Yeah, well, there was a war not long ago. She is still busy collecting the souls of the poor bastards that were caught in it. She really wanted to come and do this herself since she was curious why Immortal would be chasing a few young mortals, but she didn¡¯t have enough time to just run off. Since I was nearby, she roped me into doing it.  Lucky for you, right? Anyway, I assume you want to help them out? The mortals I mean. It isn¡¯t really your problem.¡±

    Well, that was true, but¡­

    ¡°I think I want to help out. The Immortals are not enough of a threat to require my help, so there must be some others after them. And the curses they bear¡­ I don¡¯t even recognize which god could have made them. Do you?¡±

    Loki shook his head. ¡°No... I never saw a curse with any of those energy patterns. They are from a god, no doubt, but no one I have ever met. Honestly, I am interested.¡±

    ¡°So, we at least know that the curses were not place by anyone we know. Which rules out most of the gods in the more well-known pantheons.¡±

    Loki agreed. ¡°Yes, it does. But there are a lot of gods who have been forgotten through the passage of time. And they are all even much older than myself. And many more who I simply do not know of.  The truly ancient gods have long since gone missing. I assumed they just moved to some of the more remote universes, but perhaps they have been hiding?¡±

    ¡°If so, I wonder why¡± Roland commented.

    ¡°Who knows? Anyway, perhaps one of them is responible. Butthe mortals there are still in danger. They were fated to die here, but your involvement was unforeseen.¡±

    Naturally, thought Roland. When he was involved, fate is not able to interfere, which was something that those like the Moirai and Tyche didnt like him for, apparently.

    Even if Morrigan knew they were supposed to die, she could not have foreseen that the summoning would bring Roland here.

    His appearance changed everything.

    Loki continued.

    ¡°Although, the gods that want them dead are likely very powerful, you know? They are probably the danger that was sufficient to call you here. I  believe so because the Immortals were hollow, like they were under compulsion."

    Roland had to agree. When he fought, he knew that the Immortals wanted to flee for their lies, yet they never once made a move to do so.

    " They probably were told to kill whoever was in the way of completing the mission they were given. I dont think they were allowed to run. And the Immortals seemed so lifelike. it didn''t appear  like they were controlled at all. How powerful and skilled would you have to be to control a group of Immortals so precisely?

    Going by that, they are probably not people that are messed with easily. They, instead of the Immortals, are most likely the threat the mortals acknowledged. Hoever, If you plan on giving the mortals there your aid, then naturally I will too~.¡±

    Ah, Loki, you just want to get in on the fun, right? Well, whatever.

    Loki was that kind of person anyway.

    Roland laughed.

    ¡°It wouldn''t  be interesting if the enemy was weak though, right? So the stronger they are, the better.  But since I don¡¯t know about this world at all. your help is appreciated. Oh, and the other major pantheons are here as well, right? How exciting. I should give Aries and Astaroth a call. I haven¡¯t had a proper duel with them in ages.¡± Roland smiled in anticipation.

    Loki gave him a blank look. ¡°Duel? Is that what a one-sided massacre is to you? I think those two still have bruises. You should have seen them after the last time you ¡®dueled ¡¯. They looked half dead" Loki shook his head. " No, forget that for now. We''ve  been here talking for awhile now. Let¡¯s go back to my Academy for a drink.¡±

    ¡°Academy?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, I never told you, did I? I am now the proud owner of a very prestigious "Academy". Students of all races and species are welcome~ We even have some young gods and demi-gods. Did you know that Hera and Zeus had a new kid hidden away? He¡¯s 15 this year. Gonna be admitted as a freshman. I have to say, Zeus really does coddle that one. Compared to that Hercules kid, this one is pretty meek. A shame considering his namesake.¡±

    Wait, hold up. There are so many things wrong with what he just said. First off¡­

    ¡°What the hell are you doing running a school? And are you mixing mortals in there? Are you insane?¡±

    He snorted disdainfully at me. ¡°Who¡¯s insane? As if you have a right to judge. And just so you know I am a very capable Headmaster, dammit!¡±

    Roland raised an eybrow and looked at him curiously.

    ¡°No, I never said anything about your ability to govern a school, you know? I just question why you, a god, are running one in the first place.¡±

    Loki looked away.

    ¡°¡­. I was bored. Also, no, I''m  not mixing mortals in there... Even I have limits. They go to  a separate building miles away. The place I usually stay at is full of the more¡­special races. You know, elves, beastmen, and the occasional demon or other such existences. Trust me, it¡¯s fine. Stop talking, let¡¯s go already.¡±

    ¡°Wait, now? The others are still uncon¡ª¡°

    ¡°It''s fine, it''s fine~. Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll bring them too. Now, let¡¯s get out of here, shall we?¡±

 chapter five-- Updated (December 29)

    Author¡¯s notes: I wanted to get this out two days ago but things came up. I might have made mistakes in the story, so if you find something that doesn¡¯t match with what I wrote previously, let me know. I will edit out any spelling mistakes I find later. And I know that I have just been doing the story scene-by-scene but I will make the next chapter more active. Meaning, it wont just be the characters talking about stuff.

    -----------------------------------------

    One thing Roland really disliked was teleportation. It always left you a bit disoriented¡­among other things. Now, the summoning was just traveling through universes really, really fast. He could live with that. However, a god¡¯s teleportation was instantaneous. A completely different concept.

    Not to mention, you could wind up halfway between a wall, if done incorrectly. Well, Roland could still survive that, though. He supposed what he really hated was when Loki decides to teleport him without warning or permission.

    Roland had been put into very troubling situations when teleportation was involved, so he made a few tricks to stop them from happening around him. But he had to be on guard and wary of his surrounding, which he usually was, for those tricks to work.  Loki, one of Roland¡¯s good friends, didn¡¯t cause him to be on alert¡­.which was why he didn¡¯t see this coming. It really annoyed him. Though, to be fair, Loki is a god of mischief. Maybe it would be best to remember this in the future.

    Anyway, Loki brought him to a large office-like space with an impressive dark wooden desk set in front of a very sizeable window that overlooked a wide training field.  Quite some ways past that, was a tranquil pond beside which was a group of people lounging around. To the far distance was a series of mountains that looked quite beautiful to behold.

    Looking around, aside from the desk,  there was a table with glass bottles that were filled with amber liquid and a container that was full with ice, used to keep wine nice and cold without having to put the ice inside the actually drink and therefore ruining the taste.  He also noticed a fridge in the corner that most likely held some less than healthy snacks. Loki has always been quite the glutton.

    Loki was not a heavy drinker like other gods, but he did have a knack for acquiring a fine bottle or two.

    Dionysus once raised a fuss about Loki stealing from his treasure vaults¡ªwhich is quite a feat. Unlike other gods, Dionysus actually kept a near impregnable vault in which he stored all of his best drinks. Wine, mead, whiskey, scotch. You name it, it''s there. Not a few gods or other beings have tried and failed to even find its location, much less break into It.¡ªat some point in time. He was quite pissed off about it.

    Roland forgot what Dionysus did in retaliation, but he quickly stopped after he found his precious vault half empty.

    Thinking that, he turned to find Loki sitting on a comfy-looking chair in the middle of the room, hands holding two glasses of a reddish gold substance.

    ¡°So, this is your Academy I take it? Or, more precisely, your office?¡±

    ¡°yup. I like it here. Has everything I need. A good stock of delicious food, some fine beverages, a nice view. Though, I don¡¯t come here often. Which, I suppose, will change with you in town. Let¡¯s wait here for a bit. I have someone coming to meet us soon. . .She¡¯ll be awhile.¡± Holding a glass out towards him, he gestured for him to take a seat on another chair in front of his own. Separating the two was a glass table.

    ¡°Here, try this. It¡¯s something that I sto¡ªI mean, acquired, from one of my father¡¯s private collections. Personally brewed by Aegir himself and aged at least a thousand years, just right.¡± He made a big grin as he said it and drank the small bottle¡¯s contents in one go.  Roland did the same.

    It had a hard to describe earthly taste, spicy and yet not, that burned pleasantly on the way down. A dull warmness quickly spread through him. Whether it be wine, whiskey, or any other type of drink, when it¡¯s made by gods, you don¡¯t taste it so much as . . .feel it.

    It was not something that was easily acquired.

    And right now, Roland felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

    For a while, the two simply relaxed and talked for a bit. Then a thought came to him, causing him to frown.

    ¡° Loki, what did you do to the others?¡±

    After catching up with Loki since their last meeting and enjoying a fine drink. Roland had nearly forgotten about them. Odd. That was happening more often as of late. Perhaps Roland didnt have as much time as he thought.

    ¡°Hm? Oh. I teleported them to a different location. Don¡¯t worry they''re resting in the nurse¡¯s office. Wont wake up for at least another hour.¡± He said languidly.

    ¡°Alright. I suppose when they wake I will explain the situation. The other three passed out before I got there. Only that black haired girl should know of me. They probably expected to die, so It will likely come as a surprise to wake up in a strange room. Ah, before I forget, when you read that girl¡¯s mind, did you find out who they were?¡±

    ¡° Yup. Well, kinda. It seems that the girls were born to some high ranking noble family or whatever. Born of different mothers, actually.  That red hair? The younger sister. She, being the second daughter, was really not that important to the family. She wasn¡¯t abused, just ignored. Or was at first.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well apparently her family only recognizes the first born children as part the main branch. The others are only given a basic education, but as long as the first child lives, they are not needed. Usually they are married off for the sake of establishing ties with other powerful families.

    She lacked the talent of either a mage or a warrior. See, if you have talent in either, you can gain a bit of status within the family. If you are really outstanding, you get a lot of help and support from the main branch so that the power and prestige of the family can grow. Meaning you can avoid being practically sold off. All the other children in her generation were immensely talented in at least one of the areas.

    When it was found out she was pretty much unable to become either one, she was ridiculed pretty harshly by the other kids. Hair pulling, incessant teasing, along with various other, crueler, treatment. Well, she was also a natural crybaby. She still seems a bit meek. Anyway, after a few years, for some reason I couldn¡¯t pinpoint, they ended up with another family who actually cared for them. That red haired girl¡¯s name is¡­what was it again? Ah, Reina, that''s it. Her curse is probably related to her lack of talent. I would say her sister¡¯s is of a different nature."

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Loki pondered for a bit

    "But it¡¯s strange, I could not find anything about when they realized they bore curse marks, met the two boys, or anything related to the gods that are after them. They must have tried what they could before doing the summoning. They have to have tried various methods to get rid of the curses, got acquainted with the two boys at some point, and separated from the family that adopted them.

    Yet somehow the memories up to a certain point are blank. I doubt the four suddenly woke up in that hall, noticed they had deadly curses stuck to them, and decided that a suicidal summoning was the only answer to their problem. And another thing. Assuming that I¡¯m right and Reina¡¯s curse is somehow related to her inability to perform magic or learn martial techniques, then how could she learn to perform the Grand Summoning to call for you?

    The others merely supplied mana, it was she who actually formed the spell, yet she should not have been able to in the first place. Even if she did learn the spell, she herself should not have been able to perform it. Very strange.¡±

    Roland was getting more and more curious about exactly what kind of situation he found himself in. If Loki could not find anything¡­.

    Well, that meant they would just have to ask them directly.

    ¡°So when they wake we just have to ask them what happened between now and when they learned the Curse was placed upon them.¡± Roland said. He was worried about something though.

    Usually, a curse that is imprinted onto the soul needs to have the ability to do so. No matter how long you are cursed, if the curse was not meant to become attached to your soul, it couldn¡¯t be. And only powerful beings could create curses with that ability, not just gods, though they are the most likely.

    Still, most gods would not go through the trouble of creating a curse like that for any mortal. Something like this would have to involve some kind of deep grudge for a god to resort to this. Sure, they were sometimes petty, but not to this extent. And there is really nothing a mortal could do to a god that would cause them to act with such ruthlessness.

    So there must be a reason that the curse was placed on them, and not one stemming from boredom or hate.

    ¡° Nn, your right. I''ll get in contact the two girls¡¯ adoptive parents, see what they know and assure them of their safety. I didn¡¯t read the boys¡¯ minds, since I kinda don¡¯t want to invade another¡¯s privacy more than I have to, so I will wait until we question them before I do anything on their side.¡±

    Just as he finished saying that, I felt another person¡¯s gaze behind me. Sure enough, when I turned to the door, a young woman in her early twenties was staring at me with a strange look. She was, by all accounts, a very beautiful woman.

    She wore a midnight blue blouse and a black skirt, her long auburn hair flowing down in lush waves down to her back and looked so soft that it made a person want to reach out and run their hands through it.

    ¡°Loki, this is . . .?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, she¡¯s here already? In that case, meet Abigail Sommers, my. . .Assistant? No, that¡¯s not quite right. Uh, secretary? Hmm, still doesn¡¯t sound right. . . I guess I never really gave her an official position. Anyway, she¡¯s the one keeping this place together.¡± He finished.

    ¡°Wait, if she runs this place, what does that make you? A mascot?¡±

    Ignoring my question completely, he continued the introductions.

    ¡°Ms. Sommers, this is Roland. I believe you already know about him from that person though.¡±

    Hm? That person?

    Somehow, Roland he had a bad feeling creeping up on him.

    ¡°Indeed I have. Hello, Roland, it¡¯s nice to finally meet you. Also, even Headmaster Loki always mentions you, you know? I remember this one time he was complaining that he wanted to bring you here so that¡ª¡°

    Loki hastily cut in. ¡° I really don¡¯t think that speaking about things that happened ages ago is worth bringing up, right?" He smiled. " Also, remember why I called you here. Just hurry up and show him around the campus, and give him the student roster for his classes. Oh, and prepare his room.¡±

    ¡° Wait, my classes? Since when do I have cla¡ª¡°

    ¡°What, you think my help comes free? Well, sorry, but I''m simply not that kind, you know? As of now you are our new combat instructor" He declared. " And don¡¯t give me that look, I could have had you teaching Physics or Biology, but because I am an oh-so-caring friend, I gave you preferential treatment and let you teach something you¡¯re good at. Aren¡¯t I kind? And, really, it¡¯s the least you could do, since I¡¯m giving you a place to stay, three square meals a day, and even willing to help you with those kids¡¯ problems. This much is only fair, right?¡±

    . . .Well, when he put it that way. . .

    "Why do you need them to be able to fight anyway?"

    "Do you forget how dangerous the Higher Planes are? If they dont learn how to defend themselves, they''ll die~ And sadly I havent done much to prepare them. I mean they were strong enough when they got here, but i havent exactly tried improving their strength. That sounded like too much trouble."

    "Higher planes, huh. . . Yeah, not many would last long in that place. Well, i suppose i have some time to kill anyway."

    " So you''ll do it? Good. I wouldnt know what to do if you refused~ Haha. well,  i''ll let you deal with them them."

    Hm? Wait, wasnt this like he pushed all the responsibility onto me?, Roland thought

    Well, that''s fine.

    Although it¡¯s a bit troublesome, it isn¡¯t unreasonable.

    Who knows, it might be fun. And isn¡¯t that why Roland decided to come here?

    Having finished what he wanted to say, Loki took back the glass, dragged Roland  out of the chair and rushed him to the entrance. With a small grin, he closed the door, leaving both Roland and Abigail standing it a long hallway.

    Looking at me reassuringly, Abigail spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, im sure the students will be thrilled to finally meet you. You¡¯ll have a great time here¡±

    Roland shrugged.

    He wasn''t all that worried but he appreciated the concern.

    ¡°. . .Right. Lead on, then.¡±

 chapter six-- Updated (December 30)

    Author¡¯s notes:

    -------------------------------------------

    Abigail led the way through the Academy, explaining various things as they went. First off, the entire property was surrounded by a circular wall around ten to fifteen feet high and the only, official, entrance was a large iron-wrought gate. The radius from the main building to the gate was approximately 4 to 5 miles. I asked why they had a wall that could probably be crossed easily, even if were a lot higher. In response, she said that the wall and gate were merely for show. In reality, the campus was surrounded by a powerful barrier created by Loki himself and the walls were only to indicate the boundary of the barrier. It was a subtle warning to any who attempted to come in uninvited.

    In fact, other than the students and staff, few were granted access through the barrier. Roland was one of those few. Although, now that he was an instructor here, he had access anyway. The main building itself had a beautiful castle-like design with long windows in each class. Through the windows, you would see an arrangement of trees that students would pass by on their way into the building.

    The trees were a variant of cherry-blossom trees that Loki had taken a liking to on one of the planets under his pantheon¡¯s jurisdiction. At a certain time of year the trees¡¯ leaves would turn a deep, vibrant shade of pink. These trees, however, bloomed year-round. Their leaves were a perpetual lovely shade of pink and the view of watching loose leaves flutter in the winds as the descended to the ground was a beautiful sight. The students themselves were, as Loki said, children of gods or other powerful beings.

    They were all fairly young. Roland probably knew the parents of some of the students. It was odd, being younger than most of his soon-to-be prot¨¦g¨¦s. Many of the powerful beings and races were long lived. A god¡¯s life is nearly infinite. A vampire¡¯s, demon¡¯s, or an Elf¡¯s life were similarly long. An elf not yet over three hundred years of age would be fairly young among their kind.

    That holds true for the other long lived races as well.

    Abigail said very few of the students were over a thousand years in age and most only in their hundredth year. After she led me through the campus, she took me to a fairly large house which was located only ten minutes away from the main building. She said it would be my home for as long as I stayed. It apparently used to be an old dormitory but was abandoned for some time as the student population quickly grew.

    They probably didn¡¯t expect to have so many students. It had plenty of room, a well-stocked kitchen and basically everything I would need. It would probably feel a bit uncomfortable at first. It was a big house and I was used to others being around me. Having nothing better to do at the moment, he and Abigail talked for a bit. He found that she was good company.

    She was pleasant to listen to, the type of person who made you feel at ease simply by being around them. She had a calming aura of thoughtful gentleness that was rarely found. It was hard imagining her as the one who kept the Academy running.  She was definitely not normal but Roland cold not detect what she was. It was obvious she was not human, or at least not fully, but that was all he could gleam from their short time together.

    Roland had met succubi that had the same calming aura they used to keep prey uner control, but she didnt have that irressitable aire of seduction that accompanied them.

    So that was ruled out.

    Not that it was a bad thing he didnt know what she was. He liked the challenge. In fact he would likely make a game of guessing what she was. Not that he would ever tell her of this little game.

    In any case, it was soon getting dark out, and she left to her own home. Before she left, she gave me the student foster for the classes he would be instructing.

    She warned that Loki pretty much gave him the classes with the most problem children. Roland was confident in his ability to handle anything that was thrown at him, but when you are supposed to be teaching young gods and other similarly powerful beings, it is time to be a bit concerned on what exactly the term ¡°problem children¡± meant.

    Not that he would stress about it. If they caused trouble, he would just discipline them until they calmed down.

    He only glanced at the names but only one really stuck to him.

    Fenris.

    It was a name he was sure he heard before, but for the life of him he could not remember where. He was reasonably sure it hailed from the Aesir pantheon but other than that. . .

    Roland vaguely recalled a story of a rather monsterous wolf or something along those lines, but that was all.  Or, wait, was the name im thinking of Fenrir? But it is clearly written as Fenris on the paper. . .

    And why did he suddenly think of Loki as he read the name?

    Thinking no more of the subject, he wandered his new home and found a comfy looking room with a nice, soft bed. He took off his clothes and took a short shower in the bathroom to the side He was concerned about those kids he was summoned by, but during their talk Abigail told him Loki would handle them and he could visit them later. He wanted to be there when Loki questioned them, which was probably happening around now, but he trusted him to explain the situation to them and ensure they were cared for.

    They were attacked by Immortals, so other than the black haired women who saw him kill them, the other three would probably not have been expecting to live. But he, knowing they were in good hands, simply pushed those thoughts away for now and went to sleep

    ------------------------------------------------

    In the morning there were some students beginning the short walk from the dormitories to the main building. most would not be up at this time, but they were the ones who were the most powerful out of the student body, the ones chosen to help in governing the school and keep up relations with the other powers in the world. as such, the responsibilities they had required them to get up earlier in the day  compared to the others.  They were, for lack of a better word, the Student Council.

    As they walked, they all noticed a person they had never seen before seemingly headed for Headmaster Loki¡¯s office.

    There were different paths that led to the main building where they we going and the Headmaster¡¯s office where the stranger was headed, so they could assume his destination at a glance.

    The man caught their attention because they knew that no one other than the staff had the authority to enter the barrier. On rare occasions a guest would have permission to enter, but they were all very powerful and important people with high standing.

    What¡¯s more, though they could not sense any aura from him, the sense of power they felt was clearly stronger than those who came before.

    They didn¡¯t know why, but almost by instinct they felt themselves draw just a tiny bit close to the man, as if being drawn in by some unknowable force, some magnetic pull that even they, powerful in their own right, could not resist.

    Unknowingly, the image of his figure left a deep impression on them.

    -------------------------------------------------

    Roland woke up early in the morning and made a light breakfast for himself. After he ate he got dressed and headed to Loki¡¯s office to see what he found out from the kids. Once he did that, it was time to pay them a personal visit.

    The air outside was cold, but refreshing. He walked the path leading to Loki¡¯s office and noticed a group of  students staring at him from afar. He didn¡¯t run into any of the students yesterday since they were apparently still in class. There were some by that pond he saw at Loki¡¯s office but by the time he was led there by Abigail they had already left.

    He assumed there were also students in that library he saw but he didn¡¯t go in there. Other than the looks they gave him, they didn¡¯t try interacting with him. They may have been wary of newcomers.

    Although the races they hailed from were immensely powerful, they were still relatively young and their own power was insufficient to survive out in the real world. That was probably why Loki wanted them to get stronger. The Higher Planes that the powerful races lived was full of numerous unknowable dangers and only some places were truly safe.

    Even if they came from powerful clans or families, in the Higher Planes personal power was an absolute necessity.

    There were simply too many other strong people out there who could kill them with a single strike. Even the pantheons of gods were only some of the forces that existed. There were numerous other clans and individuals who held immeasurable power. Knowing that, it was understandable if the students were on guard against him. Although they didn¡¯t really seem hostile¡­

    He soon reached his destination. Not even bothering to knock, he let himself in.

    Loki sat on the same chair as yesterday.

    ¡°Oh, Roland. I didn¡¯t expect you to visit so early.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve always been an early riser. Anyway, what did you learn from the four?¡± he cut straight to the point.

    Loki gave a small shrug, ¡°There have been some complications. I think its best you see them for yourself¡±

    And so the two made their way towards the nurse¡¯s room. When they arrived the older looking boy was pacing restlessly from one side of the room to the other. The younger one wore a worried expression while the two girls were talking amongst themselves quietly in a corner.

    They were quite beautiful, both of them. The black haired one gave off a magnetic allure. Her midnight colored tresses and fair skin created a pleasing contrast, and the twin peaks at her chest  together with her slim waist would stir lust in anyone, be it man or women. Yet the thing that really caught a person¡¯s attention was her eyes. They were a clear, deep golden color that swallowed you in.

    Her sister had magnificent blood-red hair. Coupled with her flawless, jade-like skin and supple pink lips, she would easily capture the heart of any man. Her figure, while not as thought-provoking as her sister¡¯s, was still quite well-endowed.  Roland had seen women whose beauty could bring ruin to nations, and these two, once they were a bit older and more mature, would likely be able to do the same.

    The boys were lightly golden-haired, with delicate features. They had dark green eyes and slightly tanned skin that gave a healthy shine. They reminded him of Loki''s brother Thor, without the arrogance. They would be quite popular with women in the future

    Somehow . . . he felt something was definitely off but couldn¡¯t explain it.

    ¡°How long do you intend on keeping us here?¡± The older boy demanded once the two entered the room.

    ¡°Easy, boy. After the tantrum you threw yesterday I am really not in the mood to deal with you~" He smiled. Roland knew how unsettled others could get after seeing it. "Go to your brother and shut up.¡±  Loki sounded a bit cross.

    Roland wondered what exactly happened last night to get even his mood to sour. Usually he gave off an air of frivolity to others when he wasn¡¯t around.

    Snorting with disdain, the boy had no intentions to back off until the younger one came. After a few words between the two, he relented.

    ¡°Hey, Lilith, tell Roland here what you said yesterday. What happened to you?¡±

    Eyeing me with a odd glint in her eyes, she slowly answered.

    ¡°I . . . don¡¯t remember. Pretty much everything before now is missing. Same for the others. We talked about it even after you left and up until a certain time it¡¯s like the memories were just cut off. The only thing we can remember was a strange hall. There was a strong light and a huge circle at our feet. Then some weird men showed up. And even then it¡¯s a blur. I remember Reina with a. . .  a sword. . . sticking out of her chest. The next thing I knew, you" She looked at Roland. "Appeared out of nowhere and healed her, then killed the men.¡± She had an uneasy look on her face but didn¡¯t appear to be lying.

    Loki looked at me. ¡°Tell me you don¡¯t find this strange. Go on, tell me.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t. From what she said, they have¡­amnesia? All of them? No, ridiculous.

    This can¡¯t just be a coincidence. The timing was just too perfect.

    He wondered, could the curses have caused this? It wasn¡¯t impossible, there were cases of similar instances.

    Loki sighed. ¡°Seriously, how annoying. Although, this turn of events is fairly interesting as well. Ah, I already contacted the girls'' adoptive parents. Also, I¡¯m not sure how they found out about this, but no less than an hour ago I received a message from their other family too. They demanded I send the girls to them at once. I told them they can go get bent over a fence by their grandfathers, a sentiment that for some odd reason they found quite rude. Anyway, they are apparently prepared to take them back by force.¡±

    Loki  gave a short laugh. ¡°I dare them to get past my barrier.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I wonder what they would want them back for. No matter. About their adoptive parents, did they know what happened to them? Also, I assume you questioned those two.¡± Roland  pointed to the boys, ¡°and got in touch with their families as well?¡±

    ¡°For the aoptive family, they didn¡¯t know anything about their disappearance. I told them they could come to the Academy to check on them and I sent some people to fetch them. They will be here in around three days or so. As for the little boy and his pet idiot, they¡¯re orphans. All I got out of them was that they ran away from the place that raised them.¡±

    The four others in the room had a slightly dazed look on their faces as they watched us talk about them.

    ¡°For now I will have them taken to your place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. The house is big enough and there are spare rooms I''ll probably never use anyway.¡±

    Loki had a displeased expression on his face, seemingly disappointed.

    ¡°What, that¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Oh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, the boys aside, are you really fine having two women in the house you are going to be living at from now on? I don¡¯t really have much space to put them in on such short notice, you know? The students here don¡¯t really have full control of their abilities and accidents happen daily. Lilith here doesn¡¯t seem too weak so she might survive, but even then it would be quite dangerous. Simply put, they could be with you for a while. With you track record with women, what would happen if their teenage hormones kicked in and one of them tried to assault you in your sleep?¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Out of the corner of my eye Roland  saw the two girls¡¯ faces turn slightly red,  looking a bit mortified and not quite believing their ears..

    ¡°I doubt they could even get within five feet of my door in the first place.¡± Roland replied dryly.

    ¡°Haha, well whatever. As your friend, even if that did happen I could only turn a blind eye, right? You know, there are a lot~ of beauties here too. And the man to woman ration is like 1:2!  How about the two of us go flower picking like the old days? ¡±

    Roland snoted in distaste. " Please, you know I wasnt exactly in my right mind then.  And why do you care about the women here anyway? I thought you liked older women"

    "Ridiculous. A beauty is a beauty. As a man, how can i have any one particular preference? Variety is a must! Have i taught you nothing?"

    "I dont think anyone should learn from you. It isnt exactly like you have some profound wisdom to impart or anything."

    "How mean. Im a god, you know? My wisdom cannot be comprehended by a mere mortal such as yourself."

    "Thank the Heavens for that."

    " Ah, we got off topic. What were we talking about? Ah, that''s right! So, what do you say? I know some particularly charming beauties at the school. If you want, i could show some to you." He offered generously.

    Roland smiled. Loki was joking of course. Or at least, he thought so.

    ¡°No, I would actually appreciate it if you didn¡¯t. Im an instructor here now, you know. I dont like complications so I think Its best not to.¡±

    Roland wasn''t particularly interested in such things anymore. Or rather, he himself didnt seek it as much as he once did.

    ¡°Sure, you say that now~ Well, it isnt like this place discourages such things. Afterall, it''s not exactly like the students here are young, naive teens."

    The four others in the room had strange expressions on their faces. Didnt those two completely forget about them, they thought.

    "But enough of all that. You have to get ready to meet your first class, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What, today? I just barely got to this world¡±

    Roland at least wanted to explore a bit.

    ¡°True, but there¡¯s no time like the present right? I trust you can find the way yourself. While you do that I will get these four settled.¡±

    ¡°Ah, before that, I would like to talk with them for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, alright, if you must. I¡¯ll give you guys a moment.¡± Saying that, he strolled out of the room.

    There was a small silence in the air. I saw the four studying me openly. The older boy seemed to give me an approving nod of acknowledgement while his brother¡¯s was a bit more curious and wary. The girl, Lilith, was similar. Although hers was filled with a bit of admiration, which, I suppose was understandable after what she saw me do.

    The fight was boring and not fun at all, but to someone like her who was far weaker than an Immortal, that reaction was normal. Her sister had a strange look. I noticed it from the moment I walked in, but her gaze had not left me once since I entered.

    " Well, as i''m sure you have guessed, I''m the person who Reina here called right before those Immortals decided to show up. Which was very lucky for you, or else you wouldn''t be alive right now. After this little chat of ours, you will all  be taken to my recently acquired home near here. So, any questions?"

    The older boy spoke up.

    "I''m Saren. I heard the story from Lilith, but you''re the one who stopped the Immortals, yes?"

    ¡°I killed them, yes." He said casually. Though, to him something like that wasnt noteworthy.

    ¡°Amazing¡­" the younger one whispered.

    ¡°Not really. Immortals aren''t actually that strong. If you want, I can teach you to do the same."

    The two boys were stunned. ¡°You can teach us?!"

    " Hmm? Of course. Something like that is easily done, you know? But not yet. By the way, Saren, what did you do to annoy Loki like that? It isn''t easy to upset a God"

    He seemed uneasy. " I don''t want to talk about it. Wait¡­a god? You mean, that man is really Loki Jotunheim of the Aesir pantheon?" He seemed a bit suspicious as he asked.

    ¡°Indeed. Do the inhabitants of this planet know the existence of the Pantheons?"

    It was Lilith who answered. ¡°Everyone knows about them. The core members of the large pantheons are very well known. They''re some of the most powerful gods, after all. I thought he was that Loki, but to know it''s really him¡­ I never thought any of us would ever meet a person like that. And you, you seem to be so close to each other. Exactly who are you?"

    She had a guarded expression. Wary.

    ¡°A friend." Explaining further would be a pain. " Ah, we got off topic. Anyway, the bottom line is that since Reina called for me, and I have nothing better to do, I came here to see if anything interesting was happening. Ah, dont misunderstand, im fully prepared to help out." he assured them.

    "The ones who placed those curses on you--curses whose nature I plan to study more in depth later--should be powerful gods. Probably pretty powerful ones too." He shrugged, unconcerned. " But worry not, since you all are now under my protection, you can just relax. There aren''t many people who could harm you with me here.." He  said confidently.

    To him, if he could not even protect four people, he  might as well just go run off and die. He wouldn''t back down since he have already decided to go through with protecting them. Besides, if anyone tried to harm them¡­

    Well, there are many things worse than death.

    Hearing his words, the four seemed unconsciously relieved. It was evident in their faces. Their memory of the danger they were up against were apparently gone, but it looked as if they still had some kind of pent up tension.

    However, Lilith, Saren and James didnt know how much stock to put in a man who seemed to treat the situation so casually. He didnt seem all that concerned about it.

    He looked to Reina, ¡°And you, since you called me here, you have to accept the consequences. The current you is much too weak. If your compatibility with me is so high, it is unacceptable to be so weak. From now on I will drill everything I know into your body and if you can''t face an army of Immortals within half a year I''m going to give you a very severe punishment, understand?"

    Reina looked a bit dazed, not knowing what to say but appeared to rather like the idea of getting stronger.

    Lilith, on the other hand, glared at Roland. ¡°Hold on, that''s too insane! Reina can''t even practice past the first stage  of the martial way or perform simple magic! An army of Immortals?! That, that''s just suicidal! I wont let you --"

    Roland cut her off.

    "Don''t worry, i''m not unreasonable. It would be enough if she could fight a few hundred.  Besides, I said this before, but her compatibility with me is quite high. I¡¯m a person with quite a bit of power, you know. It''s impossible for her to not become strong when she has such a high compatibility with me. Beside, there are many ways to get stronger outside the martial way and I think she just needs someone who can help her unlock her potential." He completely waved off her worries.

    Lilith, hearing him say so, could only let out a helpless sigh.

    ¡°Oh, and next time don''t show signs that what Loki says affects you, it only encourages him." He  left after telling them that.

    The conversation was brief, but they would have chances to talk more later.

    -----------------------

    He found his first class pretty easily. There were a mix of young gods and goddesses with some other races mixed in like vampires or high ranking demon clan races. There were others he wasn¡¯t quite sure of, but that was about it.

    Loki said this was supposed to be a class with a lot of problem children, and it seemed he was right. Although the majority were okay, a few were¡­.troublesome.

    They were quite uncooperative at first. So he gave them a light beating in response.

    They ended up unconscious after a few  gentle slaps to the head.

    If he  did that every time they annoyed him or caused a disruption, they would learn to behave eventually.

    He looked to the other kids gathered here. They seemed a bit astonished and, it had to be said, quite surprised. Roland  doubted the other teachers would have done what he just did.

    They were at the training grounds he saw yesterday, the pond to the far side creating a nice view.

    Upon their arrival, they all looked a bit curious. It wasn''t hard to understand why. He gave them a short introduction of himself and had them do the same.

    He didn''t hear the name Fenris mentioned, but did  hear the name of Zues''s son. Michael.

    Roland thought about the other Michael he knew. Loki was right that this one seemed bit weak compared to the battle freak they knew of.

    As Loki said, he seemed frail, but true to his lineage Roland felt a great strength from his slender frame similar to his brother''s.

    Hercules was not full god, but he had great control over his abilities. In contrast, Michael seemed to have  stronger innate abilities but lacked control over them.

    The same was true for everyone else in the class. It was one of the drawbacks of being born with great strength. You had stronger powers but lack the training and experience to use them properly.

    There were some students who skipped class. They were the other problem children, most likely. He had them pair up and use any weapon they were comfortable with to duel each other.

    Their attacks were, fast, sharp and graceful. But utterly useless. Their strikes lacked a soul. It was like moving your arms and legs without knowing how or why your body was able to accomplish such things.

    Their regular attcks were alright, but there were other attacks that requires more than what they showed.  The skill with the "battle techniques" they used was what he was talking about.

    To explain battle techniques were like special skills that displayed certain powers to increase combat ability. There were other types of "techniques" but he wouldnt get into the right now.

    It was a fundamental problem with their ability to comprehend the said battle skills they used and execute them to its fullest potential.

    For something like this, you could either try to start from scratch and have them re-learn everything in a way that increases their understanding of the skills they are using, or let them build up a lot of experience with nonstop combat.

    Battle techniques were built up of multiple levels of understanding, and usually one had to increase their

    comprehension of each level to raise the power of the techniques.

    But it was also more than that. For each level that was understood, the technique would evolve, becoming more efficient and granting other benefits. Battle techniques almost all have certain affinities with elements in nature, meaning you could evolve the techniques in different ways.

    A technique would not advance to the next level if your understanding of the current level stayed the same. But once the technique reached its peak, it would take on a portion of the user¡¯s essence, making it unique.

    It was only then that the attack would have a ¡°soul".

    Comprehension was critical, and not everyone had a high comprehension ability.

    However, that was only the usual method. Another way was to forcefully break through each level by sheer willpower and combat experience. It was risky though.

    Nonstop battle was dangerous on the body and even if you make a breakthrough the foundation could end up being weak, which had a great effect on the power output.

    So the only way Roland could think of to combine the best of both methods was to find the ideal environment for training their individual techniques. A place that provided both nonstop fighting for experience and at the same time would increase their understanding of the technique itself.

    To do that he would have to analyze the concept behind each of their battle techniques. Since his  level of comprehension was so high, he didn¡¯t even need to practice the technique itself to fully understand the core of them. A few glances over the course of a few days would be enough.

    After that, once he understood the core of each of their techniques, he would have to find the perfect environment to help them cultivate a better understanding of them.

    See, you can find many hints of the core concept of basically any type of technique you are trying to comprehend within nature. For example, if you are a warrior who has a spear technique that is aligned with the element of lightning, then there are many, many ways you can evolve the skill.

    You could use your power to create bolts of lightning shoot from the spear¡¯s tip, or go a different route to  generate shock-waves that can push targets over, repulsed them away, shatter them,  or even cause earthquakes by shaking the ground or dislodging underground tectonic plates, thus causing earthquakes.

    Of course, such power would only be achievable once the final level of the technique was grasped, but the point is that all battle techniques have many different paths they could take and different evolutions to discover.

    Since Roland could understand the very core of battle techniques, he is not, in theory, limited to only one path, unlike others. But he chose not to do so, as he thought it would be too cheat-like.  No, he pursued the pure path of the sword. He rarely used battle techniques himself.

    Anyway, once he found them the perfect environment for their respective battle techniques, they would show great promise. He was a bit disappointed in them though.

    Surely  their parents would have taught them the correct way to utilize the techniques, right? At least Zeus should have taught Michael a few things. Knowing him, he doubted he could stand having a son of his be weak. Maybe they wanted them to find their own way?

    But Roland didnt know the current situation, so perhaps there was an explanation for it. Besides, to him, many powerful beings could be considered weak.

 chapter seven (Updated February 12)

    After the class got done with their duels, Roland simply pointed out a few flaws with their forms. He would start their special training later, but for now helping them a bit like this was best. The most important thing right now was to fix the stances and postures they used when executing the battle techniques.

    The battle techniques were each a bit different. Some required a stance which made you free and fluid like water, while some needed you to be as unmovable as a mountain.

    Battle techniques were a bit different from using mana. They each had a stance which allowed their energy to flow smoothly throughout the user¡¯s body, and when you used the wrong stance or it had flaws, the energy would be obstructed, which made the technique less efficient and harder to use.

    It was just one of those pesky nuances that were often overlooked, despite the benefits they brought. Not many liked to dedicate the time it took to find the best stance for their technique.

    To correct the flaws they had, he used his hands to reposition their bodies. The boys, noticing the change in the way the energy inside them flowed, showed grateful expressions.  They could distinctly feel the way the energy within them flowed more freely, feeling like they had stepped into a cool breeze.

    The girls, however, seemed a bit flustered at a man touching their bodies directly. They felt a small heat in their cheeks and found their movements momentarily turned a bit awkward, a slight twitching in their muscles.

    Roland found it amusing because these girls, although their appearances were quite young, were actually older than himself. Long lived races tended to have their outer appearances mature slower. They were stuck with looking like teenagers for a while. Even though they looked young, they were actually older than they appeared.

    Although sometimes the mind was stuck in a state where it didnt mature like it normally would. With long lived races who still held their youthful appearances after hundreds of years, you wouldnt act like old men and women because you wouldnt feel that old.

    What''s more, these woman probably didnt have much life experience. In all liklihood, they lived in a very sheltered environment. Obviously this would mean that they are not as mature as their age would suggest.

    Still, though they were uncomfortable with it they were also grateful for my assistance. Roland, for his part, was both happy to help and annoyed he had to in the first place. These students, who are they?

    The sons and daughters of people who have transcended the mortal realm and gained enough power to become gods!

    They themselves were born with power that normal humans or other races could only dream of!

    Their parents, grandparents, perhaps even their great-grandparents, were each most likely powerhouses, yet they had trouble with something like battle techniques? Exactly how could things have come to this?

    As they are right now, even one who recently reached the rank of an Immortal at the first layer could easily beat them!

    Watching them, Roland gave a mental sigh. Although¡­ if they were taught by someone like me, he thought, how powerful could they become?

    If he personally trained them and made them into killing machines, how much of a fight could they give him?

    He was eager to find out. His hands twitched a bit, itching for a good battle.

    Suddenly he let out a grin that, to anyone else, would probably be a bit frightening.

    --------------------

    An hour had gone by and currently every student had some type of bruise or injury, all of them passed out on the ground.

    Roland clicked his tongue.

    So weak, he thought in slight irritation.

    As he stood there and let out a disappointed sigh, a concerned voice rang out.

    ¡°What happened here?!¡±

    Roland, recognizing the voice, looked over and gave out a greeting.

    ¡°Mm, Abigail, huh.  No, it¡¯s nothing serious. I just made a little bet with my new students and somehow things ended up like this. Nothing to worry about.¡± He said easily.

    The woman, Abigail, looked at the scene in front of her, appalled. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. She let out a small sigh and whispered to herself in dismay.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± she murmured. She was left in charge of looking after Roland and making sure things were running smoothly. If it was found out that something like this happened. . . Well, knowing Loki he wouldnt mind. Still wasnt this a bit overboard?

    She hoped it wouldnt be a regular occurance.

    Roland remained oblivious to her concerns.

    ¡°Anyway, what kind of bet could have caused . . . this?¡±  She gestured to the beat-up, unconscious students before her.

    ¡°Well, I told them if they could land a clean strike on me they could all receive passing marks for the entire year. They were real excited and attacked me immediately¡­But they¡¯re too weak, you know? Though, to be fair they did last for quite a while. But that might be because I healed them over and over until they finally gave out. Which reminds me, I should probably heal the latest injuries now.¡± He mused.

    Abigail nearly choked. Ah, these poor kids! She thought.

    Her heart went out to the injured children.

    Roland decided that since they were not serious wounds, he would leave most of them be. Although, he did heal the cuts and bruises for the girls and made it so they would only be sore for the next day or two. He hated harming women and children, but since this was necessary to make them stronger he decided this much was fine.

    They awoke moments later. Though, a few who saw Roland standing over them immediately fainted again.

    The others quickly gathered their friends and hurried to their next class. Abigail seemed to want to discuss something, but instead chose to help the remaining students who couldn¡¯t stand themselves.

    What surprised him was that her aura gave off the feeling of someone well-versed in a powerful body-refining technique. A body refining technique was considered a branch of the Martial Way, and, although more suitable for combat purposes, was capable of using one¡¯s own spiritual energy to heal others, rather than using mana.

    In regards to the two energies, the two types were vastly different. Mana was all about quantity, while the spiritual energy was quality. You could increase your amount of mana through rigorous training, but the only way to influence spiritual energy was through your will. If your will wavered, you spiritual energy would waver as well. And spiritual energy was able to be ¡°worn¡±. Meaning that experts at controlling it could sheathe their weapons or bodies in spiritual energy, granting them special properties. Someone whose will is resolute could increase their power dramatically once they learn to control their spiritual energy

    Using spiritual energy was far harder than using mana and if one is careless, it could lead to bodily harm. It was because it was harder to sense spiritual energy, and so learning to control it required exceptional perception abilities. Yet Abigail seemed to control it effortlessly. Body refining techniques themselves were hard to come by, and even harder to cultivate. There were benefits to learning them though.

    Roland once met a wandering Immortal who practiced a rather powerful body refining technique that could manipulate the spiritual energy in another person¡¯s body and use it to extract nearly any disease or illness.   In addition it forced out the impurities in the body, making the skin more lustrous, the hair more silken, and your general appearance more refined. He said all body-refining techniques were capable of such. And that was only the external changes.

    Internally, the body became much stronger, including your bones, muscles and organs. He had also said that body-refining practiced to the level of true mastery, could provide even more untold amounts of benefits.

    At that stage, you would really be hard to kill. Even if you were killed, your soul itself could generate another body. Unless the soul was cleansed of all its knowledge or destroyed completely, very few things would be capable of stopping you.

    But, qell, such people who practiced body-refining techniques to that degree were very rare and Roland himself had never met someone like that so he could not verify whether such claims were true.

    Sadly few achieved that feat because practicing a body refining technique was exceedingly difficult. Most opted to learn healing magic and strengthening magic to support themselves.

    Body refining could strengthen the user, allow them to regenerate to the point of cheating death, heal others, and raise the control of your spiritual energy while also allow you manipulate another¡¯s. In addition, once mastered, the level of immortality you possess would outstrip even a high ranked god.

    Really, such abilities were too cheat-like.

    Well, not like Roland was one to talk.

    He wondered to what level Abigail practiced her own body refining technique.

    After she revitalized the remaining students, she helped the remaining students to their next class, boosting their stamina so they wouldn¡¯t pass out again.

    Roland watched as she walked away. It was a nice view.  He wasn¡¯t one to have overly perverted thoughts towards women, but he did appreciate their beauty.

    ---------

    He had another few hours of classes after that. He never heard the name Fenris, or Fenrir, He or she should have been in the first period class, but they didn¡¯t show up.

    Other than that things progressed similar to his first hour. The students showed a lot of potential, but it was being wasted.

    There were a few troublemakers who showed up glaring at him and spounting curses but like the first batch they quickly changed their tune after another light beating

    For each class, he did things a bit different to see if there was a specific area the students specialized in. It didn¡¯t go well. As I said before, they had potential, but they were like uncut gems. There was some who actually were quite proficient in battle techniques while others had excellent control of either their mana or spiritual energy.

    A few could even fuse their weapons or bodies with the energy. He was pleasantly surprised that one student even was able to perform a difficult to master technique. There was no true name for the technique because no one knew who created the technique, but some people had taken to call it Ignition.

    Not exactly a great name for it, but it was called such mostly because it made it appear as if flames erupted from the body once activated, a manifestation of the user¡¯s power overflowing and leaking out. In essence it could triple the user¡¯s power for as long as you had enough strength to keep it sustained. There were side effects, but he wouldn¡¯t get into them for now.

    To understand how frightening an ability that was, perhaps it is best to explain what gods essentially are.

    They are not almighty beings and nor are they the most powerful. They are immortal in the sense it is hard to injure them and their natural life span in nearly infinite, provided they aren¡¯t killed.

    But gods, at their core, are simply people who have long ago transcended the restraints of mortal bodies and have transformed into beings that lesser existences like humans could only view as gods.

    And even gods have differences in strength.

    It is a poor way to accurately judge their strength, but there has long since existed a scale with which to measure the approximate power of a god. A newly born god, whether birthed through either one or both parents being gods or a person transcending to godhood after countless hardships, they are considered a deity of the first layer.

    Now obviously when you go the long way, your actual fighting ability far outstrips an infant, but the amount of raw power you possess would be about the same. The only real difference would be that the one who became a god would know what to do with that power, whereas an infant who was a born god would, for obvious reasons, not be able to use its power.

    Since he thought that the system of measurement was too inaccurate, he would not explain it further.

    The point is that when you are a being who has a certain level of power, a technique that lets you triple that power is truly terrifying. One times three is three, but ten times three is thirty. The higher your base power, the more significant the boost becomes.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    As for that measurement of power. . .it was actually negligible. It was mainly used as an example anyway. It was best to not judge by things like that anyway, at least once someone reaches godhood.

    As for the levels, or stages before godhood . . . there were Mortal, Earth, Sky, Immortal, Celestial, Heaven and finally, Deity. Or god, whichever you prefer. Up until the realm of Deity, the realms where divided into 9 layers.

    Not only that, but as you go on into the higher stages, the disparity between the layers become more significant. To fight somone an entire stage above you would be almost impossible once you hit Sky stage.

    But there were still other systems of measurement that existed for different species, such as demons or other races. This one was mainly used by humans but it was still the most common . And for some, like Roland himself, the systems of measurements didn¡¯t even apply.

    Roland was surprised at the student who achieved the so-called Ignition ability. It wasnt something one could simply learn. It was an almost inherent ability, something one needed an affinity for. He made a note to carefully cultivate that one. In the future, he could definitely become a good opponent.

    Since the training field was outside, many other students, mainly seniors who had few classes to attend, came around midday and observed the spectacle and there were even some who started betting. After the first few classes, the ones who came stopped betting on who would land a strike on me and instead on how long they would last without collapsing in exhaustion.

    Abigail, for her part, had an army of nurses come to pick up the unconscious students. Roland did heal their injuries, but their bodies and minds were too exhausted to move. For the rest of the day after that, all other classes were cancelled. Not that there were many to begin with.

    Loki, who came once everything was over, was upset because he missed the show.

    -----------------

    It was around 12:00, lunchtime, and Roland went to the Academy¡¯s cafeteria to eat. Some students from his first class saw him. They looked at him with mixed feelings. They believed he was a good guy, and his teachings did indeed help them greatly, even after only one session¡­ but his methods were too extreme.

    Even when they were riddled with injuries, he simply waved a hand and they were gone in an instant, and so they were pretty much forced to continue. It was  a very hellish experience for them.

    They felt weak after, too tired to get up. Their muscles were on fire and the blood pounded their heads until they thought that their head would explode. Not only that, but they had also run out of sweat to keep them cool and instead their skin was like a furnace, hot to the touch. The dirt from the ground had also still not entirely washed off annd they were left feeling very uncomfortable.

    They felt shivers remembering the dreadful experience. Even the demon-kin in the class felt the devil hid behind that pretty face of his.  Yet still, they were grateful because after that hellish experience they all felt a definite increase in their strength. However, they truly wished to never repeat the experience.

    Towards the new teacher himself, a majority of his students had had complicated feelings. They were inherently arrogant people, and when they first saw the man they didnt think much of him. They expected more. Other than his face, what was so good about him? They  had such thoughts.

    But now they were thoroughly cowed. They, if nothing else, respected strength.  But it was still too early to say wether they liked him or not. For now, they would reserve judgement.

    Roland, either oblivious or indifferent towards their gazes, simply walked on without a care.

    The food was top-notch. Being in a different world always had its benefits. Roland had been to a few other planets and universes for a short time, and he found that the best part of it was the different foods that they had. He liked to explore different cultures and cuisines the most.

    His home planet had some advances in technology and such, but the planet was hundreds of millions of years old and the empires it had lasted for thousands upon thousands of years. Even still, unlike most of the younger planets, his own didn¡¯t pursue scientific knowledge much and instead was more driven towards gaining strength. There, strength was everything. If you didnt have it, everything you loved could be taken away in an instant.

    He quickly grew bored of many things there and since his only real desire at the time was to become the strongest in order to protect himself and his loved ones, once he attained it he began to appreciate the smaller things in life.

    Sometime after he met Loki, the two journeyed to many different universes and had a bit of fun exploring. Sometimes it got a bit dangerous too, even for them.

    The food today was meat from a beast that had reached a high level of power before its death. To explain, beasts of many worlds had beasts that could absorb the energy their world leaked out. The energy changes them, giving them the ability to grown stronger and possess certain powers. It also, at the later stages, gave them intelligence.

    At the Heaven stage they were no longer considered simple beasts, and could even assume humanoid form, though most never reach that stage. Most beast-kin from any universe are considered the descendants of beasts who had reached the heaven stage or above. It was similar to the power system used by humans. But it¡¯s not like all beast can absorb their world¡¯s energy. Many lack the ability

    Yet Mother Nature is a cruel mistress. The stronger that the beast becomes, the more precious their fur, bones, teeth and other body parts become. And their meat as well.  Only after they can assume human form are they really safe, at that stage most are too weak to kill them, and others wouldn¡¯t even want to, for various reason.

    That said the meat from a powerful beast was simply drool-worthy. Tender and fragrant, the meat was even prepared by chefs specializing in their field.

    The meat came with a side of a thick soup and freshly made bread still warm from the oven that was no less appetizing.

    After he ate he still had time before his next class so he decided to walk and wander around.

    He went to that pond he saw outside Loki¡¯s office. It was there that he found a black cat with soft-looking fur nestling adorably on the grass by the water, its body stretching out and exposing its stomach.

    Roland did the first thing that came to mind: he walked right up to it and, with a smile, started to pet the animal, causing it¡¯s eyes¡ªa light blue¡ªopening to look at him with that cool, prideful gaze that was inherent in cats. Other than that, it made no move to run away or stop him.

    Roland loved cats. He didn¡¯t really know why, but he had always felt a certain fondness for them.

    He stayed like that for a while, enjoying the softness or its fur. It had began liking his fingers at one point, biting them lightly.

    He wondered who it belonged to. Certainly it didn¡¯t seem like a stray. It didn¡¯t seem like it was malnourished, and its coat well-taken care of, so at least someone must be watching over it.

    No, wait, before that, how did it even get here? The barrier Loki set up also keeps out animals. It couldn¡¯t get here through the outside. Unless it was already here to begin with? Somehow he thought that was wrong.

    Huh.

    Whatever, it wasn¡¯t really important anyway.

    ------------------------------------------------

    A few hours later, he came back and found the cat still lazing around. It was getting dark and no one seemed coming to get it. He didn¡¯t want to leave it here, so he picked it up¡ªwith some mild protests and light scratching¡ªand headed home.

    He stopped at the cafeteria for some food for the cat before going.

    When I showed up the four other residents immediately took a liking to the animal. Even Saren. It was decided that if no one asked around for it in the next few day, they would keep it here.

    After the decision was made, I looked more closely at the curses they bore.

    Saren had some curse relating to fire. It was inactive for now, but Roland speculated that once it did activate, it would cause Saren¡¯s body to endure torture by Soul Flames, a type of flame that burned your soul from the inside out, causing unspeakable agony. Some people liked to try capturing this type of flames and make it part of their own power. Such attempts usually met with failure. This curse was a nasty piece of work. The younger boy was the exact opposite, with a flame that would cause coldness to spread throughout the body as if you were walking through a blizzard naked. Neither was merciful.

    In any other situation, the effects would last a few seconds and then you would die. The curse didn¡¯t seem to allow that. You had to suffer through it each day once activated and not once would you lose consciousness. It forced you to endure everything while being completely aware. He told them as such and their faces paled immediately.

    The two boys had a feeling of dread creep up on them, a cold sweat at their backs. The vivid description Roland gave them made the boys wonder if it would be better to simply end things themselves. At least they they wouldnt suffer.

    Such were their first thoughts on the matter.

    But, he told them, the curses was still inactive, which didn¡¯t help much. So, he told them not to worry since at the time it did activate he would either direct the curses¡¯ effect upon himself, therefore shielding them while he endured them himself, or he could try binding the curses to each other in an attempt to cancel them out or weaken the effects. The method he would use depended on a few variables, but he wouldn¡¯t know which one would work best until the actual time of activation.

    It was the girls he worried more about. Their curses were a lot more¡­ profound.

    He couldn¡¯t see through them much at all. Lilith¡¯s remained a mystery, while Reina¡¯s was still not fully understood. He and Loki was right that it sealed her potential and limited he abilities greatly, making her unable to learn or perform either magic or martial arts, but that was more of a passive effect and not the true ability of the curse itself.

    He wanted to try breaking through with some hellish training, but this area was not suitable. It was too peaceful. He also wanted to help the students sharpen their combat experience and battle techniques¡­ maybe he should see if there are any places that could provide the right conditions.

    He should ask Loki about it. He didn¡¯t want them to just continue battling him because the gap of their powers was just too wide. They might gleam a few insights from it, but when your opponents is immeasurably stronger than you, it wasn¡¯t very helpful in the long run. No, it was best to have them fight enemies closer to their own levels.

    He said that he would teach the two boys a few thing, and he would do just that. Eventually. Lilith seemed interested too, but she made no move to ask him. Not to mention she was against was teaching Reina in the first place. She doesn¡¯t believe Reina can become strong and would rather not let her sister get her hopes up and needlessly get hurt.

    In any case, tomorrow I''ll tell Loki what he learned about the curses and ask him if there were some dangerous places around here that suited my purposes.

    After everything was said and done, they retired to their rooms. He took the cat and gave it some of the meat he took from the cafeteria, placint it in a bowl he found in the kitchen area.

    It looked at him, almost seeming offended. It pushed the bowl around several times before finally decding to eat.

    Once it finished it followed him to his room and sat itself on one of his pillows. He took off his clothes for a shower before laying down.

    He wasn¡¯t sure he liked being a teacher, or instructor, or whatever he was supposed to be called.

    He decided that at some point he would go out and explore the world a bit once his business here was done, when he broke the curses on Reina and the others and found out who placed them.

    When that was done, he would probably just do whatever he felt like doing. The Olympian pantheon and the Solomon 72 Pillars were here. He could definitely find some old friends. Who knows, maybe even Solomon himself, that eccentric bastard,  would be on the planet too.

 Intermission-1

    Author¡¯s notes: Just a short intermission among several I plan to do. I believe you can guess who the youth whom you will read about is. Or will be. I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t posted anything new for so long. Been a week or longer right? I had stuff going on, and it took up most of my time. I have the next chapter partly finished. May be out sometime during the weekend. But most of my posts will be out on weekdays, just so you know¡­ unless something comes up. Oh and please review the story. It may be too much to ask since I still have so few chapters out, but how do you think the MC is shaping up to be? His personality still hasn¡¯t been revealed much, I know. Just speak about whatever feedback you might have so far. How do you feel about the story right now? What kind of story do you think it will eventually become? Have any pointers for future reference? I¡¯m interested to know.

    ---------------------------------------------

    It was a barren wasteland. It continued endlessly, and every square inch was covered by human corpses, the scent of death hanging in the air like a suffocating shroud and attracting scavenger birds to feast upon the dead bodies of the fallen warriors. None of the warriors, when they were still living, were below the Immortal realm.

    In some places their blood pooled, making small rivers and tinged the very ground with a scarlet hue. Countless swords, spears, and other weapons lay either in a corpse or scattered across the land, many in shatters beyond repair. Each one was a precious weapon that had a powerful aura, none of them below the Sky realm in terms of power. Soon, if left unattended, they would absorb the blood of their owners and become weapons that thirsted for death and destruction.

    The sky was an ominous, dreadful gray as if the very heavens were in mourning. It was a nightmarish scene. Anyone, be they child or adult, would be sickened at the sight, especially at the vicious and merciless wounds that lay upon each of the bodies, second only to how the birds looked as they continued to eat away at their corpses.

    In the sky, high enough to overlook the entire scene, a youth who could not have been older than seventeen hovered motionlessly, his face breathtakingly handsome and his eyes like azure flames, merciless and cold. Like a young male god had descended to the mortal plane. He, in that moment, had the aura of a peerless sovereign who looked upon the world with disdain. His body carried an oppressive feeling to it, an atmosphere of power that made others feel small and insignificant in front of the youth, yet they would somehow also seem drawn to him as If by some magnetic pull. Not only that, he was also clad in flames, a physical manifestation of his awesome power. A peerless technique he invented himself.  He appeared totally unaffected by the carnage below him.

    Even though it was he who caused it.

    Not three feet away from him, a massive sword also hovered, pointing downward. Its length was at least 6 or 7 feet long, its weight exceeding several tons. For any other cultivator or practitioner of the Martial Way, it was impossible to lift up even an inch. It was a weapon the youth manifested using his very soul. A blade that was born of his flesh and blood.

    The weapon had a domineering aura and awe-inspiring presence, a true king among swords. Its blade was of the purest black, so absolutely dark that it seemed as if the world would be sucked right into it. Yet it also had veins of azure, the same exact shade as the youth¡¯s eyes, running along it length. The veins glowed with an inner light. If the youth had placed the weapon into his hands, the glow would intensify, as if recognizing its master. It was a sword that anyone would kill for, a priceless treasure. And its strength¡­ was even surpassing the realm of gods.

    In the youth¡¯s arms, was a small girl  of perhaps 13 or 14, with a delicate and beautiful face that would capture the hearts of any who looked upon it.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t have to end this way.¡± The boy said coldly. But the corpses, of course, could not reply.

    He didn¡¯t regret his actions a single bit, neither did he feel guilty over the deaths he cause. Yet if they had left him with another option, he would not have been so unforgiving. But they, and the ones they served, threatened his most precious person, and for that they had to die. They likely had families who loved them. But it mattered not to the youth. The only thing the mattered to him was. . .

    His beloved sister, or at least he thought of her as such, who could never be allowed to be harmed in any way. It was something he decided long ago.

    But those men were sent to kill her, an unforgivable sin in the youth¡¯s eyes. Even if it were the heavens who ordered it, in response he would merely overthrow the heavens and reduce the heavens to ashes.

    For her, he had the will to do so.

    The girl, who had been resting in his arms, awoke finally. She looked at him with worshipping eyes without a trace of impurity. One could see the amount of care that was in them.

    ¡°Brother, is it¡­over?¡± she asked, her lovely voice pulling upon his heartstrings.

    ¡° Yes.¡± He answered softly, lovingly. ¡°I will never let anyone harm you, my dearest one. Not them, nor that traitorous family of ours.¡±

    The family who would condemn such a pure and innocent girl was no longer any family to him, no matter that they raised and nurtured him as if he were their own. So what if the girl was a threat to the world, so what if she might bring ruin to them all? Even if it were to come to pass, the world could burn for all he cared.

    But still, he would never allow that future to happen. By his own power and will he would merely seize that fate and crush it. Never will he allow his beloved sister to be taken by such a fate. If fate decided that her path would be something so cruel, he would take that fate into his hands and shatter it.

    Because she was the one he decided to protect.

    His sister who was born into that traitorous family when he himself was five and had only been a member of that family for perhaps a year and no more, was the object of all his love and affection. How could he, as an older brother, ever allow her to be killed, and even over such trifling matters?

    The mere thought of them, that family, stroked his anger, causing a cold and monstrous killing intent to leak out of him. It was enough to shatter the courage of even the bravest of people, a coldness that would make them believe their very souls were freezing

    Even they, the Imperial Family bloodline who had reigned supreme over the planet for millions of years, was nothing in the youth¡¯s eyes.  No matter how many soldiers they send, no matter the resources they expend to kill her¡­ the youth could obliterate everything that is thrown at them.

    ¡°Come, my dearest Grace, let us leave this wretched place.¡±

    ¡°But brother Ro, where can we go that our family will not reach us?¡± she looked at him, using the shortened version of his name that she used when she was too little to say it properly.

    The youth looked into the distance, his expression unreadable.

    Finally, he spoke. ¡°I will be merciful, for despite everything they are your blood. For that alone, I will not kill them as I had originally planned. Instead¡­we will travel to the realms above this mortal plane. I will find us a new home where we can live in peace.¡±

    Without another word, the youth, the sword, and the young girl disappeared in a flash of azure light.

    It was only one of the lives the youth will live, only one out of his several incarnations, and not even the first.

    He will not remember the girl from this life, or the sword which he would later use to pierce through the heavens, but they will remember him¡­ and sooner or later, they will find him again.

 Announcement

    yeah, i cant really figure out how i want my next chapter to be. really, its because  i have trouble with beginnings, always have. I  want to at least get a chapter out sometime this week,  so i''m going to go read a few of my favorite Light novels that have similar elements to my story and see what those authors did.  that''s it.

 chapter eight--part 1

    Authors notes: First off... HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ... though it''s 12:28  already where im at so im pretty late.

    ----------------------------

    "Again"

    instantly three figures attacked. Lilith, brandishing a spear, made a thrust with her weapon that contained  deadly accuracy and great speed. meanwhile the two borthers held broad swords and positioned themselves at his left and right. with swift movements, the swords swung in his direction.

    Roland paid them no mind. his eyes were aimed straight at Lilith. He charged at her. He shifted slightly

    and the spear, aimed directly at his heart, slid past him. he grabbed the shaft and tripped Lilith, using her own momentum against her to flip her on her back. True spear masters had absolute control of their bodies and their spears. It was not accracy that mattered, but the ability to adapt to various situations. It was something that Lilith lacked

    True spear masters would use the spear to keep opponents at a distance with the reach the spear provided. however, if the opponent was good and managed to get closer, then the spear became like a staff, fluid and versatile enough to not give the enemy any quarter.

    Having disposed of Lilith, he chose to battle the other two differently. defeating them quickly would not teach them anything. So, he chose to merely block and counter their strikes. Each time their swords flashed out, his own would meet them or snake past their defenses and  add a new cut each time. Roland had a bored expression. he held back considerably, yet the difference was clearly seen. The speed, for one, was worlds apart. For each one strike of theirs, Roland would have been able to land twenty. It was the speed of one who had reached the pinnacle of swordplay.

    Not only that, his attacks  were sharp and there was no wasted movement whatsoever. He exuded a casual grace that made the two brothers awed at his skill. When would they reach such a height, they wondered.

    Lilith felt something by watching them, a flash of some inexplicable understanding. it was something she had never encountered before, but felt that if she took the time to think  on it, her power would probably  increase. But how can a person grow stronger by watching others fight?

    it was a distinctly odd sensation.

    As per his promise, Roland started to give Reina some lessons as well. he said that she had great potential, but Lilith didnt believe it. she knew exactly how weak her sister was. Even if she gained a few benefits, how much stronger could she actually get? But her sister didnt listen to her concerns.  Lilith felt like her sister saw something in Roland . Hope, perhaps.

    ---------------------

    From childhood, Reina had a complex about her lack of power. because she was weak, Reina knew that the day where she ended up dead or worse would come eventually. Or at least that is what she told Lilith once. Lilith said she would always protect Reina, but the rather cold reply was that she would not be able to stay by her side at all times of the day. To that, Lilith could not say anything

    Lilith was never weak. How could she understand the unfairness of having no power in a world where power or personal status was really all that mattered?

    strength was justice. Once you had enough of it, it enabled you to do what you wanted at no cost.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Sure, in the rapidly evolving world of today, being strong was not wuite as important as it used to be, but it still played a large factor in various aspects of life.  That was what Reina knew from all the years of abuse.

    And because she was weak, if she fought back, she would only be treated worse, perhaps even killed. Other than Lilith, who would care? A person like Reina, who was considered a cripple, was someone that would not be missed.

    However, when Reina saw Roland, a person who seemed so strong, someone who knew the Trickster God Loki on a personal level.  A person who Lilith said could fight Immortals like they were mere children, she instantly  admired the power he had. The freedom.

    Not only that, she trusted him, and for no apparent reason at all, not even knowing  why. It was an almost instinctual feeling of trust that welled up from some unknown place within her.

    And when he said that she could gain power as well, that she could attain the strength to fight Immortals like they were nothing, to lead her life how she wanted, she didnt even question him.

    she always understood  that if she wasnt killed, she would be married off to some noble for political reasons. She would have been powerless to stop it. The past few years were blissful, but she knew that someday it would end.  Due to various reasons, she and her sister were taken in by a kind couple and their family, but she knew that  it would end once their family had a use for them.

    So she, despite her sister''s concerns, jumped at the chance to learn from Roland. To her, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

    During the third day since she arrived at the Academy, Roland come to her in the morning said that it was time to train.

    ------------------------------

    Lilith didnt know what the two did or where they went, but on that third day, Roland picked up Reina very early in the morning.  When they came back right before classes began, Reina''s face was flushed and she was breathing hard, while Roland looked refreshed and calm.  Now, naturally Lilith would have been very suspicious upon seeing a scene like that.

    Given Roland''s handsome looks and the way he carried himself, he gave the feeling that he was quite experienced, so  it would be normal if  her beautiful sister, having no experience with men,  had fallen pray to him.

    it would not be surprising if they had done..."that".

    So, she questioned her sister at length but she refused to talk about what they did. However, after a while Lilith concluded that nothing of that nature  happened between the two, because if it had then she knew Reina would absolutely not be so composed or even be able to  look Lilith in the eye.

    Lilith still felt unsatisfied, but decided to let it go for now.

    it was because, mainly, Lilith noticed that Reina seemed different now. After only a few hours, she gave off a slightly different aura. In fact the way she walked, so steady and graceful, was completely different.  she had no idea what Roland had done but... whatever it was did not seem to have had a negative effect. Still, she determined to watch the man''s actions more closely from now on.

 chapter eight--part 2

    Author''s notes: well, part 2 is here. not much to say. im both very sad and pissed off right now. i had finished this two hours ago, and was getting ready to post when one of my cats was running around and accidently unplugged the power cord to my PS4, which i am using a keyboard with to type all this. i was like, " F******  G****** MOTHER******* BASTARD CAT!  ARGHHHH I SHOULD HAVE LEFT YOU ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD YOU LITTLE UNGRATEFUL SON OF A W****!" And i really wanted to backhand him across the face, but i love my cats, unfortunately, and held back. Ugh, i know that the first version was better but i cant remember all of it :(

    well, enjoy.

    ---------------------------

    it was the third day since Roland arrived on the planet. He awoke early in the morning and stretched, noticing that the cat he took home the other day was nowhere to be found. However he was not worried. He felt that when the time was right, he would see it again.

    Once his muscles loosened up and he built a pleasant warmth, he walked to Reina and Lilith''s room.

    After a few knocks, Lilith opened the door, her eyes still blurry from sleep. She wore pajamas that clung to her bountiful curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. However, as soon as she saw him, she was instantly awake, a wary look in her eyes. It wasnt that she didnt like Roland, but she was a cautious person when needed. Remembering how he  dealt with those Immortals, she knew that it would be easy for him to reduce them to meat paste if he wanted to, so naturaly she was a bit on edge around him.

    Not only that, but she was very conscious of how the fabric wrapped around her figure, and Roland, with his sharp azure blue eyes, made her feel very exposed.  All that combined made her try hiding her body behind the door.

    "Y-yes?" she asked, hating how she stuttered on the word.

    " Could you call out Reina? I feel it is time to start her training" he said.

    Though she wasnt sure how much Reina could actually benefit from it, she did as she was asked and woke her sister. Reina was in a state of disarray, hurredly putting on her clothes once she knew that  Roland at the door.  Moments later, she came out a bit disordered, her hair and clothes a mess, causing a faintly amused smile from Roland. He told her to take her time and to meet him outside when she was done.

    Reina was embarressed to have shown such an appearance, and was grateful he waited for her.

    Ten minutes later, they had already walked a considerable distance. The air was cold and mist formed from their breath.

    Roland stopped them at a cave he discovered after a bit of roaming around.  He condesced a ball of energy and threw it up, illuminating the dark cave. Then he sent out his spirit energy to push out any wild animals near them, so they would not come to bother them. Next, he set up a light barrier around them so that they can train without worry of causing too much damage. Lastly,  he took out a blanket and sat it on the floor

    " Alright, it''s time that i told you why we are here. to start, the method that i have planned for your training is very dangerous to your surroundings. For now, i must be with you during, but once you get the hang of it, you can do it at any time. But once you can, absolutely do not start to use it without me to supervise you, understand?"

    Reina was cold, and a bit uncomfortable at being out alone with a male, but nodded to his question. She would absolutely follow his instruction.

    "Good. Now, bear in mind that this method is not even able to be initiated without the extremely high compatability between us.  It is the quickest way to make you strong. however, it is very dangerous." He told her

    Reina nodded once again. However, something nagged at her...

    "You said that before, compatability. What exactly is it?"  she asked

    she did have a vague idea what it meant, but didnt believe it. How could the two of them have any similarities? They were as different as night and day. From what her sister told her, he had power capable of easily beating  Immortals. Not only that, he gave the air of power that made the space around him seem to warp with his mere presence at times.  He even knew a god and they seemed good friends. yet she...well, her short commings were painfully obvious.

    "It''s bit hard to explain, but essentially everything about us is extremely compatable with each other, from our spirit energies, to our mana, our personalities, our desires  and even our very bodies. We. . .fit." he told her. He was a bit hesitent to say it. It was a touchy subject, he thought. To suddenly say to a girl that they are compatable with each other  is a bit. . .

    Though, he didnt tell any of the unnessessary parts. Like for example,how  if they had sex, it would undoubtedly be pretty incredible due to the high compatability between their bodies. It would be much, much more pleasurable than with other partners.

    Of ccourse, Roland understood the meaning of tact, and so he would obviously never tell her that part.

    Reina felt a pleasant warmth spread from out of her chest at his words, and not a little bit of pride either.  She didnt think he would lie to her, and didnt doubt him. To know that she fit well with a person like Roland, it was something that any girl could take pride in.

    " Moving on, the method i chose is something that puts you in a trance like state and lets me interact with you via a blood link" he said.

    "B-blood link!" Reina exclaimed. Blood link...it was a technique used by necromancers and blood mages.

    "Dont be scared, the one i will be using is not the one you are thinking of, merely a varient. With it, you with enter a special space within you mind that allows you a hundred days worth of training in mere hours. Time inside that space will be different from the time in the outside world. Also, it will let you have a portion of my learning and comprehension abilities. It is  the perfect way to increase your power. As i said, we are very similar. The only reason you are so weak right now is because that curse prevents your growth. Without it, you could have ascended to the higher planes of existence at the age of 12, if you wanted. "

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    " Anyway, to explain that method in more detail, once you begin, your spirit energy, your soul, your mana, you body, all of it will be refined at an absurd pace. The excess power will leak out of your body and run out of control, destroying everything around you.  Though the  power will be more controlable in the future, as i said, it is still dangerous so that is why you must not do this around other people." He warned. " Also, once you come out of that state, your body will not be accustomed to such a surge in your power and will require some special excercise to be able to adapt and control the energy that will be running rampant throughout you. I found this cave by chance and discovered that it is made from  a special kind of rock that helps absorb mana.  I also set a barrier that further reduces the damage you will dish out on the surroundings.  Though it cannot block spirit energy too well. . . If  i had a few hours i could make something better, but this will do for now."

    " Alright, now that we have that explanation out pf the way, sit down on that blanket. i will now establish the blood link." Having said said,  he sharpened his spirit energy and used his right index finger and drew it across his left index finger, causing blood to flow. " Here" he said.

    Reina looked at him blankly. Did he want her to lick it?

    Having come to that conclusion on her own, she took his finger and licked the blood clean. It was not the metallic taste she was expecting. Rather, it had a rich, heady flavor like liquified power. it was almost...addicting.

    Roland felt her warm, soft tongue on his skin. Honestly, it was a very pleasant sensation.

    However, Roland was a bit surprised. He wanted to simply pour a few drops in her mouth, and did not expect that she would be so bold.

    But he frowned a moment later. Her tongue was now wrapped around his finger and she pulled it deeper into her mouth, trying to suck the blood from him. It was a fairly erotic move, yet he was concerned about something else.

    Damn, he thought. He should have warned her earlier, but he had only remembered just now. To explain,  because Roland was so powerful, his energy was seeped into every part of his body, including his blood. No, especially his blood. It was, quite literally, like raw, liquified power. It was similar to how the body parts of a magical beast became more precious the stronger it became.  Similarily, Roland was the same, but he was still alive and also his power greatly exceeded nearly all magical beasts. As such, the amount of power stored in his blood was much higher and purer.  A single drop of his blood would be enough to power cities. there were many people who would love to have his blood, especially those of the vampire races.

    This was bad. Reina was currently sucking a lot of blood from him. He wasnt sure what effect that would have later.

    Not wasting any time, Roland  took his finger away and quickly drew a cut across one of Reina''s  fingers and licked the blood from the open wound.  She had a hazy look in her eye and her body temperture was rising.

    Roland did not hesitate. With the blood link established, he drove his spiritual energy inside her.

    Soon the rest of the world faded away.

    ---------------------------------

    Reina stood in a endless white space. it was neither cold, warm, or really anything at all. However, it was somehow comforting. it was a very weird place. There was not even any real ground, yet how could she stand? She wasnt floating, she was sure. Her senses were kinda thrown off.   Where. . .?

    " This" a voice called out, " is your mind. Well, our mind. There is no real distinction here."

    " Roland!" Reina said, relieved. if she was stuck here by herself, she did not know what she would have done. " This place... it''s our mind. . . ? why does it seem so empty?"

    "Well, it''s only a small part of our mind.   A space created for the sole purpose of training. I used my spirit energy to create it. Though its  supported by me, it is "owned" by the both of us.  Here, we can do anything we want. Well, before we get into that, i want to say that  i''m sorry." he bowed his head slightly in guilt.

    "Sorry? Why do you. . .AH!" she remembered! Her head was a bit hazy then, and so she wasnt aware of it, but  now that her mind was cleared, she remembered her actions in excruciating detail, causing her to blush furiously and want to hide in a hole for eternity.

    "Yeah. . . that wasnt intentional, but i am still to blame. My blood has alot of raw power in it, something i forgot to mention earlier. Though, really, i did not expect you to suck on my finger so suddenly . I wanted to just give you a few drops, but. . . Well, i didnt think you would do that. "  He had a small, almost teasing smile flicker across his face, causing Reina''s embarrassment to soar to new heights.

    "P-please just forget about it already!" she was nearly in tears.

    " Haha, well, that aside, shall we begin? i figure we have around two, three hundred days in here. That extra blood you took in actually had a pretty good influence on this space." He laughed a bit at her expression. It was a cute, almost child-like reaction from her.

    ". . .What did you have in mind?" she asked hesitently.

 chapter eight--part 3

    Author¡¯s notes: last part of chapter eight. I may get another chapter out this week. Enjoy. And comment on anything, if you have questions or ideas, go ahead and say them. Oh, and please review. Best to do it in the early stages so i know what to fix, right?

    --------------------------------------------

    Reina asked the question with a bit of hesitation and worry.

    ¡°Well, I think you should find a few battle techniques,spells or such that will be useful to you. I have a lot of high-grade techniques in my head, but I can¡¯t remember them all. Even if I suggest something, your innate abilities are a lot higher than those students and so trying to teach you the same way would be useless.  People like us cannot be handled the same as other people." He shrugged. "So whatever I pick  may not be what suits you best. Just look for yourself.¡± He saw her quizzical glance, the question in her gaze obvious.

    ¡°Use the link between us to tap into my inner mind.¡± Roland explained. ¡°This place is similar to  a meeting point, a bridge between us. You need to cross it.¡± Roland said, as if it was something that she would naturally know how to do.

    Reina looked at him a bit uncomfortably

    ¡°. . .Right. Um, how do I do that again?¡± She laughed nervously and scratched her head in slight embarrassment. She noticed that she got embarrassed a lot more recently. She wondered why.

    ¡°Ah, yes. Right, sorry. Since it¡¯s your first time, it can¡¯t be helped.  Here, I will connect you to my mind directly.¡± Having said so, he stepped forward and placed a hand on  her soft cheek.

    She was startled by the unexpected action, but she surprisingly found that she made no move to back away. Somehow, even though they had no real bodies, she felt that his hand was pleasantly warm.

    ¡°Okay, here I go.¡± He paused, looking at her.¡± . . . You might want to brace yourself.¡±

    . . . And then suddenly she was assaulted by a great tidal wave of knowledge.

    It was overwhelming, a mixture of images and magical formulas, of forgotten empires and secret knowledge, forbidden spells and world-rending scenes of unimaginable battles across the stars, each fought by gods,  demons,and other races she had never even knew of.

    She was utterly blown away by the fantastical amounts of things that flowed into her mind, thrown about like a toy boat in a great, roaring sea.

    She felt her as if her head would spilt open. Everything hurt.

    It hurt, it hurt, IT HURT!!!

    But this pain, it wasn¡¯t hers. It was something long gone, a mere echo, a memory.

    Her thoughts were scattered, the pain wiped away everything else. Her throat felt raw. Was she screaming?

    ¡°Reina.¡± A voice. Roland. ¡±Calm down. You¡¯re absorbing too much much, you need to block out all the unnecessary information. What you are feeling isn¡¯t real, it is but a mere shadow of my past experiences and knowledge. Things within myself that even I am no longer able to recall.  You have to filter it all out. Don¡¯t feel, just observe. Visualize strong walls to guard youself. Reach out and call for the knowledge, the skills, that resonates with you. Those will be the ones that will give you the most benefits, the ones you are meant to have.¡± His voice, currently soft and gentle, woke her from her stupor.

    With a force of will uncharacteristic of her, she put up mental barriers around her inner mind.

    They were transparent, like glass, and blocked out everything. The pain left as suddenly as it arrived, as if it never existed in the first place.

    Reina let out an awed breath. From behind the barriers, everything that washed away her senses before now seemed an amazing sight.

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    She saw the rise and fall of great civilizations, witnessed the impossible sight of universes being born.  Countless  worlds and stars and galaxies, hundreds of thousands of races and cultures. Amazing.

    But how could anyone know of such things? How could they have witnessed such events?

    Her view shifted.

    The scene was of an impossibly large azure-colored dragon. He beat his mighty wings and the sky trembled, he let out a roar and mountains collapsed. Brilliant azure fire seeped from his mouth, his scales shining like precious gems.

    Next, countless other dragons looked up at the magnificent being and lowered their heads in a show of submission, of worship.

    Last, an image of multiple universes and dragons spread before her like a painting, the Azure Dragon depicted as holding them all in his claws, as if his influence touched everything.

    Dragons. . . Proud, haughty creatures that held unimaginable might, the kings and queens of all other beasts.

    Once, they were a mere scattering of tribes across the vast worlds, but many eons ago they mysteriously united, becoming  a powerful and influential empire spaning thousands of worlds.

    The Seven  Major Pantheons combined may not be able to subdue them.

    Again, the scene changed

    Now, she stood in the sky above a vast wasteland littered with dead bodies and countless weapon

    These people, even in death, the aura they gave out individually was terrifyingly powerful. Combined, it was oppressive, making the field seem like a distortion in space.

    Reina saw the same distortion before. It wasn¡¯t often, but during the past few days there were times when Roland himself caused the strange phenomenon to occur.

    But, the distortions here were caused by the combined might of all these people, yet Roland caused them single-handedly.

    What kind of existence was he?

    Reina looked down, and saw an achingly familiar figure hovering not far from her, a giant sword by his side that was taller than Reina herself. It had a domineering presence. She knew who it was. Roland

    He seemed different, colder. A supreme ruler looking down upon everything.

    Yet suddenly his gaze became softer, more caring.

    In his arms, a young girl looked at him. She looked sweet, innocent and pure . . . but something in the girl¡¯s gaze when she looked at him unnerved her. It was. . . Madness? Obsession?

    No, not something that dark, but it seemed like the beginnings of them.

    The two whispered intimately to one another. And then, with a bright flash, they were gone.

    . . . What was that? A memory?

    Somehow, Reina felt it was something she should not have seen.

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite some time, Reina. Are you done? Have you found them  yet?¡± Roland was worried. It wasn¡¯t good to stay within his subconscious mind for so long. He could not control what happened to her.

    ¡°N-no. I¡¯m still looking.¡± She lied, feeling guilty. For some reason, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell him what she saw.

    ¡°You have to hurry, I don¡¯t know what might happen if you remain in my mind much longer. Worst case, your subconscious will be absorbed into my own and you¡¯ll have to remain trapped in my mind until I find a way to get you out. So, I suggest you find what you need quickly¡±

    She shook her head mentally. Right, she had to look for what techniques or skills would be of best use to her.

    Focus,focus, she scolded herself.

 chapter nine

    Author¡¯s notes: Okay so this is something that I am not quite satisfied with at the moment but it¡¯s the best I have right now. Let me know what you guys think about it. Seriously, let me know. I may have made some story errors in here because I started with a different approach and there may be parts I didn¡¯t fully delete and replace. if something doesnt make sense, ask about it. Well, that¡¯s it. Enjoy.

    ------------------------------------------------------

    As she traveled deeper into Roland¡¯s mind, the area in which she could see got smaller and smaller.

    It was very dark now, and she floated in her illusionary body. The feeling here was ancient and archaic, yet she felt no fear.

    Strangely, she even felt safe.

    Though she herself didn¡¯t know, it was because here, in his mind, his presence was literally everywhere.

    Even though the time she knew him was not even a week long, and so feeling such trust and security towards him were simply outrageous, there were times when she felt as if she knew him her entire life.

    Her sister would absolutely think that Reina had been brainwashed or something.

    In some corner of her mind she knew that the reason for this probably only stemmed from the compatibility they had with each other, and that  Roland most likely didn¡¯t feel the same.

    However, for some reason this thought made her uneasy in her heart and so she chose not to dwell on it.

    Instead, she focused on the task at hand.

    Roland¡¯s mind was truly deep and unfathomable. As she floated within his mind, various bits of long-forgotten knowledge and secrets fluttered by.

    It was hard to describe the concept of ¡°knowledge¡± that flew by as knowledge was not a physical thing, but to her they appeared as shining script, written in languages that were either eons dead or not capable of being understood by mere mortals. Most likely only higher-begins could decipher the content, thought Reina.

    But that was not true. Many higher-beings would definitely not be able to comprehend even a small portion of what lied in Roland¡¯s mind, not to mention deciphering them. In fact, if it were anyone else, this knowledge would not even appear in front of them. To them, his mind would forever stay unknowable. Only towards Reina, who had such a high compatibility with Roland, would they appear.

    Perhaps someday she would even understand what they mean.

    Reina, despite feeling a tad foolish, tried visualizing a wave spreading out from her, a wave of energy that sought whatever seemed to call to her.

    After a few moment, it worked. She felt something to her left, a faint and fiery aura that seemed like a candlelight in the distance of deep shadows.

    Her body seemed to move in its direction by itself, called forth by some unknowable force.

    As she moved closer the light intensified and waves of soft heat enveloped her.

    She could faintly here music, dark and haunting which combined with the flame in the distance gave the image of a solar eclipse.

    As she approached, the music became louder, more clear.

    Finally, she came upon a golden flame. Its light was blinding, yet also gentle and exuding a sense of divinity.

    Beautiful, she thought.

    ¡°This flame, it seems to like you, girl . . .¡± suddenly a voice resounded in Reina¡¯s head, ancient, and regal. It wasn¡¯t Roland¡¯s.

    Reina grew scared. It wasn¡¯t the voice, but the sudden feeling of pressure that descended along with it.

    Like the gravity increased by ten-fold.

    ¡°W-Who¡¯s there?¡±  Her voice was a whisper. She looked around frantically, but found nothing.

    ¡°Silly girl, you cannot find me unless I allow it. Would you like to? I have no qualms about showing my true form.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Reina exclaimed, wide-eyed. ¡°You¡¯re that azure dragon I saw earlier!¡±

    And so it was. The dragon appeared suddenly, his body massive and seeming to fill the entire space. The light from the golden flames behind her illuminating his scales magnificently.

    The dragon cocked his head to the side, peering at her with his gem-like eyes. It was a very human-like gesture and looked almost comical on him.

    ¡°Oh? You could see into our past memories? I don¡¯t think I have ever met someone with that ability.¡±

    ¡°Our?¡± she wondered aloud.

    ¡°Hm, indeed. Well, ¡°our¡± is a bit too much. I was not one of Roland¡¯s previous incarnation. i met him many eons ago, in another life. When I was younger and little more than a giant lizard, too weak to even stand.¡± The dragon had a far way look in his eye, as if remembering days long past.

    ¡°Eh?¡± incarnations?  Past memories?

    ¡°Oh? I assumed you knew, girl. Roland has held many lives.¡±

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know! Okay, well, I had my suspicions, but . . .¡± of course, she witnessed the memories herself, but to have her thoughts confirmed . . .

    ¡°Hm, well, no matter. He sent you to find a few skills here, did he not?¡±

    ¡°How did you . . .?¡±

    Reina was confused. She never mentioned what she was here for, did she?

    ¡°Ah, I have access to Roland¡¯s memories. Well, these ones at least. I was sleeping through many of his past lives, so I don¡¯t know much about those, but I can look at any of his past experiences from his current life. I merely peeked into them as we were talking. Honestly, I only woke up when I sensed another consciousness inside him, and I found you here.¡±

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    ¡°I see. . .¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Anyway, you should take that fire with you. It¡¯s something pretty good and looks like it resonates with you.¡± The dragon said.

    ¡°Nn, I thought so too but. . .¡± how could she simply take it? She didn¡¯t even know what it was. It might even be dangerous. Though, if it was, would Roland have let her come here? Maybe it really was okay to just take it?

    As if sensing her thoughts, the dragon spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, girl. That is a divine flame, a portion of the power once owned by the Golden Divine Bird. She won¡¯t miss it, trust me. Though right now that is the only thing here that you can currently take with you.  It seems that this time around no other skill will present itself.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know . . . how did it even get here?¡± that bird sounded pretty amazing, how could something like that end up within the depths of Roland¡¯s mind?

    ¡°Girl, you are currently in Roland¡¯s Treasury, a space existing within a small opening in his spiritual world. There are many priceless artifacts here. To be clear, you were in his mind earlier, but that flame drew you here.  Most likely it opened itself because you carry a bit of Roland¡¯s essence on you. And so as for how it got here, it was something that the Divine Bird gifted him. I think that he once had a dalliance with her human form.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no wonder I felt so uneasy when I got here. I never felt like this when I was in his mind¡±

    Wait. . . ¡°Dalliance¡±?

    She felt her cheeks redden slightly

    ¡°Well, in any case, go ahead and take it with you. It is a pretty good thing, if you ask me. Though it doesn¡¯t have my flame¡¯s destructive power. But, being a divine flame, it has many mysterious properties and will grant many benefits once you fuse with it properly.¡±

    ¡°. . . I see. Thank you. I will be taking it then.¡± She said cheerfully.

    A Divine flame! How could she not be happy?

    She floated towards the golden flame, holding it carefully in her hand. It felt warm, gentle.

    The flame seemed to merge with her incorporeal body. Soon, it could no longer be seen.

    The only light in the dark space now was the slight glow from the azure dragon¡¯s scale.

    ¡°And what about you?¡± she asked

    The dragon looked confused

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, how did you end up here? Actually, what are you to Roland anyway? I don¡¯t even understand how a dragon can wind up in a place like this.¡± She said to him.

    ¡°I suppose you could say that I chose to be here.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And by that you mean . . .?¡±

    Again the dragon let out that strange ¡°Fumu¡± laugh of his.

    ¡°It has been quite a while since I met someone who could have a calm conversation with me. Most just start screaming as soon as they see me.¡± He said, sounding amused. He beat his wings softly, the action seeming like a dragon version of a shrug. ¡±Well, I simply mean that when it was time for him to depart for his next life, I was pretty stubborn and bound our souls together¡± He sounded indifferent

    Yet suddenly, he hung his head down, sadness emanating from his entire being. ¡°I . . . I didn¡¯t want to leave him. To have him forget me, after all the times we shared. We were family, brothers. The only ones who looked out for each other, always, no matter what life threw in our way.

    But it didn¡¯t matter in the end. I searched everywhere for a way to restore his memories, but to no avail. For a time, I simply built new memories with him. However, every time he reincarnated, the memories were lost. After a few reincarnation, I grew weary of it all and merely slept inside his soul space. Not just me, but others have lived through that as well. I remember that in one life Roland had a sister, Grace.

    They were not of the same blood, but he had always thought of her as a dear sister, an irreplaceable existence. When it was discovered her body held the spirit of a goddess reigning over ruin and disaster, her blood family turned on her. Roland protected them with his own power, and when they left for the Higher Planes, they were happy . . . For a time. But when he disappeared due to his next incarnation cycle coming, she broke. She was such a pure girl at first, but his disappearance changed her. Made her ruthless, cruel. She searches for him, even now. Because he was her everything, just as he was mine. And there were many others after her¡±

    As he told the story, the dragon¡¯s voice bespoke its anguish.

    Reina remembered the little girl that she saw earlier in that one memory. Was that Grace?

    she felt a twist in her heart.

    How awful must it be to care for someone like that and yet know that they will only forget all the times you spent together? Not just that, but having the entire process repeat itself over and over again, remaining helpless against it?

    Would that happen to her someday too?

 Chapter ten--part 1

    Author¡¯s notes: yeah so because of my procrastination the previous week, I have had to do a five page history assignment. Double-paged. And a poster. And some letter or something for English that I will get to later. So, add that I had to keep watch of my younger family members for a few days while the rest my family went to various doctor appointments, I didn¡¯t get much writing done. I wanted to write a full chapter and release it yesterday, but that didn¡¯t happen.  So I will just post chapter ten in parts. Two.  I will post another either Saturday or Sunday.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Reina left the dragon, unable to find any words of comfort.

    What could she have said?

    Nothing that would have made a difference.

    She found her way back to the depths of Roland¡¯s mind. She knew she was back because that familiar presence of his surrounded her once again.

    Once back, she called out to him and he soon broke their connection.

    ------------------------

    Roland observed Reina through narrowed eyes. She seemed different. Not just the way she looked at him, almost pitying, but the way she glowed with an inner light as well. They had no corporeal bodies, but the changes here would be seen as though they did.

    Her skin, previously white like Jade, held a soft golden tone to it now and her hair was no longer a simple blood red but held a deeper, more lustrous shade which was harder to describe.

    She looked even more beautiful than before.

    Her temperament also changed a bit. She was normally a very bright girl, although a bit shy. Now, though, she seemed a bit gloomy, as though heavy thoughts weighed her down.

    Even more, she could not meet his eyes. She did that occasionally before, but it was mostly because he was male and she was likely a bit inexperienced wit the opposite sex.

    Roland knew how he appeared to females, and so he was quite used to such reactions from them.

    But this was different.

    This time it was more like she hid something from him. She was definitely acting odd.

    ¡°. . . Reina?¡±

    She jerked slightly at my voice, the reaction showing that her thoughts were elsewhere.

    ¡° Y-Yes?¡±

    He frowned. Something was clearly wrong, but he didn¡¯t press the issue.

    ¡°No, nothing. It just seemed you were acting strange. But never mind that, I assume you came back with something good?¡±

    ¡° Ah, yes, right. Look at this!¡± Her voice gained a tone of excitement.

    Suddenly golden flames erupted from her hand, giving off a gentle, soothing light. It looked oddly familiar to him.

    Strange, he had no knowledge of a technique that created a flame such as this. The energy it gave off was very pure and warm. A true Divine Flame. Not something that could simply be created by a mere battle technique or magic spell.

    No, a flame like this was something that only a rare few Higher Beings could possess. Unless they passed on a portion of their power to another, no one could wield a flame such as this. Not to mention this was a Divine Flame, one of those with special properties. Definitely not something ordinary.

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    So if it did not come from any technique or spell he knew of, how could she come to have it?

    Unless . . .

    ¡°Is that from my treasury?¡± he asked her.

    His treasury was a like a world in his soul space that he used to store things. The size of it was truly extraordinary. He had always known it existed within him, but its contents he was less sure of.

    This was pretty important. He had many things in his treasury even he did not know of. They were . . . fragments of the lives he used to live. He didn¡¯t like to touch them.

    Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Still, the items or things within his treasury may have been important to him in the past, and to handle them without care was something that he would not do.

    Some things there were very dangerous.

    Usually he only touched the money or items that could be used for trade. A portion of the things within his treasury gave him a slight feeling of familiarity, and those were the ones that he didn¡¯t touch.

    She nodded apologetically. looking like a child caught doing something they shouldn''t have.  her body and expressions don''t match at all.  Though, it wasn''t a bad contrast.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t meant to take it, but when I got there it just--¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. If you found it, then it simply means you were meant to. Besides, that flame is quite good. I do not know everything about it, but the flame seems to have a gentle nature and should be easy to assimilate. Well done¡± he praised.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t say that she should not even know what his treasury was in the first place. Even if she entered his mind and looked through his knowledge, she wouldn¡¯t be able to know he had such a place within him. So, who told her about it?

    There was only one person he could think of, but. . . . Well, that person only does things that he wants to do.

    Roland didn¡¯t like to think of  or talk to  him though, because doing so would be pointless and in the end they would both end up hurt.

    Reina, upon hearing him, let out a small, self-satisfied smile.

    ¡°Alright, now that your back we can really get started. I know that you were able to learn the very basics of sword play, so for around 40 days we will have a non-stop sparring match.¡±

    He saw that she seemed a bit apprehensive.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry, although you will feel pain, it will not truly harm you. Here attacks are converted to mental pain, meaning that if I stab you, you will not bleed at all and only receive a very painful sensation in your mind. Like a migraine times a hundred. So you don¡¯t have to worry and can just let loose.¡± He gave her a reassuring smile

    Reina, for her part, felt that smile of his looked decidedly evil at that moment.

 Chapter ten--part 2

    "Here, take this"

    Snapping his fingers, two long and thin single-bladed swords appeared, one hovering in front of her while the other was wielded by Roland. The one in front of her fell moments later. She hastily grabbed it.

    " That sword is called a Katana, a durable and fast weapon. I use this type of sword often and in terms of speed and swiftness, it is definitely  unmatched. I think it suits you. Well, let''s get started."

    Without another word, he dashed towards her.

    Suddenly, a feeling like electricity went off  in her mind and she instantly raised her sword to attack.

    Faster than the eye could see, they exchanged no less than ten swords strikes.

    She slashed down almost instinctively, her sword always aiming at his vital points.

    She, in that moment, seemed to become a completely different person. She struck without hesitation, her eyes clear like a tranquil pond. In the back of her mind she was awed at her own actions.

    Never had she been able to move so quickly or freely!

    Usually she was timid on the battlefield. The sparring matches with her sister years ago always ended in her being frozen, unable to make a single move.

    Yet now a deep and profound sense of calmness descended on her, analysing Roland''s every move. She saw a series of movements flash in her mind, telling her what actions to take and at what moments. Her body moved on its own, and she made no move to stop it.

    Unbeknownst to her, this was a result of the blood link between her and Roland.

    He had said the blood link would give her some of his learning and comprehension abilities, but this was something that even he would not expect for her to unlock!

    It was battle sense. The ability to intuitively understand and execute combat related skills, to analyze the opponent and instantly grasp their weaknesses.

    Not only that, but simply by fighting stronger opponents one can become stronger themselves, becoming more powerful with each battle!

    Those with truly high battle sense were monstrous geniuses who would absolutely dominate those within their own generation and allow them to fight with opponents much more experienced than themselves. What took others years, they could do in weeks, even days.

    Roland is one possessing a godly level of battle sense, enabling him to learn and understand combat on a much deeper level than others. With a mere glance he would be capable of mastering another''s combat techniques and even improve upon it.

    Right now, Reina, because of the blood link with Roland, unlocked her own battle sense that was, even under the effects of her curse, still above that of war god Aries himself.

    Roland was amazed. He could clearly feel that each swing of her''s became sharper and more skillful with every exchange. Her eyes seemed absolutely calm amidst the constant dancing of their blades. Though he was still merely playing, not using an ounce of his true power, she was slowly and steadily getting stronger.

    Since she was doing so well, should he step it up a notch?

    Reina felt Roland was the type of opponent that was a nightmare to deal with. She, before being taken in by her adoptive parents, had seen many experts within her clan. Each one had an unfathomable aura and high level of combat prowess.

    If any of them were here, she thought, they definitely would dread having to fight against Roland.

    Under the mysterious world of calmness within her, she found that his attacks were completely unpredictable and was like fighting against a force of nature. Even in her state brought by the awakening of her battle sense, she saw no weaknesses in his movements whatsoever. Even when he seemed to not move fast at all, in those moments she felt even more unable to dodge him. His fighting style was unfathomable.

    His attacks came without any of his internal energy, but even still it was unthinkable that he was in any way less dangerous because of it. No, perhaps it was more terrifying that he was so strong without it. Any of the peak experts of her clan would not have been worthy to lick his shoes. Only because he was seriously holding back could she fight him so long.

    And only at the moment he struck could she know what he would do and hastily try to guard against it.

    They lost track of how long they fought for. Between each sword exchange there was only enough time to briefly catch her breath. It seemed years could have passed and they would not even notice, focusing solely on each other. In the vast white space the only sound that could be heard was that of the swords as they landed against each other.

    Reina was breathing hard, her arms feeling numb but her fingers seemingly unable to drop her sword. Her face was flushed, she was tired, felt like laying down and sleeping for the next hundred years.

    He was a monster, she thought, absolutely not human.

    Everytime they clashed, she could feel an oppressive aura pressing down on her. That calmness she held sometimes broke down completely, leaving her to fight on by sheer instinct. Only after fighting him did she understand how terrifying he was. When fighting him it gave the feeling that all tactics and strategies were useless.

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    He was like a peerless god of war, an absolute demon that could make your blood chill with a glance.  Even now his breathing had not changed at all, he merely looked at her, his expression unreadable. He must have seen that she could no longer fight, because everytime before now he had attacked her without warning.

    He was truly merciless!

    She currently couldn''t even stand properly, relying on the sword for suppport. Everything felt sore, and she was drenched with sweat, which left her very annoyed and not a little bewildered. Seriously, how could she sweat in the first place? She had no physical body!

    Throughout the whole battle,  she had only landed one blow upon him, the strike instead causing herself pain. His body felt harder than diamond. This level of injustice made her want to scream. She could feel no satisfaction over her small achievement at all. During the battle she had her entire body cut up, sending waves of pain throught her. He even used his sword to pierce her back several times! it hurt, dammit!

    the amount of times he pierced her body made her feel like a pin cushion. Even though she was a woman, he showed her no mercy at all.

    Somehow, she felt dizzy. Roland''s figure became blurry.  Suddenly, the white space seemed to fade to blackness. . .

    During the fight, with each exchange Roland made his attacks faster, heavier. He purposely made her struggle to keep up.

    if he constantly pushed her to the limit, her learning speed would increase appropriately.

    He had sometimes executed a sword technique that completely overwhelmed her, but after some time he found that she too could perform the technique. It was seemed to him as if the movements were burned into her mind and once she contemplated them she could use the technique herself and to such a degree it felt like she had  practiced it for years.

    The her of now could not be compared to the her of the past.

    It was like a metamorphosis. A truly miraculous level of growth.

    Inwardly, Roland was shocked. Her power right now was comparable to those who went through several years of harsh training. Though she was probably still not her sister''s opponent, Reina was fastly approaching her.

    Seeing she could no longer continue, he willed the swords away.

    Because she used the sword for support, she fell as soon as it disappeared. Before she could hit the ground, he caught her in his arms, her body feeling hot to the touch. Here, your body felt just like a real one, the only difference was that you didnt need sleep or food and also could not  recieve actual injuries or truly tire. But  because she recieved so many wounds that sent pain directly to her psyche, it  was causing a terrible strain on her mind.

    it was honestly very surprising she made it so far, but he supposed that since she had the mental fortitude to perform a Grand Summoning, this was understandable. Though it was no less amazing.

    Because of that, she was currently passed out. Roland looked at her.

    She had a odd character. She seemed so meek and shy at times yet confident and strong at others.  No, perhaps that was a part of her that didnt emerge until he came. It seemed that before, she was being suppressed in one way or another, unable to spread her wings. She was weak, having no way of becoming strong. Knowing that, could she be blamed for trying to keep her head down?

    But now, perhaps due to their meeting, she sometimes displayed a side that seemed like it would be completely unlike her usual self. And that she could withstand so much of a beating for so long proved that she had an unexpectedly  strong will.

    It didnt feel like he himself was changing her, but rather his presence allowed her to become who she was meant to be. The sort of person she would have always been if not for that curse. And that person. . .

    Seemed  much like Roland himself.

    He hated it.  He was not someone that others should be like. it was not simply her personality that showed signs of being like his, but her level of talent and innate ability.  He was sure that if not for that curse she would be a powerful existence no one could restrain.  But at what cost?

    To Roland, things like fate held no meaning, for he had power that could crush it.  But there were things even he could not escape. And it seemed that the heavens both loved and hated him. He had unmeasurable power but was forced to eventually leave everything and everyone he loved behind.

    If Reina was like him, would she also go through the same? Perhaps that curse was best left alone. If it was broken, if she truly bacame like Roland, then maybe heaven would punish her as well.

    Though, even as he thought this, Roland was never one to leave things lying down. He was sure one day he would find a way to stop the cycles of his reincarnation.  They always came on his 22nd year.  He was 19 now and had three years left until the next cycle came. How many until he found a way to stop them?

    Roland shook his head, smiling wryly. He didnt come to this planet for any real reason other than boredom. Why think of such heavy things now?

    With such little time remaining, why not enjoy himself?

 chapter eleven

    Author''s notes: I have not slept in many hours, so if there are parts that dont make sense just tell them to me and I will fix them and try to explain. I wanted to get this out hours ago but my 13 year old Niece, Katrina,  came down today and i spent a considerable time talking and catching up. I like her, we have similar interests and she is fun to talk to, but she is getting  pretty annoying right now though, monopolizing  my cat. Damn woman.

    Anyway, enjoy

    Uh, she says hi. And that she is better than me. At what, i dont know. Perhaps at being a brat? If so, yes, she is better than me. Ah, she says she will split me in half in my sleep. Im being threatened by a 13 year old kid!

    Meh, enough of our ramblings.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Reina awoke some time later to see Roland sitting on an ornate white, metal chair that looked to have padding on it for comfort. In front of him stood a large table which displayed a  variety of foods and snacks.

    He was calmly sipping tea, looking the very picture of refined elegance.

    Reina blinked a few times, unsure about how to handle the strange sight before her.

    Noticing her gaze, he turned his face towards her.

    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re finally awake. Good. Come, sit¡± he beckoned.

    With a snap of his fingers another chair appeared at the table.

    She wondered if she could do that too.

    Slowly, she picked herself up, feeling like she just had the worst headache imaginable.

    ¡°You know¡±, she said, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have killed you to be a bit gentler¡± she complained to him.

    He shrugged. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have killed me, sure, but in the long run it would have killed you. Who knows what kind of situation you will find yourself in someday? Going easy on you would have done you no favors¡± Roland said, completely unrepentant. ¡°Besides,¡± He added. ¡°I was merely defending myself.¡±

    Reina snorted coldly. ¡°Against a delicate maiden like myself?¡±

    ¡°What delicate maiden? You were aiming directly at my vitals you know. Any regular person would have died.¡± Judging from that smile, he seemed to find the thought amusing.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right! I¡¯ve never been able to move like that before, and those attacks of mine. . . I absolutely never learned how to do that. I never even used that type of sword before. Just how did I  . . .?¡± she trailed off, lost in thought

    ¡°That, my dear Reina, was battle sense"

    ¡°Battle . . . sense . . .?¡± she never heard of that before

    ¡°Indeed. Plainly speaking, you¡¯re a natural born fighter.¡±

    ¡°But . . . those moves, how did I . . .? I mean, I never learned how to attack using a sword before, not to mention one like that. I¡¯m useless at fighting. Strange. It was like images just appeared in my mind and my body just moved.¡± She recalled

    ¡°Not surprising. You have been connected with me through the blood link and I allowed you to enter the depths of my mind. It truly wouldn¡¯t surprise me if you subconsciously absorbed some of my experiences with a blade, especially since I use Katanas quite often. Picking up some skills would be normal. But not just that, your own natural ability helped you a great deal. Didn¡¯t you feel yourself getting stronger? Every time you struck your attacks kept getting sharper, more skilful. That was your innate battle sense. As I said, you¡¯re a natural.¡±

    ¡°Amazing. I never thought this training method was so incredible. Actually, now that you mention it, I do feel a bit different?¡± She could vaguely feel it. Like she felt. . . Lighter? Or something like that.

    "You''ll feel it more once we leave here. Which will be sooner than you think. It seems we wasted a lot of time here. Look, this place is already beginning to fade away.¡±

    He pointed to the left.

    Reina saw a growing blackness, like ink stained on white paper.

    It looked kinda scary.

    ¡°I wanted to help you control that flame, but I guess we can do that later. Hm, though, if that flame is what I think it is, you could be troubled in the future. Ah, time truly passed by so fast. It feels like we just got here. Though time itself is distorted in this pace so perhaps that isn¡¯t entirely wrong. Ah, it seems I¡¯m the first to go. Well, I¡¯ll see you in a bit.¡±

    Wait, what?

    She had no idea what he meant.

    Then she understood.

    His figure, the table, and the chair suddenly seemed to gain a bit of transparency.

    ¡° Wait!¡± she called

    But they had already faded away.

    Reina fell down, her own chair already ceasing to exist.

    From the distance, the blackness had already consumed a third of the white space.

    Soon, all that was left was her, and all she could see was darkness.

    -----------------------------------

    Roland was the first to wake. He searched the cave, but the barriers he placed held steady and nothing bothered them.

    He looked towards the girl. She exuded a dense wave of both spiritual energy and mana, the two energies spreading out from her body in violent gusts, lashing out creating marks on the cave walls.

    The energy took material form and emitted a strange malevolent aura that should not be present.

    The method Roland used would continuously refine Reina¡¯s body, spirit energy and mana to match the progress she made during the time in the white space. But this was much more than he expected.

    She could not practice magic or martial arts because of the curse, but her inherent talent that was being suppressed was still there. Her mana and spirit energy must have already been enormous. But now it seems they were tripled, even quadrupled in both quality and quantity.

    If she awakens now. . .

    The amount of energy in her will not just cause her damage, but could even cripple her.

    The space where spirit energy and mana were held was not a physical place, meaning if they ruptured, Roland would not have the means to repair them.

    He acted quickly.

    He carried her body out of the cave, knowing that it would not withstand the continued onslaught of mana and spirit energy combined. Roland coated himself in  mana to ward off the violent energies.

    The only way to help her, the way he had always planned to do, was to siphon off the excess energy.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    He sat her down outside, her body eroding the grass around her. The trees nearby showed signs of breaking. This wasn¡¯t the result of her alone . . . could the curse be showing signs of awakening?

    If so, then it meant that the curse was destructive in nature. It seemed like life itself was being devoured. No, was she absorbing it? Her body would have been broken by now, right?

    She was already like an overflowing glass of water before, but now she was being filled with even more power.

    How much could she take?

    It was best not to find out.

    He placed a hand in her chest. As soon as it connected an intense wave of power spread throughout his body.

    However, it was not enough to cause any disturbance. This much power was like a drop of water in the ocean to him.

    He began to absorb her excess energy bit by bit, careful not to drain her dry.

    Slowly, he released the energy into the air, sending vibrations throughout the land.   His body sent out pulses of mana and spirit energy, the resulting force uprooting trees and creating cracks along the ground. However, there were impurities in the energy like poison.

    Reina¡¯s face grew pale.

    A thin stream of black blood ran out of her mouth. She grew colder, a look of pain upon her face. Right now she should still be within the white space. Although to her it likely  felt like mere  seconds since he disappeared in front of her, in actuality a good few minutes had already passed by.

    As the overflowing energy slowly subsided, the malevolent force that he sensed within her gradually lessened, yet it was still very present.  Suddenly her body grew hot, unlike its previous cold and pale state. Now she emmitted  a fierce heat wave, her skin feeling like the inside of a furnace. Her body glowed with a golden tone, beautiful and healthy. She burst with golden flames from every pore.

    This. . . was this. . . the divine phoenix flame? It felt heavy, oppressive. Was this truly the gentle flame he witnessed before?

    Somehow, it felt much darker.

    Roland inserted a stream of spirit energy into her, thoroughly examining every inch of her for signs of harm. Suddenly he found a small black bead lodged just over her heart and under her flesh. He torn off her clothes roughly, exposing the flawless skin beneath. He placed a hand on her left breast, ignoring the soft, elastic feel. Slowly, he lifted his hand up and the black bead emerged reluctantly out of her, not even causing a ripple on her skin. The bead was pitch black and there were minute movements within, as if there was something living within it''s core. He didnt really want to find out what. He quickly stored it in his pocket to examine further at a later time. Perhaps Loki would have some idea as to what it was, because even Roland did not recognise it.  He had to admit that on the knowledge front he was not quite Loki''s equal.

    He noticed now that the golden flames did not carry any malice. No, rather, it felt protective. Almost as if guarding  her. Once the bead was gone, the threatening aura faded from the flames, once again becoming calm. And the evil presence further diminished.  Yet even now it persisted, faint as it may be.

    A golden seal appeared on Reina''s forehead that shone with a brilliant radiance before disappearing completely.

    It was a sign of protection. Apparently Reina gained the flame''s full approval.

    Roland went over what just happened in his mind. When he began siphoning the excess  energy out of her body, it felt like some other force was trying to interfere, absorbing the life energy of all things around it.  Could it have been the curse itsef or some other entity behind it?  or perhaps that strange bead? No, the bead didnt feel agressive, simply. . . tainted. He wasnt sure, but immediatly after the energy was within safe levels, the interference weakened. Perhaps whatever was causing that was trying to break free using the energy it was absorbing.  Exactly what was going on inside her body. . .

    Then after that  the golden flames appeared violently. Once the bead was out, they quieted down and that seal was formed.  The flames should have appeared sooner if they sense a threat to it''s host. Were they being suppressed by that malevolent force?

    Afterall, it was only once the force diminished  did the flames appear,  seemingly reacting to that bead. So maybe the bead was also a threat but the flames could not do anything as they were somehow restrained. Meaning that whatever was interfering and absorbing the life energy  was far more dangerous than the black bead and was strong enough to overwhelm the golden flames.

    The divine flame he saw was gentle, yet at that moment it was fierce and almost threatening. This was all strange. Roland could only assume that the flames did all they could to  stop whatever was trying to interfere and could spare no time for the bead.  If he had not been here to help keep her power levels normal, what would have happened, he wondered.

    He shook his head. It isnt important right now. He should focus on the task at hand. Once Reina woke up, she would still not be able to handle the sudden increase in strength. Right now all he did was release enough of the excess energy to keep her from erupting. She went from powerless to suddenly attaining a fair amount of strength in a mere few hours. a change like that was simply like being reborn.

    But the backlash of that would not be pleasant. Not to mention the blood she drank of his was considerable. That may also make her current condition even more unstable.  She would need to train a bit once she woke up to get a feel for the state of her body. She would be faster, stronger, her senses sharper. It would be overwhelming later  if she didnt get a grip on them now.

    He didnt know how long until she would wake up. If she woke up with her shirt all torn and exposing her cleavage, he felt that it wouldnt go over well with her.

    He quickly used a spell to repair the fabric to it''s original state.

    As soon as he finished she began to stir. She let out a small moan before slowly opening her eyes. Roland noticed one  thing instantly.

    Her eyes, previously a brilliant emerald green. . . .were now a startling azure blue.

 chapter twelve--Updated (December 2nd 2016)

    Author''s notes: Honestly im not sure how well im doing on this story, or if im getting any better at writing it. But i still want to continue it. Anyway, here you go. Ah, remember to rate, review or comment on whatever you want.

    Edit: I''m re-writting some of the parts here. I made a reference to a certain story in which i made up my own fictional ending. Like, a alternate future type thing? Which was fine when i posted this, but recently after the story ended I thought i should just take that part out. I suppose i could explain it away by saying that the events of the story i made up actually existed, but in a different univers. Since, you know, a multi-verse exists in this story.

    But i decided not to. That would be more of an alternate reality type of thing anyway.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Loki hovered several dozen feet in the sky, looking down at the two figures below. He had followed them for some time now and made sure to disguise his presence so he wouldn¡¯t be noticed. It was one of the things he was best at. He didnt bother coming in his adult form, choosing instead to appear in his prepubescent years which matched well with his sense of aesthetics.

    He had an itchy, exciting feeling inside him that day, the feeling he got whenever something interesting was about to happen. And so, following the feeling, he discovered the two walking out of their house and go to a fairly secluded area located quite far from their home.

    However, the feeling cooled after they went into that cave, which irritated him to no end. Bored, he conjured up a couch and a TV to watch some anime, something that originated from one of the major planets called Earth. He and Roland once spent some time there and Loki quickly became addicted to the so-called anime. Earth''s culture had spread somewhat to many other planets, but Loki hadn''t visited Earth for several centuries before then, so he didnt know about anime and such. Surprisingly even Roland got into it a bit, though not at all to Loki''s degree.

    Hm. Or maybe not quite

    This particular anime was about a orange haired boy who suddenly gained the powers of a shinigami, which was basically a type of death angel whose job it was to escort souls to the otherworld and such. It was an interesting show with around a thousand episodes all together. Of course the plot dragged on, as he found many of the long running anime or novels tend to do. Oh well. It was still entertaining to watch when he gets too bored. Other than picking up women and drinking, this was one of his favorite activites.

    He munched on some pizza, another product from Earth, while watching it, but after nearly an hour he switched to some novels, idly reading. If anyone else was there and were to look up at the sky, seeing the strange sight would undoubtedly make them stare dumbly.

    He continued that for some time when he suddenly felt a surge in power coming from the cave below, which, admittedly, caused him to fall off the comfortable couch. Luckily he was capable of flying or else he would have really gotten a bruise or two from the fall.

    It was a cold, malevolent power that sent shivers through him. It didn¡¯t feel right.

    Several seconds later Roland came out carrying the girl in his arms. Loki noticed a surprising amout of mana and spirit energy emanating from the girl¡¯s body. It whipped around them fiercely, causing substantial damage to their surroundings. Yet the way it eroded the ground around her was definitely not caused by the power she was radiating. No, it felt like she was absorbing life itself into her, causing the death of the grass she laid upon.

    He saw Roland put a hand on her and siphon off the excess power while releasing it in waves, which of course caused even more damage. After that a burst of golden flames erupted from the girl¡¯s body.

    Hey, hey, aren¡¯t those the flames that person uses? How did that girl there get a hold of them?

    Loki let out a grin. It appeared he found some pretty interesting stuff after all~

    Eh? What¡¯s that black bead thing in his hands?

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Loki squinted, using his enhanced vision to look at the small object Roland pulled from the girl¡¯s chest just now. It felt strangely familiar. . .

    Loki watched as Roland pocketed the strange object.

    The girl started waking up.

    Hm? Were her eyes always that color? No, no, they should be green right? He clearly remembered them green . . .

    Ah, wait, that''s the same color as Roland''s eyes! the exact same shade and everything!

    How odd. Huh. He wondered if they formed some sort of bond? Usually when things like this happen its because of things like that. hm. A Master-Servant Contract perhaps? No, though that would seem to be the case in any other situation, Roland doesnt really like things like that.

    it would be idiotic to think that would be the case. There were a lot of other types of Contracts, but many of them require a certain "ritual". Loki didnt think Roland would "perform" the "ritual" with that girl, and there was really no need for him to form any contract like those with her anyway.

    Besides, if he wanted to do that he could find someone much prettier~

    It isn''t like there are many women who would refuse him after all.

    Though knowing him he probably just wouldnt want to make things complicated with a girl he may be spending a fair bit of time with.

    So. . . a blood-link? Nn, that sounds about right. Its not really the same as those Contracts since neither party is compelled to be subservient to the other. Hehe, though that has its own problems you know~

    She may end up getting a taste for it, right~

    Ah, though really that may be bad. Who knows what could happen? He wondered what other changes would happen, other than having a change of eye color. Though even that wouldnt normally happen. Must have something to due with Roland''s blood itself. His blood is pretty high-quality after all. There are many who would want to get their hands on some.

    Loki saw Roland talking with the girl, holding a hand to her eyes. From that reaction maybe her senses were heightened? That would be normal given the sudden strength increase

    It seems like she was still giving off a fair bit of excess power. He was curious how Roland did it, go around that curse. It''s a pretty nasty one after all. Even Loki, a god who was pretty familiar with all manner of curses couldnt figure it out.

    Loki watched them for several more minutes, but it seemed the only thing they were doing was some light training. Probably to work off the extra bit of energy and such. Certainly, that girl was incomparably weak before now. Without some exercise her body would break, you know.

    Of course by Rolands standards light training was still considered inhuman. Ah, look at the poor girl, she''s nearly half dead already, you want her to do more?

    By the end, the girl could barely walk, having to lean on his body for support during their way back. Loki knew that she would be pretty worn out, but that flushed face wasnt just from the exercise~

    She''s nearly fallen already, isnt that a bit too fast?

    Although given their situation, maybe not? The main thing here was just that she seemed to silently place a lot of faith in the man despite how short a time they knew each other. Who knows, she might really get attached, what would he do then!

    Meh, whatever. Loki didnt really care either way. Or, well, he supposed it would be interesting to see how it developes. He especially wanted to know how that protective sister of hers will react.

    Having seen enough, Loki made the couch and TV disappear before turning to leave. He remembered that their adoptive parents should be here anytime now. They seem to be running late. Maybe by the end of the day or tomorrow. That''s right, it''s about time for the Morrigan to finish up her businesss too. She should be coming back any day now. Hopefully Roland wont be too mad at him~ after all those two had a bit of history together once upon a time~

    Though he didn''t know the exact details, they must have had a peculiar relationship. Loki wasn''t sure when they met each other for the first time, but for some reason the guy never wanted to see her if he could help it. And that made him curious, so he will neglect to tell him anything for now. Hehe, Roland is in for quite a surprise, in more ways than one. Ah, how fun. Loki was eagerly waiting for the day they returned, it''ll be quite the show.

    Loki''s laugh echoed throughout the sky.

 chapter thirteen

    Author''s notes: Here is a long over-due chapter with not much happening.  i have just got through all my Finals and am going to have a holiday break since its going to be christmas and whatnot. i think the break lasts a week? i dont know, i never pay attention to these things. Anyway it means i will have more time to  write. i want to get at least three out during this time, maybe more. My procrastination skills at a godly level and are passive skills to boot, so i may be affected by severe laziness but i promise to get a few out during this time. My sense of obligation kinda urges me to.  If you have any questions about this chapter let me know. Other than the first half this can be considered a filler chapter really. As i said not much happens. Let me know if you find flaws in the chapter having to do with previously established information.

    ----------------------

    In a large, lavishly decorated chamber Loki watched three feminine  figures chatting. Two were a pair of young, pleasant looking women wearing  finely tailored dresses which bespoke of a life of privilage. They both were flashing  smiles at the  other women who stood before them.

    She had exceptionally white skin but not  the pale white that would  make a person feel uncomfortable. Rather, it was a pure snow, flawless and glowing . Her eyebrows were long and slender, looking like a crescent moon. Her lips seemed  soft, tender and full as if drawn with excruciating care by a matchlessly skilled artist, both them and her cheeks a lovely pink. Hers was a beauty talked about in poems, otherworldly and without equal.

    It was a type of beauty that made the stars and moon pale in comparison, drawing you in while seemingly making all other things in existence fade away until only she remained in your eyes. She was like  a fairy who had descended from the heavens, perfect and without flaw. The black  dress she wore hugged her curves, the destructive swell of her breasts and ample bottom enough to stir the desire of any living being.

    Even a small glance at any part of her body would be enough to capture the soul of any man in the world.

    Although they talked friendily, if  one looked closely, they would notice the air of deference the two other women exuded. Obviously the status between them and the other woman was quite wide.

    Other than her beauty, she had a regal bearing and seemed more mature than the other two while also displaying a faint innocence and naivety. It was a pleasing contrast that by itself would make a good impression on anyone. Simply that coupled with the warm smile which seemed to come from her very soul, there was virtually no one who would not feel moved by her presence. She also gave off an incomparably gentle and kind aura, to the extent that even Loki was amazed.

    He must have arrived at the conversation late for the two women soon left, waving good-bye to the woman cheerfully.

    Loki, having dispelled the power keeping him unseen, approached the woman while clapping his hands.

    "What amazing acting skills. Truly praise worthy. Tell me, does it ever get boring having to put up that kind and caring facade  of yours?" Loki, who to anyone would seem like having appeared out of thin air, asked the woman. She had not shown any reaction of surprise whatsoever.

    Her face, unlike the warm expression it showed previously, was an icy mask of indifference, as if the entire world could burn and she would not bat an eye. It was unthinkable that she was the same person of a few moments ago. Those eyes, beautiful and lustrious,  somehow made one think of a frozen blade.

    "How rude, Loki. I have always been a kind and caring person." Her voice was perfectly even,  no sign of any inflection to indicate her mood.

    "Indeed. You are so kind that if a wounded person appeared before you, you would kill them to lessen their suffering. Truly the personification of kindness." Loki said, his mocking smile as ever present as always. Even to a beauty such as her he was not affected, not changing himself in the slightest.

    "Quite so. And to which one of you do I owe the pleasure of speaking to?"

    Loki laughed. " Do you have to ask? Almost any other me would have tried to kill you already, you know. Anyway, it has been quite some time since I last saw you, Gehenna. How has the Ruler of the Western Region of Hell been lately? And what could you possibly be doing in a place like this?"

    " Since when have we been close enough for you to ask me  questions regarding my own personal business, Loki? And do not use my name, it makes me feel sick coming from you."

    " Ara~ What harsh words~! You wound me, truly. When have we not been the best of friends?"

    Gehenna looked at him in disdain. " I have no friends, Loki.  Certainly not one as treacherous as you."

    "Treacherous? Never!" He exclaimed, looking scandalized.

    She waved a hand in dismissal. "Enough of this, Loki. Speak, why have you come to bother me? I doubt you came here for a little chat"

    " Well, it seems my other self recently met with an old friend. I was not aware that "I" had made a new companion a while back, but I think you will be very~ interested to meet that person. Apparently it is someone you know quite intimately. And since as a friend I know you so well,  I had thought that you would like to know  the whereabouts of that person. So naturally i came to seek you out."

    A cold hand dug into his arm. Loki secretly smiled.

    "Ah, that really did grab your attention didn''t it~?" But he knew it would.

    Afterall, it was no secret that Gehenna had been, quite earnestly, searching for a certain someone for some time now. And Loki, a  god who is afiliated with the aspect of madness,  had long ago recognized the light of obsession in her eyes. It was faint, well-hidden, but unmistakably there.

    She underwent a sudden change, her entire being radiating a bone-chilling coldness.

    "Tell me." She commanded. Her voice rose only a little louder than a whisper, but the words resounded through the room. It was probably the first time Loki had seen Gehenna truly ruffled. It was a splendid face she was making and it made him feel a certain perverse sense of giddiness.

    "Dont wanna~" He sang. " Why should i tell you anything? " His laugh rang out loudly.

    Although few would be able to tell, his words definitely caused her pain. Loki was in ecstasy. Ah~! Yes, that wonderous expression of desperation is the best~!

    " I never said i would tell you where that person was, only that i thought you would like to know. Of course, for you, i would be willing to part ways with the information. . . For a price"

    Gehenna frowned. She suppressed the unwanted pain in her heart and forced herself to remain calm.  She wanted nothing more than to beat the information out of him, but even if she tried it would be useless. The other gods or factions of  power had nearly always turned a blind eye to his actions, and there was a reason for it.

    Loki was a person who was impossible to predict. He is one of the few gods whose aspects take on a life of their own. From his current demeanour, she knew this was not the mischief maker, but the schemer, the one who takes utmost pleasure in making others suffer.

    They were in essence the same person, but were as different as night and day.  This one was the most troublesome to deal with. Of all the gods, demons and other supernatural beings she knew, the Loki before her was the most cunning. Only his other aspects, his other selves,  would be capable of handling him. . . But they generally did not mess with one another''s affairs. She knew there were dangers involved, and he never said the person he knows of is the one she is searching for, but if it was coming from him then it could be no one else, for she held no interest in anyone apart from that person.  And he knew that leading her on would only prove troublesome for him.

    Loki  prided himself on not lying.  He would twist the truth and  manipulate others with his words, but she knew the information coming from him would always be reliable.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    So she didnt hesitate.  Rather, even if the information wasnt reliable, if there was even a chance they could meet again . . .

    ". . .And what would you ask for in return?"

    "Nothing. However, should i ever need a favor . . ." His smile grew wider.

    -------------------------------------------

    Meanwhile, another Loki peered at the group assembled below. He was amazed. Only three days and every single student under Roland''s guidence seemed downright brainwashed. Or, no, it was more like they had the soul sucked out of them?  In any case, today he didnt beat them mercilessly like before. Rather, he had them fight one on one against each other. The result was that they found it much easier to dodge and see attacks coming. After being forced to endlessly recieve the lightning fast strikes Roland dished out, they found that coping with their classmate''s movements was much simpler.

    Perhaps that had been his intent all along.

    Maybe Loki should give him an actual classroom. He could start explaining the theories behind different combat syles and such. Wait, did he assign him a classroom? He couldnt remember. Meh, whatever.

    Other than that, he had used a certain spell to increase the gravity on their bodies.  The students, all of whom came from powerful families, had never really been subject to harsh training to the point  where it felt like they would pass out from exhaustion. Of course there were some unlucky ones who annoyed Roland and didnt get any rest even when they did pass out. Their bodies were placed under a spell in which their unconscious bodies were still having to perform rigorous, excruciating movements. They probably tore a few muscles, though of course even if Roland didnt heal them they would heal naturally within a few hours. Loki probably didnt even need those school  doctors or nurses he had. Wait, why did he insist on having them anyway?

    The bodies from kids who hail from high ranking species are not to be underestimated.

    What annoyed Loki was that he had not seen his daughter at any of the training sessions. In fact he had not seen her in a good few days. Usually he found her by the small lake, but she was nowhere to be found. That girl would find trouble, he was sure. She was like Loki in that respect. He didnt bother looking for her much anymore. She was a shape-changer like him so he didnt want to waste the effort to search for her.

    It had been a few hours since Roland and that girl returned. Loki saw Roland secretly weave a simple spell over the girl to make her eyes seem like normal. He didnt tell her of the change. How boring~

    Well, it was interesting to see how that Lilith woman glared suspiciously at Roland. It didnt take much to figure out what ran through her mind as she witnessed the two come back. Roland, always a morning person, looked quite refreshed. The girl on the other hand, having endured a short yet intense workout session, was exhausted, flushed red and had a shortness of breath. She was able to walk normally by the time she arrived home though.

    Loki returned his attention to the students. He knew Roland thought them weak, but he had only ever met those who had years of practice and old enough to have many high level techniques. Because of that, his scale of judging strength was a bit skewed. Loki thought that Roland  had rarely met a person from the younger generation.

    So he probably didnt know that despite their gene pool, they would still have to start from the bottom and work their way up. In terms of cultivating in martial abilities, the students were actually pretty much geniuses.

    The only reason Roland thought of them that way was because he himself was just too damn strong.  And although he didnt know it, he still used the old system to give a general measure of power, which is totally inaccurate. He does know that fact but it seems he still does it at times.

    He probably didnt know there now existed a newer system and other realms of power. It was similar to the old system but there were several realms below the Sky realm. From the weakest, it was Origin, Mortal, Squire, Knight, Lord, King, Earth, Earth Fusion, Emperor, Sky, Immortal, Celestiel, Heaven, and fianlly Deity.

    Currently most of the students were at least at the seventh stage, the Earth stage, which was quite good. Actually, a person could go from the Earth stage directly to the Emperor stage. Earth Fusion was a rarely reached sub-realm that wass not truly needed. But for those who achieved it, the benefits were unnumerable.

    This  was a new measurement created and used as a general standard. There were several realms added. It was a bit too many in Loki''s opinion though.

    Prviously the names and order of the realms were created by an ancient mortal who discovered a way to tap into the universal energies and nourish  the body to gain greater power. However, that person was probably a rare, peerless genius. He or she  had likely only felt the bottlenecks between a few realms, and broke through all the other bottlenecks with almost no effort. Because that person could not feel those lower bottlenecks, that person likely assumed they didnt exist.

    It was for that reason there were oh-so-few people back then who could become truly powerful when cultivating in the Martial Way. They  unknowingly tried to break through to the Earth realm when only at the Origin realm and believing all the while they were at the Mortal realm! Even if they were, they would first have to pass through the Squire, Knight, Lord and King realms!

    The thought made Loki laugh hysterically to himself.

    This new system had existed for quite some time, perhaps several hundred eons.  For Roland to not know it was simply unimaginable!

    It was truly a curious thing. Of course, the realms only applied to thouse who cultivate in the Martial Way. There are other ways to achieve power but they usually have certain conditions that need to be fulfilled. The Martial Way is popular because pretty much anyone can cultivate in it.

    True Gods like Loki didnt need to practice it to gain strength. it could be said most gods already reached the pinnacle of their capabilities and were not likely to get stronger. Other races were born with quite a few advantages and they can get stronger in different ways but they could still practice martial arts if they wanted as long as they had a humanoid form. Some beasts like Dragons were born with human and Dragon forms. Other beasts who had no such form cultivated differently.

    Although the other races modified the methods of cultivation to match their special bodiliy characteristics.

    But also, even if someone broke through into the Deity realm they wouldnt be considered True Gods.  Gods and True Gods were often confused with each other. The existence of how True Gods come into being is too complicated to  explain. Loki''s brain hurt just thinking of it.

    Loki, having nothing better to do, watched over Roland as he taught the next few classes.  Loki saw Abigail look at the scene with a worried expression but signaled for her to just go about her business.  He wondered if he should have those four kids attend the school too.  They''re pretty much just freeloading right now.  Loki did remember saying something about it being dangerous for them, so that''s probably why they havent left their house much.

    After it was time for lunch, instead of heading to the cafeteria, Loki saw Roland head towards the library. Probably to learn a bit more about this world.  Loki didnt bother learning much about the outside world.  Wasnt interested. Although that might change with Roland here. If Roland found a corrupt government or something undesirable then he would most likely get involved, which would be a bit fun to watch. Loki always liked seeing a bloodbath.  He could make some popcorn and enjoy the show~

 chapter fourteen

    Author''s Notes: Well, here is another one that I whipped up today. Feel free to rate, comment and review. Speaking of reviews, I would like to take the time to thank the only two people who has given me their review on the story so far, Sesamechikn and Hexwolfx.  You two didnt say much i thank you nonetheless.  I will always welcome reviews since they can help me grow as a writer and when the reviews go into detail I feel it would help me fix the areas i am weak at. So I do encourage reviews, and dont worry about offending me or whatever. I''m a very laidback guy so pretty much nothing can really get me angry. I know the story is still in its early stages though. Not much can really be said, but any advice would be appreciated.

    --------------------------

    Roland found himself walking to the library. It was a rather large building at least three or four stories high, looking like it contained  every type of book imaginable. It was not only huge but  seemed as if you could get lost in it if you ventured  too far. It was almost maze-like.

    Roland liked libraries, the quietness and the smell of paper was calming to him. He felt at peace whenever he walked into one.

    He saw a pretty, young-looking librarian and several students as he walked in.

    The students were third and fourth years. They didnt take any of Roland''s classes, but they had heard many things about the new instructor from a certain teacher of theirs and were curious about the young man. They had lived for at least several decades, and although they were considered quite young, they had still seen many things in their time.

    They didnt understand  how this young man had the qualifications to teach at a school where the members of the most powerful of races were gathered. And least, not at first.

    However, through some reliable sources, they discovered this young man was someone that even the Arch-devil of combat, Lord Mephistopheles, had trouble dealing with. They didnt quite believe this at first. Afterall, what kind of existence was Lord Mephistopheles anyway?

    One of the most powerful and highest ranking devils in Hell. It was said his power was so great that even the The Four Great Rulers of Hell, with the exeption of the Mistress of Ruin, Gehenna,  would would treat him with respect. If even he had trouble with Roland . . .

    Not only that, but it seemed the young man had quite a close relationship with Headmaster Loki.

    But if it was only that perhaps nothing would happen.  However, due to a certain other reason, a few of the more hot-headed students decided to "test" the new instructor.

    They had disturbed the man''s classes a few times in the last couple of days . . . The result was a swift and brutal beating. It didnt end there though

    Even today, a few fourth years had chosen to disturb Roland as he was teaching one of his early morning classes. They ended up taking part in some "special training" in which they didnt get any rest even when they passed out from exhaustion.

    This news had instantly spread like wildfire even after a mere hour or two. It made many others wary of the new teacher and had them curious as to his origin. Obviously the man was not simple.  They had heard of him from that one teacher before, but they did not expect the man to be so overbearing as to be able to  casually beat them without even thinking of the consequences.

    These students were not only children of gods, but also children  of high ranking members from all types of races whose influence spread far and wide throughout many worlds. It was to the extent that few of the other teachers at the school would be able to raise a hand to them without fear of payback.

    Roland had made no shortage of enemies during his few short days here. He recieved some approval from his own students but the other members of the student body, despite not having much contact with him, believed the young man too arrogant and even had a few passing thoughts to use their family''s influence to put pressure on the newcomer.

    One student tried doing just that and used a special magical artifact to contact them. However, as soon as he mentioned the man''s name, no one from his family had any intention of helping him in his petty little scheme.

    Rather, even the student''s great-great-great grandfather had heard of his plans and lashed out at  him, saying he was a disappointment to his ancestors. The grandfather swore on his own mother''s grave that if the student caused any trouble for the man named Roland, he would at best recieve ten thousand lashings and they would rub salt on the wound if he uttered even a peep of protest.

    The student''s great-great-great grandfather''s mother was actually still alive. Even she supported her son''s words. The student was left thoroughly confused and scared beyond reason.

    This student, along with a few others,  saw Roland walking into the library  and quickly escaped outside.

    Roland, oblivious of all this, saw  a rather scared-looking student walk past him as he entered the library. He didnt know what was wrong with the poor kid and even wanted to stop him and ask what the problem was, but he ran off too quickly and so he put it out of his mind. He found a secluded place at the building where it seemed no one ever went to. The area actually had a good bit of dust on the table and chair, which he quickly cleaned with a simple spell.

    Roland truly appreciated the convenience of magic.

    He settled himself and looked for a few books pertaining to this planet''s more recent history. He recieved some advice from the pretty librarian and quickly found what he was looking for.

    He opened a book and discovered a few things about this planet.

    First off it didnt appear to have any name. The planet was seperated into a few continents that were quite large, and this continent was named the Frozen Cloud Continent. He wondered how it got it''s name. Perhaps he would look it up later.

    Anyway, they were so  impossibly large that there was very little contact between them until a few thousand years ago when the various outside powers, like the current governing Pantheons, discovered the planet and declared it a neutral zone.

    Since then the planet underwent a pretty fast rise in technology. It seemed at a point where things like indoor plumbing, trains, and a few other things were already developed. Magical devices were also created.

    It was . . . Odd. The level of technology was somewhere in the middle. Not too high that they created things like atom bombs or air planes but not too low either. If he had to say, it almost resembled the Industrial Revolution era of a certain blue planet he and Loki once visited.

    It was a tad odd because it was a strange mix of technological and religious rise. It was . . .Well, lets put it this way. The inhabitents of the world was originally like Roland''s old home planet. You cultivate, rise in power and someday you could have a chance of entering the higher planes.  You got a certain bit of power and you either couldnt break free or moved on to bigger and better things never to be heard from again.

    Technology just wasn''t  something that developed much in a place like that where power and status ruled the world.

    In those types of places it was like living in an undeveloped backwater country.

    Here the inhabitants had been intoduced to many new races and concepts with the coming of the Pantheons. It was probably a bit similar to  when aliens suddenly appeared.

    The chances of the inhabitants here breaking through their motal shackles and entering the bigger stage was quite small. And those that did would be overwhelemed and realize just how small they are. They almost never went back. Why would they?

    Not many who got that far had family or friends.

    Only people like these students who were always aware of the enormity of the universe, or universes, could take things like that in stride.

    Anyway, it seems that with the arrival of Pantheons and the various other races such as demons, Elves,  beast-kin and others, the indigenus people here had a moment of upheaval. The concept of cultivating and such was put on halt as the rise of technology began and the long-dead religious orders were rekindled. Loki said the influence of the varying pantheons were equal on this planet, but Roland assumed that meant the native people worshipped them equally here.

    Apparently that was true in the far past, but as the idea in which personal power and social status were required to survive in the harsh world  became more and more wide spread, the religions that worshipped the gods were abandoned and soon forgotten.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    However there were some branches that remained and kept the religions alive, however withered. That apparently was enough for a few member of the pantheons to manifest here. And as they did, their religions were revitalized, making it easier for the other gods and godesses of those pantheons to appear. Once that happened the Pantheons decided to make this place, as Loki said a while back, a "vacation spot".

    Meaning anyone from those pantheons could materialize here.

    But he left out the part where now pretty much anyone from any pantheon could come here. Roland thought Loki probably didnt even know this. That guy didnt care much for the what happened in the outside world.

    This planet soon became a popular place for the various races to visit. In fact it seemed that a few races like the Vampires and Beast-kin had a few groups here already that lived in secrecy from the other inhabitants, not knowing of things outside of this world.

    Somewhere during the mingling of the natives of the world and the newcomers, cultivating personal power became less important and both technology and religion rose to power.  Religion perhaps more so. Actually meeting the gods and goddesses you worship would have that effect.

    It seemed  that because  of this, the amount of contact the world had with it''s other continents grew increasingly more frequent. It caused a lot of waves since most of the natives didnt know the existence of the other continents and even those that did could not cross the distance between them. Basically the other continents became something like myths and legends.

    The distance was so vast that any attempt to cross would take years to achieve and there were many sea beasts that could swallow a giant ship whole. Even if there wasn''t, no ship could last since the amount of supplies required to survive the crossing were just astronomical.

    Flying was really the only way they had to have a chance at succeeding but air planes were, of course, a foreign concept to them and that wouldnt be a viable option anyway. They wouldn''t be able  to carry enough fuel, just to name one problem.

    Strong Cultivators could fly, but those strong enough to do so could not fly indefinitely and even if they made a ship to rest and supplies to keep them fed, they would either run out of those supplies or the ship would get eaten. Well, perhaps the part of food was okay since you could always fish.

    Still, even that wasnt safe. Fishing in the ocean of this planet was quite dangerous.

    On the planet there existed a few artifacts capable of producing a pocket dimension that could store things within, but ones capable of holding an entire ship within once you were rested and could fly again was, simply put, much too rare.

    Supposing that all these problems were taken care of, you would still need to know in which direction to go. Otherwise you would end up wandering aimlessly and the distance between the continents made it so you could never even find them without knowing the right way to go. From what Roland read, even finding an island would be a miracle.

    Luckily the arrival of the Pantheons solved everything and there were now new ways to reach the other continents. The most popular method was the Teleportaion Array, a truly massive magic circle that could teleport a very large number across the distance with ease.

    It was, of course, heavily guarded and monitored  carefully.

    Other than those points, it seems the God and Goddesses of the ruling pantheons became celebrity-like existences. Some of the gods didnt like the attention and so stayed pretty much uninvolved with the world, but those like Thor, Brighid, Hephaestus and such were more . . . publicly known.

    It seems that Thor has earned a reputation for being an arrogant prick. Loki, he read, truly was more well-liked than his brother. It seems the natives here rather enjoy Loki''s eccentricities.

    Apparently Loki still doesnt make many appearances though. Actually, it seems that in general, the pantheons do not get directly involved with the governing bodies of the world. They do have areas that they rule and take care of but other than that they stay put and dont meddle with outside affairs.

    Roland read that there were few  governments that still practiced slavery, which was good.  However he did read that in places that still did, the treatment of slaves were quite bad. They were treated like animals.

    Rather, they were pretty much seen as animal. Basically  slaves were, in others'' eyes, an animal. Luckily that meant that cases of sexual assault on slaves were very rare. After all, who in their right mind would fuck an animal?

    Roland was quite pissed off after reading that. Roland hated three things: The harming of women and children, rape and slavery.  He would not forgive anyone who commited any of those acts and would make sure any who did wished for death. Even if it had nothing to do with him, he would not allow it to continue.

    Unlike others who held the same beliefs but only helped those in front of them, Roland had the power to overthrow governments in a day. He believed that since he had the power, he would use it.  In the end, he only helped others to satisfy himself and his ideals. But even if he knew that, he would not let that get in the way of what he believed to be right.

    Roland made a mental note of those places which still allowed slavery. In the future he would eradicate them. Roland dealt with situations like this before. Once he got finished, it would be a long road to recovery for the ex-slaves and the attitude of the people who allowed that injustice would need some adjustment.

    Roland, as stated before, has done this before. He knew what to do and what was required.

    Roland, for now, put such matters out of his head. He would deal with them later.

    He spent a few more minutes reading, but lunchtime was soon over. He had a few more classes to teach and then it was time to head home. Roland felt it was time to change how he did things a bit now. The reason he did things the way he did up to now was because for things like combat, it was best learnt through your body.

    He could go into details, but experiencing it was always more helpful. Roland didnt think he would be good at explaining how to fight anyway. He was the intuition type, not the theoretical type.

    And for those of the former category, explanations were always difficult. How could you accurately explain something you do by mere instinct?

    He also said he would give a few pointers to Saren and his brother, and he thought today was a good time to start. Perhaps Lilith would join in as well.  Roland felt she would take a different route from Reina and the two brothers.

    Lilith was a fairly strong warrior, but . . .Roland thought that perhaps she was more suited for magic. He would ask and see if she wanted to take a few lessons. He knew many spells he could teach her and he didnt really have anyone to pass them on to. Who knows, perhaps she would be able to  handle the more complicated ones too.

    The brothers seemed like born warriors, both of them  having a strong build and fast reflexes.  Roland wondered how strong he could make them.  They appeared quite gifted, perhaps he should show them some sword techniques he knew?

    If they practiced them to mastery, they would become quite powerful.

    Roland put the books away and waved good-bye to the librarian when he felt a sudden chill.

    It had been happening quite often lately and he didnt know what caused it.

    Sometimes he would get an unexpected moment of coldness spread through him and the next he could be feeling like a hot fire was coursing through his veins.

    It was quite odd. They didn''t really hurt, but it seemed to get a bit worse as time went on and he had no idea as to what started it in the first place.  He had never come across something like it, at least never in regards to himself. He was never really affected by anthing of the sort, even getting sick was so rare to him that he could not remember the last time he was sick.

    Sometimes he even felt weaker. Not to any noticable degree but there were instances where he felt a very slight slowing of his reaction speed.

    Neither of them had any affect on his combat ability but he thought it eventually might if it continued to worsen. How strange. He wondered what was causing it.

    Though he was confident it would pass eventually, so he wasn''t worried

 Announcement

    So im thinking of changing the summary of the story to a more appealing one, hopefully one that is  less of a put-off than what i have currently. i have come up with a little something, tell me what you guys think.

    " Roland, a young man whose power can make gods and demons tremble. Fate itself holds no sway over him.

    With none able to restrain him, he follows his own ideals and whims, killing or saving as the mood takes him.

    However, such power comes with a price. And the time to pay for it once again draws closer with each passing day. . .

    Four mortals stand inside a large hall. Having reached the end of a long journey, their last chance at survival rests in a dangerous Summoning that could leave them either crippled or dead.

    Cursed by a mysterious group of beings for reasons unknown and currently hunted by enemies far outmatching them in strength, they gamble everything  on the hope that someone answers their call. "

    That''s it, short and sweet. How is it? If you have any suggestions they will be welcome.

    Also, im working on the next chapter, but i just think i made a mistake when i made that one from Lilith''s POV earlier that takes place after the training sesson Reina and Roland had. It seems awkward now to have made that one and THEN post chapters detailing the training bit, because now the order seems off.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Anyway, im working on it so dont worry. Also I notice some plot holes that i need to address as well, such as how i made Roland seemingly OP as fuck in at least one of his previous lives too, yet somehow he isnt known by the gods who have been around for ages.

    I think that there are some people who have wondered how he could have multiple live and be as strong as he is but not be more widely known to the long lived races. Other than a more recent character,  I have not made any mention of any of the long living races,  like gods such as Loki,  knowing of Roland from one of his previous lives. It could be explained since none have been introduced yet but it is strange for Loki to not have heard of Roland right? Or at least heard rumors of him.  I mean you would wonder why that is, right? Or maybe you didnt notice? Anyway that is a problem i realize now as i didn''t think of it that deep before, and so I will likely make something to explain it in later chapters.

    I will try not to leave plot holes, but sometimes they could be left intentionally to be explained later. Regardlesss, please tell me of any as you find them, as i may not have noticed them myself.

 chapter fifteen

    Author''s Notes: Its like 4:40 in the morning where im at and im seriously sleep deprived. I  worked on this chapter for hours. It was intended to be released at 11 pm yesterday but it took a lot longer to get it how i liked. I kinda slacked off yesterday and spent most of the day doing christmas stuff instead of writing. I know other authors would usually give like bonus chapters or something for christmas, and Translators would release extra TL''d chapters of novels, but I''m too lazy.

    But I felt guilty about that and so i decided to stay up and make this. Have to say this chapter is one im pretty satisfied with, seriously. Maybe its just because im too tired to write more, or because i feel im finally moving things along better. Well, enough of my rambling. I hope you all had a happy christmas and whatnot. Remember to rate, review, or comment on whatever you want. If you have any suggestions or the like, feel free to let me know.

    ------------------------------------

    Roland had learned much about this world through the books he read. However, he had learned many other things as well.

    For example, he learned that there now existed a newer system to measure the power of a warrior practicing the martial way. There appeared to be several realms added, causing  Roland to wonder exactly how out-dated his current information was and  how long it had been since his last life. Although the cycle came every 22 years, the time between the start of his new life and the end of his previous one could be many years.

    But though the information was useful, Roland didnt really have any reference. How could he tell the difference between someone at the King realm and someone at the Origin realm?

    If he had people of varying realms to get a grasp of the approximate power each realm holds, then he could tell them apart, but until then he wouldnt know.

    Since there were new realms in the new system, Roland wasnt sure how exactly he would train the two brothers and Reina. Well, Reina was originally supposed to be like him, so perhaps he could do something about her,  but the brothers and Lilith would be more difficult.

    Roland didnt really cultivate in the martial way, but he had vague memories of previous lives when he did. In them breaking through to a higher realm was simple to him, as easy as breathing almost. However that was using the old system. For the new recently added realms, he was not sure of the methods regular people took to advance slowly step by step.

    Lilith was more suited to magecraft anyway though and he didnt think that system changed so he wouldnt have to worry about her, he supposed. More like, becoming a strong mage relied on a few steps that were much simpler than cultivating in the martial way. Which meant it was  only  the two brothers he had to be concerned about.

    Roland would have to research the new realms more.

    No, wait. They should already know the steps since apparently the new system  has been around for a  long time now.

    Though perhaps that was too presumptuous of him. A lot of knowlege known for years wouldnt neccessarily be known to someone who has never studied the subject before. Even if they did they wouldnt really know all there is to know on the subject.

    Roland decided not to worry about it, as there were other ways to gain power.

    Cultivating in the martial way was merely one of them, much like practicing magecraft.

    -----------------

    It had been quite some time now since lunch ended. That Fenris person was supposed to be in his evening classes but still had not shown up. He asked around a bit and got several responses like,

    "Ah, her? I hear she is the only one to never shown up at any class before. Give up"

    Or,

    "That guy is never here anyway. He''s one of the oldest students here and so is supposed to have a lot of responsibilities to take care of, but I heard that he comes to the school just to laze around all day. I wouldnt count on finding him. I myself have never seen him around either."

    They confused him at first, because some responses refered to  Fenris as a "he" while others called him a "she".

    However, thanks to that, he finally remembered where he heard the name Fenris before. Apparently in myths, the Fenris Wolf was the son of Loki and a giantess named  Angrboda or something like that. Fenris was a very powerful figure in the myths and it is sometimes said he will devour Odin during Ragnarok, the doom of the gods.

    Stories like that are mostly just made-up though.

    Loki was a shape-changer himself and could also change his gender, becoming a man or woman at will. His "son" likely had the same ability. Though Loki identified more as a male, which is why he rarely became a woman except to play tricks.

    Roland faintly wondered what gender Fenris identified more with, but only briefly. He was a bit annoyed. If Fenris had Loki''s shape-changing abilities in full measure, even Roland wouldnt be able to find him. Or her.

    Loki could become pretty much take on the form of any living thing.

    If Fenris could do the same, he could be right beside Roland and he would never know. They both likely had a base human form and a base animal form though. The two forms, appearances, that they originally had at birth.

    Fenris, from the legends, likely had a wolf form as his base beast form. Or her base. As for his base human form, Roland had no idea.

    If Fenris was like Loki, he wouldnt stay in either of his base forms though. Perhaps a varient, like how Loki like to appear as a young boy when he was human, a young version of his original adult human form.

    If Fenris chose to change into his an animal form, he would likely make it younger, a young animal that had relations with the wolf family.

    Like a young dog or fox. Hell, who knows, he could also  choose to  be something completly different, like a bird or a cat.

    Forget it, Roland was getting a headache. He thought only Loki could accomplish that to this degree. Apparently his son could too, and he hadnt even met him yet.

    Roland didn''t give a damn if Fenris missed other classes, but when he--she--missed His classes, Roland felt particularly annoyed for some reason. It was downright disrespectful.

    Roland decided to have a talk with Loki later about his son. Daughter. Whatever.

    ------------------

    In the meantime, he informed the students that from now on their training will be much different now as he felt he got a grasp on their abilities.

    There were two groups he separated them into. The warriors who would purely practice the martial way from now on, and those who would be trained more in magic, the mages.

    He broke them down like that and had the warriors meditate, to have them take in the universal energies around them and refine it within themselves, making its strength theirs.

    The mages he had go through a more specialised training session where he increased the gravity on their bodies and had them do a series of exercises. The point of this was to force their bodies past their limits to have an optimum physique for controlling magic.

    Magic flowed  easier in a more pure and healthy body.

    This type of training was not to increase their mana capacity, as something like that was not needed for them since the majority of the mages here were either demons or elves, races who excel in magic.

    Rather, this was simply to help them in what he actually had planned for later.

    The warriors had a bit of a harder time comparatively. It seems that they had until now only gathered the universal energies and did not refine them. This was a mistake Roland thought may be fairly common.

    Races other than humans could store larger amounts of univeral energy and so they were different from the humans who had a smaller storage space to work with. Humans empathized refinement of energy for that reason. They had to since they had little room.

    Other races rarely had that problem and so simply absorbing those energies were all they did.  To those races, refining energy was probably not even widely known. But, to kids like these, this should not be a problem in the first place. What exactly did they learn about before now?

    It was almost as if they were forcibly strengthened to their current power level and were not taught things they should know about for their future growth . . .  No, perhaps he was imagining things.

    Anyway, it appeared that they had a difficult time refining all the energy within them. The more pure the energy became, the harder it was to condense the universal energy. They had said it was like trying to gather water with a fork.

    At later stages, refining became very, very important. Each person had to reach a certain level of understanding by themselves. Even if you told them what to do exactly, they wouldnt truly understand. This was why comprehension was important. High comprehension skills were able to be applied to many different situations.

    Ideally the universal energy would become a thin, silken thread of pure, raw power within them. Once that was achieved they would create more until the threads became enough to compress into a small orb, which would be the core of their foundation.

    After, they would absorb pure elemental energy and do the same steps until they have one orb for each of the four main elements of nature. The four elemental orbs would surround the core made of universal energy and you must then get them to harmonize,

    This was a crucial step that  will allow the five different energies the orbs and core exude to be converted into the divine energy that is used by Celestials.

    For demons, different elements would be used to make the four elemental orbs and the end result would not be divine energy, but chaos energy.

    But all that is still much too far away for them. For now it was good if they could just create a few threads of universal energy.

    It seemed the students here who cultivated in the martial way had reached a high enough level where his old knowledge was currrently applicable. That should be expected though, since these were important steps that couldnt be changed.

    For mages there were similar steps but he would not go into that right now.

    Roland had them refine the energies in their bodies until the end of class.

    By the end, all the students experienced a breathrough in their cultivation and were covered in a dark, oily liquid, the impurities in their bodies having been forced out.

    From now on he would have to let the other kids do these things  too. Of course, he still wanted to let them increase the power of their battle techniques. He would have to ask Loki about letting him take the students on a training camp type thing like he said wanted to. But since Reina and Lilith''s adoptive parents would be here any day now, that would have to wait.

    It was already getting late, and after around this time he didnt have much to do other than laze around. Roland left the students to clean themselves up.

    ---------------------

    He was walking about aimlessly, strolling along with no destination in mind. He had entered the forest region that was located quite some distance away from the school grounds. The barrier Loki put up surrounded the campus in a 4 to 5 mile radius and prevented others from entering, but anyone could leave if they so desired.

    He felt a slight buzz on his skin. signaling he had stepped outside the boundary.

    The forest covered a large part of the land and outside the barrier the sounds of various animals could be heard. He walked around and entered the deeper parts of the forest, enjoying the fresh air, when he heard a commotion. Roland, being as powerful as he is, had abnormally  acute senses and could catch many sounds from a mile away, more if he tried.

    He heard a loud, mocking laugh.

    He walked, unhurried, towards the sound of the laugh and found a fairly interesting scene. He saw a large clearing with some old houses and such within, few still standing. It seemed there used to be many more, but they lied in ruins and ashes on the groung.

    In the center of the group of buildings, there were a hundred ordinary humans, men, women and  a few children,  that were surrounded by a couple dozen or so armed men.

    Faintly, he recalled  Abigail once telling him during the tour that there were some small villages and other places  that were part of the area since before Loki erected the barrier around the school. It seemed this was one of them. If he remembered right, there should also be a small city fairly nearby.

    Then who were the armed men?

    Bandits, most like. No, definitely bandits.

    There was a lot of mountains around, perfect places for then to congregate and create hideouts.

    He saw a elderly man look towards a big, mean looking man with a scar running down his cheek. The elderly man had a begging expression.

    "Please, you have already taken everything we own!  We havent even fought back at all. Just let us go!" The elderly man had a strong voice, entreating the man before him. The man laughed evilly.

    "Dont worry, this uncle is kind and generous. Of course we will let you live . . . Well, some of you." He eyed the woman and children. The smile on his face was sickening.

    The elderly man guessed at his intentions and turned white. " You. . . You cant!"

    "I cant, eh? Haha, who will stop me? YOU?" the man sneered at him. " Foolish old fart. We have played with you lot long enough. Everyone, take out the chains! Kill the men but capture the woman and children alive. Heh, you can play with them if you want but remember not to break them. Haha, they should catch a good price on the black market!" He let out a cruel smile.

    The other men pulled out their weapons, looking vicious and menacing. The villagers panicked, and the male villagers were prepared to fight, unwilling to let their families be sold as slaves. At the very least they could let them escape and hope they reach a town to protect them.

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    The leader of the bandits laughed at them in his heart.

    Foolish!

    Dont think your deaths will be easy!

    The man looked at the woman, seeing a few that were to his liking.  He felt a hardening in his groin, eager to have a taste.

    Roland looked at the scene with displeasure.  It seems that no matter where you went, there would always be trash like these men.

    The elderly man, seeing the deteriorated situation, had a flash of viciousness in his eyes completely unlike his previous weak expression.

    He took out a small blade hidden in his clothing and ran, aiming  at the leader''s throat. Roland felt a strong aura from the blade. No, rather, it came from the old man.

    "HA, what are you gonna do with  that little pig sticker, huh?!" The man brought out a large sword and slashed at the elderly man.

    However, instead of hitting flesh, a sudden numbness spread in his arm. Confused, he then  saw a young man in front of him, holding his sword  with one hand.

    The young man had a smile on his face, however, it felt eerie and disturbing to the bandit leader.

    "Who the fuck are you?" the bandit leader demanded. He didnt even put  the young man, who currently stopped his sword swing with such ease, into his eyes. He only noticed that someone was interfering with his fun.

    The other bandits, who had only moved a few steps, halted upon seeing their leader suddenly speak. They turned and saw a  young, almost frivolous looking young man currently holding the sword of their boss in one hand.

    They were all inwardly shocked, as they had all seen their boss'' sword strikes split a man in two.

    But they didnt panic, as their boss was quite strong and had killed many people in his day. They didnt know how the young man managed to block their boss'' strike, but they knew he had wasted a chance he wouldnt get back. Now that their boss saw the young man, he would undoubtedly be able to kill him off.

    The villagers froze, unsure of how to handle the current situation.

    " This" The young man began, ignoring the leader''s question,  " Will  happen one of two ways: First, you could all drop your weapons and I will castrate all of you,  yet leave you with your pitiful lives intact. Second, you try to retaliate and I cut off your tongues, eyeballs, noses, fingers, toes and manhoods but leave you alive and throw your bodies somewhere quiet where the wolves can pick at your bodies at their leisure. Which would you like?"  After speaking, he generously let go of the sword in his hand.

    He didnt speak angrily or fiercely, but bored and indifferent.

    For a few seconds, there was complete silence.

    Then, as if on cue, the entire bandit group let out a raucous wave of laughter.

    "HAHAHA!! Boy, you are truly audacious, to say such words while not knowing your place!" The bandit leader looked at the young man again, his eyes roaming the young man''s figure. " Haha, you''re quite a good-looking one, aren''t ya! You know, im not particularly choosy. So long as you can pleasure me I will generously forgive your earlier words! Dont be shy, boy. Come here and sit on this Uncle''s lap! Hehe, dont expect I''ll be gentle."

    The bandit leader was truly a man with no scruples.

    "Haha, that boy is dead. Or he''ll wish he was."

    "Indeed, to dare speak such arrogant words to the boss like that is simply asking for death."

    " Right. However, his death wont be quick. The boss does like to toy with his prey first. That pretty boy there will become the boss'' bitch for a while before he''s done with him. "

    The remarks of the bandits didnt even faze Roland. How could they? It was simply the barking of a group of dogs.

    The young man, Roland, let out a sigh. " Well, you cant say I didnt give you a choice. "  He looked at the villagers. " Take away the woman and children and leave. Once the screaming stops, you can come back."

    He looked around. How odd, Roland thought. That elderly man from before seemed to have disappeared.

    Well, no matter. Without another word, he released a heavy pressure that radiated from his body. Against such weak opponents, simply doing this was all it took for him to restrict their movements,  making  them unable to move even a muscle except to scream.

    The bandits were inwardly in a moment of chaos.

    They couldnt move!

    No matter how they stained it was useless. They felt like a mountain was pressing down on them from all sides.

    Simply breathing was a laborious task.

    They couldnt comprehend what was happening,

    Could it be that . . .the boy''s words from before was not merely hot air?

    Remembering the exact contents of the threats made them break out in a cold sweat.

    The bandit boss on the other hand was furious.

    This fucking brat, I''ll kill him!

    What the fuck is going on? I can even move! Shit!

    He struggled and struggled but it was no use.

    Goddammit, why . . .cant . . . I . . MOVE!!

    Roland sighed once more. He had only wanted to take a leisurely walk and he finds such a situation before him. Well, he supposed it wasnt all bad. He would have some satisfaction dealing with scum like this.

    Roland didnt appear like it, but he did have some sadistic tendencies now and then, especially when it came to trash such as this.

    "Well, lets get ths done quickly then" He muttered

    The villagers didnt move. They looked at the bandits and saw that they looked like statues, unmoving. The leader too, seemed lifeless, not moving at all. However, when they saw the young man raise a hand and start to pull out one of the bandit leader''s eyes inch by inch, his hand red with blood and seeing  none of the other bandits reacting at all, they quickly left.

    They heard the most blood-curddling screams as they retreated deeper into the forest, screams  that chilled them to their bones. However, the men all let out satisfied smiles.

    They didnt understand exactly how the situation changed so fast or who that young man was, but they didnt really care.

    The screams only stopped once the sun was nearly gone. After that, the sound of wolves could be heard in the distance.

    ----------------

    Roland was a scarlet mess by the time he was done, not a single inch of him remained  clean. The metalic smell of  blood seemed to have seeped into his very pores. However, he used a spell to clear the blood off his clothes. It was something he used often.

    Although, his face still had drops of red on it. It was that, along with his cold azure eyes and the frightening smile upon his face, which gave him a distinctly demonic look.

    He turned to glance at a shadowy figure several feet away.

    "Why didnt you leave with the others?" He asked.

    An old voice answered him. " I wanted to wait and thank you."

    "You werent affected by the show i just put on?"

    "Ridiculous. I almost vomited several times. I truly didnt expect you to actually go through with your words."

    Roland shrugged. "Im not someone who makes threats lightly. Anyway, why didnt you do anything?"

    The voice hesitated. " I''m afraid I dont know what you mean."

    " Please. I know you aren''t as weak as you pretend. You could definitely kill these guys easily. So im asking again, why didnt you do anything?"

    The figure stepped forward slowly. It was the elderly man from before. " Well, because until now we have lived peacefully, undisturbed. You see, I was not originally part of the village and didnt want to cause a bloodbath, so i allowed these bandits to take a few things. I had kept a lot of reserve food and supplies in a hidden location, so that wasnt a problem. Even those buildings could be rebuilt.  If the bandits had even a shred of decency and left us alone once they had what they wanted, i would have let them go.

    But they even had thoughts of enslaving the others, and so I took action. But I didnt think that at the last moment someone would do the job of taking out the trash for me. Thank you for that. Anyway,  If the others had seen me using my true power, they would obviously have questions for me. Especially my grandkids. I did nothing until they attacked because the only family this old man has left, I dont want them to see me as a killer."  The elderly man responded evenly.

    " Oh?You have some circumstances, dont you?"  Roland felt he quite liked the elderly man. The man didnt seem arrogant and haughty like the other old experts Roland was acquainted with.

    " Indeed. Suffice it to say, due to those certain circumstances, I angered some strong enemies and was forced to hide. After suffering injuries that left me weakened severly, I took my young grandchildren and hid here to recuperate. Though sadly im afraid my injuries were to serious and I now cannot exact revenge against those who wronged me and my kin." The old man smiled bitterly.

    " I''m sorry to hear that. My name is Roland. Might I know Senior''s name?" He was truly sorry for the old man, but it wasnt his business. If he was right, this wasnt a feud he had the right to get involved with anyway.

    He kept a polite tone. After all, the man was older than him and had done him no wrong. There was no reason to be rude.

    "Ah, my apologies. This one is named Leylin Bayl. You can call Ley."

    Roland nodded smoothly. " Senior Ley it is then. A pleasure to meet you. Ah, excuse me. I must be getting back now. A shame my walk was ruined but I have to be getting back home soon. Also, dont worry, I will not mention any of this to anyone.". He gave a friendly smile.,

    Leylin thought this Roland was quite something. Being able to act so normally  like that after having commited such a merciless and cold method of torture. Even at his cruelest, Leylin would not have thought of such a gruesome  method of torture. And he had commited his own fair share of sins and brutality.  Leylin felt like this was a man who made for either a good friend or a terrible enemy.

    " I thank you for your discretion. I trust you will keep your word."

    The elderly man had a good impression of this Roland character.

    He had no reason to trust that the boy would truly not speak of this, but the elderly man felt this was not somone who made empty  promises. "Before you go, might I ask if you live someplace nearby? I only know of one place around here that an expert like you could be from, and I rarely see any of them coming out into a place like this, even for a mere stroll."

    Roland didnt have anything to hide. " You probably guess right. I''m coming from the school not far from here. I took it upon myself to help a few kids out and a friend of mine is providing us lodgings. See, I had came to this world only recently and do not know my way around, so I can only accept my friend''s goodwill. Well, for a price. I do have to teach some combat lessons in return, but that is not too difficult."

    Ah, the old man thought.  No wonder he sensed a bit of incongruity about the young man. Him not being of this world was not surprising to the old man. He had known many strong individuals who came from foreign worlds.  Ever since the Pantheons had first tarrived on this world, such things were the norm.

    Rather, he was more shocked that he was right about this young man being from that place. The school he talked of was a gathering of many different races of students with prestigious backgrounds, not one of them would be lacking in talent.

    But for what reason would there be for them to learn combat? From Leylin''s knowledge of before he was forced into hiding, the students there rarely recieved training such as that. Bluntly speaking, that talent of theirs had, until now, been wasted. Could something have changed?

    Although, perhaps it isnt something to be suspicious about. After all, in the trillions of Major Planets and even in the Higher Planes, having personal stength was neccessary to survive.  It was not as important here anymore, but that is only because the development of technology and such within the more populated areas had made monetary greed and materialism rise to new heights.

    But having someone so young training monsters  like that . . . How powerful exactly is this young man to have such qualifications?

    Leylin knew that for long-lived races appearances can be decieving, but this Roland character was certainly not yet even over twenty. Leylin had much experience in dealing with long-lived races and so he knew how to accurately gauge a person''s age. It was like an innate sense that was hard to describe, but he was never wrong before.

    " I see. Well, I wont keep you from your business. I had left a doppleganger in my place but im afraid that it will disappear soon and the others will be coming back to start rebuilding."

    "What will you do about any future bandit attacks?"

    Leylin''s eyes darkened. " There wont be any." His voice was hard, cold like steel. " I have been merciful and have not interfered before now, but no longer. I will simply have to wipeout the bandits in the area. Though im almost going to feel sorry for them. Not all bandits choose that lifestyle, most are only doing so to support their families or such in these troubled times. Few are like those bastards from before who have no morals. For bandits of the former category,  I will give them a choice to help out and  earn a place with us.

    For the others . . . Well, I learned a thing or two from you i''m eager to try out. "

    Roland smiled. " Well, good luck with that."

    "Thank you. Ah, if you are ever in the area, feel free to stop by. Im sure the villagers will welcome the one who helped them."

    " I merely did what I wanted to do, nothing more. But I''ll keep that in mind. Now, if you''ll excuse me. . ."

    After finishing their talk, the two said their good-byes and parted ways.

 chapter sixteen

    AUthor''s notes: I came down with a pretty bad and itchy rash the past few days and didnt write anything.  Pretty sure my cat is to blame. I really need to give him a shower. . . .Anyway, im fine now and spent the first few hours of my morning to make this. If there are any flaws in the story, tell me. I think im geting better at making filler information, hehehe.

    Not much happening in the chapter, sorry ''bout that. Im gonna try speeding up the story. Feel it has gone too slow. Also, I updated a few earlier chapters. Didnt change much though, dont worry. Still, take a look. I will try keeping any changes to  a minimum. Tell me if you think the new versions are better.

    -------------------

    Roland went back in a slightly sour mood. The walk he had wanted to enjoy was completly ruined. He did get to have a bit of fun, but merely torturing a few weaklings did little to appease him. Roland had always been a slightly sadistic individual but not to the extent where something like that would make him truly satisfied.

    In actuality, Roland was quite bloodthirsty at times.

    Sometimes, he wanted to run wild and kill everything in his path. It was a dark part of himself that was tightly controlled and locked away, but he could not deny the feeling was there. He was a person that could either have a lot of patience and forgiveness or snap at any moment for little to no reason at all.

    Today, the little incident from a while ago had shown that his more violent nature had, for a brief moment, taken over as he would not usually go to such extents. Normally, he would only cut them up a bit and leave them to die.

    But his mood did improve as he breathed in the cool fresh air. He thought back to the old man he had met, Leylin.

    He seemed a bit strong and a looked like a fairly interesting person. Roland knew how he looked when he butchered the bandits, but the old man had seemed only a slightly  disturbed by the sight.

    Roland why Leylin had bothered talking to him at all though. It wasnt as if it was necessary. What''s more, he even explained a bit about himself to Roland. The contents were definitly not something that one would say to a stranger they just met.

    Well, it was a bit odd but it was not to a substantial degree.

    Yet, Roland wondered if him meeting the old man was some kind of karmic intervention.

    Naturally, he didnt think things like fate were involved. However, Karma would be a different matter. Fate was something that was predetermined to happen, something that was usually unchangeable and already planned out.

    However, Karma was a much more profound and mysterious force that even Roland was not completly free of.

    Karma has a direct influence on things such as time, dimensions and planes. In fact, "Karma" and "reincarnation"  are two of the most fundamtental  laws since universal order and are much more powerful than destiny or fate.

    Not something Roland could go against.

    Perhaps, meeting the old man Leylin was something Karma had influenced. Maybe, Roland was meant to help Leylin with his problems.

    The reason he thought that Karma was involved, was because the meeting between him and Leylin was a bit too coincidental and the problems the old man had were a bit special.

    Roland, a mere few days after being called to a world where four cursed mortals needed his help, just happens to meet a person with circumstances such as Leylin''s?

    And all  resulting from Roland''s sudden decision to take a walk outside the barrier, and  a mere few minutes later hearing the disturbance?

    If Roland had come a few minutes later, the bandits would have already been taken care of by the old man. If that happened, the two may not have ever met.

    Really, what are the odds of Roland coincidentally meeting an old man with a complicated past like that after simply deciding to take a walk?

    And it wasnt like he couldnt help the old man. He may not get directly involved, but if he examined Leylin''s injuries, he could likely cure them.  Roland was no doctor, but he understood organic bodies quite intimately. Repairing one would be relatively simple to him.

    But in the end, Roland knew it wasnt his problem and that Leylin and his grandchildren were probably much safer staying in hiding.

    Though, if they ever really met again, perhaps he would choose to help out. Afterall, he couldnt say for sure that Karma wasnt involved, and if it was then he didnt want to bring about its wrath by choosing to simply mind his own business.

    Had Loki been  there, he would  tell Roland that he shouldnt have ignored such an obvious event flag in the first place.

    ------------------

    It was a lot darker when Roland arrived back at the dormitory where he and the other four stayed.

    He found the two brothers inside the living room, lazing about in boredom.

    "Hm? Where''s Reina and her sister?"  He realized he didnt really know what they usually did around this time.

    James answered him. " Reina has been in her room all day. As for Lilith, i think she''s out back doing some training."

    "Speaking of, Reina seemed different today. . . More graceful? Brighter? I dont know. She just gives off a different aura from usual. " Saren commented.

    "Ah, yeah, I noticed that too. Actually, I saw that Lilith asked her a lot of questions today. She seemed a bit cross."

    "I dont know about Lilith, but Reina has gotten a bit stronger. I gave her a bit of special training early in the morning."

    The two seemed interested. " Special how?" They asked.

    "I used a certain method." Roland said. " In short, her curse prevented her from practising martial arts and magic, but i went around that. Basically since her own learning abilities were blocked,  I had her share a bit of my own. Well, that''s the gist of it." Roland didnt have a need to keep things from them, and told them a bit about what they did.

    James looked rather interested. " Can we do that too?"

    "Unfortnately the method i used has a special reqirement you two dont fullfill." He said.  Their faces showed a hint of disappointment. Well, with James it was a bit hard to tell though.

    Saren noticed the sudden odd expression on Roland''s face. "Is something wrong?"

    Roland frowned a bit. "It might be nothing, but when we finished something strange happened to her body. I think the curse acted up but i cant be sure."

    Saren regretted he asked. He remebered what he and his brother''s curse was said to be, and now he was worried their own might activate sometime soon.

    Saren didnt really want to ask, but he did anyway. " Exactly what happened?"

    Roland wasnt quite sure he should tell them, but since it was kind of related to them, they should know.

    "When we finished, a malevolent aura sprang from her body. It was corrosive,  eating away at the life energy all around her at a fairly rapid rate. It seemed like her body was absorbing the energy.

    Where that energy went though, im not certain of.  It was like something else was interfering, trying to break free. Im not sure if this was truly the work of the curse or some other entity though. In the end i had to expell the excess energy.

    The method i used causes energy overflow in the first place, but the curse made her body exude much more than it should have even then. Once i took care of that, the malevolent fore subsided but it was still present for a while after." He didnt say anything about that strange bead to them, or about how Reina''s eyes had changed color. He wove a spell around her so it would look like normal. Since it wasnt related to the curse, he wouldnt tell any of them.

    He didnt know if there were any other changes in her due to drinking so much of his blood, so for now  he would just hide it. "Also, remember not to tell Reina or Lilith about this. I dont want them to worry and if Lilith found out, im not quite sure what she''d do." Lilith didnt seem to like Roland all that much for some reason. He knew she respected his strength but that was all.  She hasnt opened up to him at all. She wasnt exactly cold though. More like, guarded.

    If she knew about this, she would probably blame him and that would just get annoying. He only told these two because although their curses'' nature was easier to understand, he couldnt be sure  they didnt have any hidden traps and whatnot.

    "Reina doesnt know what happened to her?" James asked. Roland shook his head.

    "She was unconscious at the time. So, remember to not tell them. We dont need to worry them when I have so little information to go on. I dont know what exactly caused that reaction. Once we get the girls'' adoptive parents here and explain the situation to them, I intend to take the students on a little trip to gain some combat experience and such.

    I hear a few of my old friends are on the planet and  so I''ll use this trip as an  opportunity to find them at the same time. I have one in mind who might know a bit more about whats going on with you four. I''ll look for him first. Until then, dont worry about anything. We need more information about those curses first. "

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    The two boys nodded in understanding.

    Until they knew more about what was going on with them, they should just keep calm and wait.

    " What''s the name of the guy you want to look for?" Saren asked.

    "Since the inhabitants of this world knows about the Pantheons, you might know him. His name''s Solomon, of the Solomon 72 Pillars Pantheon."

    upon hearing the name, their faces turned pale.

    Solomon!

    Who wouldnt know about him? He was a very mysterious and powerful figure who had even gotten 72 strong demons of hell to serve him! A person  known as quite a whimsical individual, doing whatever he pleased.

    He held immeasurable power and wisdom that earned him the right to be called the King of Magi, one who has unlocked the vast mysteries of magic. He is said to be the wisest and most powerful of all the mages in the world, a person in a league all his own.

    Solomon was said to have been give the ability to destroy any demon long ago by some powerful god, but he instead chose to seal demons  in "pillars" and befriend them.

    They were not mere demon-kin either, but true-blue demons of Hell, beings that were capable of wiping out cities!

    What kind of person would it take to befriend such monsterous people?

    The person himself must be quite freakish indeed!

    In time, his power grew until he became so strong that he was able to create and rule a Pantheon of his own, becoming a major figure that couldnt be ignored!

    Indeed, Solomon was perhaps the wisest and most powerful human mage in existence. . .

    Yet he was also one of the most terrifying!

    He is said to have dabbled in many forms magic, some of which are truly dark and gruesome!  The stuff of nightmares!

    He was what can be called a "mad scientist" who was more demon-like than those he commanded!

    Saren and James  had heard many stories about Solomon. A person like that seemed  both a saint and a devil at the same time, comepletely unfathomable.

    " Hm? What''s wrong?" Roland asked them, noticing their expressions go through a series of shock, admiration, and terror. He suddenly understood. "Ah, I suppose you guys have heard a bit about him then?"  Roland let out a wry grin.

    Solomon, that frivolous guy,  was a pretty unique individual, after all. He caused waves  everywhere he went.

    " Of course. That guy is the monster mothers use to get their children to listen." Saren explained. "Everyone is scared of being used in one of his experiments." Remembering the stories they heard regarding said experiments, the two shivered slightly.

    Roland let out a smile upon seeing their reactions.  Exactly what kind of grief has that guy stirred up that could cause such a reaction?

    He frowned.

    Loki, Solomon, Mephisto, Aries. . .

    So many of his friends were difficult people to handle.  Really, they were all notorious troublemakers that were a pain for others to deal with. They never meant any harm, but still . . .

    He wondered what that said about himself.

    "Hey, you two. What type of weapons are you best at?" Roland called out to them.

    Saren looked at him, a bit surprised at the sudden topic change. " We both use swords. Why?"

    "Well, didnt you want me to teach you a few things? Since i have some time, why dont we  head out towards the back and have a little spar?" Lilith was there already, so perhaps she would join in as well.

    Saren liked that idea. " Sounds good. Ah, but, we dont have any. . . "

    "Dont worry about that. Here, take these. " Roland held up his hands and gathered a bit of mana from around him, causing an ethereal blue light to gather around his open palms. Then he exerted his will and condensed the mana into two swords for them.

    They looked almost exactly like normal swords, but thay had a bluish hue that made them seem beautiful and mysterious.

    James let out a sigh of appreciation. " Such a powerful aura. They almost seem alive. How did you . . .?"

    "Those? It''s nothing. I just had to gather a bit of mana from the space around us and  compressed it into the shape I wanted. It isnt anything amazing."  Roland said dismissively.

    The two nearly choked.

    To explain, although mana was literaly everywhere, only trace amounts could be controlled properly. Strong mages  could borrow the mana in the air or ground, but doing so was exceedingly hard and only few could manage it. Also, the mana would be wild, untamed.  Pure and raw power like that would obviously be difficult to handle.

    In this world, there exists places where the concentration of mana was exceptionally think, creating liquified mana that was highly prized. But such places were rare and the liquid would be only ever be at most a small pond. The uses for it was endless.

    Now, other than liquid form,  mana could also manifest as a metal-like substance. It happened when liquified mana, over the course of hundreds of years, hardened and became solid. The result was a special type of mineral, Etherium,  that had many mysterious properties and was several times more precious than liquid mana, causing  many metal workers from all over the world to dream of someday being able to use it.

    However, Etherium was abnormally hard to work with. In the past, the wealthiest of society had painstakingly gathered Etherium and had the best, most skilled blacksmiths try to forge it into suits of armor or weapons.

    The result was disapointing. That much Etherium was simply impossible to forge.

    At most, only very small amounts of Etherium can be successfully used and even then only small pendants or such can be created from it. Still, they would hold many natural powers to such an extent that they were considered  holy objects. Etherium itself was considered a divine substance.

    But as precious as they were, they were likewise as hard to find.  You could search for it you entire lives and never see a trace of it. The time it took for those in the past to gather enough to attempt forging it into weapons or armor was several centuries.

    Of course, all those wealthy folks were either of the long-lived races or had reached a point in their cultivation where their lifespan was drastically increased.  Otherwise they would have died long before gathering enough.

    Today any amount of Etherium, even just a piece the size of a small stone, was enough to buy a good-sized kingdom. But of course, since Etherium was so prized and treated like a holy material, who in their right mind would sell it?

    So if what Roland said was true, then he not only precisely gathered the mana in the surrounding space, he also quickly gathered it in such quantities and compressed it so fast, that the change from formless mana to liquid and then to solid, was almost instantaneous.

    Not only that, he didnt just make it into a solid form within seconds, but he also manipulated the vast amount of mana  and formed swords out of it.

    The amount of concentration and  control that required was astronomica!

    Now, you could, if you had enough personal mana reserves and control over it, create swords out of your own mana.

    But, it wouldnt be true Etherium. It would lack stability, substance. Seconds after it is formed, it would disappear.

    You could tell the difference in a sword made from your own mana and anything made from Etherium.

    Really, it was simple. See, Etherium had a solid form, but when making weapons from your own mana reserves it came out without that solidness.

    It would look like  holding  fire in your hand that had the general shape of a sword. The edges would ripple and exude mana like fire.

    The swords in their hands didnt do that, but stayed unchanging. Which meant . . .

    That these swords were, without a doubt, made from Etherium!

    They were, in essence,  holding priceless artifacts!

    The two looked at the swords in a worshipping light.

    Roland had no idea what was up with them. " What has gotten into you two? Those swords arent exactly special or anything. I usually just throw them away once im done with them. Completly useless"

    His words brought them back into reality, breaking them from their reverie. As the words sunk in, they almost wanted to throttle him.

    Useless? He actually dared call such divine weapons useless?! The number of people who would kill their own families for these swords was simply countless!

    He even threw them away like trash?!.

    The brothers felt a sense  of injustice well up within them.

    They gave Roland a mean glare.

    Roland spent the better half of an hour arguing with them. In the end he had to go to the school armoury and select some normal swords for them before they agreed to the spar. They kept the previous weapons though, not that he cared.

    He could always create more.

 chapter seventeen

    Author''s notes: Yeah, im going to try being more descriptive. Thats why in this chapter i gave more details regarding where they live. This is the image of it i always had in my mind, and i realized recently that i never really described it much.

    -----------------

    Although Roland often refered to it as a dormitory or house, it was actually more like a mansion. The students here held high social status since their families could be considered nobility, even in the Higher Planes. For that reason, the place that they were to live in obviously could not be ordinary.

    The house had six levels, with a cobblestone path leading the way to the front door. The first level was below ground and held a currently empty wine celler. Roland wasnt quite sure why a wine celler was needed, but it was there.

    The second level was quite large. In the center there was a foyer with a grand staircase that led to the upper rooms where Roland and the rest lived. The floor held multiple rooms, such as a Sun room which overlooked a small garden on the lower lawn that grew herbs to be used in the Kitchen, which was also located on the second floor.

    There was also a Music room with many unused instruments lying about. Last there was a Sitting room, or rather, the Living room where Roland had conversed with the brothers previously. The living room had a large fireplace and various pieces of furniture covered in velvet.

    The third, fourth and fifth floors were lined with large bedrooms, each one holding their own rather luxurious bathrooms and furnishing while the sixth floor held a library and study. But it didnt hold all that many books, and none that had records of the planet itself which is why Roland went to the school library.

    One could almost smell the decadence and opulance the entire stucture exuded.

    Roland felt it was a bit too much, honestly. Well, not that he was one to cast judgements. Once upon a time, he owned several much larger and magnificent mansions. He gave them up once he left with Loki though.

    The back of the place was covered with emerald green grass and was a perfect place to spar. That was where the three, Roland, Sren and James, were currently headed.

    The brothers held one ordinary sword each.  The previous Etherium swords were currently resting safely in their rooms.

    Roland heard some heavy breathing.

    As he and the others got to their destination, Lilith was wielding a spear and fighting against imaginary enemies.

    Roland observed her.

    Lilith  was a truly beautiful woman, he had to admit. That hourglass figure alone was already quite enticing. But Roland wasnt the type to be stirred by a woman for merely that alone. No, he saw more than that in her. She had a sort of natural grace and magnetism about her that was hard to resist.

    Those luminous golden eyes  and glossy black hair coupled with that inherent grace and pride was an intoxicating combo. But what really drew him was her character. That strong look in her eyes, that confidence and will, displayed her inner strength for all to see. She seemed a very straightforward person.  She didnt hide her opinions of others behind false smiles and Roland appreciated that.

    He had seen many people who  sought power and status. They were the type to manipulate and offer their friendships at the drop of a hat only to stab you in the back when it was convenient. Roland had experienced such in his current life, the feeling of somone trying to befriend him merely for his talent and strength. He despised such people at first, and then he simply grew indifferent. He could never like people such as them, and had only turned a blind eye to their attempts to gain his favor.

    So Roland was pleased to see that Lilith was not such a person. That straightforwardness and lack of guile was what made him have a good impression of her. Perhaps she didnt say what she felt, but her expression said it all.

    She currerntly wore a close-fitting pair of clothes that were made of a flexible material made for ease of movement.

    The students, Roland remembered, all wore the same type of clothing during his class periods.

    Right now the material did a good job of accentuating her curves in an appealing manner. Lilith was completly lost in the imaginary battle, striking out with the spear fluidly. A faint smell of sweat reached him. It wasnt exactly unpleasant.

    He watched her execute various attacks and movements. She had a firm grasp on spear techniques. Though she was far from mastery, she seemed to have an innate talent for the spear. But she held it like it was merely an extension of herself rather than simply a part of her body. It was a subtle difference, but an important one.  As long as one considered themselves a seperate existence from their weapon, they could never reach the pinnacle of skill in it.

    Still, she was quite talented even so. From his estimate, she wasnt far from acquiring the level of being one with the spear.  Roland still believed she was more suited for magic, yet from what he saw she could likely combine the two talents, as some chose to do. Her power would definitely increase if she was taught properly.

    It seemed she was quite lost in the rhythm of the battlefield currently going on in her head and didnt notice their arrival at all. Roland cleared his throat, announcing their presence.

    Lilith was startled and throw the spear in the direction of the sound, as if percieving some threat.

    The spear made  a sharp noise  as it cut through the air and was clearly making its way toward Roland, but the weight of the weapon must have been off-balance a bit because the trajectory slightly changed mid-flight, aiming straight at James'' head.

    Lilith made a small "ah" sound as she watch the spear fly towards it target.

    Roland casually raised his hand, catching the spear by it''s tip before it could smash into the boy''s head. James blinked, stunned.

    "Good form, but let''s try not to decapitate someone next time, shall we?"  Roland spoke mildly

    Lilith ran over toward the three. " Sorry, I didnt see you there" She apologised quickly. She let out a small sigh, relieved she didnt just become a murderer. " So, can I have my spear back now?"

    Roland graciously handed it over.

    She looked towards james. "Are  you okay?" she asked

    James frowned, seeming not to hear her. "I think my life just flashed before my eyes." he mumbled

    Lilith and Roland looked at him. Lilith shrugged, unconcerned.

    " Yeah, having a near-death experience will do that to a guy." Roland said, patting him a pat on the back.

    "You two dont seem very concerned about this . . . " Saren commented. He looked at his brother, checking him to make sure he was really alright.

    "Well, as long as I didnt kill him I see no reason to dwell on it."  To Lilith, the matter was already settled. After all, no one was hurt.

    Saren and James were a bit surprised. They didnt think Lilith could sound so uncaring about something like this. Though, they didnt know her long in the first place. At least not that they can remember.

    Roland raised an eyebrow at her words.  He didnt think she would sound so calm about it.  His respect for her rose  a bit.  He, too, wasnt one to make a big deal out of something that hadnt even happened.

    "Well, dont worry about it too much, James. She was aiming for me anyway."  Roland assured them.

    "In my defence , i wasnt aiming for anyone. You three shouldnt have snuck up on me like that." She said, annoyed.

    "If you weren''t so busy fighting imaginary enemies, you would have heard us coming. " Saren told her.   He was a bit angry. If Roland hadn''t been there, wouldnt his brother''s brains be scattered all over the ground by now?

    "Why are you guys here anyway?"

    " Before that, can we go back to how you almost killed my brother?"

    Lilith looked at him strangely. "Why? I said sorry, didnt I?"  She truly didnt see what the problem was.

    If Reina had been there she would have told her sister to apologise more sincerly. Lilith always had trouble connecting with others.  She just wasnt a people person.

    Lilith was, for the most part, normal. However, there were some cases, like now,  where she lacked a bit of common sense. Lilith herself didnt really seem to realize the fact though.

    "Well, moving on, I brought them to spar for a bit."

    Lilith, upon hearing him, hesitated. She wanted to ask if she could join in too. After all, she clearly remembered how he handled those Immortals like they were a group of kittens, if nothing else. Having the chance to learn from a person that powerful wasnt something that came often.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    But there was a difference in respecting a person''s strength and trusting them. Lilith was suspicious over why somone like him would bother with helping the four of them. He didnt really give a believable reason for it. He didnt seem to take many things seriously, and looked like the type of person who followed his whims. Who was to say he would still want to help them a week, or even a day from now?

    He seemed reliable, but she couldnt put her trust in that frivolous personality of his. She couldnt bring herself to have the faith in him that her sister somehow did.

    Which is another thing she was suspicious of. She didnt get how her sister seemed so trusting of him in the first place. They hadnt known each other for very long at all. They didnt even talk much. But she still seemed able to be at ease around him somehow.

    Lilith didnt know if she should ask to join or not. One one hand she didnt want to waste the chance, and on the other she didnt trust him and so didnt know if she was right to ask.

    Fortunately Roland saw her dilemma.

    "Oh, right, Would you like to participate as well? I think you should be able to learn a thing or two."

    Lilith''s expression cleared instantly. " Well, i suppose i could." She said airily. Her eyes brightened.

    "Right. Well then. Since it pretty dark out, I''ll give us a bit of light." He wove a spell, conjuring a yellow ball of light and threw it up into the air, Illuminating verything within thirty feet as if it were day.  The other three  were inwardly surprised. They didnt exactly understand how Roland created his spells so fast or with such versatility. " That''s better. Now, rather than simple sparring, lets treat this more like a lesson for a bit, shall we? Tell me, do you know about Laws?" He asked.

    The brothers shook their heads. Lilith was the one who spoke out, " Laws . . . You mean like Elemental Laws?" Before she and Reina were taken in by their adoptive family, the old experts of their clan had told her a bit about Laws, but she couldnt understand exactly what they were. She was young at the time and even if she wasnt, she was told that Laws were not something that could be easily understood.

    Roland nodded, pleased

    " Exactly. Those are a good example, actually. Elemental Laws are, in essence, all the forces of nature in this or any world. Lighning, fire, wind, water, earth, all these are Elemental Laws. Well, small parts of them anyway. Like pieces of a puzzle. They are all considered a part of Elemental Laws. How to explain this simply. . . " Roland frowned. " Think of a mage. Mages can control elements. They can have affinities for certain elements and that makes it easier to control them. But there is a difference in being able to control an element and being able to control a Elemental Law.  Mages can control elements, yes, but they have only scratched the very surface. If  one fully mastered the Elemental Law of Fire, all types of flames in that world would be under their control."

    The three  listended in rapt attention. To the brothers, this was a new and interesting concept. Lilith, for her part, knew a bit but the old experts of her clan were unable to explain it as simply as Roland was. Obviously his understanding of these so-called Laws must have at least surpassed theirs.

    Not only that, but the three felt a certain tingling in their mind as they listened. He had only begun talking, but it was like there was a certain energy that came from the words themselves. It was as if Roland was transmitting a bit of his own understanding straight to their consciousness.  As he continued explaining, they could vaguely sense the vast profoundness that Laws must contain and their attention was focused solely on his words.

    "Elemental Laws are the forces that hold this world together. Lets use something as an example."  He looked around, and saw a tree about fifty feet away. His figure blurred a bit, and when it stabilized again he held a leaf in his hand. " Let''s use this leaf. Lilith, hold out your palm." He told her.

    Looking a bit confused, she wordlessly complied, wondering what he was going with this.  He threw the leaf upwards, and contrary to expectations, the leaf traveled high up into the air and disappeared. "You think a falling leaf will land completly randomly, right? But actually the leaf is constanty being influenced by countless forces that dictate where it will land. Once one understands all those forces on a certain level, it becomes simplicity itself to know exactly where the leaf will land."

    He took Lilith hand, guiding it into a certain position in the air.

    James and Saren, predicting his intention, looked up. They saw the leaf slowly descend, fluttering in the wind chaotically.

    After a while, the leaf continued falling until it landed, gently, right on top of Lilith''s unmoving palm.  Lilith and the brothers  let out amazed looks.  It was something so simple, and yet . . .

    " That was something anyone who understands Elemental Laws to a certain degree can do. But it is also possible to manipulate Elemental Laws. Well, not many can do that though.  And this was only  possible because the Elemental Laws of this world are stable. This means that the world  has had time to settle and must be at least a few billion years old. Younger worlds have unstable Elemental Laws and that makes things pretty complicated. But lets not get into that for now."

    The three looked at him and wondered to what degree Roland''s understanding of Elemental Laws had reached. " But that isnt it. There are also countless other Laws in existance. . .For example,  Blade Laws." He smiled.  "Originally, it was called Sword Laws. See, a sword is perhaps the only weapon created for the sole purpose of combat, to kill others. Other weapons began as mere tools to help in survival, but swords were created for the purpose of allowing men and woman to kill each other easier. Not animals, but each other. This was a concept that Heaven, the mysterious force that governs creation, seemed to consider important.

    Whether Heaven dislikes it or not is unknown, but from the moment the very first sword was created there was also born a force we call  Sword Laws. These Laws were, at first, young and unstable. As the use and concept of swords spread, the Sword Laws grew in power. Even swords themselves, originally lifeless metal, were soon able to generate a type of special cold and sharp energy that was unlike anything else.  We call this Sword force.

    Now that there are so many countless sword techniques and styles, the Sword Laws became very deep and vast. When other  tools were adapted to take lives as well, the Sword Laws underwent a change. It was split into another layer, a sort of sub-level called Blade Laws.  Now any bladed weapon can have the potential to generate energy similar to  Sword force, which is what is known as Blade force. Swords, from the moment it is forged, have Sword force but other bladed weapons are not created with any force whatsoever.  For that, a wielder must reach a certain level of understanding in Blade Laws before their weapon can produce Blade force. Any questions so far?"

    After he finished speaking, the three felt a small explosion deep in their consciousness. They felt they had just recieved something extremly important, but they couldnt comprehend what it was.

    Roland watched them with a small smile. Right now, they were in the midst of understanding the first inklings of Laws. The brothers gained the most insight with Sword Laws, while Lilith gained some from Blade Laws and Elemental Laws both.

    They were in a state of enlightenment where the process of understanding was advancing at a rapid pace. Roland had, admittedly,  helped stimulate this state because as he talked he transmitted a series of thoughts and images directly to their subconscious minds. They would not be able to notice them at this stage, but perhaps if their understanding of Laws reached a certain level, they would be able to someday.

    And the best way to ensure they would get the most out of this special state was, of course, through combat!

    "Well then, i think that''s enough talking for now."

    Materializing a sword out of thin air, he slashed at their unprepared bodies.

    ------------------

    Author''s notes. I had the idea of using concepts like Sword force for awhile now. its an idea thats been done before by many other authors and i thought it would be interesting to include it in the story. As for Laws, im not sure where i will take it but i have a few ideas due to all the things i read.

 Chapter eighteen

    Author''s notes. I m sleepy and so there are probably a few things that dont make sense with the chapter. Im assuming anyway. If you find any problems, tell me. Also, i got a new review today. I have no idea if what im writing is as good as others make it out to be, but im trying to improve. I realize i have some weak points that need tending to. Heh, last chapter i made flop where i kept saying the four when there were only three people listening to Roland!

    Heh, felt a bit embarressed after someone pointed that out but i was also grateful.  Anyway, i thank Aszai for his review. I got more motivated to write today because of it. As i said im pretty tired and so if you spot any plot holes  or anything here, just let me know and i will either explain my reasons for it or fix them up.  Note that i may update this later if im not satisfied with it.

    ----------------------

    The three were completely unprepared. Saren was the first react. He raised his sword to intercept Roland''s attack. Before he realized what happened, Roland''s sword disappeared like a ghost and Saren felt a massive impact to his side. The force threw him several feet to the right, his body sent flying before he crashed on the ground.

    Blood started flowing out of his mouth and he felt bruised all over. The power behind the attack was absolutely tyrannical and overbearing. If Roland had not held back, Saren was sure he would be dead. He was almost certain he had several fractures in different areas of his body and his head started leaking red, covering one of his eyes.

    It was an attack that was entirely ruthless and without hesitation.

    Lilith readied her spear during the exchange, preparing to attack. She knew that Roland could kill anyone of them easily, and that he would likely not injure them too severly. He must be holding back quite a lot. Knowing that, she charged without fear.

    James was different. He somehow felt strength in his entire body that welled up from an unknown source. However, he held back and observed the three others. He assumed that Roland began attacking to help them understand those so-called  Laws better. The odd state of their minds was, he guessed, somehing that could be of great benefit for them. This entire battle was likely to help them improve their combat ability.

    He searched for weaknesses to exploit, but found none. Meanwhile, Saren dragged himself off the ground and joined Lilith in the fight. From James'' estimation, that attack previously should have incapacitated his brother. Why was he able to stand?

    James watched as his brother and Lilith exchanged blows with Roland. Their figures were getting faster and faster as time went on. When Roland''s back was to him, James took a chance and struck.

    As he lunged, his sword, though  faintly, let out a cold aura. But James didnt notice this and concentrated on his target. Right when it appeared the sword would strike flesh, Roland''s figure faded out of existence.

    James felt a overwhelming sense of danger. The other two who been attacking Roland from the front in unison, had reached out to strike an instant before and were unable to  stop their weapons. James, who was now in Roland''s place, faced the attacks from the two. But that sense of danger wasnt from them, rather, it was coming from directly behind him!

    Saren used everything he had to change the direction of his blade, and luckily the edge only cut into James'' side.  Lilith was similar, but the tip of her spear had buried itself into his stomach, forcing him to let out a scream of pain.

    James and his brother had encountered many dangers throughout their lives and they had the scars to prove it. This was not the first time James had a sharp object buried in him, but never has he had a wound this serious.

    Just then, he felt a warm, wet feeling across his back. Roland, appearing behind him, had blood dripping from his sword.

    Everything stopped.  James found himself unable to move and felt an intense wave of pain assaulting him. His vision clouded over and the sounds around him felt so far away, unreachable. Finally, he passed out and crumpled to the ground, the blood starting to pool around him. Meanwhile  Roland delivered a kick to the other two stunned teenagers and sent them hurtling thirty feet back.

    He let out a cold snort. " Dont think you can get out of this that easily." He pulled out the spear. From further away, the two showed shocked expressions as Roland lifted the boy by his head and threw him towards them. Saren caught his brother and saw that the previous wound had vanished. James opened his eyes slowly.

    "Get up. let''s go again."

    The rest of the next few hours went in a similar fashion. As the battle went on, the three had experienced an odd sensation well up in them. Every second the brothers contemplated the Sword Laws and caused their attacks to become wholly instinctive. They felt a sharp and cold aura from their swords as they slowly understood more about the Sword Laws and although they could not manipulate that strange aura, they could now sense it was there.

    Lilith was even better off. Roland''s previous words circled around in her mind over and over. As she fought on it was like there was a light slowly getting closer and closer with each breath. She was lost in the strange sensation. Her spear strikes seemed to get faster and more fluid every moment until it was almost as if she had begun to merge with the weapon itself.

    The three had now entirely immersed themselves into someplace far away, a state of mind within them that was like an endless void which shut everything out. Yet it seemed as if their minds had been split in two. One side was secluded in the void comprehending the Laws while  the other, more primal side battled Roland with unbridled passion and focus.

    Though they were always riddled with wounds, some that would have been fatal, it didnt affect them much. Roland  seemed to enjoy tricking them into harming each other, and that was why the more serious wounds were caused by their own hands. But somehow it was like he completely dominated their every action, moving in a way that forced their movements to follow his will so that no matter what happened they would not instantly die from an accident.

    And once the wounds began affecting their combat ability, he immediately healed them.

    After some time, their bodies didnt even flinch from the injuries they recieved and attacked Roland without worry. Though they still felt a innate fear of pain, so they were unconsciously more careful when fighting too close to each other.

    They all had become consumed in battle and that immensly helped them understand the Laws faster. In the flames of battle, Roland and his beatings were the hammer that forged them.

    However, the strange state they were in started fading, and with it their fighting ability stopped rising. Soon their movements became duller as fatigue set in. They had fought much too long, and now they felt sluggish and weak. Lilith was the first to quit once Roland flipped her on her back.  She rested, unable to move, for several minutes before slowly getting up, her muscles sore, her breath coming out in erratic pants of exhaustion as sweat rolled down her tired body.

    After catching her breath, she  began watching the others continue from the side, appearing deep in thought.

    " Well, i think this should be enough." Roland, seeing that the three were no longer able to fight, lowered his sword. " All of you should stretch a bit  and then go take a shower before bed. It''s pretty late anyway" In fact, it was already midnight. Hoe odd. The nights here seemed short.

    Roland was a bit pleased with their progress. The brothers now seemed able to faintly sense Sword force and it looked like Lilith had begun learning how to become one with her spear. These things may not sound anything amazing, but they would increase there battle potential tremendously. All things considered, this was pretty good.

    Even if Roland helped them achieve a termporary state where they could comprehend Laws easier, how far they could go depended entirely on themselves!

    ---------

    The next day, Roland went to Loki''s office. The three had still been asleep when he left. He heared their soft breathing. Reina had seemed to not leave her room since she got back yesterday. Her hightened senses would take time to completly get used to.

    When he approached Loki''s office, a pretty looking woman rushed past.

    " Ah! Wait!" Loki, in his adult form,  suddenly appeared from the doorway shirtless and called out to her. He held a piece of black cloth in his hand " You forgot your-" But she was already long gone." Oh well." He sighed. "Guess I''ll just add them to my collection then" He laughed flippantly.

    " So, who was the woman this time?" Roland asked. Loki shifted his gaze to his friend, seeming to only notice him now.

    " Cant remember her name. I dont think we ever got to that part".

    " She didnt seem like a student" Roland commented.

    " She''s  a wood nymph from around here. Been courting that one ever since she bound her Tree to the forest, but that little tease had always been so aloof! Luckily she said she heard  terrifying screams last night and rushed straight to my door, afraid to be alone. One thing led to another, and. . . .Hehe, gotta love those wood nymphs. " Loki finished, letting out a lecherous laugh while grinning.

    "You''re welome"

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Loki looked at him quizzically before coming to slowly understanding something. " Must have been some pretty pitiful fellows" He mumbled

    Roland was quite calm. Loki, despite his personality, had always been a fairly lustful guy and finding him after a night with a woman wasnt anything new. If he wasnt lazing around or causing trouble, you could bet he was with a woman." So, what did you stop by for?" Loki stetched as  Roland followed him into the room.

    As the two sat down, Roland took out the black bead and showed it to him.

    " Oh, so its that thing huh" He yawned

    "You''ve seen this before?"

    Loki paused slightly before refuting. " What? No. Of course not. When did I say that? This is the first im seeing of it, you know? What, are you accusing me of something?" He let out a string of words at a fast pace. Roland looked at him suspiciously but chose to let it go.

    "Well, do you know what it is or not?" He asked in irritation

    "Let me see it" Roland handed it over. Loki started looking at the bead from every angle, examining it thoroughly. He sniffed at it and licked it, even going so far as to bite it before handing it back. Roland had a disgusted expression and  used a cleansing spell before touching it.

    "Well?"

    "Well what?"

    "Did you find out what it is?"

    "OH!! Well, its a key,  isnt it?."

    Roland showed interest. " A key to what?"

    " Dont know. It seems dead. Inactive.  But its odd. It doesnt seem like just a key. More like, a piece of one? No, its possible that it isnt even a key at all. Thats just what it felt like. Im a  bit vague on that. It was emmitting a faint signal of some kind.  Maybe like a distress signal? In any case, i should hang on to it and do some more in-depth research. I sensed a thousand layer seal placed on it. Whatever that thing is, it  cant be ordinary."

    How odd, thought Roland. What would something like this be doing inside Reina? Could the other three have ones too?

    Loki snatched the bead back and peered at it, as if annoyed it didnt reveal its secrets to him. " Hmph, trying to hide things from me. Quite arrogant arent you? Just wait for what this daddy has in store for you!" He declared.

    "Ah, speaking of, do you mind explaining why your son has been skipping my classes?" Roland smiled. Loki hated when he smiled like that.

    " Well . . .that girl does what she wants. I really have no control over her"

    Girl, huh. Well, at least Roland knew what to  address her as now.  Roland disliked  beings who could switch gender. It was a headache.

    " But as the father, you have to take responsibility." He kept smiling.

    Loki felt a chill. Dammit that girl, every time she causes trouble I get blamed for it! I told her to behave this time! This guy, he really doesnt show mercy!

    Loki had warned that daughter of his quite some time ago to attand her classes properly, and again when he appointed Roland as an instructor, but that girl went and ignored him!

    " So, are you going to have a talk with her?"

    " Even if i dont she wouldnt listen!" Loki protested.

    " Thats your problem. Man up. She''s your daughter."

    "Ugh, dont remind me. That girl, i love her to death but she is damn annoying to deal with, you know?"

    "She probably gets that from you" Roland said drily

    "More like her mother. That woman, i dont know why i ever liked her." Loki sulked.

    " So I assume I wont have to waste time tracking the girl down then? It would be a real pain. She does have your shape shifting ability right?"

    " Yup. Hehe, just like her old man." He said with sudden pride. " Even you would have a difficult time finding her!"

    " I''ll leave it to you then"

    Loki''s expression faltered. " About that. . . Dont expect anything okay? I mean i can find her,,but. . .She really doesnt listen to me at all." He sighed

    "Again, thats your problem. By the way, why didnt I ever meet her before?"

    They had been friends for a few years now, afterall.

    " Hm? Ah . . .Well, you know, i didnt really trust you around her."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "Well, when we traveled together you  were, uh, you know. . . "

    "Ah. . .Right. That." Roland understood, frowning. To explain, his body was a bit strange. His body''s appearance matured faster than most. When he was thirteen, around the time he met Loki,  he already could pass for a fourteen or fifteen year old.  Oddly neough, his sex drive increased too. Maybe as a result of his body''s fast growth.

    Whatever the reason, even his personality changed a bit.The fact that he experienced an increased libido was irrefutable. Though he never lost himself in lust and had never taken unwanted liberties with women, it was rare for Roland to be alone during nights, much to his shame.

    He could only say that his teenage hormones had went into overdrive at the time.

    Loki''s caution was understandable.

    " Well, that wont be a problem anymore though." Which was true. The time of Roland''s increased sex drive had only lasted until his sixteenth year before he was able to control them. Not that he didnt feel it, but rather that he was able to restrain himself much easier now. Actually, Roland was surprised he didnt become a father during that time. Not that he was complaining. With his circumstances, having a child would be cruel to everyone involved.

    "You say that, but now you dont even need to actively seek out women" Loki muttered

    "What?"

    " Nothing~"

    "Well, whatever. Just make sure she doesnt skip any of my classes anymore, got it?"

    "Yeah, yeah~ I ''ll do what i can anyway"

    "Good enough. Ah, right, are there any dangerous areas around here?"

    "Dangerous. . . Not especially. Why?"

    "Special training.  I want to take some students for a bit of an educational trip."

    Loki''s eyes brightened. " Sounds fun. Hey, why dont we include the whole school then? We dont really have anything important to do anyway. There arent many places here that are very dangerous, but we could travel to the Teleportation Array not far from here and use it to open up a place somewhere exciting."

    Loki didnt mention taking them there via telepotation. There was a limit to how many he could teleport, and even if there wasnt, things like that were not possible near the Array. They should just make the entire journey by caravans  or something, that way they could sightsee.

    Loki hadnt been outside in a while and Roland would want to explore anyway. They could teleport half the way, but there was no rush in the first place. Why shouldnt they take things slow?

    Roland nodded " Sounds good. How about somewhere in the Higher Planes?  A sub-world perhaps?"

    " I was thinking a pocket dimension, but that sounds even better. Plenty of dangerous places in the Higher Planes that havent been discovered yet. Come to think of it, didnt we get into a bit of a predicament last time we went there? The students may not survive. And if something happens to Michael, Zeus would have my hide hanging above his fireplace. Not to mention what that woman would do to me if her precious  Fenris got hurt."

    " Dont worry.  If anything goes wrong I''ll handle it personally.  Plus,  I sensed that there are a few pretty strong guys that havent shown themselves, right? They could help a bit."

    "They''re a bit above average, yeah, but. . . Well. . . .If you''re there it should be fine. The two of us should be able to handle anything. If it was just by myself i cant ensure a few wouldnt die. We can go in about a week? We need to prepare properly after all." Which was true, but Loki simply wanted to wait until Morrigan got back. If she showed up but they were already gone, how disappointing would that be? Heh, Roland wouldnt get any peace after she gets here! " And the  girls'' adoptive family should be here any time now. Ah, right, are those four going too?"

    "Why not? This will be a good opportunity for them. But I wanted to look for Sol too. I want him to examine their curses further. I was going to used the trip as an opportunity to look for him on the way."

    " No need. He should be somewhere near the Array. That guy has been sniffing around for some punk who robbed him and he has the Array under close watch so the little thief doesnt get away. He''s  been casting locator spells constantly. He may already know of your arrival if he used one of those spells during the time you showed up. Even if not, I dont think finding him will be too hard."

    "Thief, huh. I feel sorry for the poor idiot. Anyway, thats good, since i can catch two birds with one stone."

    " Well then, I''ll start the preparations. Im thinking that instead of having everyone go by caravan and such, why not go airship? We could make several stops along the way.  We would have to anyway since the fuel consumption is insane."

    "I thought you said it wasnt far though?"

    "Yeah, relatively speaking . It would take a good few days, really."

    Roland shrugged. "i want to see a bit more of this world anyway. Im not complaining."

    "Good. If thats all, I want to get working on this bead. Damn tease, I''ll pry the answers out of you, hehehe~" Loki eyed the bead maliciously.

 Intermission-2

    Author''s Notes: WAIT!! . . . now, before you read, i simply want to warn that there is a bit of, uh, sexual content in this one. I wanted to make this intermission since a while back, and it was only now that i thought the time was right to post it. Since im inexperienced in writing scenes that have a sexual nature, tell me how I did. Remember to rate, review, and comment on whatever you like. Point out any mistakes you find please :)

    ----------------------------

    In a  frozen city, a large castle stood, forlornly, as the desolate cold winds echoed throughout the land.

    Within the entire city,  countless people were frozen like statures. These were people who were judged guilty. Of what, it was never known. Surprisingly, very few were women or children. There were many survivors who had escaped, but the reason of their survival was something that was a mystery.

    The phenomena that had turned the city into its current state came without warning, and there was no explanation for why some were affected while others were not.

    Inside the castle, only two people remained unharmed. One was a handsome black haired youth with a cold, arrogant look to him. He had a mysterious aura to him, as if there was nothing in the world that could possible  hold him down. He seemed completely cut off from the rest of the world, pristine and untouchable to others.

    This youth sat on a tall throne made of gold, and beside him, looking at him with infinite softness, was a woman with snow white hair and bright  red eyes. This woman held a fae-like beauty, her face youthful but her body containing the  charm of a mature woman.  The aura of seduction that she emitted  was not deliberate, but rather seemed to seep out naturally from her body as if she could entice all the men in the world with a mere glance.  Her smooth, milky skin and full pink lips were a wonder to behold

    The two seemed to fit perfectly together, their attractivness and otherworldy auras complimenting each other in a way that made one believe they were a match made in heaven.

    " Have you finished venting you rage now, my dearest one?" The woman loooked tenderly at the youth by her side, smiling lovingly.

    " I suppose. Though leaving their pitiful souls intact was too merciful for the likes of them." The youth spoke, his voice enough to send shivers down even the bravest of men.

    It was indeed this very youth who had cause the disaster to befall the city. Using a Forbidden Spell, the entire land became frozen, even time seemed to slow to a crawl inside.

    " You could have let them live. You''re  just making more work for me, you know. Killing others is such a distasteful thing."  She sighed.

    the youth laughed, "Coming from a person with your particular occupation, those words ring a bit hollow."

    The woman smiled. Indeed, from her, such words seemed utterly laughable. In truth, killing millions would not affect her in the slightest, but the work that came after? That was truly tiresome to deal with.

    This was the 18th nation that he had subjugated. Now, in this world he was unrivaled. Having put the entire world under his will, he had long set out to destroy the things that were previously so corrupt he thought unforgivable. This city was the last one, the place where he decided his conquest would truly end. Now that he had won the world and destroyed the sinners that he believed needed to be punished for their crimes, he could finally rest.

    "Well, now that we have the place to ourselves . . . " The woman smiled coquettishly, a smile that had only ever been shown to him, with a bright gleam in her eye.

    The woman lowered her face and kissed him. He returned it with a fervor, rising from the throne and deepening the kiss, a look of lust and passion upon his face that made the woman strangely happy.

    She loved him. When thinking of him, her heart beat, and when they were apart, it ached. She had never known such a feeling, but when she was with him she had wanted to hold hm close for an eternity and not let go.

    To be embraced by the one she loved like this, to be desired by him, she felt a certain joy that welled up from her deepest being and became incomparably tender.

    She became lost in the kiss, opening herself to him as his tongue dominated her mouth, breathing him in. She let out a deep sigh from the back of her throat, content.

    When the kiss was broken, she felt a bit resentful.

    " Dear. . . " The woman suddenly called to him, her voice breaking.

    The time of their seperation was getting closer each day.

    ----------

    The world underwent a major change.  The inhabitents had long ago lost the ability to commit crimes the youth found truly unsavory. They had all been placed under his will, foced to follow his idea of peace and order. Which wasnt to say they lacked free will. They simply could not commit crimes that the youth would condemn. They were in a state were they could do as they wished, within certain limits.

    Though it may sound bad, the result was that they experience true world peace, of at least a version of it. It was a concept that any would have thought impossible. Yet, as they now lived under the will of another, everything was different.

    It became a near utopian world where, under the command of another, they almost welcomed the change.

    Two years had passed since the time when that desert city became a world of ice and snow.

    Currently,  the youth and the woman were inside a lavish chamber, light pouring in from the large windows.

    The two were locked in a tight embrace. The youth, now having  grown into a fine young man in full, had slipped a hand under the woman''s garments, feeling the softeness of her breast and the hardnes of her nipple, like a tiny pearl under his palm,

    The woman moaned in pleasure as he pinched it, kissing her deeply. The woman loved him, the way he invaded her mouth unlike anything she had ever felt before. He let out a small, primal  growl and took her to the bed. The woman savored the moment, etching evey detail into her mind.

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    The young man felt a hardening below, but did nothing about it yet. He instead made sure the woman was thoroughly pleased, kissing  her neck, then her breasts  and slowly working his hand  down until  he reached her special place.

    She let out a small gasp, feeling his fingers inside her.  She shuddered against him, her legs quaking. . His mouth and tongue paid special attention to her breasts, the power that was building inside her staggering to new heights.

    He then lowered his head, sliding his tongue into her, sending shockwaves throughout her body. Her soft moans were music to his ears, driving him on. The man had quite some experience, and he had never let himself be pleasured before making sure the woman herself was plaasured. And for this woman, he was even more meticulous and did everything that would make her scream in ecstacy.

    When she was good and wet, breathing hard, he stood up again and slowly slid himself inside her. She clearly felt how each of his thrusts threatened to destroy her and held onto him for support. Her fingernails made faint wounds on  his back, her way of marking him as hers, forever.

    Her breasts rose and fell as he increased the tempo, making her body go wild, her mind becoming nearly blank as she concentrated on each of his movements inside her. Her breathing became ragged, hard.

    The woman welcomed all of him inside, clinging to his strong chest as they became one. In the past two years, they had not concerned themselves with anything but each other. The world, now that the man had united it under his will, did not need further fixing. They left it to govern itself,  while they remained secluded inside the palace.  He knew, under his compulsion, nothing could happen that would further displease him.

    Every day they spent in bliss,  not ever letting the other out of sight while their nights were always spent in each other''s arms just like now. However, today was different.

    The woman held infinite tenderness in her heart for the man, happily enjoying every second of their time together. She had already long reach the point were she felt she could not live without him, and the man had thought the same.

    The man, as he embraced her wicked body, feeling her softness against him,  had once again kissed her. But this time it was much deeper, meaningful.

    "I love you, my dearest husband," She whispered. Today, was their wedding day. This day, was the happiest of their lives. Friends and family had come to wish them well. The woman had none of those in this world, but the man had many, and each of them had long since considered the woman part of the family, showering her in deep affection.

    She, who had always remained cold and merciless, had found that with him by her side she truly could not be considered the same as the her from the time before they met. Somehow and before she knew it, he had made her heart into something that was all his own.  Now, in him doing so, she was truly content and happy, wanting nothing more than to always remain by his side.

    For his part, the man had long decided that she would be the one to hold his heart in her hand. He loved her fiercely and without end. To him, she was his world. The two, when they looked at each other, had saw the rest of thier life reflected in the other''s eyes.

    The man had attained a level of power where subjugating a planet was mere child''s play. He had  the chance to move to a higher plane of existence, but such things held no appeal to him. He had friends anf family here. Why waste what little time he had on trivial matters like that?

    So  spending the last of his time here was what he decided.  And the woman had not gone against him on this. That place, though it may not pose a threat to the two of them combined, would not leave them much time to concentrate on each other.

    This day, sounds of  moaning  echoed throughout the empty halls. The two did not leave the room for a long, long time.

    ----------------

    Nearly a year later.

    The woman held a serene smile on her face, looking down at the bundle in her arms.

    " She''s beautiful" The man smiled, staring at  the lifeform in his wife''s arms with an entranced expression.

    "What should we name her?"

    The man suddenly had a faraway look in his eye, as if trying to recall  things long past. " Grace. Lets name her Grace"  He smiled again, soft, gentle, at some unknown memory.

    The woman let out a curious look. " Why Grace?"

    "I dont know. It simply feels right." The man had a sudden pained look, his face sad. The man didnt understand fully  the profound sadness the dwelled within him at the name, but he knew he would likely never understand anyway. He merely let the emotions roll over him.

    His wife, seeing him like that, simply nodded her head gently. " Grace it is then. A wonderful name. My little grace" She laughed, poking the baby with a finger.

    The baby had snow white hair like her mother  but her eyes, like her father''s, were a brilliant azure blue which seemed to contain all the mysteries in creation.  She radiated a powerful aura even though she was still so young. This level of power, in the future, how terrifying would she become?

    The man, overcome with emotion, spoke. " I love you. Both of you. If  only I had more time, I . . ."  The words didnt come. The man rarely let out such emotions, but for these two, he held nothing back. They were his everything.

    "Shh, my dear. It''s okay. I will find you again. I''ll always find you." She firmly believed this with all her heart.  Even if in another life he found somone else, she would not let him go, ever.

    Seven days later, the man disapppeared without a trace. The woman, child in her arms, cried. In the end, there were no tears left to shed, and the wound caused by his absence,  would not be healed for many years to come.

 Chapter Nineteen

    Several hours later, a large explosion sounded off inside Loki''s office.

    "%$^@#!!" Loki spouted a string of obscenities in a long-dead language.

    This damn stupid bead!! Who the hell places such complicated seals on a  bead?! Thousand layers, fuck, even the first 109 were goddamn annoying!!

    Loki had made a misstep in solving the 110th seal, causing it to explode in his face.

    He was quite angry, glaring at the bead as if it was his archenemy, as if it has comitted some personal wrong against him.  The bead was comprised of at least a thousand layers of seals, but each one of those seals were comprised of smaller sub-seals. Each single seal was created from a series of smaller, more intricate seals that formed a very complicated pattern, all of them constantly changing and evolving as time went on.

    This made it so that the formula to unlock each seal changed every minute. Not only that, but each time you unlocked a seal, the next would be nearly double the difficulty as the previous! What kind of sadistic individual created this thing?!

    Was this not created simply to wear down a person''s patience?

    Suddenly, Loki felt him being called. With a snap of his fingers, a giant flat crystal screen appeared in front of him.

    "Yes?'' He asked in irritation, his mood sour.

    A beautiful woman appeared on the screen, wearing a set of silvery armor and sporting a head of light blonde hair, looking every bit the warrior she was.

    "Lord Loki, we have nearly reached the academy with the family, as you requested. However, we have run into a bit of a problem."

    "Well, what is it?"

    "There is a large number  of soldiers blocking the path. They say they are with the clan of two of the people in your care and are demanding that we take them to see you and ask that you relinquish them. How should we responde?" The voice was cold and indifferent.

    Loki was now even more annoyed. That damn clan, as soon as they heard about how the two girls were with Loki they immediately demanded he hand them over.

    "Kill them. Why even bother me with this? Im busy! Hurry up and deal with it."

    "Understood. All obstacles shall be eliminated. However, this will delay our arrival considerably"

    "Fine, fine. Just dont let the family come into any harm, got it?  Ah, also, dont let them near the bloodshed."

    "I hear and obey, Lord Loki. We will arrive first thing in the morning."  The connection broke, the screen going dark.

    Loki sent Abigail to inform Roland and the rest of the delay before returning to work on the bead

    -----

    Sometime later, the woman who had talked to Loki turned and looked over at the several dozen corpses littering the ground, her gaze showing absolute calmness.

    "Lets go" She commanded. The ten-odd group of silver-clad maidens set off.

    Three people sat in a carriage several dozen feet behind them, escorted by two more  armored maidens. One was a man with deep brown hair and a fit physique, just past his prime. He had an arrogant and imposing manner to him, a sharpness in his eyes that could cut diamonds.

    As if to contrast this, the woman, who still retained her youthfulness and beauty, had a motherly look to her. She had  a gentleness in her eyes and looked as if she smiled often. The feeling one got from her was warm and likable.

    Sleeping on her lap was a small, adorable young girl.

    The latest battle had lasted a total of three minutes, longer than the last, but no noise from any of the battles had entered the carriage.

    -----------

    early the next morning, Loki called Roland and the other four into his office.  When they arrived, there was a middle-aged man and woman who sat on some of the chairs, along with a still-sleeping young girl napping on a couch to the side,

    The girls, upon seeing them, let out jubilant cries.

    "Mother! Father! "  The two rushed at the man and woman, throwing their arms around them. They had little memory of their actualy birth parents, and so the two before them who had treated them with love and kindness since young were like their true family. Obviously they were excited to see them.

    "Reina, Lilith, we missed you so much!" The woman had tears in her eyes, hugging them tightly. The man was more conservative, but one could notice the relief and fatherly affection in his gaze. He smiled, patting them on the back and giving them a firm squeeze on the shoulder.

    "Oh, you two had me so worried! Where have you two been? you''ve been gone for several days! I, I thought that despicably   clan of yours had come to retrieve you. That we wouldnt see you  two again. . . " She let out a sniffle,  holding them even tighter. The two felt deeply ashamed to make their mother worry so much.

    "It''s okay, we''re still here, okay? We arent going anywhere" Lilith assured her, speaking softly.

    " Thank goodness you two are okay." The woman smiled" Oh? Somehow, you two seem a bit taller?" The woman commented. No, didnt they seem just a bit older?

    The father, meanwhile,  turned his sharp gaze to  the men who had arrived with them. The two younger ones looked pretty similar to eah other, most likely brothers. They were both young men and had blonde hair with tall, muscular bodies. One of the two had a scowel, but didnt seem to be a bad sort. The younger looking one had a thoughtful look about him, but had a stubbornness to his chin that the man had often seen in young warriors.

    The other man had midnight black hair and a tall frame that wasnt as muscular as the other two but was more compact and defined. The way he moved, as if one with the rhythm of the earth, was like a predator in his element. Graceful, yet at the some time almost primal. From his gait, the man was almost certain he was a swordsman, and a skilled one at that.

    The most attention grabbing was perhaps his deep azure blue eyes that seemed almost to glow with an inner light. They seemed to pierce through you. When was the last time that the man had felt this deep sense of insecurity around someone? No, rather, it was a sense fear?

    The older man thought that the person before him was very dangerous.  He had a faint aura of blood about him that could only be acquired after killing countless people. But the man had known many individuals like that. Something like this wouldnt cause him to be on guard.

    He couldnt explain it, but his every sense told him to be very careful around the young man.

    He regarded him cautiously.

    The young man didnt seem to even notice.

    "Girls, these three are. . .?"

    "Oh, right. Sorry. Let me introduce you. The two over there are brothers.  The older one is named Saren and his younger brother is named James. The last one is Roland. He''s the one who helped us out. Still helping us"  Reina made a quick introduction.

    " Helping with what?" The mother asked suspiciously

    "Before we get into that, how long did you say the two were missing?" Roland cut in, a small frown upon his face, seeming to have caught on to something.

    The woman peered at him for several seconds before she answered. " . . .Several days. We were so worried when they suddenly disappeared"

    "Several days. . .?" He muttered. He walked to Loki, speaking low. " That cant be right. Loki--"

    " Yeah, i know. When i felt their minds, they had at least several months worth of blocked memories. Do you think . . .?"

    "Yeah."

    Probably. . . a sub-dimension. Like pocket dimensions, but much larger. Places that have their own Time Laws. If they entered a place like that, then a day in this world could be several weeks or more within the sub-dimension. But entrances to such places were rare in the lower realms. Just where could they have entered one from? And when exactly?

    His thoughts were interupted by a cold voice."Can you explain exactly what is going on? Why these two suddenly disappeared, and who you are?" The middle-aged man cut straight to the point.

    "Hm? Ah. . . Well, the situation is a bit difficult to explain. We arent too clear on things either."  Roland said.

    Roland roughly explained the situation from  the beginning. The mother showed shocked a expression. However, the father had a grim look in his face, his thoughts well-hidden.

    "This curse. . . What proof do you have that it truly exists? For all we know, you had kidnapped them yourselves and created an elaborate ruse to get them to trust you.  I can sense nothing wrong with either of them." The man accused.

    "Father!" Reina exclaimed.

    To make such accusation, wasnt that a bit too unreasonable?!

    However, Roland was as calm as ever.

    "The curse, we believe, was created when they were very young or perhaps even the day they were all born. It is natural you would sense nothing wrong with them.  As for proof. . ." Roland walked towards Reina. Slowly, he raised a hand and flicked her on the forehead.

    The strange move caused eveyone but Loki to look at him oddly.

    "OW! What was--?"

    Suddenly, everyone felt a cold, malicious energy erupt from her body. Her eyes turned white, falling unconscious, and a thick miasma of dark energy seeped from her pores which was slowly eroding everything in its path.

    A powerful wind flowed inside the room, causing various objects to be thrown around chaotically.

    "What did you do to her!" Lilith yelled.

    Everyone but Roland and Loki was pushed back several steps by the strong force that accompanied the malevolent aura. A strange feeling of dread welled up in their hearts. The father instinctivly held his wife''s shoulder and put himself in front of her body to protect her. From what, he was not entirely sure.

    The young girl was still sleeping, undirsturbed and protected inside a glowing sphere that Loki had conjured an instant before.  Yet even then. she  furrowed her eyebrows as if in a nighmare.

    Suddenly, a glowing golden mark appeared on Reina''s forehead where Roland had flicked her. A gold brilliance burt forth and thoroughly surpressed the evil aura.

    The entire thing lasted only seconds, but once it passed a death-like silence filled the room.

    Roland caught Reina''s unconscious body before it hit the ground,  "Was that enough proof for you?"  He asked coolly.

    The father looked coldly at the young man. " Explain."

    Roland smiled, knowing he had won." This was something that only developed recently. Im not entirely sure what is causing it, but im certain that it has to due with the cures they all bear. Each one is different, and hers is only the first to manifest. Soon, the others probably will awaken as well. The curse is real. If you doubt everything else, at least believe in that."

    The older man frowned, thinking. He didnt think that the younger man would take such drastic actions.  However, that cold and evil aura. . .It felt like it was almost draining the lifeforce from its surroundings.  Truly terrifying. He no longer doubted Roland. He had much experience, and he knew a curse when he felt one. But, he never encountered one so powerful as to manifest its own aura like that.

    Could Lilith truly have something like that inside her as well? From his story, that young man Roland had instantly sensed the curses on their bodies.

    The father now knew that there was indeed a curse on Reina, and likely on the other three. But that still didnt mean Roland had nothing to do with it. He could have planted them himself, or had someone else do it and spun this story to appeare like a kind savior.

    He could have simply held the two ransom though. Yet he didnt. Was he aware of the background behind the two girls? If so, that could explain why he chose the route he did. Of course he would not want to invoke that family''s wrath. But, would someone who knew their background really dare to make such plots? No. At least not without substantial backing of their own.

    And the two boys, there would be no reason to involve them. From their bearing, they were probably of common birth. Using them in such a ruse would serve no worthwhile purpose.

    If Roland was truly so audacious as to plot against them like this, what was his aim? Money? Priceless artifacts?

    The man himself  had access to such things. It was also possible that the man wanted the girl''s real family to feel indebted to him. The man had seen how Reina had looked at Roland as she introduced him, so full of trust. It could be Roland wanted to marry into her family. It would make sense, especially now of all times.

    Create an elaborate ruse where he kidnapped the two, drugged them to make them not remember the last few day, have a curse placed on them, hire some experts to threaten the girls and then defeat the evildoers while suddenly "discovering" said curses and offer to help them remove it.

    Then, as he appeared like a hero in their eyes, slowly woo one of them and at the same time help  remove the curses. After, he would tell his accomplishments to the girls'' family to gain their favor and eventually make himself useful so that he would have a position to ask for the hand of one of the girls.

    Such a plan may even work, as Roland was definitely not simple. Even if he embellished the story and had not truly beaten a group of Immortals, he should still be pretty strong!

    And even in these times, strength made a lot of difference. Even the girls'' original family would not want to turn down a young genius especially given their recent decline. It was not a great decline that they were incapable of getting out of, but because of it they would not turn away someone with talent.

    Even if they knew of the plot, Reina didnt have a high status among her clan.  If Roland knew even that, then he probably concentrated efforts on her alone.  If it was only Reina, even if the clan discovered what Roland was up to, they may not care and even welcome him into their fold. Reina would probably be married off anyway, why wouldnt they use her to rope in a talented individual?

    Hoever, as the man thought more, he didnt think any of that was the case. First, the boys, as far as he could tell,  were of no use and involving them in this would only complicate things. No one would make such a mistake if they intended to pull the wool over the eyes of the clan the girls belonged to.

    Second. . . The man knew very well who the young boy beside Roland was. God of mischief, fire and insanity, the next in line to rule over Asgard and one of the most influential beings in the Higher Planes,  Loki Jotunheim!

    As enigmatic as Loki was said to be, would he make friends with a mere nobody who only thought of personal gain?

    Never. He would also not mix with some shameless liar!  So, Roland''s story was most likely true!

    If he accepted that everything Roland said was true, and that he defeated several Immortals, then the thought of someone that powerful thinking up such a dastardly plan was laughable. If true, then Roland was already as strong as himself, an expert that cared not for mortal machinations and bids for power.

    Appearances were not always what they seemed, as many experts had youthful appearance.  Perhaps the young man was even older than himself!

    The man had already made up his mind that Roland was probably an old expert, one who was even friends with the Mischief-Maker himself, Loki!

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    This belief hinged on the mere fact that Loki was present!

    "Alright, but exactly what do you have in mind that could help them?"

    " Im planning a certain trip in a few days. I have a friend on the planet who may be able to help, and once we leave, we will take the opportunity to look for him" Roland explained.

    The older man looked at Lilith and the two brother. " What if their curses activate before then?"

    "I''m pretty sure i can forcible surpress the boy''s curses for at least a while even if they do activate. Theirs seem pretty straightforward, so unless i have seriously misjudged their properties, nothing is of real concern there. Lilith and Reina, however, are a different matter. I  cant see through Lilith''s curse, and Reina''s is equally complicated. Right now Reina is in possession of a Divine Flame that is keeping that malevolent force at bay, but i can feel it is growing stronger each day. If something isnt done, she will be taken over by that force. After that, i will be forced to kill her before she becomes a danger to others."

    Divine Flame!

    As soon as he heard the words, he showed surprise. Something like a Divine Flame, even if he searched for his entire life, he may not be able to find even a clue as to one''s location. Even if he did, would capturing it really be easy? Finding one was actually the easy part!

    The woman, hearing this, rushed towards Reina''s side and took  her from Roland''s hands. She cradled her head, looking at her husband. " Dear, we cant let that happen! We have to do something!" She cried.

    "I know, But. . . "

    "I have already examined them myself. I dont know how to cure them.  This is outside my knowledge, but our friend will most likely be able to help. Well, probably anyway~ More like, if he cant help, we would probably have to take more drastic measures~" Loki cut in, humming softy. If Solomon couldnt help, then they could always take the four to the Higher Planes. Someone there would know how to help, he was sure.  But, they have quite a few enemies there. It would cause a lot of trouble and dealing with it would waste a lot of time.

    Roland wouldnt go through that much of an annoying time for just anyone though. And Loki himself doesnt really mind if the four die. He doesnt have any strong feelings for them, but after a few days of living together Roland may have developed a real liking to them.

    Arent they lucky~?

    the husband sighed. If Loki, as old and knowledgable as he was, was at his wit''s end then no one he knew would be able to help them either.

    It looks like if they want to get Lilith and Reina help then they can only rely on them and their mysterious friend.

    But with that clan demanding Reina and Lilith be handed over things may not go smoothly.

    " I cant leave them here alone after knowing all this." The husband began.

    "Dont worry, you can bunk with Roland and the rest. I have them all living together at the same place already and there is plenty of room for more." Loki said, sounding bored.

    The woman was furious when she heard this. " You have two underage girls living together with a group of  men?!"

    " Well, two boys and a man, but yes" Loki looked a bit interested in the woman''s expression. Actually, when he got a closer look, she was actually really pretty wasnt she?

    " Shameless!" The woman exclaimed. " Dont you have any tact? Two young, unmarried girls living under the same roof as three members of the opposite sex is unacceptable!"

    The husband also frowned. Reina and Lilith were, indeed, two beautiful women. To have them living together with the other three was not a wise idea.  He considered himself the father of the two young girls, and what father wanted his daughters to be living with a group of men?

    For their part, Saren and James were very offended. One part was from Loki''s comment, but the other was because they knew just what the husband and wife were thinking. When had they ever looked at the two girls with lust in their eyes?

    Although the two could truly be considered women of high quality, nether of them felt any bit of arousal for them. Rather, what they felt was a strange protectivness almost like what they had for each other. Saren wasnt even mad at Lilith for nearly killing James anymore.

    To assume that they akin to wolves eyeing their prey  hurt their pride and dignity.

    Lilith was also very indignant, eyeing her mother in displeasure. She was about to open her mouth to argue that she was perfectly capale of taking care of  herself, but thought better of it.

    Roland merely raised an eyebrow in front of the wife''s concern, wisely saying nothing.

    " I really dont see what the pro--" However, Loki who was intending to play the fool, was silenced with a sharp glare from the woman. He frowned.

    It has to be said that the only woman who had ever made him shut his mouth was his own  mother, Frigg.

    To be able to match her, wasnt this woman too overbearing? Even though she looked nice. . .

    "Well, let''s not get into that. For now, Let get you guy settl--"

    "Reirei . .? Lilith. . . ?" A soft, childish voice called out.

    "Lottie?"  Lilith looked at young girl staring at her groggily from across the room.

    "Lilith, why''s Reirei sleeping on the floor?"  The voice obviously belonged to the young girl. She seemed to be half-way between dream and reality. Her voice came out slow and quiet.

    The cute little girl made Roland smile a bit, wanting to pat the girl''s little head.

    Even Loki  had to resist the urge.

    The wife smiled down at her daughter." Dont worry honey, Reina is fine, okey? She was just a bit tired and fell asleep."

    "But, floors. . . Arent for sleeping, ''kay?"  The little girl asserted, rubbing an eye with the back of one of her tiny hands.

    Loki nearly choked.

    What was with these levels of cuteness? Even his own daughter was never this adorable!

    "Haha, i know dear, but she was really, really tired. Let her off the hook just this once, alright?" The woman pinched  on of the little girl''s cheeks, causing her to pout.

    " ''Kay. Just this once." She yawned softly, then prompty fell back to sleep.

    " . . . Hey, by any chance do you want to trade daughters?" Loki asked.

    The two parents looked at him coldly.

    " What? I had to ask" He sighed.

    "Well, as I was saying, let''s get y--"

    "Are you guys okay?!" At that moment, Abigail  barged into the room in a fluster. calling out to them loudly.

    "SHH!!" The mother glared at the younger woman.

    Abigail looked around, seeing the mess the room was in. However, the others all seemed weirdly calm in comparason to the chaos the room was in.

    ". . .Uh, did I. . . Miss something? I was sure i  felt . . " Abigail asked, confused. She was sure she felt some kind of evil force, and had rushed here to assess the situation. She Dindt think there was anything that could harm Roland and Loki, those two monsters, but the four tenagers, a married couple and their young daughter were a different matter.

    ". . .Siren" Roland suddenly said, having a flash of inspiration

    "What?"  Asked Abigail, mystified.

    " Nothing" Roland sighed, waving off her question. Damn, he was sure he was right that time. Sirens always knew when danger arrived, but it seems he was wrong. Although, if she was a Siren she would have let out a warning long before now. Hm, it seems he would have to think about it a bit more.

    How odd, Abigail thought. She had noticed recently that Roland had a strange habit where everytime he  saw her, he would say some strange word and then shake his head.  She was not sure what it meant, though. At this point she was a little scared to ask.

    " Anyway, while you''re here, take these two to get settled down will you. Ah, and remember to go out to one of the towns nearby and shop a bit. The girls cant exactly keep borrowing your clothes forever" Loki told her.

    For the past few days the two girls had been using some of Abigail''s clothes that she never really wore, but Lilith had a bit of trouble fitting in them, especially around the chest area.  Reina was a similar case, albeit not to the degree of her sister.

    Abigail''s eyes flashed. She rarely had the time to go out.  Loki was hopless and required extra attention, lest he set up something ridiculous like a gambling ring or something inside the school. His laziness and trouble-making made her job  10 times harder than it should have been.

    It was then that she noticed the state Reina was in. " She''s okay, right?" Concern was evident in her tone.

    " Probably" Loki shrugged.

    ". . . Okay then. Well, if you would two would follow me. . ." She led  the two parents out, the man grabbing the sleeping girl and carrying her on his shoulder. They cast a glance  at the others. However, it seemed as if they still had something to discuss and so they merely followed the woman out the door. Although they were worried about Reina''s currrent state, they knew Lilith would take good care of here sister. She always had.

    Reina was still unconscious, with Lilith holding her head.  Lilith  looked at Roland with fire in her eyes. " So, when were you planning on telling me that Reina''s curse actvated. And when you said ''recent development'', exactly how recent are e talking about here? Also, i dont see Saren and James all that surprised.  You dont mean to say that  you told them but neglected to tell her own sister, right?" She demanded.

    James was curious about that too." Yeah, why did you even reveal her condition?  I thought you s=didnt want to worry them."

    "True, i didnt. But i dont think their father would have believed my intentions otherwise. And even i i asked them not to, they would tell Lilith and Reina anyway. I didnt have to explain anything at all, but from a glance i knew that they really cared for these two.   They deserved to know everything, right?"

    "And I didnt? You told Saren and James, but you thought that it was okay to leave me out when it was my sister who was in danger?!"

    Roland scratched the back of his head. " Well. . . It wasnt really important for you to know. There wasnt anything you could do about it even if you knew. Why worry you? And as for how recent this happened, it was the day i took her out to train. Im not entirely sure what triggered it, though. Also, i did tell these two. It was a precaution. Their own curses could activate soon and they needed to know about it"

    "I didnt?"

    "That depends. Are you going to overreact like i thought you would?"

    "If i did, it would be justified!" She snapped. " You should have told me! She''s my sister!"

    " No, she''s  your princess, and you''re her knight. Was that not always the way it had been between you two? The little sister needing your protection, the one would couldnt fend for herself and you, the elder sibling, always coming to her rescue?" Roland scoffed. " But she isn''t as weak as you think." He told her. " Besides, even if i had told you, there was nothing you could have done to help. You would have gotten angry and frustrated over something you cant control, isnt that what you''re doing now?  Something like that isnt going to help anyone, especially not Reina."

    " Even still, I had a right to know!"

    "Maybe. But now that you know, what will you do? What can you do?"  He pressed.

    His questions and his sudden sharp gaze caught Lilith off-guard, dousing the fires of anger that burned within her.

    " I. . .I can. . ."  She faltered.

    Loki suddenly cut in, smiling at her mockingly. "Do nothing. Go ahead, say it. You~ cant~ do~ an~y~thing~ about it~"

    Loki laughed. "Your sister could die any day now, and you''re wasting time arguing with the only one who wants to help you,  the one who actually, amazingly, cares about whether you all make it out of this alive. Do you even understand who Roland is? Do you think anyone else with his sort of power would give a damn whether you and your sister lived or died? You two are pretty, but not that pretty."

    The two boys watched the exchange with mixed expressions. Really, they never gave it that much thought. What exactly do they know about Roland anyway? Other than the fact he was strong, nothing.

    They didnt even know how strong he was, but to know a god with power and influence like Loki, how could Roland be simple?

    When you think about it, why would someone like Loki give them a place to stay in the first place? He didnt know them at all, they were strangers to each other. He obviously didnt care much about them.

    The only reason he would help them out. . . was probably because Roland asked him to.

    And didnt that mean Roalnd himself was pretty amazing? So why would he even care about a few mortals who he had not known longer than a week at most?

    He said it was because he had nothing better to do, that he was only bored. But their problems had already grown past being capable of using that as an excuse to be involved. No one would help them out if it meant going through so much annoyances, no matter how bored you were. Sure, if it was a problem that was easily solved, they would have helped,

    But it''s  been several days already. And it seems like their troubles were only just beginning. When you took that into account, somone like Roland had no reason to help.  Loki was right. Neither the boys nor Reina and Lilith were pretty enough to go to such extents for.

    If one had to say, the only reason that someone like Roland would still offer them a helping hand at this stage. .  .was because of kindness, wasnt it?

    Realizing this, the two boys felt ashamed of their thoughtlessness and for taking his help for granted.

    Lilith, also, couldnt say anything back. It was infuriating, and made her feel bitter to admit it, but It was true. Nothing she could do would be of any help. She was blaming Roland for taking into account that she would be of no help, and would only feel bitter over her uselessness,  when he chose to not tell her anything.

    All of them were in a delicate situation where there was practically no one else with both the power and connections who would bother to take the time to help them, other than Roland.

    Also, the more time she spent clashing with him, the less time he had to help rid them of these curses.

    Although she hated it, she had to admit that Roland was not in the wrong with his decision.

    Roland looked at her, his face undreadable.

    Finally, he turned and left, only pausing to glance at Reina before continuing on with Loki following close behind.

    Several minutes passed. Without speaking, the brothers helped Lilith carry Reina back to the house.

 Chapter twenty

    Author''s note: ( you can skip this and read it after the chapter)

    First i want to say thank you to Kaellom for the review, it was very helpful. I took your advice and googled the difference between showing and telling. It was enlightening. I will try showing more in the future. From what i understand shwoing is more personal, more intimate.  Telling seems aloof and more of a statement, a literal telling of what is happening without going too deeply into the emotional or physical aspect. I will try to balance the two out. And i plan to seriously edit my previous chapters in the future.

    So, again, thank you. As for the other bits you mentioned, I did originally want to include the students more and not have them be just a bunch of mob characters but i didnt know how to do that right. I think i got it down now though.  I feel more comfortable writing now, I suppose that''s the reason.  But rest assured that I do intend to work on my shortcomings as long as they are pointed out. As someone said, it feels like 99% of the story is explanations and such. I kinda feel the same so i will refrain from overly long explanations in the future. Well, i''ll try to anyway.  Also expect another chapter in like three or so days. Or maybe once i sleep. Not sure. Cause i did want to add more content, but im like really tired. Vision starting to get blurry.

    also, F.Dj, i hope my reply to your comment helped a bit. I appreciate you taking the time to have typed that out. if anything else does not make sense, feel free to speak about it and i will try to explain the reason why i wrote it in that way.   SilentHIll had said that it helps reader to understand the story better, and that is my intent.

    In other news, i found some of my old notebooks and in them there was a scene I wrote. It was about Roland and  he was 12 years old at the time. This made me remember another idea for a story i had previous to that one also featuring Roland, Reina and Lilith but being a lot different from the story of The Last King and the story of the scened i found in the notebook. Both stories  would have featured Roland, Reina and Lilith but it would be a much different setting and plotline.. For fun, I will post what those two ideas were and you will see how different they are from this story.  I tell you, this story you all are reading could have gone a totally different direction. I''ll post that together with this chapter.

    This chapter will be edited later

    --------------------

    As the couple followed behind the young woman, the two quietly conversed.

    "Honestly that man, he has no common sense at all. What kind of person would let two beautiful underage maidens stay in the same roof as three men? Thats like throwing sheep into  a lion''s  den." His wife sighed.

    "Hmm. . ." The husband gave a noncommittal reply.

    "Dont sound too concerned" His wife gave a dry comment over her husband''s seeming lack of care.

    The man suddenly frowned, changing the subject." Dear, next time, you should not  speak out like that again."

    "What?"  She asked, confused..

    "You probably dont know, , , But that man who you told off is a very influential person.  Although we have strong allies, we cant be too disrespectful towards him. Luckily he didnt seems to care about such things, but I would not want to offend him if we can help it. Its best if we do not cross his path too often. As for the identity of the man. . . Perhaps it is best if you do not know. And that Roland character. . .He definitely is not simple"  He finished vaguely.

    The man already firmly believed that Roland person to be some old expert who was friends with Loki. For people like him, appearances meant nothing. Sometimes even the most powerul of people could have the form of a mere child. The young-looking ones were almost always the type who you couldnt underestimate. From the husband''s  calculations, that Roland should be very powerful, more powerful than even himself.

    The story of the curses was probably true. Loki was known to be mischievious but he would not go to such trouble to make up a story like that, and something so simple was beneath him anyway. What''s more, he was someone who lived for his own entertainment and sought things to amuse him. That Roland was unknown, but to keep the company of someone like Loki told that he was not your average person.

    Two people like that had no reason to lie over something so trivial nor any reason to try currying favor even from the girls'' true family. That said, it was most likely that the story was true and that the two had only  agreed to help lift the curse because it was interesting. Of course it appeared the situation was getting more troublesome to deal with. Would they continue to help for much longer?

    Probably not. In that case, the man will have to being making arrangements for the girls to be examined by someone with a vast knowledge on curses. Loki was not able to identify the curses specifically, but somone, somewhere, should have useful information.

    Once the two men tire of helping, the husband would have to pick up where they left off. From what the two men found out, the curses on all four of the children had been placed at childhood or sometime arround their birth. Perhaps as they were still in their mothers'' womb, even. The only real questions he had, was who would cast curses on four completely innocent and unrelated children, and for what purpose?

    No matter how he thought of it, he couldnt find an answer.

    Unbeknownst to the man, his wife stared at him quietly as he walked on. He gave no other comment on the matter they had just discussed and seemed lost in thought, his demeanour making it clear to her that he was worried about something. That steady, even  pace of his as he stared ahead, seeming to gaze at something far away. That slight furrowing of his brows. Everything was characteristic of when something was weighing on his mind. Even the way he absently rubbed their daughter''s little head as she slept on his shoulders was something that indicated this.

    For her husband to say such things. . . Usually he was very indulgent and allowed her to speak freely, but now he was telling her to take caution with her words? She was curious on the reason why but didnt disturb him. She could only ponder to herself over his words.

    In this world, how many people would they have to watch their tongues with? Very few.

    The wife looked back at the direction they came, thinking of the supposed curse her adoptive daughters had somehow acquired.

    My dear girls, what kind of situation have you been involved in? What kind of people have you gotten the attention of?

    -------

    Two figures traveled down a long hall.

    " Well, that felt good. I have to say, that Lilith girl was pretty annoying. Hehe, I really want to see her expression right now" Loki let out a carefree laugh, his teeth showing as his mouth curled upward. He had shifted into his child form, floating softly in the air comfortably beside his friend.

    "You dont seem to like her all that much." Roland commented.

    Loki waved his words off. "Its just that she seems so stuffy you know? And she plays the role of the good sister but she really just seems to have a serious case of white knight syndrome. Even you said something to that affect right?  Dont tell me you dont agree."

    Roland shrugged. "I said that to show her that she needs to stop trying to protect her sister in a situation that she cant help with.  Instead of getting angry over not knowing something that would serve only to cause needless worry, she should simply be there for her. You on the other hand just seemed to pick on her."

    "So? I dont think any of the four thought very deeply about the type of situation they are in. They probably didnt about all the trouble helping them would be or think about how the two of us dont even have to help in the first place. They are simply going with the flow. And that Lilith girl annoys me the most. I can just feel how ridgid her personality is and I saw a chance to shake her up a bit. Obviously I would take it." He smiled cheerfully.

    "So you just wanted to mess with her. Well, you''ve said and done worse for smaller reasons I suppose. Still, you could have held back."

    "Nonsense, I didnt even say anything too harsh. Although my tone may have been a tad mocking and sadistic, I admit. Though she should know now that she had best control her emotions when talking to the only one who actually wants to help them. Which im not sure I really understand anymore." He said. " Sure, this situation is interesting but to be honest not many would continue helping at this point. We havent done much, but simply the fact that we have to find out several months worth of lost memory in addition to lifting curses neither of us know the origin of or reason for their placement, is kinda. . . .Well, few would really want to go to the trouble."

    "Except for the two of us who have nothing better to do and an obsession for interesting things to make our boring lives more colorful, you mean?"

    "Exactly! Even if i find the current situation annoying and troublesome,  I really cant help getting excited. So many mysteries, so few answers~. It''s like a mystery type of game where the more you play the more questions you have.  And we''re just starting! Now if only the four of them would stay quiet and let us enjoy ourselves instead of making things more difficult, then that would be great."

    " Do you truly not care about their lives at all?"

    " Please, you know im not as sentimental as you. I have no real reason to care for strangers who I know nothing of. Neither do you. But, well, I kinda think of it as my duty to take care of kids like that so I cant say I would just abandon them if they were in real danger. But of course I would expect some compensation.  Or a future favor."

    "Oh? Well, that is like you. Never overly kind  nor cold. Lukewarm to the end."

    "But of course. Although i''m much more kind than some of my other selves."

    "True."

    Roland looked at Loki, the corner of his mouth slightly  raised. "You know,  i''m surprised you let that woman talk to you like that. The great and powerful Loki shown such disrespect by a mortal woman?  Why, such a thing would make you the laughingstock of your entire pantheon." he grinned.

    Loki sniffed in indignation "Hmph, just a mere mortal, why should i get angry? It would be like being angered at a child--no, an ant--for thowing a fit. You can hardly expect the great me to  take offense for something so trivial."

    The god waved a hand. "Besides, i''m not like those arrogant younger gods who cant take a few insults. Seriously, those guys have a ego as vast as the sky and as soon as someone refuses to stroke it they jump straight to murder and mayhe,. Ha, just like posturing children. How could I be so uncivilized?"

    "That coming from the mouth of a child . . ."

    "That''s different. I just choose to look like a child sometimes. I tell you, you have only met the older gods who dont really give a damn about a few disrespectful mortals, but most other gods would kill a guy for sneezing in their general direction. And those children born into high-ranking families are the same. It isnt their fault since its their families who nurtured them into insufferable arrogant brats, but that isnt an excuse for being annoying as well.  A bit of arrogance and pride is fine, but they take it to new heights!" Loki exclaimed, his voice raising several volumes. "Ah, lets take a right here."

    Roland absent-mindedly followed his lead.

    "Really? The kids here dont seem to have that problem though?" They were well-behaved mostly.

    " Most of them do, you just dont see it. You dont really interact with the students or other staff here. Really, people are not sure what to make of you yet. Although despite this the  news of how you mercilessly beat down the people in your class has spread. Your logic is pretty messed up, so you dont know this but these students are actually quite strong. "

    "Bullshit. By my estimation those kids are way too weak no matter how you look at it. Why, probably any Immortal could kill them with a flick of the wrist."

    "No, again that is just your crooked logic speaking. These students, although the stage of power they are at isn''t noteworthy to those like you and me, are quite competant. They are, after all,  part of a generation of monsters. See, they have special abilities that are pretty dangerous to deal with.

    For example, have you seen that  kid who was able to use that Ignition ability? As you know, that move can greatly increase a person''s power. At his current level he isnt anything amazing, but once his base power gets stronger, the boost in his strength will be greater as well. Going from ten to twenty isnt amazing, but one hundred to two hundred? That''s a different story altogether.  If any of these kids went all out, a normal Immortal would have a hard time keeping up."

    "Ah, I do remember him. What was his name again?" Roland wasn''t good with names.

    "Alexander Bathory. Remember that Clan we once helped out when we went to the Thousand World Empire in the northern region of the Twelve Moons realm? The one with the pretty blonde who tried taking your head off at first sight? He comes from there. The Bathory Clan has since become a pretty large force. I hear the blondie is a pretty important member of the clan now, one of the core members actually. That Alexander boy is her little brother. Ah, turn left."

    Roland''s eyes brightened, a small smile on his lips. " Right, her. Heh, that girl was a fiery one alright. Good to know she''s doing well. So, she had a brother? And one with an affinity for a ability like that, of all things?."

    " It isnt a big surprise we didnt know. Blondie was never the sharing type and the brother of hers didnt show aptitude for the ability back then. Once it was discovered, it caused a bit of a stir. I heard that a few months ago, several families in the Higher Planes had tried to marry their daughters to him. Having someone who can display a rare ability like that in the family would really increase their status. Although he isnt too strong now, in the future perhaps he would even become almost comparable to true gods like me!" Loki said.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "So, are there others like him here?"

    " In a manner of speaking. He''s exeptional even here--which has caused a pretty inflated opinion of himself, I might add-- but all the students posses some kind of interesting ability. Of course I wouldnt bother with ordinary brats, hehehe~.

    A majority of the students come from powerful families who have a Bloodline Legacy lying inside them. Special bloodlines like theirs who possess unique powers usually dont appear often. The fact so many of the younger generation have inherited the Legacy of their bloodline is really astonishing. "

    Indeed. In places like the Higher Planes, experts are everywhere. The families who have a foothold in such a place are usually descendants of very powerful experts who had created their own special abilities. These abilities are all rare or unique to their bloodline and have the possibility to be passed down. But not many inherit the power. The thing is though that if one does, they would posses power that outclassed others of their generation.

    Did Loki mean ALL the students here have inherited a Legacy or posses a rare ability like that Alxander kid? The Ignition ability was not something one just learned. It was something one needed a natural affinity for. So, the other students here are the same, huh. . . How odd.

    "So that means they will all become formidable once they mature."

    "Yup. Actually, a lot of those here didnt even know they had these abilities. In the timeline of the Higher Planes, their abilities only appeared in the last few years around the time we were together. They started poping up everywhere! This really caused the Higher Planes to become pretty chaotic. And dont forget that we have a wide range of races here. Demon-kin, Beast-kin, vampires, gods, spirits, Elves, races of all kinds have gathered here. They each have some interesting tricks hidden inside them.  There are even those who have had a hidden racial ability  awaken, the kind not seen in  many years. I dont know why, but this younger generation is,indeed, full of little monsters! In fact. . .We even have a dragon or two. "

    "Dragon. . ." One of the most powerful of races, born to battle. Haughty and prideful. Most importantly,  pretty durable too. If there are some here who have special abilites, then given the average dragon is on par with a peak level Celestial, the power of the ones here will be quite something. If there is one who has even unlocked a hidden racial ability. . .

    Roland felt his blood starting to boil a bit.

    "Heh, that look in your eyes really does make one shudder, you know?  Battle maniac."

    Roland couldnt exactly refute his words.

    "Where are we going anyway?" He inquired. The two had made several turns by now due to Loki''s lead. The hallway got wider and several doors were spotted opposite a row of large windows. Each door has a number and a letter carved on it in silver. He heard some voices in several room. Each one had to be filled with at least fifteen or so people.

    Hey, arent these. . .

    "These," Loki began, " Are classsrooms.  Its almost time for classes to start, and I decided to change things up a bit. You will give lectures and such in a classroom until lunch, then later the last two hours of the school day will be held outside where the first and second year students will be learning the practical aspect of combat from you. I came up with this last night. What do you think?"

    "Hate it"

    "What? Why?" Loki seemed deeply offended, his face showing a look as if he had been wronged.

    "Well, what was wrong before?"

    "Nothing. I just thought that this would let you connect with the students on a more  personal level. Plus, hehe,  im interested on what kind of developments will occur." Loki, of course, was thinking of the fact that Morrigan was probably pretty close by now and was likely to arrive any day. Previously Roland was always outside, while Morrigan was mostly inside with the students. If things continued this way, even if they met how could anything interesting happen, especially  if Roland took pains to try avoiding her?

    This way he would have no escape, he would be stuck in the same building with her nearly the whole day! What kind of situations would that bring about he wondered.

    Actually, Loki didnt know how the two really knew each other or what their history was. When they traveled together, there were times where they seperated for a month or three. He assumed the two must have met during one of those time, but he never understood why it seemed that their relationship was so complicated. More than it should have been.

    Morrigan, that cold person, had never gotten close to anyone even from her own pantheon. She wasnt the type to care about anyone, the only exception being the mysterious little girl of her''s. Even if you tried talking to her, most likely she would ignore you. So, what must have happened between the two to cause the kind of unique relationship they semed to have?

    Loki was determined to find out! Hehe, Roland never told Loki anything about himself and Morrigan, but that wouldnt stop him from finding out everything! It was only a matter of time!

    He hid a secret smile. "And all you did before was have them with beat on each other or beat them half to death and then revive them. Then beat them again. Boring~!"

    Roland''s hand twitched slightly. This guy . . . Everytime he did something he never bothered to tell others beforehand what his plans were.

    "I was changing my approach, you know. I already have a fair grasp on their abilities in combat, and now i wanted to focus on improving their bodies. I could teach them some actual fighting skills once I know that they can handle it.  I was even having some of them refine some of the universal energies. You understand how important it is for them to solidify their foundations before advancing, This is just going to mess up my plans."

    " Whats the problem, you can have them do that in the two last hours. This wont get in the way of anything."

    "Having one giant group isnt a good idea. I cant moniter them on an individual level as well, it would cause a bit of a delay. And for those who had more skill in magic, i was going to have them do a different training method than the others. Thst will make things even more difficult."

    "Well, you''ll figure it out." Loki replied airily. " Oh, just to warn you, I did move some of the students around. You''re  also going to see some new faces. Uh, and there are a few vampires in the first few classes.  And one who specializes in blood magic. You might see these students more. This is you homeroom, and im making you personally responsible for their well-being  once we go on that trip. Also, I think im going to plan several trips from now on.

    I''ve not interacted much with this world or anywhere else and I think that should change. So in the future, i want to have some fun events and such to make things interesting. I dont have much space here to do anything excessive, you see."

    Loki''s eyes suddenly shined. "So, I was thinking something similar to  a game of chess, but let the students conquer a few kingdoms and have them make the soldiers try to capture the other players'' headquarters. Using actual tactics and strategies of course. Sounds pretty fun, eh?" Loki looked very pleased with this, letting out a short laugh. " Man, I really~ want to see that." His small floating  body twisted in mid-air, eager to put the idea into action.

    "Well, that does sound interesting but I dont think that''s going to be appreciated. Lets hold off on that for now."

    Loki, let out a sigh, clearly disappointed. "Fine. Oh, just a bit farther."

    "You said you moved some of the students around. How many?"

    "Dont worry, you''ll recognize a few. I think that Michael kid is in this class. Oh, and I made her come as well. Just dont expect her to actually listen."

    "If she doesnt I''ll just make her."

    " Yes, well, that may be harder than you think. Im her father, I''ve tried making her listen for several thousand years, No luck. I really doubt you will do any better. But go ahead. Try."

    Loki stopped at a door, finally, and pointed to the inscription. " Remember, this is your classroom. Room 1-D. It''s a bit bigger than most of the others,  and I kinda  told the students to come here at the last minute. Expect them to be a tad annoyed. As for me, Im off to fiddle with that damn bead some more. Well, good luck~ " Loki began floating away, leaving him  standing  in front of the door by himself.

    Roland watched as his figure disappeared,

    He then turned his attention to the door before him, hearing some voices talking on the inside. This was a thick door, they should be pretty loud if their voices made their way past.

    Roland opened the door.

    The room was quite large,  as large as what one would expect even from a university. There were two columns of long desks that took up most of the room, each column stretching almost half the width of the room. Behind the two columns were five more rows of well-crafted wooden tables.  The classroom was filled with no less than at least twenty students, nearly all of them conversing with one another with no restraint.

    There were four exceptions. The first was a meek-looking boy near the front who Roland recongnised as Michael. The second exception was that boy, Alexander, whom Roland and Loki were just talking about.  He looked at the surrounding students indifferently and raised his eyes to Roland''s before frowning. He  leaned back, closing his eyes and ignoring the noise around him.

    Another was a boy with light blonde hair and fae-like beauty also turned to look at the newcomer. He turned away from the men and women whom he had been conversing with and sniffed the air, smelling a sudden delectable fragrance in the air that was heady and overpowering. The boy felt his incisors ache slightly. His eyes, usually a  smokey silver-grey, flashed a bright red before turning back to their original color. He watched the newcomer with an almost predatory gaze, well-hidden behind his  charming smile.

    The last exception was a woman who was seated in the front row. Her glasses, fair skin. ponytail, and that calm aura of maturity which she gave off all added to her already considerably pretty features.  She didnt seem to smile, but she didnt give off any coldness or the like either. Rather, one could not really tell what she thought or felt. Or at least that doll-like face was the type that gave nothing away. However Roland, who took a place in the front of the classroom beside the large desk meant for the teacher in attendance,  did not think she was an unfriendly person.

    This was actually the pretty librarian whom he had seen previously inside the library. He wondered if she was the actual librarian or if she was merely helping out at the time.

    Other than these four people, the rest were busy chatting amongst themselves not even noticing his arrival. Michael watched Roland warily. He had of course been in the man''s classes before. He did not like to think of the experiences but the man''s figure was now forever etched into his mind. When he saw him, alarm bells went off in his head.

    He had been told to come to the classroom early that morning via a letter being slipped uner his door. He was not sure what to do, as he thought that if he did not show up at Roland''s class that day, he would be given a punishment that would leave all his muscles feeling torn. And that was if he was lucky. After much internal debate, he decided to heed the letter''s instructions. If it was a order from Headmaster Loki then surely Roland could not hold him accountable, he had thought.

    When he saw the other students as well after coming, he was convinced he had been transfered out of Roland''s classes and was secretly relieved.

    But for Roland to show up here . . . Did that mean he was going to teach the class here from now on?

    Roland looked at the students ignoring him.  He, right now, had stood for a full minute in the front of the classroom, and begun to feel thoroughly annoyed. He snapped his fingers to get their attention, the sound louder than it should have been normally. It resounded throughout the room, and yet still no reaction.

    He didnt bother calling out like an idiot. Rather, he did the sensible thing.

    He looked at the desk and found an unsharpened pencil. He extended his arm, picking up the small object and holding it lightly in his hand.

    Micheal, seeing his strange action, suddenly had a premonition and quickly lowered his head.

    Roland surveyed the students. Finally he found one to his liking. A brown-haired boy who had the back of his head toward Roland, talking to the students behind him.

    With a flick of the wrist, the pencil flew from his hand. It traveled like lightning across the room, hitting the back of the brown-haired boy with a loud bang!

    The force was incredible, making the pencil break upon impact and driving the boy''s head into the desk behind him with great vigour.

    Currently the only movement from the boy was a slight twitching of his muscles.

    Silence.

    Every eye turned towards Roland. The looks ranged from outright hostility to cool indifference and contempt.

    Michael and the ponytailed girl were not at the recieving end of the gazes, but they could feel the suffocating tension and intimidation in the air.

    "Well then, lets get started shall  we?"

 Not A Chapter

    So those two other ideas i spoke of in chapter twenty,  here they are.

    In the story of the scene found, Roland was a young boy summoned from another world who held great talent in swordsmanship and magic.  A pretty generic setting.

    He was OP, but not as OP as he is in TLK. The scene was set in the headquarters of a powerful church who has sent one of their trusted members to seek out Roland as because he had caused a great disturbance by killing off several organizations of the underground society.

    This feat was shocking and the church was wary of someone like that. The scene I found was of the spy''s description/impressions of Roland, saying that he was a very charismatic and talented young man who valued his companions. From there, plans were made to entice Roland into joining the church  as one of its guardian knights. Keep in mind that Roland being summoned was not something widely known, and he was held prisoner for several hard months before escaping. His talent in swords and magic were such that he could comprehend comlicated spell or techniques almost instantly.

    Only by not displaying his true ability and taking in all they taught him did he get powerful enough to escape from the place that held him, a group that wanted to train "Heroes" from other worlds and use them as weapons .The time prior to the escape was filled with nonstop fighting and death. After, he did as he pleased, eliminating things he saw as "evil" and leading two other escapees he took with him, young girls named Reina and Lilith.

    And that was it. I never got far in that one.

    The Second Idea I remember much more clearly because after some searching I found the notebook i wrote it in.  I only had like four chapters, but i wrote A LOT  in those chapters.

    Any way, it was  to have Roland and the girls be step siblings who had a close yet at the same time distant relationship. I had wanted to make Roland the caring, reliable brother type who was always off on some unknown business. This cause the girls to be seemingly uncaring for Roland as they believed he did not care for them either, despite the great deal of love and affection they all had for one another as children,

    The girls were around 17  with him a few years older, maybe 19 or so. Just like in TLK. I wanted it to be a supernatural story where there was  a concept of Gifts, special abilities that gave great power. Now, this was kept a secret from the general populace and Roland and the girls had many enemies within this secret society. The girls, who had lost their birth parents early, were adopted by Roland''s family. Roland had always know about Gifts and the secret society since his family was a military family that had a long history, and trained him since young to for a specific purpose.  After Roland''s parents died, he kept the girls unaware of the secret society.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Why? Because the three come from families who has a very powerful Gift that is passed down to each memeber. The other members,  from branch families, had already been killed and harvested for their Gifts.

    With both sets of parents dead, the three were the last of each family to posses the special Gifts. Whats more, their Gifts are even more powerful than those are the branch families, as the main branch has the full power of the Gift in their hands due to their bloodline being much more pure.  Even the parents, though, were not as Gifted as the three. And Roland, having a Gift that made him a powerful warrior, was one of the most feared of the Gifted. I apparently gave the backstory of a ruthless killer to him. I still like that idea.

    So Roland went out to keep the enemies away, killing or manipulating whoever wanted to capture them for their Gifts. This meant that he always returned from his trips injured, but had wore dark suits and such to keep the injuries from being noticed by the two. Basically if it was an injury that could be hidden he would return. If not, he would stay away. The girls were secrety kept safe by one of Roland''s most trusted allies when he was away, a young teacher at the school they attended whose name was Abigail. Sound familiar?

    Anyway, Roland eventually recieved a great injury after an intense battle with an enemy who had used special methods to track him.  Although not fatal, it was discovered by the girls and as they examined his body, they found many scars on his torso and back before Abigail healed his injury with her Gift, one she was told by Roland to never use as it made her give up a fraction of her lifespan as compensation.

    The two girls demanded the truth of what happened and Abigail told them everything, even going so far as to blame them for all of Roland''s  past injuries and such, saying that if they didnt exist then he would not have to  put himself in danger.

    And that was what I wrote up to. I  dont know exactly what relationship i wanted Abigail and Roland to have, but she had always really resented the two girls for making Roland go so far as to take on such risks for them. All this was probably not very well written as i kinda glossed over a bit. I dont want to continue either of those two stories. Okay, maybe the second one. But i wont. Probably. Unless i am realllly~ bored. But i want to focus on TLK.

    So, those were my two stories that didnt make the cut.  I think i just forgot about them is why. Well, whatever. heh, writing them down here was fun. Anyway, later. Im tired. Good night. Or good morning. Whichever.

 Chapter twenty-one

    Author''s Notes: Almost done with the  next chapter. I didnt have internet for a few days, sorry. Anyway, im considering making the chapters shorter. I think i should increase the pace of the story too, which means a lot of Telling instead of going into detail.  I realize waiting so long for a chapter and having few things actually happening when it comes is just not worth the wait.  So hopefully shorter chapters means faster updates.

    I think im going to expand the scope of the story in the future instead of focusing on only the school setting and such. I have been wanting to tell what''s happening to other characters in the story and so I think i''ll do that.

    Also, im going to start editing my previous chapters starting either today or tomorrow because I have been told I should clean them up a bit.  And i have read them and found a good few errors in spelling and punctuation. So i''ll get to that soon.

    -----------------------------------

    Ah~, Its so quiet in here now. That''s much better." He said, ignoring the taut atmosphere of the room. "Oh, and dont worry about the boy, he''ll probably survive. Just let him sleep for a bit. So, let''s get down to business. Im sure that you are all thinking that it was unreasonable to be thrown in here at the last minute, but blame that bastard Loki for this."

    Roland, looking up, saw a large pinkish crystal ball attached to the ceiling. It gave off a faint lustre and was completely out of place in the normal classroom setting.

    " Speaking of . . ."  He picked up another pencil, flicking it toward the crystal.

    Instantly the cystal shattered, sending shards hurtling down towards the students.

    "Out of the way!"

    "Everyone get back!"

    They hurried to get out of the way of the sharp objects, some of them yelling loudly as they did. Although they would not die or get serious injuries from something like that, it would still hurt if they were stabbed.

    They collectively glared at Roland, wondering why he had done such a thing.

    "This bastard, what the hell is he. . ."

    " He''s crazy."

    "But, where did those crystal shards come from, , ,? " It was  Michael who asked the question, looking at the pile of shards on the floor.

    The rest muttered to themselves in annoyance and curiosity, wondering the same.

    Roland, however, smiled in satisfaction and spoke seemingly to himself. " Ha, that''ll show you. Honestly, I would have thought you learned better by now"

    A second later, a loud boom could be heard reverberating from throughout the school. If anything it caused Roland''s smile to grow wider.

    The crystal was one of Loki''s favorite ways to spy on others as they were a bit special and created so that not many would notice them unless they were pointed out, hence the reason for the students'' confusion.  But Roland knew most of Loki''s tricks by now. Really, that guy should have known he wouldnt be able to hide that from Roland with something of that level. Finding that thing was almost too simple . . . Hmm.

    Well, whatever.

    " That''s taken care of now. Where were we? Ah, right. Everyone back to your seats."  Roland said.

    He smiled,  going for a friendly vibe. " Sorry for the mess. I suppose we should get some kind of learning done, hmm?"

    Roland sighed. " I honestly dont know what i can teach you here though. I mean before I just pointed out some things and had everyone spar for a bit. That was not really teaching in the truest sense. I really dislike how small this entire campus is. If it were up to me I would have created this place with some kind of Grand Barrier formation and create a small sub-space so that we could do as much damage as we want and not have to bother with caring about the environment.

    But since I dont think we have that here I cant really show you any of my more destructive  techniques. A shame, really. And this room is too small to even accommodate a few sparring matches. We plan to take you all out into the wilderness of the Higher Planes sometime later and when we get there we can really let loose. But for now we have to restrain ourselves. So, I will just lend you guys some higher-grade battle techniques for you to look through.

    I want you all to study a bestiary too. I have a few that details the type of magical beasts that the Higher Planes are home to. Some of them are a bit dangerou, so its best if you learn about them beforehand. So just do that for now."

    His words caused a slight disturbance. They heard nothing of any trip to the Higher Planes.

    Ignoring the inquiring looks,  Roland reached out  a hand and a small, dark hole appeared in the air. It was his way of accessing his treasury. He only had to think of the items he wanted to take them out.

    He pulled out several scrolls and books from the hole and reached in again for ten larger books with pictures of mysterious beasts on the cover. They all looked old but held together nicely.

    " Dont try to actually practice these things here though. Some of these techniques can cause some backlash if done incorrectly. Just study them. I dont really know many of you so I cant give you ones that suit you best. But all the ones here are quite decent, I doubt that you will regret learning them."

    With a wave of his hand, the books and scrolls flew out and landed in front of the students. The previous heated glares were withdrawn as they looked at the contents of the books before them. They were, it had to be said, quite astonished.

    In the Higher Planes, the number of powerful experts was countless, and the number of battle techniques was also just as numerous. But the truly powerful battle techniques were almost always hidden and kept secret. Few of those experts would sell their more powerful battle techniques, for if an enemy were to learn of it someday, how would that not spell disaster for them?

    So many kept their most powerful battle techniques a closely guarded secret.  However, they came from wealthy and powerful families, how could they not have strong battle techniques at hand?

    The only thing was, these battle techniques were even stronger than what they had!

    There were a few ranks for battle techniques.  Mortal, Earth, Sky, Divine, and finally Heaven.

    The difference in the levels were how many evolutions they could go through, how powerful they could become, the swiftness with which they could be activated, the effective range and a variety of other factores. Each of the ranks were divided into three tiers: lower, middle, and higher.

    The ones they had before were mostly higher tiered Sky rank techniques.

    Generally higher tiered Earth rank techniques were the highest level of techniques that appeared in the Lower Planes. Well, there were some exceptions, but normally anything higher was very rare.  Anything above Earth rank didnt appear anywhere but the Higher Planes where such things were common. Acquiring the higher tiered Sky rank techniques was already quite a feat all things considered.

    However it seemed these techniques were  at least lower tiered Divine rank! It has to be noted that as the ranks increase, the disparity between them becomes wider by a large margin.  It was like the difference between a pond and a lake. Then as it rose higher it would become like that of a lake and an ocean.

    They could feel the boundless mysteries the texts contained inside. They felt that they could study them their entire lives and still not fully understand them completely. Needless to say they were all excited.

    As for the bestiaries, they were filled with a large variety of animals and such that they had never seen before. Each one was obviously monsterously strong judging from the descriptions. And they almost seemed to jump off the page, leaving some of the students to feel some slight unease.

    The students, be it male or female,  mostly had a look of slight awe upon their faces. They hated to admit it, but Roland did indeed seem like quite a formidable existence to take such things out so casually!

    They originally had no plans or listening to him, but their opinions of him had raised considerably just now. Of course that didnt mean they really liked him, but rather that they realized being friendly and cooperative would likely reap great benefits for them.

    Only three of the students were not interested in the battle techniques they received.  That''s because they didnt recieve anything at all.

    Roland looked at the list of names and their pictures. " William Vasilius, Alexander Bathory, Sara Rainsworth. Come here"

    The blond haired boy with the beautiful face, the pretty glasses girl and the indifferent-looking boy, Alexander, who Loki and Roland talked of before, walked to the the front of the room.

    The blond haired boy offered a small bow as he approached. " William Visilius at your service." He greeted politely, with a refined and elegant manner that oozed charisma. However, that smile didnt quite reach his eyes and his gaze flickered to Roland''s neck briefly as he approached.

    " Sara Rainsworth, nice to meet you again." The bespactacled girl greeted coolly.

    Of course they had not officially met before either. It was really only a small exchange of words not even worth mentioning.  She remembered the man had sat in the library quietly reading for some time. However, they  never talked unless it was to help him find a particular book or section.

    She was not quite sure why she was called but she didnt want to offend the man before her. Somehow she thought that would be a very bad idea. Not to mention that one rumour she had heard of how he handled his class on his first day.

    It was said they went back bruised and bloodied. She was honestly quite nervous meeting a person like that. How long had it been since she felt intimidated by a man...?

    Although unbeknownst to her that intimidation was not from the his actions, but stemmed more from a sense of self-preservation. When meeting one who you unconsciously knew was not one you could mess with, you would almost automatically be wary of the other party.  It was a natural reaction.

    Of the three only the Alexander boy had not uttered a word. Rather, he chose to stand back and observe Roland with a slightly interested gaze. Somehow he felt he knew Roland from somewhere, but could not for the life of him remember from where.

    Roland ignored William, almost seemingly to not be aware of his exisence. "And good to meet you as well, Sara. I hope its fine if I call you by your fist name? Good. Anyway, If you''re wondering why I''ve called you all here its merely because you three have made more of a impression on me than the others."

    Sara arched a delicate brow. " How so?" He had not been here for even five whole minutes. They couldnt have done anything impressive in such a short time.

    " Other than that Michael kid, you three were the first to notice me. The others were completely oblivious, not responding to my presence at all. You all probably dont realize it, but i had realease a very small amout of my spiritual energy when I first tried grabbing your attention. The fact that they didnt notice even after that means they are of a lower calibre, not even able to notice something of that level." He curled his lips in distaste. " If I had been an enemy, they would all be dead now. But since you three knew of me as soon as i stepped in, it means you either have good perception abilities or good instincts."

    This caused the three to be slightly surprised. They didnt notice the spiritual energy at all, but they knew immediately that he walked in the classroom from the strange aura he had. It simply drew their eyes.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Well, for William it was that delicious scent that first attracted his attention.

    "As such, I plan to keep more of an eye of you than the others. Sara, tell me about yourself. I already know what to give the other two, but you I dont know much about. I wont know what would suit you unless I know more. ."

    Sara was momentarily hesitant. From the expressions of her classmates behind her, what he gave out was pretty good. If she could get something even better suited for her. . .Well, she was not one to turn down something freely given.  " My specialy lies in the use, creation and study of Artifacts. I also have a vast knowledge of the Higher Planes and it''s history if that counts for anything."

    "Oh? Interesting. Not many people choose to learn of Artifacts in detail. What made you?"

    The study of Artifacts was a never-ending pursuit. Even Solomon, who has lived for many years and have studied many different things, or Loki, that ancient god who is said to be one of the most knowledgable of his kind excluding Thoth and Athena, has not reached the point of mastery in regards to Artifacts. It was something that was always ongoing.

    What''s more, she even said she studied the history of the Higher Planes. . . As vast and chaotc as the place is, several eras had been long forgotten even by the oldest of its residents. It was said to exist even before the first universe was created. If she divided her time two those two pursuits, she must either have been extremely bore or have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

    He wasnt sure which was more frightening.

    "I simply found them interesting. Do I need any othere reason?"

    "Nope, that''s as good a reason as any. Hold up. I''m sure I had something that seems perfect for you somewhere. . . " He once again reached into that strange space in the air. He pulled out a 12 inch book that was at filled with small, intricate runes which glowed a faint purple. it was both eerie and mesmerising.

    " This book has a large variety of Artifacts sealed within its pages. I dont have any use for them, so I never used them before. You can just take it. Well, they''re all mainly for support and defense though.  But I think there are  a few pretty powerful tools there that could be used as weapons if done right."

    Sara looked at the book curiously. She put her hand over the runes and found a slight tingling sensation spread throughout her palm, warm to the touch. It almost . . . Felt alive. How fascinating, she thought.

    " As for you, Alexander, I''ve had you for a few of my classes before. I had long since chosen one for you" Roland handed him a red necklace that seemed to pulse. . "This here is a little something to help you control that Ignition ability of yours. It''ll help you conserve the energy output too.  Feel free to just keep it. I have no use for the thing anyway."

    " I have no need. The thought is enough. I don''t wish to owe you  anything in the future." Alexander had already been given many gifts by others hoping to leave an impression on him. T

    he reasons for them doing so had obviously been noticed by the clever young man. Of course he would not accept something so easily. Things always came at a price, especially those given for "free" or out of "goodwill".

    "Just take it, if there is ever a problem i cant handle calling for you would be useless. You think i would ever need your help in the first place? Dont get too conceited." Roland understood the other''s thoughts perfectly.

    He shoved it into his hands.

    Alexander frowned but didnt say anything. Truth be told, he did find the thing appealing. But he decided that he would return it as soon as possible. He truly didnt want to owe anyone anything.

    Roland turned towards the other two.

    "You, Vasilius. Dont think I dont know what you are. If you ever make a move against me, I will hurt you. Understand? Keep those fangs in you mouth."  He said coldly

    " Such warnings are unneeded. I am a gentleman who abhors violence" William smiled charmingly.

    " And  dont think of using that glamour either. Something that weak wont work on me. " Roland said.

    William frowned. When did he notice. . .?

    " Dont look surprised. It wasnt that hard. You''re a few hundred thousand years too soon to be able to hide something like that from me." Roland spoke with disdain.

    William''s eyes flashed. This one would be difficult to handle, he thought.

    Using force seemed a bad idea to him. Seduction then? Unlikely to bear any fruit. This Roland fellow probably preferred women. But who knows, appearances could be decieving.

    William decided to bookmark the idea. He knew that his looks were of the kind that attracted both genders if displayed right. He had no set preference in the first place. Men, women, it mattered not to him.

    For now he decided to hold off on trying to over power the man. Instead he settled on getting into his good graces.

    "How observent. Im amazed. To be able to see through that so easily, you must have quite a few skills." William praised.

    Sara and Alexander snorted in disgust. They both had been on the recieving end of this guy''s flattering. They saw through to his intentions at once. Needless to say his efforts were all for naught. The two felt sick seeing him now. He may have become a bit popular with the others at the school, but the two didnt think much of him at all.

    " Whatever. Anyway, as much as it pains me, i have something for you as well."  Roland sighed and once again opened the black hole and pulled out a eerie-looking gauntlet. It had a certain cold atmosphere about it, a hunger that made Sara and Alex  on edge. The thing felt wrong

    "This. . ." Willaim was astonished, instantly recognising the strange object.

    " Ah, so you recognise it then? Good. Well, enjoy. You wont be getting anything else from me." Roland stated.

    "Thank you for your gift." William spoke smoothly, eyeing the thing with a strange expression.

    The othe two didnt know what that thing was, but they decided that it didnt concern them.

    "Well that''s it.  Go on now." Roland shooed them away.  The three felt indignant at this, but refrained from speaking about it. As for the other people in the room, they were too busy looking at the books and such. They decided that in the future they wouldn''t act against the new teacher in the future. If he gave out things like this so casually, he must have other, more valuable treasure with him.

    Simply put, they were bought off.

    ------

    Around thirty minutes in Roland, who had been idly sitting on his chair with his legs propped up on the desk,  heard a faint scratching sound. Like nails against wood.

    The noise kept persisting for several seconds before he decided to check out what it was, With a sigh, he got up and walked towards the door.

    He opened it, looking left and right and seeing nothing. " What the hell. . ."

    "Meow~"

    "Hmm?" He looked down. "Ah, so its you." He said, surprised.

    What he saw on the floor was the black cat he had found a few days ago.  When it suddenly disappeared he thought nothing of it but wondered when he would see it again. Roland never mentioned the disappearance to the others though.

    How odd. What was it doing here?

    The cat rubbed on his leg, purring sofly.

    Forget it. Doesnt matter anyway

    Roland decided to not think about it too much. He rubbed the cat''s head a bit before it suddenly  walked over to his desk and sat down on top of it, it''s tail curling by it side.

    The students unconsciously looked at the cat, but ignored it as soon as they saw it.

    Roland didnt think much of the cat''s appearance, but the behavior of the students caused him to be a suspicious.

    Why would they treat it like it was an everyday occurance? Surely it would be odd to see a cat suddenly walk into a classroom. Why wouldnt they even take a second glance?

    Roland suddenly remembered.  Loki said that his daughter was going to be in this class, didnt he?

    But he never saw anyone that looked like Loki, or anyone who had energy patterns similar to his.

    Roland thought about how he had never seen any other animals inside the boundaries of the barriers. No birds or any other kind of animal. Only some small bugs and such.

    He did think it was strange for that cat to be inside of the barrier when he first met it. But he didnt think of it too much at the time.

    He looked at the cat.

    Several seconds ran by.

    Suddenly it raised it''s head and looked back, seemingly to appear a bit cautious.

    It''s eyes, aren''t they a bit too intelligent?

    " Dont tell me. . ." Roland walked toward the cat.

    Suddenly it jumped off the desk and ran toward the still-open door.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" Roland reached out a hand and easily plucked it off the ground by the back of its neck.

    The furry animal  struggled to get free. It hissed and growled, swiping his hands with its claws.

    The students glanced at the scene before going back to what they were doing. Only Sara and Michael showed more interest, looking at the two curiously.

    The cat finally gave in after it realized it couldnt get free and merely curled up in his hand.

    It looked a bit pitiful. If Roland  was wrong, he would feel a bit bad. " Change back." He commanded. He wast sure it it really understood him at first.

    It was really only a hunch and he could be wrong, but. . .

    The cat struggled once again, unwilling. It growled deep in its throat.

    "Dont give me that. I can have a bucket of cold water here at any time." Roland threatened. Cats, in his experience, hated water. Especially when it was cold. Loki had once expressed that when he chose to appear in cat form, cold water was what  he hated most.

    "Rawrrr~~!" The cat struggled even more after hearing his words, trying to bite him. It seemed to be getting pretty mad.

    So it does understand.

    Well, looks like he wasnt wrong after all. Or, well, it could just be a very smart cat.

    Well, there''s a simple way of finding out, isnt there?

    " Fine. Have it you way. Michael, go and fetch me a bucket of ice water, will you?" Roland called out.

    The cat growled once more, this time though when it scratched him he felt a great bit of power striking out at him. This caused him to let go suddenly.

    An instant later the cat''s figure shimmered slightly.

    The change was nearly instantaneous.

    The cat disappeared from sight and in it''s place stood a tall, beautiful  young woman with short black hair and mesmerizing light-blue eyes whose pupils were slitted. Just like a cat''s.

    She had flawlessly smooth skin and a bountiful chest that would induce all kinds of wicked thoughts in a man. However the angry look on her delicate, doll-like face was even more unmistakable.

    If one had to try placing her age by looks alone they would probably place her around 18 or 19. Though Roland knew better.

    Michael, who had stood to get the water, froze when he looked at her.

    Which was understandable  considering she was naked.

 chapter twenty-two

    Author''s note: HA! Two in one day. Bet you guys didnt expect that now did you?

    ---------------

    The scene instantly earned the avid attention of all the males in the room.

    Roland reacted quickly, using a bit of his spiritual energy and sent out a wave of power that knocked all the students unconscious.

    Then he casually pulled out a cloak from the black space and threw it on the naked woman.

    As she she put it on, he noticed a delicate golden chain around her neck that plunged slightly into her cleavage. The object looked so fine, almost silk-like.

    Fenris, too, examined the handsome young man in front of her with the corner of her eye.  His superior looks were not the only thing that interested her. Rather, it was that raw, almost animalistic power she felt from him.  She, who was considered one of the most powerful of her generation, was able to feel much more clearly the amount of power he had hidden.

    It was hard to describe. Something like . . . being in the presence of something that stood on a higher level of existence from you. Very odd.  She had long heard of the trip he and her father were planning. She was eager to see just how powerful this man was. Going to the wilderness of that place with him and seeing him fight would be a good way to gauge his actual combat strength.

    The air of carelessness he had was what also contributed to making her more curious about him. He was similar to her father, yet seemed more reliable and trustworthy. She smelled a delicious scent from him too. She noticed it the first time she met him. That irresistable aroma that stroked her insatiable hunger.

    She pushed it down and watched as he eyed her chain, his gaze deep and his thoughts unknowable to her. She wondered, exactly what kind of existence was he?

    He felt right. And yet also wrong.  She felt such a thing didnt make any sense.

    When she was more modestly dress he spoke up. " Dammit woman, you see what you made me do?" He gestured to the awkwardly passed out students. "I didnt think you would be an exhibitionist." He said with disdain. Honestly he was a bit disappointed in the girl.

    " Whose an exhibitionist? You''re the one who made me change back!" The women, Fenris, spoke in annoyance. She made a hmph! sound, eyeing him with a slightly mean look.

    "Oh, right." Roland remembered. " Sorry about that. But damn, why were you naked anyway?" Although he couldnt say he didnt enjoy it for the first few seconds. He was, after all, a man. Though that was gone as soon as he remembered who she was.

    "I cant help it!" She exclaimed. " Whenever I change back to this form my clothes disappear! I dont know what happens, but when I go back to human form they''re just. . . gone! It''s totally annoying!  Do you understand how many clothes I went through by now? That''s why I didnt want to turn back, but you forced me to anyway!" She yelled at the unfairness. She blushed slightly. "E-even my body was nearly stared at by a bunch of kids, how are you going to compensate me for this humiliation?!" Fenris despaired, holding the cloth tighter to her body.

    She had never been forced to do something so embarrasing.

    Roland felt that wasnt fair. He stayed calm. " You know, you could have just left. I dropped you, you could have easily  ran away." he said reasonably

    Fenris snorted coldly. "  Yeah, right. Me, escape you? I''ve heard  about you from father. I seriously doubt I could have gotten away." Although, maybe if I  ran more I wouldnt have had to do this in front of so many people. . . , she thought. But she didnt say this.

    "Hm, true. Ah, wait. . ." Roland remembered something important. "Although you were in a cat form then, you did sleep next to me that night. . .Does that mean I slept with my best friend''s daughter. . .?" Roland muttered.

    This was something that caused a flurry of complex emotions to well up in him. And they werent good. Although only technically true and nothing of an erotic nature happened, it was still not something that he would like to think of.

    He didnt know what Loki would do if he knew.

    Fenris smiled coyly. Seeing the man worried over such a thing caused a small surge of mischievousness in her." Don''t worry, I''ll keep it a secret if you will~" She couldnt resist grinning.

    Roland didnt really like that look on her face.

    Fenris moved back to the desk and sat on top, her curves completely incapable of being hidden by the cloak he gave. No, if anything the clingy material served only to accentuate her considerable curves, hugging her body-line in a most provacative way. He regretted not giving her something thicker.

    The thought of doing so now had, surprisingly, not even entered his mind.

    She had a slight smile on her face, looking thoughtful.

    " You know, actually, I kinda like it. Just a bit. You were very warm, you know? And the way you stroked me was quite pleasing. Mmm, and when you rubbed my stomach? Hehe, I admit that I  enjoyed that a bit too much. You really have a way with you hands. . ." She thought aloud. Her eyes held a bit of reminiscence.

    Roland shivered a bit. He really, really didnt like what she said. If it was a different woman then he would not mind. But seeing as how this was the daughter of one of his good friends, he was something like an uncle to the woman was he not? Or something like that. Although she was older than him by countless years, he still felt this way.

    " Yeah . . .Well.  Let''s just forget about that. Ah, but if you had that problem why didnt you tell me of it?" Loki was perfectly capable of speaking very well in his other forms.

    She sighed. "I cant speak. My father can do it but I dont have much control over this ability. At least not to that degree. So I am not able to talk while in animal form. And sometimes when i''m asleep i turn back into my human form" She suddenly looked lost in thought again. " Actually, I was so comfortable that night with you that  you''re lucky I didnt accidentally change back into human form." She said.

    "Right. " That would have been troublesome in a variety of ways. Good thing that didnt happen. Suddenly he noticed something on her head. A slight. . . twitching.

    "What''s that. . .?" He pointed.

    "Hmm, , ,? Ah! Damn." She felt the top of her head. "Tsk!, this happens sometimes too. It''s fine, dont worry about it. Look." She lifted her hand and two cat ears popped up.

    Cat ears.

    Large, furry, soft-looking cat ears.

    Roland understood. So, she has Loki''s power, but not his control. Which results in. . . that.

    She nodded as if she knew his thoughts. "Yeah. . .It happens from time to time. For some reason i cant control my transformations well yet. It''s unfair." She had a thought. " Actually, I hear men have a weird attraction to this type of thing." Her eyes flashed with a sudden wickedness." So, what about you? Do you . . .find this attractive?" She smiled coquettishly, looking at him almost suggestively. She had to force herself to stop from giving a full-on grin. She wanted to see if he would get flustered.

    "Nn, I''ve been with quite a few beast-kin women who had two sets of ears, animal and human. The appeal is there. Somehow it''s both erotic and yet at the same time displays a type of innocence that makes  a man''s desire to protect rise up. Though, the feeling of wanting to conquer the woman also seems to come with it. The destructive power of a cat-eared woman is not to be underestimated. " He nodded easily. He, as a man, had to  acknowledged this fact.

    Fenris was surprised, she didnt think he would say that. And so boldly at that!

    He casually reached out and placed a hand towards her head to feel the softness of the ears.

    Nn, this is a good feeling indeed, he thought.

    For several seconds she stood there with a relaxed expression, enjoying the experience. However. . .

    She let out a small noise. "Ah! S-stop!" She broke away, her face looking slightly heated." Dammit, what do you think you''re touching?  That''s a sensitive spot!" She ran a hand through her hair again, causing the ears to disappear. Roland couldnt help but feel a sense of loss.

    " Really, I hate how I cant control this properly." She muttered.  The simple touch was starting to feel a bit too good for her liking.

    She saw how his lips curled into a smile. "Now that you mention it, I do recall that during sex, whenever I used to rub their ears, the beast-kin females would make sounds that were quite ero--"

    " Dont. I dont really want to hear. " She frowned.  Thankfully she didnt end up with a tail this time. Well, this  would just be more motivation for her to learn how to control the power better. She hated to say it, but it seems that if she ever wanted to stop these slips she would have to suck it up and ask her father for lessons.

    "Right, sorry." In hindsight, suddenly stroking the ears was a pretty intrusive move. He didnt think that the spot would be so similar to those of beast-kin to that extent and so he did it without thinking.

    "Going back to the problem of your clothes,  I know that werewolves like to wear enchanted fabrics. That way when they change, the clothes dont rip. Maybe you should try those." He suggested.

    She had trouble looking at him, her body not quite calming down yet. Finally she gained enough composure to  look understand his words. Looking  interested she raised a delicate brow. " Oh? What happens to the clothes when they go full-on wolf?" She never intereacted much with werewolves. Usually they ran away at first sight of her. It was annoying really.

    "It''s either held in a special space like you would find in a interspacial ring or it would. . ." He stopped, finding it hard to explain.

    "It would what?"

    " Well, werewolves have two bodies. Wolf and human. When they go wolf, their human bodies become immaterial. Like an illusion. It exists but it cant be seen or touched. Like a ghost. It follows the wolf form of themselves. Same thing when they change back, the wolf form becomes ghost-like, unseen and untouchable, as it follows the human.

    Its an odd concept. Its like having two bodies at once and being able to switch your consciousness between them.  Anyway, the clothes would still be worn by the immaterial human form when they change to a wolf. So they''re safe."

    She frowned. " That just sounds complicated and I''m not even sure I understood what you just said." She sighed.

    He nodded. "Its a bit difficult to understand, I know. Anyway, you should probably get some enchanted clothes like that. I would enchant them myself if I knew how, but unfortunately that isnt my area of expertise." Which was a small lie. He was quite proficient at it. But doing an enchantment like that required a special type of cloth and also needed a certain spell. He had the spell, but the cloth . . .Well, he sold the last bit he had ages ago for a trinket that captured his interest.

    "Huh. Well thanks for the advice, I''ll give it a try."

    "No problem. So mind telling me why you were late?" Roland moved to the desk and sat down on the chair. Fenris got up off the desk and pouted. It was kind of cute.

    "Hmph, that perverted old man of mine, why would I listen to him so obediently?  He was lucky I decided to come at all!" She declared. " Ah, by the way, are they going to be okay?" She looked at the passed out students.

    "Of course. I was having them study some things for trip."

    "Study what?"

    "Oh, I just lent them a few battle techniques. Nothing that great. Mm, only Divine rank"

    She couldnt help staring." Only? "

    "What? I have a lot of better things anyway. Something of that level isnt needed. Though, really, I dont use the ones I think are actually powerful. . ." There was never a need.

    "Divine rank is pretty good you know? Why give it away?" The idea seemed foreign to her. She possessed no need for such things, but to just hand them out to a bunch of ignorant kids. . .

    "I didnt say I would give it to them. I''m only lending them. Well, if they want to buy them though, that''s a different story." Roland did give those three some pretty good things though. He felt that they earned it a bit. To him, giving those three those items was simply a small reward. They seemed like  the more talented of the class, why shouldnt he give them  a little something? Michael was good to, but Roland had thought to work on him a bit more before giving him anything.

    And in the end, even if he did sell the techniques away when would he ever really use such things?  If anything he would use the Heaven rank techniques he had.  Besides, he had several copies of each anyway.

    "I see." Though she really didnt. Selling those things that was a bit too outrageous considering how high ranked they were. Though, she really was not too sure if he considered those things to be all that valuable. From his words he seemed to have stuff that was even better.

    If she recalled right, her father once said Roland was quite the wealthy person. It made sense for him to have a good few higher ranked items if even her father said something like that.

    Well, he could do what he wanted with them. She was already interested in what else he had.

    "Also, that''s quite a negative view you have of your father."  It seemed that Loki was a bit hated?

    Her mood soured.

    " Nonsense. That lecherous old man who thinks about nothing  but picking up woman is the the worst. Did you know that he and a [/i]tree spirit[/i] of all things were getting it on a while ago? I even walked in on them. He really has no restraint. Shameless old man, he should just die. I dont know how my mother could have seen anything good in him."

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    She spoke disdainfully.

    " That''s. . ." Roland didnt know what to say. He felt sorry for Loki. He really seemed to have it rough.

    " Well whatever. Im here now at least. I suppose I dont have anything else to do these days anyway. Hey, do you mind if i stay with you and the others for a bit?" She suddenly asked. Her large eyes suddenly shined, looking at him pleadingly.

    "What?" Roland stared at her, not understanding. How did this topic come about?

    "Well, you see, I''ve been thinking of moving there for a long time. But. . ." She let out a slightly embarassed laugh. " It was a bit lonely at that place, so I never did. But now that you and the rest are there it seems like things would be a bit more lively now. Honestly I  dont want to go back home anyway.  Listening to that man bringing weird woman over every other day is annoying." Fenris folded her arms.

    " Absolulety not." He refused. " Besides, why cant you go to the new dormitory the students stay in?"

    "There''s no room! And I dont really know anyone. I mean I do know some of the student council members here but those guys are just. . ."

    "Well, forget it. Somehow I get the feeling Loki wouldnt like that idea at all. I mean he pretty much even hid you from me you know?" He was still a bit put-out about that.  Honestly, what was that guy worried Roland would do?

    Fenris started playing with her hair idly.

    "Oh yeah. Actually I did want to see you in person several times in the past, but he was really stubborn about it. He said you were a beast with zero restraint toward woman and that my chastity would be in danger if we met. As if I would believe that." She laughed. " Honestly, I had actually seen you a few times and I had never seen you display that kind of behaviour. I think he simply disliked the idea of me hanging out with his friends for whatever reason." She shrugged.

    Roland''s earlier comment about the beast-kin women he had been with was stll not enough for her to consider him the kind of man her father made him out to be.

    Roland was a bit shocked and slightly hurt. Really, him, a beast? Loki really had some nerve saying that.

    He was astonished. Really, back then he was more sexually active than some but it wasnt like he would shamelessly sleep with any woman he came across. Plus, this girl was Loki''s daughter! Even if she was admittedly an attractive woman he would obviously have more restraint than that. To try sleeping with the daughter of one of his few good friends, how twisted would that be?

    He was honestly a bit hurt his friend would say that, Though he knew Loki didnt mean anything by it. Loki was not the type of person to say such things seriously. Okay, well, if he has to say, it was probably only 40% serious.

    Still, it caused Roland to be a bit angry as well. He started thinking of a few things he would like to do to Loki right about now.

    Since he was a god he wouldnt die so easily. No, even if he did die he would revive. So, no matter what Roland did, it was fine, right?

    Roland smiled a bit at the thought.

    Although  Roland had to admit that he was a bit of a lustful guy back then. Which was not entirely his fault. His body''s hormones were kicked into overdirve back then, how was that his fault?

    He had to concede the fact that perhaps Loki was simply one of those overly protective parents.  If he was a father, he would do the same. No, perhaps he would even do a lot worse. Thankfully he wasnt one.

    " Well anyway I dont think that would be a good idea. The two girls'' parents are here now and they have moved in too."

    "Ah, you mean the pretty redhead and that gold-eyed woman? That couple I saw earlier was their parents?. . . So?" She asked. "There''s plenty of room."

    " Adoptive parents. " He corrected. " And that''s true, but I still say no."  Not having enough room wasn''t the problem.

    "Why?"

    "That. . ." Really Roland didnt have a good reason to say no to her. If she wanted to move in, why exactly should he stop her?

    He would  not really like it, but he didnt have a good reason to refuse her. . . And is she was going to stay a cat anyway. . .

    "So, I can?" She looked excited.

    He sighed. "I dont even understand why you feel you need my permission. It''s your dad''s property."

    "But it''s your territory. You''re top dog there you know? So I have to do this. It''s, like, common curtesy?" She seemed unable to explain it clearly.

    But Roland felt he understood. It seems like animal instincts were stong in her.   If it were to be put into words, it would be like saying Roland was the alpha and the house was his territory.  It was a fair assessment since she knew Roland was the strongest one living there. Since that was how it was, that place was "his" in her mind.

    If one wanted to move there, they needed his permission to do so.

    Or such were her thoughts on the matter.

    " Just. . . Can you talk to Loki about this first?"

    " No! He would just try to stop me. Besides, i stay in my animal form most of the time, I can just do that. Ah, can I bring my own pillow though? Yours is a bit too hard for me."  Fenris looked at him.

    Roland was shocked. " You. . .You cant think your going to sleep with me right?"  He asked a bit indignantly.

    "Why not?" She looked genuinely confused on why he would ask that.

    He snorted coldly. " If you think you''re sleeping in my room, you''re out of your mind." He''d be damned if he allowed that to happen.

    She coughed. " But I like it in there! It smells good. And warm. Besides, what the problem? We''ve done it once already. I will stay in my cat form anyway. Just think of me as a pet?" Besides, did she not already mark that place as hers?

    He stared at her blankly. Was he really having this conversation?  " Yeah, no.  Pick another room. I refuse to let you stay in mine."

    She frowned. "Che!. Fine.  I honestly dont see the problem though.  I mean it isnt like we haven''t done it before. Well whatever. I did kinda expect this. At least I wont have to live with that perverted old man anymore. I could just sleep outside, but the ground is too hard on my muscles. Nn, this is best." She recalled something. " Ah, I saw the two girls a while ago. That black haired one seemed a bit down. And angry. The boys seemed to be a bit abnormal too."

    She was a bit worried. They would pretty much be living together from now on, so she thought it was a good idea to make sure they were all okay.

    Though she didnt care much about a few mortals, she did feel it was her duty as a future co-resident to take an interest in their well-being.

    Roland was momentarily wondering if he made the right choice to allow the woman to do what she wanted. He understood that she wouldnt like to watch Loki''s more. . .adult behaviour. . . up close, but he was concerned about how it seemed so many new people were going to be living with him. Three, no, four new people were to live with him. And all this in a single day.

    He wasnt entirely against it, but for some reason felt things were going to get more hectic from now one in various ways. He couldnt shake off the feeling that something was fast approaching, and he felt that something would cause a lot of trouble. Though maybe he was being paranoid. . .

    He glanced at Fenris and frowned once more.  He hoped Loki wouldnt make a big deal out of this. He mentally shrugged.

    He chose not to dwell on it.

    He began talking as a few of the students began to groan.  " Dont worry about that. Anyway, I dont want you causing any trouble, got it? If you''re going to be living with us, no tricks. I know your father, dont think I dont know how his daughter would act." Any child of his was bound to have a michievous streak. Was that not already obvious from their conversation?

    She stuck her pink little tongue out at him. " Boring~ But fine." She gave a small salute. " Whatever you say goes, boss." She grinned cheekily. The expression suited her.

    "Please dont"

    "Master then?" She asked. Her grin widened. She liked "boss" better, but that one was fun too.  She actually found that she like messing with the man in front of her. He was a bit more calm than normal people would be when they talked to her, but that made her want to see him truly flustered all the more.

    "No thanks. Hate that word. Roland is more than fine."

    Being called master was something he disliked. The last time someone called him master, they started recruiting members for a religious sect with him set up as the "god". It stemmed from a multitude of circumstances that made the person regard him as some kind of holy being. Admittedly it was his fault for showing off, but still.

    Really, that was an annoying experience. People kept sending him offerings of various things like precious medicinal herbs, treasures, Artifacts and even young woman who were to serve him.  He thought that last bit was going too far. He didnt exactly understand their reasoning, though he assumed it was something like wanting to let the woman have the "honor" of bearing the child of their "god".

    Of course he never touched them. It was amusing at first but it was at that point where he knew he had to do something.

    He finally had to leave the place, burning down the new-found "Church of Roland" as he did. Hm, though, the women were not exactly welcomed back, something about them being blamed for the entire thing. So he kind of had to take them with him as he left.

    They should still be at Roland''s Estate with his mother if he recalled correctly. . . Which reminded him, he should visit her some time. He hadnt seen her in at least half a year.

    All this happened in one of the short times when he and Loki went their seperate ways. Though, Mephisto was with him at the time and found the entire thing hilarious. Solomon and Aries, those two bastards, even wrote a song about it as soon as they heard. It was obviously not the kind meant to be sung in civilized society.

    So in short that was why  he really, really disliked the title of  "master".

    "Uh, Hello? Roland?" Fenris called out worryingly. He seemed to wander off a bit.

    Roland paused.

    What were they talking of again? He seeme to have become lost in his thoughts.

    "Anyway, that''s how it is."

    " . . .Okay then. Well I think--"

    "uuughhhh~"  The students suddenly lets out more groans, starting to wake up.

    "Quicker than I thought" Roland commented. Michael, Alex and Sara were waking  faster than the rest. William, a vampire, was weak to spiritual energy and was still soundly unconscious.

    "You should probably--"

    "Meow~~ " A cat sound echoed throughout the room.

    "Nevermind."

    ------------

    Meanwhile.

    Gehenna floated in a large room. It was more of a space, really. There was no floor, no walls, no sound. Only an endless darkness like that of a black hole. A room that was not a room, in a place that time held no sway.  A place where  the sky was a faint red and the moon was always visible.

    To many, the place was known as "Hell". Specifically, the place the room, if it could really be called such,  was housed in was located in the Western Region of Hell.

    The place where Gehenna dominated with absolute authority.

    The room held only one thing: A ptich-black sword with azure veins running through it. It was covered with bright red chains, chains not quite able to hold back the sword''s overbearing aura of majesty.

    This was no normal sword. It was even taller than Gehenna, and nearly twice as wide. Truly one that could be called a king of swords.

    Gehenna looked at the sword with a soft, unreadable expression. She stroked the blade gently, speaking to it in a whisper.

    "Shh, my dear. I understand how lonely you have been all this time, isolated in this place. Crying. Waiting. Just as I did." Her voice was filled with a hard to describe sadness that seemed soul-deep. She suddenly smiled, a bright smile filled with longing. "But dont worry. We''re going someplace soon. A place where you and I will once again find our "happiness".

    Do you understand, my sweet child? Yes. Of course, you do." She laughed, the sound like beautiful twinkling bells and the singing of larks. "You''ve been waiting as long as I have, afterall. Finally, we will have our questions answered. The reason why we were left behind. The reason why we were abandoned." A tear slid down her cheek, an old pain resurfacing.

    The sword''s veins glowed softly at the words, as if it understood. It was an almost sad reaction, as if not daring to believe in the words yet hoping they were true. The sword was, indeed, no normal sword. It slowly began to brighten in intensity, bathing her in warm azure light.

    His color.

    " Shall we go?" Gehenna smiled. " We will have to go through that old devil,  but that is of no matter to us, right? We cant let that bastard stand in the way of our reunion, now can we?"

    Unbeknownst to her, an odd light came into her eyes. It was, for lack of a better word, controlled madness.

    To whom did such a madness belong? The goddess of destruction within her, or the spirit of the lonely child she had once been?

    Perhaps both.

    In an instant the two of them, woman and sword, disappeared.

    All that remained was a profound silence.

 chapter twenty-three

    In hell there are nine titles, or ranks, that belong to the ruling class of it''s denizens. These titles determine how powerful and how influental they are. The nine titles are, from the highest, Emperor, King,  Prince, Marquis, Duke, Earl, President, Knight and Marshal.  However, apart from Emperor,  these titles are split in two from, for example, King and Great King. Or Prince and Great prince.

    This combines for a total of seventeen titles. The holders of one of these titles can command legions of demons, devils  or other inhabitants of hell while the highest title, Emperor, is given only to Lucifer who reings as the ultimate ruler of Hell. But apart from these seventeen there exists another title that are given to the four most powerful demons of hell whose individual power is comparable to Lucifer himself.

    The title is called Regional Ruler. The four who hold this title have absolute power and authority over one of the four cardinal points. Gehenna is the Western Ruler and her domain lies in the western regions of Hell.

    Another one of the Regional Rulers is Asmodeus, the Demon of Lust whose domain lies in the south. The borders of the two people''s homes are rather close to each others, comparatively speaking.

    From the distance she saw his city, filled with men and woman with horned heads. Below sounds of laughter could be heard. Guards were stationed everywhere, their armor a deep red. She sensed his family somewhere inside, their auras unmistakable. Different to her own silent, empty lands  his was filled with mirth and merriment. It was similar to human cities she had seen, but the signs of corruption where nowhere to be found. It was a place of freedom and not a single one of the residents were unhappy.

    But despite its appearance it was one of the most heavily guarded areas of hell, protected by powerful elite demons and hundreds of strong barriers that surrounded the entire city.

    No one has an succeded in taking control of it.

    It was an unconquerable fortress.

    Who would dare attack it?

    It is here, at Asmodeus''s territory, that Gehenna launches her assault.

    --------

    A young looking man with shoulder-lenghth silver-grey hair and many tattoes along his arms walked past the city gates. The coloration, odd even for a demon, only gave him an air of exoticness that increased his already considerable looks. His near-perfect facial features and air of sensuality mixed with the raw demonic energy he exuded was a heady mixture that few, women or men, could resist.

    This was Amsodeus, the demon who reigned over Lust. True to his reputation he was abnormally handsome and at any other time the women of the city would have swooned at the raw sex appeal he subconsciously gave off.

    But this time was different. This time his entrance was greeted by a much darker scene.

    Asmodeus had only just gotten back to his estate when he saw that everything was in ruins. There were burn marks on the crumbling walls and armored bodies lay everywhere, the stench of blood and death heavy in the air.

    Asmodeus traveled alone and so evey one of his guards were stationed here. His legions of demons surrounded the nearby lands and could be here to defend the city in a matter of minutes. But now many of those soldiers lied about in the streets, soaking it in a red hue.  They weren''t simply dead, but their horns had been shattered.

    He saw children, not dead but eyes empty as they stared at their parents, not understanding why such a tragedy has befallen them. They made no frightful tears, for they had long ran dry.

    He was sickened, a fury he had never known before boiling up in him like lava through his veins as he stared at the city he built brought to such a state.

    Everwhere he looked riled up untold anger and revulsion. Shards of horns lay everywhere. It meant that the guards died slowly, painfully. To demons, having your horns shattered was the most painful, the most cruel of experiences.  The pain was unimaginable.

    Here, not a single corpse had a horn intact, making Asmodeus wonder at who could be so cruel and merciless.

    He heard sounds of fighting from a distance and rushed to it''s origin, his intent to kill causing the few survivors to shudder.

    They looked at his passing figure with dead eyes. Having witnessed unspeakable horrors, they were broken in mind and spirit. No resident of hell was weak, but in the face of the demoness that slaughtered the ones who were supposed to be their infallible guardians like sheep. . . Well, they had no ability to resist at all.

    Asmodeus knew, only one person in hell would be insane enough, powerful enough, to cause this. That walking disaster that everyone in hell feared, that nightmare that even their Emperor would not offend easily. . . Only she would do this.

    He reached his estate in seconds, seeing his guards with bodies lying in chunks on the ground or stains on the walls. The once opulent mansion now burning to the ground slowly.

    "l-lord , , , Asmodeus. . ." A faint voice called out. Asmodeus instantly recognised it. He found a body lying in one of the hallways, dripping blood an even darker shade than his hair and his handsome face grimacing in untold amounts of pain.

    " D''avim. . ." Asmodeus whispered. It was the name of one of his personal guards. He had no need for them and so tasked them with guarding his family. Each one was loyal and powerful to a frightening degree.

    "S-she''s . . . here. She came, . . .so suddenly . We couldnt. . . stop her. Most everyone of the Elite Guard is dead." He rasped.

    "Only your family. . . remains relatively safe. Howeverm she took two of them. . .Lady Jezebel and Young Master Maverick, . .  T-to the lower levels of the estate. She wants to use them. . . to open the Vault. I tried, but i couldnt. . .I couldnt help them. Jezebel, one of her horns were broken. Your son, she took off an arm. He held her back so that the rest of your family could excape. Your wife and grandchildren are safe"

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    At that Asmodeus suppressed a sigh of relief. At least his beloved with and grandkids were okay. His wife, Sarah, who he loved most in life and his grandchildren who he doted upon. . . At the very least he knew they were safe.

    "But in the end, I and Jezebel. . . " Still couldnt get away. The unspoken words hung in the air.

    ". . . Im. . .sorry. . ." D''avim lowered his head, unable to look his lord in the eye.

    Asmodeus'' face darkened. Those two were strong, that Jezebel and her brother Maverick. He was proud of his son''s actions. To sacrifice himself for family, such courage was commendable. Asmodeus had not done wrong by his son, of that he was sure.

    As for that headstrong daughter of his, he knew exactly what she would have done. D''avim being alive was proof of her actions. To her, those she considered family were her life.

    D''avim''s face was tear-streaked. He looked at his lord, anguish in his eyes. The injuries he sustained were negligible, he could no longer feel the pain. He only felt a deep shame and heartache knowing he failed his lord. He, who was tasked with protecting the lord''s daughter Jezebel, had been defeated in mere seconds as he hurried her toward an escape route that her brother risked his life to provide.

    After that, he saw the young woman try to protect him. The older man had know the girl all his life, had even raised her like his own. . .The two were like family. Of course the girl would try aiding him, but to go against that monster . . . She suffered unimaginable pain. He heard loud wails as her horn was torn from her head, his heart crying out in defiance as he tried one last assault. The result was a counterattack of a single palm strike that left him in his unable to move even a finger.

    As he watched Jezebel being dragged by her one remaining horn towards the lower depths of the estate he cursed his own weakness.

    "D''avim, who did this?" Asmodeus forced the words out through clenched teeth and stared hard at his old friend. He knew the answer, but he had to hear it.

    "Gehenna. . .".  The name came out bitter and full of malice, as if it were a curse word. Here, in hell, it almost was.

    Asmodeus roared inwardly, his inner voice raw and full of hate.

    Why, after all these years, have you done this? What reason could you have to cause such misery? Gehenna, I can forgive many things, even this, but if you kill any of my family I will hunt you till the ends of creation and make you my prisoner, suffering for all eternity!

    He knew that perhaps he would not have the power to do this. But he was willing to spend the rest of his life trying if she killed any of his family. A broken horn could be healed if the right person, funds and material could be found but  a life was not the same. At least not a demon''s

    "That bitch! She kills my citizens, my guards, threatens my family. . .I wont let her do as she pleases!" Asmodeus was now thoroughly lost to his anger. Lust was not the only sin he was associated with. . . Wrath was also one of the traits that defined him.

    He left D''avim''s side, rushing with inhuman speed through the many hallways of his home.

    "My lord, wait! The situation. . .it isnt what you think!"

    But before the last word left his mouth, his lord was already nowhere to be found.

    ___________________

    Author''s notes: Really short chapter. this was meant to be way longer but i decided to post this bit now. I am already done with a lot for the next chapter. I just cut what i already had done in 1/3  to leave you with this small piece, because im just sadistic like that :)

    But im not finished with the entire thing yet. Almost though, expect it either tomorrow or the day after. I  would have been done already and made the chapter a lot longer all in one piece but i was out of town the past day or so and couldnt write anything. So instead of finishing it,  i decided to leave you with the 1/3 that i thought was a good place to leave off at.

    The next chapter will include some fighting. Also, i should let you all know now that i may make Gehenna even darker in the future. I want her to come off as unhinged. If you read my comment, (or was it comments?) on chapter 22, then i think you will understand why i want to do this.

    Also the titles at the start are not meant to be a system to measure power levels . Well, not really. They have a lot to do with how strong/influential  a demon, fallen angel or other such resident of hell is, but its more. . . well, im not sure how to explain it.

    This was a just a classification i found on the hierarchy of hell when i was searching the internet.

    Also from what i recall i made. . . maybe three or four characters who i mentioned had silver/grey or white hair ( i dont actually know for sure but including Asmodus that makes three im cartain of) . I want to explain the reason for the coloring later. There is a reason for the color, to be sure. White or silver hair in the story wont be considered as too rare, but it isnt common. And for the characters so far, it isnt really what they were born with, but a result of an outside force.

    Okay, well, at least one was born with white hair but that was because of. . . well, i''ll explain that in the story eventually.

 chapter twenty-four

    Author''s note: I changed this alot, tell me if there are any problems with it.  Because the fighting scenes and the motivation behind their choice of moves may not sound plausible. Like, if you question, " why didnt he do this?" or "why didnt she do that?" or,

    " Okay, if he/she was able to do that, why didnt he/she do it at the start?"

    Those type of things.

    ----------------------

    Asmodeus found body after body of red-armored guards. He  descended to the lower levels until he found a large white door that was smashed to bits, a trail of blood leading past.

    Behind it was a vast chamber that was large enough to fit a thousand people. It was dark, only illuminated by orbs of light at regular intervals.

    He heard slow footsteps in the distance.

    A woman, incomparably beautiful and serene, was walking toward a massive doorway that could even let a dragon enter with room to spare. In one hand she dragged a beautiful young woman by a horn, in the other a young man was pulled by the hair. He was missing an arm, his blood making a trail.  Both of them lacked the power to move, their eyes blank.

    Jezebel, Maverick!

    Asmodeus felt an unquenchable anger seeing the two in such a sorry state. " Gehenna!" He yelled. He pulled out a sword, one that hung by his side at all times. He was mad with rage and his blade shone with a unmistakable grey light.

    He charged at her, making sure to avoid his children.

    A black fire spread from her body to block the attack. He stopped, knowing full well the power of those black flames. She never even loooked his way.

    "Speak, for what reason have you done this! My city, my guards, my family! Why have you come? Talk, Gehenna!" He shouted furiously. He unleashed his Authority, the power of Lust, of seduction. His was a mental-based Authority that could warp others to his will. His was the only Authority to take such a route.

    Against nearly any other female the power of his Authority stored in his words would have evoked a feeling of lust and subservience, such was the degree of his power over the female mind. Though he seldom used it and never for dark purposes he was too enraged to care about demanding answers through the use of his power.

    But this one, she would never waver, never put him in her eyes.

    Yet for reasons known only to her she answered anyway.

    "I need something. Behind that Vault of yours lies that which will bring us towards our happiness. You can not understand our desires, you cannot fathom our pain. . .Will you stand in the way of our happiness as well?" She suddenly asked. She shook here head, as if the answer was already known. " It was good you were away, or else we would not have had gotten to this point so easily."

    Her words were soft, unlike the ice-cold Queen of Destruction from his memories. But that face of cruel, mesmerizing beauty, that absolute indifference, that lack of real emotion, was still from the terrifying monster of insanity and death he had always known.

    He didnt understand. "Our", she said. But apart from them she was the only one there. Could there be another enemy hiding somewhere?

    " Bitch, if what you seek is so simple you would not have to do something like this! You killed countless people in my land, for what? If you wanted the Vault open, why must you murder and destroy to do it?!" He launched another attack, his sword emmiting a coldness and bloodlust that was enough to break mountains.

    Grey demonic energy leaked out from his body as an overbearing pressure spread through every corner of the chamber. The demonic energy had a profound effect.

    It was so pure and concentrated, so thick and choking that clouds began to form outside and the sheer power of the energy gave it a quality that was terrifying to those still living outside. They felt like the gaze of death was upon them.

    Suddenly a large, black sword with glowing azure veins appeared from the shadows out of nowhere. It was wrapped in glowing red chains and easily fended off the attack. The impact sent shockwaves throughtout the room, cracking the walls with it''s massive force.

    "How. . ." Asmodeus was shocked. That attack he launched had killed thousands with a casual swong, how was it so easily blocked?

    "If we had asked, would you have let us enter you Vault?" She asked, not halting her steps in the slightest.

    "Never." He bit out. He couldnt deny it.  Asmodeus, no, all three of the other Regional Rulers hated Gehenna. She was sick, twisted in a very unique way that made even them repulsed.

    In recent years it appeared as if she was normal, softer, more sane. But to them they only felt a coldness different from the past her. It was subtle, now,  her insanity having only become better well-hidden. More focused. Focused on what exactly they were not sure. Rumors spread that she was searching for something, or someone, but to them that only meant she was more dangerous than ever before.

    The four of them had a long history, and Gehenna was one who was hated by all those in hell. Her cruel methods, her indifferent attitude toward killing even those of her own kind. . . She was a walking disaster. Everywhere she went, destruction followed.

    She remained quiet for for so long already, but none of the other three Rulers had any thoughts that she was any less deadly, any less volatile than she had been.

    Rather, they now were even more cautious, Even Lord Lucifer once told them that she unnerved him.

    Whatever happened during the time when she had disappeared all those years ago had made her smarter, more lethal in the way that now she was no longer a wild beast but a cunning snake whose poison they believed would eat away at everything once unleashed.

    None of the Rulers would let her in their lands.

    ". . .As I thought. And you ask why i would do this? You give me no choice. You would not have let me through so I can only use force. If your soldiers had not gottten in my way, no one would have had to die." It was said casually, as if the lives she took were of no importance. To her, it wasnt.

    She reached the masive door and dropped the  bloody bodies in her hands on large circle that appeared by her feet.

    The circle held numerous runes and intricate designs. When the bodies hit the circle the runes glowed with a red light, illuminating the large doors in front of her.

    It creaked and groaned loudly, opening slowly.

    His Vault only opened with Asmodeus'' blood or the blood of both his children. It was impossible to open any other way.

    He didnt worry about his children and attacked. Those two were battered but still alive. If he lived after this he would attend to their injuries.

    Asmodeus no longer spoke. Whatever she wanted, she would not be allowed to have. For her vicious action he couldnt let her remain unpunished. Now that his children were not in her hands he could let loose his full power.

    He charged at her, flying past that large sword in the air. His sword was inches from her back when she suddenly caught the blade with a delicate hand. The force was more than she expected, pushing her deep into the room the now-open Vault door had exposed.

    It was much larger inside. No, not just large, it was an entire area. It had a sky, clouds, birds and gigantic floating islands in the far distance that looked like specks. There was no floor, everything levitating high up in the air. But that was no problem for the two who were capable of standing on air.

    This was a sub-space that was created by Asmodeus eones ago when he was still young. A place that he held his vast fortune, his priceless treasures and exotic animal that he had taken a fancy to.

    Gehenna held out a hand and the large black sword instantly appeared in her palm. She slashed at Asmodeus, the blade emitting azure and black flames.

    Asmodeus let go of his weapon and dodged, feeling the incomparable power behind the flames. His sword was turned to ash instantly.

    He gathered demonic energy in his hands and it''s grey light bled up into the sky. His grey hair grew until it reached his back, his skin became patterned with black tattoes and his fingernails grew long and black with red tips that ended with a sharp point. His eyes were glowing grey. His youthful face held a near peerless perfection and the aura he released was choking.

    This was Asmodeus in his most primal form, the form that made him the Regional Ruler of the southern area of Hell. It was a simply transformation but it was the true body birthed from two people who held powers that could hold the opposite sex  in thrall.

    And those powers were all concentrated in Asmodes which is exactly why, of all the other possible sins, he was the only one who reigned absolute over Lust.

    Even if he did nothing, the powers he inherited made him sought after by others. It was both a girt and a curse. Had he not been so powerful even as a child he may have ended up used for the pleasure of others, unable to fight back.

    His mother, Naamah and his father, Adam. These two possessed powers that could dominate the opposite sex. This is what his current form exemplifies. A face that was peerlessly beautiful, a strong and lean body that was made to attract and pleasure others. This aura of his that could kill or could heighten the sexual desires in all.

    Gehenna felt the strange power of his new form. Indeed, if it were most other woman they would have already submitted to Asmodeus, read to serve his every desire. . . But Gehenna only snorted softly in disdain.

    Asmodeus tore off his upper clothing that covered his torse. His powers in this form was best executed if he was more vulnerable to attacks.

    Gehenna had fought him in this form before, she knew that if she attacked then half damage she inflicted would only be given to her. Not only that but the pain would be double what he felt and the pain from the backlash would double even more each time she struck him.  But that pain, to her, was nothing. However, to strike directly would only waste time.

    She didnt talk, only rushed toward one of the islands where she felt her target lay. It called to her.

    "Dont think I will let you go so easily!" Asmodeus blocked her path, striking at her with his sword viciously.

    She defend with the sword in her hand and shoved him with an open palm, knocking him back several feet.

    She wanted to kill him right then. He would continue to block her way unless he was dealt with. Also . . .

    If she left him alive then surely once he took care of his family and his city he would chase after her. If he got in the way of her, if he told him of all she had done in the past. . .

    Deep down she knew that her cruel actions were unneeded. Those people she killed had done nothing to her. But the bloodlust in her needed to be sated. It was not something that could be controlled, rather, if she had not let loose then the destruction she would have wrought would have been much worse.

    Asmodeus had long since tattooed various magic circles all over his body. Naturally these were Forbidden Spells that enhanced his power once activated. However Forbidden Spells need a long activation time.  These tattoes shortened that time considerable. Some he could even cast instantly. Others, some of the more powerful,  needed several minutes of uninteruption.

    He had to be careful of which he used.

    Asmodeus didnt use them immediately because they drained his power quickly. First he had to see how he fared without them.

    He compressed the demonic energy in his hands, giving it form. It took the shape of a long bow, incorporeal and glowing grey. The bowstring was a mere thread of grey light. Usng his Authority, he attacked Gehenna using a mental blast before firing.

    He was wary of those black and azure flames. The black flames of Gehenna''s he long since knew of, but those azure flames, their almost ethereal beauty. . . He sensed an overbearing aura from them, a mysteriousness he couldnt see through.

    He pulled the bowstring and twenty arrows of grey light shot out at once, their speed  breaking the sound barrier and causing loud noises to echo throughout the sky.

    Gehenna felt a large boom go off in her mind. She screamed, her mind feeling like it was tearing from the inside out. The pain was overbearing, making her slow to react from the  incoming danger.

    Arrows made from pure demonic energy. If she was hit, her injuries would not be light.

    She hurridly swung down the large sword, sending azure flames to meet the arrows in midair. She held a hand to her head, still reeling from Asmodeus''s mental attack.

    The arrows were extinguished but the flames blocked her view of him. That combined with her slowed reactions from his mental blast gave him the perfect opportunity to attack.

    He abandoned the bow and created a sword. Instantly he appeared behind her. Several of his tattooes glowed with varying colors. These  were Forbidden Spells that increased the power of your body and overall abilities. The strike was an earth-crushing blow.

    Untold amounts of power gathered in the sword, making it feel hot to the touch.

    But to his surprise the arm which held the enormous sword moved with god-like speed and positioned the giant blade behind her.

    boom!

    The resulting force split the clouds and  traveled for miles.

    Asmodeus stared in astonishment. Not a scratch could be seen on thte blade''s surface!

    He couldnt understand how this was possible.

    " Simply accept your demise, Asmodeus. With this sword in my hands only one person can defeat me, and you are not he."

    Her eyes looked at him with contempt.

    Asmodeus retreated. That last blow confirmed his suspicion. He felt that Gehenna was even more powerful than usual and now he knew why.

    That sword, the strength  it contained was overwhelming. It continuously fed her power, making her ten times stronger.  He surmised that if those chains did not seal the majority of the sword''s power then perhaps he would have not been able to even get close to her without suffering injury from it''s mere aura.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    He felt dread build in his heart. What kind of sword was that? How could it be so powerful even under what appeared to be such powerful seals? That level of power was too monstrous!

    That sword, its very existence was enough to go against heaven and hell!

    Asmodeus had never seen anything like it. It''s power he felt, it made him shudder. What''s worse, it''s actions earlier made him think that it actually held sentience.

    Was this not equivolent to fighting two strong opponenets at once?

    He knew now that he couldnt hold anything back.

    He manifested two swords. He gave up on using power and focused on speed.

    On his hands several tattooes glowed green, making him faster, swifter. His swords moved like lightning,  slashing at her in a flurry.

    Gehenna, even wielding such a large weapon, was not slowed at all. The two, in the span of only several seconds, echanged more than fifty blows that rang out across the sky.

    After a n unknown time had passed Asmodeus and Gehenna became riddled with wounds. Gehenna was even more in a sorry state. The  mysterious power he had made it so the pain she felt doubled for every attack she landed on him caused her to feel unimaginable pain.

    The arm she held the sword in was shaking slightly.

    However, to Asmodeus''s utter shock, the wounds she sffered began to close! Soon not even a mark could be seen on her.

    The only indication of their previous exchange was the tears that appeared on her clothing that revealed her supple, flawless skin.

    The two retreated back.

    The woman was enraged inwardly, her eyes emitting  killing intent.

    This man, had he been hiding his strength? He was never this powerful before. . .

    It was only then she noticed that on his body the marking on his skin glowed faintly. Then she understood.

    So, you chose to go all out from the beginning. However, how far can borrowed strength take you,  I wonder? Compared to him you are too lacking. Such things will only drain you faster as we go on. In this battle, your death is assured.

    She called upon her flames once more, throwing them at him.

    He once again materialized a bow and fired multiple arrows at the flames, canceling the attacks out.

    He moved around, seeming to teleport from place to place. He fired arrow after arrow at her.

    One came close to hitting her, but she dodged it expertly amd sent a wave of azure flames his way.

    He attacked her mind once again, this time using a different method. . .

    ---------------

    Gehenna''s mind suddenly hurt, but the pain was gone as soon as it appeared.

    "What have you d--?" She froze.

    Asmodeus was gone. Now stood a young man with black hair and azure eyes, close enough that she could reach out and touch him. His looks did not quite lose to Asmodeus''s own appearance. The two had their own unique appeal but the man before her was, to her, much more mesmerising and perfect than Asmodeus could ever be.

    He smiled at her, causing her to become dumb-founded at his sudden appearance. She didnt even notice her sword was missing.

    " It cant be. . .You cant be here, this. . .this has to be an illusion, , ," She whispered.  She knew this meeting could not be. She knew this man couldnt  be him.

    However, everything about him perfectly matched the person she remembered. Not a flaw could be seen.

    " Perhaps this is an illusion. Does it matter?"

    "But you arent real. You cant be!"  Gehenna suddenly yelled, her emotions a mess.

    He laughed. " What is real? What is fake? Is there really a clear line between the two? If you wish it so, I can be as real as anything. Come, Gehenna,  dont you want us to be together again?"

    The words made her pause, uncertain.

    He brought his face close and whispered softly in her ear. She could feel the warmth of his skin, smell his masculine scent that she had longed for all these years. Her heart suddenly beat faster.

    " Well, that is what you would expect me to say, isnt it? To try enticing you with words like that. But that''s not the case.  No matter what you believe, I am real. Can you not feel me?" He touched her cheek, gazing into her eyes deeply.

    " Gehenna, im really here, in the flesh.  I have always been searching for you,  you know. Did you really think I would abandon you? No, I could never. You have no idea how precious you are to me." His soft voice was filled with passion. He smiled at her once again, lovingly, tenderly.

    "We can be together now. . . Always, for eternity." His words were dangerously seductive to her.

    He hugged her, burying her head in his strong chest. His warm embrace was making her head spin as he stroked her hair gently.

    Tears slided down her cheeks quietly.

    This was what she had always wanted. In the passing of all these years she had fantasized this a thousand times.  It was something she thought of endlessly, to be here wth him, to be wanted by him.

    However. . .

    Her eyes flashed with a bone-chilling light.

    Seconds later an arm could be seeing blooming from the man''s back.

    The man let out a pained groan, blood escaping from his mouth.  She pulled her arm out, causing blood to pool at his feet.

    He slowly backed away, his face showing pain and betrayal.

    " Gehenna. . . Why?" He forced out the words.

    She looked at him with a dead, frosty expresson. " If you arent the real thing, what good are you? There is only one of him, and I wont accept any other. How can you ever measure up to him? How can you ever think you can be his replacement?"

    If you were truly the one I long for, you would not recognise my current appearance. Even if you did, you would never call me by that name.

    In an instant his figure faded away.

    ------------------

    Asmodeus had locked her mind away in an illusion, one of his most powerful ones. He called it  "Daydream".

    It was not a ability one ould learn, but was born from Asmodeus fully mastering his Authority. Even the other three Regional Rulers could not say the same.

    In it, you could''nt tell the difference between something real and something fake. It was the perfect illusion that preyed upon what a person most wanted in life and made it appear before them.

    Everything, touch, sight, sound, smell to taste, was perfect.  It was one of his most powerful abilities, but also one of his most cruel. It didnt last forever, and once it ended. . .A person may beg to be placed back inside.

    There were those who had escaped before, but it usually took several hours. Asmodeus only needed a few  minutes for what he was about to do, and right now he was almost done.

    However, he suddenly felt something. He looked at Gehenna''s unmoving body, her eyes clouded over as if in a dream.

    Suddenly her figure flickered and reappeared in front of him, the move so unexpected that he earned a long slash across his chest.

    "Impossible . . ."  Asmodeus retreated far away, looking at her with disbelief. No one had ever broken out of that so quickly!

    It could be said that from the start she didnt take the battle seriously. She liked playing with her prey. But now she felt like something broke inside her, making her unleash all her power to make sure he died.

    "How  dare  you. . .How dare you use his face against me!" She yelled venomously. Realizing what  Asmodeus had done made her feel a burning rage inside her, a bloodlust like never before driving her mad.

    Asmodeus didnt know who she meant. "He" was obviously someone very important to her. But who would be able to cause her, the terror of Hell,  to become so enraged?

    Not only that , but that attack from her should have sent her to feel an incredible pain. The time they exchange blades with each other caused them many wounds. Although her were now healed, the pain should not have gone away. After that last strike how could she not at the very least flinch from the pain?

    But it didnt matter anymore.

    Although this was unexpected, he still had enough time to finish what he was doing.

    Several of his tattoes glowed a cold blue and another glowed black.

    He felt his demonic energy and magic power drain rapidly as he unleashed one of his most powerful Forbidden Spells.

    From the sky appeared a large, meteor-like shard of ice. Around it large black runes were emitting a sinister glow.

    Her power was draining away, she felt it leaving her as the ice grew closer. Soon her black flames withered away into nothingness.

    This would have made anyone in Hell socked. Those flames of her''s, did they not strike fear in the strongest beings in hell?For them to be extinguished so easily. . .

    But those azure flames were still running trong, not affected in the slightest.  Gehenna, with this sword in her hands, feared nothing. the rage she felt needed to be let out and the first target would be that ice meteor. After that, she would vent out every ounce of anger upon Asmodeus as he begged for mercy that wouldnt come. . .

    Asmodeus watched from afar, having retreated out of the way. This was  Forbidden Spell called Heaven''s End.

    It was no ordinary ice, but ice of the highest tier that could survive, no, even freeze, the heart of a sun.

    What''s more, ice got harder the colder it was. One can only imagine the hardness of ice like this.(1)

    That was only one part of the spell. That alone didnt make it a Forbidden Spell, rather, it ws only after combining it with another spell that its true power shone through.

    The spell was known as Heaven''s Punishment and it held the power to forcefully surpress even the most powerful of beings, the spell that was the only reason for Lucifer''s defeat so long ago.

    Lucifer could only retreat under its suppression , resulting in him becoming Fallen.

    When the two were combined, it was said nothing could stand in it''s way. As for it''s creator, no one knew who it was.

    And currently the people who could cast this spell numbered only ten.

    Among them was Solomon the Wise, Odin the Allfather, Morgan Le Fay, Circe, and the goddess of witchcraft, Hecate.

    It was only after a unspeakable sum that Asmodeus was able to have Solomon and Hecate work on a way to make the spell  usable via a tattoo. It ended up making a very large, intricate  pattern that took up half his torse and part of his arm,

    Before this, no one had thought to be able to use a Forbidden spell through tattooes. Using spells via tattoes had long since been known, but Forbidden spell had never been able to be given written form in that way.

    Solomon and Hecate demanded an enormous sum for the very attempt.

    They suceeded in making it, making it possible for other people to use it without learning it from scratch. However, this consumed a large amount of power and few had the amount of mana needed to support it.  Not just that, only those two knew how to replicate it..

    Demons naturally had superior mana capacity and Asmodeus, as one of the most powerful demons, had a phenomenal amount of mana available to him. . . And it still drained him nearly dry.

    The reason he locked Gehenna inside that illusion was to have enough time to cast as it required severl long minutes of concentration.

    The other Forbidden Spells in his arsenal, he now knew, were not strong enough to beat her. He gambled that this one, with its suppression effects, would weaken her enough to cause serious damage to her. If she lived after, he could deliver the final blow quickly.

    But he already began to feel its effects of casting it though. His insides hurt and his blood was flowing backwards. On his one horn, hair-like cracks appeared.

    From the short exchange, Asmodeus knew normal attacks would not work on her. That regeneration ability was not her own. It was likely to do with the sword. He tried to take it away when he first put her under his Daydream but found that merely touching it sent a jolt of unbearable pain.

    Since normal attacks wouldnt work, only a Forbidden Spell that concentrated on attack would be able to take her down

    . . . Or so he hoped.

    He watched as the meteor of ice neared her.

    Gehenna let out a furious roar and charged at it, azure flames surrounding her body. She used all her might and struck at the large piece of ice. The impact sent pain up her arm.

    Asmodeus snorted in disdain. Foolish, do you not know what this is? To go against it like that directly is suicide.

    The strike from her caused a large explosion of ice, the meteor of ice crackling under it''s might.

    The force of the two''s collision was astounding enough to knock Asmodeus back.

    Not only that, but he clearly saw that an instant before the azure flames  caused steam to rise from the ice. This feat was not achievable even when that ice was thrown into a sun, how much hotter could those flames be to cause such a thing?

    How did the resulting heat not fry them to ash from it''s mere proximity?

    Several minutes later, the meteor was split into large chunks that continued to fly down, pieces of ice flying in all directions.

    Asmodeus protected himself through a barrier. It couldnt  withstand Gehenna''s attacks, which is why he didnt use it. But it was more than enough to block some ice shards.

    As everything cleared, his heart grew cold.

    There, not having budged from her postition, was Gehenna. . . .And she didnt have a single mark on her.

    Azure flames surrounded her body, her eyes locking on him with a bloodlust that made him appear as if he was gazing at death itself.

    " Did you really think. . . .That everything would be over with something of this level?"

    -----------------

    Author''s notes : Yeah, also, i will explain what an Authority is later.

    1- this line i added a few hours or so after post.

 chapter twenty-five

    Author''s notes: At the end of this chapter i will offer an explanation of what happens in the story. I will also delve into Gehenna/ Grace as a character(s). Reading it isnt needed, but i think it may clear some things up and offer a deeper insight into what I am trying to do by making this little arc. I hope it will make sense to you.

    The next chapter  may either feature Morrigan''s side of the story or go back to Roland.

    Oh, and remember to rate, review and comment! havent said that in a while. . .

    ------------------

    "Did you really think. . . That everything would be over with something of this level?"

    Asmodeus watched with utter disbelief. No matter where he looked, she was perfectly fine in every way possible, not a single cut or bruise to be found. In fact, the only sign of their battle was the fine cuts on her clothes.

    He looked at her figure that was clad in azure flames, sword in hand as she looked down at him.

    It was then that he understood. On a normal day the previous attack would leave her at least heavily wounded. However, he remembered how the sword fed her its power. This increased her power several fold, so much so that even an attack like that could not wound her.

    He depaired, realizing that from the start she had been holding back considerably. She toyed with him. He, one of the Regional Rulers, one of the most powerful in hell, had been played with by her and not considered her opponent at all.

    This realization brought him deep shame. Never had he been subject to such humiliation.

    He had been foolish to not take into consideration the increase in ther powers. No, it can be said that he had taken them into consideration but had still vastly underestimated the power the sword brought her.

    Suddely she vanished, only to reapear in front of him, her eyes holding a coldness that froze his soul. He had never seen such an expression on her, that anger, that hate. It was something that should be foreign to the Queen of Death and Destruction. Such emotions should have long died out in her, if they ever existed at all.

    Her movements were much faster now, much swifter and precise. He found he couldnt follow them at all. Though Asmodeus was considered the weaker of the Four Rulers, he could still hold his own against them. Gehenna was always te strongest, but until now the disparity between them had never been this large. If not for that sword, he believed things would have turned out very differently.

    The sword was held against his neck. He felt the overbearing aura radiating from it, felt the unbelievable sharpness of its blade. However, it somehow refused to cut him.

    He thought he was dead for sure, but suddenly Gehenna frowned and instead delivered a blow to his stomache with her hand, knocking him straight down.

    He was sent hurtling towards an island that was directly below him.

    During the course of the battle Gehenna had gradually moved them closer to her original target. The reason she chose to attack the meteor head on was because the island was directly below at that point.

    Although the meteor had an effect that also slowed her down considerably to not let her escape she could have used raw force to break the hold over her body. And she did as such. She could have dodged, but if she did that the island, along with her target, would be destroyed.

    She couldnt let that happen, not when she was so close.  So she chose to break  the ice instead. Though the wounds she recieved were life-threatening and would have crippled her for several hundred years ordinarily, she was saved thanks to the power of the sword healing her almost instantly which made it appear as if she had taken no damage at all.

    She held the swod up and frowned, gazing at it deeply. Just now she had tried to cut Asmodeus'' throat however. . . The sword didnt let her. It refused to kill him.

    Could this be from his influence? Could the sword have absorbed his personality to a degree where it would make choices he himself would have made?

    Could it be that killing Asmodeus was something that he would not do?

    However, it had no trouble killing those guards . . .

    Asmodeus fell inside a large cathedral-like bulding. He came hurtling through the ceiling and slammed into the ground with an amazing force, so much so that the ground made a small crator and split in several directions.

    His entire body hurt. Thaat hit had been much stronger than he would have believed possible. He was sure that he had several broken bones and maybe a punctured lung.

    To a demon such as he this was not life-threatening but it was the most damage he had sustained in a long time. Usually his opponents would have already admitted their defeat as the backlash of Asmodeus'' powers made them experience uspeakable pain. But she seemed to only tremble slightly, the pain seeming almost negligible  to her.

    Due to the backlash from wounding him to this degree Asmodeus knew she must be in immense pain. Hoowever, she had not cried out once. It was something Asmodeus, even in this situation, had a grudging respect for.

    He was in so much pain that moving a single finger seemed impossible, his every muscle feeling torn and burning hot like they were on fire.

    As his body lay face-up he watched Gehenna through the hole his body made in the roof.  He wondered if he would die. He wondered if she would kill his family for going against her once she took whatever it was she wanted from here.

    He looked at that beautiful face, wondering why a woman like that would devote her life to cause so much misery. At first, he didnt blame her for her actions. Gehenna was a force of nature, and she had no feelings for any she killed. Just as you couldnt blame a tsunami or tornado for claiming lives, he couldnt bring himself to blame her either, at first.

    But as time went on, as everyone saw the darkness that truly lay in her, they understood that there was something inherently wrong with her. Gods, demons, they didnt have many qualms with killing. But the number she killed on adaily basis, actively seeking to bring death and sorrow, was something that appaled them.

    Asmodeus always wondered if there was something that made her that way, or if she was simply born insane and cruel.  Perhaps it was a combination of both.

    Gehenna looked down at him. Instantly she appeared in front of him . She stared into his eyes for a long time. the sword had flown out of her hands, as if not agreeing with her current actions.

    But it was no big matter. She materializd another sword, holding it to Asmodeus'' heart.

    She knew that she could kill him. It would be so simple with him weakened as he was. She had killed countless before. But somewhere deep inside she hesitated.

    Those guards earlier were replacable. However, he is one of the pillars of hell, one of those that holds hell''s well-being on his shoulder. Never before has one of the higher-ranking members og hell been killed or died. If I kill him, utter chaos will spread like wildfire and countless innocents will be caught in the crossfire.

    The thought came unbidden.

    Foolish. Why would I think of such things?

    Never before had she thogut of the consequences of her actions. Why would she now?

    She inwardly argued with herself.

    But I have not killed for so long. The only ones I killed tonight were only those standing in my way. Those civilians were spared. The guards may be dead, but no other. If I kill such a important figure, would not many innocents die as a result. Would the person I seek not look at me with disgust if he knew of what I  had done?

    Gehenna felt the sword waver. Asmodeus saw a flash of vulnerability in her eyes, but it was gone so fast her didnt know if it was real or imagined.

    I have killed so many, have had my hands dirtied so much. Letting him live would make no difference. However. .  If the sword refused to kill him, then that man would choose to give him mercy as well, right?

    Mercy. . . It was never a word Gehenna had been able to comprehend before. Even when she was a young girl, killing had come natually to her. It was what she was, it defined her. As a child just ast the age of twelve, those she killed could already be counted in the hundreds. Killing, destruction, was something she did instinctively.

    She never felt sympathy or pity for those she killed in the same way one would not feel anything from stomping on a bug.

    Her parents, those nameless beings that gave birth to her, had tried to teach her right from wrong. They tried to "fix" her. They wanted to instill morals into the little girl who caused terror everywhere she went.

    It worked, for a time. She did vaguely recall living normally like any other child.

    But apparently the two people saw something in her that unnerved them. The day those two beings broke her arms and legs, wanting to kill her after coming to the conclusion she was better off dead. . . .That was when she no longer concerned herself with ideas like good or bad, right or wrong.

    Those two whom she had once thought loved her, when they decide her death was something necessary, if not for her powers coming into full bloom she would have long since died.

    When she killed them to make their power her own she gave up on fighting her urges and abandoned herself to follow her instincts. She never once thought of the word "mercy" .

    Back then she didnt even understand things like kindness, love  or warmth. Such things were not something that was in her nature. To kill, only that was what satisfied her. And she truly did not understand why others thought that was disturbing  or wrong.

    She only did what came naturally to her.

    But things were different now.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    She wanted to be better. She wanted to be more than what she was.

    It was a desire that she knew would not be aknowledged by others. For her to want such things, no one would be able to believe it.  They would never accept her, never accept her desire for change.

    But it didnt matter. Not when she still had one who didnt care for such things. Not when she had someone who had always accepted her darker desires.

    Though she didnt know why he left her, she would not give up meeting him.

    Asmodeus watched her as she went through complex expressions. She went though kindness, to indiference,  pain and finally to sadness. She shook her head and clarity once again came into her gaze.

    "Get up." she commanded.

    "I. . ." He couldnt.

    Without speaking, she took him by his hair and dragged him.

    She didnt have to go far. This was the place that she wanted to find. This building, the large dais that glowed with  a red light, was what she wanted. It was the only place closest to her that would allow her to travel to the place where he was.

    Gehenna dropped Asmodeus by the dias.  He looked at her hatefully. " I dont know what you want, but none of the treasures I have are here. This is a Grand Teleportaion Array, nothing more. "

    "I know. I have no interest in your treasure. I want to meet someone. The only way  I can get to where that person is, is if use this. And I didnt touch the civilians, only the guards who tried to stop me. The others are simply  in  bit of pain. As for your family, they were not willing to let me through to here. Naturally  I had to use force."  She said off-handedly

    Asmodeus was shocked. He grew endlessly enraged. " Bullshit! I saw--"

    "The bodies of dead solders and  a few passed out citizens. I have no need to kill those who stayed out of the way."

    She looked at him. " Well, whether you believe me is up to you. Though I would like nothing more tha to kill you, I have reasons for letting you live."

    As she thought earlier, thos guards were replacable but Asmodeus wasnt. She didnt want to be responsible for such chaos when she met him again either. She had enough blood on her hands already.

    The large sword floated behing her, humming softly. It agreed with her choice, apparently.

    She walked up the dias and took a piece of  thin jade from out of her  clothes.  As she dropped it on the dias, it turned to dust.

    Asmodeus knew that was a way to set the location. This was a Teleportaton Array that he had built after parting with a onsiderable amount of money. Naturally he knew about such things.

    However, the fact that she had to use this meant whoever she sought was not reachable through normal methods.

    " I will let you live today, but. . .." She spoke coldly. " If you think of following me somehow, I will do much worse than injure you.  Be glad your citizens and family remain alive."

    With that, her figure disappeared, swallowed by the red glow.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Please read: Okay, so i just want to make things clear. I will explain generally  what happened in the chapter, then i will go into Gehenna''s character.

    First, Gehenna intended to kill Asmodeus but when she discovered the sword would not cut him, she hesitated. The sword carries a part of Roland''s will, and so she knew that  by it choosing to not kill him it meant that Roland wouldnt kill him either.

    Since Roland would let him live, Gehenna didnt know what to do. She thought before delivering the final strike. The fact that she thought of the consequences means she understands that she is slowly becoming different from how she was originally. She also talked about the reason why she attacked the meteor head-on.

    ---------

    Second:  she sent Asmodeus flying down to the building and intending to deliver the final blow using a materialized sword. But she hesitated still and began thinking of the consequences killing him would bring. She realized that thinking of consequences was not lke her usual self.

    ---------

    Third: She thought of how Roland would show mercy to Asmodeus and she  began to ponder over how she  had never before understood what mercy really meant.

    She talked about her past to show that at the very start, she never understood why killing was wrong in any way. It was something that came naturally to her, as easy as breathing. (Her parents will remain unnamed but they are obviously power beings to be able to give birth to a child like her. )

    When they saw how unhinged she was, they first tried fixing her. Though that did make Gehenna, as a young girl,  more aware of her actions, they ultimately felt something inherently wrong with her and chose to kill her off.

    After that, she no longer held herself back and did whatever her " instincts" told her to. As i mentioned many times, she is a walking natural disaster who honestly has no understanding of her actions being wrong.

    This was to try to show the differnce between the her of then and the current her. The past her would never think of sparing others.

    ----------

    Four: She spared Asmodeus and told him that although she killed the soldiers who stood in her way, she didnt kill the civilians. They were only injured or passed out. Asmodeus didnt believe her. after replying to hm, she told him to not try any methods to follow her or else she would do worse than injure him.

    ----------

    The reason she began all this was because she could not get to Roland''s location via normal methods. She could only use the teleportation array in Asmodeus'' Vault to get to him. Keep in mind that there are no other Teleportation arrays suitable for her needs nearby.

    Asmodeus has one because he is a collector of sorts. He would pay a lot to own a Teleportation Array that powerful.

    Because they would not let her in if she asked, she knew she could only force her way through. And she has no qualms killing the guards who stood in her way, The sword she carried has no qualms with killing them either because they are not important and they are standing in their way.

    Roland would kill them too because they would not listen to reason and would only try to stop him.

    Though he could choose to not kill them and still get through.

    But  Gehenna chose to kill as that both sates her blood lust and she has very black and white views on the matter. To her, killing any who would block her path is fine. She would not kill those who are not attacking her. At least not anymore .

    -------------------

    Now, on to Gehenna as a character. I went into that a bit above, but it is a bit more complex. See, the only reason Gehenna starts thinking of the consequences of her actions and chose to spare the citizens along with Asmodeus, is because she is no longer the mindless killing machine she once was. If it were the her of before meeting Roland and becoming attached to Grace''s soul, then she would not think twice about killing EVERYONE there.

    But now she is thinking more. She understand the difference of the her of now and the her of the past. She is now beginning to wonder whether deep down she considers herself the Grace that Roland knew or if she is  the Gehenna who kills without a thought.

    If she considers herself Grace who is still being possessed by Gehenna, then she may think that she is tainted and doesn''t want to meet Roland for fear of rejection. If she considers herself Gehenna then she will think she is only being influenced by Grace''s soul/personality and that she doesn''t  have the right to meet Roland since she is not the girl he had history with.  And she will also think it is only the remnant feelings of a girl long dead.

    As you can see, her''s is a very. . . complicated character for me.

    Not to mention that she doesn''t know of Roland''s circumstances and believes he left her for some reason. She wants to meet him yet fears he will either not care about her or  left her because he thought her a burden. She wants to know the answer why he left, and that is also a motivation for her to meet him.

    Considering that Roland in his past life was the person who both protected Grace from everything and accepted the fact that Gehenna dwelled within her,  "both" of them have reason to want to see him again.

    He is their rock, for lack of a better word. Roland was their only support in a life where everyone deserted them.  Grace''s family turned on her, and Gehenna''s did the same even though she clearly showed signs of improvement despite being born with a darkness in her. Her parents were disgusted by the existence of that darkness and  didn''t allow her the benefit of the doubt.

    After Gehenna was betrayed like that, she no longer fought her impulses and instead embraced her darker nature. She could be considered a victim as well.  If they had continued to give her support, she would have turned out much differently.

    And Grace had no one else to rely on after her own family tried to kill her as well. Roland became her only family, and she became dependent on him. This is why she wonders if he thought she was only a burden to him. She couldn''t take care of herself and thought Roland left because he didn''t want to be responsible for her anymore.

    Gehenna, when they were together, experience love and warmth for the first time. This was something new to her and she, perhaps even more than Grace, came to lean on Roland for emotional support even though at the time Grace was in control. Gehenna was a passenger back then, but the feelings she experienced through Grace from Roland stuck to her.

    As you can see, Roland is an important existence to them.

 chapter twenty-six

    It had been quite some time now that Morrigan had been away from the school and she couldnt wait to head back.

    She couldnt help but release a small sigh.

    Collecting souls was such a tiresome job.

    Other than being mind-numbingly boring, the souls also constantly chatted amongst themeselves.

    It was hardly what you would expect from souls.

    At the start there were always the same reactions. Shock, disbelief, anger, despair, acceptance.  Most of the time the reactions happened in that order. Though she likes to mess with them at the early stages they somehow always managed to overcome the reality of their deaths and surprisingly managed to make idle conversation that was, in all honesty, quite annoying.

    Or maybe they didnt overcome it. Maybe they tried to escape it by pretending everything was well.

    Whatever the case, the small orb-like souls soon bounced back and became talkative to the point where Morrigan wanted to pull out her ears. Not that it would have done anything. The souls didnt communicate through conventional means and transmitted their words directly to the minds of those around them.

    She couldnt turn that off either. She had to suffer through it.

    She hated her job. It didnt even come with any benefits.

    And all that was only on good days.

    Days like these were dfferent.

    It was different because right now she stood high over a large battlefield, looking down at the carnage below from the sky.

    This was the type of scenes she saw more often. She was heavily affiliated with battlefields. Taking care of souls who died of other causes was a side-job. In reality she was mainly responsible for deaths  regarding wars, famine and other things that caused large-scale casualties.

    She hated that fact because it meant she always had to deal with the stink of blood, sweat,  piles of rotting corpses and all the other little disgusting details that happened when large amounts of dead bodies were found.

    Also the souls of the fallen warriors were even more annoying than others, constantly spouting curses at the enemy soldiers'' souls and generally pissing her off with their perverted remarks toward her.

    Well, she did punish them by burning their souls for a few seconds. But the fact remains that they brought down her mood.

    She didnt really care about them. If it was up to her they would all be wandering about aimlessly until they became evil spirits or such. But making sure they entered the afterlife properly was an important duty.

    Again, she didnt really care about the mortals but if her husband found out she wasnt doing her job properly then he would likely scold her if he knew she was being negligent in her duties. Well, that was only if he was here, which he wasnt. Still, she didnt like doing things that would make him disappointed in her if she would help it.

    Of course she couldnt do all this alone. She did have help, the countless little crows who she sent to collect souls.

    She was more of a supervisor. She herself didnt have the time to collect all the souls but she did have to make sure they got to the afterlife safely.

    Morrigan had just gotten done sending the last batch of souls away via a large portal when she heard a flutter of fabric arrive beside her.

    "Mommy, are you done yet? I want to go home. It smells here and I want to go back and play with sister Fenris." A young, childish voice called out to her. It was a soft, adorble voice that was pleasant to listen to.

    Morrigan smiled warmly at the young girl who appeared beside her, her beautiful face suddenly seeming a lot kinder and happy than others would have thought possible of the woman.

    The young girl, like Morrigan, wore a simple black dress that contrasted well with their snow-white hair and fair skin.

    The girl''s small, delicate face and luminous azure eyes alone was enough to capture the heart of anyone.

    " I''ve just gotten done." Morrigan told her. " We can start heading back now, little one. You know, you''ve grown quite attached to that Fenris girl lately haven''t you?"

    The little girl nodded enthusiastically. " Nn, sister Fenris is always so nice to me and always gives me treats. She also plays with me whenever I want and lets me ride on her back, too! She''s  the best!" The little girl said, her eyes glowing with excitement. Her adorable face lit up and she smiled happily when talking about "sister Fenris".

    Morrigan looked hurt. " Better than mommy?" She asked

    The little girl shook her head quickly. " No! Mommy is way better!  Mommy is the very best! Sister Fenris is the best sister, but mommy is the best mommy ever! " She declared.

    Morrigan grinned. " Little sweet talker.  Mommy loves my little Grace, you know? You''re the best daughter anyone could have. Now, lets head back, okay? Mommy wants to get back too." Morrigan patted her daughter on the head.  The past few days have been tiring.

    Come to think of it, weren''t there a few Immortals chasing some humans a day or two ago? Morrigan was curious about what caused that sort of developement but she couldnt investigate as she was preoccupied here.

    Hopefully Loki listened to her and went to collect the souls of those four. The story would be an interesting one to be sure.

    Morrigan snapped her fingers.

    After several seconds a streak of light flashed and a large boat could be seen sailing through the skies. An instant later the boat arrived in from of the two.

    Obviously Morrigan and her daughter wouldnt be flying all the way back. It would take a few days to get back and only an idiot would choose to fly all that way instead of using some type of transportation.

    The two entered the boat, eating the fruits laid out on the table that rested by their seats.

    "Mommy, did you mean what you said?" Grace suddenly asked.

    Morrigan immediately knew to what her daughter was reffering. " Of course. You''re the best daughter anyone could ask for and mommy loves you. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their daughter." Morrigan smiled at the young girl.

    The girl smiled a bit. However her face looked a bit troubled by something.

    -----------------

    After some time had passed, the sky suddenly darkened and became grey. There was a sudden chill in the air that had nothing to do with the temperature.

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    Bang!!

    The flying boat swayed as if it bumped into something.

    They heard a few of the windows to the rooms below  deck crack and bursts of violent winds made the Morrigan and the little girls air flutter wildly.

    Accompanied by the sound of wind there were countless red sparks of lightning spread throughout the sky, scattering in all directions

    In the clouds that they rid upon, one could see a serpentine figure moving about. It was quite large, at least a few miles long.

    "Oh? Could this be the territory of some Demon beast? How odd, i thought only magical beasts would be out at this time of year." Morrigan spoke to no one in particular, sounding completely calm and unruffled at the sudden display.

    Demon beasts, those territorial fellows were unlike magical beasts who simply minded their own business.

    The little girl looked interestedly at the serpent-like demon beast that surrounded them, her azure colored eyes flashing with excitement as if she had just discovered a new toy to play with.

    A loud roar echoed throughtout the sky, the clouds parting at the sheer force.

    An instant later the demon beast revealed its face, its eyes glowing red with malice.

    The beast was indeed quite large. it wasnt simply long, but its body was massive to the extent that it could possible coil around a mountain and crush it. It was a winged creature  that probably dominated the skies in the area.

    Morrigan wondered why they didnt notice it until now. Something that size was hard to miss.

    The beast looked at them with evil intent, demonic energy radiating off of it like a dark miasma.

    "Hey, hey, mommy, can I play with that thing for a bit?" The little girl suddenly asked, her voice gushing with  eagerness.

    Morrigan laughed. " Go ahead dear."

    Instantly the girl jumped off the boat. Her little figure  flew up at the beast until it arrived in front of his face.

    "Hehe~ I get to try out my new move! Yay!" The little girl grinned. " Hey, hey, what''s your name?" She asked it.

    Morrigan called out to her. " Grace, dear, this is a demon beast, it cant understand you."

    The girl looked shocked. " Eh, really?! How disappointing."

    She looked at him with a apologetic expression. " Sorry, but im going to kill you now, okay? Ah, but dont worrry, i''ll make sure your body isnt picked at by others!"

    After saying so, the little girl raised her hand and an ethereal azure light bled up into the sky. She swung the hand down gently and after seveal seconds a line of blue smoke-like energy appeared suddenly and divided the sky in two for an instant.

    The body of the massive beast was spilt in half and it was slowly turned into ash that scattered in the wind. Not a trace of it was left.

    At its death the weather cleared up once again and it was as if nothing had ever occurred.

    Thr battle was over before the beast could even begin to attack.

    The entire thing was anti-climactic and any onlookers would be disappointed at the spectacle that was far less exciting than what would have been hoped for.

    As if nothing had happened, the girl returned to her seat beside her mother.  She let out a small yawn.

    Morrigan arched a brow at her. " What was that?" She asked

    "Hm? Ah, that was a new move I was working on.  Hehe~ pretty cool huh?Nn, i worked hard on that one, but the power output isn''t as strong as what I expected. One of its good point though is that it makes it so there is no clean-up afterwards, since everything turns to ashes! I cant show it off just yet. Ai, I thought I would be able to use that thing as a practice dummy, i didnt expect that it would be so weak. " She sighed. " I think I would improve it much faster if I had a suitable partner. Maybe sister Fenris can help me."

    " I thought it was quite a good attack though." Morrigan assured her, thinking of the power she felt from it. Although it looked simple, in reality there must have been countless  operations working in concert to create it.

    Indeed, this little girl of hers was a genius when it came to combat and creating new skills like the one from before.

    "No, it was no good. Something of that level I cant be proud of. I still cant beat you, mommy. Or sister Fenris.  How can I show my face to daddy someday if I remain at only this level of power? He would be so disappointed in me if he finds out how weak I am!" She cried out.

    Morrigan felt her smile stiffen slightly.  " Honey, we talked about this, havent we? Your father-"

    The little girl cut her off and waved her small hand tiredly.

    "Yes, yes. But, mommy,  even if he isnt here for now he''ll surely come back to us eventually. You said daddy is very strong, right? Even stronger than you and sister Fenris!  Even if he hasnt seen me since my birth, even if we havent met yet, as his daughter it would be shameful to think I can have the right to see him as I am now! If I get stronger then I can hold my head up high when we are all brought together again!" She smiled brightly

    " . . ."

    Morrigan said nothing, but the innocent, hopeful words from her daughter caused her to feel a twinge of pain in her heart.

    How long had it been since he had to leave them? How long will this little girl have to wait until she can meet him?

    -------------------------

    Author''s notes:  If any are confused, i just made this chapter to show what Morrigan and her daughter are doing. Expect another chapter or two of them before we get back to Roland and his side.

    Ah, also, remember intermission two? Yeah, the girl is Roland''s daughter in case you didnt catch that.

    Also, im sorry that i havent made a update in the past few days. I''ve been busy trying to raise my Economic grade since i have an F in that class and i wont graduate if i dont have a passing grade there. But im nearly done with the work i have to get done  and there should be more chapters out within the next few days.

    Also, i really need to get down to editing more of my previous chapters. I only did a few.

    Oh and remember to rate, review and comment!

 Chapter twenty-seven

    Author''s notes: So imma provide you guys a link to a video that shows a picture of an anime woman that i always pictured Morrigan as looking like.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMbGA8CUczg&index=15&list=PLUy8WNLfJESb2L0l3ZIjRVW7iCdEgeGj9</a>

    Although the face perfectly aligns with the image of Morrigan i have in my mind, that expression definitely  suites Gehenna a lot more.

    What do you guys think?

    Oh, and there will only be like maybe one more chapter with Morrigan and Grace before Roland shows up again. The next one should be out in a few days. Truthfully this one would have been out hours ago but when I was like halfway done i accidentally pressed a certain button and deleted a fair bit of it. I usually save it every ten minutes because this happens sometimes. Anyway, after it was deleted, I said, "F*** it", flipped a table, and went to sleep. Then i finished it just now, several hours later.

    Also, remember to rate, comment and review.

    --------------------------------------

    It''s been around  five days since Morrigan and Grace left the battlefield and encountered that demon beast. The flying boat swayed gently in the cloudless  sky, the air cool and refreshing as they sat on the deck of the small ship.

    Although they had cleared much of the journey, Morrigan had delibrately slowed their travel speed so that she could enjoy some vacation time. In truth they could have gotten back much sooner, but she was in no hurry to return to that place where she was the subject of blatantly lecherous  stares  by the male students. Not to mention the futile advances of theirs.

    Though she had told them of her husband once or twice, they refused to believe she was a married woman. Apparently something like that was impossible to believe of a person with as well-known a temperament as Morrigan,

    However, their advances were indeed futile. As a happily married woman, she had no interest in any other male. What other person could compare to her husband?

    So in short she was truly not eager to return despite Grace wanting to hurry and play with Fenris again.

    Suddenly, Grace stood up from her cushioned chair and spoke out with vigor. " Mommy, im bored. Lets do something fun!"

    The girl''s mother looked up at her daughter with curiosity in her beautiful red eyes.

    "Oh? And what exactly do you have in mind, little one?"

    Grace  grew silent, her face scrunching up adorably in deep thought. Suddenly her expression cleared as she looked at something in the distance below them. " Mommy, lets go there!" She pointed.

    Morrigan followed the direction of her hand and found a sprawling metropolis. It was quite large, probably around 10,000 square kilometers or so. Even for a world this size, that was still pretty large. Some cities even were nearly twice the size of this one though.

    As for the population, Morrigan sensed no less than at least 30 million.

    The city itself had many high, tower-like buildings that thrust into the sky. Some even pierced the clouds. It was fairly early in the day, the sun only beginning to rise.

    As such, the two could still see the vast array of lights that shone brightly below like countless fireflies. The city was lined with roads and train tracks that led in and out of the place.

    Cars were fairly rare, as it was not long since the gods'' arrival on the planet brought about the many technological advances the planet now enjoyed. In fact, other than cities like this one, you would not see many pieces of technology anywhere.

    Things like lightbulbs, trains, cars, tall buildings, indoor plumbing, electricity to power everything, and other commonplace things one would see regularly on  more advanced planets would not exist in any town here.

    " That place huh. Well, I suppose it cant hurt. I haven''t visited many places on this planet anyway. Sure, why not?" Morrigan agreed.

    Grace was ecstatic. "Yay~!  Hehe, this is gonna be so fun! I dont think i''ve ever been to a city that large before! Ai, I thought I would die of boredom. I wonder what interesting things  I can find there. . ." Her eyes glowed brightly.

    And so the two led the ship down. There were various platforms for vehicles like theirs. It wasnt common to have things like the ship, but there were a few from wealthy or influential familes who had such treasures.

    However, Morrigan used a space differently from the others.

    It was a rather secluded area, but they were greeted immediately after they landed.

    The one to meet them first was a faintly handsome middle-aged man with a jovial look about him. He glanced at the two people with sharp eyes.

    It has to be said that this particular area was reserved for a select few individuals only. Those people, were existences that could not be offended.

    He looked at the woman who descended from the ship. She had snow white hair and a pair of luminous red eyes that was enchanting yet carried a hint of frost in its depths. They looked at everything with a certain indifference, a look which said all they saw was beneath them.

    Her jade-like skin looked incomparably soft and her curves were bountiful to the extent that it would give old men heart attacks, dagerously seductive to anyone be it man or woman. Her cherry  lips were full and perfect, making one want to reach out and caress them.

    The woman wore a simple deep black dress that contrasted pleasingly with her hair. The dress, the middle-aged man knew, was not simple mortal fabric. It was the kind that could be worn for days and not suffer a single speck of dirt to sully it. Not to mention that the durability of it was incomparable to normal cloth.

    He was very experienced and recognised it instantly.

    The woman herself gave off a very elegant and refined feel, her steps fluid and graceful.  Her hips swayed enticingly as she walked, causing the young men who he had brought with him to swallow and stare dumbly. The shape was nice and round, looking tender to the point where they wanted to go and take a bite. A woman like that was definitely not good for their health.

    Next to the woman was a small child, looking around the age of thirteen or maybe twelve. In any case, the girl was lovely in every way. Her looks could only be compared to the woman next to her, and though still immature it was assured that she would someday become a disaster-class beauty.

    No,  even now she was at that level. It was simply a different  kind of appeal from the woman. Indeed, this little girl was stunning yet carried the aura of innocence that made one want to protect her and reach out to pinch her cheeks.

    She, too, had snow white hair. It was obvious at a glance the two were related in some way, almost like mother and daughter. But of course that was impossible. The man knew who this woman was and it was impossible for her to bear a child. Even if it were possible, what man could be able to conquer a woman of her caliber?

    So it was more lkely that the little girl was something else instead. He didnt know what, or why the two looked so similar. It was best not to think of it.

    But out of everything, it as the little girl''s eyes that made him the most anxious.

    Those eyes. . .

    A stunning, magnificnt azure blue more captivating than the sky. They looked oddly bright, lit with an inner fire.

    The middle-aged man felt like his soul was exposed under those eyes.

    He knew instantly who the woman was. Of course he would. Here, the gods and goddesses were well-known.

    "Ah, Lady Morrigan! I had no idea you would be visiting our humble city. I apologise, if I had know then I would have prepared some entertainment for you. May I inquire how long you intend to grace us with your presence?"  The middle-aged man spoke. His words were almost casual, yet they were filled with politeness and subsevience. He didnt look at the girl, didnt ask who she was,

    He knew better than to ask.

    The little girl looked at him, he could feel it, and it was making him sweat slightly. Really, those eyes of hers, how could they make him feel so flustered?

    Morrigan looked at the  man. " We have come merely on a whim. Not knowing of our comming here is to be expected. We will likely not stay for more than a night or two. Prepare us some rooms along with something to eat. My daughter here had not yet had her breakfast."

    "Of course, Lady Morrigan. We hear and obey. Please, come with us and we will lead you to a place where we can get you two settled."

    She nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. The platform was large and they were led through a building not too far away.

    Behind them quiet whispers were faintly heard.

    "Such a beautiful woman! I wonder who she is. . ."

    "Are you deaf? The manager clearly called her Lady Morrigan. Although she is one of the more reclusive goddesses, you should still have heard of her!"

    "Ah, indeed, I have heard that among the other goddesses this Lady Morrigan is among the most mysterious. But I had no idea she was such an alluring woman!"

    "Agreed. But, who is that adorable little girl to her side? They look awfully similar. . .could it be they are. . ?"

    Another spoke up,  a different voice from the other two,  "Dont be a fool, something like that is impossible for various reasons. Dont even think about it or else you wont live past the hour. I''ve heard many terrifying stories regarding this Lady Morrigan. As a death goddess, do you not believe she can make your life a living hell?"

    ". . .I guess you''re right. Still, I wonder who the little girl is. In the future, she will definitely bring worlds to their knees with a glance." the second voice spoke with confidence.

    Hearing this, Grace let out a small giggle and had a proud look on her face, staring at her mother with a hint of arrogance in her eyes.

    Morrigan smiled a bit, enjoying the expression of her daughter.

    The middle-aged man glared at the younger men with dark promise in his gaze, causing them to immediately shut up.

    He didnt notice the exchanged look between Morrigan and the little girl. If he had he would no doubt be stunned that the woman who he had heard of could smile in such a way.

    The two were taken through a building where the middle-aged man ordered a carriage was to be delivered by the time they exited.

    As they got outside once again they saw more buildings along with large roads. It was a bursting with street stalls and people were coming and going in a hurried fashion. Noise could be heard everywhere, from casual talk to music.

    The carriage arrived just as they left the front door. It was one with elegant designs and gold lining, complete with  large, comfortable seats. The middle-aged man oppened te door for them.

    " Please, sit. I will accompany the driver in the front and we will take you to the most popular hotel  the city has to offer and have them prepare some local delicacies for you to enjoy."

    "Good. We will be out exploring the city by ourselves later once we are settled. Once you are done, you may return and leave us to our own devices." Morrigan said.

    "Understood, Lady Morrigan." The middle-aged man nodded. He would not dare say anything more. If it were another, he would not let them wonder about unprotected. But this was one who was more than capable of taking care of herself.

    Once he found them lodgings and got them fed, his job was done.

    The carriage departed as soon as they got in.

    Grace looked in wonder out the window. There were so many things to see that se couldnt focus on just one thing.

    Around ten to fifteen minutes later the carriage stopped in front of a massive 12 story building was wide rather than tall. It was colored red and gold with designs of tyrannical dragons being carved into the walls and sculptors of the creatures everywhere.

    This place was rather luxurious, a building that was almost taking on a life of its own as it stared down at others with an almost lofty feeling to it. "This," The middle-aged man started, " Is a hotel under the command of the  12  Soaring Dragons Pavillion, and its the most prosperous hotel that our humble city has to offer. The amount of famous and powerful people who have graced this building is uncountable. I tell you here and now, Lady Morrigan, that I believe you will enjoy your stay here."

    Morrigan didnt comment, but Grace looked at the building with interest and wonder, her eyes wide as she looked at the construct.

    As they entered the large lobby, the busy area instantly quieted down as people began talking in hushed voices.

    "Gods, such a charming woman actually exists?! Ai, if i could have a woman like that by my side, i would truly have no regrets in life!" One spoke with fervor.

    "Ha, the only way you could get with a woman like that would be in your dreams!" Another shot back.

    "Ah, such an elegant and stunning figure. Though that frostiness is discouraging, it makes her even more desirable!"

    "Agreed"

    "And that aura of power, how domineering! I feel like my heart would burst jost being near her. . ."

    "Hmm? Hey, doesnt she look familiar though"

    "You think so as well?"

    "Ha," someone laughed, " You dont recognise her? That''s Morrigan of the Tuatha de Danann Pantheon!"

    Several people gasped. " You cant mean ''that'' Morrigan, surely?"

    "The very same. Though she doesnt make many public apearances like that Thor character, or Fand from her own Pantheon, she is unmistakable. Look at that white, silken hair and blood-red eyes. That deadly energy she releases that leaves one feeling forzen. Who else could it be?"

    "Hmph, what does that matter? A beauty is a beauty. How can you call yourselves men? Scared by a girlie like her. Heh, this daddy would not be so easily daunted!" A young-ish man laughed

    "Bullshit! Go try messing with her and see if you dont end up wishing for death!"

    "This. . ."  the man hesitated. He, in truth, didnt want to risk it.

    "Hmph, all bark and no bite!" Someone taunted.

    "Um, that''s all well and good but who is that adorable girl at her side? The resemblance between them is surprising. You think. . .?" A woman asked

    "No, that cant be. Death goddesses cant give birth. Even if they could, they mainly remain virgins from what I hear. They apparently dont have much interest in such things. Besides, one of the core members of the Tuatha de Danann, do you think it would remain a secret if they had a child? Such a thing, especially if it was a woman as stunning as her, would spread like wildfire!" Another one replied.

    Although this was only an assumption. In reality, if one of them wanted to keep something hidden from public view, who would have the ability to make it known? Who would dare? Especially if it regarded someone with  Morrigan''s  personality.

    "I see. . . Then how can they look so alike, I wonder . . .?"

    The conversation went in such a direction.

    Morrigan and Grace continued on while seeming oblivious to the chatter. The middle-aged man walked up to the young woman at the desk to the other side of the hall who looked resplendent dressed in red and gold robes.

    " I need a room for two." He said. He showed her a black and gold card with a dragon design upon it that the woman instantly recognised. She smiled politely.

    "Of course sir, right away."

    She looked down at the desk where a transparant crystal-like tablet rested.

    After a short few seconds, her expression slowly fell.

    The woman looked at him, a bit embarrassed.

    "Sir, im sorry. We only had one room available before you arrived, a master suit. However, it was just taken by a visiting dignitary who is here to personally negotiate an important matter--" She was cut off.

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    "Kick him out, then." The middle-aged man said.

    The girl''s polite smile froze, turning dumbfounded as she let out a "Eh?" sound.

    "S-sir, come again? My apologies, but im sure I must have m-misheard you . . ." She stuttered.

    The middle-aged man glanced worriedly at Morrigan discreetly before looking back at the other woman, his eyes flashing coldly.

    " I said. . . Kick. Him. Out" He spoke forcefullly, his previous jovial expression still present.

    "Sir, I-I dont have the authority to. . ." She began, flustered.

    "No worries, Miss. You three, take care of it." He spoke to the younger men who followed him. " Lead them to the room. We''ll wait here." He said to the woman who appeared to be lost in thought.

    "R-right. . ." She walked off with a odd expression, hoping she wouldnt be reprimanded by her boss later. That woman, she knew how to leave one begging for forgivness with a mere glance.

    Althouh, since that middle-aged man fom before was a holder of a VIP card, it could be said she was not truly held responsible.

    Those who held that card were give numerous special privileges, after all.

    The woman thought this optimistically.

    Several minutes later, a man was escorted down the long stais that led to the upper floors. He was around his mid thirties, and Morrigan felt that it wouldnt e long until he succombed to the disease currently eating away at his body unknowingly.

    He was spouting curses, making rude statements towards the red-robed woman such as her mother a dog in heat who sold herself off the streets and her father a dog who had his way with her one day. The woman looked angered,  but said nothing. Of couse, the man would not be able to act against her, who was protected by the Pavillion''s influence.

    Morrigan covered her daughter''s ears.  Her expression didnt change, but a faint black aura was barely discernable from her body as she looked to her side.

    " Cut off his tongue when he''s out of sight." She told the middle-aged man.

    "Understood." He answered. He sent a look at one of the three men who took the dignitary out. The younger man nodded back.

    The middle-aged man would obviously listen to her. Someone so powerful, did he dare refuse? The man was a mere foreign dignitary. The woman, however, was a goddess who could level the city with little difficulty even with the legion of Immortals guarding it. He knew what had priority in such a situation.

    He had no intention to let the city suffer for not following her orders. This was a death goddess, she wouldnt blink even if everyone present were to die.

    The entire display left the crowd stunned.

    They averted their gaze.

    "Well," The middle-aged man suddenly said happily. " Let''s get you all settled, shall we?"

    ----------------------------

    The middle-aged man took them to a large, opulent room that had two beds, a soft-looking couch and a spacious bath. It held other things for comfort as well, but Morrigan didnt care about those.

    He left soon after he ordered them some breakfast, giving her the black and gold card from before and telling her to use it in whatever way she wished.

    The breakfast that arrived was filled with an arrangement of food. It was composed of soft breads, meats, light soups, eggs, a variety of juices and milk, and various other items that was made to be light enough to not sit heavily inside their stomaches.

    Half an hour in, Grace put down her fork . " Hah~ So good~" She let out a satisfied expression. "Nn, we should do this more often!"

    She said, having just gotten done with a chocolate and blueberry pancake which she drowned in maple syrup. It was only one of the many foods the little glutton had consumed.

    Morrigan smiled.

    This tiny thing, how can she eat so much? And she never gains an ounce, has she been learning to eat from that bottomless pit Fenris?

    She was in awe of her daughter''s stomach.

    Honestly, if she were to compete against Fenris herself in an eating contest, who would win?

    Morrigan was filled with warm, fluffy  feeling as she watched her daughter eat away.

    She could help but sigh sadly in her mind.

    If only he were here with us, this girl would already be spoiled absolutely rotten. , She thought.

    " Okay, now lets go explore! Mommy, lets go, lets go~!" Grace stood up, her eyes shining brightly in anticipation as she took her mother''s arm in her tiny hand.

    "Alright then, little one. Ah, come here for a bit." She beckoned to her daughter.

    It would be annoying if Morrigan was recognised as they were out. So, she cast a simple  spell that turned their hair and eyes a different color.

    For their hair, she turned them jet-black and turned her red eyes into a light green.

    She looked at Grace.

    With black hair she truly looked like her father''s daughter, especially with her brilliant azure colored eyes.

    It made her eyes slightly misty, seeing her take after him so much.

    Morrigan wasnt able to change the color of her daughter''s eyes, however. It was a strange phenomenon she never unerstood.

    Although she wouldnt even if she  could.

    Though she only changed their coloring, it was enough.

    Once that was done they snuck out easily.

    ------------------------

    "Uwa~ Look at that! So shiney! Ah, and look here, what is that? Such a intricate and beautiful design! Oh! Mommy, look at those flowers, arent they so pretty? Purple and white swirls!" Grace looked around everywhere, her excitement making the passersby look at her with a smile as they saw her running around happily.

    "Calm down, little one. Your''re starting to attract a crowd" Morrigan cautioned.

    Although, she herself attracted numerous gazes as well so she had no real room to talk.

    The onlookers stared in wonderment at the two beauties.

    Truly, there was no flower in the world comaparable to the two in front of them. They looked bathed in a pink aura, surounded in their own bright-colored world.

    They could feel warmth flowing out of their hearts at the scene of the two.

    Obviously the two had to be mother and daughter, but this fact made the men feel a sense of injustice.

    If they were mother  and daughter, then there must be a father as well!

    How could there be such a luck man in the world, to be able to embrace such an enticing woman at night and have such a cute daughter to dote on during the day?

    Was this not too unfair, were the heavens not favoring him too much?

    Ai, the  bastard must have been a saint in his past life who built up enormous karmic merit and also have been given the accumulated luck of all his past ancestors!

    They sighed, cursing the unknown man with all their heart.

    The women, however, wondered at what sort of man could gain the approval of such an elegant, beautiful woman and could also father such a cute little girl.

    " Mommy, look what I found!"  Grace came running at her.

    Morrigan was shown a small animal, a white fox with a long and bushy tail that appeared soft to the touch. At the end of the tail the fur turned a bright gold color and was showing a flame-like design.

    "L-Little Miss, that animal is-! Please, dont run off with it!" A old scarred man came running. He looked fit for his age, and Morrigan knew he likely didnt have many more years left in him.

    "Mommy. . ." The girl turned her eyes at her mother and spoke out in a pleading voice.

    Morrigan stepped forwars, blocking the old man. " How much for the animal?" She asked directly.

    The sudden appearance of Morrigan left the man''s mind blanck for several seconds.

    Such a top-class beauty!

    However he was quick to recover

    " Miss, that is no mere animal, its a Golden Tailed 9 Heavens  Celestial Fox! Not only that, it is one with multiple elemental affinities! Do you know what that means?  It means that animal will someday reach heaven rank and, if contracted, will make its owner an unparralled genius! Perhaps it would even reach heights that past heaven rank! Im afraid that even an emperor would not have the money to pay for it!"

    Morrigan didnt change her expression at all. " Oh? And how could you have come across such a thing?" She didnt know what  the animal was, but if it was so amazing then how could this man have found it, and even allowed it to be taken so easily?

    She felt something was very wrong with this picture.

    "Ah, you see. . ." The man started, " This type of animal, obviously, would not be so easily acquired. It was only through numerous trials that I and my four hundred comrades were able to get ahold of it. Although we now number no more than one hundred, it was worth it! Ai, to explain to you the exact circumstances in which we acquired it would take several days. Simply hand it over, I assure you you can never afford it." He said vaguely.

    Morrigan snorted coldy. " If you are going to make up stories, you should at least have a decent one prepared beforehand.  This is obviously some sort of scam. This thing is probably some common magical beast not even worth mentioning."

    The old man looked offended. " Miss, I can assure you this animal is indeed  a Gold Tailed 9 Heavens Celetial Fox! To say I would lie about such a thing, im hurt!"

    Morrigan was in no mood for this. She waved a hand and a single large, silvery coin holding an array of multi-colored shards on its sides appeared floating beside her.

    " Take this and leave."

    The man''s eyes flashed greedily, snatching the coin  from the air instantly. " Enjoy your new pet!" He said as he ran off.

    "Thanks Mommy!" The little girl gushed, holding the fox in her arms tightly. The fox licked her face, causing her to giggle.

    "No problem dear. Come, lets continue." They walked off.

    ----------------------

    The light of the sun was already starting to die out when they stopped to rest, having walked around the city and finding many trinkets to buy. The money Morrigan used left each person stunned. They tried to give it back each time, however, when Morrigan said she had nothing smaller to use they reluctantly accepted it.

    They were inwardly shouting joyously though. With the single coin they recieved, it would be enough for them to live like kings the rest of their lives!

    Morrigan was busy paying for a snack for her daughter from a stall by the street.

    "Grace, here. I got you something to--" But when she turned around, the girl was gone.

    -----------------------------

    "Mommy~!" Grace called out.

    She didnt know when they had seperated. It was as if they were next to each other one moment and then the next she was by herself. But she didnt panic.

    Holding the little babby fox in her hands, she continued to explore and waited for her mother to find her, as she knew her mother would.

    "Little girl" A voice called out.

    "Eh?" Grace let out a surprised sound. Turning her head, she spotted a certain tiny stall through the crowd of people.

    "Yes, you, girl. Why dont you take a look at my wares for a bit? Im sure I can find something to your interest!" The voice laughed. It was rough and sounded old. The voice was definitely that of an old crone. Grace walked over, unafraid.

    At the stall was a figure who was covered entirely by her grey robes, not even her head could be seen as it was hidden deep within a dark hood.

    "Come, take a look and see what catches your eye." The figure''s hand stretched out of her robe as she gestured toward her merchandise, making Grace stunned by what she saw.

    The hand was smooth and looked supple, completely unlike that of an old crone. And yet her voice  sounded so ancient!

    What was going on?

    She took a cursory look at the items on display. " Sorry, but I dont see anything I like. I should go, Mommy will be looking for m--"

    Suddenly, her eyes fell upon a ring.

    It was black with a certain gem on it that was a dark, murky blue. It was run through by a white chain and glowed dully in the light. For some reason, Grace found that she couldnt look away from it, the ring reflected in her large eyes.

    "Kekeke, so, it appears you found something you like after all!" The faceless voice laughed in a dry hack, an ugly sound that made one feel repulsed. " My dear, you have quite a discerning eye."  The voice changed, becoming youthful and almost childish.

    But Grace, so entranced by the ring, didnt notice.

    The fox in her arms wiggled out of her embrace and climbed around her small shoulders, nipping at her ears gently to get the little girl''s attention.

    It''s efforts were fruitless. It could only look unhappily at the robed figure.

    "Here, girl, take it. Dont worry about the price for now--You''ll pay for it soon enough!" The old voice was back, cackling wildly as the words  reverberated at the fringes of Grace''s consciousness.

    Yet even still, the words merely echoed inside her mind and she was unresponsive to the outside world.

    Before she knew what happened, the ring was already in her hand and she stared at it blankly. She didnt know how long she stood there, looking at the black ring that bore a dull blue gem on it.

    "Grace? Grace, are you okay?"

    Grace blinked.

    "What? Ah, Mommy, your back!" She looked up, smiling.

    Morrigan threw her a worried glance. She discovered something in her daughter''s hand. "Whats that?"

    "Hmm?" Grace was confused. Looking at her hand, she saw a black ring with a blue gem on it. She suddenly remembered.

    "Ah, I got this from that--"  But when she turned to look, the robed figure, along with the stall, was nowhere to be found.

    "What? But, it was there a moment ago. . ." Grace muttered softly,

    "Grace, dear, you shouldnt run off like th--" A commotion was heard that cut off her words.

    People along the wide street talked amongst themselves in frightened voices.

    "Look! What is that?  The sky, it looks like a hole is being made through it!"

    " Not only that, didnt the sky just get cloudy all of a sudden? W-what''s going on?"

    Everywhere in the city people were pointing at the sky with worry.

    Morrigan looked up and saw the sky, seeing a large, blackish hole growing at a steady pace.

    Morrigan had seen such a thing before, when a Teleportation Array malfunctioned as it was in the process of transporting someone and ripped the sky open forcefully in an emergency landing. This couldnt be anything else.

    Morrigan idly wondered who was using it.

    But as she watched on, her face grew serious. From the hole she felt a familiar presence, a choking scent of blood and monsterous killing intent  that was unmistakable.

    "No, impossible. She shouldnt be here, of all places. And yet, this frightful aura that sends shivers down the spine, this energy pattern. . ." She shook her head.

    "Mommy?" Seeing her mother so serious, the girl called out.

    Morrigan didnt pay attention to her, merely looking at the hole with a fierce intensity. What she saw flying out of the hole an instant later made her suck in a cold breath.

    "It cant be. . .Gehenna?!"

    The name, spoken like a curse, escaped her lips.

    ---------------------------

    Author''s notes: I know a fox is pretty over-used, but i just had to. What story would be complete without a white fox?

 Chapter twenty-eight

    The appearance of the newcommmer cause quite a stir and several people began to whisper among themselves. The crowded streets were filled with speculations over who the person was and what was happening. Morrigan paid them no mind.

    Seeing  the figure, Morrigan ''s eyes went dark and cold.

    "Grace, dear, head back to the ship. We wont be staying the night afterall." She grabbed her daughter''s hand and pulled her along.

    "But mommy--"

    "Do as i say and keep quiet." Morrigan''s voice was chilling. Grace whimpered slightly. Her mother, when was the last time she used that voice on her?

    "Mommy, do. . . do you know that woman?" With her unnnatually keen eyesight, she easily spotted the stunningly beautiful woman even from such a long distance.

    Morrigan stiffened slightly. "Of course not." She said nothing more, but looked back with an anxious expression. This made Grace more worried. Her heart started beating erratically now upon seeing the face of her usually calm and cool mother so disturbed.

    Morrigan for her part felt guilty. What she said was a lie, for she knew the woman very well. . . And their history was both long and dark.

    Morrigan wasted no time in getting away. She maneuvered her daughter and the white fox quickly through the crowds of people and winding streets, hoping that things would not come to a fight. If Gehenna spotted her, then. . .

    ----------------------------

    Prior to her arrival, Gehenna was hurtling through space and time, her body immaterial as she sped towards her destination.

    However, as she neared the planet she felt a certain power come over her that messed with her trajectory and threw her off slightly. It seemed to smash into her and her mind recieved a heavy blow. As she had no physical body at that moment, she was extraordinarily vulnerable.

    After regaining her senses, she found herself in the sky above a medium-sized city.  She took a moment to get her bearings and held a hand to her head in pain.

    A stern voice called out. "Attention, you are currently trespassing the borders of Wake City, state your name and purpose or you will be taken into custody. You have 10 seconds to comply." A man, clad in silvery armor and wearing a red robe upon his back, spoke out loudly. His salt-and-pepper hair swayed in the wind as he hovered several feet away from her, giving him a slightly heroic look about him.

    Gehenna was still in a bit of a daze, the emergency landing doing damage to her head more than she thought. She heard the words, but they annoyed her as they they sounded much louder than they should have. In her current state her head was ringing and she was in no mood to be shouted at.

    The seconds ticked by until finally the man called out once again.  He seemed reluctant to speak and his words were ground out through clenched teeth. The reason for this was something Gehenna was oblivious to and she didnt care to know in the first place.

    "Your time limit is up, you will now be forcefully siezed and taken to an interrogation room where you will answer questions regarding your appearance here. Do not attempt to resist," With that, several figures surrounded her, each one clad in the same armor as the man before her and all wearing a black cape on their backs. Their faces looked menacing and cold.

    Gehenna touched her head, her vision blurry. Her head hurt, hurt more than when it was attacked by Asmodeus'' mental strikes. Why did it hurt so much, why was her head feeling as if it was about to split open?

    However, the strange sensation suddenly stopped.

    In its place she felt a certain sense of clearity.

    Gehenna breathed out slowly. Only after several seconds did she truly recover.

    How odd. What was that? That sharp, unbearable pain?

    She shook her head. No, right now that wasnt important.

    She looked around at the men, one of them reaching out to grab her.

    She reacted on instinct.

    Raising a hand, she flicked her arm out.

    The motion was smooth and graceful.

    An instant later  the man''s head dropped from his shoulders.

    His body fell, making a slow descent to the ground in the eyes of his comrades.

    The heroic-looking man from before seemed almost sad but it had nothing to do with the fallen man. He shook his head, and gave out a order that made him clench his fist.

    " All soldiers, attack.  Take her down."

    -------------------------

    Morrigan watched as Gehenna took on the Immortals. It was one-sided in every way.

    Though Immortals were not all that common in this planet, cities like this had many protecting it.  But these ones were a bit above the rest, seeming to be half-a-step into the Celestial stage. All they needed was to refine four elemental orbs and a core made from universal energies.

    After the harmonization process that would produce divine energy, that would be considered true Celestials.

    Morrigan, at her stage of power, was easily able to tell what they needed to do do advance to the next level.

    But unfortunately even peak-stage Immortals would not be Gehenna''s match. Most gods and demons feared her, how could they ever hope to scratch her?

    But they didnt know her, they couldnt feel her power. Such was the disparity between them.

    Gehenna. from what Morrigan could see, created a literal rain of blood. everytime the giant blade ripped through an enemy, crimson liquid flowed down below.

    Now  reinforcements were called and the bloodbath truly began. That only caused more deaths, the stink of sweat and metallic scent of blood clearly picked up with Morrigan''s superior sense of smell. She didnt collect the souls of the fallen.

    It was too risky.

    High above the city countless men and woman gathered to attack the intruder.

    " Grace, come on. Lets leave." They reached the ship after several long minutes. By now every citizen was in a state of panic. The battle between Gehenna and the city guards escalated at a unbelievable pace, causing the downfall of buildings. Oddly the people began to siappeare by the hundreds of thousands. She sensed them disappearing rapidly.

    Just what was going on?

    There were many stragglers though and It was utter chaos everywhere she looked. The previous full streets were nearly empty now. How could so many people disappear so fast?

    She didnt waste much time thinking about this and looked at the sky.

    It wasntt getting any darker somehow and stayed an ash-grey color.

    Bodies dropped every second as that monster continued her rampage.

    Thye didnt even put up a fight. They must know that. It was almost as if they were simply trying to buy time. . .

    The way they threw themselves at Gehenna''s figure, the way the disregarded their own safety. . .

    Morrigan felt disgust. She was not concerned over their deaths. But Gehenna made everything more dark and gruesome somehow. Simply by seeing her hear caused Morrigan to feel a certain revulsion.

    Gehenna, that monster, . . . that thing. . .  shouldnt even exist.  It didnt deserve to live.

    This was Morrigan''s sincere thoughts

    "Mommy, w-what''s happening?" The little girl was wide-eyed as she looked at the carnage above. Never before had she seen such a display of brutality.

    She looked fearfully at the woman causing all this and felt her knees go a bit weak. She felt terrified, an instinctive part of her being telling her to run and hide.

    Her hands trembled slightly as she held onto the fox.

    From somewhere deep down she felt a sense of absolute dread, a feeling of utter helplessness as she looked at the woman from afar. The woman''s figure was so animalistic that she could almost see an aura of crimson  come out from her body.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    She''s scary, that woman''s  scary and dangerous, the little girl thought.

    Grace watched with unblinking eyes as the woman flew into a mindless rage and killed everything in sight. Faintly, Grace heared a strange sound. It was beast-like and feral, sending chills down her spine. Did it come from the woman?

    Grace considered herself fairly strong, but the very thought of even standing in front of that woman made her throat tighten.

    "Dont worry dear. Dont look, okay? Just concentrate on my voice and get on the ship." Morrigan came behind her daughter and placed a hand over her eyes, speaking softly, guiding her onto the ship. Grace was staring at the scene for longer than she should and Morrigan felt her daughter''s fright.

    Her wide eyes, the quickening of her breath, the way she stood still as a statue, all those were signs of how disturbed she was by the sight.

    Not that Morrigan didnt understand. Gehenna had a way of making every move, every action, seem utterly terrifying.

    Her mere presence caused one to feel as if they were slowly going insane. It was something subtle and hard to pick up on.

    It waited at the back of the mind, a certain coldness, a feeling of despair that made you nervous and jittery like thousands of spiders crawling inside your skin.

    It was sinister, unnatural in every sense of the word.

    But too few ever noticed this. They wouldnt notice, because most of the time they either ran in the opposite direction of  Gehenna or attacked her directly. They didnt take time to understand.

    No one liked Gehenna. No one loved her, no one cared for her. She was simply a being that would forever remain shunned by others simply because she existed.

    Being near her invoked a sense of wrongness in others, causing them to want to avoid her at all costs.

    And yet nearly none could identify this aversion to her. Most didnt question it. This is why they felt a deep sense of fear and hate for the woman.  They knew instinctively that she was not right.

    That she didnt belong.

    But even if they couldnt put that to words, they felt it clear as day. How could Grace not feel it as well? No, it could even be said she felt it even more strongly than others?

    "There, that''s good." Morrigan whispered into her daughter''s ear gently, stroking her hair to calm her. " Now, lets go."

    Suddenly a cold feminine voice was heard behind them. " Morrigan, leaving so soon? What, you dont even take the time to greet an old friend?"

    -----------------------------

    Several moments before.

    What''s going on. . .? I''m so close. I can feel him nearby.  Where is he? Why isnt he here?

    She cursed inwardly as she severed the arm of an attacker.

    Loki, you bastard, what happened during my coming here? That strange power that changed the place of my arrival, what was that? Was it your doing?   I knew . . . that I shouldnt have trusted you. No matter which version you are, I was a fool to listen to you. . .

    It was only a few minutes since the battle had started but it was already almost over. It was almost boring, that way they had charged at her.

    She held a bloody object in her hand. It was the severed head of the red-cloaked man from before.  His eyes were wide and lifeless.

    Right about now loud voices were heard, shouts of terror and and screams of despair. Gehenna found it almost amusing.  But their fears upon seeing the pile of bodies falling to the ground were needless. Unless they atacked her, why would she bother with them?

    Suddenly she spotted two figures below. Both of them had snow white hair, and one had red eyes like blood.

    Gehenna stared, shocked, at woman. A chilling light entered her eyes. Slowly, she descended upon their location, her entire being filled with killing intent.

    The large blade hovering at her side produced a strange vibration as they neared, but she didnt notice it over the haze of red that entered her vision.

    ------------------------

    At the same time.

    In a tall building that overlooked the short-lived  battle a large, imposing man looked on with a slight frown upon his face. His eyes were a deep green  that glowed ominously.  He was wearing dark gold armor and four wings sprouted from his back. His golden hair was long, tied into a tail  that reached his back.

    "It appears Captain Mavers has taken his last breath . A pity. He performed his duty well even though he knew the outcome would result in his death. A fine man. His family, perhaps I should pay them a visit personally. . . " He whispered to himself.

    A voice came from behind him, pulling him from his thoughts.

    "My lord, we have already begun to evacuate the citizens. The short-range Teleportaion Arrays you had constucted are serving us well. A fair majority have already departed. They will soon be relocated and brought to safety." From the shadows stepped out a muscular man wearing a blue cloak, looking quite similar to the other man. The two could almost be considered brothers.

    The man nodded. "Very good. I thought she would arrive later, though this is fine as well. Have you notified  the old crone of  Gehenna''s appearance?"

    "No need, my lord. She had already been aware of her the moment she stepped outside the portal. Also, I have been told that the crone has already given the little girl the ring."

    "Excellent. With that in her possession everything will progress much smoother."

    "Indeed, it wont be long till it appears in his hands."

    "Well, let''s depart. Though I would like to see his arrival, we have things to take care of. "

    "You mean. . .?"

    "Yes. It''s about time we pay a visit to the others after such a long time apart. Hermes has already completed his part and the crone has done hers. Now we need to do ours."

    "And what about Gehenna? Are we certain she would do what they want? She seems a bit too much of a wildcard, that one."

    "As long as she gets what she wants we will have no problems from her. Though her involvement was not originally included in their plans it makes little difference. She desires only one thing. So long as she acquires it, we have nothing to worry about. Besides, our goals are not too different anyway. What she wants and what the rest of us want are in some ways quite similar." He said.

    The other man frowned. " Pardon my rudeness, but I dont like the idea of trusting  her with that responsibility."

    " Irrelevent. There is truly no one better at this point. If we waited any longer, the old crone would have long since enacted her own plans."

    " . . .Im not too sure if she hasnt already." The other man said quietly, thinking of the four infants from long ago that the crone had once shown him. Even now, that dry cackle and milky white eyes of hers sent shivers down his spine.

    The winged man shrugged. " Perhaps she has. In any case we can cross that bridge when we get to it, as the saying goes." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Enough of this. We are on a tight schedule. Come."

    "Yes, my lord."

    With a bright flash of light, the two were gone.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    Author''s notes.: So my Econ grade is probably a D or C now. Meaning im in the clear. I have the rest of the week off and am likely going to get another chapter or two out during this time.

 Chapter twenty-nine

    " . . .And if you dont take care of her and treat her right. . .*hic* . . . I swear I''ll kill ya!"  Loki slurred in a drunken stupor, slamming his drink down and glaring at his friend with a mean, unhappy look.

    Roland sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.

    They were in Loki''s office drinking a variety of alcoholic beverages that left Loki in his current state as he drowned his sorrows in nonstop cocktails of things that Roland didnt quite know the origins of.

    It all began when Loki found out where Fenris was intending to stay from now on.

    After several hours of shock and despair he tracked Roland down and tried strangling him while spouting curses in several languages. Which earned Loki a "gentle tap"  on the head by the latter for the attempt.

    Of course the attack from Loki wasnt a serious one.

    What father would be able to calmly respond to the news of his daughter going off to live with a guy like Roland who had been known to have been with various women before?

    Loki, who had always been quite over-protective of Fenris, was obviously distraught.

    His reaction was perfectly reasonable, he had thought.

    After calming down slightly he numbly took Roland, got piss drunk and started raving madly about how Roland had best take care of Fenris or else . . .Well, a variety of threats were used by the drunken father.

    Honestly  Roland was quite fed up at the moment. Loki''s words made it sound as if the two were getting married or something.

    He was totally acting like a father who was meeting his daughter''s fiance for the first time.

    Roland could only shake his head and sigh.

    He had even pointed all this out to his friend.

    " Che!. Might as well be getting married. Least that way I wouldnt. . . *hic*. . . have to worry over her becoming just another one of your. . . *hic*. . .  conquests." He spoke back , his mood souring even more as he chugged down the purple-ish liquid from a glass bottle.

    It was almost comical. Since Loki was in his child form, his boyish looks coupled with his flushed face and slurred words was an interesting sight.  He looked like a drunken thirteen year old prattling on like a man four times his age.

    But Roland was thoroughly annoyed now. " Dammit you make it sound as if i was some kind of womanizer in the past. As if you have the right to judge anyway. You always act like a dog in heat, chasing women left and right on your off time." He looked at Loki in condemnation. " Besides, I may have been a bit more lustful than normal because of the way my body matured, but I was certainly never so callous towards women like you make me out to be." Roland said, irritated.

    Loki sobered slightly and jumped up, albeit swaying a bit as he stood. " Gah! You dont understand! How am I suppposed to take this then? If it was the you of just a few years ago then she might already have to try on wedding dresses or picking out baby toys! Ah, It would be one thing if you were some stranger but dammit you''re one of my best friends!" He despaired, slumping back down in his chair.

    "Loki, seriously, you have to stop with this bullshit. Nothing wil happen between us, got it? Stop overreacting. Even if it were the me of before I wouldnt touch her, because we''re friends." He shook his head. " Since that is the case am i not like an uncle figure to her? No matter how attractive she may be, something like sleeping with a friend''s daughter is wrong on so many levels."

    Besides, Roland thought, even if we did start a relationship and it went well,  with my circumstances it wouldnt be fair to her anyway.

    Of course Roland had no romantic interest in Fenris, but assuming they did start something and fell in love it wasnt like he would be able to stay with her very long. Something like that would be cruel to her, wouldnt it?

    He had no intention of creating real emotional attachments of that nature with anyone. Perhaps it would be possible someday, but currently it wasnt that time.

    Loki raised a brow.

    "So you admit you find her attractive? Great." He spoke sarcastically. " Shall I prepare the cradles and diapers now?" Loki then stared at Roland with a look of disbelief upon his face. "And uncle? She''s old enough to be your great-to-the-whatever-power grandmother! How the hell could you be considered her uncle simply because we''re friends?!" He asked.

    "Then it would be her that would be seducing me wouldnt it? The cougar going after the young pup? Shouldnt I be the one worrying?"

    "Bah, whatever! I dont care anymore. Let me wallow in my misery. I wish you guys a happy life together,  damn bastard." He sulked.

    "Yeah, yeah." Roland  sighed once again and ignored him.

    Truth be told, deep down Loki wasnt really concerned over the situation. For starters Roland did indeed have more self-control than he used to. It was even hard to connect him to the lusty boy from before. Almost like they were different people.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Also, Fenris had few boyfriends in her long life and none lasted longer than a few days. A few were even eaten. Literally.  The last one had his hand eaten too.

    Fenris, his daughter, never had luck with men for various reasons. One reason being no one could match up to her.

    If it were Roland Loki thought that wouldnt be a problem. In fact, he almost--almost--liked the idea of them together. Having a guy like Roland in the family wouldnt be a bad thing. On the contrary it would be very beneficial.

    If Loki hadnt known Roland and hadnt become friends with him it would have been different.

    Now though it was just plain weird.

    Not to mention this strange feeling he got.  For some reason he couldnt explain, Loki felt like the two of them starting a relationship would not end very well.

    He had an almost instinctive aversion to the idea of a relationship between the two.

    Sadly, Roland was an alpha male who had more than enough strength to handle pretty much anything.

    To Fenris who had never met one would could measure up to her own abnormal, cheat-like abilities, wouldnt that be an irresistable temptation?

    Ai, that daughter of his had always sought a suitable mate. It was in her nature. She, even more than Loki, had many animal instincts and desires.

    To have someone like Roland dangling before a person such as that, Loki didnt think she would even try to control herself once she knew more about him.

    Although he utterly hated the thought, she was admittedly the type of girl to go after what she wanted relentlessly. If she wanted to suddenly jump Roland, she would. That was simply how she was. If it got to that point then Roland wouldnt be able to escape, even with his abilities.

    Loki began feeling it was a mistake letting Roland and those four annoying mortals stay here. But he wouldnt back out now.

    Afterall, it was way too interesting now~

    Who knew what they would find at the end of all this?

    And it was too late for regrets since the two already met.

    He decided he should just ignore them for now.

    Whatever happened between those two, Loki would try to turn a blind eye to. . .After a drink or three. Maybe twenty.

    . . . He should probably just keep a steady supply at hand . . .

    For now he would just let out (or drown) his woes and not think about it until he woke up the next day with a headache severe enough to cause permanent brain damage!

    Nn, for now, that was best~!

    He took another full bottle from the table in front of him and popped the top open, ignoring Roland''s look of annoyance and such.

    Let the drinking cont-!

    Loki suddenly felt something off.

    He tilted his head.

    Looking at Roland, he asked with a slight slur, "Do you . . .feel that?"

    Roland took a drink from the crystal  cup in his hands and put it down calmly. He opened up all his senses and used his spirit energy to scour for anything unusual.

    He felt something far off into the distance.

    Roland looked curious. ". . .Feels like a Teleportation Array malfunctioned and drilled a hold in space for an emergency landing." He shrugged. "What about it?"

    "No, not that, it''s something else. . .Something familiar. Cold. . . Dangerous." Loki frowned. His own spirit sense was a fair bit wider than Roland''s and so he was able to feel it.

    His head, fuzzy from the excessive alcohol, began to clear as he circulated his power throughout his body.

    Loki''s face paled at first. Then his eyes flashed with mischieviousness.

    Beneath that, however, Roland felt a certain frostiness.

    What was this, Roland thought. Killing intent? From Loki?

    "Loki?" Roland frowned

    Loki jerked. "Huh? Ah, sorry. I got a bit distracted." He shook his head.

    Surely that plague-like existence wouldnt show up here, Loki thought.

    For awhile he ignored it, thinking it was nothing important or exciting. But for some reason, unlike Roland, he chose to keep his attention on the strange occurence in the distance.

    Then, suddenly, he felt a great burst of power being unleashed that made him feel heavy as if the gravity had been increased. It was chokingly strong.  And terrifying.

    Yet faintly it reminded him of. . .  He didnt finish the thought.

    His thinking went a different direction.

    A battle between gods? No, but close enough. And quite a bloody battle at that.

    Loki stood up immediately and smiled mischieviously. "Hehe~ It looks like something interesting has appeared. Well, let''s go shall we?"  He grabbed Roland''s hand.

    Roland, caught off guard by Loki''s unexpected actions, spoke out in a questioning voice. "What are you--"

    He stopped. Roland looked over at the other person in the room darkly and said in a warning tone.

    "Loki, dont you d--"

    But before the last word escaped his mouth, the two were already gone.

 Chapter thirty

    Gehenna approached from afar, her luminous violet eyes flashing eerily. She wore a white dress, a simple one like Morrigan''s own. The only real difference was that Gehenna''s were riddled with small cuts and was stained with blood. Most of it was not her own, but the blood of the ones she just finished killing.

    Morrigan was a bit shocked in her heart though.

    Those cuts meant Gehenna actually recieved injuries, however small.

    How many people had the strength to fight Gehenna? Morrigan only knew a dozen or so and even then they would be hard-pressed in a fight against her.  Even if they won against her, they would at least be seriously injured. None of them ever fought her in a life and death battle though as they were too disturbed by Gehenna to want to keep her company long enough for a battle such as that.

    Yet despite that, the tears of fabric didnt show any sign of injury on her flesh. Why?

    She must not have been in the fight too long ago or else the dress would be repaired or replaced already.

    Gehanna was accompanied by a large black sword with azure veins running along it''s length. It was so large, in fact, that it was the size of a full-grown man.

    It hovered beside Gehenna and looked extremely majestic and tyrannical, releasing a powerful aura of sharpness and almost warping its surroundings. Not only that, it was wrapped in bright red chains that almost seemed to feed off its energy.

    If it was so powerful while under its suppression, how strong would it be once they came off?

    Morrigan surprisingly didnt feel any sense of danger from it. Instead she was filled with something like nostalgia.

    How curious. . .

    Gehenna released a frightening aura that gave Morrigan a chill. Gehenna was always unhinged and Morrigan always had seen a hollowness in her eyes that was was void of feeling.

    Now, though, her amethyst-colored eyes didnt hold the same lack of emotion. Now they contained something that was arguably darker. It was a certain. . . Twistedness. A perversion of what a person was supposed to be.

    Gehenna had always been a great actor and normal people wouldnt be able to tell the difference between the false emotion and real ones. But Morrigan and those who saw her more often, like the higher ranking gods and demons, knew her too well,  knew that wickedness that lay beneath.  They wouldnt be fooled. They understood what Gehenna was, even if not what made her that way. Many assumed she was like that from birth, even.

    Gehenna didnt feel. She didnt think. She merely was. She was not a person, she was a force of nature that caused death and sorrow wherever she went and she was isolated by everyone because of it.

    Why, then, did she seem so broken when there should not be anything to break in the first place?

    It made Morrigan even more wary than the Gehenna of before. Now she felt true fear in her heart looking at the thing in front of her.

    Gehenna smiled kindly, the expression looking disturbing and wrong on her beautiful face.

    "Morrigan, my dear old friend, how can you leave so soon without even a saying hello? Im hurt. Could you be avoiding me? I know you must have seen me. Surely you didnt think that I would let you go without settling the score between us." She walked closer with each word until she stood only a few feet away from them.

    The woman looked behind Morrigan''s body. " Oh? And who is this little thing you have there? Ara, what a striking resemblance you two share! Dont tell me, a clone? Homunculus?"

    "Who she is should be no concern of yours." Morrigan replied cooly, her voice not betraying anything.

    " Well, well. It appears you dont want me to meet her. I wonder, perhaps you feel a bit of concern for the thing?" Gehenna asked, laughing.

    "Mommy. . ." Grace grabbed her mother''s shoulder, her eyes staring at the new woman with a look of terror. Her little arms quivered and the white fox''s fur stood on end  as well.

    Grace''s legs trembled upon seeing the woman, feeling fear spring up from a place that she didnt know the origin of.

    Morrigan ignored her and shielded her daughter from further view.

    A faint hint surprise and amusement flickered across Gehenna''s face.

    " So protective of the little doll. How quaint. I wonder, what would you do if I cut her up a bit? Would you care for her once I leave a few scars on that pretty face of hers?"

    Her body flickered.

    Time slowed to a crawl as Morrigan witnessed Gehenna come at Grace with a cold expression to her face.

    She reacted instantly.

    As Gehenna same closer to them she sent her daughter back with a gentle push and met Gehenna''s outstretched hand with her own.

    As they collided the force made cracks in the ground and a lound boom echoed.

    Morrigan found she couldnt take the attack''s power and the revelation  came with a wave of pain as she was sent back.

    Blood splattered on the ground.

    "Mommy!" The little girl cired. She moved to help her mother.

    "Grace, stay back!" Morrigan snarled. She held her shoulder tightly.

    Grace, seeing her, went pale. " M-Mommy . . .Your arm, its . . .!"

    "Gone, yes" Gehenna finished with a laughed. " Losing an arm for a soulless doll? Have you truly become so sentimental? Well, a lost arm wouldnt hurt you. . . But now i know what will. Ah, dont try to move for at least a few minutes. I injected that strike with my own energy. Right now it should be doing all kinds of damage to you internally."

    Morrigan felt it. Her insides made it seem like she was being struck with lightning and her muscles twitched slightly in anguish. She found it was excruciating for her to move and she could only crouch down with an arm on her bloody shoulder. Even that slight movement sent agony throughout her entire being.

    Gehenna hadn''t been able to achieve this degree of control before. She was all about raw power. How could she do something like this so easily?

    " Gehenna, whatever grievances we have had in the past, leave her out of it!" She spoke furiously,

    " Ha, do you really think that I would care what you say at this point?"  The woman coldly replied.

    Grace stared at her mother blood-soaked shoulder, her eyes showing horror at the terrible wound.

    She turned her head slowly, looking at Gehenna with an odd light in her little eyes. Gehenna ddint know why,  but something about the little girl''s eyes were vastly familiar to her, it was almsot unsettling.

    "You, to my mother. . . you hurt her. You hurt her!" The little girl seemed  to have become enraged.

    "I  wont. . .let you . . .bully us!" She screamed.

    Her mother knew that look all too well.

    That rage, that dark, empty gaze that exuded a heavy pressure and killing intent. . .

    She called out desperately. "No, dont!"  No matter how powerful she become when she was like this, against Gehenna it wouldnt be enough. How could a little girl do what the most powerful of beings couldnt? How could she stand against the one who all gods and demons feared?

    But it was too late.

    The girl raised a hand and she condensed several dozen long spears of azure and black light that spun around her tiny figure. She had a hollow look in her eyes,  her gaze sharp and emitting a fierce bloodlust.

    "Go" She commanded. Following her words the spears of light soared towards Gehenna at an amazing speed. They were streaks as they flew towards their target.

    "Oh? What an interesting attack. These spears, they dont seem to be made of mere mana. They let out their own individual energy reading and even follow my movements. Is this your own creation perhaps?" Gehenna easily dodged the spears, her body disappearing each time they got close to her.

    "Ah, and yet they seem a bit lacking? Oh, but look, they multiply!"

    It was true, each spears split into three in midair. And then they spit again and again, never loosing their original size.

    Gehenna found that they even gained speed and they left behind streaks of light that were probably dangerous to touch. The streaks didnt fade but stayed solid. It was almost like a spider''s web by now. She moved her body to the sky.

    " This cant really fit into the category of battle skills quite yet. No, this is more of a unique attack tailored to you specifically, is it not? But something like this wouldnt work on one such as I,  foolish girl. Look here. "

    Gehenna stopped moving. Grace manipulated the spears with both her hands and they came altogether to strike at her from all directions.

    Gehenna let them hit, the spears exploding upon contact.

    The little girl''s expression was hard to guess at, having reached a state where few emotions clouded her mind in her attempt to destroy the thing in front of her. However, it was clear by the flash of light in her eyes that she was confident in her victory.

    Nothing had ever escaped unharmed from this attack of hers. Even the three old dragons she had once come across praised the power of this attack she created.

    Gehenna, though, wasnt impressed. She came out unscathed from the explosion and looked at the girl with disdain.

    "It''s much too soon to celebrate. I haven''t even warmed up yet. Do try not to bore me. "  Gehenna  didnt bear a singe mark. Previously she had taken on a Forbidden Spell of the highest order. How could she fail to withstand something of this degree?

    Although it did sting a bit, that was already a praise-worthy achievment.

    Grace''s eyes flashed once more.

    "I wont allow you to hurt my mommy anymore." She whispered, looking determined.  She raised her hand. Azure and black light gathered around her and created a fierce wind that made the ship behind her creak and groan, the wood cracking from the sheer force.

    Gehenna looked amused, her smile growing in mockery and ridicule. " From the appearance, it seems to be a mere blast of energy? How unoriginal. Well, I suppose I cant expect much from a child. Come, entertain me a bit will you?" She taunted. She generously let the girl gather her power, not caring to dodge this time.

    She wanted to see how far the girl could push her, if at all.

    Slowly, the girl''s hand fell and a wave of energy did indeed came forth, destroying all in its path. The energy was terrifying in power and felt almost ominous, extremely overbearing.

    It radiated an enormous amount of power. In that moment, if one were paying atention,  they would undoubtedly feel the power from miles upon miles away. It was simply that strong.

    It hit Gehenna with a amazing amount of force and her view was full of azure and black light.

    The young girl let out a small smile then, coming back to her original self in the assurance that she had won.

    But in mere moments she saw a shadowy figure in the explosion of light.

    An instant later she felt a terrifying bloodlust in front of her.

    " Well, it certainly wasnt weak. It even broke a bit of skin. Had it been the me of before, no doubt i would have recieved a fair amount of damage. Too bad. Im not the same as I was then. But the attack was a bit hollow, to be honest. Such a shame. See how easily it breaks? Die," A voice called out. Gehenna appeared like a shadow in front of the young girl.

    She struck out ruthlessly with a simple strike of her hand. For a small, weak girl like this using the large sword would be almost insulting to it, she believed.

    And so, Gehenna, as she appeared before the girl, fully intended to kill her.

    This thing, was it not an empty doll Morrigan had created? Even if not, Gehenna had killed many before, childen included. She wouldnt bat an eye at one more.

    And yet in the instant that she saw the young girl at so close a range she noticed something that made her hold back at the last moment.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Just before the strike could claim the girls'' life Gehenna made it so only a long slash was inflicted. It stretched from the center of her little chest to her lower abdomen in a long, vicious cut.

    Grace felt her dress being torn as a sticky warm wetness spread throughout her small chest.

    "Ah. . ." She cried out softly, her expression one of shock and pain.

    She was blown back roughly, blood making a trail in the air.

    Just as the girl was struck, Morrigan''s lost arm twisted unnaturally on the ground and burst into a dozen crows. They flew towards her, streaks of black light as they hurtled towards her bloodied shoulder and reforming into a perfect, whole arm once again.

    But the phantom pain of her once-severed limb was still fresh. Morrigan pushed through that pain, forcing herself forward to move and catch her daughter.

    Morrigan berrated herself: How could she let this happen?

    What''s more, she couldnt display her power. Her daughter, if she was exposed to the high concentration of death energy from Morrigan''s attacks, could her body handle it?

    Though the girl herself could manipulate death energy, it was far less potent that Morrigan''s and it was not gurranteed that her small frame could withstand the deadly energies. Not many could.

    Morrigan couldnt risk unleashing her full power here. And without doing that, how could she beat Gehenna? Even last time she had help from several powerful gods.

    Even then, they could only defeat her temporarily. . .Obviously her appearance here meant she survived even that

    " Girl, that thing around your neck. . ." Gehenna  frowned.

    She  looked at the little girl intently, an odd light coming into her eyes as she stared at a small  ring hanging from the girl''s neck on a chain. Her face went pale,

    No, it cant be. . .I thought it might be, but that ring, that ring''s really his. But how? There''s no way that he would give it away. . .!

    That ring, Gehnna remembered it vividly. It was with her brother since childhood and she she couldnt remember a time when he didnt have it. She often gazed at it on his finger as she followed him around, admiring the beautiful blue stone on it. How was it possible for her to not recognise it.

    Gehenna thought about the girl, how she called Morrigan mommy. She stared at the girl once more and was horrified by what she saw.

    Her small face, it no longer resembled Morrigan in Gehenna''s mind. Now she saw the face of another upon the little girl''s.

    A face with shoulder-length midnight black hair, a confident aura of power and brilliant azure blue eyes that seemed to gaze into your soul. . .

    Impossible she thought numbly. She cant be his. She cant be. But her eyes, they''re truly a mirror image of his. . .

    Gehenna turned to look at Morrigan. Remembered the way she protected the young girl. How she looked at her with deep affection and love.

    Grace. She called her Grace. That ring, that name. . .

    Gehenna''s face was full of disbelief.

    "Morrigan, you. . .That girl is she. . .is she really your daughter? No, that''s impossible. You cant give life. . ."  She rationalized.

    No death goddess could support life. It  was physically impossible for them, their bodies radiated too much coldness and death energy to give birth.

    And yet . . Maybe, if it was his. He, who was capable of breaking from the control of The Fates, then. . .

    My beloved brother was always the exception to many things. Could that apply to even something like this?

    Gehenna had a sudden realization.

    So, this is the way it is. . ., she thought.

    "Ha. . .Hahaha~! I see, I see! It was really like that." She smiled, laughing. The sound felt wrong to Morrigan''s ears.

    "So even he chose you over me. He refused me, but accepted you." She smiled, her eyes going hollow.  Indeed, if it was not that then what other explanation was there for him leaving?

    At the time when she was still weak, how could he not want to be rid of her? She was too much of a burden, a nuisance even.

    " Morrigan, so you really have decided to take everything away from me.  My body wasnt enough? You reduced me to such  a state all those years ago and now you want to take him away too? I wonder, how long were you watching us before you made your move? How did you even find me inside that girl''s body? Ah, well, no matter. Daughter, huh. Haha, well, since you want to take what''s mine I can do the same, can I not?"

    Her words caused Morrigan to hold Grace tighter. This. . .She cant mean what I think, right?

    Gehenna came to a decision.

    I might not be able to reverse the past, but I can take her place. . .In the end, what is her''s was only stolen from me. Have i not the right to take it back?, she thought.

    " I never tried raising another living being, but I suppose it cant be all that difficult. I just have to get  rid of her, then once I find him I can have back everything Morrigan took from me. Now that I have been restored to my full power, I wont fall for her tricks like last time," She whispered to herself.

    --But is the situation really what you think? If he saw what we became, wouldnt he be sad?

    Gehenna''s mind was suddenly stuck with a sharp pain. "Agh!" She cried out, holding a hand to her head.

    What is this. . .? That thought . . . It wasnt. . .mine. . ..

    Morrigan watched warily. She didnt know what was running through Gehenna''s mind, but it was clear she was distracted. As Gehenna held her head Morrigan forced her body to move once again and took Grace, along with  the little fox, into the air.

    The ship wasnt fast enough. Their only chance to escape was to get to the school and regroup with Loki and Fenris. Those two would be able to keep Gehenna at bay.

    "Where do you think you''re taking her? Do you think. . .That  I''ll let you run away?" Gehenna, still feeling a lingering pain in her mind,  held out a hand and the large blade flew into her palm.

    Azure flames spewed forth from its blade.

    "This sword wouldnt harm one who carried his blood. However, it would leave you and that vermin without even ashes to signify you ever existed." Gehenna raised the sword and slashed down, azure flames erupting into the air as it chased after Morrigan''s figure.

    It was everywhere, so large that it could block out part of the sky and faster than lightning. This was Gehenna displaying the full capability of the sword, making it attack to its current limits unlike how she played with Asmodeus.

    With this, not even her soul would remain intact. . .!

    Even a goddess would die if her soul was extinguished!

    Morrigan turned, the azure flames reflected in her eyes.

    It''s too large, too fast. . .I cant dodge it. . .

    The thought echoed in her mind.  She felt a depressing amount of danger coming from the flames.

    The azure light encompassed her entire view and the energy it displayed even outstripped the attack Grace made. It was several times stronger and the heat was scorching.

    At this time, the blade was vibrating violently. It grew hot in Gehenna''s hands.

    Morrigan saw a tall silhouette in front of her just moments before the azure flames  were to hit.

    The figure waved a hand and the flames were dispered as if it were a candle in the wind.

    A calm, almost casual voice, instantly recognizable, spread throughtout the entire area.

    " You were right, Loki. It seems there is something a bit interesting here afterall." The man raised his voice at the slightly flushed child-like figure to his far left.

    He turned. " Morrigan. Damn. I thought so, but it really was you, huh." He sighed. " This cant be a coincidence. Looks like Loki owes me a bit of an explanation." He muttered before continuing. His eyes darkened as he saw the little girl with the bloody chest

    Morrigan stammered. "Dear. . you. . .How?"  She almost didnt believe her eyes.

    " Nevermind that. And dont call me dear. It irritates me. For now we should get her fixed up." Roland said. He abruptly took the girl from Morrigan''s arms.

    "I don''t sense that feeling of dread that usually accompanies your battles. Against  a strong enemy, it seems you didn''t release any death energy. Good choice. This little girl probably wouldn''t survive it." He commented, looking at the girl''s face.

    This girl, she looks pretty similar to Morrigan. I wonder if she''s some kind of clone or something. . . He thought idly.

    Even if she was it wouldnt matter to him though.

    Her eyes were open, but they were hazy and she probably didnt even know what was happening.

    Hm? Somehow this girl feels a bit special? How odd.

    He shook his head slightly and looked at the wound. The girl''s black dress was torn, exposing the long slash that was overflowing with blood.

    "What a cruel strike. It might have even killed her." He said softly.

    He took her from Morrigan''s stunned face and ran a finger over the painful-looking wound. It closed up easily upon contact.

    He felt a deep, cold anger rise in him. Such a small girl, who dared?

    He looked at the other woman far from them. Her hand was full of blood and blue flames surrounded her. The attack just now obviously came from her.  He had seen numerous bodies of Immortals moments ago.  All killed mercilessly.

    So, was she the one causing all this trouble?

    Roland didnt care about the others, the Immortals. If they attacked the woman she should defend herself.  You had to protect your own life, right?

    But to harm a child so viciously?

    He simply didnt like that, no matter what the little girl may have done. He disliked harming children  unless they were the kind of sick, twisted bastards that couldnt be saved.

    This girl who looked so innocent and pure and sweet, she was at least not of that category, he knew.

    Roland  held the young girl protectively in his arms as he released a frightening aura.

    His eyes glowed brightly in the semi-darkness.

    "It seems I have to return the favor. It''s only fair."  He smiled coldly.

    ------------------------------------

    Author''s notes: Welp, he''s here.  Heh.

    Ah, i just want to make it clear, Right now Gehenna believes that the reason Roland left was because of Morrigan. She may also have come to the conclusion of wanting to kidnap Grace, maybe brainwash her and then take Morrigan''s place with Roland. <?<

    But that is a perfectly reasonable decision to come to right? Also, yeah, Gehenna and Morrigan may have a bit of history.

    Gehenna is the forgiving type though so im SURE she''ll just let bygones be bygones. >_>

    . . .on an unrelated note, anyone know Melanie Martinez?  i swear i listen to a few of her songs at least ten times a day. Especially this one called Mad hatter of hers.

    Everytime i write of Gehenna, i listen to that song. Damn, i really am getting a bit too hooked on them. How did i even discover the songs?

    I cant remember but i blame my 17yo niece. She is the only one who listens to stuff like this. She probably made me listen to one awhile ago and that probably just caused this entire thing,

    Meh, i like them though.

 Chapter thirty-one

    Author''s notes: Im tired, its 6 am where im at, have school in an hour and 45m and i need sleep in my life. Im not really satisfied with this chapter. But oh well.

    Here. If you have any questions, ask me.

    Remember to rate, review and comment on whatever you wish. Though a review would be nice, since i want to see how im doing so far. If you guys want more of something let me know. I''ll try working it in eventually or somehow. I think a review every ten or so chapters is what i want.  But, you know, whatever.

    PS: wow like 15 seconds after i posted this a guy, sunderfang,  already started reading it, i saw. you guys are good. and tell me any spelling errors you see and i''ll fix them later

    -------------------------------

    Roland looked at the woman. She was very beautiful, he had to admit.

    Her face had an almost classical look to it. High cheekbones, small chin and full red lips like cherries. Her long, dark hair mostly fell in cascades down towards the middle of her back but she had two thin, intricate braids to either side of her face that were stylishly done. Her stunning violet eyes seemed to suck you in, making you want to swim within their depths and never come out.

    Her skin gave a healthy glow and her cheeks were, for some reason, slightly flushed at the moment as she stared at him. She seemed. . .almost happy?

    In her hand was a giant black blade with deep blue veins running along it. The chains around it glowed like rubies.  But they were not your usual chains. They were more. . .like tattoes almost. They seeme to have been inscribed onto the blade itself, but they moved minutely as if alive.

    As for everything else, her white dress was torn in several places and exposed the fascinatingly creamy skin beneath.

    The fabric, like Morrigan''s hugged her figure in a most thought-provoking way.

    Roland had rarely seen such an attractive woman.

    She looked almost cold and she gave off a slightly uncomfortable aura, but Roland didnt mind such a thing.

    She must not be very liked, judging from the way Loki glared at her with a look of utter despise.

    "From your expression I take it you know this woman, Loki?"

    He nodded somberly, " Roland, meet Gehenna. Killer of countless people and the scourge of, well, everyone. Dont let that pretty face fool you. This woman isnt like you and me. She is merely the sick perversion of what should have been a person. It''s best if you dont associate with a thing like her." He said coldly.

    Roland raised a brow at the venom in his words. It seemes the woman is pretty hated indeed.

    He shrugged. "I think I''ll decide for myself whether i want to be around somone, but thanks." He said drily.

    Roland was friends with some of the most brutal, eccentric and downright insane people one could find. He didnt judge others  for past actions on the first meeting unless they were that type of sick and perverted scum he couldnt forgive.

    Other than that he reserved judgement. In the first place he didnt mind killing overmuch. He felt sad when woman or children died, but most of the time he felt that he only had issues with how a person died.

    Though that may be a bit hypocritical. He understood very well his ideals sometimes appeared that way and others would not understand them.

    Roland sighed a bit as he looked at the woman.

    What a pity, he thought. It''s a shame to have to punish such a pretty woman. But then again I cant let her get away with hurting such an adorable little girl, now can I?

    He held no malice towards the woman personally but he did have to punish her for harming the girl.

    An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

    Of course, he himself was indeed pretty mad. But it was hollow, lacking real substance. At this point he had no reason to hate the woman. He simply felt an obligation to administer some kind of vengence on behalf of the young girl.

    Once that was done, whatever happened next was up to the woman to decide. Whether she decided to fight him or accept things quietly and leave, he would respond accordingly.

    In regards to the young girl who he currently held, she looked awfuly similar to Morrigan with her delicate features and her face was slightly cherrubic in nature. Around her neck was a small white fix with a gold-tipped tail with a flame design. It looked hurt with a small amount of blood down it''s mouth but other than that it appeared fine. It licked the girls''s face, as if to assure itself she was okay.

    The girl''s pure white hair seemed almost to glow with an inner radiance in the bark lighting. She was undoubtedly one of the most adorable girls he had seen.

    The only other who came close was Reina and Lilith''s little adoptive sister he had seen briefly before in Loki''s room when he met their parents.

    Roland  unconsciously patted the girl''s little head, a strange, almost fluffy feeling sprouting in his chest as he looked at her. Somehow he found that he immediately liked the small thing in his arms. How curious. . .

    "Well, I dont know what such a small girl could have done to offend you but I cant let this pass. If you accept your punishment calmly I wont seek any further recompense."  Roland said reasonably.

    He gave the girl back to Morrigan.

    " I understand that we will have to have a talk, but lets leave that for later. But make no mistake, what i told you that day still applies." He said stiffly.

    Morrigan shook her head sadly.

    Even still, you remain so stubborn. Well, i would like to see how you plan to escape once you learn who that girl you were holding is. I wont let you leave this time. . . She decided.

    But for now, seeing him here, having watched him hold Grace in his arms, she was content to merely have him by her side again.

    Roland turned is attention to the woman once again. " Now, stay still. I dont want to kill you by mistake." His words could freeze an open flame.

    Gehenna felt the  bloodlust in his words. She couldnt believe it.

    Even though I''m right in front of you, do you still not recognize me? Her heart felt like it as being squeezed.

    She couldnt help but notice it, that look in his eyes. It wasnt the type of look you gave to a loved one.

    It was the look one would give to a stranger.

    And she hated it. She hated it.

    Why wouldnt he know her? Even though she looked older, even though her body had changes in appearance, he always knew who she was. He always said that it wouldnt matter what she looked like, that he would know her in whatever form she had.

    So why did he look at her so coldly and uncaringly?

    Will you. . .really fight against me?

    She gripped the sword harder and felt a tightening in her throat. Her eyes started to sting with unshed tears of frustration.

    This is her fault. If she didnt exist then there''s no way that he wouldnt remember me. What did she do to him? Why, why does it have to be this way?

    Gehenna felt her breathing quicken. She felt hurt and angry beyond reason.

    That''s right, if Morrigan wasnt here, then. . .

    She let out a ferce killing intent. Fine. If this is how it is then I''ll just kill her and take him back. That way  we can be happy. Then we can be a family again. . .

    Together with that little girl, we can go back to that place and start over. . . She smiled.

    But first Morrigan had to be taken out of the picture.

    " Ah, dont worry. When she''s dead, when you go back to normal, we can catch up and be together again. Isnt that great? We wont have to leave each other''s side ever again after that." She said softly.

    Roland, of course, caught the small sound.

    He was momentarily lost. This voice. . .where have I heard it before?

    No, a better queastion was: Who was the woman talking to?

    Well, not that it mattered much to him at this point.

    Having already spoken all the warning he would give, he conjured a sword of hardened mana.

    He hated the fact that he was in the air though. He liked the ground on his feet. He currently compressed spiritual energy under his feet to create a foothold but it wasnt the same.

    "Come on, let''s get you two out of here." Loki said. He grabbed Morrigan and the other two.

    "Loki, dont!" Morrigan protested. She couldnt let her husband out of her sight, what if he decided to leave like last time!

    But Loki was too quick. An instant later the four vanished, leaving Roland and Gehenna alone.

    Gehenna frowned at their disappearance.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Well, then. Let''s begin. Remember what I said, if you dodge I might accidentally kill you. I dont know what history you, Morrigan and Loki have, but im quite disappointed you chose to involve the girl. Since you gave her such a vicious wound, be prepared to recieve one equally vicious in kind!"

    Gehenna was stuck with a profound sadness. I know that she has turned you against me, but to think you would really preapare to attack me. . .Just what kind of hold does she have over your heart and mind?

    She sighed with regret. She let Morrigan escape. There was no point in remaining here.

    That damn Loki, if he wasnt there she wouldnt have escaped so easily from Gehenna''s grasp.

    That girl was your daughter. How could you not be angered? If you simply stuck me down, it would be your right. Since it has come to this, I will accept your blade.

    Gehenna didnt have the heart to fight against him. After she wounded his daughter, of course he wouldnt sit down quietly. She simply hated that he didnt even remember her.

    If it wasnt for Morrigan. none of this would have happened.  What method did she use to lure him away, to make him forget me? Why did you choose her, even when you denied me?

    Gehenna made no move to dodge his strike. No, she even opened her self up to him. She let go of the black blade.

    Gehenna was ready to recieve whatever punishment he deemed fit.

    Roland didnt move from his position. No, he merely stood there. The sword in his hand was nothing more than hardened mana, yet in his hands it still released a terrifying aura of dominance.

    The blade itself was nothing special, Gehenna would be able to break it with a pinkie. But when he held it, it became a deadly weapon that was infinitely more dangerous than a hundred thousand blades combined.

    He pointed the blade coldly at Gehenna and slowly stabbed out. Nothing more. He didnt move at all. There were no flashy movements or skills. He was above such things.

    No, he merely stabbed out slowly and calmly with the sword in his hands.

    And yet even still the sword''s movement couldnt be seen clearly.

    They were separated by a large distance, but the blade seemed to cut through space and time.

    In not even half a breath''s time his sword slowly entered her body.

    Gehenna''s body went stiff. This, indeed, was her brothers power that she felt.

    Through the sword she felt his familiar aura. This energy signature that was immovable and shined brighter than a star, it was his, no doubt.

    She felt an intense pain, yet beneath that she also felt an immense relief that she had truly found him once again.

    Words couldnt describe the joy she felt at finally seeing him after so long, even under the current circumstances.

    His sword struck her chest. He  moved the sword downward steadily, creating the exact same wound that the little give recieved previously,

    Gehenna felt more pain with each passing second. The sword didnt move fast, it merelt cut deep into her carefully inch by inch.

    She almost cried out as the pain tripled. She knew he was sending his own energy through the sword to highten the pain. But she clenched her teeth and endured.

    Finally, as she began to think she would pass out from the pain, it pulled out of her with blood coating it''s tip.

    "There. You did good not to cry out. Most would." He praised with a smile, his previous coldness gone. " I said i would return the favor, did I not? That wound wont heal for several days no matter what you do. But it wont kill you.  Now, I suggest you leave. I know Loki will come back any second. I planted a certain spell on him a bit ago that will delay him, but it wont last long. Hmph, serves the bastard right. He knows I hate being teleported. Well, I suppose it was a good thing this time though."He admitted.

    "Those blue flames you had could have extinguished Morrigan, you know. Body, and maybe even her soul. Not to mention the girl and fox. I should be mad about that, really.  But for now I''ll let you off with a warning:  If you come after them again, I wont be as nice as I was today.  You can battle Morrigan if you want. But if you try to kill her, or try to harm anyone else not involved with whatever grudge you all have, then I will step in. Understand?" His face once again went cold and unwavering.

    To punctuate his words he released a strong pressure from his body. It fell on Gehenna like mountain.

    Gehenna stared at him. She shook her head and spoke two simple sentences. " I dont know what she did to you, but I wont let her keep you from me. Someday, when you recognize who I am again, I hope that you can still accept the current me."

    Roland felt as if he was struck by lightning.  He looked at her with a sudden suspicion.

    It cant be. . . This girl, does she . . .actually know me?

    Could she be someone from one of his past lives?

    Gehenna sighed. As she thought, his face of shock told her he didnt have any idea who she was.

    It seems that whatever Morrigan had done to him  was not something simple.

    With a sad look, she grabbed hold of the sword. It vibrated softly as if in protest. "Shh. Im afraid a proper reunion will have to be held at a later date. Dont worry, we will get him back soon enough. Once we deal with that bitch by his side, that is."

    Holding a hand to her wounded chest she whispered softly to the blade and it quieted down in response. Azure flames surrounded them and they winked out of existence before Roland could stop them.

    He shook his head. He didnt understand her words.

    However, he felt an ominousness he couldnt explain.

    Sighing in regret, he waited for Loki to pick him up.

    He looked around. The city looked nearly abandoned. Every second he sensed less and less people.

    He suddenly had an Idea.

    I dont think a bit off exploring  would hurt, right?

    His eyes flashed excitedly.

    ---------------------------

    Moments earlier, Loki teleported in the middle of Roland''s living room.

    Saren, James Lilith and Reina were talking quietly amongst themselves when he burst in.

    As he appeared with a small gust of wind he threw Morrigan, the girl and the fox on the ground.

    All four of the kids looked stunned.

    "Loki! how did you. . .?"

    "Eh, a child?"

    "Who''s the woman?"

    "I thought you were supposed to be with Roland right now?"

    The four asked.

    "Shut up. Take care of them. I''ll be back."

    Morrigan moved Grace, who was still dazed and in a semi-conscious state, onto a sofa to the side.

    She was enraged. "Loki, I demand you take me ba--!"

    But he was already gone.

    "Tsk. Bastard." She turned to the stunned gazes of the four children looking at her. With little else to do at the moment she decided to inquire on the relationship between the children and her husband.

    She questioned to the young red-haired girl." So, how do you four know Roland?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

    Morrigan didnt know why, but she felt a certain unreasonable dislike for the girl at first sight. It was a very weird and unexpected reaction that she didnt know where it stemmed from.

    Reina felt a certain fear of the woman she couldnt explain. She stammered an unintelligible reply, causing Morrigan to look at her oddly.

    Saren frowned and looked a bit cross. " How do you know him?" He countered back. He didnt like the woman''s tone. Who was she to speak with such a mean look at their first meeting?

    Morrigan looked at the young boy coldly. "Im his wife."

    " " " "@%#&!" " " "  They exclaimed in unison.

    Morrigan smiled in amusement.

    -----------------------------------

    Loki teleported out just as Morrigan looked at him in anger.

    Contrary to his expectations, he landed in a thorny bush  only a mile from the large house he dropped the three off at.

    "Ah!" He cried out painfully. He teleported once again. This time his head hit a tree branch a few feet away.

    "Ooof!" He landed on his back, hard.

    The hell is going on?! He wondered furiously.

    He suddenly realized  something. Roland! This could only be your doing!

    Loki knew Roland hated being teleported, but seriously. This was a bit. . .

    He shook his head. Damn fool. What do you intend to do? If you let that woman off easily I wont let you hear the end of it!

    It took several minutes before Loki could successfully teleport properly again.

 Chapter thirty-two

    Author''s notes: I would just like to apoligise to Slaggedfire first. Dude, i know you probably think I made this a teaser but that isnt my intention. And fear not, i should get the next chapter out maybe tommorrow. I write this on my ps4 browser alot. and my nephew, a 4yo, likes to hog it pretty often so, yeah. . .

    Anyway, the daughter should be meeting Roland in the next chapter.  bit of patience pls. I know it seems i do this on purpose but this is just the way it works out most of the time.

    I made this chapter cause i had some time. It like 6:59 as i write this and imma  go get ready for  school in a bit so i dont have time to make a longer chapter and such.  Really this is kinda a filler chapter. not much importance in here. as i said i had a bit of time so i just decided to make a short chapter.

    So, sorry.

    Also, i feel Loki is becoming a kinda abused character. Meh, though few but Roland would get away with treating him like that. Few who knew him anyway,

    To other readers, i want to let you know you can ask me any question regarding the story if you want. another guy took the initiative to do so and anyone else can as well.

    I need to re-read previous chapters as i forgot some things. i hate reading previous chapters though. But i will have to. Well that is it,

    Remember to rate, comment and review.

    ------------------------------------------

    Roland found that the city was in a pretty bad state. Bodies of Immortals littered the place. He wondered who would take care of the aftermath of the battle but only for a second or two.

    Buildings that were high enough to reach the sky had been burned, cut in half,  smashed or, somehow, reduced to nothing but ashes. He found the last one particularly amazing. Even he would have a bit of trouble doing that.

    The woman really did a number on the place. Bodies everywhere and buildings in pieces.

    He frowned a bit, thinking of her again for the tenth time.

    Her words made it seem as if she knew him. If so, he wondered how he should handle her.

    He shook his head. He would deal with it when it got to that point. He gave her a warning to not bring the girl into any grudge between her and Morrigan.

    Speaking of the little girl, Roland thought of her numerous times as he strolled about the empty streets.

    For some reason he couldnt get the little thing out of his mind and he felt it was a bit unhealthy at this point.

    He once passed a stall that held some head gear and such. He had spotted a red sun hat that he idly thought would look good on the adorable girl.

    He then shuddered at the thought since it was very odd for him to have one like that.

    He wondered why he suddenly had it in regards to the girl.

    Ah, the  little girl was pretty cute though.

    Indeed, with her snow-colored hair the red would look good on her. . .

    Hmm, or that petal pink one would give a more soft, feminine and whimsical feel which may fit a young girl better. . .

    Roland frowned once again. These thoughts, where did they even spawn from?

    Maybe, as Loki would say,  he was a bit of a lolicon.

    He didnt feel he had such interests, though. . .

    He took the hats even so. It would be good as a casual gift, right?

    Hmm. . ,

    He browsed through the various wares the stalls offered but found few things of interest.

    Loki found him seveal minutes later when Roland was busy taking a bite of a small cake he located in a small bakery.

    He had been sitting there languidly on a iron-wrought  chair, reading a paperback book detailing the adventures of a trained assassin as he fell in love with the daughter of the man he was hired to kill.

    He found the book laying on the table next to him and only skimmed the thing before finding himself drawn into the story against his will.

    He had just gotten done with the fourth chapter when a child-form Loki ran, red-faced, towards him.

    "Roland!" He yelled." Where is she!"

    He looked furiously around as he said this.

    Roland asked back with a raised brow of curiosity. " Who?"

    Loki glared at him. "Gehenna, of course!

    Roland let out an "ah" sound. "Oh, her? I let her go. Well, she kind of teleported away. I just gave her the same wound she gave the child, a fair warning not to drag others into whatever feud she and Morrigan and you have, and then she went along on her merry way. Not much to tell, honestly." He took a drink of milk he found in the fridge of the shop he was at.

    Loki looked at him incredulously. " Did I not say what sort of person that woman is? Let me make it clear: Her being here is a disaster-class problem. Who knows what havoc she''ll cause? I tell you, letting her leave was not a wise choice! Damn, we need to let the other Pantheons know she''s here. We need to prepare, make sure she doesnt go overkill. You, since you let her go, have to take the responsibility of hunting her down and literally drive that bastard back to Hell where she belongs!" He pointed at Roland with narrowed eyes.

    Roland rubbed his chin. "About that. I''ve been thinking. Maybe she isnt as bad as you made her seem."

    Loki was stunned speechless. He recovered only seconds later." What could possibly give you that idea?"

    Roland shrugged. "Well, given her supposed power level she could havve easily kill that girl. But she didnt. If she was a truly heartless person, why would she do that?"

    " She probably has her reasons.  Anyway, she isnt the type of thing that can be reasoned with. All the girl knows is how to cause trouble. This moment of mercy is a damn miracle in itself. Dont think much about it." He dismissed.

    Roland wasnt aware of the woman''s history. He didnt know what evils she commited but somehow he didnt think she was all that bad.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    It was only a hunch, but he felt that she may be different from whatever she was in the past. Though he had no real, hard evidence to suggest that.

    Well, in the end it didnt matter much to him. He didnt think much of it at this point.

    "And i have no reason to hunt the woman down, so no."

    Although he felt that whatever connection they may have is worth knowing, he learned from experience that interacting with past friends or family is not a good idea. His past selves met some of their old friends, family or lovers. Didnt end well. They took the initiative to write their future selves a  warning not to seek out or meet with any past acquaintences.

    Roland had the note within his Treasury. It said it was best for all involved if they stayed away from each other. Pretend the other didnt exist.

    This was partially why Roland always avoided Morrigan in this life. Ever since she first found him in this life, he avoided her like a plague.

    "tsk. Fine. But I do still  have to notifiy the other Pantheons so they can be on guard. That woman shouldnt even be aware of this place. How did she even come here? Or find the location of the planet? Could somone from one of the Pantheons have told her?" He wondered aloud, his eyebrows scrunching up in worry and curiosity in equal parts.

    He let it go for the moment. "Well, I wont be the one dealing with her. No doubt my brother would jump at the idea of hunting the blasted woman and sending her back. He always tries earning brownie points with our old man. Damn tool."

    Roland  took one last bite of the cake and stretched his arms as he stood up. "So, is your father still trying to get you to agree to be his--?"

    Loki stopped him. "Dont say it!"

    "--Heir?"

    Loki shuddered at the word.

    "Ugh, dont. Just dont.  I dont even want to think about that. Let Thor deal with all that boring shit. I like my freedom, thank you.  But nevermind that. We should get back. I left Morrigan with the four kids of yours. If we dont hurry that brat Saren might annoy her and be subject to an early grave."

    Roland dodged his gropping hand. " Ah, right. Before then, I would like to ask, who is that little girl who was with her? They seemed a bit close?"

    "Hm, yeah. . ." He scratched the back of his head.  " Well, I dont know. Recently she always appears with the girl, treats the girl almost like a daughter or something. Since they look so alike I always thought that Morrigan made the little girl. I hear creating Homunculi are making a comeback. "

    Roland was surprised. Morrigan didnt seem the motherly type. Maybe she suddenly got struck with the urge. Strange, though

    Loki continued. "I didnt even know much about the girl until Morrigan started teaching at the scho--" He froze, realizing  what he almost said.

    Roland''s gaze went sharp. " Loki, what were you about to say just now?"

    Loki laughed awkwardly. " Hah. . haha, n-nothing. It wasnt anything. You must be hearing things." He said with a smile.

    "Loki. . ." Roland warned.

    Loki backed away. "Look, it was nothing, really. I mean, it wasnt any big deal. Totally nothing to get worked up over."

    Roland moved and grabbed Loki''s cheek, hard. "You know, if you dont tell me im not going to let go. I wonder how Fenris would feel seeing her father pulled by the cheek like a child by another man?"

    Loki tried to teleport several  away but found that he wasnt able to. "Alright, shit, I''ll tell you!"

    Roland complied.

    "Well?"

    Loki held a hand to his cheek, "Hmph, you''re lucky you''re my friend or you''d be turned into a tiny teddy bear right now." He said hatefully.

    "I''d still be able to manhandle you." He smiled. Loki would have carried out that threat too, if it wasnt Roland. "Just hurry up and talk."

    Loki sighed

    "Okay, so, i may have called in a favor from Morrigan and had he come teach a bit at my school. And I may have. . .forgotten to tell you. Not my fault though, it just slipped my mind, you know? I would have told you, trust me."

    Roland''s eyes flashed dangerously. "Loki, you had no right to keep that from me. You know how i feel about seeing Morrigan! This isnt some game for your amusement! What''s between me and her is our business and I at the very least had hoped you would respect that!" He said venomously

    He was truly disappointed and angry right now. He felt betrayed that Loki would keep something so important from him.

    He hook his head in disgust. " I know you''re curious, but this isnt something to joke about. She and I have. . .We just shouldnt be around each other, got it? If you really want to know maybe  I''ll tell you, someday. But for now just wait patiently and dont ask questions, okay?" Roland forced himself to calm down and talk evenly.

    Loki looked tired. "Fine. Im sorry. There. I know I shouldn''t have kept it from you, but I didnt think that it was such an important matter to you, alright? I wont meddle anymore, if that''s what you want."

    Roland nodded stiffly. " It is. Thank you."  He held out a hand. "Well, as much as i would like to run away, I did tell her we would have a talk later. I cant exactly go back on it. I think its''s time we had a good chat anyway. Besides, I did promise to help those four and I can do that if im not here with them."

    Me and her, we needed to have a talk eventually. I suppose now is as good a time as any. And it seemed that woman Gehenna wants her head on a silver platter for some reason. If nothing else i owe it to Morrigan to make sure she doesnt get killed. Afterall, she was once my wife, I suppose.

    "Let''s get out of here then."

    The two were gone in an instant.

 Chapter thirty-three

    Author''s note: Hey, Alcatraz , i saw you were reading a chapter 31 a few minutes ago. I dont know  if you are just re reading the chapter or what but if you see this...and you get to reading the rest of the current chapters... tell me your thoughts on the story so far in a review, if you please. off the top of my head i think that your biggest complaint might be the incredibly slow pacing. Which i plan to try and fix. Sorry it''s a slow-going story, everyone...

    --------------------------

    Loki and Roland were instantly  inside the living room of Roland and the other''s home,

    Roland saw Reina, Lilith, Saren and James staring at Morringan sedately, as if in shock.

    Hmm, it seems they had been like that for awhile.

    Morrigan was sitting on a couch, rubbing the hair of the small girl as she breathed deep and evenly in state of unconsciousness.

    That was to be expected. Sometimes Roland''s method of healing left one exhausted, though very rarely.

    Roland was met with a barrage of voices.

    Reina looked at him in a slight daze. " Roland, this woman, s-she''s calling herself . . .your. . .wife?" She questioned, almost unbelieving.

    Saren joined in. "But, that, is it really true? I mean, you never mentioned anything of the sort, did you?"

    " No, before that, shouldnt we be asking who that kid is? Look how similar she and that woman looks! If she''s his wife, then doesnt that make the girl--?" Lilith broke off. She shook her head. She refused to believe that he could have a child that looks like she''s 11 or 12.

    James looked troubled. " Impossible, right? I mean. . .Look at her. Roland, didnt you say you were, like, 19? Having a child like this, so old, that. . ."

    Roland blinked. " Calm down. I''ll answer your question later. For now, can you give the two of us some privacy? We need to . . .talk. " He frowned at the last word, as if he found it unnerving.

    "But. , ," Reina hesitated. She had to talk to Roland too. Although it might be nothing, ever since he took her training that one day, she. . .

    Roland looked at the the young woman curiously. "Yes?" He asked.

    She shook her head. "No, it can wait."

    Saren and james looked at each other. "Roland, when you have time, can you come see us? The two of us would like your help with something. " They asked in unison. Roland was amazed they could do that, honestly.

    Lilith also made a request. "Oh, me too. I wanted to tell you. . .well, we can leave that for later once you and--" She looked at Morrigan strangely. "That woman are done.  Also, my father mentioned he would like to speak with you as well, He, mother amd Lottie have gone to buy a few things from a small city some miles from here. They should be back in a bit."

    "Lottie?"

    " Our little sister, Charlotte." She clarified. "Anyway, that''s it."

    " Hmm, looks like I have quite a bit of people to talk to. " He sighed. Reina, Saren, James, Lilith and now the girl''s father?

    Well, he already had an inkling what the last two wanted.

    "Okay, i got it. Now, if you guys could. . ." He hinted.

    With that, the four departed.

    Loki sat down on a chair. " Well, now that those guys are out of the way, feel free to continue." He waved a hand.

    Roland looked at him. "What did we just talk about?"

    Loki frowned. "Yeah, yeah, alright. Fine" He held up his hands. " I''ll leave. Hmm, I wonder where that daughter of mine has hidden herself. . ." He mumbled.

    He left.

    A strange silence entered the room.

    Morrigan looked at Roland.

    Other than the initial conversation between her and the four kids just now, she realized that her statement towards them was, for some reason, quite stunning to them.

    The younger-looking boy, she forgot his name, told her roughly of the situation at hand.

    She realized the four were the mortals she sensed were fated to die by a group of Immortals.

    She considered killing them, afterall it was not a good idea to mess with fate. But as they were with  her husband, she held back.

    She then waited for Roland to get back and even said nothing as the four annoyingly talkd as if they were friends with him.

    Who were they to talk to him so casually?

    But she stayed quiet.

    Roland was the first to break the silence. " Morrigan." He hesitated. "Look, i know we should have had this conversation long before now, but the last time we met I told you that I had no desire to continue any relationship we once had. "

    He said firmly.

    Morrigan''s eyes glittered with anger. No, it was more like an unbriddled determination.

    "And I told you that I wouldnt accept that."

    Roland was aggrieved. " What exactly did you expect? You know very well that even if we did continue it,  you''ll be left alone until however long it takes me to reincarnate again. I wont remember anything about our time together. You once said we would simply make new memories.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Dont you understand that it doesnt matter how many memories we make, at the end of the day they will always be beyond my reach? I wont be the one hurting, because I wont remember what was lost. But you will."  He said roughly.

    "That isnt a relationship that is worth having! Something like that cant even truly be called such. Any relationship of ours will amount to nothing." Roland stated.

    Morrigan  glared at him. "You dont decide that. I know you wont remember. But it doesnt matter to me. I always knew that. Do you think I didnt understand it? So what if you leave a few years? I''m a goddess. I''ve lived for thousands of years and I''ll live for thousands more.

    It doesnt matter to me how many times you have to leave, I will always see you again, however long it takes is irrelevent. So what if I cry at your leaving? So what if you never remember what we had? As long as we end up in each other''s arms again, it''s fine. Why dont you simply accept that?"

    Roland felt his heart clench.

    Of sourse, he knew that. He understood her point of view very well. But. . .

    He looked at her sadly, with pity in his gaze. " Morrigan.  You say that, but things wont always be the way they are now. Someday in the future i might fall in love with someone. The next time you find me i may already be another woman''s lover, or even husband. What would you do then? Who knows how many other people I Ieft behind anyway? I could have been married hundreds of times before. You shouldnt have to share me.

    I was probably never wholly yours to begin with. And you deserve better than that. I dont know how many other wives I had before you. And some of them may still be alive today. People are capable of living for centuries now. If someday while we are together a woman suddenly says she was my wife, what kind of messed up situation would that be?"

    Morrigan refused to back down. " I dont care. I know that as well. You dont remember, but we already went through a conversation just like this before we were married. I tell you now, you were worn down by me then and you will be again. Even if some bitch comes along claiming to be your wife, I''ll just kill her. I know why you dont want to accept my feelings. I know that you dont want to hurt me. But I dont mind being hurt, because it would only be for a short time."

    She took his hand and looked at him deeply.  " Dear, I already know everything you could say about this. But I know my own feeling on the matter and I wont give you up for petty things like that.  I love you. I wont let you back out of this. Like it or not, i''m here. And as much as you want to deny it, I am your wife, even now. No matter how many times you lose your memories, i wont let that change." She smiled brightly.

    She snaked her arms around his tall frame and burried her head on his chest.

    The move was so unexpected that Roland felt his body go still.

    He held his arms to his side, but didnt push her away.

    A person is shaped by their memories, Morrigan. And i have none of those. I have none of the experiences that made me the person you loved. So it might as well have been a different person from me who you called your husband.

    But he didnt speak these thoughts. He knew they wouldnt have any affect on her.

    And he, too,  wouldnt be persuaded by them.

    Roland, though, hurt whenever he looked at Morrigan.

    He knew, he knew, that he once loved the woman.

    It lingered at the back of his mind and heart.

    When he saw her, he felt a array of indescribable emotions.

    " Morrigan. . " He started. "I''m sorry, but even so I cant just--"

    A small, lovely voice called out and drew their attention.

    "Daddy. . .?"

    Roland felt alarm bells in his mind.

    Staring at him from the couch behind Morrigan,  was the snow-haired little girl whom he had on his mind previously.

    She looked at him with a hard to describe expression mixed with hesitation, happiness and some others he couldnt identify.

    She spoke the word questioningly, as if unsure of herself.

    Roland felt himself stiffen. "Morrigan, that girl. . ."

    Morrigan peered up at him and spoke softly

    She beckoned the young girl. " Come here, little one."

    When the girl walked, slowly, foward,  Morrigan parted from him and placed a gentle hand on her small shoulders as she looked at Roland with a radiant, blooming smile.

    "Dear, meet your daughter, Grace"

    The young girl--Grace--had sudden tears in her eyes.  They were an azure blue, glowing like jewels due to their wetness.

    She rushed at Roland with flailing arms and wrapped them around his body, holding onto him tightly as if afraid to let go.

    "Daddy. . !" She sobbed uncontrollably.

    Roland''s mind went blank,

 Chapter thirty-four

    Author''s Notes: BEFORE YOU READ--

    I just want to address a fairly important matter that SilentHill34 brought up in the last chapter. He questioned what hapened to Morrigan''s lost arm.  Remember how it got cut off? I then re-read the last few chapter and made a shocking discovery! I made a huge flop! I  re-wrote parts of the chapter and i guess I deleted the part detailing what happened to her arm before I posted the chapter.

    Here is the sentence that I left out, happening just before Morrigan caught Grace when the girl was cut by Gehenna.

    "Her lost arm twisted unnaturally on the ground and burst into a dozen crows. They flew towards her, streaks of black light as they hurtled towards her bloodied shoulder and reforming into a perfect, whole arm once again."

    So basically what  happened is the arm turned to crow and reformed into her arm before she caught her daughter. So, she now has both arms back. It is not exactly regeneration but pretty close.  So, thank you, SH34, for pointing that out.

    I will work this sentence into the proper chapter later.

    Also I have to say that during the middle parts of this chapter, as I wrote them, I honestly teared up a bit. I dont know if i did a good job of capturing the emotions or if I did the scene the justice it deserves, but I have a great imagination. And having this scene play out in my mind was brutal.

    I imagined it so vividly, so realistically, that it made me cry manly tears and regret making Roland have that reincarnation problem in the first place.

    That''s it. Remember to rate, review and comment.

    Enjoy.

    ------------------------------------------------

    Roland''s mind went blank.

    The little girl kept saying "daddy, daddy" as if she couldnt believe it, holding him as if he would turn to smoke if she loosened her grip even a bit.

    Roland looked at Morrigan, shocked and a bit dazed.

    "This girl--She--But --Daughter?-- I mean, just how in the world, , ,?" He tripped over the words, unable to string together a coherent sentence and merely asked  a question without any clear recipient.

    Morrigan answered him." I know you dont remember, but this girl is indeed yours. The culmination of our love." She smiled tenderly.

    She continued sadly." The young girl, she always wanted to meet you."

    Roland looked at the tiny thing. His clothes were getting soaked in tears.

    He raised a hand slowly and awkwardly patted her hair, still not quite believing this was real.

    The girl flinched like a scared animal and looked up at him. Redness slowly crept up her face in a strange display of embarrassment and she parted from him to hide behind Morrigan.

    She snuck peeks at him from behind her mother as her cheek grew more flushed. She clutched Morrigan''s black dress while looking away from him every so often.

    Roland, still in a state of disarray, asked, " What''s wrong?" He slightly stammered.

    The little girl started tearing up once again and spoke in despair. " My first meeting with daddy and you had to save us from that mean lady. I let mommy get hurt and she would have died if daddy hadn''t come. I even showed you such an unsightly appearance right from the start! "She cried out, shame-faced, unable to meet his eyes for fear of seeing disappointment in his gaze.

    "What are you. . .Ah." He realized, The wound she recieved, is that what she meant?

    Morrigan stroked the girl''s back comfortingly. " Hush, child. You dont have to worry about something like that. I''m sure your father is simply happy to finally meet you. Go on now, say hello." She prompted the girl.

    She slowly detached her self from her mother''s side and stood in front of him, playing with her fingers nervously.

    The girl--No, Grace-- spoke to him. " Hello. . .Daddy." She spoke the word in a small, timid voice.

    Roland''s head swam.

    Daddy, he thought. She called me. . .daddy, didnt she?

    He choked out a question to Morrigan, who watched the whole thing with a smile of joy upon her lovely face.

    "How. . .How old. . . Is she?"

    "Almost twelve. Her birthday is only a month or so away."

    He then spoke in a harsh whisper, afraid the child might hear. It was likely not needed as the girl looked at him starry-eyed, lost in her own world.

    "That''s impossible! Im 19, how can she be 11?! Shouldnt she be far older?! Even before that, how could you become pregnant with a child, and on top of that it even survived?"

    A child of a god could have a young appearance for quite some time, it was entirely possible that she was older than she looked. And with her mind''s maturity rate being slightly stunted due to the longer period of physical growth, she would still have the mind of a child even so.

    So how could she be so young?

    When he reincarnates, he is not born in a womb but his body is created through  universal energies and through the power of his own soul. He knows that during the first years of life he could survive without a mother or father, feeding off the energy around him.

    Though he could sometimes die due to powerful wild animals or some such things, he understood that most of the time he reincarnates near places where he would be found by others.

    So even if he reincarnated as soon as he got Morrigan pregnant in his last lifetime, he would at most be only a year or so older than Grace, right?

    And Morrigan was a death goddess, her body was too cold internally to support life, The sheer concentration of death energies her body held would eventually kill any child of her''s long before she showed signs of pregnancy. Male death gods had no problem with this. They rarely were able to have children, but they could. Because they were weaker than their female counterparts.

    That was why death goddesses rarely even took on lovers, why they most of the time chose to remain aloof and indifferent.

    The first bit, the age disparity between him and the girl, just how. . .?

    He suddenly thought of something

    Unless. . .

    Morrigan confirmed his suspicion. " When she was born and you disappeared, I took her to live in my temple within the Higher Planes. Time works differently there sometimes." She told him

    He muttered. "So that''s it."

    Indeed, if he reincarnated in the Lower Planes, the Mortal Planes, then time could flow differently. Faster.

    He could have been reincarnated at around the same time as her birth but time would have passed quicker for him.

    When he thought of it another way, even if that wasnt the case, souls are not restricted by concepts like time. Or perhaps it could be said they work in different laws of time than physical objects.

    She went on with a coy smile touching upon her soft lips. " As for the part of "how". . .Well let''s just say your seed is obviously made of stronger stuff than other men."

    Roland frowned slightly at the coquettish look she sent him.

    But all these thoughts only briefly occupied his mind.

    He looked at the girl who stared at him, unblinking, with those large azure eyes that mirrored his own.

    She, like him, was lost in her own thoughts and had seemed to not register their conversation.

    Suddenly she once again, slowly, wound her arms around him in a gentle loving embrace.

    Roland felt something in his heart melt and found a tender smile unconciously place itself upon his lips.

    "Grace, huh. A good name."  He whispered.

    The girl mumbled with her face pressed into his stomach. " Mommy said you were the one who picked it out."

    Roland''s chest warmed. "Did I now? Grace. My little Grace, is it?"

    He laughed quietly.

    Well, it seemed my past self had good naming sense, at least., he thought.

    The very name resonated endearingly with him, almost as if he had heard it a thousand times before.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Grace suddenly held him tighter and spoke in a heartbreaking voice, "Daddy, will you. . .Leave us again? If I let go, will you disappear?" Her small body shook with emotion. " I dont. . .I dont want you to go. . .! Not when I finally met you!"

    Roland looked at Morrigan with a lost expression.

    His throat felt raw as he questioned the young girl. "Why do you think that I''ll leave?"

    She sniffled. " Mommy, she once said that daddy doesnt want to be with her anymore. That daddy doesnt love her anymore and that daddy doesnt want to even meet her anymore. But I hate that! If that''s true, and daddy doesnt want to see mommy anymore, then I wont see daddy again after this!

    And I dont want daddy to leave when we just met! There are still many thing that I want to do with daddy, things that real families do together!

    I want daddy and mommy and me to be happy together, to laugh and smile and play together. . .!"

    Roland felt his heart fracture into countless pieces at her words, falling down into the pit of his stomach like shards of frozen glass.

    He didnt know what to do or say.

    He saw Morrigan look sadly at their daughter, her eyes were misting up.

    She remember the second time she met with her husband in his current life, how hurt and broken she felt when he pushed her away and told her that he didnt feel the same as she did.

    When he left her the same night, slipping from her fingers.

    How she, in despair, went back home and cried while  holding her daughter who didnt understand her mother''s tears but wiped them away just the same.

    During that time, did she let slip a few words unknowingly?

    She felt horrible, leaving her daughter with a burden like that.

    Roland, too, felt sick and miserable. He felt hatred at himself.

    Anger, too. Not only at him, but also at Morrigan.

    But he knew that wasnt fair to her.

    He almost never gave her a chance to speak of anything of importance.

    But if he let her talk, if he had known, then . . .

    His eyes emitted a faint light as he came to a decision.

    Roland placed a hand around the girl''s lithe frame and picked her up gently.

    " What''s with the tears, little one? You''re my daughter, arent you? So dont cry." He told her, using a hand to wipe up the tears that ran down her cheeks.

    " I wont leave you. Or Your Mother. I''m here now, understand?" He sighed heavily once before looking her in the eyes deeply.

    " I know," He began, " That I dont have any right at this point to want to be involved in your life. I know that I never once acted as a father, as a husband, should. But I wont let you or your mother shed tears because of my own selfishness and idiocy anymore!" He finished fiercly.

    He held her then, tightly, a hand on her small head and the other pulling her closer into his arms.

    "Daddy. . .!" She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, sobbing nonstop.

    Roland  hated himself for being the one to cause such a small, cute girl to cry. His own daughter, how could he let that happen?

    He also felt regret, regret for letting that woman go.  She hurt his daughter, wanted to kill her mother.

    He promised himself that if she showed up again he would warn her only once more.

    And if she still insists on doing harm to either of them then I wont leave even ashes of her remaining to signify that she once existed, He thought darkly.

    He moved suddenly, pulling Morrigan into a hug and whispering into her ear as he still held his daughter in his arms. " I dont know if any good will come of this, but I wont push you away anymore. At least for her sake, I''m willing to use whatever time I have left being with you." He promised.

    Morrigan was ecstatic. " You mean. . .?"

    He smiled. " Well, I dont know if I can be with you in the way you want, but at least for her sake I''m willing to keep you by my side. To devote the time I have left to keep you two safe and happy."

    He continued. " I still have things to do here though. Promises to keep and such. But after that. . . What''s left of my time is entirely yours"

    He understood very well the responsibility he now had. Before, he wanted Morrigan to move on. To find someone that she could have a real relationship with, one where she wouldnt have to shed tears or wait for her lover to return or maybe someday have to share him with others.

    She deserved much better than that. She was worth more than that.

    But things were vastly different now. He knew that she wasnt simply some old lover of his, she was the mother of his child. Of his daughter. How could he leave her, knowing that?

    He decided to leave his future selves a note, letting them know of his decision today.  To tell them to give these two, at least, special treatment.

    He knew it wasnt fair to any of his past families. Who knows, he may even have had other children whom he had to leave behind. Who grew up fatherless. Who may have had children of their own, grown old and died.

    He would likely never know if that was the case.

    He didnt know his own natural lifespan. If not for the reincarnation, given his power he may be as immortal and unchanging as the gods. He doesnt know if any child of his would be long-lived or have a human-like  lifespan.

    He didnt even know if he was human, or some other race.

    It was also possible they were as long-lived as any god and were still alive today. Who knew?

    Certainly not he.

    But he did know that Grace would live for a long, long time. At the very least she was a demigoddess due to Morrigan being her mother.

    He was not sure what a child born from a death goddess would be capable of, or what problems they may face. Afterall, never has a death goddess successfully given birth. But he wouldnt mind any of that.

    She was a demigoddess despite the circumstances of her existence.

    Since that was true, then Roland would be able to see her again even in the future. Which meant he would always have the responsibility of being her father. So he could be involved with them even in other lifetimes.

    And he would.

    It was his duty as the father.

    Had it been Morrigan alone, he would not have done this. But he had a daughter and he would be damned if he let any of his future selves be oblivious of the fact.

    They would do their part once they understood that they were not merely a husband, but a father to a girl who would be around for years to come.

    Roland, thinking all these things at the back of his mind, held the two in his arms.

    Hearing his words, Morrigan let out a laugh. " I''ll hold you to that. But know that I dont want to just be by your side. I wont be reduced to simply being the mother of your child. I''ll be your wife as well, in every single aspect that position entails." She spoke suggestively.

    She pressed her considerable curves onto him, her black dress transmitting the warmth of her skin through the cloth,  so thin and clingy that it might as well have not even been there.

    The softenss of her was a stark contrast to his own hard physique.

    Morrigan ran a hand  through his silken hair and planted a tender kiss on his lips, too fast for him to dodge.

    A sweet fragrance drifted its way into his nose as she turned her ruby eyes up at him in a loving, passionate gaze.

    Their snow-white hair glowed with a faint golden sheen in the lighting of the room.

    Roland shook his head and let out a wry smile.

    He snorted softly. " We''ll see about that."

    Without another word,  with Grace and Morrigan content in his embrace, he held onto them for a long time and was unwilling to let go.

 chapter thirty-five

    AN: May change a few things in the chapter later. And edit a bit. EDIT: Nevermind i edited out a few spelling errors already. refresh

    --------------------------------------------

    Somewhere in a dark forest.

    A wounded figure leaned against a large black sword, clutching her chest upon which was a long, meticulously done slash.

    Out of the shadows stepped a tall young man with boyish features, neatly-combed chestnut brown hair and a pair of eyes that were sharp like a snake''s, full of both disregard for life and a faint light of merriment that was sickening.

    The man wore a set of light black armor that morphed into block suit with a green tie that gave an air of refinement to his lean figure.

    The wounded woman raised her violet eyes at the man with loathing.

    "Loki." She spat. " Are you sure you should be in the same planet as one of your other halves? Do you not have a kitten to kill or candy to steal from a baby somewhere? "

    The man laughed as if he found the taunts amusing. " One step ahead of you, my dear." He pulled out a piece of candy from his breast pocket and waved it smugly in front of her.

    "Then leave!" She shouted. Her breathing turned rough.

    "Oh? Why so angry? Trouble in paradise? Have you not reunited with the one you sought for all these years?" He grinned in a glib, provoking fashion.

    He slapped a hand to his forehead as if in realization. " Oh! I know! You''re angry because he''s already moved on from you, am i right? Haha~" His laugh was long and drawn out before he let out a small breath. " Ah, I am! Look at that face! So easy to read~!"

    The woman snarled at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. " Can you tell what im thinking of doing now, Loki?"

    The man waved a hand. " Please. It gets confusing when one of the other are on the planet as well. Call me Hermes here, if you will. I prefer that one anyway."

    The woman repressed her anger. "What do you want?" She enunciated each word sharply

    The man pulled out a small crystal tablet from empty space and presented it to her with an air of extreme self-importance.

    " I simply wanted to share with you this touching scene. Oh, look at them, dont they  seem so happy and content together? Why, it makes even my heart feel soft and gooey inside!"

    The tablet showed an image of three people, a snow-haired pair, one a small adorable girl and the other a curvaceous young woman. The last was a tall, very handsome young man with midnight black hair.

    The young man held the two in his arms in a firm, warm embrace as the beautiful woman planted a quick kiss on his lips.

    The wounded woman looked, entranced, with a strange expression on her lovely face. She grabbed hold of the tablet.

    Soon, drops of water blurred the image, yet there was no sign of rain.

    Hermes looked at her with a small, almost cruel smile and his eyes seemed to eat up the scene, gazing at her with a twisted joy.

    Ah, how much it must hurt, to watch the object of your obsession hold another woman in his arms! Yes, what a wonderful expression you have!

    " Oh, look at the time!" Hermes exclaimed, looking at his watchless-wrist. "Well, I have quite a busy schedule that I simply have to be getting back to. Keep the tablet to yourself. Enjoy~" He laughed.

    With that, the man vanished into the dark once more

    However, his voice called out to her even so.

    " Dont fret too much, my dear! We will be seeing each other quite a bit more from now on, you can count on it! And dont do anything extreme now, my compatriots have quite a bit of plans for you and that young man of yours! Fear not, follow our directions and soon the two of you will be as close as peas in a pod once more~! Till then~!"

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The last words echoed in the dark forest for several long seconds.

    Now all that could be heared was a series of soft sobs that was carried by the wind and accompainied by the rustling of dead leaves.

    -------------------------------------

    A brightly-lit circular chamber.

    Upon the center of the room rested a large round table with tall-backed wooden chairs. Two people currently resided in the room.

    The first was a black-haired man with two  iridescent wings who was standing while peering down at a large book with six-letter name upon it''s cover.

    The other was a woman,  hair like fire that ended in lush waves just as it touched her delicate shoulders.

    She rested on top of the table and held an almost unreal charisma and charm that left one stunned upon meeting her.

    Upon her forehead was a golden seal and she played with a golden fire on her hand, her deep emerald eyes seeming ageless and unfathomable.

    She turned to the man. "What are you reading?" She asked in boredom.

    The man replied without looking away. " A autobiography, in a way. " He said shortly.

    "Of who?"

    "See for yourself." He pushed the book at her.

    She scanned the contents.

    The words were hand written in excellent, majestic penmanship.

    " Hmm, I see.  I take it this is his?"

    She asked.

    He nodded

    " I dont see why you kept this. For sentimental value I suppose?"

    The man didnt reply.

    She shook her head at him. "Well, it seemes Hermes and the Crone are going to be late, as usual."

    The woman paused. "Why do you let the crone be part of this?" She asked suddenly. " That person, are you not worried she will follow her own  plans? Because you''re a fool if you think she has none."

    " Yes, im aware. A few of the others warned me as well, but as long as the crone keeps her plans from interfering with ours it doesnt matter. "

    "  Very well. Ah, but do take heed to not allow any missteps at this point."

    The man showed the ghost of the smile. " Your concern is touching. If my father were here, he would jump in joy at the improvements in your personality."

    The woman laughed. " You say that as if he were dead and gone. "

    " He may as well be "

    "Oh? Is that a hint of bitterness  I detect?" She commented. She got no response once again.

    " Honestly, where are those two?"

    "I fear Hermes has gone out of his way to rile up Gehenna. A bold move. Or a suicidal one."

    "Lets hope she kills him and spare us the trouble. "  She stretched her arms.

    " We wont be that fortunate. And besides, still need him. For now. "

    "Hopefully not for much longer then."

    Suddenly a laughing man teleported inside the room, followed a second later by a grey-robed figure.

    "Oh look, they''re here at last. What an honour. " The woman said drily.

    The man put the book away. "Hermes. Crone. Glad to have you join us, finally. No, dont speak." He stopped the young man with a hand.

    Hermes sniffed in indignation. " Well, are we going to call them or what?"

    The man nodded. He snapped his fingers, the sound echoing louder than it should have.

    Instantly the idle chairs were occupied by several shadowy figures.

    Hermes, the Crone, and the woman took one of the few empty seats.

    The man took his as well, saying,

    "We have much to discuss, everyone. Its time to begin our plans in earnest."

 Chapter thirty-six

    Author''s Notes:There is a fairly descriptive scene that is of the sexual nature in this one, near the lower-middle. Just to warn you guys. So if you dont  like that type of stuff, then after the second dividing line, skip to the end a bit.

    Enjoy.

    Ah, and some expressed concerns over Gehenna, her mistreatment  and her role. If others share this concern, rest assured that she will at some point get the treatment she deserves.

    She wont be forced to be a villain character. She is musunderstood, yes, but i find that writing about her and her struggles regarding that offer a bit more emotions and depth to the story. I like her character, I like writing about her. So she wont be a villain at all.

    Long rant in 3. . .2 . . 1:

    Also, my follower count is rising faster than normal. like it rose a fair bit in a day. Weird. I wonder, is it because i have been getting a chapter out like every day recently?

    Ah, now that Morrigan and Grace is back, it;s around the time to start the trip to the Higher Plains and also make that trip to see Solomon.  "Bout time, yup.

    On another note, i was thinkning about how many chapters that are at now. i was like, "35 chapters. How the hell did it get so far, and what exactly happened to get to this point?" I thought this cause i could not remember much of how the story got to this point. Not much actually happened in the story yet. But after re-reading a few chapters, i thought that the pace was fair. I did want to get to the Higher Planes ages ago, but then i got it into my head to make the little side story of Gehenna and then Morrigan''s and Grace''s. . . It just didnt work out as i planned, but i think it is better for it.

    that is all. Remember to rate, review and comment.  I will edit any errors i find later.

    -----------------------

    That night, Roland and Grace had a long talk together for the first time.

    He told her of all the places he visited, all the planets he had traveled to. Their food, their culture, their people, their sights.

    He spoke of cities surrounded by a mighty glass dome, he spoke of a planet whose golden leaves ignited like fire under a burning sun. Of places that lay forgotten in time and hid many wonderous secrets.

    He told the girl of his adventures with his friends, the creatures they met, both hostille and friendly. He gave her a vivid description of every place he had seen, of every interesing sigjht he has seen, of the delicious foods he had eaten, of the people he met on the way and many other things that lit her eyes in excitement, hungering for the same adventure and freedom.

    He left out parts of them, the parts too graphic and mature for a young girl. But she enjoyed his stories nonetheless.

    No, she would have been happy merely watching him, merely knowing he was there.

    She, too, told him of the times she shared with her mother, of things they had done and the friends she had made.

    She told him how she had beaten beast a hundred times her size, speaking in pride. She told him of the times the two, she and her mother, had slept under the stars and how they laughed together. How happy they made each other with the sheer love and care they showed one another, to the extent that for them it was as if others did not exist.

    And he felt a pain in his heart, lamenting all the time he missed of her life. He first steps, her first words, her first laugh, smile and all the other ordinary things she had done that seemed somehow special and irreplacable now that he had no chance to see them for himself.

    He talked to her unceasingly, listening to her every reply,  taking in her every exoression and commit them to memory. Every move of her seemed so full of life and vigor that Roland found himself unable to look away from.

    She was full of energy that would not be held back and father and daughter bonded quickly as they slowly but surely entered their own little world that could not be intruded upon, that made the mere thought of doing so seems sacriligious.

    Morrigan sat to the side a bit away, a gentle smile fixed upon her face as she watched the two. Finally, she had not only her daughter by her  side, but her husband as well. And this made her feel a special sense of joy she had once thought impossible for her to have, at least in her years of lonliness and isolation from before she had met her future husband.

    She was content to sit there and let them to to one another, to let them  know one another. For her, this was a dream she had long been hopeful for.

    And it was better  than she had imagined.

    The girl showed him the fox she had recently acquired. They stroked its fur and Roland healed the damage it had recieved at some point beforehand.

    The talk lasted for a long time and in the end the girl was blurry-eyed and her head bobbed up and down as she attempted to stay awake.

    She clutched his arm as her mother reluctantly decided to take her to their own room to rest.

    The girl, held by Morrigan, looked back at the figure of her father sadly, a slight tear in her eyes as in her semi-lucid state she suddenly had the terrifying  thought that this may simply be a dream, one she was unwilling to let it end so soon.

    But she lost the battle and passed out on her mothers arms, her face looking peaceful yet lonely at the same time.

    Roland felt strange, and he found that he was very hesitant to let them go. But in the end he held back and let them leave.

    Roland, after some time had passed, retreated to his room and took off his clothes as he forced his mind to still and fall asleep.

    -------------------------------

    The next morning.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.Roland rolled in his bed, his mind not quite awake.

    He was in his side for a long time, and in that time he gradually became aware of a foreign heat.

    He slowly realized that his arm had, for some time now, wrapped itself around a large, soft object that felt good in his arm. He had pulled on the warm object and drew it closer to himself.

    The heat it excuded was more pronounced now, and a sweet fragerance could be smelled.

    He opened his eyes, awakening.

    He saw a woman staring at him, her face mere inches from his own. His arm was under her, wrapping itself around her slender waist as her breasts, uncovered by any clothe, pressed against his chest. The nipples were a flower petal pink..

    Her lips were a lovely peach colored pink,  full and seductive, as if inviting him to take a small bite.

    The woman''s eye were an entrancing red, looking at him with a small fire burning withing. A fire of what,  it was obvious.

    Roland narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly to the beauty. "Morrigan. What do you think you''re doing here?"

    Morrigan replied with out a single change in expression. " Is it not a normal thing for a wife to share the same bed as her husband?"

    He paused. Roland couldnt refute that. So, changing tactics, he said, " And how did you get past my barriers?"

    She smiled. "Between us, there are no barriers that can keep us separated. You may not remember, but deep down you cannot bear to block my way. Any barrier of yours would let me through without exception. "

    He shook his head. ":Morrigan, I told you, For our daughter''s sake  I wont push you away, but I dont wish to continue the relationship we once had."

    She laughed. " You wont push  me away? Well, that''s all I need. You say you dont want me, but your body. . ." She paused. She made a quick movement. In a flash, she straddled his waist.

    Not letting him have any time to retalliate, she leaned down and planted her lips upon his.

    She tasted sweet, like fruit, and her tongue lightly teased his own.

    Roland felt something then, a deep part of himself that she awakened which made him unable to make any thoughts.

    He couldnt control his own body anymore.

    He suddenly let out a low growl at the back of his thoat and his mind became hasy.

    He sat up, his mouth still covered by hers.

    Roland returned it with fervor, enticing her mouth open with his own tongue and  deepening the kiss.

    He felt a hardening in his groin and Morrigan shivered in response,  her firm buttocks rubbing against him slowly, making him feel a pleasant ache.

    She moaned, then, her mouth only briefly breaking away from his own before he sealed them again under his own initiative.

    Roland broke the connection, moving his tongue over one of her erect nipples and biting into it, causing her to suck in a small breath. She enjoyed the sensation, feeling his hot tongue  on her body.

    Morrigan continued to rub her crotch against his own,  a warm moistness suddenly lubricating him, ready.

    She panted, looking at him with a slightly dazed expression. " . . .Your body still remembers me. . ." She finished her earlier sentence in a breathless whisper.

    As he lifted her up and was about to enter her in truth, a voice was heard. A small knock was  issued.

    "Roland?" The voice, Reina''s called out. "Are you there? I needed to talk to you. About that training you gave me that one day, ever since then whenever I slept I would dream about these weird--Im sorry, can I come in? Ah, the door''s open? How strange. . ." The door knob turned and the door was opened t oreveal a beautiful red-haired young woman with a troubled expression..

    She walked in. "So, as I was. . . say. . .ing. . ." She froze

    She looked at them like a scared animal. As she slowly comprehended the situation before her, her face slowly went a deep crimson.

    Smoke could almost be seen coming from her ears. She let out an "ah" sound as she looked at them, embarrassed, unable to sy anything for several seconds. Finally, as they stared at her, she awoke from her stupor.

    "S-Sorry f-f-f-for interupting! "

    The next instant she disappeared and the door slammed shut behind her.

    Morrigan looked annoyed. "Damn girl, so rude." She  said. She turned to him once more. " Now, my sweet, where were we?"

    Roland regained his senses. Taking a long, calming breath, he replied. " Nowhere now. " He gently pushed her off him.

    He frowned to himself. Just then, he really did lose control. Maybe she was right, maybe his body remembered what his mind didnt. Although, he did say he would act more like a husband and father. . . But in any case the mood was gone from him now.

    He didnt actually feel any regret over losing control. He wouldnt truly mind continuing, especially when it was with such a beautiful woman as her. He was still a man after all. But after what just happened. . .

    He chose to not think too much about it. " Where''s Grace?"

    Morrigan sighed. She cursed at that red-haired girl with all her heart.

    "She''s sound asleep. Dont worry, that girl doesn''t just sleep, she hibernates and then wakes up with an ungodly hunger. She''ll be up in a few hours."

    Roland nodded and put on some clothes. He looked at the still-present Morrigan. "You can leave now. "

    She sighed once more. " Ah, kicked out of my own husband''s room after he tires of me. What a pitiful woman I have become. " She lamented sadly.

    She made a mental note to smack the infernal young woman next time she saw her.

 Chapter thirty-seven

    Author''s Notes:  yeah, i dont know how I feel about this one.  Tell me if you guys think this one is good, if not then I may consider deleting it and doing chapter 37  over.

    Other than that, nothing to report. The last few days were for my rest and ralaxation. Not used to letting out so many chapters. Usually its like one or two a week.

    Anyway, let me know what you thought of their reactions and if it;s too comical or such.

    That''s it, enjoy i  guess.

    Remember to rate, review and comment.

    --------------------------------------

    As Roland got dressed and Morrigan left, he remembered two things.

    One, he didnt speak to anyone who asked for him yet.

    And another thing, something very important: How did Reina get past his barriers?

    Morrigan, she got past because some deep part of himself, his sub-conscious mind, recognised her on some level and therefore his barriers had no effect on her.

    But then what of Reina?

    His barriers only encompassed his room, so no one could step over the doorway without Roland allowing them in or him letting the barriers down momentarily.

    Although Roland found himself fond of her due to their inherent compatability with one another, that wasnt enough to grant her the ability or permission to get past his barriers.

    Wait. . .

    Could this be related to the fact that she has a fair amount of my blood running through her now?

    He remembered how just before her training began, he let her drink some blood to establish a stronger link between their minds.

    She drank more than she should, and his blood was very potent to begin with.

    Not to mention they had an unusual affinity for one another.

    So, could the effects of her drinkning his blood be showing now?

    At first her eyes changed to a color matching his own, but he covered that with a spell and never told anyone about the change. He hoped that was the extent of it, but. . .

    If true, I wonder what else she has been experiencing since then. . .

    Hold on, what was it she was saying as she walked in? Something about dreams . . .

    Roland considered going to find her, but given what she saw just now he thought it would be an unwise choice.

    He heard a loud, rapid knocking on his door. He was still putting on his clothes, and Morrigan had just left.

    Reina wouldnt be here again, he was sure. So who . .?

    He opened the door curiously.

    He found Fenris, naked as day, with a strange look on her face. Her obsidian black har had a lustrous sheen to it in the well-lit hall, falling in waves just shy of her shoulders.

    Her cat-like eyes stared at him intensely.

    "Roland, that woman who just left, you know her?!" She blurted out.

    He scratched his cheek. "Yes. Why?"

    "WHY?! Didnt she just leave your room?! No, also, she smelled like you! Also, she smelled pretty damn hor--!"

    She took a sudden sniff and found a peculiar scent. It was one she knew well from men who looked at her human form.

    But this one was much stronger, more heady and invasive than the others. Her head swam with the force of it.

    Then she looked with both horror and fascination at his nether regions, slowly backing away and feeling suddenly very vulverable in her current clothes-less state.

    Roland frowned at her actions and pieced the information together quickly. " Calm down, girl. This isnt for you." He frowned again at his word choice.

    From her words it seemed that she could smell arousal, and considering what he and Morrigan were about to do, but were interupted in, he was still fairly excited.

    Seems she picked up on that and grew a bit wary. But it really wasnt his fault.

    It would be odd if he could calm down so fast, right?

    And since she was naked, the cold air made the peaks of her two bountiful mounds stand erect, nearly staring up at him.

    That, combined with her slender waist that led to the small ravine between her thighs, well, ;et''s just say it didnt help things.

    He sighed. " Dont just stand there. What if one of the others saw you? Come in. Here put this on. " He grabbed a shirt from his closet quickly and let down his barriers so she could enter and then he promptly shut the door, turning his barriers on once more.

    This damn woman, didnt she say she wouldnt leave her cat form while she was here?

    Fenris hastily put the shirt on.

    She understood that with the scent she picked up on, him and Morrigan were probably. . .She couldnt finish the thought.

    She also knew that he was probably still aroused and her nakedness didnt help.

    However, she was very in tune with her senses. And the sexual energy she caught with her nose made her a bit lightheaded, the scent swirling all around her.

    It probably was good for him that she wasnt naked anymore, but for her who could still strongly smell the raw sexual energy in the room, this shirt of his simply didnt help at all. However, she forced her self to be calm.

    "Alright, now tell me, Morrigan, what is the relationship between you two!" She demanded.

    " Nothing. " He replied calmly.  " Why do you think there is any relationship between us? Just because I know her, doesnt mean we--"

    "Bullshit, I already said, she smelled like you! My nose doesnt lie, and you, you have her scent all over you!" She launched to her feet and came up right in front of his face, taking in a deep sniff.

    Roland felt the move was a breach of privacy and pushed her back onto the bed with a hand.

    "Aha!" She rolled onto all fours and sniffed the bed, then looked at him in triumph.  Previously she thought she may have been mistaken, but now. . ." Now I know im right!" She exclaimed.

    She paused and took another, lighter sniff of the air. " Eh, isnt this that red-haired girl''s scent?" Her eyes suddenly widened, " Dont tell me. . ." She muttered.

    Roland peered at her. " He, dont be getting any weird--"

    " Dont bother. I already know everything. Ah, really, I didnt think that you would be able to pull something like that off. I dont know whether im disgusted or impressed with a slight bit of curiosity myself, but--"

    Roland hit her with a gentle, 100% harmless  flick to the forehead. " AH!" She cried.

    " What the hell was that for?!"

    "For being nosy?"

    "Dont say that like you had to think of a reason for doing it!" She frowned and rubbed her wound.

    " Look, since you seem to know the majority of what happened here anyway telling you wont serve any purpose."

    She refuted. " Maybe if it was another woman, but this is Morrigan we''re talking about. Since you claim to know her, then you should understand why this is so astonishing! You clearly have a special relationship with her, dont try to lie to me about it. "

    "Why do want to know?"

    "Im curious! " She said. Then, "AH! Again?! Why?!" She touchedher forehead tenderly, glaring at him with slightly moistened eyes.

    "Your answer annoyed me. Anyway, i''ll tell you since Morrigan wouldnt want to keep it a secret now that im here. But first, why do you even care what our relationship is in the first place?"

    Fenris looked at him blankly.

    Now that she thought of it, why did she care?

    If she had to say, it would be because. . ." Animal instinct?"

    Roland looked at her, not comprehending. " What?"

    She put on a thoughtful expression. " Well, its this room. Other than you, Im the only one to sleep here. That night you picked me up, before you knew who I was. So, this place is mine too? Of course, this whole area is yours but this small space at least is jointly owned by me. It''s my  territory too. And Morrigan intruded upon it."

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Roland sent an incredulous look her way. "Do you understand how insane that sounds?"

    " . . .Yes. But it isnt just that. . ."

    " Then what is it?"

    " Well. . .for a few years now, Morrigan has been saying a certain thing that''s pretty unbelievable. . ." She hesitated, watching him.

    "Go on. " He prompted calmly, waiting. Knowing.

    "Well, she''s been saying that she has, uh, gotten married. . . I just thought she was joking, or using that as an excuse to reject advances. But looking at her face as she left, and knowing that you two were just, well, you know. . . I just felt everything was a bit complicated? " Fenris finished.

    "I see. "

    " Well?"

    "Well what" He asked.

    " Who is she to you exactly?"

    She shook her head mentally. No, even though they were just going at it, that was likely just a bit of fun to them, nothing serious or complicated at all. Besides, Morrigan, how could she have any feelings of that sort? That girl, Grace, she makes Morrigan smile, but something like this?

    Impossible.

    But Roland merely shrugged and replied, perfectly nonchalant, " Oh, she''s my wife. "

    Silence.

    Roland looked at the girl with worry. She appeared. . .frozen?

    "Hey, girl, you okay?"

    He snapped his fingers in her face.

    Suddenly, " @#%^$!!!"

    A young boy''s voice rang out in exclamation.

    Loki appeared in the room, coming out of the form of a fly that he turned into and used to  hide behind his daughter''s head to avoid detection.

    He was bored that morning and went to look for his daughter, concerned how she was adapting to the change in environment.

    He followed his daughter ever since he saw her heading towards Roland''s room. He, worried, followed her and found Morrigan leaving his room with flushed skin, bright eyes and a slightly annoyed look.

    Though his senses were dimmed in the fly''s body, it was still superior to most people he knew and he caught the scent of sexual energy in the room and found it still rolling off of his friend.

    He almost couldnt believe it. Those two, they really did have such a relationship~!

    Loki, when his daughter changed form and his friend opened his door at her knocking, was about to reveal himself as he noticed the direction his friend''s arousal was now headed.

    Ah, I really have to teach her how to fix that problem of hers! he had thought.

    When she backed away from him as she noticed Roland was still "ready", he was amused. But worried, as well. He knew exactly where such a situation could head and was going to step in but he held back and was rewarded by being able to sneak past his barriers when he let them down for her.

    Naturally, he held his silence because he, too, wanted to know what the specifics of their relationship was.

    But to think it was this!

    He lost his fly form and fell on the ground, his mouth agap, staring at Roland like a dead fish.

    Roland narrowed his eyes. "Loki! How--? No,  before that, what do you think you''re--!"

    Loki stood up and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Bullshit!  That-that-that, how the hell could that be true?!" He stuttered, ignoring Roland''s dangerous looks.

    He went on, shaking his friend. " Impossible! That woman, there''s no way she would agree to be anyone''s wife!" He absolutely couldnt believe it! That woman, no way!

    " Dammit shut up and let go!" Roland broke free.

    "Ah" Fenris suddenly noticed her father was here.

    Hm? When did he get here though? Why did it feel like there''s a small gap in my memory?

    She thought numbly.

    Roland smacked his friend''s head with a closed fist. " Loki, explain yourself!" He demanded.

    "No, you explain yourself! Since when were you and Morrigan even an item? I knew that you two may have had a certain relationship, but marriage?! When did that happen! Ah, wait, that girl! I knew she reminded me of someone!" Loki turned to look at Roland in horror. "Dont tell me that little girl is . . .!"

    Roland, a twitch in his cheek, said, " And if she is?"

    Loki seemed to want to cough blood. " How! Morrigan cant, she cant even . . .! Gah, This-This is. . . Just what the fuck is going on!?"

    Fenris watched them serenely, as if this all was just some dream.

    Loki pointed at her, his eyes widening "LOOK! You broke her!  Ah, my daughter, she went into shock! Roland, hurry up and fix her!"

    "Me? I dont have anything to do with that. Look, cant you two just calm down? I know all this probably comes as a surprise--and Loki, you''re going to pay for snooping later--but I''ll explai--"

    "Surprise? Bullshit! This isnt a surprise, its goddamn lunacy! I know you''re 19! That Grace, she has to be at least 11! I known you since you were like, 12 or 13! You hadnt even gone to the Higher Planes yet back then!  How could you have met Morrigan before then? How could you have a child with her, one so old? How could you two be married?!?!?" He shouted the last words.

    He suddenly went quiet. He pulled out a small crystal tablet and tapped on it.

    "Loki, what are you--?"

    "What  the hell do you think? I m calling the others! Mephisto, Aries, Solomon, I have to tell them about this!" He yelled.

    A smooth, friendly voice entered the room. "Yo, Aries here. So, what''s up?"

    Loki shouted out, " Aries, i''m  in a hurry here, listen to this: Roland and Mor--Ah!"

    Roland snatched the tablet from his hand.

    The voice rang out again, panicky. "Loki? Loki, you there? Shit, you okay man? Speak! Roland and who? What''s happening?! "

    "Aries, listen to me, they''re--!" Loki tried wrestling it from Roland to no avail. "Kah!" He screamed out after a punch to the stomach from Roland.

    "Fuck, Loki, hold on, I''m coming! Where are y--!?" The voice shouted, but was cut off as Roland smashed the thing to the ground.

    Loki looked at the shards with dismay. " Why?!" He asked, accusatory.

    Roland looked at him coldly. " Shut up. Look, I''ll tell you a bit about what you want to know but this is my life and I wont have you announcing this for everyone to hear. Now, calm down! Do you want to hear me out or what?"

    Roland would tell him about how he had a past life with Morrigan but nothing else.  Not yet. Someday, he would let them all know.

    But not now.

    He knew he would have to tell them, they were people who could live for eons to come and the chance that they would meet in a later life were fairly high if he went to the Higher Planes in a future lifetime.

    He was surprised he had not met them before, actually.

    So, he had to tell them. They would recognise him by his energy pattern, so they would piece it together eventually anyway if they found him again later.

    But he dragged it on. He didnt want them to know just yet.

    It wasnt as if reincarnation was their specialty either. They couldnt help him, who had been trying to find a workable spell or method for who knows how many reincarnation cycles already.

    Loki, hearing his words, sat down quietly and listened along with a still-shocked Fenris.

 Announcement

    I just wanted to apologise and explain why I had not posted any chapters the past few days. The reason is i started a new project.

    It was a spur of the moment type of thing and for now I like where it is going. I got excited and wanted to make a new story. Keep in mind this is a side projesct and i do not intend to drop TLK. I only started this because I felt like it. I did intent it to be a bit darker at the very start, not something heart-wrenching but something with a slice of feels.

    But i went with a new idea and liked it. I had a comment on one of the chapters and at the start I wanted to take it slower. But that comment made me sthink a bit and I decided to speed up the schedule.

    The latest chapter, well,  I didnt want to have that happen, I didnt want to make the characters seem petty or such. But i feel that is a bit what happened and if you feel that way then im sorry, i can only blame myself for rushing. i feel i should have taken my time at it like I wanted to do. But if I did, the title would not fit the story until a good few chapters later.

    So the story will likely pick up around the next few chapters and better fit the title..

    As for the story, here it is. the summary is likely to change as I go. im a bit proud because TLK didnt have much of a description when it first started out.

    http://royalroadl.com/fiction/5893</a>

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    I have not edited the chapters yet but I WILL do so over the next few days so i hope you understand them as they are right now.

    As some know I had other ideas that I dropped  before making TLK. I simply chose to do this story because i was bored and wanted to make a story like that. A bit cliche, but imma try and put a bit of my own spin on a few of the cliches. Let me know what you think of the story.

    I didnt take this story seriuosly, but i got excited doing it. But i, again, dont intend to drop TLK.

    The next chapter for TLK will be out either today or tommorrow. I didnt even start it yet, but i already know a bit of what I want to do. So, yeah.

    Check out the new story and tell me what you think of it so far. The characters, what are your first impressions on them? Personally I like Iris the most right now. She''s fun for me to write about.

    As for Cecelia and Sofia, try not to hate them. I will try redeeming them a bit later.

    Well, thats it. I again apologise for this as I know it is sudden and maybe you guys are a bit miffed at me making another story and splitting my time between them but I want to see where it takes me.

    since so many people like TLK, maybe you guys will like the new story too?

 Chapter thirty-eight

    AN: Finally, another chapter. The other project has taken up a lot more time than expected but i think after a few more chapters i will be back to working on this more. Sorry for the long-ass wait, truly. i felt guilty and rushed this one.

    Yeah, you can probably tell after reading, no? I feel that this will be a bit of a let down after the long wait. I apologise.

    Anyway, sorry again. Editing will be done later. For now, sleep. Remember to rate, review and comment on whatever you wish.

    --------------------------------

    "Holy shit. . ." Loki muttered. "To think you two have that sort of history is. . ."

    Fenris, who recovered from her shock-induced catatonic state,  looked at her father contemptuously.

    "Jealous, are we?"

    "Fuck no." Loki instantly refuted. " Woman scares me. No, im just feeling sorry for Roland here.  He wont be getting any more peaceful days. But that aside, im surprised. "

    She nodded. " Totally unbelievable right? I mean she, of all people, falling in love? That''s insane." She shook her head in wonder.

    Roland stayed silent.

    How could he say anything. He had no idea what he had done in that life to gain Morrigan''s affections.

    Why did she love him? What did he do to earn her devotion?

    He had no answer, and that killed him.

    He felt like he didnt deserve her love, felt like it was not truly his. That she wasnt his. But in the end knew that if it were him he would not be convinced by such frail doubts.

    He could only let out a bitter smile.

    Loki changed topic. " But damn, you said you reincarnated? Then how did you get killed? Because I know that someone like you wouldnt have died from some sort of illness or something." He stated.

    Roland shook his head. "I died of natural causes."

    "Bullshit." Fenris said. "I can just smell the lie. Well, a half-lie anyway. So spill."

    He stiffened. " Its a bit personal. I think not. "

    "Whats the point of hiding it?" Loki asked, tilting his head.

    " As I said, it''s personal, Loki. There isnt much more about it.  Its my problem anyway. "

    "Maybe we could help. You never know. "

    Roland, hearing such a thing from someone who didnt even understand his situation, the things he has already tried,  instantly snapped. " You cant. Loki, this isnt the first time I have been reincarnated! I  dont even know how many times its been already! For all i know this is the hundredth, the thousandth! And everytime I do, my memories are locked away, out of my reach.

    My loved ones lost to me. I cant even remember their faces and yet sometimes I would get a name, a smile, a certain laugh or figure. . . They''re like ghosts, haunting me in my sleep. Have you ever heard of a situation like this? I''ve done the research, and I couldnt find anything like it. So, is your curiosity sated?  Can either of you help at all? "

    Roland''s voice rose and fell, feeling a mixture of annoyance, pain, anger, grief and other emotions that sat in his stomach like bile.

    The two looked at him, stunned by his sudden and unexpected outburst. Especially Loki, who had rarely seen his friend so trustrated. He had seen him angry to the point of exterminating an entire clan, but this was simply a new look that expressed countless regrets and emotions  he couldnt keep up with.

    In his long life he had rarely seen this type of look on anyone.

    Finally Fenris couldnt help it, and said, "Bullshit! Reincarnation is one of the core laws of creation, not some broken toy! A person with a strong soul can escape the process and go straight toward a new body, whether it be one about to be born or one recently dead, but you cant simply skip the process so many times and keep your soul intact! It just isnt done! Gods, demons, magical beasts, or any other type of supernatural creature are all bound by Karma, which governs reincarnation. If what you say is true then  everything we know about heaven''s laws is worthless!"

    She shouted. Fenris let out everything in a single breathe and was now busy refilling her lungs.

    Loki nodded vigorously. "Not that I dont believe you, but seriously, what the flying fuck? I have a massive headache here. Roland, my dear friend. . . No, I dont have any words to even. . . Damn, how the hell have I never met you before if what you say is true? How come no one I know has met you? The chance of a person like you remaining unknown is infinitely small. Unless you haven''t been reincarnated too many times or the majority of them has been during the time of the truly ancient gods that have now been long removed from power, then I dont see any damn reason for me to have never even heard rumours of you!"

    He stated, his voice rising with each word.

    Roland laughed, sounding a touch resentful. " Who know. I certainly dont. So my question remains, can you two help at all?" His voice betrayed his thoughts, full of disbelief.

    The father and daughter looked at each other.

    An awkward silence filled the room.

    Loki coughed, feeling a bit put on the spot. He raked his brain for an answer. After a long while  he simply let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

    Then, very quietly, " Roland. . .I dont think anyone in this age can help you. You dont seem to be cursed. At least I cant feel one on you.  But your situation seems like your soul is being controlled by forces that none of the powerhouses I know can go against.  Perhaps if it were the time of the Old Ones, the beings that exsted when all of creation came into existence, or in the time of Forgotten Kings, who left their thrones for people liike my father or Zeus to fill . . .Perhaps they could offer more insight. Solomon, he knows many things long since gone from existence but I dont think even his knowledge can aid you. If you want my advice. . .I dont think I can offer any,"

    Loki''s entire bearing expressed his regret.

    Fenris, too, felt uncomfortable.

    They were curious about his circumstances but now it seemed this wasnt a matter that was easily talked of.

    Loki understood why he never spoke of any of this.  Roland knew Loki would, despite his ealried promise, push the matter. It as in his nature, he had to admit. And after hearing the situation he felt like he intruded upon something that he shouldnt.

    This type of thing was never heard of before, at least not to him. In all his long years of existence he had never known of any situation like it. Karma, reincarnation, this was not something that was know all that well by anyone.

    Roland, smile, unaffected, " I didnt expect you two to be of any help anyway, so dont worry. I''ll probably find a way sooner or later." He smile didnt last.

    Grace. . .She needed a father. And he would be that, for what time he had left. But he could be a mere child nect they met. He would forever be younger than her. Her father, him, would have to leave her again and again.

    Morrigan was fine with that because she fine simply being with him, but the girl, would she understand?

    However, he shook those doubts from his mind.

    He had already made the decision to be her father for as long as she would have him. It wouldnt be a normal father-daughter relationship, it may even be a rather cruel one to her, but it was probably better than nothing. . .

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Sighing, he changed the topic. "Loki, how has the bead been coming along?"

    Loki blincked, " What? Oh. . .I''m on the 335th seal. Getting harder. But I think I can fo it. Ah, and all the prepaaration are done for the trip. We dont really have many classed, or students, here so we can take them all with not much trouble. I;ve gotten a ship for us too. We can leave anytime. Just thought you should know."

    He said distractedly.

    Roland''s eye shined excitedly, choosing to ignore the previous talk.. " Good. You''ve been waiting for Morrigan too get back, havent you?" He said, looking at Loki.

    His friend coughed. " Well, we couldnt simply leave without her. . ."

    " I suppose. Fenris. . .Will you be coming? " Roland asked.

    "Sure, why not. " She laughed a bit, still not quite transitioning from the previous topic completely. She didnt know what to do, she felt sad for him but at the same time she couldnt help at all. And sympathy or pity would simply be like an insult.  " I can show you my territory. I have quite a bit of space in the Higher Plains under my command. In the forests and such, anyway. Training for the young''uns, yes? I can help."  She offered.

    " Thanks, but no. Loki, about Solom, I still want him to take a look at the kid''s curses. Reina''s is the only one I believe has activated, but the three others. . .I dont know."

    He remembered the cures of the boys, how especially mean and nasty they were. Soul Flames, sealed inside their bodies. Saren with one to burn his soul and James with one to freeze his body.

    Pain, endless pain. Not even giving them the ability to pass out.

    He could take the pain onto himself, take their place, but that would be a temporary fix. He could even try tieing the curses together to cancel them out. But he didnt want to mess with them, as now believed they may be hiding something even more sinister. Rather, he thought it may be contagious in a sense.

    He still felt a certain coldnesss in his limbs at times, then a searing heat, coming and going. He thought maybe it had something to do with the boys'' curese and wondered if it might spead to others somehow.

    He also had to check on Reina, see how she was doing with that training method he taught her. And to make sure she wasnt traumatized by that event earlier.

    Lilth and her father wanted to speak with him, and he pretty much already guessed their intentions. The two seemed a bit awkward and bad at interacting with others so he may have to do most of the talking though.

    Which reminded him, Saren and James wanted to speak with him as well. He felt he fainly had an idea of what they wanted as well.

    He also wanted to spend a bit of time with Grace and Morrigan, to catch up.

    He remembered the little girl, Reina and Lilith''s adoptive sister. . .Charlotte.

    He wondered if she would be a good playmate for Grace. They were roughly the same age afterall. Charlotte seemed to be a rather lazy girl though. From what he heard she slept often.

    He wondered if the parents would want to go. He knew thay had connections to the Higher Plains.

    Loki had said that he was once contacted by the girls'' real family. It looked like they had a bit of influence,

    He thought that they might cause trouble, but he was prepared for it.

    "Anyway, we can leave in a few days. Have the students pack and be ready to go."

    "Already on it." Loki reported.

    Heh, this was going to be fun~!

    Such was his sentiments regarding the matter.

    ------------------------------

    In a large room, laying upon silken sheets the color of snow,  were two figures.

    The first was a lovely young woman with tanned skin and blonde hair that seemed to hold sunlight.

    The other was a man, his hair was long and if he stood it would have reached his back. The color was black, ending in a fiery pattern of red  near the end.

    His looks were soft, almost angelic but held a perpetueal look of cold arrogance and superiority, His smile, even in sleep, was reckless and almost taunting.

    At his side a crystal tablet emmitted a bright light and low sound.

    After seaching in the darkness with a hand the man finally found the thing and tapped it tiredly.

    A voice shouted at him, panicked. " Mephisto, wake up! Loki just called maybe a few hours ago, I think he and Roland are in trouble! Get up off your ass, we have to go! Im outside your castle, hurry up!"

    The many let out an annoyed grunt. "Aries." The voice was dripping with irritation. " Do you even know what time it is? It time to rest. And I need my beauty sleep. Go away." Seriously, this guy. . .

    "But Loki and Roland are--!"

    "Able to handle themselves. Wait, isnt Roland by himself? When did he and Loki meet up? Wait, no, I dont care. Again,  go away!"

    " But if they''re together im pretty sure its on the planet Loki set up that ridiculous school! And I heard Gehenna was spotted there!" Actually, he wasnt sure about this. But it was a good guess. Loki hadnt left that place for over a year already. ,aybe Roland went to visit him.  Or course, how he would  have gotten the location, he didnt know.

    Mephisto, his heart pounding in his chest,  jumped out of the bed and causing the woman to wake up. " Fuck start with that! I''ll be out in a bit. Shit, that woman, why her? Dammit those two, they better not get themselves killed!" He cursed quietly.

    "Honey, what''s wrong?" A sweet voice called out.

    "Roland and Loki. I think they''re in trouble. Gehenna may be involved. Have to go." Mephisto rushed the words,

    "I thought Roland was out on his own in the Lower Plains? Since when did he and Loki . . .? No, nevermind. Doesnt matter. But I think at least Roland could handle himself though . . .?"

    " Maybe. That woman is dangerous though. Tricky. I hear she attacked Asmodeus'' city a few days or so ago. Now she shows up near them?  Cant be a coincidence. I have to leave, Aries is already here."

    " Alright, but if you die Im not forgiving you. " The woman murmured,  still half asleep.

    Mephisto kissed her cheek quickly . " Please, im harder to kill than a cockroach. "

    "Yes, yes.  Hurry back, then. " The woman got up and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a kiss of her own.

    Her slender curves pressed against him, making him for a moment want to get back in bed and forget the entire thing.

    " Devilish woman, let me go already.  " He smirked, teasing.

    "Stop flirting with your damn wife and lets go! " Aries'' voice came through.

    " Damn bastard. . ." Mephisto muttered. " Those two better be dying or else im going to be pissed off. "

    However he was actually concerned.

    Who knows what chaos that Gehenna would cause? Ugh, he hated the thought of going to the same place she was.

    "Till later, husband of mine. " The woman let him go.

    " Dont worry,  I should be back in a few days." He called out.

    And with that he walked to the large window, opened it, and jumped.

 Chapter thirty-nine

    AN: Just a short chapter I threw together. A bit of a different tone from what I usually do. At least I think so. Tell me what you think.  Oh and if any are curious about the name I chose for Mephisto''s wife, it comes from a goddess of the moon.

    Remember to rate, review and comment on whatever you like.

    Oh, and before I go, a reader said that I once mentioned Loki and the rest knew of Roland''s problem. At the very least I dont think I said that in the story, but i could have said it in a reply or something. I dont remember doing so, but still.

    So if I ever say one thing and the opposite happens in the story let me know because it may be a flop on my part or I could have changed my mind and went a different route. I can be forgetful too sometimes.

    ----------------------------------

    Two men were walking side by side.

    One was a tall and lithe man with long black hair that ended towards his back in a fiery red pattern, his eyes looking at everything in an almost combatative way. He had a small curl to his lips, nearly a sneer, or perhaps a grin, that seemed to aggressively challenge people and welcomed any takers.

    The other man was more muscular, with a friendly face that one wouldnt believe held a fairly short temper and desire for violence until it was too late. He bore a scar on his chin, giving him an almost wild look about him that matched the rather reckless glint in his eyes.

    This was a special trait of his, those eyes of his that shifted in color like red flames trapped inside small glass spheres. His hair was cut close to  his head and his body gave of an aura that seemed to say, " Go ahead, mess with me. I needed a new punching bag anyway."

    Suffice it to say his entire being revolved around conflict and simply being in his presence incited feelings of hate and stirred up the desire to fight.

    Their bodies were were both well-proportioned, with long, callussed fingers. They moved with a certain predatory grace, both of them  emitting a sharp pressure that dominated any area they were in.

    "Tell me again why the hell we had to come to this place?" Mehpisto complained, looking at the inside of a large temple-like manion with disdain. They stood in a white room surrounded by a circle of pillars, a large golden inscription on the ground.

    "This is the closest Teleportation Array  I know of that can get us where we need to go. Mercury''s domain and yours are fairly close anyway, we dont have time to be picky." Aries explained with a frown.

    The two places were their own pocket dimensions but were "close" to each other in the meaning that their "borders" slightly touched. Well, pocket dimensions were a hard to grasp concept, it was easier to think that they were their own seperate space. To give an example,  Mephisto''s domain and Mercury''s were like pieces of paper that were placed side by side. It was best to not think about it further.

    " So? Simply because her place and mine are a bit close, doesnt mean she would just let us use her Array without some kind of recompense later--"

    "Yeah, well, the thing is she already knows. . ." Aries replied,  scratching his cheek.

    Mephisto paused. " What?"

    " Well, yeah, how did you think we got inside her temple so easily?  She''s coming with us. Something about her wanting to visit her daughter. You know, Fenris. Plus she would like to see what fun her other self has been up to."

    " She''s going with us? Why didnt you tell me before hand?!" Mephisto emitted a faint red aura, killing intent leaking from his every pore.

    "You wouldnt have come!" Aries said, annoyed.

    " Damn right, she''s annoying! Lets find somewhere else." Mephisto stated.

    "Come now, Loki''s your friend. Why cant you like his "sister" too?"

    " They''re different versions of the same person, the hell you mean, "sister"?  And its just that this version is both annoying and a damn pervert to boot. Last time we met you could tell she was mentally undressing me. Damn, i felt so-so violated. "Mephisto shivered.

    " Man up, she does that to everyone. Besides, you arent her type. Too girly, what with that long hair of yours." Aries sniffed, looking at the man beside him.

    "Fuck you, you want to die?" Mephisto''s eyes flashed.

    "Heh, how amusing. What, you think you can kill me?" Aries bared his teeth,

    Dangerous sparks flew as the two men glared at one another, completely forgetting the reason they came here.

    A new, softer voice caught their attention. " Oi, you two, if you want to fight each other let me know. Ah, but take off your shirts while you do it. I want to record this. . .For scientific purposes only, of course."

    A tall  woman with dark, chestnut brown hair entered the scene, walking closer into the room with a seductive sway to her hips.

    She wore a dark grey shirt showing a picture of an animated little boy with an eyepatch being hugged by a certain tall, black haired gentleman in a suit. Her pants were a close-fitting pair of jeans, showcasing a pert buttocks.

    Her face was delicate like a doll''s, her body slender yet had curves in all the right places. Her thick, dark lashes framed a pair of startling green eyes like jade.

    "Ugh, Mercury." Mephisto said with a sour expression. " Keep your thoughts to yourself. I dont want to be contaminated by them."

    " About damn time. I thought you would be here already. Where were you."

    " Earth. Well, one of them. I stayed in a charming little place. Japan? Ah,  those people understand me. Loki goes there all the time and I wanted to know what he attraction was. Got this cool shirt there. I like that world. A shame that I cant stay there long. Damn Jesus, that prick doesnt like it when other gods mess with his turf. Hmph, arrogant kid. I swear i''ll kill him one of these days." The woman complained.

    She pulled out a book that displayed a drawing of some characters the two didnt even care to know. They looked at the thing blankly.  " Been reading these awesome novels all day recently, too. Those people, they make me think.  There are some real trippy stuff sometimes. I mean, what if we weren''t even real, what if we were some characters in someone''s story? Even our words wouldnt be our own! Our own thoughts could be the work of some fat slob with a computer, or  some punk kid with too much time on his hands and not enough lotion. Crazy." She shook her head in wonder.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Mephisto looked at Aries with an arched brow, as if to say, "see? I told you. "

    However Aries only snorted,  getting caught up in the woman''s pace. " Speak for yourself, if something insane like that were true then my author would be a beautiful  woman with a great sense of style who only liked to write about interesting, devilishly handsome men and their many, many conquests in both the bed and the battlefield. "

    Mephisto joined in, " Well then we know we''re real, because if that were true then what happened to you? Or do you suppose she''s branching out?"

    " Go to hell."

    " Sounds good, the weather''s nice there around this time. Might bring Selene with me, have a romantic vacation. Hey, Aries, why dont you come with us?  You have someone to bring, right? We could have  a double date-- Oh, wait, I forgot, you''re "between relationships" at the moment. Heh, though that would imply you ever had one. " Mephisto let out a slightly mocking laugh.

    " Screw you.  I simply dont like being tied down, that''s all. And I''ll be damned if I become a whipped dog such as yourself." Aries smirked, looking at the other man with an almost pitying gaze.

    Mephisto was about to make some scathing reply but Mercury stopped him with a raised hand.

    "Alright you two, enough. Damn, just fuck already. Honestly, so much repressed sexual tension. " Mercury shook her head.

    The two stared at her as if she had made some grave insult to them.

    They had nothing against those men who had such interests but they both greatly preffered a soft woman rather that a hard man. The very thought sent chills down their spines. And not the good kind.

    "You two go sit and have some snack while I work on this Array. I have to put in the coordinates myself and I dont want to be distracted by your guys'' talking."

    With a snap of her fingers a large couch appeared at the corner of the room, followed by a table and trays piled high with all kinds of soups, meats, breads, cakes, wines, juices, and beers,

    Mephisto looked at it intently. Having been woken up earlier than usual he was quite peckish. No, even if he hadnt been woken up he would still be up for a good meal.

    Aries, too, looked at it wolfishly.

    Then, as one, they appeared by the table and started to devour every morsel.

    They stuffed their faces with the food till their cheeks were round and couldnt fit anymore. Then, once they gulped it down, they took giant swallows of the drinks directly from the pitchers before continuing their asssault.

    The two men used on fork each, using it to spear the meats and breads with an inhuman speed before bringing it to their mouths, barely even chewing. In the other hand they would hold a bowl of soup, pouring it down their throats while ignoring the hotness of them. Everthing in sight they devoured with, making unholy sounds as they ate like starved men who hadnt seen food in weeks.

    Mercury looked at them with an expression that was a mix of amazement and disgust.

    "Those two can give even that daughter of mine, Fenris, a good run for her money!" She stared at them.

    Then she turned her attention to the golden inscription on the floor, placing her hands on it as her eyes started to flash with a peculiar radiance.

    If one were to take a closer  look they would see runes running across her deep green irises,  faintly glowing.

    Usually one could insert the coordinates beforehand into a piece of jade or other such things. But they would have to be a specail type, enchanted and reinforced with certain materials. She had none at the moment, and so had to input the coordinates manually.

    A few minutes later Aries looked over at her, a chicken leg in his mouth. " You done yet?"

    Mercury stood up, looking pleased. "Yup."

    Mephisto extricated himself from the table, juices from the meat dripping from his mouth, After a quick cleansing spell the two were presentable once more.

    . " Alright, then. Lets go."

    "So impatient. Hey, why are you two in such a hurry anyway?" She simply decided to go with them to see her daughter, and didnt know exactly why they wanted to go.

    Aries answered, "We think Loki and Roland might be in trouble, so we want to see if things are alright."

    "Roland huh. Never met him before, though I heard of him. Supposed to be quite handsome, from what Aphrodite says. Hehehe. " She let out a slightly perverted laugh like an old man.

    " Ugh, what a vulgar woman. " Mephisto glanced at her, muttering.

    She chose not to acknowledge that little comment. " But from the stories Roland can take care of himself, and Loki is pretty strong too. Why. . ."

    "Gehenna was spotted on the planet, havent you heard?" Aries, asked, surprised.

    "Nope." She paused. " Wait.  Gehenna?" Her voice rose.  Her heart stopped for a moment.

    "The very same. " They said.

    Mercury sudddenly wanted to hit them. "Why didnt you say so! Ah, my daughter, on the same planet as that walking disaster!" She lamented. " Hurry up, lets get there before that woman blows up the planet or something. Shit, tell me these types of things first!" She yelled angrily, concern for her daughter''s well-being instantly making her more aggitated by the second.

    She grabbed them suddenly by their shirts

    " Woman, let g--"

    " Hey, hands off--"

    But she simply threw them onto now-glowing magic circle.

    "Dammit, if my precious little girl gets a single mark on her head im killing you two, Loki, and that Roland fellow!" She promised as the two men''s bodies touched the glowing circle comprised of runes.

    Then, once they were gone from sight, she stepped onto it herself.

    ----------------------------------

    AN: And at this point i dont intend for her to be a harem member. But if i did,  it may be an interesting thing, no?

 Chapter forty

    AN: First off, this can be skipped and read after you finish the chapter.

    I know some are probably a bit miffed at me for taking so long with getting another chapter out. And I wont make excuses. I did have some things to do IRL such as starting some projects for claases so that I could pass this year, but im a procrastinator so I could just leave that until the second to last day they were due and have stayed focused on making chapters, right?

    Thats what I did a few weeks or a month ago. So I cant use that as an excuse.

    Really, its cause I was lazy. I knew that I had to re-ead my previously made chapters so I could remember exactly what I wrote into the story but I for some reason have a severe aversion to re-reading my own work. I have some plot holes that need adressing so this is why im reading them, so I can remember what they are. Though if anyone wants to just give me a short numbered list of what the holes are, I would appreciate it. . .

    Ah, because I put it off so long I didnt feel right about making another chapter. So I made a few chapters for my other work instead.

    But i AM re-reading my work now, so I decided to make this. Im on chapter 20 currently. Im going slow, I know. Im realizing that I still have a lot of spelling and grammar errors in my previous chapters so im going to try editing them out as I find them.

    On that front I think my other work is a bit better. I dont see as many erorrs there.

    Anyway, there should be another chapter out today or tomorrow.

    I think that I need more interactions between the MC and the other characters. Hm, odd though. For some reason i think I can do interactions better with character in my other story. Or maybe its like i can show emotions better there? Though I maybe be thinking that only because the little sister of that story has a pretty strong personality. In chapter three of that story I made things mainly from her POV. I didnt make things from her POV too often in later chapters but somehow she is still the character that I find most easy to write about.

    But on this story its harder for me. Maybe because the character in the other story are more normal in comparison to these ones.

    But dammit in ranting once again. Sigh. I really need to stop that.

    Anyway, remember to rate, review and comment on anything. Editing will be done later.

    P.S: I want to stop replying to comments as much as I have been. At least I want to cut back a lot on it. I think I should take a back seat from now on. I dont want to be influenced by the opinions and desires of the readers overmuch. I mean, yeah i will read the comments, take advice and everything but ultimately i want to just feel free to write what I want. So, think thats a good idea?

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Thanks. Sorry for the trouble." The two boys said, sighing a bit in disappointment.

    Roland waved them off."...Well don''t worry about it, I thought that''s what this was about anyway. Still, it''s good you asked early. If you tried to forcefully comprehend and use sword force with that thing you would have been struck with severe internal injuries that would have taken a good while for me to fix. That problem you guys had is exactly why I consider this thing to be utterly useless. In the Higher Planes, this weapon would be a great find for its durability and sharpness but no true swordsman would ever use it if he had a real sword by his side. That aside, try not to do something like this again without seeing me first." He warned, causing the boys to feel a bit embarrassed.

    Seeing that they understood, Roland leaned back against the wall of their room and folded his arms, peering at them. " What you two did was pretty dangerous. Even if healed, you probably wouldn''t be able to advance to the Celestial realm in your whole lives."

    Roland said with a casual air, contrasting heavily with the cold sweat that suddenly came upon the two boys.

    Celestial?

    They didn''t even dare hope to reach that stage of power before, now he said it as if it were simply a small matter. Plus, the total disregard he had for the weapon made them feel a deep sense of injustice.

    This weapon, to them, was equal to a divine artifact that they usually wouldnt even have the qualifications to look at!

    The value of something like this, was simply too large astronomical! Even a small shard from this would be enough for them to live like kings for a long while!

    If he didnt put even something like this into his eyes, what would he?

    They felt his sense of value was too off.

    Roland, for his part,  didn''t really notice the effect his words had.

    But the conversation went as he had suspected.

    He knew that the boys, upon discovering sword force, would be eager to practice with it. And  he knew how they coveted the one sword he had materialized that one day so it wasnt hard to think they would like to use that one instead of ordinary swords. When presented with a shiny new toy, who wouldnt want to play with it?

    What they didn''t know, however, was that because that sword didn''t go through any forging process it lacked a "soul" that could produce sword force. Rather, it would simply be like a lump of lifeless metal.

    See, through the forging process the sword is born from a combination of elements. Earth, from the material used to create it. Fire to make it able to be shape, water to cool it. Even air plays a small part.

    These, though, only give it potential to form it''s "soul".

    It gives it raw energy that is not yet considered sword force.

    It is when a person learns how to sense that energy and refine it that a sword forms its "soul". And once it forms its soul, it can produce sword force. Though, only someone who has comprehended Sword Laws to a sufficient degree can take a sword and let it form its soul. After that they can use its sword force. Once the sword has its soul, any other wielder only need to be able to sense the force within and make use of it.

    This would, of course, require a certain understanding of the Sword Laws. The weapons the boys used that night were new and the students here didnt understand Sword Laws. Well, some were fairly proficient at it from what he could tell but they were few and far between. He felt that wasnt odd, since Laws were not something that were easily understood.

    In any case Roland had allowed the weapons to form its "soul" before he gave it to them. And because his own understanding of Sword Laws was at an extremely profound level the swords'' souls were much stronger than they would be usually. This is part of the reason the boys were able to faintly sense the force within the sword after only a few hours. Normally for most it would take at least several days even for talented individuals.

    Roland put them into a special state of mind during that time too, further increasing the speed of their developement. He didnt dare do that too often as it would give them weak foundations if they advanced too quickly.

    In a way sword force was similar to spirit energy. Spirit energy and sword force are like the "heat" from the flame that is the soul.

    This is why Roland considered the sword he materialised to be trash. Because it didn''t go through a real forging process, it will never have the energy that can be made into sword force, and it could never form a soul.

    These brothers didnt know that and tried to activate the same feeling they had that one night to be able to produce sword force. Which was impossible for that beautiful blueish sword.

    Roland, when facing that Gehenna, didnt use sword force. Rather, he used a different sort of Law to imbue the sword with its power. These two wouldnt be able to do that.

    They tried forcing the the appearance of sword force and they could have caused a rebound that would have cut at their veins, force their blood backward and frozen their bones to the marrow.

    Sword force was naturally cold.

    Luckily they went to him when they did.

    He didnt bother telling them this. It would cause them needless worries.

    Roland made a move to leave." Alright, if that''s it then im going. I still have to speak with LIlith''s father. Oh by the, have you seen Reina around?"

    James answered quickly. " I saw her walking outside.Quite hurriedly, in fact. She seemed a bit...excited? No, maybe embarrassed or something similar.

    "Why, did something happen?" Saren asked.

    Roland denied." No, nothing. Well, let''s just say she saw something that was a bit too much for a girl her age to handle. Nothing to worry about, really." He assured. " And remember to pack. That trip I mentioned will be happening soon and you should be prepared. Im going to take you four to meet with Solomon so he can examine your curse but I also think this will be a good opportunity to have you guys train too. The Higher Planes is a good place for building up combat experience as well. "

    "R-right. . ." the two showed discomfort. Solomon. . .would they really be meeting someone like that? From the rumours, they thoguht that was something they really didnt want. . .

    Plus, going to that Highe rPlanes place seemed a bit dangerous. . .They had enough experiences that they didnt fear danger, but that didnt mean they would charge into it without a bit of apprehension.  The life they lived revolved mainly around survival so they didnt feel too excited at the thought of going to such a place.

    After saying goodbye Roland made his way from their room to another. After knocking twice, it opened.

    " Hello. Is your husband in? " Roland asked te woman who appeared in the doorway.

    The woman had an odd look about her.  This person, she didnt know how to handle him. She had thought back to their preious meeting and remembered that it appeared as if she was ungrateful. Truth was that during the time her two older daughters had gone missing she was so sick with worry that she didnt eat or sleep much.

    Her husband even had numerous forces looking for them but it seemed like they simply vanished into thin air. Though he didnt show it, he was just as worried about them. Even though they commanded a large amount of man power they still couldnt fide hide nor hair of the girls and they began to fear the worst.

    Just as they were about to send an army to scour the land and post bounties for any information on the girls'' whereabouts they were contacted by those silver-armoured maidens.

    Then seeing the girls again. . .Hearing their circumstances, she didnt even remember to thank the man who saving them.  Now that she thought of that, she felt a bit awkward.

    "Ah, yes. . ." She replied after a pause.

    Roland waited. He didnt see the little girl inside. Did she sleep in another room? Given her apparent age, that wouldnt be too odd.

    He waited patiently. After a moment the father came out, his muscular frame and imposing manner a powerful combination.

    He took a glance at Roland, his expression closed off. It was a hard face, that one. Stern, unyielding.

    " So, I hear you wanted to talk to me? I apologise I couldnt be here sooner. Some complications arose that needed my attention." Roland started. His tone was mild, neither warm nor cold or even all that polite.

    The man nodded. " Lets take a walk."

    Nothing more was said.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    They were strolling through the school grounds idly, neither one talking. The morning sun sent warm rays of light across their backs, a pleasant contrast to the cool air.

    The clouds in the sky were a tumultuous gray and the scent of ozone was in the air, signaling it may rain sometime later.

    Which was fine. He loved the rain.

    As they wandered aimlessly the silence dragged on and became, if truth be told, a bit awkward.

    Neither of them seemed to want to be the first to speak. Roland, having been the one asked out for a talk, didn''t think he should be the one to start the conversation.

    However he realized that the subject of the matter must be hard to approach for the other.

    He seemed to be chewing on some unspoken words, contemplating how to approach the topic which he wanted to discuss.

    Finally Roland felt that it was time to talk.

    He gave a sideways glance at the man and spoke in a casual tone, as if discussing the weather.

    "You can trust me with the both of them you know. Reina, and Lilith too. I''ll take good care of them."

    The man stopped and looked at Roland with a measuring gaze.

    The voice he used lacked the levity such words seemed to demand.

    If taken out of context there could be various misunderstandings taken from those two sentences.

    To say something like that in regards to a man''s teenage daughters could, on other occasions, incite trouble.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    But the man well understood his what he meantand there was no double meaning hidden in his words.

    For a long moment, Roland thought he wouldn''t respond.

    Then, " I don''t trust you." Was his abrupt reply.

    Merely four words, but they spoke volumes.

    Roland knew the heart of the matter instantly, without any need for explanation.

    " I know." How could he not?

    This distrust was not unwarranted, however.

    To place the fate of your loved ones in the hands of a stranger...was there anyone who would do so without some hesitation?

    The older man continued. " But I thank you for helping them thus far. Keeping them alive...you have my eternal gratitude."

    Roland gave a small smile. " But you don''t think I can continue helping them. Or more accurately, you feel I won''t bother to help them after a certain amount of time has passed."

    It wasnt a stretch to assume this. And he was right. The man did have such thoughts.

    It has to be said that once a person reaches a certain level of power they usually stop caring about helping others. Even ordinary folk wouldnt selflessly help others too often if their was nothing in it for themselves. Experts like the two of them. . . why bother with another''s affairs?

    It was not a cruelty but rather. . .disregard.

    They both knew this well. To people like them it wasnt worth it to help others out simply for the hell of it.

    But Roland was different from those sort of people. Noticing the man''s silent agreement, he went on. " But what you dont understand is that I, from the very start, never had any reason to help them. Why did I?" A rhetorical question. " Because I felt like it. Nothing more. I wanted to help them, and I still want to. You see, when i saved them I took responsibility for their lives. To me, it''s like picking up animals off the street."

    The comparison made the man twitch ever so slightly.

    Roland took no notice. He turned to the older man and looked him in the eyes. The man couldnt help feeling pinned under the intensity of the gaze. When was the last time he felt such pressure?

    " Which means that I am responsible for everything that happens to them from that point onward. If I saved them only to let them die after, I wouldnt be able to live it down. Someone I took the time to save, I cant allow them to be harmed. That would make my effort become wasted. So, I will continue to aid them. Because those two are people that I have taken under my wing."

    His voice suddenly got harsher, colder. "  I am a man that, when I decide something, I go to any lengths to follow through with that decision. No matter who or what stands in my way, once I have chosen my course of action there isnt any force that can block my path!"

    The words echoed in the other man''s mind.

    They were spoken with a fierceness, a confidence, that lingered. The words were undoubtedly arrogant to the extreme, especially that last sentence. But when that young man said them they seemed right, as if there truly were nothing that could stop him from following whatever choice he came too.

    Even he, who had always been a man to keep his emotions under a tight reign, couldnt help feeling slightly moved.

    But the moment passed.

    " So, you can rest assured that I wont abandon them. I said I would help them and I intend to do just that. I follow through with my words."

    The father looked at him for several seconds, seeming thoughtful. He spoke slowly. " Those two are family. My daughters. Though not by blood, they are precious to me. " He hesitated. " . . .I dont know you. I dont know who you are or how reliable you can be. I wont leave everything to you: I cant. It isnt in me. But I  trust that you have no bad intentions.

    The father looked at him for several seconds, seeming thoughtful. He spoke slowly. " Those two are family. My daughters. Though not by blood, they are precious to me. " He hesitated. " . . .I dont know you. I dont know who you are or how reliable you can be. I wont leave everything to you: I cant. It isnt in me. But I  trust that you have no bad intentions. Do what you want. I will try to help them from my end."

    Which meant he wasnt sure of Roland''s ability to be of help.

    He couldnt put his belief in him, but didnt think he had any ill intent.

    Well, that was something at least.

    Roland couldnt blame him, really. If it were him, could he put Grace''s life in the hands of someone else? Never. Roland didnt even know of her existence for more than a day and he knew that he didnt have it in him to let someone else be responsible for her safety.

    Their father felt the same.

    But at least he wouldnt get in the way of Roland offering his help. That made things simpler.

    They walked together for several more moments before the other man spoke again.

    "About the other day. . .Neither I nor my wife showed much appreciation for what you did. So I would like to tell you once more: Thank you.  Also, please excuse my wife''s words to Lord Loki. She didnt know of his identity. Still doesnt, for her own benefit. But I think she will be more careful in the future. As for you, she doesnt exactly have a bad impressions. Its simply that she doesnt know how to approach you."

    Roland waved off his concern. " Dont worry, Loki isnt the type to really bother with such things. For all his posturing, he just doesnt give a damn." He said. It was true that something of that level wouldnt get Loki too worked up.

    ". . .I see. You seem to know him well."

    " Really? Perhaps i do. We havent known each other long at all though."

    The man inquired. " And how long would that be?"

    Roland stopped. " Hmm. Maybe around. . .seven or eight years? Give or take a few months."

    The words made the man inwardly shocked.

    Such a short time and yet they already speak of one another so familiarly?

    Time matters little to beings as old as Loki, the man knew.

    To them it was not the amount of time spent together, but the. . .quality of it. It was a it difficult to explain. But the actual time one knows another is, to them, not really important.

    That holds true for many long-lived beings.

    Still, few of the core members of the greater pantheons would be befriended in such a way. They were different from the others. Colder. More distant.

    They had a pride that respected only strength.

    And Loki, being the type of person that the man heard of, was not easy to get along with. Even those of his own pantheon all but shunned him as an eccentric troublemaker.

    There were others similar to him, gods and demons that were considered difficult people to deal with. The odd ones out that didnt play well with others.

    To think that this man could become so friendly with someone like that. . .The man wondered what experiences they shared to achieve it.

    " Ah, as for your wife, I dont hold any bad thoughts towards her behaviour. Actually, I found it kind of amusing, seeing Loki treated like that. " He then changed the subject. " By the way, I and many of the students, maybe all of them, are going  on a trip to the Higher Planes for a bit. Are you, your wife and the little girl coming? We''ll be staying for at least a few weeks so we can drop you off somewhere to stay if you would like to come."

    The father looked pensive. He knew that his wife wouldnt want to leave the two older girl so soon. " That would be fine. I have some business there that needs taking care of in any case. But. . ." He frowned. His stern, controlled face showed signs of some inner concern.

    "Roland felt something was amiss. " Is there something wrong?"

    The father spoke in a grim tone. " Reina and Lilith''s clan have contacted me some time ago and request them sent back. I dont know how they knew of their disappearance but on the way here there were some of their members that got in our way. I dont know how they knew of their reappearance. Perhaps Lord Loki contacted them? They demanded that the girls be sent back. For what reason, I dont know. But If you go to the Higher Planes and take them with you, you will find yourself in more trouble than you can handle. Theirs is a large clan that shouldnt be provoked." He warned.

    Roland stared blankly at his. Shouldnt be provoked? Roland has already earned a frightening reputation among the majority of the large families in the Higher Planes.

    Not many didnt know of his exploits. It wouldnt be weired if they didnt know his face but they all most likely have hear of him at the very least.  In fact, he found it a bit strange that the older man in front of him hadnt recognised him or his name. Given his apparent connection to the Higher Planes, that shouldnt be the case.

    But Roland supposed in a place as unbelievably vast and broken as the Higher Planes it wsant too much of a stretch that he wasnt known in some areas. Mainly only the really powerful families had taken note of him.

    Disregarding that, why should he worry about some clan? If he wanted, couldnt he exterminate them? With his power, if he got a bit serious about it, he could do so easily.

    Though they were the girls'' family, so maybe he should do that. Still, if they caused him trouble. . .well, he had to defend himself, right?

    " Dont worry about me, i can handle myself. Hmm, Loki did say some time ago that he recieved a call from their biological family. . . If I recal, he said he was annoyed and told them something along the lines of getting fornicated by their grandfathers. " Roland gave a small smile as he remembered.

    The other man was less amused. Lord Loki was very powerul and influential, but that clan had strong roots and many friends. Mocking them was not a good idea.

    Perhaps Loki would be daunted by them, but the man before him would probably not want their attention if he knew just how powerful they were. One man couldnt fight them himself. The number of experts they had were too numerous to count. Against sheer number, what could you do except be overwhelmed?

    Its true that he thought this young-looking man was powerful in his own right, and his previous words left a bit of an impression on him, but that alone wouldnt be enough to go against an entire clan consisting of countless strong experts.

    But since he said that, the man should be confident of his safety. And he didnt seem the type to foolishly cause trouble. As such, the father didnt feel the need to warn twice.

    Roland, though, found something odd. . .just how did that family find out about the girls'' reappearance? Not much time had passed then, they shouldnt have known of it so soon. Even Loki said he didnt know how they found out. And how did they know that Loki was with them?

    Another odd point, James and Saren. . .They have curses too. Why?  Reina and Lilith were from a strong clan apparently, but the boys? Loki said they were orphans. Why were they involved? The curses were likely put on them as children or even babies, why would anyone cabable of placing such powerful curses on a couple of orphans? It didnt make sense.

    He should investigate their origins more. Where they were raised, who their parents might have been.

    " Well then, be ready to leave. Loki has finish the preparations, we should be gone by tommorrow morning." Roland imformed him.

    " Very well." Came the curt reply.

    After some time the two started to go their seperate ways. That father of theirs wasnt much one for small talk, it seems.

    Roland remembered that he still doesnt know the man''s name. Had he heard it? If he did, he couldnt remember it.

    Though it didnt matter, he could ask later. Hm. He also never told him that Reina and Lilith would be doing some training too.

    He stood in front of one of the many eternally blooming cherry blossom trees, enjoying the sight.

    He recalled today''s earlier incident. He felt as if he somehow owed Reina an explanation but knew that such a thought was a bit irrational. Why should he care? His and Morrigan''s actions should simply be between the two of them.

    So then why did he feel he owed Reina any kind of explanation at all?

    But the feeling persisted.

    How curious.

    In the end he decided to look for her in earnest to clear up any awkwardness that incident could create in the future.

    He knew that she hadnt been here all that long so she didnt have may places to go. She wouldnt go near the school building as he warned her and the others against such things.  Some of the students may think to bully the much weaker group of four, afterall.

    So if there was one place that she knew of where she could find some peace and quiet after witnessing something like that. . .

    . . .It could only be there, right?

 chapter forty-one

    AN: Welp, not my best work but its something. I apologise this was so late.

    Remember to rate, comment and review.

    This will be edited later, try not to mind the mistakes.

    --------------------------------------------------

    ". . .I knew I''d find you here. " Roland said with a half smile.

    It was that cave he took her to for training some days ago. The trees and grass were uprooted, a result of the curse acting up. But other than that it was the same.

    Really, where else would she go? She wouldnt go to the school and she wouldnt just wander about aimlessly.

    She would obviously chose somewhere familiar.

    The girl in front of his jump at his voice. She had her back towards him, sitting at the same place they had sat on that day.

    "Roland. W-what are you doing here?" She turned and tried to appear calm.

    " What are you doing here?" He countered

    "Thats. . ." She appeared lost for words. "Im just. . .thinking. "

    "Oh?" He grinned a bit. " Thinking about what?"

    "Nothing!" She said quickly. But her face went red, and she coughed twice.  To hide her embarrassment, probably.

    He peered at her, considering. " I see. And here I was, concerned that you may have been traumatised by that little incident earlier."

    Reina twitched.

    Her face went even more red as she remembered the scene of two people entangled and breathing hard.

    " I dont see why you think it would affect me. Your business is your own." She said, trying to appear unruffled.

    "Indeed. I did feel like explaining a bit to you, but since you say you dont care. . ." He let the matter drop. "Anyway, while Im here, you wanted something earlier?" He asked.

    Reina nodded hesitantly. After a few seconds, she spoke. " Well. . ." She began, a bit unsure. " You see, I keep having these...dreams."

    He tilted his head, "Dreams? That isnt exactly my area of expertise. I dont see why you think that I can--"

    "I think they have to do with you." She cut him off.

    He paused. " What do you mean, me?"

    She suddenly felt shivers. He looked at her intently as he asked. She hated that, actually. She always felt. . .exposed when he looked at her that way. But she went on. " I think that they might be your, uh, memories. Maybe. " She finished, not looking at him in the eye. There was a bit of a blush to her cheks that she hoped he wouldnt notice.

    "And. . .why would you think that they''re mine?" He asked slowly, not understanding.

    She grew flustered. "D-dont ask me something like that!" She exclaimed, nearly choking.

    He raised a brow. "Reina, if you dont speak how can I help you? Tell me, why do you think that your dream have anything to do with me?"

    "T-thats. . ." She stammered.

    "What?" Her voice was so small even his hearing couldnt make sense of it. Quite a feat, really.

    "Thats. .. I saw--I mean, in the dreams you were--Um, that is to say that you were. . ."

    "Yes?"

    "Uh, I think that you were having. . .I-I-I" She coughed several times to clear her throat. " I-intercourse. With various women. And there were other, less understandable things. . .But, the ones most clear are of. . .that. . ." She finished awkwardly.

    He stared at her, disbelieving.

    "Reina. . .Are you saying that you have dreams of me... having sex with women? Thats. . ." He was speechless.

    Exactly how do you respond to something like that?

    She hastily denied, waving her hands. "No! I mean, that isnt all, its just those type of things are the most clear! Dont misunderstand! I-Im not making this up, I swear!" Her voice rose with every word.

    He decided to go along with it, at the very least to save her from even more embarrassment. " And when did these...dreams...begin?"

    She sighed with relief, thinking he believed her. "Well, it began a bit after you and me trained here. So, I thought that you could...explain why this was happening. Ah, I also hear voices sometimes. Or a name. But the dreams are the worst. So..."

    She looked at him expectantly.

    He sent her a perplexed glance. That day....these dreams...names....voices....memories....

    Roland went into deep thought for a few seconds. Then,

    Wait, dont tell me this is...

    After a flash of insight Roland walked towards her, not breaking eye contact.

    She inwardly shrunk and couldnt help stiffen slightly. Somehow she felt a sudden sense of danger. But it was a different type of danger than usual. One that made her freeze up as she saw him approach.

    Roland was curious about something. As an experiment, he reached out a hand and touched her cheek. She reacted instantly with a small, almost breathless cry. Soon a peculiar heat began spreading through her entire body.

    She tried jumping back away, to put some distance between them, but she found she couldnt move. He looked into her eyes and her body kept gorwing more hot and a strange feeling was coming into her.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Her breathing went a bit rough and she felt sensitive in certain areas that shouldnt be.

    Roland, too, began to feel a strange sensation spread through him. There was a certain energy that coursed through his veins the moment he put a hand on her cheek and made him, too, quicken his breath.

    He stared at her lips. So red, full and slightly moist. . .

    She stared back at him, her gaze turning hazy.

    She licked her lips, feeling his gaze on them. Were he to just lean a bit, the two of them. . .

    Roland frowned suddenly.

    Then, as if he was done with her, he let go.

    She dropped to her knees, feeling weak.

    Suddenly she felt the heat die down and she once again had control of her limbs.

    " So, its worse than I thought, huh. This. . .could be bad." He muttered.

    Reina gathered her wits and glared at him. "W-What did you do to me?" There were slight tears in her eyes.

    Her face was still hot, and her body felt a lingering electricity in it. She felt dirty. Unclean.

    But when he let go there was a curious feeling of . . .loss? How odd. . .

    Roland shrugged. " I didnt do anything.  This is your fault, really."

    "H-How is anything my fault?!" She wanted to cry.

    He wasnt the one having those weird dreams every night, why did he make it seem like she was the one in the wrong? What exactly could she have done to cause any of this?

    " Ah. . .Well, those deams are probably due to you having drank so much of my blood that time. Its created a sort of...bond...between us. The way you reacted just now proves it..." He stopped.

    He sighed. " Look, Reina...your body and mine had a good affinity for each other to begin with. Now that there is this bond....I dont know exactly what affect it might have in the future. Between people like us who have a high compatability, there will be a certain...desire. Its hard to explain, but all you need to know is that because of a variety of factors the two of us absolutely shouldnt touch each other from now on.  I dont know how long this strange bond will last. I''ll work on breaking it, but this isnt really a magic spell we''re dealing with here.  Its a bit deeper than that. . "

    She looked miserable. " So those dreams. . .they wont go away?"

    No matter what, she couldnt keep having those dreams!

    Sometimes the dreams were much different, darker, more hard to unerstand. But the majority were simply...shameless!

    Sometimes there was one woman, sometimes two...rarely, there were even more...

    They came in different varieties too. Some were races she never saw before.

    She really couldnt stand them anymore. Only a few days and she already knew more about the female anatomy than she ever want to know. It was horrible!

    If this was going to continue, then she really didnt know what she would do.

    In hindsight she should have gone to him the first time this happened.

    But she thought that would be too weird. It was only when she was certain that these were connected to him that she felt he should know about them.

    "Those dreams are...yeah, they''re probably my more "recent" memories. As for the other things...I wouldnt know.  But, I dont think you will be having dreams of strange women anymore..." He hesitated, unsure if he should go on with what he suspected would happen instead.

    "Really?" She looked at him hopefully.

    "Yeah..."

    " And you''ll try to...fix this?" She made a vague gesture.

    "I can probably work something out. A seal of some kind, maybe an enchanted amulet.  I''ll think of something." He said with more confidence than he actually felt.

    This wasnt exactly magic. Well, not the more controllable type anyway. It was more primal that that.

    They had shared a blood link with each other. By itself that was harmless but with the two of them being so compatible and her drinking his blood, something which contained a good amount of his vital essence. . .

    This bond, how deep did it go exactly. What memories did she see? She probably wouldnt be able to make sense of them. She said she sometimes heard voices and names.

    She shared a direct link to him now. So she saw some of his memories that he himself couldnt.

    First off, something like this wouldnt be possible unless people had very,very high affinities with each other.

    Being the type of existence he was, finding someone like that for him was nearly impossible.

    Exactly why did Reina have this afffinity with his body anyway?

    Not just that, but since he got here he met his past wife and even got to meet an adorable daughter he didnt know he had. Even that Gehenna seemed connected to him.

    He couldnt help feeling something was very off here, but he didnt know what.

 Chapter forty-two

    AN: so I made a new story. Feel free to check it out

    http://royalroadl.com/fiction/5893</a>

    I have been so obsessed with that story lately because of how simple and easy it is to write. And so I have unfortunately neglected this story because of that.

    But I will be getting back to focusing on this story more now... so yeah, I''m sorry.

    Oh and don''t be mistaken. I don''t really intend for Mercury to be a harem member. But I will admit that she will probably be *that* type of character.

    I think you know what type I mean.

    But at the very least at this point I cannot see myself writing about her and Roland having that type of relationship.

    That said, I do like her character and enjoy writing about her. Maybe you guys don''t like the way she acts or what she says or her personality, but try not to take that to heart.

    Although honestly right now she and Gehenna are my two favorite characters right now...apart from Grace, who need to give more screentime. I haven''t forgotten her, you know.

    So yeah, I will be releasing chapters like I used to again.

    I will edit out the spelling errors and such from this chapter later.

    Remember to rate, review and comment.

    PS: tell me what you think of her (mercury) so far. I feel you can pretty much tell her personality from the chapter.

    -------------------------------

    Just as Roland and Reina were just about done talking in the cave, a large hole in the sky appeared over the school.

    The barrier was momentarily ripped open forcefully, causing a disruption with the portal.

    Three figures, right before they came hurtling out, had been shouting various profanities at each other as they traveled.

    "Sonuva Goddamn whore, Aries you little cun--!!" Mephisto was screaming at the top of his lungs.

    "Damn bastard, why didn''t you mention that he put up a fucking barrier?!" Mercury cursed at Aries, hoping secretly that his family jewels would shrivel and fall off.

    Aries, in response, spoke out against the unjust accusations. "How the fuck was I  supposed to know it was there?! Why didn''t YOU know?! He''s part of you, why didn''t you think he would set up a barrier? Dont be pointing fingers at me, dammit!" He cried

    "Shit, if my body gets scattered across the ether, when I come back imma make damn sure to kill you a thousand times over!" Mephisto threatened.

    "Not before me. This damn bastard, trying to act innocent!"

    Just then, their bodies were ejected out and they inelegantly fell from the sky, unable to control their descent at all.

    -------------------

    Roland and Reina were walking back when he sensed a certain oncoming danger.

    Looking up, seeing the hole and the three objects that came spewing out, he acted quickly.

    This was because he clearly felt that one of them was coming straight towards their location.

    He grabbed Reina, ignoring the electric surge upon the small contact, and pushed her out of the way. Her body went out faster than lightning, but oddly she landed gently a hundred or so feet away. At the same time, a protective bubble around her that made her feel surrounded by Roland''s presence.

    It was a surprisingly comforting sensation .

    Then she saw a bright flash as the strange object came bearing down on Roland a mere fraction of a second later, causing the ground he stood on to crack.

    The force sent large stones outwards, some of them coming toward Reina''s body.But within the bubble-like sheld there was nothing that could harm her. She heard two other large booms, wondering if there were other meteor-like things that had landed elsewhere.

    When the dust cleared she approached, confident the shield would protect her from any danger. A large piece of land was gone, a giant crator in its place.

    The dust slowly began to clear, and what she saw sent expressions of shock, confusion, and then slight  embarrassment to glide across her face.

    There, riding on top of Roland''s body, was a woman.

    And right now her clothes were so damaged that they may fall off completely at any moment.

    Roland''s clothes were in a similar state.

    ------------------------

    At the moment he saw the strange ball of fire coming towards him Roland instantly sent Reina out to protect her from danger.

    He would be able to do so even if she were beside him but there was an immense power that came from the object and he thought it best if she wasn''t too near when he and the thing collided.

    He quickly wove a barrier around her as he pushed, knowing there would be a good bit of debris.

    When the object was merely a few feet away he clearly saw something that made him both a bit curious and alarmed.

    Because in the instant he saw what was coming at him Roland felt a familiar energy pattern and a face faintly resembling a certain someone that he knew.

    It made him react on instinct, catching the object as it hit him and weaving a quickly made barrier around them that would mitigate a good portion of the damage their collision would cause.

    Sadly, though, the power that was coming off of her--for indeed this object was a woman--was enough that his clothing had become torn and burned  as she hit.

    ----------------------

    Mercury was currently naked. Well, not entirely but her clothes were in a sorry state.

    Shit.

    She liked that shirt.

    Though she could create another later, it wouldn''t be the same.

    These were her first thoughts as she slowly came to her senses.

    Being thrown out of a portal like that after it had been interfered with by such a strong barrier as Loki''s was not something to sneer at.

    She felt something underneath her. She couldn''t see too clear with all this blasted dust, but she knew that she wasn''t on the ground.

    She got onto her knees.

    What was beneath her was a bit too flesh-y to be rock.

    Though it was hard, it was hard in a different sense than the ground.

    She moved her hands over the thing beneath her.

    It was a good feeling, she decided.

    What was this...

    Hmm...

    A mortal? No.

    Mortals couldn''t survive a collision like this, one caused by having a portal such as the one she came in crash into a strong barrier set up by a god. Even a Celestial wouldnt survive that.

    But this was definitely a person, she knew.

    Male.

    A pretty muscular male at that.

    As the dust cleared a bit she got a better view of the person she was straddling.

    Black hair, high cheekbones, a pleasingly hard body...

    She looked at him closer.

    And gasped.

    ---------------

    Roland heard a small intake of breath from above.

    Then a melodic, feminine voice.

    "Well, fuck me." It said. Then, after a pause, "All. Night. Long." The voice sounded as if it were grinning.

    Roland heard a strange, almost perverse, laugh.

    Then a sudden groping sensation.

    "Ara, is it my birthday already? Such luck! Hehehe, well then, thanks for the food~" Another laugh was issued.

    Roland opened his eyes, seeing a face close to his with fully, pouty lips that were currently puckered and closing in on him.

    The woman was brown-haired, a dark, lustrous shade.

    Her curves were not as abundant and mature as Morrigan''s own, but they were still soft and warm.

    Though that warmth could simply be from the fact that the woman was literally on fire moments ago.

    She was pressed against him, her silken hair lightly touching his face.

    She held a hand to his chest, feeling him up.

    Just as their lips were about to meet...

    "Get off. Now."

    This was, of course, Roland''s voice.

    The woman stopped. "Eh? Hey, hey, hey, you can''t say that, you know? Simply lay there and accept what''s about to happen." She spoke like a true felon. "Heh, such a good specimen is rare. And you seem pretty damn strong too! Like, insanely so. You could probably last all day and night, right ? Ha, this must be the heavens rewarding me for my good conduct!"

    The words were full of adamant belief and evoked a feeling of self-righteousness

    "Good conduct? Although you sound like a criminal..."

    Roland couldn''t help but say.

    She sniffed. " Why are you talking so much when we are in such a good position here? Ai, you''re ruining this beautiful moment." The woman sighed.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    She continued. "Alright, talk if you must, but can we start already? I have places to be, you know. Although I would like to enjoy this slowly, I have duties that need taking care of, you know. At most I can only delay for 5 or 6 hours, so we have to move this along!" Came the woman''s unintelligible words.

    No, the words were comprehensible but the meaning behind them was something he didnt know.

    Places to be? Duties?

    He didn''t know about those, though he did think the woman was a bit funny.

    Having apparently important nothings to do, yet saying  she could delay for several hours...

    "Although maybe at other times I would merely go along with this, I''m a married man now, so I can''t. My apologies, but get the hell off."

    He said firmly.

    Roland was a bit regretful.

    He hadnt know this mysterious beauty for even five minutes and already could tell she was the difficult to handle sort.

    He did have a clue about who she was due to her familiar energy pattern but he thought he should at least try to keep their relation to a hard minimum.

    These sort of women....

    They made him feel tired, if truth be told.

    Also, he thought if things continued this way then he would risk getting caught up in the woman''s pace.

    Roland could be very passive, going with the flow. But that was only when he simply didn''t feel the need to do otherwise.Of course, he could never be considered a pushover.

    That said, Roland felt this was one of the times when he shouldn''t just coast through things, as the expression goes.

    The woman pouted, the move somehow making Roland feel as if he were the one in the wrong.

    He ignored that pesky feeling.

    "Fine." She said, mournfully. " Welp, I''m not getting lucky right now, it seems. Maybe we can continue later. Ah, married, you say? Kinky. Me like. But let''s shelf that for now. I need her permission first, right? Wonder where she is." She stood up suddenly.

    She looked around, her eyes widening. "Hey, looks like we got ourselves a pretty little voyeur here." She grinned. "Enjoy the show? Heh, though it was cut short far too soon."

    Then he noticed Reina, her face flushed, looking at the sheepishly as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn''t.

    The woman brought a fist down on an open palm in sudden realization. "Oh! This must be that wife of yours! I found her so easily?! Heh, cool." She blurted out.

    The words made Reina dumbfounded, stammering incessantly.

    Then mysterious beauty laughed. "So, you''re into the sweet and innocent type, eh? Yeah, the pure ones are so fun to corrupt, right? Hehe~ This sister understands perfectly~"

    "No, she''s not my--" He began calmly, trying to explain, but was cut off.

    "No need to be shy! Oh, but, she looks like she was really liking the development. Hm, should we continue afterall...? I mean, if she wants to join at some point I wouldn''t mind. You know, since she''s your wifey. But... Those two idiots are probably waiting for me...And I do want to go meet that lovely daughter of mine as soon as I can...Ai, what to do?" She looked miserable, indecisive.

    She began to mutter softly. " This girl of his likes to watch, so continuing should be fine. But, ah, my daughter is waiting for me...though she doesn''t know I''m here yet. Ai, look at him, our union must be something that heaven itself approves of! My daughter, I disappoint you. Your mother is ashamed. But...! But..! Ah, damn, forget it!"

    She sighed heavily once more.

    Reina averted her gaze as the dust has now cleared entirely.

    So now there was nothing to cover the woman''s nakedness at all.

    Honestly, the sight was pleasing to the eye.

    Roland was still faintly feeling the effect of the strange bond between he and Reina.

    Which meant that he was ready to go.

    Though, of course, he had considerable self control in most situations like these and wouldn''t run wild.

    Though there was that bit with Morrigan...which he still didn''t know completely why it had happened.

    Maybe his body itself did remember her on some level.

    In any case, having this woman stark naked while he was in this state wasn''t good.

    Had he been under this same state without having Morrigan as his newly discovered wife, if he didn''t have Grace to think about, he knew that he may have indulged in this woman''s quite obvious intentions toward him.

    Though he might have felt a bit cheap after.

    "You can fix that, right?" He stood up and asked, grabbing a new pair of clothes for himself out of his Treasury.

    He quickly changed right there, making Reina stare before she ocoughed and looked away.

    The woman, however, had no such porblems with openly leering.

    As for himself, he didn''t care.

    When he finished he wore a comfortable black suit Loki had once given him, one with a blue tie matching his eyes.

    Roland forgot why he was given this.

    He thought that Loki gave a matching set to the others of their small group, too...

    Something about a wedding, if he remembered...

    Though whose wedding, he was not sure.

    As he had these irrelevent, idle thoughts the woman answered his question.

    Though not before eyeing him wolfishly a few seconds more.

    He cut quite a delicious figure in that suit, she thought to herself.

    "Ah, yeah. Clothes. Right. Forgot about that." She snapped her fingers.

    A darkly coloured shirt appeared, bearing a faintly familiar image of a eyepatch-wearing little boy and tall, black-haired man with red eyes.

    Loki had something similar, he recalled...

    "Better?" She asked.

    "Much."

    They then walked out of the crator.

    "Uh...not to be rude, but, um, who...are you...?" Reina hesitated.

    This woman made her feel...subdued.

    She had a mysterious aura, a certain profoundness.

    Reina thought that this woman was unfathomable. Her eyes, they looked old. Or, no, rather, they seemed very experienced and full of hidden knowledge.

    Loki exuded the same feeling. A feeling of ancientness.

    Yet that contrasted heavily with his carefree manner. He and this woman seemed both old beyond compare and young at the same time.

    Only Roland seemed to not mind any of this, from what she saw.

    Well, he was abnormal too...just in a different way...So maybe that was how he could appear so normal when confronted by this woman''s presence.

    But Reina felt intimidated. And a bit scared. But she held it in nicely, she thought.

    The woman looked at her. " Oh, call me Mer, my voyeuristic new friend." She greeted naturally.

    Smirksing, she poked Reina in the breast. " Hey, hey, sorry about earlier. Didn''t mean to hit on your husband. The moment passed, unfortunately, so I won''t continue...I mean I would, given your okay, but if not then I suppose I have to give up. Sadly. I''m not *that* type of woman, you know? I do have some morals."

    "But, I''m not..! The two of us aren''t..." She stuttered, not exactly knowing how to respond to such assumptions.

    She was most definitely not a voyeur...

    As for the other thing, that was...

    She, like Roland, tried to explain.

    The woman--No, Mer--laughed mischievously. "Hehe~ indeed quite the shy type, aren''t you~ look at that red face, adorable! You remind me of my daughter when she was young. Ah, I wanted to ask if I could have a taste of this perfect specimen of a man, but I suppose that''s a bit rude at our first meeting. Worry not, I will, of course, keep it in my panties. I have things to do anyway.  But hey, if you''re ever in the mood for something new look me up!"

    Then her figure winked out of existence, the last they saw of her merely a charming grin and a hand raised to give a small wave.

    The two, Reina and Roland, were left alone.

    "Do you...know who that was?" She looked at the man beside her questioningly .

    "I have an idea...though I don''t know why she would be here. Maybe she got bored or something. Daughter, huh." He mused. " I feel two other familiar presences not far from here. Those guys...They probably have the wrong idea. Loki, this has to be because of that call he mase. But to get here so quickly... No, nevermind that. We should get back. Now."

    "What, why do you sound so urgent?" She asked, alarmed at his tone.

    " Oh, I just want to make sure they dont destroy our place by accident... or, you know, kill anyone."

 Chapter Forty-three

    AN: so i know i said i would update more...but i just wanted to wait a bit until i was actually graduating. Which  is today. well, tonight. I felt i should release a chapter. Sorry that I have not done that in a while. I was also busy trying to get enough credit to gradutate. Doing past assignments and projects.

    But yeah, im gonna enter the working world after today...and im freaking out. I kinda want to learn a new language and be a translator, probably korean or japanese...chinese would take way too long...i think this suits my interests and skills. Imma fast learner. Ah, im ranting. So, here is the chapter, another filler. Just one more to go before i can get things moving more. Remember to rate and review. also, me gradutating means more boredom and time for chapters....so, yay?

    And once you read the chapter, know this: I kinda wanna ship them, so i may have embellished his view of her a tad bit. eye of the beholder and all that.

    Editing will be done later.

    EDIT(July 13): If any new readers make it this far, then i ask that you leave a review, please. This is a more recent chapter so i think this is a good place to place this

    -------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sara lived in one of the dorm rooms of the school. The previous place that she and a few others had lived was nice, but at the time headmaster Loki didnt expect so many students at his school and so when he ran out of rooms he had some others constructed within one of the buildings that already had been built. The building was so large, full of long, confusing halls, that this was really no problem.

    It was truly castle-like, and  the rooms were located in the upper levels. But because they didnt like the idea of sleeping in ordinary rooms headmaster Loki, after much nagging from the students which had led to one of them being turned into a toad for several days, had decided to use certain methods to increase the space inside the rooms without really changing its outside.

    Meaning the the rooms were much larger within than they were without. Basically the insides were like small pocket dimensions, similar to what would be found in interspacial rings that were common in the Higher Planes.

    Whats more, the students could personalize the rooms in whatever way they wished.

    Sara had made it into a place that was  large, with many book shelfs and other, more antique, items. The room she was currently in had several shelfs to hold various books, the walls white and one of them holding a large "window" that led to the view of the pink-colored leaves that bloomed year-round from the trees outside. Her room was neat, with a color scheme a mix of dark hues and lighter ones that gave an air of sophistication and maturity with hints of a more girlish after-taste and carrying a faintly sweet aroma like fruit.

    It was a very well-kept room but there were clothes thrown about the place in odd places. Sara wasnt a messy person, she was just a bit careless at times when it came to her own room. Still this much was acceptable.

    Other than that there was some stairs to the side which would lead to a study, filled to the brim with various things that she had her family acquire pver the years for her to study. She had avid interest in history, particularaly pertaining to the Higher Planes which was incomparable old. It seemed that every era of the Higher Planes would make its transition with a bang, leaving little clues about its history behind.

    It was far older than the current ruling gods. Every pantheon right now, when compared to that place, could be considered young. Finding the history of this mysterious place was what Sara had loved doing for a long time now.

    Sara had been sitting on her silk-covered bed, laying upside down while reading the bestiary that their new teacher, Roland, had provided them. It was very extensive and the writing seemed to be by hand, a majestic sweep to every little corner. Calm, yet bold, restrained yet a bit care free. Powerful, and maybe a little cruel, but somehow not exactly evil either.

    Though these were obviously not done directly by hand for each book, they still carried hints on the author''s personality. They gave a compicated impression of the person in question. As learned as Sara was, every word here gave her insight into the personality of the author. The author had to be that rather mysterious new teacher of theirs, right?

    She liked how the drawings were done. They almost seemed alive. Like they would jump off and come at you. Sara had seem a few of the creatures, but they didnt seem as threatening as the ones in the book. Maybe because the ones she had seen were not yet fully mature.

    As engrossed as she was, she completely wasnt prepared for the meteor-like object that had currently been traveling towards her location.

    Rubbing her eyes, she layed the book down on her bed and got up to stretch while letting out a long sigh as her muscles and bones creaked a bit, warming up. Sitting down for such a long time left her a bit sore, if truth be told.

    As she was doing this, she heard a strange sound from above, folowed by several loud crashes.

    Boom. Boom. Boom

    The noise got louder. Just what...?

    And then, as she was looking up, the roof of her room came crumbling down in a spray of dirt, fire and stone.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    When  Aries felt the first impact he had already used all the power he was ablt to muster in that short time to lessen the force with which he fell. But being thrown out of a portal when it crashed into such a strong barrier was really no laughting matter.

    As he came head-first into the top of a castle-like building, he felt his bones shake. Shit, what was this thing made of, diamonds? No way normal stone was this hard!

    The air left his lungs as his body was still not stopped, beings hurtled straight down. He felt a slight tearing. Like the ripping of clothe.

    He knew that he must have been hitting some sort of special barrier...it was like he was tearing apart space. Aries understood that these rooms he hit were probably bigger than they should be and that they had likely been created using a very sloppily done spell that gave the rooms extra space.

    Aries was no expert in magic spells, but even he knew that a spell that carried this effect should break this easily....it would at least last a good twenty seconds longer!

    Loki...that guy must have just thrown this together at the last minute.

    As he carried thoughts of his friends, Aries hit several other rooms, coming down on their rooms and exiting through the floors while leaving

    Finally, the last one came. He didnt know when he stopped. But he did.

    Opening his eyes, he came upon a strange sight that made him blink. There, standing over him, was a cool, bespectacled beauty pointing a sword at his throat.

    She had a slender yet curvaceous figure, enticing and erotic in the flimsy pink and black nightgown she currently had on. Her hair was dark, with highlights of reddish strands that gave it a lustrous sheen.  The hair was free to fall in gentle waves down to her shoulder blades, a bit curly and framing her delicate face.

    She stood there with a firm footing, her posture excellent and her bearing bursting with a inner nobility. There was a maturity to her, a bookishness. Her black-framed glasses rested gently on her face as she stared down at him.

    Aries had sen many beauties in his long, long life. But not many had left him any deep impressions. But...this one certainly did. It was more than her outward apearance, more that her physical beauty. No, she had a certain calm and mysterious countenance to her.

    At first glance she was merely a very beautiful young woman. But upon closer observation one would find a haziness about her. A dream-like quality that would undoubtedly linger in one''s heart long after they left her presence. She seemed utterly in control of herself, comfortable in her skin and uncaring of others'' opinions.

    But what made him most enamored was the way she looked at him. It was a piercing look, examining him with a calm and analytical eye while at the same time showing traces of disdain and anger at his intrusion...yet for all that she also seemed to see through

    him, past him, and gazing at some far-off goal. What that goal was, Aries didnt know. Perhaps she didnt either.

    And there was something else he instantly noticed that left him a bit in awe. It was the way she held her sword. Gently, like a lover''s hand, yet firm. She obviously knew how to handle the sword, knew how to use it. But there was one other facet that left him speechless: When he looked, he couldnt tell at all where the woman began and the sword ended.

    It wasnt like she had reached some pinnacle realm in sword skills, like he, Roland and Mephisto had. He knew she was far, far weaker than him. Couldnt even compare, really. But this went past skill with a sword.

    It was like this weapon was destined for her, like it was meant to be in her hands. It seemed as if a part of everything that made up the woman''s identity was imbued into the sword. And when it was in her hands, it became a part of her. Like two halves making a hole, almost.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    The sword, a simply done rapier that was slender and elegant, with a silver swept hilt that protected the wielder''s hand. It blade was long, slim and double-edged. It was a pale white but held an almost golden light radiate from it that let out a flowery fragrance.

    It wasnt odd, for blades to have such unusual aspects to it. But they really only did so when created personally by people like Hephaestus who made divine weapons that were beyond anything a mortal being could accomplish.

    Whats more, this sword seemed to have its own soul, and it even appeared to have a bit of intelligence to it!

    This sword....this design....the cold, cruel beauty of it, who was it that could....

    He felt sure that he knew this blade''s maker, but he couldnt he sure who it was, exactly....

    No, this distinctly majestic aura, those strange makings along the blade, the way the hilt seemed to be built for both beauty and practicality....it couldnt be....Goibinu, could it?

    As he was thinking this, he was roused from his thoughts. "And just who are you, hmm?" A soft voice reached his ears.

    Aries smiled a bit. Such a pleasing sound.

    Seeing her press that sword against his neck, seeing her cold expression, he felt his blood start to boil a bit.

    His eyes flashed in a sudden  red glow.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    When Grace woke up the next day, she was in a panic.

    She didnt hear her mother saunter into their home  only minutes before, didnt see the flush to her cheeks and gentle smile that was reminiscing  about something good.

    Morrigan was sighing to herself. After that red-haired brat had interrupted her and her husband from reconnecting, she was thrown out. Truly lamentable. Though, at least he isnt really against the idea of them being together in truth anymore. Even if he felt like not doing so because he knew it wouldnt last, he still reacted to her advances, which was a good sign.

    She would have to smack the girl next she saw her. Also, who the hell was she to him anyway, to be able to approach his room like that? The barriers of his didnt stop her at all....

    At the time, he wouldnt have brought them down. He usually did when he was awake. As strong as he was, he ddint feel much need to have the barriers up all the time.

    So, distracted as he was, he shouldnt have disspelled them when she arrived.

    It couldnt be that she was his....currently lover, right?

    There was another girl she had seen the other day, a gold-eyed one, but she didnt seem to make Morrigan feel threatened at al--

    " Mommy!"

    Coming at her at a breakneck speed was her adorable daughtert, Grace, who latched onto her arm and started pulling.

    "Hurry, we have to go!" She urged.

    Morrigan tried to calm her. " Easy there , little one, what has you so--"

    The girl made an annoyed sound." No talking, just hurry! We have to go find dady, or he might disappear! Please, lets go already!" She began to pull harder.

    Morrigan felt pained. "Grace, dear, be at ease. Didnt he tell you he wouldnt do that? Didnt he say he would stay with us? And how could he bear to leave this precious angel of his--"

    "No! If we''re not by his side, he might...he might...!" Her little face shone with irrational fear and her eyes  were starting to water.

    Morrigan couldnt help but feel affected by her daughter''s emotional state.

    As she was rushed out of their home and exited the building that were reserved for staff members, Grace sped up until Morrigan was nearly dragged by her.

    They had alread been halfway from their place to Roland''s when a large portal opened up above them.

    Morrigan looked up, stopping her daughter. "Grace, wait." She halted her.

    "But, we have to look for...." Grace trailed off, noticing the sight above.

    Remembering the woman from the other day who had arrived the same way, her heart beat a bit faster.

    "Mommy, those are..."

    "Dont worry."

    A moment later, One landed far away. Then in another moment there was a second ball of fire that looked like it would collide with the main building of the school. The last one fell somewhere to their left, near the library.

    The ground trembled.

    " Lets go. " Morrigan frowned.

    Concerned over this unexpected developement, she and Grace continued to search.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    Roland and Reina arrived at the main building just as a strange golden light had erupted from the roof.

    Followed a moment later by a red light.

    There, in a red mist-like aura, was a very familiar figure slashing madly at a young woman who held numerous small wounds along her body and torn pieces of cloth around her that may heave once been a full nightgown.

    The two floated in the air, exchanging blows at a speed that would have not been picked up by people of Reina''s current abilities...

    Aries  had a wild grin as he mercilessly used his finger as a blade to bite into the woman''s--Sara''s--skin.

    Sara was breathing rough, he could see. The sword in her hand, a rapier with a swept hilt, was surprisingly fast. It moved like lightning and shot out beams of light to attack Aries.

    But he only grew more violent as the beams came at him, not even choosing to dodge, not having a need. He took them head-on. But what was strange was that instead of being broken, the beams went through him.

    Roland couldnt help letting his mouth fall open a bit.

    Either he had gotten much weaker than last Roland saw him, or that sword was special. Though he was obviously toying with her, not using even a tenth of his actual power, there was still no reason for him to be injured by a regular attack coming from someone who didnt even specialize in combat, like her.

    Aries coughed out blood, laughing a bit.

    Then, ignoring the wounds, he came up behind the woman and grabbed the blade with a palm.

    Roland felt something then, a static in the air, a certain crackling.

    This cant be good...

    He thought.

    Then he saw that Aries was acting weird. He froze, staring at the girl who was glaring at him with disdain and hatred. Roland saw his eyes flash red.

    He held the rapier in his hands, the blade biting into the man''s flesh.

    Roland knew something was wrong with this picture. Reina felt it too. She could feel a charge to the atmosphere  that was growing by the second...then, the sky darkened.

    It was only for an instant, and not many would notice it if they werent already paying attention, but it was certainly there. Aries stared at Sara  with an odd glint in his eyes, grinning as if he had found something interesting.

    Then he let go of the blade. Sara, having been exhausted, dropped from the sky. Aries frowned.

    Then he vanished and reappeared below her as she fell, catching her in his arms.

    Aries looked at the girl in his arms with a complicated expression. This woman made him feel....strange. Despite having a bit of good impressions toward her, he felt  bitter at being attacked so suddenly. Although, he didnt exactly dislike it...still, if it was a fight she wanted, Aries would have been happy to oblige had it been a battle of a different nature. One that would have been enjoyable for both sides.

    He found that this woman had a bit of skill, too, which increased his estimation of her. She didnt have any great achievements with a blade, but she used the powers of that sword to great effect. Before they took the battle outside she had displayed great prowess at manipulating the energies within the weapon.

    He felt that she had a firm grasp on the fundamentals of the sword''s powers. Still, she didnt seem to be a warrior. Rather, her abilities were more suited to a mage. And she did appear to be the more bookish type.

    Yet she didnt cast any spells...but she did use a few items that caused him a bit of distress earlier. When they were still in her room she had even used these strange cube-like things to restrict his movement for a bit, and used a scroll of some kind to send waves of chaotic energy run through his body, making him clench his teeth. Artifacts, most likely. He wondered if she specialized in the usage of them. Yeah, that seemed right.

    "Hmph, damn woman." He chuckled almost affectionately. "Attacking me like that, your''re certainly a fiesty one. But that isnt good, a woman shouldnt be so trigger-happy. A few scratches wont do you harm.--" He began.

    "So, what do you want to take the punishment for, attacking a defensless woman or attacking one of my oh-so-precious students?" An easy-going, almost care-free voice entered his ears.

    Hearing this, Aries smiled widely...though he also forced down a shiver.

 chapter forty-four

    AN: Skip this and read after the chapter. its long. But please pay attention to  the "PPS" portion of these ANs please

    Okay, first up, the reason I have been away: I graduated! Im a real adult now. So, ever since my graduation i have have a sort of crisis in which i am stressing about what im going to do in life. I never had a job, you see, and i feel im going to fail life. I have a interest though: I wanna be a translator/interpretor. But, i dont know any other language but english. So, i dont know, Im gonna self-study then see if i can get professional help with my chosen language. Im leaning towards korean or Japanese. My interests.

    I think that sort of career would suit me. I have interest in the cultures ( well, i have interest in the novels they make at least. Well, i do have an actual interest in jap culture. Korean i know nothing of) and I am a good study. So, yeah. Wosrt case is i cant make it as a translator and i have to go work at some more generalized job that anyone can do!

    ...Yeah....

    Anyway, enough of that.

    So, the past few days I have been lazing about, unmotivated. No more daily objectives makes me sad...sigh. Anywho, Im stalking my classmates on Facebook now. And i nver used FB before. I dont even talk to my classmates much. Well, i didnt in school. I was a bit quiet, didnt intereact with them outside school. Ddnt go driving with them and whatnot, didnt even go on my senior trip. Despite all that, im well-liked by them, somehow. I did talk to them and made friends, dont get me wrong. I just kept my school life and personal life seperate. After the last bell rang, i didnt really do much with them.

    But they liked me somehow. And im keeping in touch with them. Hell, even the last day a few kids picked me up for practice doing the ceremony, and again to drive me to school. Which surprised me and my parents. No one ever did that. They''re good guys, the three who did that.

    So, yeah, im "stalking" them now. I even like to post weird stuff on their walls when im bored. Like, not porn links, but odd or slightly disturbing youtube videos. All in good fun. I warned them all beforehand though and they''re cool with it. Even find it amusing.

    Ah,so that''s what i''ve been doing. Im also going to my Niece Katrina''s (may have told you about her before. May have called her a cousins. ) Promotion from 8th grade to 9th. She''ll be a freshman! We live in different towns, so im going down to visit her and stuff.

    I havent been in the writing mood recently but im back on track now! So, yeah, i will try to release more chapters, and at faster rates...not like i got much else to do these days...

    But yeah, imma self-study, try to do what i want, and see if i can find a temperary job in the meantime. For what i want to do, i know that it wont be easy. But i aint got anything better to do! So im going to make a real effort at this. If it doesnt work out im still going to study the laguage i choose. I always wanted to read RAWs anyway.

    So thats it.

    RANT:OVER

    PS: remember to rate, review and comment on anything. Also, i may have forgotten things in the story. If something doesnt match what i previously wrote, please speak up and i will edit or explain. I could have made a total flop.

    PPS: Special thanks to Sabazurc who left a review on the fiction page.  Im glad you like the story.

    And another special thanks to ElectricIceCream who made a wonderful and truly helpful review that gave me specific details on my shortcomings and what I need to watch out for. You are right that on the use of apostrophies i didnt really care about their use for a long time. I was lazy, and the words were understood without them. But after you read the chapter, did you notice how im trying to use them now? Thanks for your review. I know you posted that when you were at only chapter 18 and I hope that you stayed with me up to now.

    PPPS: Edit for spelling will be done later.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Look, this wasn''t my fault!" Aries began. " She attacked me first, I was defending myself!" He asserted.

    "Defending yourself against a young woman who wouldn''t normally be able to take a single hit from a serious you?" Roland raised a brow in skepticism. He smiled.

    Aries began to sweat a bit. " Hey, look, she''s alive, right? Of course I wouldn''t truly harm a woman, you know that! These are mere flesh wounds!"

    "You could have stopped her without fighting, you know."

    "I didn''t want to, though. Hmph, me a War God, how can I just let a waif of a girl attack me without a bit of retalliation? That would make me a laughingstock. Besides, I held back. She would be much worse off if she were a man. Plus, I didn''t hit her face. That would be a true shame. Look at her, how can I harm such a lovely work of art?" He asked, sneaking a glance at the woman in his arms and letting out a chuckle.

    "...Disgusting...." Roland said.

    "What?" Aries narrowed his eyes.

    "You do realize how young she is compared to you, right?"

    "So? Age truly is simply a number to people like us..." He sniffed.

    " Maybe, but mentally speaking she''s like a teenager. "

    "Shut up. This ain''t the body of a teen, you know." Aries looked pointedly at the girl''s soft, impressive bulges.

    " Well don''t be getting any ideas. She''s my student." Roland warned.

    "She is?  So you''re a teacher now?" Aries asked, surprised. Damn, when did that happen, seriously..." But hey, I like this one, she''s got spunk. I won''t treat her like a mere momentary source of pleasure...unlike a certain someone..." Aries looked meaningfully at his friend.

    "My agreeing to teach here was something that was due to a fair bit of boredom, circumstance and light-heartedness." Roland answered his friend''s curiosity. "But nevermind that. I was never callous with any of the woman I was with in the past. And look here,  just don''t mess with her."

    "...I make no promises." Aries said airily. He glanced at the girl again. She was certainly an attractive one....Pretty strong-willed too. Probably smart as well. A cool beauty.

    Athena''s like that too...

    Aries shook the thought away. The hell did he think of her for?

    "Anyway, hand her over and accept your punishment." His friend held up a hand.

    Aries refused. " Nope, not gonna happen. Didn''t do anything wrong. And I''ll take her." He floated down without another word, not letting Roland have the chance to say or do anything. Truth be told, he didn''t like the thought of putting her down. It felt too good having her lush body pressed against him.

    When was the last time he wanted to hold onto a woman other than in the bed? He had trouble remembering.

    Aries thought back to a human wife that he had many years back. When he was still relatively young. What was her name...? He searched him memory but couldnt recall. And the fact pained him, because he knew that he had loved that woman. And yet he didnt remember her name, or even her face.

    Her voice... that voice that he knew had once brought him joy at its every rise and fall. Every small utterance had made him smile a bit, its soft, lilting cadence that spoke ever word as if they were secret things between only the two of them. The immeasurable care and warmth they contained that made Aries feel calm and at peace...He had forgotten exactly what it had sounded like. He knew what it made him feel, but other than that....

    And there were others he loved after her, each one seeming special and unique to him. All of them were dead now. They were all mortal. Or at least not able to live as long as he. Generally speaking, mainly only gods, angels or demons from hell had nearly infinite lifespans. Other races had very long lives but there was a certain limit for them.

    They could live for hundreds of thousands of years, hundreds of million, or sometimes even billions, but in the grand scheme of things gods and the other two races were longer lived to the extent that they no longer really paid attention to things like time. They may not seem like it, but the reason that they were not as "mature" as the other races is because they were all a bit unhinged due to that fact.

    At least that is what Aries thought. To live so long was a curse, sometimes. Some lacked the will to live, but also lacked the true desire to die. So they didnt become the type of stuffy characters that other races did. Because that would be...well, boring.

    Like Loki and Mercury, for example. It could be said that all beings like him, her and Aries were the way they are because they lived for so long. They couldn''t stand becoming all uptight and such. To have eternal life yet not enjoy it, that would be a damn horrid way to live.

    Going back, Aries thought of how jaded he had become in the course of his life. He didnt usually show it but things like love had long since become something he avoided due to the fact that he had more than enough experience to know how it would end. He would lose the person someday anyway, so there was no real point to it. After having that happen so many times he didnt think it was worth the pain it caused.

    ...And yet even as he thought that, he knew that is was a bit of a lie. He simply hadn''t found  anyone he wanted to be with despite the pain their leaving would bring...at least he hadn''t found a person like that in more recent years. There was a few that he had liked, that he started a relationship with, but they didnt work out for one reason or another.

    " Such a dark turn my thoughts have taken." He sighed and muttered.

    Why did he think such things anyway? Right, the girl. Holding her was nice. And the hesitation of letting her go was somthing he hadn''t felt in some time now. An idle thought that turned into this. His first wife, the subsequent lovers that he had fallen for. This girl made him recall them.

    Maybe it was because she battled him like that, so fearlessly and without hesitation. Most women would be scared of him, would feel an inherent aversion to his aura of violence. So they mainly avoided any kind of fight with him. It was the ones who actually confronted him that interested him. Made him want them.

    But whatever the case he had no intentions of persuing a relationship with this girl. Not a serious one, anyway. And not that he would play with her or any such thing: He had some morals, after all.

    "Well, whatever happens, happens." He smiled wryly to himself.

    When  he got to the ground he spotted a pretty red-head staring at him with astonishment and not a little bit  of unease. Understandable though.

    Hmm, this one was quite a beauty too.  Smooth, tender-looking skin with a healthy flush to her cheeks.  A proud nose, a soft, well shaped chin  and high cheekbones that gave the impression of noble birth. Long. slender legs and a pert buttocks along with two mountains that jutted from her chest as if made to simply seduce men. And her hair, which seemed as if every strand contained red fire,was mesmerising.

    Such a shade, such a lustrous color, he couldn''t say he had ever seen anything quite like it...

    Yes, this was truly a good woman. Why was she here, though, as if waiting?

    As he thought this, Roland came down behind him. The girl''s eye lit up as his appearance, full of trust and calming down at his presence.

    Ah, so that''s it,  Aries thought in sudden realization.

    She was probably Roland''s lover, no?

    He smiled. Roland certainly did have luck with women. Always had.

    Seeing the expression on the girl''s face at Roland''s arrival, Aries had already assumed they were a couple.

    " Reina, dont worry." Roland said as he noticed the uncomfortable look on the girl. " This guy''s a friend. Ah, but get back a bit." Roland then pried the girl from Aries'' arms before he even realized it. When did he ....

    She did as she was told. "Um, you''re not going to do anything...extreme, right?" Reina called out in worry. She wasn''t sure what amount of destruction he was truly capable of, but she didn''t want to find out.

    "No,  I have to give this guy some discipline. Hmph, harming one of those under my care, I can''t let that slide even if he is a friend."

    "Wait, the hell do I have to recieve punishment for! I already told you that--"

    Roland cut him off mercilessly, delivering a swift kick to his stomach.

    "Ah" Aries let out a small, miserable sound of pain.

    He coughed out blood, kneeling on the ground. " Fuck, what the hell, I wasn''t prepared. Damn bastard, that could kill most ordinary Celestials, the hell you using so much strength for!" Aries coughed again.  Had he had a second of warning, the attack wouldn''t have felt so damn painful given his level of power. But this bastard, he just kicked him out of nowhere! Shameless!

    Reina cringed. The attack made a small boom as it landed and her ears popped a bit. It let a small force of air blow that made her step back, and she felt a slight vibration in the air. Was that really a normal attack? She wasn''t sure...

    Aries held his abdomen. "Sonuvabitch, that''s not gonna stop hurting anytime soon...Shit, what''s with this. Here I am, here  to make sure you and that damn Loki were okay, and you hit me. Damn, fuck this, next time you guys can just deal with problems yourselves!"

    Roland looked at him with surprise. "Why did you think we weren''t okay?"

    " That call!" Aries exclaimed as if it were obvious. " You even understand how worried I was? I thought you two might have gotten into real trouble! Knowing you guys, I wouldnt have been surprised if Hades, Apophis, Ymir and an army of Dimme all banded together to mess up your pretty faces! But, even worse, I heard through the grapevine that Gehenna''s here!!" He shouted at the end, clearly worried. Though his eyes did betray a certain eagerness. A restrained desire for conflict.

    "You really assume the worst, dont you?" Nevermind the others, Roland might have his own hands full with dealing with a heavy hitter like Apophis...that thing was the embodiment of chaos, how could Roland kill  or truly beat something like him? Though he had confidence in not dying, he wouldnt want to fight that guy if he could help it...Well, unless he was unbelievable bored.

    Actually...that seemed like a fun idea, really.

    "But don''t worry, nothing''s out of order here. Ah, and I wouldn''t worry about that Gehenna..." Roland paused. Was that really the case? Gehenna seemed to have some grudge against Morrigan...she might try something later. But...so long as she didnt, Roland had no reason to chase her. Plus, if she was truly someone from his past...

    Well, he didnt want to fight her. He somehow had reservations on doing so.

    Aries stared. " So I was worried for nothing...? No no, that Gehenna is a real threat!" He insisted. " You dont know all the horrid things that bitch has done throughout her lifetime! Hell, even her own kind hates her guts. The only reason that she is tolerated is because Lucifer, that damn guy, is a bit respectful toward her for some insane reason. That woman is feared by, well, everyone! Even me!" Aries shivered.

    Both in fright and excitement. He loved strong opponents. But that Gehenna...

    Her crimes were the most numerous and heinous of almost anyone. A true killing machine that had no conscience, merely destroying all in her path.

    Aries respected her strength, but as for the person herself he hated to the bone. And kind of wanted to fight. But still mainly disliked. She wasn''t welcome anywhere. For good reason.

    Roland disapproved of his friend''s words. " I dont care. I have no reason to hate her, so I won''t treat her as an enemy just yet. Anyway, Loki didnt call you to to ask for help, that bastard just wanted to let you know about me and Morr--" He stopped himself.

    "Hmm? What? Morr? Who''s Morr?" Aries tilted his head, looking questioningly at him.

    "Ah...No, let''s find Mephisto first....I assume you brought him too. This violent, dreadful energy can only be that guy''s, afterall."

    Aries'' eyes brightened in rememberance. " Well damn, almost forgot about him. Yeah, lets''s go. No telling what that man will get himself into. Oh, by the way, nice girl you got with you there. So, how long have you two been a thing?" Aries'' eyes swerved to Reina.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    She coughed awkwardly...seriously, why was everyone today assume she and Roland were....Is that what they appeared like?

    "What?" Roland stared blankly. " Reina? No, we aren''t together. Dont be ridiculous. " He said, causing Reina to flinch.

    "You don''t have to deny it that strongly. " She muttered, which Roland ignored.

    "Why do you think we are? First that woman a while back, now you." Roland shook his head.

    "You''re not?" Aries looked between them doubtfully. Roland wasn''t the dense sort...Was he reading too much into things then? This Reina may not even have feelings for him. Roland was the type of person that was seen as reliable to people who got to know him better, so she probably just felt a certain trust towards the man.

    It''s been so long since Aries had last felt the thing himself that he probably wasn''t a good judge on the feelings of others. Ah, wait, when did the two of them meet? It probably wasnt that long ago...Was she an inhabitant of this world? Hm, for that matter, when did Roland arrive here?

    Whatever. Roland would probably explain later.

    He glanced at the girl who was currently unconscious in Roland arms. Damn bastard. He was totally taking advantage. Hmph, he just wanted to hold her himself, didnt he?

    His eyes made a cursory sweep of the surroundings. That sword...it seemed to have disappeared. Was it bounded to her will? If it was then it probably wouldnt last to long with her sleeping like she was. It most likely got absorbed back into her body.

    " Ah...that woman...by "that woman"  I assume you mean Mercury?"

    "Mercury, huh. Yeah, probably. She did feel familiar. I''ve heard of her but never met the woman." Roland mused,

    " Was she a hot chick wearing a dark shirt, a tall frame and certifiably insane? If so then you would be right. So... what happened?" Aries hesitated to ask.

    " She nearly raped me." He cocked a thumb towards Reina. " I think she wanted her to join in too. Or watch. Not certain. Anyway, she tried to jump me. Well, she was already straddling me. And her clothes were a bit ruined. But nothing happened. My body is still pure."

    Reina blushed slightly as she remembered the encounter with the strange woman.

    Aries looked at him almost in disbelief. " Fuck, all that and you have the gall to say nothing happened? Bullshit, what you just decribed is..." He groaned. " Man, Loki isnt gonna like this. That woman is...Roland, what the hell? This is just...ugh" He looked sickened. "This situation is so messed up...Roland, those two are practically the same person, kind of, so if you ever have that sort of relationship with her it''s almost like you and Loki are--!!"

    Roland delivered another kick to him, stopping the man''s words.

    He was knocked back several feet but stood up again instantly, not a hair out of place. "Ha, I was prepared that time."

    "And I wasnt even trying just now. You''re getting rusty, Aries. Knocked away so easily, some War God you are." Roland shook his head. ""Pathetic."

    Aries sniffed in disdain. "If I were serious you know that I could still give you a damn scar or two."

    This was true. If Aries really went all out then there was no way Roland could push him around like that. Roland was strong, but he couldnt suppress him to such an extent. He may be able to fight both Aries and Mephisto at once, but that wasnt exactly an easy thing to do....

    Of course that would be the case. The last time the three fought without holding back  it caused an entire realm within the Higher Planes to collapse in on itself....One of the reasons that Roland was well-known to the upper echelon of that place.

    Thinking back, that was a large realm. Roughly one-third the size of Mephisto''s domain. Good thing that place was a desolate landscape not many ever went to, else the three may have felt guilty destroying it....

    " Well, lets just go look for M--"

    "Hold it right there!"

    A lovely, enraged voice echoed in the ears or Roland, Aries and Reina. Even Sara stirred in her sleep. But Aries had the most extreme reaction, looking dumbfounded as he heard the voice.

    Roland turned and spotted Abigail rushing towards them with a dark look to her face. Roland felt the waves of anger rolling off the woman.

    "You!" She pointed at Aries angrily. "Just what the hell do you think you''re doing! Destroying school property, not to mention I saw you harming a student, who do think you are!"

    Aries looked down at the auburn-haired young woman in surprise. Then he recovered and felt extreme indignation. "Hey, Abs, that wasn''t my fault! And the girl attacked me fir--"

    "Shut up!" her pleasant voice was a vicious snarl that made him stop in his tracks. " I dont care! You nearly gave some of the students heart attacks! Look at that, look at the mess you made! Dont think you can just come in here and do whatever you want! Damn rogue, you haven''t changed at all!"  Abigail looked fed up. "Come here, you''re going to help rebuild everything that you destroyed by the end of the day!"

    She began pulling at the cuff of his neck.

    "Hey, Abs, what are--Let me go! I didnt do anything wrong! Hey, listen to--!"

    He was dragged off.

    Roland looked at the scene, amazed.

    Those two, they obviously knew each other, but from where? Could she have had a relationship with Aries sometime in the past? Well, she knew Loki so it wouldn''t be strange of her to have met Aries before. But for him to allow himself to be taken away like that...

    Exactly what sort of relationship did they have then?

    One of these days he would have to ask--

    "Daddy!"

    Roland was pulled from his thoughts and looked behind him, recognizing a certain sweet, high-pitched voice that was full of joy.

    He was immediately assaulted by a small, white-haired girl whose doll-like face held tears running down her cheeks. As she jumped her arms locked around him and nearly nocked Roland off his feet, such was the force behind the movements.

    As Sara was currently in her arms he had to hold her body a bit over the girl. Grace took no notice of the woman in his arms and merely buried her head into his chest, making his clothing slightly wet with the moisture gathered at her large sapphire-like eyes.

    "Easy there, little one. What''s the matter?" Roland asked, a wave of warmth and affection spreading through his heart.

    Reian was even feeling surprising fondness for the young girl. Really. this kid...wasnt she just a tad too adorable?

    "I thought...I thought that you might have disappeared...I thought that if me and mommy weren''t by your side, that..."

    Roland hurried to assure her. " Im not going anywhere, alright? Dont cry. How could I leave this adorable daughter of mine? You''re stuck with me, got that?"

    He stroked her back with his hand, trying to calm her down and make her at ease. "Hey, where''s your m--"

    "I''m here. This little rascal, she''s fast." Morrigan appeared a bit aways from them, smiling. She came with a little, multi-tailed white fox that planted itself by Grace''s feet and rubbed against the girl as a show of comfort. "As soon as she saw you she rushed to your side. Damn kid, her name doesnt suit her at all." She shook her head and let out a laugh.

    "Morrigan..." Roland couldnt help but feel a certain...something...at her appearance. The name rolled off his tongue like a fine wine.

    " Hmm..." Morrigan noticed Reina and the slumbering girl in Roland''s arms.

    "This isn''t--" Roland tried to explain.

    " No need." She cut him off a bit abruptly. She had suspected that he might have a lover or two...but to have this confirmed...She wasnt sure she was ready to share him after only just getting him back. Was there any woman who was truly fine knowing the one they loved had other women by his side?

    But Roland, of course, wouldnt let things die like that. Such a misunderstanding had to be crushed before it could really take root. "No, don''t jump to conclusions on your own like that. Look, this girl is injured, see? She''s unconscious too. I know what you''re thinking, but dont, nothing is going on betweeen me and her." He asserted.

    Which reminded him, he should heal the girl soon...Although wounds from Aries were a damn pain to get rid of given the chaotic nature of his powers.

    Morrigan looked towards Reina, the sad, hurt, but mainly cold, gaze making the other girl feel distinctly uncomfortable.

    " Her either. " Roland added.

    Grace then extracted herself from him at the words, seeming to notice the other two girls. She looked at Reina with a curious expression. " Daddy, that girl, she has our eyes. "She marveled. " Is she your daughter too? I have a sister?" The girl looked dazed, as if she suddenly had a stunning realization.

    "Daughter? What..." Morrigan frowned.  Why was Grace saying such weird things, that girl''s eyes didnt look like her husband''s at all...

    "Me? His d-daughter? Im not! Definitely not!" Reina''s head swam, instantly denying. Just what was this little girl saying all of a sudden?!

    "Grace, what are you...?"

    Roland frowned. Could she see through the illusion that he created around Reina to make her eyes look like normal?

    "Dear, why is she saying that this girl is your--"

    A large explosion was heard that drowned out whatever she was going to say. It was followed moments later by the smell of ash and burnt flesh.

    Of course this was only picked up by Roland and Morrigan whose sense of smell was at their peak. Reina and Grace caught it too, but it was fainter. Reina still hadn''t gotten used to this enhancement of her senses whereas Grace was a bit too young to match that of her mother and father''s. Still, it was stronger than Reina''s and she knew that something bad had occured.

    The hairs on the little fox went stiff and her tails moved in a snake-like pattern as she became more alert. Something obviously spooked the thing.

    "Since a while ago I have noticed these familiar  energy patterns..." Morrigan suddenly commented. " Aries? And maybe...Mercury? But this one, who...? No, it seems like--!" She widened her eyes.

    " Mephisto." Roland sighed. "Yeah, that guy, he probably got pissed off by some punk. The direction seems like the library. Damn. There''s usually a good few people there. And it seems like someone annoyed him. Damn, this could get a bit troublesome to deal with"

    Morrigan was worried. Mephistopheles, the Archdevil of Combat...That man wasn''t known for his patience. The students here should know of him and his temperment fairly well though, so why would any of them provoke him?

    For that matter, where were Mercury and Aries?

    "Come on, lets stop him before he kills someone..." Roland paused. "Reina, Grace...Well, just stay behind us and you''ll both be fine." He wasnt worried about their safety. With he and Morrigan here how was it possible for them to get hurt?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    "My good borther, did you miss me? Come here, give your dearest "Sister" a hug~!" Mercury gushed as she appeared in his office.

    Loki was just about to crack the 450th seal on that blasted bead when she showed up and his momentary distraction maded his hand slip. He was so engrossed in the work that he hadnt even noticed the portal outside or anything else.

    He quickly erected a strong barrier around the bead a split second before it made a explosion. The barrier cracked.

    Loki stood up angrily. "Fuck, woman, what the hell do you think you''re doing!"

    Mercury pouted. "What, I didnt do anything wrong!" She peered at the thing he was working on. " Oooh, that looks interesting! Let me see!" She made a grab for it.

    "Go to hell." He snatched it and made the bead disappear. " What are you doing here?"

    "Oh! Shit, that''s right! Where''s Fenris?! We have to go! Gehenna''s here!" Her eyes went wide. She looked for her daughter.

    "Yeah, I know. I''m the one who reported her appearance here. Damn, word spread fast!" He shook his head in wonder.

    "You knew!" She spluttered. " Then did you already send her away? Oh, great. What a relief~!" She sighed.

    "Ah, no, she''s around here somewhere..." He faltered under her cold gaze.

    "She''s what!" She yelled. " Idiot, you know how dangerous that woman is and yet you let our daughter wander about while that thing is-! "

    "Meh, dont worry about it. I got a friend here, you see. With the two of us that Gehenna won''t be too much of a problem."

    "Damn idiot. I can''t believe that you..."She sighed. "Well fine. Whatever. When I find her i''m taking Fenris back with me. I won''t allow her to be on the same planet as that psychopath."

    " It''s fine, we were all planning on going to the Higher Planes soon anyway. Probably by today. If Gehenna shows up, me and Roland could probably take her." On the subject, he remebered that she wasnt acting like herself that day. Roland should have attacked her, but she didnt respond to the provacation. That was odd for her. He wondered what that woman was up to.

    If she didnt come back for revenge by now she must have something up her sleeve.

    Not that he was worried all that much. Hmph, he could handle anything she threw at him. He even had Roland here to back him up, why would he be scared?

    That guy whose OPness wasn''t something to underestimate, he was a reliable one.

    " Ah, Roland? Yeah, I met him a bit ago. Ufufufu~" She laughed. " I admit he seems strong. But I won''t take any chances here. I''ll remain here and make sure Fenris is okay."

    "You...met him?" Loki asked cautiously.

    "Oh, yeah. Just got back from him, actually. " She made a low whistle. " That man, damn, that is one fine piece of-"

    "Stop!" Loki  shouted. "Not another word!"

    "What? Dont be like that. I mean,  have you seen him? Oooh, those beautiful blues of his, that masculine scent...heh, I totes want to conquer him gently...." She nearly purred. It was ruined by the "guhehehe"--like laugh of her''s that dripped with unabashed perversion.

    "Gah!" Loki nearly coughed blood. " No! Never! Not gonna happen! Evil thoughts begone!" He aimed a chop to Mercury''s head, which she dodged by teleporting a few feet away.

    " Well dont worry about it, I will restrain myself. Besides, he already has a lover and I dont want to come between them...Unless they ask me too..." She grinned.

    "What, you know about that already?" Loki stared.

    "Well yeah. Not that hard to figure out.  Those two got serious chemistry right? "

    "I cant believe you found out so quickly!"He marveled. " Wait, how long have you known?"

    "Since I saw them together. As I said, it isn''t like its hard to figure out."

    "You saw them together? Just now?"

    "Yeah."

    "Damn..." He shook his head. He didn''t even think about the possibility but she knew so quickly? " I couldn''t believe it when I heard about, to be honest. Those two being married...It''s insane."

    "Oh, they were married? I didnt know that. I just thought that they were an item."

    "Well yeah, one wouldnt expect her to marry anyone. I mean the thought is utterly incomprehensible!"

    She looked at him strangely. " Hold up...Who''re you talking about? " Why did Loki seem so astonished that those two were together?

    " Roland and Morrigan."

    "...What about Morrigan?" Why bring her up anyway?

    Now it was his turn to look at her strangely.

    "Well because she and him are married, obviously." He seemed to imply, "Are you dumb?" With his eyes.

    Her mind went black for a few moments.

    Then,

    "...EH?!"

 Chapter forty-five

    AN: short chapter, not much explained on Mephisto''s side of things. I''ll do that next chapter. Ah, you know, given how many chapter already out, and how slow things have progressed, im like seriously wondering how so many people could like the story...

    Anyway, enjoy. Remeber to rate and review. Ah, i need to work on that other story of mine too. Been putting that off. Need to start that Glossary that I put up there, haven''t added anything to that.

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    " Little punk, I''ll deliver divine retribution upon your ass!!" Mephisto was flinging bolts of red lighting at a scared-looking Michael.

    "Lord Mephistopheles, I''m sorry, I''m so sorry! Ah, stop! Hey, t-that almost killed me! Ah, no, please calm down!"

    "Shut up, damn brat, let me turn you to ash!"

    "Lord Mephistopheles, please let me explain!" Michael pleaded as he dodged another bolt of lightning.

    The library that they were inside of was now reduced to a shadow of its former self. There were books scattered everywhere and pages that were floating down gently, not to mention the large, gaping hole in the roof of the building that let through streams of sunlight.

    There were several bodies lying on the floor. They were slightly burned but not enough to kill or cause severe damage: Mephisto was annoyed by what that pest did but he still wasn''t so far gone that he would kill innocents like a it were nothing.

    He floated on a dark cloud of ash, his deep red horns that were usually dormant now jutting proudly out of his skull like daggers as he entered a state close to his true form.

    His eyes changed as well, becoming pitch-black with small sparks of flames in their depths.

    He wasn''t trying to kill the lad, not truly. If he were, the boy would be dead over a thousand times by now. No, he wanted to play with the bastard like a cat would a mouse.

    He grinned wildly, aiming a bolt compromised of a cocktail of demonic energy and chaos energy at the kid''s head. This wouldn''t kill him, but it would hurt so much he would be writhing in agony.

    The thought pleased him more than it should.

    He gripped the bolt of condensed red lightning and flicked his arm, sending it towards the boy in a stream of red.

    Michael reacted instinctively, sensing danger. He looked back, saw the incoming flash of crimson, and stretched out a hand in defense.

    Instantly a bolt of electric blue fired itself out of his palm and collided against its red counterpart.

    The two made an odd reaction, forming a black sphere around themselves as they hit. The sphere began to show lines of red and blue that spread out from its center in intricate designs like a spider''s web.

    The red lines overtook the blue in mere seconds and the red bolt came out, shattering the black sphere as it left.

    The bolt now held streaks of blue and became tree times large in width, the energy within overflowing and causing it to emit sparks of electricity that arched out and struck everything to its sides.

    Including the unconscious children. Their bodies convulsed.

    Sonuvabitch, Mephisto cursed as his mind took in every detail with an ultra fast pace.

    The blue lighting was made of pure divine energy, but a mutated form that resided in the bloodline of only one person that he knew of. This was the Legacy that few of that man''s blood could wield.

    His own was from chaos energy and demonic energy comvined, the antithesis of divine energy.

    Just now the two opposing forces, the red bolt and the blue, entered a special state where they each fought for supremacy.

    But how could a bolt thrown from Mephisto, not to mention created using his own methods of energy manipulation praised by Lucifer himself, possibly lose to that of a bolt thrown by some kid still wet behind the ears?

    And the moment it won, it "ate" the blue bolt thereby increasing its power ten-fold!

    Something like that, the kid wouldn''t survive no matter how much he struggled!

    Which is why he cursed. This kid, amazingly, was of Zeus''s brood. Maybe a mere descendent, or maybe a hidden child. Either way, Zeus was protective of those holding his blood withing them.

    If he dies here, that troublesome bastard would probably come seeking some kind of recompense.

    But despite his alarm Mephisto wasn''t able to stop the attack nor was he able to read h the big in time to save him:He didn''t specialize in speed like Loki.

    He could only watch as the bolt made its way to the boy, spelling certain doom for the young man.

    Michael saw the world as if it were in slow motion, watching as the enlarged bolt made it''s way towards him with a sense of both disbelief and surprise.

    He knew he was going to die, could imagine the damage the attack would do to him and the state it would do to his body. He could almost smell his own charred flesh now before it even happened.

    Michael didn''t have the time to think, didn''t have the ability to make any thoughts at all in the wake of the prickling  numbness that spread throughout his body.

    Mephisto, however, was able to think quite clearly and at a much faster rat than the kid.

    His thoughts?

    *Well fuck.*

    But just as they both thought that a death was imminent there was a certain figure that rushed into the scene at an unbelievable pace.

    A mere stream of black was all Michael saw at first. It appeared some few feet away, not a large distance at all.

    This figure was, of course, Roland.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    He came in front of the blown open library doors just as the bolt left the sphere and acted instantly.

    With a single hand, he grabbed the bolt in the middle of it''s shaft.

    He used the momentum and expertly rotated his body. He made a full circle, then brought back his entire arm as he once again faced Mephisto.

    With everything done in one fluid motion he hurled the bolt back at his friend with all his might, the action creating a great gust of wind as it left his palm.

    Mephisto only had time to blink at his friend''s sudden appearance.

    Fu--

    But the curse, even done with the speed of thought, wasn''t able to be completed before the bolt strick him square in the forehead. His body was wracked with a intense pain and he was shaking as it''s wild energies torn into him.

    Like his entire body was being boiled from the inside out and his flesh was being bitten by thousands of poisonous ants. The lightning arced and was absorbed by his harns, making him scream a bit.

    His horns were sensitive, like all those whose head bore similar protusions. He knew that a small black mark would be left by the attack, a stain on the center of his forehead.

    But that wasn''t all.

    Michael saw the figure disappear from his sight, only to show itself once more behind Lord Mephisto.

    The figure stopped itself in mid-air, hovering just behind him.

    Michael instantly recognized the face and feelings of both relief and gratitude spread through him. It looks like he was saved!

    He breathed a sigh of relief.

    Mephisto fet something behind him as his body was still lit from the bolt and a second later his hair was grabbed.

    The next thing he knew, his body was sent flying to the ground. The force of the movement was extraordinary, smashing him into the ground so hard he was buried nearly a foot deep into the hard floor.

    He wasn''t hurt from the impact, but he was surprised.

    Then Roland smiled at him from above.

    " Nice to see you again, old friend. But to make such an attack against my student, not to mention the light injuries you placed against all these others....how arrogant you have become. I have a responsibility to protect these guys, you know? I know you held back, but I can''t let this go, now can I? Sorry, but would you quietly lay there and accept what''s about to happen? Thanks in advance~"

    His smile grew, dark and cold.

    Mephisto felt a chill from the sight.

    Roland then held out an arm and conjured a bolt of lightning similar to the other two...but this on was obsidian black with veins of azure blue light coming off it.

    It didnt look like lightning, no, it looked more substantial that that, more tangible.

    Mephisto recognized the thing as soon as it appeared. This was something that he had used rarely, something that he copied and improved from Mephisto''s own attacks. It was something that he liked to do on some occassions, use his opponents'' attacks against them. To make them his own and bring them further to perfection, as if to mock them.

    And the reason the bolt held such color was because it was was partly infused with his own spiritual energy, his essence. He literally squeezed out his own unique energies to shape the thing, didn''t bother to borrow power from outside forces like Mephisto did by instiling chaos energy into it.

    How he shaped it to make the thing so stable, Mephisto was never told. He only knew the terrifying might the black bolt possessed.

    Mephisto got up quickly to move, but he was too late. Roland didn''t throw the thing, he appeared right over him and struck down with a great force.

    Mephisto''s chest was struck.

    It seemed as if the colors of the world became inverted, everything appearing distorted and hazy. There was a certain silence that was created but after a mere second everything became normal again, as if nothing had happened at all.

    Michael inched closed. He  saw it then, the large, gaping hole in Lord Mephisto''s chest, his long hair looking wild and unkempt. His eyes stared up at the sun that peeked through the destroyed ceiling, lifeless.

    He turned to Roland, shocked. " You...you killed him...?"

    He couldnt believe it. The thought was incomprehensible. This man had lived for so long, had such power and prestige that the thought of him being killed was totally unthinkable.

    He knew that he held back, that if he wanted the man could have killed him a thousand times over.

    How could someone like him....

    Roland looked at him as if he said somethng stupid. " Are you touched in the head, boy? Why are you even making that face? He almost ended your life, you know. Also, how can that stubborn guy be killed so easily?  Dont think he''s that weak. You are seriously underestimating his ability to take damage. Honestly, how laughable." He shook his head.

    "But..." Michael looked at the still  body doubtfully.

    Roland did the same.

    He grabbed him by his overly long hair, pulled him out of the ground and threw his body a bit aways.

    Then he kicked him mercilessly, " Oi, how long are you gonna sleep for? Wake up, i''m not going to carry your lazy ass. And don''t overreact, neither me or Loki are in trouble. Oh, and yes, we know Gehenna''s here. Just get off the floor and come with me."

    Throughout everything he didn''t once stop his ruthless kicking.

    Michael''s eyes nearly popped out at the scene.

 Chapter forty-six

    AN: I know, im in trouble. I said i would get chapters out more often but i failed to deliver so far. I still plan to though, i have a few in stock that needs some expanding upon. And editing. They''re kind of frameworks right now. But still. Anyway, I meant to release this earlier but I had just finished releasing another chapter for my other series a few days ago and after that i fell asleep. Then I spent some time lounging around and stuff before i realized i never released this one. Anyeay, sorry about the wait.

    I think I need to start working more with Saren, James and Lilith now. Can''t neglect them, now can I? And Grace. Grace needs more screen time. Plus Fenris. And maybe Mercury? She seems fun. Gehenna I need to get back to as well. So much work...

    Editing will be done later. Or maybe I will tak the time to read along with you guys and edit the problems as I find them. Remember to rate and review. Also, comment on anything you like.

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    Throughout the walk to the library Morrigan became increasingly moody.

    Why?

    Well, it probably had something to do with the fact that her daughter had stuck to the red haired girl''s side like glue.

    Grace seemed to have some strange fascination with the girl, talking to her like they were long time friends...or even sisters.

    Her eyes were bright and cheerful as they conversed, staring up at this Reina person with this sort of unconditional affection. And Morrigan had no idea where it welled up from.

    Not only that, but the way the young woman sometimes glanced at Roland seemed a bit too trusting for Morrigan''s liking. She knew that they couldn''t have known each other long, but like Grace this sort of trust seemed almost inherent.

    Also, they walked too close together. Sometimes the girl would have a bit of trouble crossing the slightly uneven terrain and Roland would, seemingly unconsciously, help her.

    He did it carefully, lightly, leaving very little physical contact between them. But it still happened. And when they did touch, however briefly, Morrigan would catch a very slight change in both their expressions.

    A small flash of light, a fleeting hint of...she wasn''t sure what, exactly.

    He told her nothing was going on between them, but was that truly the case? She didn''t think he would care to lie about it, but who knows.

    She didn''t feel she had a right to simply walk into his life and ask him to give up any previous relationships he might have with other girls. In her heart, she felt she would be able to handle such a thing.

    But the thought of having someone else occupy his time, of owning a place in his heart...Well, she hated it.

    The things they went through together were too numerous to count. Perhaps it would be strange for those who knew her to hear how she was married, how she fell in love with...well, anyone.

    But they wouldn''t know all that he had done for her, all the things he went through to keep her alive.

    That day, the day when Gehenna probably began to hate her, a great battle occurred. A few people banning together under the notion that Gehenna was too dangerous an existence. Using special methods, they forced Gehenna to use desperate measures in order to protect herself. Measures that had likely cost her dearly.  Morrigan didn''t know what the cost was, only knew how she had disappeared for quite some time before showing up once more with a changed personality. Colder, perhaps even more ruthless than before.

    Morrigan was weakened after that event too, weakened to the point where she lost nearly every bit of power she had. It had to be known, she and her Pantheon were not always gods: they achieved their divinity because they were powerful mortals who were elevated to godly status through the collective belief of their original world''s inhabitants. Belief was truly powerful, and that is why many gods rely on belief to sustain themselves.

    Mortals usually couldn''t become as powerful as true gods like Loki: They lacked the inherent potential. But the way that they, Morrigan and the rest of her pantheon, had reached that point differed from the usual path and therefore they could do what normally wouldn''t happen. They became equal to true gods. Or close enough.

    It took them a long time to get to where they were now even so. To find ways to further increase their power to such an extent. It was a great struggle, and not all of their companions survived.

    But after that time Morrigan was, in many ways, mortal once again. And the last spark of divinity she had left caused more harm than good, leaving her a succulent treat for any man or beast wanting to increase their power.

    She, being a beautiful woman, would have been either raped or eaten. Those were one of the few ways to access that last spark of hers. It was left because she was, even before she became a god, a virgin. Never exposed to the darker, impure energies inherent in men.

    If not for that she would have truly been mortal once more, not even having the power she once wielded as one. But even though she retained her previous abilities of that time  it still ended up not being enough. They weren''t quite as strong as they had been and they were exhausted too quickly. They were unreliable.

    When she was hunted down, nearly violated by a group of ambitious men, the one who had casually walked by was a boy no more than fourteen. Though he looked older.

    At that time and many times afterwards, even when uncountable numbers of enemies came for her, even when he was exhausted after endless fighting and sleeples night, he would still always stand firm with an arm around her still severely weakened frame and say --

    "This wild fluctuation of power, Mephisto wouldn''t...Unless--" Suddenly her husband''s eyes widened slightly as he spoke up, pulliing Morrigan from her thoughts.

    He dashed ahead of them, his figure disappearing from view.

    In the distance she saw him coming to a stop by the open library entrance.

    After that, he disappeared once more.

    She looked in the direction he left towards. He seemed much more powerful than he had been the last time she knew him,  When she heard of him some few years ago, when she had went to see him, he was a fair bit younger than now. And she could tell that the him she first knew and the him at that time were a bit different.

    In this life, he advanced in power quicker than he did before. He used to be her equal, but now she felt he was on a higher level. Most curious.

    Grace broke off from her talk with the red haired girl and followed after him. Morrigan allowed it, knowing she would be safe with her father there.

    The girl--Reina--seemed to blink at the speed the two displayed. She glanced at Morrigan before averting her gaze. Morrigan was now alone with Reina and  the other girl.  Sara, who  had been suspended in mid-air by a certain spell, floated beside Morrigan. Her wounds were healed by Roland some time ago, but her body was still unconscious.

    Soon a rather awkward silence stretched out before them. A tension hung in the air like a taught wire ready to break.

    Morrigan was the first to break the ice.

    "Grace seems to have taken a liking to you. "

    "Ah, yes, it appears so..." She seemed a bit dazed.

    "That''s unusual for her, you know." Morrigan commented. She glanced at the girl. " Are you alright, girl? You seem a bit distracted." She smiled a bit, the expression feeling forced. Talking to the girl was a serious effort on her part. It wasn''t something she would normally do, expecially to a mere mortal who should have long since died. What''s more, Morrigan still resented the girl for interrupting them in the morning.

    "...I guess i''m a bit overwhelmed..." Reina admitted.

    " Oh?" Morrigan inquired.

    ",,,I just never thought I would be talking to someone like you. You and the other gods are pretty...Uh, popular, I suppose. Talking to you feels a bit strange. Standing here, having a conversation. It''s just weird. Not in a bad way." She rushed to explain. "But, well, meeting a real god in person is a bit like a dream, really."

    This piqued Morrigan''s interest a bit. "I believe you have already met Loki, no?"

    She knew they had.

    "Yeah, but Lord Loki is a bit..." She began vaguely.

    "...He is that, indeed. " Morrigan nodded, understanding.

    Loki wasn''t a normal god. He was a bit more open and sociable than most of the others, yet not. Hard to describe, really. He didn''t give the impression a god should.

    Also, his personality...it wasn''t easy to discover, but sometimes he switched between semi-serious to playful. Not to mention the fact that he loved a woman''s company a bit too much.

    "Getting back to my original topic, Grace does seem to have gotten quite attached to you for some reason. I heard her words clearly back then. Care to offer an explanation on why my daughter thinks you''re her sister?"

    The girl''s words still confused her. Could it be that this girl was somehow blood-related to her husband in some way? Such a thing doesn''t seem likely...For various reasons.

    They don''t even look alike...

    It isn''t impossible for the girl to be his daughter from some other woman, maybe from one of his previous lives. Or merely a descendent of his children. Such a thing isn''t too far-fetched. However, the feeling that the two of them exude don''t really match that sort of relationship. Morrigan could have been reading too much into it, but she doubted it.

    Perhaps her husband didn''t have such interest in this girl, but at the very least Morrigan though the girl may have complex feelings towards her beloved. Maybe not feelings of love, but something that could become such a thing later on.

    So, given that, Morrigan didn''t think that the girl was related to him by blood. Well, incestuous relations were not entirely uncommon, but still. Roland most probably wouldn''t allow it to happen.

    No, Morrigan felt something else was at play here, something that her daughter may have instinctively caught onto.  Something that made her young daughter believe this girl was Roland''s daughter as well?

    "That...I dont know. I really can''t imagine why she would...." Reina looked worried. Morrigan picked up on the emotion easily.

    It seems that the girl was lying. Or, well, not entirely. Still, she wasn''t being entirely truthful either. She knew something.

    " Well, it isn''t a big matter anyway." Morrigan chose to let it go. She would get her husband to explain later. He would know. " Ah, but there is one thing I wanted to talk about...."

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Reina looked as if she felt a sudden chill.

    "...Next time, knock a bit more, will you?" Morrigan smiled.

    The girl nearly choked.

    ---------------------------------------

    Some time later, Roland, Morrigan, Aries, Mercury, Loki, and Mephisto were all gathered in Loki''s office.

    Normally this wouldn''t be a problem. However...

    Aries and Mephisto''s gazes were locked on the chair to their front.

    A chair like that was meant for one. But right now, it''s occupants numbered two: Roland... and Morrigan, who was perched on his lap as if it were only natural. Her two soft mounds pressed against their friend, but she didn''t move away or try to do anything at all about it. If anything, she leaned on him more. He didn''t seem to mind it either.

    This completely messed with the two men''s psyches.

    They couldn''t look away, only staring dumbly at the two as Morrigan looked totally carefree and satisfied as she sat on their friend''s lap.

    Now, they had seen this before. Sometimes when they traveled together women would sit on his lap just like now, making eyes at him before he was dragged away. Seeing a woman on his lap was not really all that odd in those days. Hell, the two of them would sometimes do the same. Find a pretty woman and such, have a good time.

    Well, not Mephisto, but Aries and Loki sure had.

    So the fact the man had a woman sitting on his lap was not strange.

    But...

    The woman who was currently doing so, who was making circles on his chest with a finger while resting her head on his chest....

    She was...

    "Oi, you two." Aries spoke quietly. " If this is some kind of sick game, then..." He trailed off, unable to speak anymore as he saw Morrigan only had her attention focused on Roland.

    Mephisto didn''t say a word.  However, his breathing was a bit too deep. He fiddled with his long locks of hair, twining it around a finger. It was a very rarely seen sign of nervousness for him.

    Loki averted his gaze from the two who dominated the attention in the room.

    Mercury held a smile on her face, the expression looking strained and similar to that of a mask.  It felt like it could break any minute.

    Then, almost as if challenging them, Roland spoke.

    "Everyone, meet my wife...Morrigan."

    There was a short silence.

    Finally,

    "#%$&!!"

    Sounds of exclamation and various profanities escaped the lips of Aries and Mephisto simultaneously.

    Aries jumped up, knocking his knees on the table and spilling the glass of amber liquid that was placed in front of him.

    "Explain this, explain it right now!" He demanded with a glare, picking up Loki by the collar and shouting in his face as he shook him. "This is your doing, isn''t it? A prank, right? What is this shit, an illusion? Did you drug me? What, which is it? This isn''t funny, dammit!"

    Mephisto, the hole in his chest having been healed long ago, also reacted. He stood and went to the side of the two who caused all this."Something like that, what the fuck, you expect us to believe that shit? What is this, Is it blackmail? Talk, what''s he got on you?" He asked lowly, with serious concern.

    Roland, annoyed, felt as if this was way too much. "Alright, enough. Just calm down and listen t-"

    "Calm down? Calm down?!" Aries sputtered, looking as if he would cough blood." You throw this kind of bullshit in our faces and want us to calm down?! You honestly expect us to believe that you and the Eternal Ice Bitch there, the woman known to lack any sort of romantic interest and seemingly void of any sex drive, are marri-?!"

    Roland''s eyes flashed darkly.

    "Both of you, shut up. " His words, delivered so harsh and cold, made the men blink. " I don''t know why everyone seems to find the idea so traumatizing...but I won''t have you two talking about my wife in such a way." He said sharply.

    Suddenly his figure seemed to grow, a dark aura pressing down on the two men''s hearts. It has to be said, when Roland got angry...it was a truly terrifying experience. Even Loki and Mercury, who weren''t the ones such dark intent was being directed at, felt a cold sweat coming on.

    Damn, if it were anyone with less grit than the people here wouldn''t they have had a heart attack by now?

    Morrigan, though, seemed totally unaffected by this despite being so close to him. She merely continued to sit daintily on his lap while looking amused at the expressions the others made.

    "Now,  let''s all take a deep breath and sit down." Roland said, his tone filled with a casual air. The earlier pressure was gone so fast you would have trouble believing it was there at all.

    Aries and Mephisto wouldn''t be suppressed by that alone, but it surprised them. To make him that angered merely for a slip of the tongue...They didn''t have any hate for Morrigan, and calling her a bitch wasn''t done with any ill-will.

    Roland probably knew that. And yet even still, he...

    The two men sat down slowly.

    Mercury''s cheek twitched, and her mask-like face which was poised so carefully seemed to crack. She sighed.

    "Well, it''s not like you can really blame them for reacting that way." She muttered in a bit of a pout.

    Anyone who knew Morrigan on a certain level would react the same way.

    " Well, in any case, that''s how it is. I know you two have a lot of questions. I don''t really care to answer them. However, Morrigan is indeed my wife. So watch that you don''t call her any names in the future or i''m going to have to kill you a few times." Roland warned. " After all, she is the mother of my child." He added.

    This time Aries, Mephisto and Mercury collectively let their mouths drop.

    Mercury had known that the two were married before this. Even still she was hardly able to stop herself from bursting out as loudly as the other two. But...

    He said...

    Mother, was it.

    This Morrigan was....a mother?!

    Something like that was not simply impossible, it was completely unthinkable, insane!

    Aries and Mephisto felt the same.

    "Son of a bitch, a mother! Don''t be ridiculous!" Mephisto blurted out, almost enraged. Was he insulting his intelligence? A Death Goddess, a mother? Unless it was adopted, who would believe such a thing?!

    "Alright, this had gone on far enough, don''t take us for fools! Hmph, where, where is this child then? Show it to us!" Aries felt a headache coming on.

    "Grace, dear, can you come in for a second?" Morrigan spoke up for the first time.

    Instantly the door opened to reveal a young girl, no more than 11 or 12, with a head full of the same long and pure-white hair as Morrigan''s. They even looked remarkably alike.

    But the main difference...was her eyes! Deep blue, gem-like eyes that mirrored the skies!

    Such a shade, they perfectly matched the man they called friend. That is to say, they were just like Roland''s own eyes!  Even her face held traces of him!

    A splendid mix of Roland and Morrigan''s attractive features, combined to give way to an adorable, angelic young girl who entered the room with barely a glance at the others before rushing to the side of her so-called parents.

    Mephisto and Aries glanced at each other, deeply alarmed at the revelation.

    But they both knew that, logically, a child born from a Death Goddess was utterly impossible! Or at least they had never before now heard even a rumour of such a thing happening!

    Was she truly, truly, the child of Roland and Morrigan?

    The three, Mercury, Aries and Mephisto, had trouble believing it. Even more than they had trouble believing that the man and woman in front of them were married.

    " Yes, I know what you''re thinking. But even though I myself don''t know exactly how it''s possible, this girl is my--our--" He patted Morrigan on the thigh, "--daughter." He rubbed the head of the girl affectionately, causing her to smile and laugh lightly in joy.

    "But--but she looks so young..." Mercury said. She could tell that this girl wasn''t that old. As experienced as she, how could she not recognize something like that?

    Even if the girl''s body aged slowly, it would all be in the eyes. They wouldn''t look so youthful and without care if she were older than her appearance suggested.

    Roland nodded. " She''s still very young. But, the circumstances are a bit special. If you want to know, Loki can explain later. Myself...I don''t care anymore. Maybe I should have told you guys," He looked at Aries and Mephisto, " A long time ago. But I felt you two didn''t need to know, that it was my own problem. I had various reasons. But that...I don''t know If I care anymore. Right now, I want to simply finish my business with those four and spend the rest of the time I have left with these two."

    Roland motioned for Morrigan to rise, which she did reluctantly.

    Then he, too, stood. " That''s all I wanted to say. Loki called you two the other day when he learned about this, but I stopped him. It was an almost involuntary action on my part. But I won''t hide the fact these two are my family. I''m happy to have them in my life. So I decided that it''s fine for you guys to know. Maybe once I''m gone you can help look after them. Neither of us are in any danger." He assured them when they opened their mouths.

    "As for Gehenna..." Roland paused. "She might be...a complicated matter. I don''t want you guys to search and start trouble. Leave her be. If she attacks us, I won''t hold back. But I don''t wish to fight her and don''t want you to either. Everything is fine." He said. "Loki, I think that we should leave today. The library and a portion of the dorm rooms are destroyed anyway. Abigail looked like she was stressing out when I  came to pick up Aries. Let''s take her with us and let her relax."

    Loki nodded in agreement. That woman needed a long overdue break.

    " I''ll have the kids ready in an hour or so. Well, they''re already good to go. I simply need to get our transportation going. After that we can go visit Sol and see what we can do about those kid''s curses. Plus see if he can work on the bead with me. After that, we can finally move on to the Higher Planes."

    "Sol? Eh, was that guy here too?"  Aries and Mehpisto asked in perfect sync.

 Chapter forty-seven

    AN: I gotta be honest, sometimes I wait a few extra days to release a chapter. Finished this like a day or two after the last chapter. Hehehe, sorry. Anyways, after reading, tell me how you think of Mercury. Too....perverse? Too..."unique".... might be the word? Let me know.

    That''s all. Remember to rate, review and comment on anything.

    EDIT: As always, further editing will come later. I already did some though, not long ago.

    --------------------------

    Nearly an hour later, everyone in the school, including staff members whom Roland had not really interacted with before, had all gathered in front of the main building. The pink cherry blossom leaves surrounded them, blowing gently in the wind.

    Aries was by Abigail''s side, her long auburn hair tied into a ponytail. They talked quietly to themselves. Roland didn''t listen in, as that would be too beneath him.  Interested as he was in their history, he wouldn''t stoop to such things. He did watch their expressions though.

    Sara had awoken some time ago and sought Aries out once she remembered what happened to her room. She proceeded to coldly take out several Artifacts that shot beams of fierce light at him. Also, the sword made a reappearance. It had stabbed out hundreds of times as she angrily thrust it at his body.

    Aries had dodged these with ease and was starting to get riled up, so Roland intervened by smacking them both on the head. Aries was left worse off though. His head went into two inches into the ground.

    Roland calmed Sara down with a few words...he may have also bribed her a bit with certain items that he knew would pique her interest. She then quickly forgave Aries and had smiled a bit awkwardly as she learned of his identity. She never paid much attention to anything other than her own research and anyone outside her immediate circle of family or friends.

    So she didn''t recognize him at first sight. Well, Aries wasn''t the type to make many public appearances anyway so that was to be expected to some degree. Sara had frowned and muttered to herself as she learned of who she had so blatantly disrespected.  She looked a bit troubled. Anyone would be when they were in the same situation, Roland supposed.  But Aries would let it pass since she was a pretty female.

    That guy didn''t really discriminate between genders but for females he didn''t hold many grudges unless they did something unforgivable to him. Trying to kill him didn''t qualify. If anything it made him more interested in the ones who tried. Roland felt there was something wrong with him in that respect but didn''t ever comment on it. Aries had smiled a bit at the girl as he made a short conversation with her.

    His eyes seemed to brighten a bit as he looked at her too. Clearly Sara was to his liking. Strong, intelligent, fierce, he favored such qualities. Roland felt that it was due to the slight sister complex he had. Athena, that guy''s twin, was a perfect example of his ideal woman...It could be said he sought those who resembled or held similarities in personality with her. Not like he held any romantic feeling for that sister of his, though. Least as far as Roland could tell. Those two butted heads almost every time they met.

    It was only when Abigail came and told Aries to continue helping with the repair for the damage he caused that the man allowed the girl to move along. He wasn''t the pushy type of person but had a way with holding people up and forcing them to be caught up in his own pace. Sara couldn''t exactly just ignore him either. She probably thought it would be bad to simply brush off a person like him.

    Not that Aries would have done anything, Roland knew.  Anyway, Aries continued to help out a few others with the repairing of the damage he caused up until they all gathered in the front just like now.

    Mephisto, for his part, was a bit different. Roland asked him why he was so pissed off at Michael and laughed as he heard the answer. Apparently the force of the impact when he hit the library was different from what Mercury and Aries faced. Mephisto wasn''t able to cushion his fall like the other two had.

    Mercury with landing and being caught by Roland, Aries by...well, Roland wasn¡¯t sure what he did. Probably used the rooms he crashed into to do it. They were surrounded by a certain special spell that kind of resembled a soft, bubble-like barrier which increased their room size. Bigger on the inside, pretty much. Aries had likely used them to slow down a bit before forcefully stopping himself.

    Mephisto, somehow, was different in that he was a bit too slow in reacting. Roland could only say that the man had gotten rusty, allowing that to happen. Anyway, he hit the reinforced building without anything to help him lighten his impact. Being thrown out of a portal would do a lot of damage even to people like them if they didn''t try to do anything about it.

    So, once he hit, he blacked out for a minute or two. When he awoke, he was surrounded by wide-eyed students wondering why such a feared, respected and easily-recognizable individual like Mephisto had come crashing into the library.

    What''s more, Michael, panicking, thought that Mephisto was in need of help. He didn''t recognize him as fast as the others since he was way too young to know much regarding the power structure of Hell and it''s more famous figures. Also, Michael was a bit wet behind the ears due to his age and sheltered life...meaning he didn''t know that races like Mephisto''s didn''t need much air to live on.

    And their hearts didn''t beat all that much, so it was hard to tell if they were alive. When Michael thought his heart wasn''t beating he immediately tried to do CPR and whatnot. Which was right when Mephisto woke up, just as Michael''s lips were just an inch from his own.

    This annoyed him. And so he started a rampage which grew because the rest of the students kept screaming and running away. Mephisto didn''t like the racket and quickly threw a few fireballs at their retreating bodies. It was pandemonium as some enterprising students tried to subdue Mehpisto....which ended badly.

    Finally he sought out Michael, who was trying to explain everything and apologize. Mephisto seemed to only grow more annoyed by the boy''s blabbering and proceeded to play a bit with him.

    Roland conjured the mental image at Michael leaning over an unconscious Mephisto, lips puckered and slowly lowering his head to meet the mouth of the older man.

    He couldn''t help letting out a laugh and a wide grin as Mephisto recounted all this.

    This is what Roland had been told shortly after he first met up with the man.

    After this little chat they went to Loki''s office, where Roland and Morrigan had that coming out which elicited strong reactions from those present.

    Coming back to the present.... Needless to say, no one went near Mephisto when he arrived at the scene filled with multiple students who now bore a few new traumas regarding the incident.

    Even now, Roland saw a wide circle around him that was devoid of any student. Word spread fast. Although a few of the women in the crowd looked at the man with blatant interest, none had the courage to approach.

    Understandable.

    Aries, on the other hand, got the same attention but it was a bit different. The students were not as scared of Aries as they were Mephisto. This was in part due to them not having heard much of all the insane things Aries had done, and because he was the brother of the much-respected Athena.

    The males, seeing Aries with the popular Abigail, sent gazes of carefully concealed envy at him.

    ...Hmm, on the point, Roland had a few similar gazes on him too...

    Which was probably because....

    " All these girls, look at them, eyeing you like that. You haven''t even been here long and you already got a few that seem interested. Honestly..." Morrigan sighed.

    Roland looked at his newfound-wife.

    She had an arm twined around his almost possessively, her soft breasts pressing against him as she stood close by his side. Her clothing consisted of her usual black dress...only this time it was a deep blue and cut a bit differently, exposing her long and slender legs while emphasizing her pert buttocks.  Her hair was done with two curls that framed her delicate face and her red eyes glowed like polished rubies.

    This made every male eye within eyesight stare at her dumbly, entranced.

    It matched well with Roland''s black suit and blue tie, the clothes that he took out to wear when Mercury''s landing ruined his others. It fit him a bit tight, snug. But it was meant to be that way, wrapping around his body like a glove. It was a three-piece suit which consisted of a single-breasted black jacket with several buttons, a similarly black vest, collared shirt and trousers. Yes, all black. Which Roland felt was a bit too much, really. But on the plus side it did make the brilliant, deep blue tie pop more.

    Still, Loki, that one who gave it too him, had a fair bit of good taste. It was finely made with expert skill, not some mass produced monstrosity. The material was soft, smooth and airy so it was comfortable to wear....Why had Loki gotten it for him though?

    Roland did remember a bit about it but not much. Well, whatever. He liked suits in any case, so it didn''t matter. Maybe he should wear them more often.

    "Don''t take them too seriously." Roland shrugged, " And you aren''t exactly unpopular either. I can feel countless murderous gazes on my back right now." he smiled in amusement.

    "...I don''t like it either, daddy. These women, looking at you like that....They completely disregard the fact that me and mommy are here beside you." Grace chimed in sulkily, not happy at all. Roland shook his head a bit, knowing he was outnumbered.

    Both mother and daughter were annoyed at Roland himself garnering a few interested eyes despite the two of them being the focus of many more in comparison.

    She glared at the girls, her eyes narrowed in warning.  As if sensing her displeasure, the white multi-tailed fox by her feet also bristled it''s fur. It then jumped on top of Grace''s shoulder, starting to lick her cheek. Roland knew that the fox wasn''t ordinary. He recognized it''s species. He should probably let Grace know what it was sometime. If raised right, the thing could become a life-long friend.

    " Don''t worry about them." He said, patting her on the head....He was doing that a lot recently....

    " This is all so tiresome. Where did Loki get to? " Morrigan frowned in consternation

    "He went to fetch the ride. Should be back soon." Roland explained.

    "Ah, I haven''t seen sister Fenris or sister Reina....I wonder where they are..." Grace looked around.

    " Fenris, I don¡¯t know....But Reina''s packing her things with the rest. I don''t think you met them all. You know, there is a girl about your age I hope you can be friends with. Charlotte, I think her name is." Roland glanced at the girl.

    "...Eh? But I wanted to introduce sister Fenris to daddy...."

    "I met her already though...But what do you think about meeting Charlotte?"

    "Charlotte, huh..." She muttered, thinking. " I don''t know. I want to play with mommy and daddy ...but If daddy wants, I can at least see the girl...." She spoke hesitantly.

    Roland looked curiously at Morrigan.

    "She doesn''t know many girls her age, so she might be a bit..." Morrigan trailed off, averting her gaze.

    This was one of the things she regretted: Grace not being able to play with those her own age. How would she really connect with people who looked young but were in actuality many decades her senior? Fenris was good to the girl, but that wasn''t the same.

    Morrigan didn''t know how she would be able to provide children for her to play with. It was not a truly important matter, and Grace didn''t seem to mind, but...

    She was a very...sheltered child. It could even be said that the only truly important person she ever had in her life was Morrigan. No great friends, not even someone she would be able to talk with on even ground. She was doted upon by those older than her, but that was pretty much it. Not to mention that she had grown up within Morrigan''s Temple where she had legions of servants to take care of her needs.

    "Well, who knows, you two might end up great friends. So, later, make sure to try and get along. Alright?"

    Grace nodded. "Okay, daddy. But..." A odd shadow came over her eyes and she paused, unsure.

    "But?" He asked.

    "Daddy, it''s just that...the last time I made a friend, I...Because of my powers, she..." Her voice seemed to fail her, going a bit hoarse. She looked at him, then away, her eyes slightly misting up.

    Roland saw the expressions she and Morrigan made. He could guess what happened. " Grace, your powers are a part of who you are. If you are afraid of them, even to a slight degree, they will never be fully under your command. Don''t fear them, don''t reject them. They are not some foreign entity, but a part of your very being. As long as you remember that, then there will never come a time when you lose control." Roland spoke firmly, holding her eyes with his own and trying his best to make her understand.

    "Daddy..." Grace''s eyes widened, staring at him.

    "Well," He continued casually, " Even if your powers do go out of control a bit I''ll stop you before anyone can get hurt. So don''t worry about it too much and just focus on making some friends."

    Morrigan saw her daughter''s expression lighten up instantly, smiling and looking up at her father with relief, gratitude and joy, as if a weight had been lifted off her tiny shoulder. Morrigan marveled at the change.

    During a certain incident Grace had harmed the only friend she had within the Temple. It was nothing too serious, the girl survived, but Grace had never been entirely comfortable when using her abilities around anyone but her mother.

    It wasn''t entirely noticeable, but she lived with the fear that she might once again lose control and harm someone. This is also why she hadn¡¯t made many real friends. She put up a subtle wall that she probably didn''t even know about herself.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprise she was hesitant to meet that Charlotte girl given all that.

    Morrigan felt she had failed her daughter in that regard. She should have tried harder to allow her a more normal life. To take that tiny worry in her daughter''s heart and make it go away. She smothered her daughter in love, but that alone wasn''t enough. Maybe she wasn''t a person fit to be a good mother. She hated to think that, though. She knew that if Roland had been in their lives back then he would have been able to help her give Grace a much better upbringing

    He was always the more...sensible one. She, as an ancient goddess, lacked common sense in many things when they first met. The person she is today is in part due to his influence. Who knows what Grace would have turned out like had it been Morrigan''s old self who raised her.

    The short exchange between the father and daughter convinced Morrigan that her husband would be an excellent father. A mere few words from him and the fear, the worry that she might harm this Charlotte just as she did that girl from before, was reduced almost to the point where it was gone.

    Not only did he explain the nature of Grace''s power, he also told her how she might be able to master them better by accepting that they were a part of her. He even said that even if she wasn''t able to do that now, even if she did lose control,  he would step in and stop anything from happening.

    And Grace, so trusting and affected by the words spoken with absolute confidence, had responded positively to it all. Perhaps it wasn''t enough to completely alleviate Grace''s concerns, but it was more than Morrigan was able to do despite all the time she had spent with her.

    Morrigan was truly happy that her husband was here, with them.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    Fenris was resting upon the top of the main building''s ledge, gazing down at the students and staff gathered below. She saw Abigail and a person she recognized as Aries, a God Of War, chatting a bit between themselves.

    She had heard the entrance of the three. She smelled her mother, Aries and Mephisto. Also felt their familiar energy signatures. She didn''t know Lord Mephisto all that well, but she knew Aries. Her other father, Hermes, was in the same Pantheon as Aries. So she did interact with the man a bit.

    Due to certain reasons, she had sought them both out for a fight at least once under disguise. But it ended in a close tie with both, which wasn''t what she was looking for.

    A mere tie, unable to defeat or be defeated...she wasn''t satisfied with that. So, she didn''t seek out another battle with the two anymore after that first time.

    Hm, her father didn''t like her mingling with his friends too much. For what reason, she felt she understood a bit. Though the worry was needless.

    Lord Mephisto, unlike Aries, was alone. Or rather, the entire space around him was barren, not a soul in sight. Some people did watch him from the sidelines with interested gazes, mainly females, but none was courageous or suicidal enough to approach the man who emitted a very "Don''t fuck with me"-aura at the moment.

    Fenris also saw some other, more noticeable students. They stuck together, each on wearing an armband. They looked more mature than the others, more powerful too. They didn¡¯t attend classes much but that wasn''t a problem as far as her father was concerned. Right now, like many others, the eyes of these were focused on four people that were close by.

    She yawned lazily, catching sight of the group. The first one she noticed was tall, handsome man with jet-black hair and lean yet masculine build. She couldn''t see his face, but in the past few days his smell was very familiar. Like...spice, almost. A nice mixture of that and other things which was very pleasing to the nose.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    To his side, clinging to him with her breast against his side, was a beautiful woman in a deep blue dress that exposed a decent bit of her legs. Her long, soft-looking strands of snow white hair was familiar to Fenris too, along with the small girl to her side.

    The girl was adorable. Unlike the woman''s seductive figure, the girl could only be described as cute and angelic. Pure, worthy of protecting. Hmm...now that Fenris saw the girl, didn''t she and the man she was currently holding the sleeve of smell kinda....similar?

    Ah, on that note, she remembered that even their eyes seemed a bit like each other''s too. What a weird coincidence. She looked at them more closely. She now knew the relationship the two adults there...so, logically speaking, the girl must be their daughter, right? They looked and smelled alike, after all.

    Fenris felt a bit dazed. She oddly hadn''t even thought of the possibility until just now. Wait...that didn''t seem right though. That woman, how is it possible that she could have a child....Maybe she was wrong....

    This was probably the first time she doubted her instincts.

    Lastly, there was a white fox, about the size Fenris was since she was in her cat form at the moment. It held multiple tails, each ending in golden tips. And from these tips they extended several inches towards the base of the tails. There were fire-like patterns to them as well. Very detailed, the lines and curves were without flaw as if drawn with exceeding care.

    Going back a bit to the girl, Fenris decided not to think about it for now. Maybe she would ask for confirmation later.

    But they did create a lovely sight. Cherry blossom leaves fluttering in the wind, beams of light smiling down on them, the gazes of almost everyone upon them.

    The surrounding students even gave them a bit of space, as if unconsciously not wanting to disturb the nice atmosphere between the three.

    Women looked with interested eyes at the man, while the men leered at the woman. The girl was stared at too, the people not able to resist her lovely appearance. Combined with the white fox, the girl''s adorable-ness reached unimaginable heights.

    "Ah, my precious daughter, here you are~ I found you~ C''mere, give mother dearest a hug~" Suddenly a surprisingly annoying voice appeared behind Fenris.

    She reacted instantly, leaping away just as two hands reached her previous resting place.

    Her mother, Mercury, a very beautiful women with a head full of chestnut brown hair, pouted as her daughter successfully dodged.

    "tsk" She clicked her tongue. " Well, I guess I should know better by now to try sneaking up on you." Her mother sighed.

    Well, technically she could also qualify as her aunt. Fenris'' birth mother was not the woman before her. She had several mothers and fathers but only one of the mothers gave birth to her. It was a unique situation since her real father, Loki, had several different versions of himself that each had their own personalities.

    Some, like this one, identified as a female. So...yeah...

    " So, mom, how you been?" Fenris greeted casually, changing to her human form. " Molest anyone interesting recently?" Mercury wasn''t some floozy who just slept around with anyone, but she wasn''t exactly afraid of seducing whatever man caught her eye at the moment.

    Hmm....What would you call a female womanizer?

    "Nope. Well, not really. I mean, there was this one guy I met recently who had a killer bod, but apparently he''s taken. Too bad, really. He seems like the type you want to bring home and thoroughly enjoy yourself with, if you know what I mean," She wiggled her brows suggestively, grinning at her daughter as if sharing some secret.

    "Don''t know and don''t want to know." Fenris sniffed in displeasure. Honestly...

    "So, I bet you''re wondering why I¡¯m h--"

    "Not really. I can guess. Dad called Aries some time ago and suddenly he, Mephisto and you show up? I''m able to notice the clues." Fenris said, yawning once more. "Aries probably misunderstood something, picked up Mephisto, contacted the one closest person that had a suitable Teleportation Array, and came here. That person was probably you, right? You probably decided to come here on a whim."

    Mercury looked hurt. " Well, kind of, but I was worried, you know? I learned that Gehenna was here and was afraid that you--"

    "I had heard a bit ago that Gehenna was here. Which freaked me out a bit. But I think I can handle myself against her. So, thanks for the concern but it wasn''t needed. I appreciated it, I do, but--"

    Mercury, her cheek twitching in sudden irritation, smacked her.

    "Ah!" Fenris cried out, more in surprise than pain.

    "Let me be clear: You can''t win against her." Mercury said coldly. " Look, Fenris, your father Loki and most other people don¡¯t know how truly terrifying that woman Gehenna is. I, myself, am not at liberty to say...but there is a very good reason none of the leaders of the pantheons are willing to fight that woman. Not even willing to ban together and do so. Think a bit about why that might be."

    Her words were quiet, insistent.

    "Just know this about her: Even if you win, you will lose. This is the kind of existence she is, my girl. Maybe even she doesn''t know, but I and a few others do. No matter what you do, in the end, it won''t matter against her. I suggest you question exactly why she is called a walking disaster, an abomination, and who were the people that first called her that."

    Mercury then seemed to lose her serious expression to adopt her usual air of playfulness. While Fenris was still mulling the strange words her mother spoke of, Mercury conjured a cream colored off-the-shoulder sweater for her now naked daughter. It was made of knit satin, soft to the touch, revealing her collarbone and shoulders. It was long, too, reaching far enough to be worn in public if it came to it.

    "Thanks." Fenris muttered.

    "No probs. But, you still haven''t fixed that transformation issue of yours, eh? Well, I¡¯m not a great teacher, so unfortunately I can''t help there." She replied with a small chuckle. " But that aside..." She looked her daughter over. " Man, I got great taste, don''t I? Heh, that sweater totes shows off your feminine appeal. I have a real gift for fashion~" She gushed, making a laugh.

    "....."

    "So, what were you looking at?" She turned her gaze toward the direction her daughter was looking at previously, completely disregarding the  effect her words had made on Fenris.

    "Nothing." Fenris said, frowning. She held up a hand to block her mother''s sight.

    "Eh, c''mon, let me see~" She moved her head, trying to get a better view.

    Fenris didn''t think it was a good idea to let her mother know what she was looking at. Not that it was bad, but...She was a bit worried about how this lascivious mother of hers would respond to seeing--"

    "Ah, so it was him~!" Her mother exclaimed suddenly.

    The younger girl bristled. " I don''t know what you''re talking about. Him, who?" She played innocent.

    Mercury grinning at her daughter knowingly. " Acting dumb, huh? Hehe, you can''t fool me, daughter of mine!" She then pointed to the group of four Fenris was watching moments ago.

    " ...You know him?"

    "Yup. Met him today for the first time, though. He''s the one I was talking about. Mmm, that man....You know, I believe that the heavens want us to jump on top of each other. Probably several times, until we pass out, before going again. Several of those times will probably have to involve some oil as well. Or bubbly water. Maybe some ice cream. Perhaps spread evenly throughout " She nodded. "Nn, indeed, this is most likely the case. This is what my instincts tell me. " The lascivious mother stated, making Fenris think that it was a certain other part of the woman which had told her all this.

    "After all, I did first appear to him pretty much naked. So was he. Is this not some sign? "

    These words caused Fenris to stare incredulously at her mother. This woman....she was just.... why did both she and Loki have to act like dogs in heat all the time? Fenris sighed inwardly.

    "...Is what I''m saying, but sadly he''s married. And to Morrigan!" She shook her head in wonderment.

    She glanced at her daughter. " You don''t seem surprised.

    "I already knew for some time."  Fenris explained.

    "Well I suppose that''s to be expected since you''ve been here all this time. Loki knew, so you probably would as well. But it''s such a waste!" She spoke up with great regret. " Does that woman even have any sex drive? I never saw any indication of such from her. Hell, even Artemis and Athena, those prudes, indulge in a bit of self-pleasure from time to time!" She shamelessly revealed one of the most well-kept and darkest secrets of the two goddesses. "Binding such a man to you, yet not enjoying him, too lamentable! Is that not akin to having a Ferrari in your garage but never taking it out for a ride? If it were me, such a thing wouldn''t be allowed. Ah, truly too wasteful." The woman shook her head sadly.

    Fenris tilted her head a bit and looked at her mother curiously.

    Hm? Ferrari? What was that?

    Probably something stemming from some world or another.  Fenris didn''t visit all that many worlds, so she wouldn''t know.

    "...But such a fine specimen, perhaps even that cold woman would melt once things got all hot and steamy." Mercury laughed perversely. " Now that I think of it, shouldn¡¯t that be the case if they were able to make "that" together? That would have to be the case, yes?" She muttered, Then peered over the ledge and looked at the small group once more. Speaking louder now, she let out a smirk.

    " Ah, indeed, look at that! That expression, that sensuous dress...." She took a quick sniff, using her enhanced senses,"...That slightly sweet yet spicy smell...Ho-ho, so I¡¯m right!" She declared.

    "That woman, so even she can really have such desires. Extraordinary!" She shook her head in wonder.

    Fenris was finally able to get a word in. " Since it''s like that I suppose you don''t need to worry. They seem pretty content." She looked at her mother with some contempt. Seriously, that woman....

    "That''s true. Well, it is against my morals to go after a married man....But with our first meeting being like it was, I can only assume it is my fate to have a taste, at the very least. Do you not think so? Also, that one red head from before seemed a bit close to him. A mistress? Oooh, it seems they don¡¯t mind such things. I wonder if they would consider a fourso--"

    "Mother!" Fenris angrily cut her off, her cheeks slightly reddening. She felt like hitting the woman. She and her father, was there anyone as shameless and perverse as those two?

    "What?" Mercury asked defensively, "Little girl who has yet to know the carnal pleasures between men and women, you have no right to speak. Hmph, I can tell, that man should be quite fun to play with." She asserted. " Besides, it is a natural thing, you know. Nothing wrong with it. You simply cannot understand, poor thing. I really need to find you a good man. I can''t let you end up like those two stuck-up prudes I mentioned earlier."

    Fenris nearly choked, " Shut up. Damn perverted old hag. I can find a mate if I wanted to. You think I, this stunning goddess, can not find a partner? Let me tell you, the number of suitors that hope to be with me are enough to make a line from the Northern Regions of Hell to the Southern Regions." She spoke arrogantly, with much indignation. "...I simply haven''t found someone worthy enough." She finished a bit weakly.

    "Gah, worthy enough, listen to yourself. Pathetic." Mercury spit. " There isn''t any such thing! Hell, even Cupid has been known to cheat on that wife of his from time to time. Even Manannan Mac Lir hasn''t always been faithful to that Fand woman! Worthy? Oh please." She mocked.

    Looking again at the group they had been discussing. Her eyes brightened. " Hey, you know, he seems pretty experience from what I''ve heard. Why don''t you just get it over with and play with him a bit? I''m sure that if you asked nicely, then it would be fine!" She chuckled.

    Fenris'' head hurt. She couldn''t deal with this one. She was too much. She never quit, ah. Always amking others get caught up in her own pace, she was too formidable.

    " Unlike some people, I don''t find something like that appealing at all." Fenris said, sighing with weariness. This talk exhausted her, and she didn''t even say much.

    "Oh, what''s that I smell? Could it be...bullshit? " Mercury made a little sniff. "I mean, you cant tell me you aren''t at least a tiny bit interested~"

    "....."

    Fenris knew that whatever she said would just encourage her. She wouldn''t give the woman anything to use.

    But she was too naive.

    "Ah-ha! Your silence says it all~"

    ....Fenris really just couldn''t win, could she?

    " This is why I never visit anymore..." She muttered.

    "I know, and it saddens me that never do these days. But hey, this is a good bonding experience. Well, It would be weird though..." Mercury held her chin, trailing off.

    Fenris didn''t know what she was talking about, and didn''t want to know.

    "Meh, forget it. Too kinky, even for me. Besides, it would make things awkward. Oh well." Mercury shrugged. " Well, if I ever get the chance to sample him, I will, but all good things come in time. I can be patient."

    "Are you seriously planning to molest him?" Fenris didn''t think there was another word for it. He probably wouldn''t agree to it willingly. He didn¡¯t strike her as particularly lustful....She thought back to the time she met him just after Morrigan had left his room. Fenris started to remembered how pungent and heady the smell of sexual arousal was in the place.  Enough to make her slightly dizzy.

    ...Well, at the very least he didn''t seem to have loose morals.

    "Nonsense." Mercury said. " Well, I do seem to wanna pour chocolate on his naked body and lick it off, but that''s nothing bad."

    Fenris'' cheek twitched in irritation.

    " However, I don''t know. I''m not against taking him against a wall, but to be honest I think I¡¯m going to treat this kind of casually. If it happens, great. If not, it would be truly regretful, but no real loss."

    "...You''re going to try enticing him, aren¡¯t you?"

    " Who knows, maybe. " Mercury laughed. " But as I said, I do have some morals. Plus I have no intentions to tear up such a lovely-looking family. I really think I might have to take the high road on this one." She sighed mournfully. " Well, whatever."

    Fenris sighed too now, but with relief. Such words signaled the end of this dreadful topic.

    "But I still think you should just pick someone already. I would like several grand-children, please. I''ve been feeling an influx of maternal love these days and have no one to dote on.  You know, since my dearest daughter has chosen to forsake me."

    She conjured a handkerchief and wiped at imaginary tears.

    "Then why don''t you go get yourself knocked up and become a mother in truth. "

    "Go to hell. Me, a birth mother? Please. There is such a thing as a bad joke, my dear girl. You know I don¡¯t have the skills to raise a brat."

    "...You''re right. The thought is too disturbing."  Who knew how any child raised by this thing would turn out?

    Fenris felt a strong wind blow. This wide-necked sweater was surprisingly warm. Felt good too.

    She inwardly thanked her mother.

    Suddenly another strong wind blew.

    The sky darkened.

    "What the..."

    "Look at that..."

    " It''s blocking out the sun..."

    "A...ship...?"

    Numerous conversations sprung up from the students below.

    A loud, cheerful voice filled with mirth resounded throughout the area.

    "Everyone get on, hurry up! Let''s go, let''s go, let''s go! The last person to board has to clean all  the bathrooms with their tongue!" It laughed maniacally.

    -----------------------------------

    Roland looked up and saw a giant, monolithic ship that was made of pure gold. It glowed brightly like the sun. It''s size was truly enormous, blocking out the sky.

    It had several levels, and it was roughly 1,900 feet from bow to stern. It had multiple "districts" held within that contained things like a Central Park  filled with grassy Plaines and running streams, an Entertainment  Zone that held multiple arcades, theatres and other such things.

    It even had a Shopping Area which allowed you to buy goods produced from a wide variety of places. any given time, there would be at least a few thousand people running around it''s halls or deck.

    Why did Roland know this despite only seeing the thing from far away?

    Well, that was because....

    "Mommy, that place looks familiar? I think we''ve been there before..." Grace looked up, her eyes shining. The fox at her should looked up too, craning it neck.

    "Isn''t that Apollo''s personal cruise ship....?" Morrigan asked with not a small amount of shock.

    "...He stole it, didn''t he?" Roland narrowed his eyes.

    "How rude. I borrowed it sometime ago."

    Loki, in his kid form, appeared in front of them, grinning wildly.

    "He probably doesn''t yet know I have it, though"

 chapter forty-eight

    AN: So im doing the author notes in italics now. Sorry, this was meant to be out yesterday but due to a certain mishap an entire 1/3rd of this story was just gone since i didnt save it....i tried saving it, but thats when the screen said something about a server error....honestly, i was pissed off and throw a punch at the wall. Which hurt. A lot. Its made of brick. I rage pretty hard, sometimes, i even wanted to throw a table. Like, seriously.

    You have to understand, by that time my fingers hurt due to the typing i did. Anyway, its here now.

    Ah, but i wanna share something with you. A story i found. So, i was browsing the original composition section of NUF and I founf this one story, which had a link to the same story here at RRL. It has a lot of chapter out already. I only read a few chapters so far, but i though, "You know....this is fairly interesting"

    At least i thought so. You guys might not agree since you all have your own tastes in novels, but i liked it. Now, I do have a high tolerance when it comes to what i read so maybe there is a part of the story you guys just cant tolerate, but as for myself  l am liking it so far. The only really thing i have to complain about is the Grammar, but i have trouble with that too, so...

    In any case, I found out that the author actually has a blog, and there are more stories by him there. So, here.

    https://ctrlalcala.wordpress.com/</a>

    If you want, check it out.

    I''m reading the one called Magical Tournament. Just thought you guys might be interested in it.

    Welp, thats it.  Imma edit this more later, but for now, enjoy.

    P.S. Imma get more chapters out. just know the next few will likely be even slower, but maybe with more interactions between the characters. I have read the more recent reviews....and i agree with one that said the pace is too slow. sorry about that. At the very least, i want to make it an interesting read despite that.

    also, the first sentence of this chapter is inspired by a certain commenter from my last chapter.

    -----------------------

    "So borrowing something from others without letting the owner know is fine, huh?"

    Roland raised a brow.

    Loki''s face as he replied made his words seem incomparably logical, " But It''s okay since they didn''t say no, right?

    "That didn''t answer my question."

    " Didn''t it?"

    Roland smiled a bit, amused.

    Morrigan, still firmly holding onto Roland''s arm,  frowned. " Loki, how long have you had that?"

    He shrugged. " Well, I took it just after your husband here got back to the Lower Planes...since the time stream of the realm this thing was in at the time was much faster than that of the Lower Planes I would say I''ve been in possession of this thing for roughly...ten years? Not sure since I only spent a bit of time there before I came to this place. Ten years should be about right."

    This might sound strange, but due to the many different time streams that some realms of the Higher Planes possess it''s entirely possible for Lokl to have had this ship for so long. Ten years at the place he talked of could be only one year or a month to someone in the Lower Planes.

    Generally speaking, the time stream in the Lower Planes was pretty slow compared to the Higher Planes and there were not as many differing streams here either.

    Morrigan expressed shock. "Ten years, how come Apollo hasn''t taken notice?" He doesn''t usually leave his cruise ship for too long due to various reasons.

    "...Let''s just say he''s...busy." Loki avoided he question

    "...What did you do to him?" Roland stared hard at the mischievious god.

    Loki coughed. " He''s fine, he''s fine. Don''t worry about it." He waved him off and spoke airily.

    Morrigan stared at him. Now that she thought of it...she hasn''t heard anything about Apollo for some time already....

    Gods sometimes stay out of contact with their own kind for many years, so it''s not a big deal, but...

    She felt too suspicious when she saw the innocent face of Loki smiling placatingly at them.

    "Mommy, mommy, isn''t this great? Last time we went to visit that place it was really fun!" Grace pulled on her mother''s arm, her face flushed with happiness.

    She looked at Roland with stars in her eyes. "Daddy, there''s a huge aquarium I want to show you! Ah, and there''s so many tasty foods you have to try. Oh, and we have to visit the arcades! And the stores! There''s so many cool things there! Daddy, let''s play all day!"

    She was nearly trembling with suppressed excitement, the fox on her shoulder picking its head up and moving it''s tails as it sensed the girl''s emotion.

    How could Roland have the heart to tell her that he had already been to the place a time or two before?

    " Sounds great. You have to be sure to show me all the local hotspots, alright? We''ll play until we drop. " He grinned, making her nod with a serious light in her eyes as if he had just presented her with some great mission.

    She suddenly smiled up at him, " C''mon, let''s go!" She exerted a bit of divine power and started floating off the ground, causing the fox to become a bit unsteady and forcing it to position it''s tails on the girl''s shoulders for support.

    He grabbed her rising arm. " Hold up, let''s wait a bit."

    "But daddy...!" She protested. Grace wanted to show her father a fun time together with her and mommy. This was a perfect bonding experience, she couldn''t wait!

    Together with mommy and daddy, enjoying every moment as a family...This was somethnig she had always hoped for, how can she wait!

    "Don''t worry, dear, be patient. All good things come in time, you know. We''ll have plenty of time to play together with your father, so just bear with it, alright?" Morrigan smiled up at her enthusiastic daughter, knowing why she was so eager to go. Having not had her father around for so long, she would obviously want to show him a good time and earn his favor.

    Also, It was true that they would have a lot of time to play, but the play she meant was a bit different from what her daughter had in mind.

    Having been so annoyingly interrupted before, how can Morrigan be satisfied with how things had turned out? She had waited ao long to have her beloved by her side again, had shed many lonely tears when he had rejected her in hi current life during the times she sought him out.

    Since he had left there was a certain gap in her heart. The two had been together only for a short time by a god''s standards, so short it was like the blink of an eye...and yet that time was, to her, unforgettable.

    To have gotten so used to the warmth of his arms around her, his smell, his face....and then to suddenly lose that....it was unbearable. It wasn''t merely losing all those wonderful things, it wasn''t merely not feeling his touch on her skin or the care and love that came with his gaze.

    It was also the knowledge that he would not see her with that same look, would not remember any of their time together or the product of their love, his daughter Grace.

    This is what truly made her heart ache.  It was worse when he completely rejected her when she saw him last.

    But things were different now. He accepted her, and accepted Grace, with open arms. He might not exactly have the same love in his eyes for her that he used to, but she could tell that he cared for her deeply.

    Yet how could that alone satisfy her?

    She wanted him to become hers again, like he was before. She wanted to become his, too.

    How better to do that than continuing from where they left off earlier and allowing his body to remember what his mind couldn''t?  Morrigan wanted to imprint herself onto him, to tear off his clothes and have him take her so that she may leave both her mark and her scent on his flesh.

    Truth be told, now that he was here by her side once more, Morrigan had been wanting little more than to do just that.  Before she met and fell in love with him Morrigan never had much of a sex drive, some would even have said it was non-existent...but with her beloved husband here once more it had come to life with a vengeance.

    She swore that one way or another, by the end of the day after Grace had her fill of fun, Morrigan would find a soft bed and quiet room for them to become husband and wife again in the truest sense. Which meant a night of giving in to her now-constant carnal desire and seduce him into ravishing her body just like how they had done before.

    With these thoughts in mind, her eyes shined just as brightly as her daughters.

    Roland, however, had no idea what direction his wife''s thoughts had turned and merely saw her smiling secretly to herself as she tightened her hold on his arm and all but buried it in her soft mounds.

    Grace pouted upon hearing her mother''s words but still did as she was told.  She once again returned to solid ground.

    Loki quickly teleported away as he saw the family enter their own little world.

    He once more raised his voice. "Alright, i''m lowing the stairs! Remember what I said, hurry it up or else you might end up wanting to cut off your own tongue! No one is exempt! Think I''m kidding? Ha, you wish~! Now...GO!"

    He waved an arm and a flight of stairs that were nearly fifty feet wide seamlessly came from a previously non-esixtent hope to the side of the titanic ship.

    The students, knowing full well the personality of  Headmaster Loki, all scrambled for the stairs.

    They shoved at each other ruthlessly, none wanting to face the consequences of being last. Several girls skilled in magic even fired off bolts of lightning, fire or other spell in order to surpass the others.

    Several times a student would be tossed behind, kicked, frozen or something else.  Roland saw that one vampire kid, William,  use that gauntlet he had given him. The thing glowed red and a blood mist radiated off it.  The students in front of him were assaulted by a rather curious energy that took the shape of a giant hand, grabbing them and tossing them into the air.

    Roland frowned and created a square barrier under their feet as the fell, lowering it at their original position. William was already long gone.

    Michael, using his great strength, simply ran up with all his might and sent several male students flying into the air as he hit them with his body.  He avoided the women like a plague, not willing to have a thousand years of fury placed upon him in revenge if he dared run into them.

    Sara was more elegant, calmly pulling out a scroll that transformed into a dragon-like phantom the color of jade. Hopping on, it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Roland saw that she was the very first to enter the ship.

    "Damn brats. They know if they fly I''ll just knock ''em out." Loki clicked his tongue as he watched with a hint of satisfaction on his face. He really wanted to hit one of them should any chose to fly.

    But  how could they be so foolish? No, these students, they knew better. They knew their Headmaster well enough to become aware of his mischievous and slightly sadistic nature.

    --------------------------------------------

    After around ten minutes, long after the last student, a sickly-looking female, entered the ship despondently, two people were seen walking up to them.

    Saren looked up as he arrived, his mouth agap. " By all that''s good and holy, what the hell  is that..."

    "A ship...made of gold..." James, by his brother''s side, was similarily in awe.

    " How much do you think it would cost to make it?" Asked Saren, his eyes wide.

    "...I don''t know...." James shook his head in wonder, not able to even guess at the price.

    "...I want one..."

    Saren, who had always had to live life moderately, who had gone to sleep hungry more than once, seeing such a obvious display of wealth, was stunned. Before, he wouldn''t even dare to voice such a thought.  He had seen such flying ships before, rarely, but never one so large and made of what appeared to be pure gold!

    The words just now had slipped out, unconsciously. But as soon as they left his mouth, his brother suddenly spoke up like he just had some great idea.

    "Wait, If we sell the Etherium sword, do you think...?" His voice was calm, even, but his eyes were full of light.

    "Maybe....If not, we can always ask Roland for more. He doesn''t even care for them, surely if we had another and find some way to sell them then we can--"

    "I could make a thousand of them and you still wouldn''t be able to get your hands on something like that."

    Roland left Morrigan and Grace a bit aways and came to them. He heard their conversation, and thought it best to crush such hopes before they took root.

    Just a bit before now he sent Loki to let them all know it was time to leave, so the god teleported to the place and unceremoniously told them to finish packing then meet Roland at the front of the main building. Roland had asked why Loki didn''t wait so that he could teleport them, and he had replied with, "So troublesome, why should I, a god, have to wait for a bunch of lower beings?" In a very arrogant tone.

    Roland pointed to the ship. "That there isn''t normal gold, it''s True Immortal Sun Gold. This perhaps slightly ostentatious name means that the gold you see is not ordinary gold, but the flames of a sun forcefully condensed into a solid form by special means not available to any but a true Sun God. And there would''t be any willing to make an entire ship for you. Maybe a small, miniature version." The words made the boys'' faces fall.

    Making the flames of a sun turn to a physical form pretty much just the laws of physics, but that doesn''t matter to Sun Gods. Ah,  well, what he said about the Sun Gold wasn''t entirely true. That was one of the ways to create the special type of gold but there was another more common way of doing so.

    See, there''s actually a lot of gold in any sun. What Sun Gods usually do is extract that gold before imbuing the flames of the sun with their divine energy and then insert those flames into the gold.

    However, only Sun Gods can really create True Immortal Sun gold. Their divine energy is...unique. There are many forms of energy in existence, like Universal energy, Death energy, Life energy, Solar energy, Lunar energy, Elemental energy, Chaos energy...and many more.

    And only Sun Gods have the special type of divine energy capable of creating this type of gold.

    " Sounds interesting. So...what can it do?" Lilith appeared behind the two brother, carrying a bag Roland assumed held clothes.

    " Well, " Roland began, " Not much. It doesn''t really every show any sign of wear or tear, and it can withstand even Zeus''s thunderbolts for a good while, it also has certain other properties I won''t get into...but for the most part it''s just prettier to look at than regular gold. Like it''s lit from the inside." Which, he supposed, it kind of was.  There were many other attributes it had, but he didn''t want to  get into a rant about them.

    " Oh. " Lilith wasn''t sure what to say. That second thing he said, wasn''t that pretty amazing? Yet he disregarded it like it was nothing...."Hey, you remember that I--"

    "Don''t worry, I haven''t forgotten. We''ll talk later. Let''s get you guys settled first."

    She nodded, but looked at him a bit awkwardly.

    "Where are the rest?" Roland asked. Reina, their parents, Charlotte.

    "Oh...they''re right behind us. See?" She pointed.

    Roland looked and saw the father, his wife and the girl Charlotte, who was currently following along with half-lidden eyes as if still tired. The father frowned as he looked up.

    "Is Lord Apollo here?" Roland heard him say.

    "No, Loki just borrowed this from him so that we can travel in style." Roland said with a shrug.

    "That thing is one of Lord Apollo''s prized posessions, even Lord Loki can''t simply..." The other man stopped.

    "...Yeah, it''s better if you don''t ask too many questions."

    "......"

    The man said nothing. He didn''t show much surprise or concern of him face. Stoic as ever. Roland felt he was the type to not let his emotions be seen too often.

    Roland remembered he didnt''t know the man''s name yet, which wasn''t surprising since they didn''t interact much. Roland, from the moment he got to this planet and settled down, had taken care of the food. He was picky about what he ate to a certain degree and so elected himself the chef.

    During the past few days the family had been here Roland had seen  Charlotte a bit as she wolfed down pancakes that he had made, but the mother and father? Not so much.

    Well, the mother would ocassionally come to talk with her daughters but she was still a bit awkward around Roland. Didn''t talk to him much.

    " By the way..." Roland told the boys to go and wait for them by the stairs, sending them with Morrigan and Grace before he stopped the father.  " I don''t believe I have ever caught your name."

    He looked at him. " You can call me Garreth."

    Without another word, he walked on.  His wife smiled at Roland as if apologizing for her husband''s abruptness. He didn''t mind it. It rather suited the man.

    Roland spotted Charlotte and caught up to the little girl as she followed behind her parents, talking to her quietly. His words were low, too low for others to hear. She looked at him quizzically before the girl, having finally fullly rousing gerself from her sleepiness, finally understood. He subtely pointed at Grace who was currently hiding behind her mother, staring at that young girl with worry and apprehension as she came closer.

    Roland and Charlotte nodded to each other, looking like co-conspirators to the eyes of those watching. He grinned and patted her on the head before she walked a bit faster to catch up with the others. Then the girl began to naturally and energetically strike up a conversation with Grace.

    Roland was still looking at the sight when he heard a lovely, albeit frantic, voice reach his ears.

    "Wait!"

    Reina called out as she ran under the shadow created by the large, floating ship of gold.  In her hand was a bag filled with recently acquired clothes and other items.

    To explain, once Loki had notified them it was time to finish any last-minute packing she was a tad slow in making sure she had everything she would need and as a result she didn''t notice that everyone had already begun leaving.

    Though the gap between them wasn''t that large, she still had to run a bit to catch them.

    When she was still a bit aways she spotted these strange stairs leading upwards and she she got close she started looking up, seeing the golden ship.

    She didn''t stop running, but it distracted her. Whats more, the clouds suddenly parted ever so slightly, causing the sunlight to shine down on the gold ship and making the thing reflect the light harshly into her eyes a bit.

    With her vision momentarily impaired and her attention dominated by the large floating ship, she didn''t see Roland who was in front of her.

    As for himself, Roland didn''t notice Reina''s coming as he still had his head turned at the time. Only when she called out did he see her come running, her eyes looking at the ship eith a fair bit of surprise and not paying attention to anything else.

    As the light reflected off the ship went into her eyes, she tripped on the cobbled stone ground and with the bag in hand her balance was thrown off....which resulted in her falling disgracefully towards thehard floor.

    Roland, without thinking too much, quickly appeared in front of her as she tripped and stopped the girl from falling.

    The bag in her hand had been released as she tripped, her hands readying to try and catch herself.

    But that wasn''t necessary anymore.

    Reina''s hand and face were pressed against Roland''s chest, her legs positioned abit awkwardly due to her previously unbalanced state. As her her other arm, Roland held it in one of his own while his other was nestled a bit near her waist.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    After a short moment, he pushed her a bit and helped the girl right herself.

    However, to them, that short time felt much longer.

    The moment they made contact a small electric current seemed to course throughout their bodies. Roland could feel Reina''s heartbeat as if it were her own, could smell a sweet fragrance exuding from her body. Reina felt something similar. She, too, could also hear and feel the strong, steady beating of his heart and smell a certain husky scent wafting off his body which put her at ease.

    Against his will, Roland felt the first stirrings of lust in him in response to Reina''s body. The sensation, he knew, would only build if things continued this way.

    He hated it. Such a strong reaction just from this light touch. It was annoying. He didn;t like losing control of himself due to some other force that wasn''t truly part of himself. This reaction was due only to the strange bond that now existed between them, he knew. It was one thing if he felt this way purely because he found her attractive. Reina had plently of charm and seductive capabilitied without even trying.

    So while he did find her desirable, but it wasn''t quite to the extent that it would make him suddenly want to take a bite out of her like just now. If they held onto each other longer, if the feeling increased to even higher levels...what would happen? Could either of them control themselves?

    Roland was never one to truly turn down an invitation before, but he had two very important reasons to do so now. If not for those two reason, he would have likely allowed what Mercury had wanted to do with him earlier. To him, such a thing was only natural and pleasing to both sides when done consensuously. But he didn''t take her up on the offer because he had those two reason. Right now, it was a bit different though.

    This thing between them...it was like they were both under the effects of some drug when they touched one another. And Roland didn''t like that. Maybe if he was not married, didn''t have a child to think about, if she wasn''t someone he had taken under his wing, and if she expressed actual desire for him....then maybe he would allow this.

    But he was married to a woman who loved him, had a child with her, and this girl was someone he considered himself responsible for. What''s more, though perhaps she was physically attrracted to him, she had never shown any  intention or desire to start any relationship of that nature with him.

    So, forcing it down, he repositioned her until she was firmly planted on the ground before breaking away.

    Reina, suddenly feeling the loss of that warm, tingling sensation, slightly sucked in a cold breath and avoided looking at him.

    "Are you alright?" Roland asked, sounding slightly odd.

    "I''m fine, thanks." Reina replied, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

    "Good, let''s go-"

    Suddenly a new voice joined in. " Well, have to say, that was kinda hot. Oi, daughter of mine, you smell that? This spicy, slightly sweet scent, like sex. That, my dear girl, is arousal! And so intense!"

    Mercury dropped from above, Fenris appearing an instant later by her side. Roland couldn''t help appreciate the view. Mercury aside, Fenris display quite a bit of charm and appeal currently. Wearing a wide-necked cream sweater that exposed the smooth, tender-looking white skin on her shoulders.

    "I know what arousal smells like. " Fenris spoke indignantly. " You pretty much wear it like perfume."

    "Nevermind that. Look at them, displaying such desire for each other yet holding themselves back, how noble! But they should just fuck and get it over with." Mercury looked at them with a wide grin.

    Roland couldn''t say anything. He couldn''t fool their strong sense of smell.

    Reina, hearing the woman''s words, felt her mouth open slightly.  Speaking of such things so openly, was that not a bit too shameless?

    "Hmm...." Fenris glanced at Roland. If he was married to Morrigan, and since he looked a bit similar to Grace...then, if it wasn''t for the fact that the woman was a Goddess of Death, Fenris would say he was the girl''s father.

    They also smelled a bit similar...

    She was not entirely certain that the girl was of his blood because of the fact that Morrigan was who she was, but as Fenris saw past them and caught sight of Grace glancing at Roland with a gaze full of admiration and affection she felt that things were a bit complicated.

    At the very least, that sort of gaze from the girl in regards to Roland showed that Grace probably thought of him dearly.

    And since those two were married, even if the girl was not related to him by blood but was an artificial being like a homunculus as her father thought, then Roland would still be a father figure to Grace.

    Fenris always had a good relationship with the girl and she never really cared whether she was a homunculus or any other artificial construction. That wouldn''t make the girl any less real.

    Since Fenris was fond of her, and the girl thought of Fenris as something like a sister....Seeing Roland, who right now was at the very least like a father figure to the girl, holding onto and being aroused by another woman while Grace and her mother, his own wife, were present...

    It made her mood a bit sour.

    Of course, no one else except them knew anything other than Roland helping straighten the girl had occured.  Fenris understood that  the scene looked pretty innocent. But she caught a whiff of the strong sexual arousal the two exuded and couldn''t help frowning.

    " I know what you''re thinking, dearie, but don''t get your panties in a twist. Nothing happened! So it''s fine~!  " Her mother interjected.

    " Didn''t seem like nothing to me."

    Mephisto was the one who said this. He and Aries didn''t enter the ship with the others and merely stayed behind. They had seen Roland and the girl''s little mishap.

    " Having such a beautiful wife yet wanting to have another girl on the side.  At least you can''t say he isn''t ambitious." Aries arched a brow at his friend, his tone one of mock-disappointment and tinged with a healthy dose of teasing.

    "Indeed. But how shameful. Ah, that poor little girl of his, that poor wife, to have such a man as a father and husband..." Mephisto shook his head and sighed.

    " Wanting multiple women by your side is part of a man''s dream, is it not?" Mercury cut in. " A bit of fun now and then is perfectly natural, wanting to pick numerous flowers and hold them in your arms is also natural~" She laughed, her meaning clear. "Besides, polygamy isn''t uncommmon~! Don''t listen to these plebs, my boy, boldly go forth and start a harem of outstanding beauties! Go and conquer, get all the girls~!"

    She grinned, patting Roland on the back as he and Reina, who was a bit red-faced and ill at ease at hearing such things,  seperated.

    "Eh, I''ll even help you. Let''s start with me. Come, come, follow this cool beauty of a goddess. Ah, girl, you can come too, if you wish. Fenris, I think you should stay here, keep those two muscle-for-brains occupied. Maybe tell them a story. Nothing too difficult to understand, mind you."

    She pulled on Roland while smiling, waving to Reina and Fenris.

    Of course, Roland didn''t move an inch. "I don''t really feel like starting a harem, thanks. Seems too troublesome and complicated for my tastes. But you go ahead and enjoy yourself. Here, take Aries instead. Feel free to keep him. " Roland nodded at Aries.

    "Shit, selling me out, I have no desire to have any sort of relationship with that thing." Aries pointed at Mercury, who sniffed in indignation.

    "How rude. Though I don''t want to do it with something like you either, you never seem to have any problems taking up Aphrodite on her invitations."

    "That''s different, it''s consensual. And she doesn''t make me feel dirty and used after. " He and Mercury never had sexual relations beofre but simply the way she looked at him sometimes, like he was just a piece of meat to gobble up.... At the very least Aphrodite didn''t do something like that. She was even more frank in her invitations, to be honest, but that was it.

    "Other than fighting, what other use are you though?" Mercury asked seriously.

    " I think he can cook eggs. And tie his own shoes. Oh, and he can read. Even write.That''s something. Wait, you asked what use he was..." Mephisto said, seeming to consider once more..

    Fenris peered at the man. " I can''t tell if you''re defending him or not."

    " ...Actually, neither can I..." Mepisto paused and said.

    Reina wasn''t sure what to do. The pressure leaking out from these people seemingly unconsciously was enough to make her feel dazed. Mephisto, Aries, Fenris, Mercury....These were powerful names....

    Pretty well-known, all of them.

    To have them all gathered and bantering with one another....

    Being surrounded by so many higher beings made Reina, a mortal, feel insignificant and small.

    Rather than saying she was insecure...it was more of a natural reaction. How could a mortal stand on equal footing with beings like this and not feel pressured?

    Even a bit...in awe?

    She glance at Roland who was at her side.

    He was mortal too...right?

    She wasn''t sure what he was, exactly. To meet so many people like these and not be in the slightest bit intimidated...

    "Well, we should get going. The others are waiting for us. Come on." Roland started walking towards the others who were still waiting by the stairs.

    " Since you guys are fine, I won''t stay long. Just a few days." Mephisto said. He told his wife he wouldn''t be gone for more than a few days and he didn''t like going back on his word. He had heard of their plans, and would tag along until after they entered the Higher Planes but he wouldn''t stick around longer than that.

    He could open a small portal to his domain at any time, so doing this was no problem. It''s just that to travel to other realms or planets he needed a Teleportation Array of a certain level. He had his own, but it was damaged some time ago and was still in the midst of repair. Which is why they had to use Mercury''s.

    Unfortunately he couldn''t teleport like Loki could. At least not to great distances.

    " I think Abs is already inside getting the kids settled. I''m going to check up on them before finding a good bar for a drink. What about you guys?" Aries asked them.

    "I''m going to the spa for a nice massage. I''m really just tagging along to spend some quality time with this adorable daughter of mine." Mercury smiled at Fenris.

    " I''ll probably be hitting a few bars as well. I hear Apollo has some sort of deal with Dionysus" Mephisto replied with a careless shrug.  Neither he nor Aries bothered to question why Loki had Apollo''s personal cruise ship. It would be pointless.

    "Lazy bums." Roland shook his head. They couldn''t think of anything better to do than have a drink?

    "Oh? Such a condescending tone. Hmph, and what are you going to be doing then?" Aries snorted coldly and questioned his friend.

    "Like me, he''s probably got a hot date with his daughter." Mercury answered for him.

    "Mother..." Fenris sighed at her mother''s slightly misleading words.

    "Well, it''s not exactly untrue..." Roland said. " Reina, care to join us? Well, not right away, but tomorrow? Grace would probably like that." He only offered since he knew how strangely attached his daughter had gotten to Reina. " Charlotte can come too." This is what he hoped for, really, for those two to become friends.

    " ...I don''t know..." Reina was unsure whether to accept or not...

    " Why not? I''m going to spend today with Grace, but tomorrow I think having a few more people around will be fine.  The trip from here to the Teleportation Array won''t exactly be all that short. Might as well do something during that time. Saren, James and Lilith should come as well."

    They had to get everyone settled in a room but that wouldn''t take long. Roland would just tell the other three to wait until tomorrow to go out and explore the ship''s many sights. He couldn''t exactly leave them unattended.

    This ship acted not only as Apollo''s cruise ship, but as a city as well. The ones who inhabited the place had taken to calling themselves Apollyons. Well, that was what they first called themselves, at least. Nowadays they go by Apollites. Like mortals, only stronger, faster, nicer, generally wiser, smarter and more...musical.

    So allowing them to roam about in a big city they were totally unfamiliar with simply wasn''t a good idea.

    "Look at him, " Mercury spoke to Fenris. " Inviting the girl to spend time with him, his wife and their daughter...How bold. Pretending they didn''t just eye-fuck each other moments ago. And does it so casually~! This man has quite some skill, doesn''t he?" She snickered. " Can we be witnessing the downfall of a innocent young girl,  becoming a mere mistress to a lustful married man whose carnal desires push him to commit infidelities left and right?"

    Roland was sending a hard look at the woman as he heard her commentary.

    "Ah, it seems he''s after me next!" Mercury cried softly. "Dear daughter, what should I do, faced with such a heated gaze full of passion?" She asked her daughter, looking torn.

    " Heavens, woman, can''t you keep your fantasies to yourself?" Aries frowned.

    " I can''t help it that my rockin'' bod oozes sex appeal and feminine charm. "She spoke helplessly, as if she were a victim in all this.

    " Ignore her." Fenris sighed.

    " Ignore who?" Roland looked around, his eyes seeming to not even register Mercury''s presence.

    "Good man. " Fenirs nodded in approval.

    Mephisto chose to not say anything.

    Reina was too busy being floored by the woman''s comments to speak at all.  She nearly choked when she heard it.

    Mistress....

    In a small corner of her mind she felt like smacking the woman. Mistress, what mistress? Why would she have to be a mistress? No, why was she involved at all? She hadn''t done anything!

    She felt wronged.

    As they arrived at the stairs the topic was dropped. Well, more like the woman was ignored and so she had no choice other than to pout and stay silent.

    In any case, they met up with the others and Reina stood by her parents and saw Charlotte talking friendily with Grace while Lilith was smiling a bit stiffly as she conversed with Morrigan.

    Pnce Lilith spotted her by their parents'' side she and Charlotte broke off their chatting with the other two. Lilith with relief and Charlotte with a bit of disappointment.

    " What were you two talking about?" Reina asked Lilith quietly.

    " Oh, nothing much. It began as mere pleasantries, but..." She hesitated. " I think she was warning me."

    "About what?"

    "I''m not quite sure..." Lilith frowned, pondering. "She simply suddenly asked during the middle if I had "The same voyeuristic tendencies and horribly annoying timing like that young red-head there"...Her words, not mine. " She quickly clarified. " I''m pretty sure she was talking about you, since I don''t know any other red-heads except Abigail who is, quite frankly, more of an auburn. Care to exaplain why she would...?"

    "...I-I don''t know anything about it..." She stuttered, remembering.

    "Really...?" Lilith analyzed her sister''s face but didn''t pursue the matter.

    Roland came up beside the two boys. " The students should be getting taken care of by Abigail. Now that I think of it, Lilith and Reina will likely find a place with their parents. But you two should follow me and Morrigan so that I can get you guys settled. Ah...but don''t leave your rooms. Just wait for tomorrow and I''ll take you guys to explore. Got it?"

    "Yeah."

    "Alright

    James and Saren nodded easily, not concerned.

    "Good. You guys can go up now. You should see a mirror-like wall, simply go through it and wait for me on the other side."

    "Cool. Hey, does this place have any place to get a drink or two?" Saren asked.

    It felt so long since they last had one...

    Truthfully, they felt they needed it to unwind a bit. They hadn''t forgotten the effect the curses would have on them should they activate and lived with a constant lingering fear that they felt needed to be forgotten, prefferably by a drunken stupor wherer they didn''t have to think much.

    "There''s a good few places like that. I''ll introduce you guys to a couple of friends and they can show you around." He said, glancing at Aries and Mephisto who were conversing between themselves a bit away from the others.

    Those two were perfect for getting the two boys to relax and open up a bit more. Who knows, they might even help them get a few lady friends during the next couple of days...

    The two boys nodded once more and started walking up the stairs with their bags in hand.

    Roland went to Morrigan and Grace''s side.  "So, you two ready?" He asked.

    Morrigan once more slid an arm around his own, her soft curves pressing against him. " Of course. I''ve been waiting for this for quite some time, you know..." She smiled, thinking about her plans for the night.

    Roland felt something a tad wicked in her eyes but didn''t question it.

    Grace, with the fox in her arms, spoke up. " Daddy, you took so long! Come on, let''s go already~!"  She reached for his sleeve, pulling.

    Roland acquiesced.

    They started walking up the stairs, despite Grace wanting to simply  fly up to save time. Roland had no problems with walking. Morrigan wanted to simply hold onto her husband for a bit longer.

    The others had started to go up as they had conversed and were quite a ways up already,

    Reina, Lilith, their father Garreth, their mother, Saren, James, Fenris, Mercury, all of them soon entered the ship.

    An instant before he was about to follow them in via the large mirror-like entrance he stopped and told the  mother-daughter pair to his side that he would catch up in a bit.

    Loki floated down, having spent the majority of the time high up in the air where he made his threat to the students regarding the bathroom cleaning .

    "Waiting for me?" He asked as he spotted Roland by the top of the stairs.

    "You could say that." A shrug.

    "Well, let''s go. " Loki bagan walking towards the entrance.

    "Wait."

    "Hmm?" He paused, looking back.

    "You mean what you said back then?"

    "What do you...? Ah..." Loki remembered. "About the student whose last cleaning a bathroom with their tongue? Yup."

    Roland nodded. " Do you know who was the last one to enter then? " Roland thought back to the pretty, sickly-looking girl as she entered the ship with defeat in her eyes

    "...Obviously." Loki was growng suspicious with all these questions.

    "And you said no one is exempt, yes?"

    "Well, no one who is part of the student body or staff. "

    "I see." Roland said casually. " But... you do realize that we''re part of the staff too, right?" Roland gave a small smile

    "Of course I--" He froze, realizing his friend''s meaning. " Hey, don''t you even think about it...." Loki warned, inching closer to the entrance ever so slightly and preparing to make a run for it..

    Roland''s face was the personification of innocence. " I don''t know what you''re talking about. Are you implying something? Because I can assure you that I would never--" He broke off, not finishing his sentence.

    Before even Loki could react, he had grabbed his friend by the scruff of his neck and sent him flying into the sky.

    As he flew into the air, Loki curse. " That goddamn little...!"

    He instantly teleported to the entrance...But Roland was already long gone.

    "...Well...." Loki stood there. " ...Fuck."

 chapter forty-nine

    AN: Yeah, i know this is pretty late. to make up for it a bit, I will release two chapters today. They''re kinda short, and I did consider simply merging them...but for some reason I just felt like they should be seperate. Ah, and, just to clarify, I will concentrate on more character interactions now. I realize all the info dumps get annoying. Someone commented on that not long ago, and left a review also saying so. That person may not have noticed I  acknowledged that in the edit I did on the fiction page. I did that as a...warning, i guess. I do know the info dumps really don''t appeal to many people and make the story pretty boring. I get like that during some stories too, so i know what they''re talking about. Anyway, yeah, that''s my plan.

    More character interactions, less info dumps.

    Imma do my best on that front.

    Ah, I''ll edit these two chapter later, but first i need some sleep. Remember to rate, review and comment on whatever you like. If you see any inconsistencies in the story, point them out. The second chapter will be released in a bit, imma read it a bit, do some slight editing for the more obvious mistakes then post it and hit the bed.

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    The Delphi, as it was commonly known, was home to a vast city. The last city Roland was in just a while ago was much larger than the one within the Delphi but this one had multiple layers. In essence it was several cities on top of each other, meaning that each level was a different city in and of itself.

    But let''s not get into that.

    Currently Roland led Morrigan, Grace, Saren and James throughout the wide streets that were burstling with life. The little white fox was now laying on Grace''s head, curled up in a ball while peeking at the various sights the city had to offer. How it stayed perched on Grace''s small head Roland didn''t know.

    The two girls had already followed their parents moments ago, looking at Roland with a questioning gaze as if asking permission to leave. It was quite strange.

    They really didn''t have to do that. Still, Roland nodded. He supposed that they, given their situations, thought it was best to check in with him when leaving their little group and going their own way.

    Lilith in particular sent him a glance that was a bit hesitant, unsure. It seemed she really wanted to have that talk. Roland knew what she wanted to talk about, or could at least guess why. It wasn''t hard to figure out. But he was in no hurry.

    As Fenris was literally being dragged off by Mercury the woman looked towards Roland for help.  So he knocked Mercury out with a firm strike to the head that, honestly, he was surprised worked on her. Fenris ran off but not before saying she would catch up to Roland later, which he found a bit odd. But then he remembered the way Grace had interacted with her a few seconds after they entered and knew that they had quite a good relationship. So that was probably why.

    Loki was nowhere to be seen. Roland looked, but couldn''t find him....He was hiding, wasn''t he? If Roland found him, then he would absolutely make him keep his word. This would be entirely for Loki''s benefit. A man can''t go back on their word, right? Again, it would be done only with Loki''s best interests at heart, and in no way related to Roland''s own personal amusement.

    In the back of his mind he also knew that he would have to check and see when they would reach their destination. Loki was probably going to slow the ship down a bit so he could enjoy the entertainment it had to offer.

    ....Moving on, Aries and Mephisto had disappeared. Roland assumed Aries followed after Abigail and the students. As for the other staff....it seemed like they went their own way. Roland really did have to go and talk to them, get to know them a bit more. The teachers were not numerous though. But still.

    As for Mephisto....he was true to his word. Roland saw him slip into a rather small, unremarkable-looking bar some time ago. But Roland knew this ordinary place had some damn fine drinks. During the city''s nightlife, it would have some fine women too. But Roland, of course, would not go with Aries and Loki to skirt-chase like the three of them used to.

    He was a married man now, a father, even. He was above such things now....is what he told himself. But he had to admit, he would miss fooling around.  Well, it would be a fleeting feeling in any case.

    How many other women could compare to Morrigan in looks and elegance, or Grace in adorableness and lovability?

    Soon they came upon a rather large hotel that overlooked a wide ocean. Yes. The ship had an ocean. A beach too. It truly was like a world of it''s own.

    The hotel had around ten floors, the building pleasing to the eye with many curves and intricate designs.

    The walked into the large lobby, seeing many guests coming and going. Beast-kin, elves, angels, demon-kin, humans, dwarves, ...the Delphi had visitors from nearly every one of the more well-known races. But demon-kin had many sub-races so oland didn''t name them all. Same with beast-kin who had differing "tribes". It didn''t only encompass dog, cat, fox or other ordinary animals

    So Roland just generalized them automatically in his mind.

    A young male with two pupils in his eyes sat behind a long desk in the center of the lobby.

    As he saw Morrigan his unusual eye lit up in recognition, a cold sweat instantly forming at his back. But he kept his cool and feigned ignorance. Staying professional and simply doing his job, that was the best reaction.

    Roland, the leader of the group, spoke to the man. " I''m going to need five rooms."

    Himself, Grace, Morrigan, one for each of the two boys....so five altogether.

    Morrigan, who still clung to his side with a hand on Grace''s shoulder, spoke up. " Nevermind that.  Give us two rooms, each with two seperate beds. Then one more with a king-sized bed." She told the young man. Then she turned to her husband. " Grace likes to sleep with me still, though not always. She likes to switch between laying by herself and having me by her side." She shook her head, smiling.

    "Alright, but I still need a room..." Roland frowned a bit.

    Morrigan looked at him strangely. " You''re going to be sleeping with us, you know."

    The words were quiet but the young man still heard it, causing him to nearly choke.

    Roland paused. " Grace is a bit old to--"

    "Does daddy not want to be with me and mommy then?" She looked up at him with her large eyes, appearing hurt.

    Roland didn''t know what to say to that, really.

    Using such an expression....that was simply cheating.

    Again the young man, upon hearing the small girl''s words, nearly spat out blood. But he recovered instantly. The rule that he had learned upon entering into this job was simple: Don''t ask questions!

    Saren and James, too, felt a bit uncomfortable.

    They sent each other a meaningful glance only they understood.

    Roland cleared his throat. "Ahem. Of course that isn''t true. Three rooms it is then..." Fenris said she would catch up to them but he knew she could get a room herself and so didn''t take her into consideration.

    He then remembered something. He did say that he would be a good father and husband from now on. So maybe this was as to be expected, sleeping together like a real family. Is this why Grace seemed so happy currently?

    But disregarding that for a bit, his relationship with Morrigan was still sort of ambiguous. It''s true that they almost had sex that time before Reina walked in on them. Roland, of course, wouldn''t have entirely minded that. As she said, his body remembered her even if his mind didn''t.

    Morrigan didn''t seem to mind having a more intimate relationship, either.   But.... If he was honest with himself he was still hesitant to start something like that with her.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    He didn''t love her.

    No, that wasn''t entirely true. He cared for her, that was a given. But that, was it love? She was the mother of his daughter, so of course he thought her an important existence. And when he looked at her, he knew that he had once loved her. He also knew that in that other life his love for her must have been quite fierce, because it seem like even now there was some part of him that was her''s alone.

    Did he still have that same level of feelings for her hidden somewhere within him? Roland wasn''t sure. He only knew that he had loved her at one point in time. He felt that he had. But currently he didn''t know exactly what his feelings were toward her other than considering her important.

    Which is the crux of the problem he was currently comtemplating.

    Is it truly okay for him to be Morrigan''s husband, to have an intimate relationship with her, even? When she obviously loved him still but he didn''t love her? Didn''t that seem a bit too...cruel? He could tell from the way she looked at him that she was happy he was now with her and Grace. He could see her feelings for him, knew that they hadn''t changed in the slightest even though he didn''t remember their time together.

    And so it felt like Roland was decieving or taking advantage of her, of her feelings for him. She deserved more, deserved love. He wasn''t sure he could give that to her.

    He then shook his head as they recieved the keys to their rooms and walked towards the elevator to the side.

    Such thoughts were weak, pathetic. He had already decided to do right by them, did he not?

    Even if he couldn''t say for certain he truly loved Morrigan right now he could always fall in love with her again in time. Which he didn''t have too much of, but still, he would do it. Whatever their relationship was right now, he would let her decide. And whatever she wanted it to be, he would accept. She was the one that had to raise Grace by herself, the one who waited for him up to now.

    So he would go along with anything she wanted out of him. He''d be damned if he allowed himself to do any less.

    As for Grace, it was needless to say his love for her was unconditional. This little thing, Roland''s heart swelled with love and affection every time he looked at her. This daughter of his was first in his heart.

    After thinking all this, Roland''s mind and body felt much lighter.

    The traversed the halls of the building until they found their rooms. Roland handed the boys their key-cards.

    " Here, go inside and make yourselves at home. Ah...but the technology within this place is much higher than that of your planet. So come here for a second."

    Saren narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not trusting the small smile forming at the man''s lips.  "Why?"

    James felt something was off as well.

    Roland shrugged, " Come on, just do it. Don''t worry."

    As the two made hesitant steps towards him Roland struck out with two fingers and hit them in the center of their foreheads. The two boys felt a massive burst of pain that was gone instantly.

    Their bodies stiffened instantly.

    "What did you...do?" James choked out through his teeth, his head still ringing. There was a small red more on his forehead where Roland''s fingers made contact.

    "Just a simple transference of information. Something so that you two won''t accidentally destroy something. Or, you know, set the place on fire and kill someone. Most likely yourselves. You''re welcome, by the way." Roland was unrepentant upon seeing their pain.

    "Information, you say...." James muttered, troubled. That was...pretty vague, wasn''t it. Well, he did understand what he meant though, kind of.

    "Why does my brain feel fuzzy?" Saren wondered aloud. " Like...a tingling sensation. Shit, it feels like a bunch of ants are crawling around in there..."  He shivered.

    "I don''t feel like that, are you alright?" James looked at his brother with worry.

    Roland shrugged once more. " A rare side effect, it''ll pass. Don''t look so concerned, he''ll be fine. Go wait inside your rooms. Forget what I said earlier, I''m going to call some people to show you around." Nodding, the two boys entered their rooms with expectant looks.

    Roland smirked a bit to himself. Those two guys, their playtime would have to wait.

    "Dear, I''ll be in the room with Grace. When you''re all done come in and we can go out to explore, alright?" Morrigan opened the door.

    "Daddy, hurry, please. So much wasted time, we have to make up for it!" Grace told him firmly, her eyes blazing. The little fox on her head hopped off and ran into the room.

    Roland smiled at her. "I''ll be quick, just give me a few minutes."

    The girl nodded but sighed as well.

    Roland reached out a hand, conjuring a crystal tablet.

    After a few moments the faces of Mephisto and Aries could be seen on the flat surface of the device. Mephisto with his long, flowing hair and Aries with the scar on his chin.

    They looked at Roland curiously.

    " Yeah?" Mephisto spoke before taking a long sip of a violet-colored beverage.

    "What is it?" Aries asked directly, the sight of Abigail yelling at some random student in the background. She looked pissed off.

    "Get your asses over here. " Roland didn''t have a shred of respect in his tone. He spoke almost casually when bossing around two people who would kill for less.

    " Fuck off. " Mephisto said evenly, not raising his voice or seeming to care much at all over the other man''s words.

    " Go get bent over a fence by Loki." Aries also replied mildly.

    Roland spoke for a few brief moments and their expressions changed into frowns.

    Mephisto sighed. " Alright, fine. I''ll be over in a bit."

    Aries looked as if he ate something unsavory.  "Shit, that''s seriously a low-blow. Fuck it, I''m coming. But if you ever tell "her" about that, I swear that I''ll..." His eyes held dark promise.

    "Pleasure doing business with you two. I trust you''ll make haste. I do grow impatient in my old age." Roland smiled at them.

    " Old my ass. Damn brat." Aries snorted.

    "....Ah, have Loki deliver it to my place later." Mephisto said. Then he asked, " I don''t suppose you can throw in another bottle though?"

    "Ask Loki, he''s the one who stole them."

    Mephisto cursed. " Figures. This is going to bite me in the ass one day, isn''t it?"

    " That depends on how well he snuck out.  Anyway, hurry it up."

    "Fine, fine, whatever. But what''re we going to be doing?" Aries rubbed the bridge of his nose. This so-called friend of his, showing such favoritism. Why did Mephisto get the bribe but he, Aries, get the blackmail? He''d remember this. Hmph, two can play at this game....

    "I''ll let you know once you arrive. " Roland replied airily.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    "That bastard...."

    "This is humiliating."

    "He''s looking down on us."

    " Leaving us with these things while he enjoys the day with a flower in each arm.  This is simply like a slap to the face."

    " When we get to Sol''s place, let''s all gang up and mess up that pretty face of his."

    "Agreed."

    Aries and Mephisto, respectively,  let out complaints. Then they laughed eerily amongst themselves.

    Saren and James looked at them, feeling short of breath.

    Those two people....

    The brothers knew exactly who they were.

    That Roland, it was like he asked two lions to take care of newborn babies. The comparison nearly brought them to tears, but that''s all they could think of that matched the situation.

 Chapter fifty

    AN: Honestly not sure how I feel about the content of this one....what do you guys think?

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    After Roland left the two boys in their care, Mephisto and Aries went to a bar. They cast a simple spell on the boys'' minds so that they would be a bit more....malleable. Just somethnig to help the two calm down. It was somethnig they needed, the two having looked at Mephisto and Aries as if they were wild animals.

    But they weren''t allowed to freak out. Mephisto and Aries would be damned if they let these brats and that bastard friend of theirs ruin their good time! So they just made the boys kind of relaxed, just a bit.

    Neither Aries nor Mephisto bothered with  hiding their appearances since no one would mess with them unless they wanted to die.

    After they arrived at a building that caught ther attention, the Drunken Stag, they chose a relatively quiet corner and had some drinks ordered for all of them, even the boys.

    Probably most if not all the people inside recognized who Areis and Mephisto were, but there was an unspoken rule in the room as soon as they had entered: Don''t talk about it.

    The people inside all thought this was for the best. Pretend you don''t know, act natural, don''t piss them off. These were the three rules that they currently lived by.

    The waitress brought several differing types of drinks, among which were four large glasses filled with a bright red concoction. Saren took a swig.

    ....You could almost see the fire coming out of his nostrils as they flared up. His face went nearly as red as the drink he had in his hand.

    He coughed several times. " W...What the hell....is that...." He took several deep breaths to recover himself. His brother James wisely put his own drink to the side. He was suspicious of the thing from the start and used his brother as a unknowing taste tester.

    Mephisto laughed at him. "That, my dear boy, is the aptly-named Dragon''s Piss. Really burns on the way down, eh?" He took a long drink and blew out a small stream of smoke.

    Aries snickered. "Here, try this. " He gave him a glass that had an ice-blue liquid inside.

    Saren took the thing and hesitantly drank from it. The blazing sensation in his mouth cooled instantly.

    "This here is supposed to have been mixed with that first one to make it more mild. Apparently there were some pansies who couldn''t handle the Dragon''s Piss by itself. But we wanted to see what face you would make. " Mephisto informed with a small smirk, his eyes glittering a bit.

    Saren was aggrieved but couldn''t do anything about it. To the side James chuckled and mixed the drinks together, making an orange liquid out of the two. He drank with satisfaction. Saren glared at him. His brother ignored it with little effort.

    Then, after around thirty minutes, Aries noticed something.

    He grinned, poking a finger at James. " Hey, brat, don''t move your head but shift your eyes to the pretty blonde over there." Aries discreetly pointed the girl out.

    The boy followed his order. After some time, he asked, " Um, Lord Aries, is there a reason why--?"

    Aries snorted with disdain. " Boy, that woman had been sneaking glances at you for some time now. It''s obvious she''s interested in you. If you''re a man, go and seduce her." Aries said.

    James let his mouth fall while Mephisto looked amused and Saren laughed quietly to himself.

    "Oh? And why''re you laughing, brat? You''re just as dense. See that girl to the first one''s side? Look at her undressing you with her eyes." Mephisto looked pointedly at the girl in question.

    "Good eye, didn''t notice that one." Aries commented.

    "Thank you."

    James and Saren looked a bit awkward.

    After a short exchange Saren and James slowly moved to get up.

    Mephisto stopped them. " Where do you think you''re going?"

    "To talk to them, of course." Saren said as if it were obvious.

    Aries groaned. " Just like that? Buy them a drink first, at least." He almost scolded them.

    "But you said--"

    "I was just joking, don''t take what I say so seriously. There is an order to things, boy."

    " Alright, but how, then? Neither of us have any money." James stated.

    "Worry not." Aries told him. " I''ll take care of it."

    They called over the waitress.

    After a few minutes the two girls held a glass of pinkish liquid in their hands while the waitress smiled and pointed towards James and Saren.

    The boys considered. Why was the man doing this? He had to have some motive....

    But they would worry about that later. Never let it be said they were cowardly in the face of something of this level. As one, the two rose to converse with the ladies.

    Again, they were stopped. "Yeah...dont. Look at those glasses there, those two must have been getting free drinks since they got here. Obviously some poor fools must have gone to talk to them. But they were shot down, else two ladies of that caliber wouldn''t be alone. Do something different. Wait for them to come to you. Don''t even look at them until they do. Trust me."

    Aries offered some advice.

    "That seems a bit rude?" James was uncertain.

    "How?" Mephisto asked.

    "...." James wasn''t certain, really. If the two showed interest then should they really be playing games like this?

    Aries saw the looks they gave out and waved them off. " Don''t worry, this is all just for show. Believe me, soon you two will be having a pretty good time." He laughed. " Those two already singled you guys out. Right now we''re just...going through the motions." He finished vaguely. "As for myself..."

    He looked at a pretty brunette from across the room who quickly averted her gaze with a small blush.

    "...I think I''ll help myself to an early dessert." The man stood up.

    Mephisto saw out his retreating back with a sigh. " Truly no restraint. Well, I suppose that''s one down at least." He muttered.

    He watched with disinterest as Aries chatted with the woman, leaning in and whispering a few words to her before he smiled and led her out the doors of the establishment.

    The girl had a faint redness to her cheeks all throughout.

    Well, this was to be expected. Most of the women, despite their fear,  also showed interest in Aries or Mephisto but were too scared to approach. However, if one of the two approached them....

    With Aries and Mephisto present it was a bit of a surprise the two boys were getting some attention as well. In fact, it was more than they knew. Mephisto counted at least four others that were interested in one of the boys, if not both.

    Soon enough the two girls from before showed up at their table.

    Mephisto smiled and acted cordial but mainly allowed the two boys to talk. He did, of course, lend them a subtle hint or two. Sometimes even steering the conversation a bit.

    At times the girls would glance at him but move it again to Saren and James as they noticed Mephisto was completely uninterested. It was something that couldn''t be helped, really.  Mephisto was a "higher existence" than the girls, which unconsciously attracted them to him, made them look at him. It wasn''t anything they had much control over.

    He hid his presence as much as possible.

    As Saren and James interacted with the girls Mephsisto spoke up suddenly.

    "Hey, why don''t we take this to someplace more private?" He stood up and patted the boys on the shoulder as he asked  the two girls.

    James looked at him. "I really don''t think that''s a great idea--"

    "Sounds good" Saren butted in easily.

    James spoke quietly to his brother. " We only have one place to go to, and it''s not something we ourselves paid for. We can''t just bring back two girls we barely know!" He hissed. "I really don''t think Roland would like it if--"

    "That guy wouldn''t give a damn.  Lighten up, enjoy yourselves. "  Mephisto assured him. Roland, that guy, really wouldn''t care.

    "Great, let''s go!" The blonde spoke enthusiastically, immediately grabbing onto James'' arm. " Come on, let''s have some fun. This place is a bit stuffy, I think we all need some fresh air."

    The other girl joined in. " So, where you guys staying?"

    The girls knew the two boys weren''t locals. Neither were they, but they could still tell.

    As they led the girls out of the doors Mephisto followed a bit behind while the boys once again got absorbed in talking with the girls.

    Once they were back at the place the boys were staying at Mephisto handed James a jade-green card.

    "If you guys need to pay for anything, just use this. Go wild. Buy the entire goddamn hotel if you want to. " James accepted it after a pause.

    " Uh, thanks...." James, as he realized the meaning of the words fully,  looked at the thing covetously and opened him mouth to thank the man again.

    But Mephisto was already gone.

    As the man left behind the two brats he strolled along the streets as if he owned the place.

    That bastard. Roland, leaving us to babysit. As if I would be reduced to that. And that Aries....leaving me behind like that....Well, i''m doing the same but at least the boys will be having a bit of fun, you can''t say I don''t deliver. Still, me, taking care of two brats....How laughable. You haven''t paid me enough for something so troublesome. Let the boys enjoy themselves for a bit, I''ll be doing my own thing

    He nodded to himself, whistling idly as he sauntered throughout the city in search of entertainment.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    "Daddy, look at that! Let''s go for a ride!"

    Grace pointed to a giant wheel-like structure that housed multiple compartments to allow passengers inside. Roland had seen something very similar, though smaller, on one of the planets he and Loki once visited.

    What was it called....Ferris Wheel, was it?

    He wasn''t sure if it was something unique to that planet or not, though he hadn''t seen anything else like it on the other places he visited. Roland saw this thing last time he was here but he hadn''t found much interest in it.

    The place they were at had many such constructs. The smell of popcorn and other treats drfted in the air.  Numerous people were out and about having a good time with their significant others.

    " Sure, come on." He followed after her.

    Morrigan was still by his side, as always. He felt a bit uncomfortable. This wasn''t entirely caused by her, but....she could move away a bit, couldn''t she?

    As if sensing his thoughts, she smiled and wrapped her arms around one of his. " Something like this is expected of couples, you know. Learn to live with it."

    Roland understood that, but he really wouldn''t know what couple''s usually do. For that matter....could he be said to have ever had a real girlfriend? A person that he would take on dates and the like?

    He couldn''t remember.....

    He didn''t think he ever had such a person, at least in this life. Alhough there were females he took out,  those times were simply for fun and they weren''t going steady or any such thing. No, he had lovers before but not anything more stable. Most of the time they were too busy doing....other things.

    So doing something like this with a woman who wouldn''t be leaving anytime soon was a bit new to him. Doing casual things like this, locking arms, enjoying the sights, the sounds, simply being together....Not to mention having a young girl along with them.

    It was simply not his area of expertise.

    And Morrigan wasn''t simply a random girl he picked up, but his wife! Grace, too, was his own flesh and blood, his daughter! For Roland, everything about the current situation was a bit....surreal.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    He explained as much to Morrigan as they slowly followed their daughter.

    "So i''m your first?" She asked with a light in her eyes.

    "Regarding something like this....yeah."

    "Somehow...that makes me a bit happy." She mused.

    "How so?"

    "Well, because it means that no other women has really done this with you. When we first met, and even after, there wasn''t exactly time for things like this. To simply slow down and enjoy ourselves. We were always busy. People who coveted my powers were without end, and the amount of people who chased us were too many to count."

    This surprised Roland. He hadn''t ever been told things from their past together. " You could have simply killed them. I can''t see how that would take up much time at all."

    She smiled bitterly. " Due to various reason, I was left helpless. If you hadn''t come at the right moment I would have had everything stolen from me. I truly wouldn''t be a god anymore but simply a helpless mortal.  Hell, I was too weak to even defend myself. But you were the one who always did that for me. In those early days, it would have been best if you cast me aside. Yet you never did. "

    Roland couldn''t help be somewhat astonished by her words. He had no idea they had such a history together.

    "...It was quite some time until I regained a bit of my former strength, but before that you took care of almost every one of my needs. I depended on you to an extent I never had to with anyone else. It was humiliating, pathetic, but I had no other choice. I lashed out at you constantly."

    She admited. Morrigan felt intense guilt as she said the words. Truly, the start of their life together had not been easy. Not for him, at least. She hadn''t meant to have said so much of their past, had felt that something like that was pointless to tell him.

    In the end he wouldn''t remember the words she said today, wouldn''t remember their past together. But the words, she found, couldn''t be stopped. They gushed forth from her mouth ceaselessly and she she couldn''t keep them in.

    As she spoke, she felt her throat go raw, her eyes starting to feel pinpricks of heat as she remembered the things she had done, the pain she had caused. They weren''t things that could be forgive so easily.

    "I was cold, harsh, sometimes I even thought you might simply be playing a game with me. Trying to earn my trust before smashing it to the ground. I scarred you, too, once. Tried to kill you in your sleep, even. Later, I had resolved to kill myself. I felt it would be better than to wait for an eventual end that was far worse. It was the second lowest point in my life because I was a shadow of my former self. All my powers were gone. I used to be a god, but I was no long anything but a mortal with merely a small spark of what I once was. Even that aside, you were still in danger from those who sought whatever I had left in me.

    You shouldered everything for me despite the toubles I brought, despite all the pain and suffering I personally caused you nearly everyday." She suddenly had a faraway look in her eye. Roland said nothing, not wanting to disturb her. " I once asked why, and you said that since it was something you decided to do that you would see it through to the end. I, even now, don''t understand how you could say or do that for someone who had until then never said any real word of thanks.  It truly wasn''t easy for you, you see. The you of that time didn''t reach your current level of power until later in your life. It''s strange, but you''re much more powerful now than you were then."

    She looked at him, as if trying to solve some riddle. Even Roland wouldn''t know why this was. He assumed he always progress this fast in terms of power. However, this was not why Morrigan looked at him in this way. Her last words were a fleeting thought in her mind.

    No, she simply wondered why, even after seeing how ungrateful Morrigan had at first been to him back then, he was still willing to go out of his way for her. The thought was always a mystery to her. The things she had done to him....she acted like a spoiled brat. She had been cold and arrogant towards the only person who seemed foolish enough to want to keep her around. She had ridiculed him, had fought with him at nearly every corner.

    ...Thinking of it now, she felt deep shame and regret, wanting to berrate her past self for being so stubborn and hateful towards somone who had only ever tried to help.

    After all that, once she began to warm up to him, she had always half-expected he would walk out of the door and leave her behind. It eventually grew to be one of her greatest fears in those days. But she knew that she couldn''t be able to blame him if he ever did.  The things she said just now didn''t cover even a tenth of all she had done to the man whom she now loved.

    Morrigan felt another wave of guilt now. Really, how was it he had ever been able to love her? She hadn''t ever done anything to deserve it. Far from it.

    She continued.  " In any case, because of that we never had too much time to simply idle about like we are now. This could be considered a first for both of us. Spending time together, with Grace, simply having a good time....This is one of the things I always dreamt about." Her voice thickened, growing emotional. " That time when you rejected me, the time Grace talked about that night, was when I had begun to fear something like would never be within my grasp. I felt...frustrated,  alone.  Abandoned. It was something I never had any experience with, never felt before. And that was the lowest point in my life. That was the only time I can remember myself crying. Even in my mortal life I don''t think I had ever been in a state like that where the tears simply didn''t seem to stop."

    Roland had not said anything all throughout. But her words made his heart clench. He understood well what his past self''s words meant: He said he would take care of her, gave his word. And no matter what she did, said or what trouble she brought, he would continue to protect her. Given his nature, it wouldn;t have mattered how many harsh words or actions she took against him.

    He would have understood why she acted like that. Having reached such heights and fallen to that extent, who wouldn''t be resentful towards everything? It was like the universe was playing a cruel trick on you. Even her trying to kill him was negligible in his mind. Being reduced to that state, how could she so easily trust someone she had never met before? And having that person seem willing to bear all that burden with seemingly no complaint? That was too suspicious, too unbelievable.

    But this is not what made him feel this way. No, if was the mere fact that because of his words she considered that time the lowest point in her life. The only person who was there to console her would have been the young Grace who couldn''t have fully understood Morrigan''s pain. Of course he remembered the short story Grace had told him not long ago when they first met. How could he forget?

    But he truly didn''t until this moment, know exactly how Morrigan had felt at that time due to his callousness. Once again he scolded himself for it, wishing he could take it back. If at that time he simply listened to her....If he only gave her some room to talk....Then he, Morrigan and Grace would already have become a family in truth. Grace would be spoiled rotten, Roland and Morrigan doting on her endlessly.....

    So much lost time....

    He wasn''t able to truly make up for it. He only had a few years left to give them before he would have to leave them again. He needed to make the best of what he had left.

    Feeling a sudden urge, without any warning he stopped Morrigan and  reached out with a hand to pull her face towards his own.

    As Morrigan was busy thinking back on her past she felt her husand''s hand on her chin, a gentle tug. Giving her no time to prepare or understand what was happening, she only knew that her head was tipped back and moments later her lips met his own.  It was long, deep. She could feel the heat from his body, so familiar that she could drown in it.  His rich scent wafted through her mind, as intoxicating as any drug.

    The kiss wasn''t of a mere erotic nature, it was more meaningful than that. It felt warm, inviting, like she was finally home after a long absence. For a moment she simply leaned on him, surrounding herself in his smell, breathing him in and enjoying his taste on her tongue.

    When he finally broke away she couldn''t help feeling a sense of loss, but was still no less content. Although to her it ended too soon, she knew that in the following days there would be many more to come.

    "Mommy, daddy, hurry! Come on already, after this we still have so much to do!" Grace reappeared in front of them, tugging at their arms while the white fox pushed at their legs.

    At the young girl''s urging the two of them nodded and picked up the pace.

    After that they didn''t bother to talk. Right now, words weren''t needed.

    -------------------------------------------------

    Loki was currently in the highest level of the ship, standing in a large chamber that was brightly-lit and reeking of a not-quite-unpleasant sickly-sweet scent. In the center was a long bed, and in that bed were several beautfiful women currently giggling as they messed with the young man who was also laying down on it as well....but unlike the women, he was tied up and gagged.

    "Yo, Oracle, enjoying yourself?" Loki grinned.

    The man called Oracle narrowed his eyes and started wiggling about in anger.

    "Eh? Sorry mate, can''t hear you. " Loki said. " You know, you really should stop being so....so rigid! This would all be so much more comfortable for you if you relaxed a bit!"

    More angry, muffled sounds.

    "Some people really have no appreciation for all I do for them. Look at you, beautiful women waiting on you hand and foot, never having to leave the bed, that''s the dream of all men! And you seem unsatisfied even still!" Loki sighed. "Honestly...." He glanced at the Oracle. "Oh, and I''m sure that by now you understand this, but don''t try breaking those. They''re crafted from the same material my daughter''s chain is made of, practically unbreakable!" Loki had, until recently, forgotten that the man kept here. Luckily he was taken care of by the girls.

    "Lord Loki, come and play with us. It''s been such a long time since we last met, we''re so bored! Come now, you know you want to~" One of the girls beckoned.

    He laughed. "Sorry, my dear, but I have to check up on sleeping beauty."

    He then made his way to the side door. Beyond it was another room, much larger, with a glass ceiling. Light rained down the small pond in the room''s center.

    And within that pond was a certain golden-haired youth whose thick  locks of hair seemed to radiate it''s own inner light. He was tall, but slender, almost frail. Like a young boy not quite yet a man.

    He was floating upon the surface of the pond, tranquil, at peace, completely unconscious.

    A large red bump could be seen on his forehead. The properties of the pond''s water kept the boy''s body in the exact state he entered it, frozen in time. Obviously this wound wouldn''t have healed even after such a long time.

    "Apollo, my old friend, how have you been? Ah...sorry I kinda commandeered your lovely ship. And that I forgot about you after your first year here. However, nevermind that. I''m here to set you free!" He proclaimed.

    "But, you know, it really is weird." Loki mused. "I had thought you would''ve broken out by now. So how are you still--?"

    With no warning, a smooth hand found its way around Loki''s throat.

 chapter fifty-one

    AN: Expect another chapter either tonight or tomorrow. Imma edit this later.

    Wanted to release this a few days ago, but i kind of re-wrote it during the middle. No, well, I re-wrote everything from the middle onwards. so, that kinda too some time. for me to decide what to put there instead. im trying to do more POVs.

    Comment on anything that you wish. Ah, and remember to rate and review.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "hah....hah....ha...alright, next is-"

    "I think we should find someplace to take a rest. Maybe grab a bite to eat too? Let''s go take a break, little one. I could use it, this father of yours isn''t as young as he used to be, you know." He spoke jokingly with a smile

    Roland grabbed onto his daughter''s hand as she panted and tried to rush off towards whatever ride or attraction that she had in mind. The fox, which usually sat upon the girl''s head or shoulders, had now sped towards them with slightly heavy breathing. It, too, was tired of running about.

    It layed on it''s stomach as it saw them stopping, seeming relieved.

    They had already been runnning about for quite some time, riding various contraptions or looking at some interesting thing that Grace dragged them to. They had already visited an arcade and watched a movie, the two causing them to walk a fair distance. They had done other things as well, which made Grace a bit tired.

    Basically she had done her best to enjoy this time together and had resulted in her overexerting herself to some degree.

    Hearing his words, she stubbornly shook her head. " Daddy, we can''t! We have to...have to go and have even more fun together!" She tried to catch her breath in the middle of the sentence. " Come on, there is still so many things we have yet to do together!  Mommy, tell him!"

    She turned to her mother with a pleading gaze.

    Morrigan was unwavering. "My dear girl, I think it would be prudent to listen to your father on this. I, too, have grown a bit fatigued."

    This was a lie, of course. Roland and Morrigan had energy to spare but Grace seemed just about ready to collapse. The little girl seemed to be carrying on through sheer force of will.

    She had wasted a lot of energy due to her excitement.

    The little girl looked betrayed. "But mommy, we have to make the best of our time. Daddy''s here, he''s finally with us. So we have to enjoy every second, we can''t waste it! Who knows when--" She stopped herself abruptly.

    Morrigan and Roland looked at the young girl.

    Roland smiled bitterly.

    How could he not know the trouble that even still plagued her? It appears he would have to reassure her once again.

    He kneeled down, looking towards her at eye-level. " I thought I had already addressed this, but Grace....I''m not going anywhere." He emphasised the words. "It''s alright to slow down. I''m going to be here for you, and your mother, from now on. I know that secretly you might not entirely believe it, that''s the truth. You don''t have to try so hard, because we''ll all have plenty of time to spend with one another in the days ahead. Aright?"

    Grace''s clear eyes, so like his own, stared back at him. He wasn''t able to tell exactly what she felt in that moment, but she nodded her head shyly and stayed quiet.

    He wasn''t sure whether she truly understood, but at least she shouldn''t be so worried now. He felt bad, though. He will have to leave them whether he wanted to or not.

    But at the very least he would make it so that he would be able to return to them.

    After some time they maneuvered through the streets and found a rather high-end restaurant that Roland had visited the time he was last here. It was a large, multi-storied building that attracted many wealthy customers with it''s ambient atmosphere and diverse menu.

    As they approached, Roland, a bit to his surprise, saw a pretty, smartly-dressed woman near the entrance sitting with a look of boredom behind a small desk. The woman instantly recognized Roland and then smiled beamingly at him from afar which froze as she caught sight of Morrigan and Grace.

    She was a tall, lithe woman with dark hair and bright eyes.

    Roland regretted coming here instantly but it was too late to turn back.

    Before the woman could speak, he smiled politely. "A table for three, please." Then he remembered something. " Ah, wait, I believe I should have a booth on reservation."

    He knew he had one, since he paid handsomely for the ability to come and immediately have a seat whenever he showed up again. He may not have ever come back, but he did so anyway.

    The woman nodded easily. "Your name and number?" She asked.

    "Roland, number 374"

    "Ah, yes, please follow me." She smiled at him before leading them inside.

    As they followed behind, Morrigan talked into Roland''s ear with a trace of displeasure.

    "So, how do you two know each other?"

    "We don''t." He looked at her with a questioning glance. "Why do you think we do?"

    "She seemed awfully glad to see you. That smile of her''s seemed pretty "friendly", you know" Her voice was flat.

    "I''m sure she smiles like that to all the customers. It''s common in places like this to be courteous."

    "Really? Is it common to do that as well?" She pointed towards the woman, who was walking with an obvious sway to her hips that garnered the attention of all the men she passed.

    "I don''t know what you mean. That''s merely the way she walks. Is there something wrong with it?"

    "It''s vulgar."

    "It isn''t good to pass judgement on others. Besides, what would that have to do with anything?"

    "...."

    They were led upstairs to a quiet corner a bit aways from everyone else. The booth was large enough for several people and the table equally so.

    The woman then turned towards them and smiled at Roland and Grace in turn, completely ignoring Morrigan. Which wasn''t odd, since Morrigan had changed their hair color so she wouldn''t be recognised. Her''s was now, to the eye of others, a golden blonde. Grace''s, though, was the same pitch black as Roland''s own.

    Still, whether it was intended or not, Roland saw through the illusion and could see their true appearances.

    "Here you are. Enjoy your stay. Oh. " She looked at Roland. " And if you need anything then just come find me."

    Some of the more sharp-eared customers who were listening in felt a surge of injustice rise within them. The woman, who was partly to blame for the restaurant''s fame, had never spoken so friendly to any of them.

    The only reason they had paid attention to the ones who entered was because the woman led the way, which was something uncharacteristic of her. When had she ever done the same for those of them who come here on a regular basis?

    And yet she did so for these people here? Also, what was with the way she seemed so familiar with the young man there? When had she ever smiled like that towards any of them?

    And that other woman, the blonde, she was a stunning beauty too. Plus that little girl, who must obviously be the man''s daughter. He already had a flower in each arm and now even had the attention of the woman they had all had eyes on for some time?

    They felt this difference in treatment was too unfair!

    "I don''t think that will be necessary, thank you." Roland told her.

    " Well, if you change your mind..."

    " I''ll be sure to let you know."

    "Great." She said. Before she left she patted Grace on the head unexpectedly and told her to come to her if the girl needed anything as well.

    Morrigan was, once again, left out of the woman''s attention.

    In response to this Morrigan felt her hand twitch, wanting to beat the woman into submission. She, very reluctantly, held it in.

    Her good mood had taken a plunge.

    She looked unhappily at her husband, who had already taken his seat. "Why did we have to come here, of all places?"

    He shrugged. " It caught my eye."

    "Yes, I''m sure she did." She replied drily.

    He sighed inwardly. Roland knew that the continuation of the topic only led to him getting in trouble. He truly hoped that the woman didn''t show up again.

    Of course, despite his words and actions to the contrary, it was obvious that Roland knew the woman. Although not to any substantial degree. Neither of them really focused on getting to know one another. Well, that wasn''t strictly true: They simply got to know each other in....different ways.

    He knew without a doubt that Morrigan had picked up on this. But how could he admit something like that to his wife, and in front of his own daughter?

    Still, he couldn''t deny that seeing her again did bring back some rather pleasant memories....

    After another short minute or two, much to Roland''s dismay, the woman was back.

    "Here are your menus. I''ll be close by, so just give me a signal when you''re ready...." She looked at the white fox. "...We don''t forbid beasts inside, but we don''t exactly have anything to give it either. If you want to order him---her?--anything then we can do that but you will, of course, have to pay. Also, if it starts causing trouble, then..."

    Roland nodded easily. " Don''t worry, that won''t happen. But you don''t have to wait for us, one of the waiters or waitresses can--"

    He was cut off with a laugh."No, no, it''s fine. I''m not busy anyway. I''m happy to help in any way I can, rest assured. It would be my pleasure."

    Morrgian, slightly low, spoke. " Of course it is...."

    She was ignored.

    Roland patted her on the thigh under the table, hoping to calm her a bit. Which it did, but only a little.

    Grace, not quite understanding the subtleties of the situation, tilted her head at the three adults. There seemed to be something strange going on, but she didn''t know what....

    ... Mommy doesn''t appear to like that woman there, but she seemed nice enough to me so I don''t to get why mommy seems so irritated by the woman....And strangely, even daddy is acting a bit off. Like, maybe a bit stiffer? Or something....

    Things progressed in this fashion all throughout.

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    An hour or so later Roland was having his arm held by Morrigan in a strangely possessive way. She seemed to be having some rather dark thoughts he believed were best left unknown.

    Grace, to his right, said, "That lady was really nice, don''t you think?"

    "She was insufferable." Morrigan said, with a touch of disdain.

    " What?"

    "Nothing, dear."

    Her tone made a dramatic change.

    "Ah, daddy, what was on that piece of paper she gave you?"

    Morrigan peered up at him, slightly narrowing her eyes. "What paper?"

    Roland shrugged. "The bill."

    Grace looked at him. " Oh, so that''s what it was. Daddy, but I meant what was that written on the back of--"

    "Little one, you love daddy, yes? You want mommy and daddy to be happy, right?"

    "Of course!" She replied instantly, with great vigor.

    "Then please stop."

    "Huh?" She looked up at him with her big eyes, not understanding

    "...."

    He didn''t elaborate, simply leaving her in confusion. Needless to say he had already thrown the thing away. A building''s name and a room number. But he obviously hadn''t bothered to remember either.

    Grace looked towards the white fox which was perched once more on top of her shoulder, almost as if it would have the answer. It merely stared back at her.

    She suddenly thought of something. " Daddy, why isn''t sister Reina here too?"

    " Why would she be?" He asked. He did invite her to spend time with them but that was for tomorrow. Today belonged to the three of them.

    "But daddy, she''s your daughter too, right? I feel so comfortable around her, this must be our sisterly bond, no? I can tell. "

    Roland paused.

    Daughter? Reina?

    The very idea brought him significant distress.

    "No, she''s not...." He began.

    "But daddy, her eyes..." Grace insisted.  " They''re just like ours, and she smells like you, how can she not be.....?" Her sense of smell was pretty good. Maybe not as good as sister Fenris'', but she was still confident in it. And Grace liked the idea of having a sister, a real sister.  She was giddy just thinking about it! So not having her here right now made her a bit sad.

    "That''s...."

    "Dear, now that she mentions it, I was going to ask you for an explanation as well." Morrigan said.

    "...Things happened. Don''t worry about it for now. But Grace, Reina''s not my...."He couldn''t even say the words. " No, remember that tall,  dark-haired girl she left with? Plus Charlotte and her parents? Those girls are Reina''s sister, and that couple were her parents." Charlotte and her parents were adoptive family, but he wouldn''t get into that.

    "Sisters? Parents? But, daddy...." Grace hesitated. No, that can''t be, right?

    "It''s a bit complicated, little one. But I assure you that Reina''s not your sister. "  He hurried to tell her.

    He felt a bit discontent with how he handled it once he saw Grace''s crestfallen expression. It seemed like she really liked the thought of having an older sister, huh....

    But it couldn''t be helped, such a thing simple wasn''t the case. He had to correct the misunderstanding.

    Morrigan shot him a look as he let out a small sigh. He knew he would have to explain more later but for now he didn''t want have this conversation. Grace nodded, though she didn''t really understand. Her heart didn''t want to accept it but she knew her father wouldn''t lie to her like that. She felt a small knot in her chest.

    She really did like Reina, and she felt a connection with the older girl that she hadn''t felt with anyone but her mother and father. It was an intrinsic liking that wasn''t restrained by reason. Troubled, she idly put a hand to her chest.

    Roland noticed something then. "Grace...what is that?"

    "Hm?" She tilted her head. " What, daddy?"

    "That thing around your neck." He pointed.

    "Ah, this? It''s my ring." She told him.

    And indeed it was a ring. A ring that was black with a deep blue gemstone, hanging around the young girl''s slender neck by a white-silver chain.

    "Ring?" Morrigan saw the exchange and frowned. It felt like she was forgetting something....

    "How strange..." Roland hadn''t until that moment, ever noticed the thing. Morrigan, too, looked a bit surprised. " Where did you get it?" He asked the girl.

    " I can''t remember...." Grace''s voice was full of doubt.

    Roland stared at the thing with a peculiar expression. Somehow, he felt like he had seen the thing somewhere before. It appeared vaguely familiar.

    He suddenly had a certain scene play out in his mind. A large battlefield, countless corpses littering the ground, broken weapons everyhere that soaked up their masters'' blood. Then a small, beautiful young girl nestled comfortably in his arms....Her face was an oval, delicate and almost weak. High cheekbones, a small chin, a proud nose.

    He wasn''t able to tell exactly the original color of her eyes but they changed almost as soon as he saw her. Their color became an enchanting violet. Her face was replaced with one that was older, more perfect, more alluring.  But the exact features were indistinct Even still, he knew he had seen this face before. Who? Where? Those eyes....No, it had to have been her, right?

    He was exposed to a sudden splitting headache as soon as the thought entered his mind.

    What...was that? A a daydream? No, a memory?

    If it was, then how rare. He would sometimes get flashes like this one, and it would become much more common once the time of his departure got closer. But he hadn''t ever before now gotten one so clear, so vivid and strong....

    And that young girl, her face was a bit indistinct but her aura, the way she made him feel, it was....

    He wan''t sure. What''s more, the woman that appeared.....She was....

    He noticed that he had been staring intently at the ring and tore his gaze away.

    " Grace, can I have it?" He wasn''t sure what the thing was but if it was able to remain hidden from him for so long then it couldn''t be ordinary. And that meant it was potentially dangerous. But to cause him such a reaction, perhaps this thing was connected to one of his past selves?

    All the more reason for him to have it, if that was true.

    Grace quickly took the thing off and handed it over, not minding at all. " Of course. Here you go, daddy." She smiled.

    He smiled back. " Know what, why don''t we make a trade? Here."

    Reaching out a hand, a small black void appeared and he took out a red sun hat. He then presented it to the girl. Her eyes sparkled as she saw it.

    Morrigan, too, thought it was nice. That red would look good on Grace and  make her eyes pop.

    "Thanks, daddy!" She gushed, giving him a surprise hug. "It''s so pretty, I love it!"

    Truthfully it didn''t matter what it was, she would have been happy with anything he gave her. But this was the first thing her father ever gave her, she would absolutely take special care of it!

    -----------------------------------------------------

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    "COME BACK HERE YOU DAMN THIEVING COCKROACH, LET ME TURN YOU TO ASHES!!"

    Within the third city, the one two levels above the city Roland, Grace and Morrigan currently were,  a certain youth  was shining with a golden radiance and hurling orange-gold balls of fire everywhere. They struck tall buildings and burned through them like they were butter. There were numerous people running for their lives, it was truly a miracle none had died yet.

    "My good brother, listen to me very carefully: Calm your goddamn tits!!" Loki teleported away each time a fireball was about to his him.

    That bastard, what was with this cruel treatment towards a long-time friend?!

    "Seriously, what they fuck!" Loki shouted, distressed. "Is this because of the time I hit on your sister? Dammit, let it go!"

    "YOU WHAT?!" The youth went into a frenzy, his eyes seemingly shooting forth light as he flew with unmatchable speed toward Loki.

    His body was wrapped in a soft, silk-like cloth that was completely purple with gold designs on his hem. His body was slender, but had a trim, fit look to it. His face was a bit delicate and had fine features to it that drew the eye.

    He was bathed in gold light. His hair was slightly curly, floating in the air in all it''s golden splendor and looked like a halo around his head.

    Heat surrounded his body, distorting the space around him. The entire city felt it, like a sudden heat wave that left their skin dry and their mouths feeeling like they had eaten hot sand.

    Only one group was spared from this.

    The tall, kind-looking citizens that bore golden bands aroud their arms.

    "Shit, that might not have been a good thing to say. I thought he already knew. Fuck, as if Artemis hadn''t punished me enough already for that. Damn girl, acting hard to get...."

    He trailed off as he reminisced. That was truly one of his greatest regrets, not being able to have her. Ah, what a waste.

    But he quickly recovered. That prude, hmph, who cares about her?

    This brother, though....He''s gonna be trouble.

    Loki failed to understand why he was doing this. What was the problem? Merely ten years or so,  maybe, but compared to all the time they had what was that pitiful amount worth?

    This was too over the top!

    Though, he may not be angry about just that....

    Loki looked at the small bump Apollo had on his head.

    When did he wake up, exactly? He should have been able to heal that kind of injury easily.

    What was it that he had hit him with again? A grail of some sort....He remembered stealing it from that annoying upstart Jesus once, long ago. Ah, whatever happened to it anyway?

    Did he give it away?

    That would be a shame. That thing was such a good paperweight....

    His thoughts were disturbed as he had to dodge another fireball.

    "Apollo, buddy, friend, pal, don''t be like that. I understand why you''re so mad now." Though his next words proved he didn''t. " I got a solution. Why don''t you hit on my sister? I know Mecury is around here somewhere...." Of course, he wouldn''t allow it to get past the first few words. Nope, anything other than a frendly greeting wasn''t happening while Loki was around.

    Wait, where was she anyway? With Fenris, right? Eh, if that daughter was here then she could just eat these pesky flames.

    He then thought of other things in that moment. That damn Mercury, Loki saw the way she was looking at Roland. Hm, was this going to be a problem?

    No, no, it shouldn''t be. That guy wouldn''t be attracted to a beast like her.

    So, it was fine.

    Plus, he was married now, with a daughter to boot. Actually, wasn''t that a great thing? Now Loki didn''t have to live with the constant deppression of the possibilty of the man starting something with his daughter.

    Even if in the future something started to bloom between them, Morrigan and Grace were an insurmountable wall! Or, well, that girl was damn stubborn.....

    Nah, nothing would happen, he was overreacting.

    "Oi, watch it!" Loki once again got distracted and a beam of light came close before he got away. "Ah, my hair! My eyebrows!"

    They were singed!

    "Alright, fine. to hell with it!" Loki was now truly miffed. He had done nothing wrong, why was  he doign this? Well, if it''s a fight he wants, then... " Bring it on, matchstick!"

    His hands glowed a deadly green and red.

    A battle between gods was now inevitable.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Mephisto was licking a five-scoop high ice cream cone covered in chocolate and nuts when he arrived back at the place where Roland and the rest were staying.

    It had been a while already and he decided to check up on them, see how they were doing.

    He heard something from the boy called James'' room and snapped his fingers to  open the door.

    What he saw was pretty interesting.

    A young man, tied by his hands and feet to the bed. Naked. And passed out. Like, not the kind of passed out that you got from a bump on the head but the type of weak-looking passed out that you would find yourself in after a session between you and a particularly playful succubus.

    His skin lost it''s pale golden sheen and he looked a bit gaunt. Just a bit.

    "Well, fuck." Mephisto sighed to himself.

    He spent the next few minuted untying the boy and slapped him a few times to wake him up.

    " Hey, boy, you alive?"

    "Ughhh" James groaned weakly, his eyes unfocused.

    Mephisto grinned. " Have fun?"

    "Who....what...." The boy''s words were slurred.

    "Damn, I thought those two were a bit strange. Turns out it was like this, eh? Heh, so, you have a good time?"

    The boy didn''t answer. Probably couldn''t

    Mephist smelled a faint hint of something musky, sweaty. The smell of sex. There was also something a bit fragrant. The scent of a fine woman.

    He noticed a small paper on the desk to the side of the bed.

    It read, Thanks for the meal.

    In small, flowery cursive.

    "What happened?" James muttered groggily.

    "Don''t worry kid, It''ll come back to you. Probably by tonight. Leave your window open and we''ll see if you can''t get lucky again. Ah, but, maybe you should eat something first. I''m guessing your brother is in his room passed out as well. Stay there, I''ll go untie him and order you guys something to get your strength back." He chuckled.

    "Huh?" James didn''t understand, but he felt ravenous so he didn''t try to stop the man or say anthing.

    He felt so relaxed, though. And a bit sore....What happened?

    His memory failed him...

    "Don''t worry mate, everything will be fine. But damn, usually succubi don''t travel in pairs. Or in their physical forms. You two really lucked out, most of the time they would simply appear in your dreams once they target you. Who knows, they might have been twins. Or a mother-daughter pair. Hard to tell with them, really. They don''t necessarily have to look alike even if they''re related. Even I''m not sure about something like that. Well, whatever the case is don''t think about it too much. " Mephisto clapped him on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

    He still had the cone in his hand. He took a bite.

    He felt good about himself, honestly. He was a damn fine chaperone, wasn''t he? He could make a living off this.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    Aries left the hotel room feeling refreshed.

    That girl, she looked innocent but she had a pretty wild side to her! Heh, little minx, she truly had a bit of fire inside. He might even have a few more scars now.

    He stretched his arms a bit as he walked through the cluttered streets. Most people shied away from him, unconsciously or not.

    Out of the corner of his eye, from far away, he spotted a tall blonde hanging on the arm of a certain black-haired young man with brilliant blue eyes.

    He paused.

    Roland?

    Aries thought his eyes decieved him. Looking at the man being held onto by such a pretty woman, he felt a bit odd. That guy, was he....cheating? On Morrigan of all people? No, that couldn''t be right.

    He looked close and spotted a black-haired young girl with them, a white fox on her shoulder. Aries understood instantly

    So that''s what''s going on!

    An illusion, eh? Well, Aries was never all that great at noticing such things so it wasn''t abnormal for him to be a bit confused.

    Aries was a bit curious as to what they were doing and soon found himself following them from far behind. This was a bit dangerous as Rland would likely sense him, but it seemed he was a bit busy with his attention on them. Of course Aries probably wouldn''t get away with this if he meant them any harm.

    He saw Roland glancing at a tall resaurant that Aries felt a bit familiar. The man steered the young girl and woman towards the place. He stiffed a bit as he caught sight of something though. His steps slowed but didn''t stop.

    Hm? What could make him react like....Ahh

    It was a bit hard to tell from this angle but Aries found that there was a pretty young woman just inside who brightened considerably at Roland''s appearance.

    He couldn''t help grinning. So, one of Roland''s old "acquaintances", huh?

    Well, isn''t that interesting. The "Ex" and the wife. Plus, the little girl is there too!

    Roland must be feeling a bit peculiar right about now, though it seemed he concealed it well.

    Aries saw a short conversation between Roland and the woman with Morrigan starting to frown ever so slightly as she picked up on the way the woman smiled and looked at her husband. The girl seemed, so far, oblivious.

    As they followed the woman deeper inside she had a definite saunter to her steps that was quite visually pleasing. That woman had curves in just the right places, and it appeared like she knew how to use them.

    Aries was left feeling a bit disapointed that he couldn''t see how this all played out. He was sure there would be a bit of questioning to be had from Morrigan.

    Oh well.

    He walked away.

    Hm, should he go check up on Abs? She was probably wondering where Aries ran off to.

    He considered a bit.

    No, first he would been a good shower.

    The smell of the woman with whom he had just made pleasant memories with still lingered and Abs would probably look at him with that cold, disdainful gaze of hers if she knew about Aries''.... extracurricular activities.

    He went looking for a bathhouse or someplace where he could wash off. Well, he wasn''t pressed for time right now so maybe he would find some sort of spa.

    Aries had to take care of himself, after all. To neglect this fine temple of a body would be a crime against women everywhere.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    There was blood everywhere.

    The silence was worse than the screams from before.

    But to her, it was peaceful.

    She cast a glance over the mutilated bodies.

    They were little more than pigs to her. Vile scum. In the past it made no difference to her whether one was innocent or not but she recently found a bit of joy in exterminating those that deserved it.

    Perhaps this, too, was his influence.

    Gehenna believed it must be so.

    She had stumbled upon this bandit''s den merely moments ago. They had seen her walking into their village, wounded and a bit pale. The cut he inflicted upon her was painful, agonizing. It had barely healed, only closing up slighty.

    She wasn''t sure if she wanted it to heal. It was physical evidence that the one she sought after for so long was truly here, on this planet. It was proof that she had found him.

    It was his mark.

    Going back a bit, when she had entered this place she was instantly surrounded by hundreds of outlaws, each one leering at her perversely. Their eyes filled with lust, their tongues licking their lips in anticipation.

    The first to step up had his body severed in half. The second had a bolt of black fire strike his member before another pierced his heart. The third got a decapitation, the fouth turned to ash....The slaughter continued until the last one begged for his life.

    She wasn''t merciful.

    She gripped the large black sword tightly in her hand. Her thoughts drifted to the images Hermes has showed her.

    He had given her the tablet that night, the one used to show her those things. She had stared at it for a long time. It played over and over again, the scene of the three holding onto each other tightly, the image of the woman she hated planting a small kiss upon the young man''s lips....

    It was never ending, kept in a loop. Her brother''s eyes looked so warm then, so full of affection....

    He had once looked at her with that sort of gaze, loving and protective....But that time was past.

    It was taken from her.

    Now the light of recognition was gone from him, he no longer seemed to see her as anything other than a stranger.

    She was nothing to him now.

    And all this was that woman''s fault. She stole him away. Gehenna knew this must be the case.

    Morrigan, you tried to be rid of me once before. With those people, coming after my life. But you failed. And now after I had found something that was precious to me, after I finally discovered someone who had seemed to accept me, you tear it away and make him your own. If you can''t have my life then you steal the thing that now makes it worth living?

    The thought brought a wave of injustice to her. She felt sickened by the woman''s methods.

    She hadn''t been able to finish Gehenna off all those years ago and so she planned to do something even more underhanded and cruel. This was just like her.

    In the past, Morrigan and Gehenna were both shunned from their kind. Morrigan was isolated due to Brighid''s hatred of her and the same could be said for Gehenna. Though on a larger scale.

    This had made the two....not quite friends, but something almost like it.

    They were alone together.

    Both unwanted.

    But then she, too, turned against me. Called me an abomination. As if she was any different. No, it was my mistake to begin with. I should have known. Of all the people I have met, only that brother of ours had never turned his gaze away from me.

    "Ours?"

    She frowned.

    No, that wasn''t right.

    Or was it?

    In the end, which one were they? Did it even matter anymore? Grace, or Gehenna, was there any difference now?

    She found that she didn''t want to know.

    Perhaps he only accepted her because she was Grace at that time. If this was the case then she would rather not know who she really was or which of them was truly in control.

    Maybe she was over thinking it. Though if she had to choose, she would have chosen to be Grace.

    It was too late to think of herself as Grace, but the one known as Gehenna was a person she would rather not be if she had been asked.

    As Grace, everything was so much simpler. And warmer.

    Ah....This isn''t good. She was getting too caught up in her own thoughts. Why was this? Is it because of the wound? Was she losing too much blood for her to concentrate on the task at hand?

    She had to focus.

    Stay alert.

    But she felt weak. Her arms and legs trembled slightly.

    No, she had to....stay...awake....

    But the sentiment was useless. Her body fell.

    ------------------------------------

    It caught her just as she passed out.

    It pitied her. This one was truly too sad to watch. She didn''t know what, or who, she was. She was afraid to find out. It understood her distress to some degree.

    Such pain, such lonliness. She carried it around her like a shroud.

    Is this why he told it to watch after her?

    It''s name was long forgotten, but that request of his was something it could never have lost. This woman was precious to him, how could it not consider her precious in turn? She and it were alike in many ways. Both wanting what they had lost to be returned to them.

    It carried her along it''s length, encasing her in a protective barrrier so that she wouldn''t fall.

    Where to go? She had not known where it is that she wanted to go.  She merely wandered, unsure of what to do or how to proceed. But it knew her heart. Knew where she wanted to be. The same place it wanted to be as well.

    It expanded it''s senses. That which they sought was close, it knew.

    There was something large coming this way, it found. Something powerful, ancient. It hurried towards the object with  unsurpassable speed. The thing felt like a small sun in the distance.

    Soon it felt a familiar presence. This presence made it excited, eager.

    How could this presence be that of any other?

    It found what felt like a large ship-like thing floating high up into the sky at a medium pace. Neither fast nor slow.

    But there was no entrance.

    No, that was fine.

    How could this frail material keep it out?

 Chapter fifty-two part 1

    AN: ...I know im late, but it''s still here. I will try getting the next part out by sometime today. It ended up longer than i thought and so I didnt bother to include the POV of anyone else in this one. But....i kind of accidentally lost the final 1/3 of this, which was actually a lot. So....i ended up not remembering much of what i wrote and in the end I came up with this. This isn''t as good as that last one, i know that for a fact. So im not satisfied with this.

    But, how it is? I didn''t want to make it too serious, as I dont think Loki is an all too "serious" character. How''s that dialogue, though? Any feedback?

    I will edit this later, for now im going to sleep for a bit. Remeber to rate, review and comment.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Apollo was a god of light, prophecy, music, medicine, spirituality and healing.

    These are some of the known things he was associated with. But he''s also a God of Destruction. Note the capitals. Gods of Destruction were damn annoying to deal with.

    Especially this guy. He was more troublesome to deal with than most. Why? Well, remember that bit about medicine?

    Apollo''s darker side meant he was also a god that could summon and create plagues. Curses too. Basically this walking matchstick could also be called one sick fuck!

    Loki lamented his cruel fate.

    Seriously, what could he have done to deserve this?

    Apollo floated high up in the air, looking at Loki with those shining eyes of his. Golden rays spread out from him like a flood.

    "Loki, you think you are untouchable? You think you can''t be restrained? Today I will show you just how small and insignificant you are!"

    Apollo''s body radiated heat to frightening degrees. It warped the air around him and was akin to standing close to a sun while wearing a suit of armor and having it melt on your skin.

    "Fuck you, damn matchstick! Attacking others so suddenly, has your mother, that blasted woman, never taught you proper manners? Fine, then let this daddy discipline you! Thy ass is mine! By the end of the day imma have your hide hanging on my wall!"

    Loki, who was he?

    Being threatened so blantantly, how could he stand such humilation? Hmph, he wasn''t one to shy away from a fight!

    This damn brat, Loki would bend him over his knee and whack him with a metal padel until his bottom bled! Then rub salt on the wound!

    Just see if he didn''t!

    Loki felt a wicked grin coming onto his face.

    He brought his hands together and pulled them apart, a black staff with a large white crystal attached to it''s head appearing from the space between his palms as they seperated.

    "Take a look at this, matchstick, this long and thick thing is going to pop that cherry of yours! And no lube, either. Hear that? I''m doing this shit raw! Ha!" He laughed maniacally. " I''ll take a picture and send it to everyone, you won''t be able to show your face amongst any of the gods ever again! This is what you get when you pick the wrong fight!"

    Loki wouldn''t just beat this little shit, he''d ruin his social standing and thrown him into an abyss of despair!

    He changed changed his form, becoming an adult version of himself with sleek dark armor. He couldn''t exactly take this bastard on as a kid, now could he? Indeed, in battle he prefered this form. He only liked staying an adolescent when lazing about or seducing beautiful women!

    Loki multiplied, creating dozens of clones.

    "Numbers won''t help, I''ll decimate them all!" Apollo brought a hand up and summoned sickly-green miasma that expanded and hurled itself  towards Loki.

    The gas was, of course, some type of plague. It had the power to spread and wipe out the population of an entire planet in a matter of days! But a simple plague, against a god? Obviously this couldn''t be a normal plague. Apollo wasn''t a fool

    As it touched the high, skyscraper-like buildings it melted the stone and glass with ease. But it didn''t enter, it''s goal was only Loki.

    The multitudes of Lokis watched it coming at them with amused expressions. However, it slowly become more alarmed.

    "This bastard, what the hell is up with that thing? If it hits me won''t I have a feeling it won''t be good! Dammit, it''ll be a real bitch to materialize in physical form again if I get killed. Damn boy, don''t be causing so much trouble for your elders!"

    Apollo wasn''t aiming to truly kill Loki. Not aiming to try squashing his divinity and extinguish his existence. No, he was pissed off and that meant he was going to destroy Loki''s body to appease his anger. How hard was it to truly kill a god? Something like that wasn''t easily done, but destroying their bodies was not so complicated.

    Apollo sought to slap this arrogant brat in the face by making him understand that he wasn''t someone that could do as he pleased!

    The Lokis raised their staffs and created a barrier around the dark miasma, encasing it. But it did little. It kept growing and ate away at the barrier.

    Not only that, some wasn''t caught and kept going towards them.

    One of the Lokis let out a small gasp.

    The rest turned towards the sound and were shocked.

    His face turned gangerenous, his entire body rotting and shriveling up. His face, arms, fingers, all of it quickly looked like that of a green, thousand year old corpse. Like twisted, disease-ridden tree bark.

    It was truly hard to look at. It was disgusting, a sight that made you fascinated for the first seconds before you got a sick, queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach like you would lose your breakfast.

    It was the kind of feeling that made your eyeball feel itchy, shifting away quickly to try and forget the image but having it imprinted onto your mind so that you couldn''t feel at ease.

    Several Lokis retched, throwing up their last meal.

    Something like this was too sickening to watch!

    Not only that, but he infected Loki''s eyes let out blood and in the next instant becoming dried out before being sucked into their eye sockets.

    It was horrifying, something straight out of a nightmare.

    The worst part? He was still alive!

    "Dammit, we can''t leave him like that!"

    One of them mercifully threw a green bolt of fire at the poor clone and turned him to ash.

    For a moment everything was silent.

    Then they turned towards Apollo.

    "...Kill him!

    "Let''s fuck his pretty face up!"

    "To hell with that, I''m going to make him my bitch and sell him off the streets! I won''t let him, that bastard, know any peace!

    "No, we should defile his body up real good and send him home to his mother in a damn box!"

    "I''ll chain him in a dungeon and let Mercury have her way with him!"

    One of them let out an exceptionally sick and disturbing threat just then.

    "Is that really necessary?!"

    "Fuck, isn''t that too cruel?!"

    Another two shot back, thinking it too harsh a punishment.

    Despite that, they were now all riled up into a frenzy and out for blood.

    But Apollo had no intention to play their litttle games. He manipulated the faint whisps that had remained unsealed and directed them toward the loud, obnoxious Lokis!

    The Lokis were dodging the whisps with all their might by teleporting everywhere but even still some of them met the same fate as the first Loki.

    Apollo sontrolled te whisps with expert precision, not letting them rest at all.

    They couldn''t help it.

    Their attention was torn between dodging the tendrils of gas and maintaining the barrier around the majority of it.

    It kept growing, too, pressing against the barrier with great force. It grew increasingly hard to keep the barrier up and avoid the pursuing gasses at the same time.

    They couldnt''t let the barrier go or else it would cover every inch of the city and there would then be nowhere for them to teleport to that would be safe.

    For now it targeted the multitudes of Loki specifically but if that didn''t work then Apollo would let it run wild.

    He could, of course, escape this by teleporting to the city below this one or any number of places. With his teleportion ability there was no need to fight at all.

    Loki''s escape skills were top=notch. This was one of the reasons he was tolerated. Very few of the gods he messed around with could catch him!

    Sure, some gods or other beings could teleport but not all of them. A vast majority couldnt''t. Oh, they could move very fast but they couldn''t go from point A to point B instantaneously like he could. To the perception of lower beings the two were indistinguishable but were actually worlds apart!

    With such an ability at his disposal this battle was therefore meaningless!

    So why did he remain here to fight?

    It was due to his pride!

    How could he simply run away? Why should he? Loki, who was he?  For what reason did he had to run with his tail between his legs from something like this?

    Dammit, if he ran then that damn overgrown matchstick would this him someone easy to push around! He would thorough teach that bastard a lesson he wouldn''t forget!

    The various Lokis continued to dodge the whisps with fire in their eyes.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Even so some of them still died. How could they not, what with their attention being so divided?

    They had to keep the barrier up.

    If it was released and Apollo let it grow unhindered then it would expand everywhere, claiming the lives of the people below. Apollo''s own people would live, but the rest who were not of the Apollite race would perish.

    But why would Apollo care about that? Their lives were insignificant to him. Would anyone care about the lives of bugs they step on?

    Apollo was a god, lower beings like them were unimportant to him.

    He probably wouldn''t be so calous were he in his right mind but his fury turned on his darker aspects. He was not currently a god light, not some righteous god that was full of benevolence. No, right now he was Apollo, God of Destruction! Their lives were something he would not waste the time to care about.

    Loki was similar. But their lives still were not meaningless to him. He wasn''t one to be so indifferent.  But even so he wasn''t too concerned with them.

    No, but even so, he didn;t want to drag them into this. At the very least he had to make sure the majority of them lived!

    Why?

    Well.....

    If Roland, learned Loki let so many people die.....

    No, he didn''t even want to think about it.

    Actually, maybe he wouldn''t be overly unhappy over that along, but Loki knew he was currently enjoying his time with at Wife and daughter of his.

    If that was disturbed then who knew what that evil sadist might do?!

    He might kill both Loki and Apollo then revive them just so he could  kill them again and again until he grew bored of it! Or he might beat them until they couldn''t rise before then telling them to stand up, or else he would beat them again!

    That guy, he had at least done that last one to people before! Loki had seen it!

    Suffice it to say, Loki felt it would be a bad idea to get that guy involved. He was one to not show mercy towards his friends. He calls it "tough love".

    Mephisto had even told him not long ago after he arrived on this planet that Roland put a hole in his chest and then kicked him....

    The Lokis stopped dodging the whisp, and instead teleported to the eye of the storm, the one causing all this mess, Apollo!

    Their staffs glowed with a green and red light as the Lokis converedg on Apollo. They surrounded him, thrusting their staffs down upon him.

    But the youth''s body flickered.

    He had disappeared!

    The staffs, their original target gone, collided. A massive burst of energy erupted forth, causing a gigantic wave of destructive power that created a explosion of red-green light.

    They were thrown back by the force of it.

    Apollo, a god of light, was just as fast as that which he had authority over! The speed of light, somthing which was rare amongst even gods!

    Apollo used such speed to it''s ful potential.

    This ability of his was much more than simply an incredible speed. It meant he could augment his physical attacks'' strength. In other words, he could hit something at the speed of light, causing immense damage!

    He hit each Loki countless times as they flew back. A thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, the force of each attack largely increased due to their speed.

    "I''ve played with you long enough. Can you say you are capable of standing against me if I choose to personally get involved? You may have surprised me last time, you may have bben prepared back then, but now? You don''t have any hope of facing the current me."

    A unsurpassable arrogance!

    It leaked out from his every pore.

    Apollo was always proud, always feeling very entitled and superior to others. He didn''t lord himself over others, didn''t act like some overbearing ruler. But in his heart he always felt better than others. It was something that was not noticable to even himself, but it was always there in the depths of his very being.

    But when this side of him awoke, when this dark aspect of himself was unleashed, so too was that inborn arrogance and pride of his!

    The Lokis were hurled back everywhere. Their bodies fell through buildings. The cities withing the Delphi  was truly large, much larger than the actual ship.

    The inside of the shipe was like another world, capable of having an actual ocean inside with room to spare.

    But the cities were still within the ship, which meant that it was surrounded by giant walls of the same golden material the ship was made of.

    And it was in these walls that the Lokis were embedded in. Their bodies made small depresssions in the material, such was the force with which they had flown back.

    They coughed out blood, their insides feeling like all their organs were thrown insided a blender. Their bones felt broklen, although they weren''t.

    Their muscles, they were sure some of them were torn.

    Breathing was more difficult that sucking air from a thin straw.

    "Son of a bitch, that fucking hurt!" One of them said.

    "That brat, he thinks we''ll be brought down by something of this level? Fuck his mother, that matchstick is going down! Dammit, In place of his father, I''ll fuck him up right good!"

    "You''re just a brat but believe you can win against me? You''re several eons too early for that!"

    "Just go gent bent over a fence by your grand-daddy."

    They hurled abuse at the sun god.

    "....Ah, look at all those people running for their lives...."

    One of them said, off-topic.

    They looked like ants....

    Apollo ignored them.

    He had a golden bow in his hands, a radiant arrow ready to be fired.

    "Fools. Thinking you can do what you want without consequence. Arrogant to the extreme." He snorted coldly. " I may not be able to hit with 100% accuracy like my sister, but don''t go believing that it will be easy to escape from this."

    "Ha, matchstick, you think you have the upper hand?" One of the Lokis sneered.

    "Bitch please, we''re not that weak. Come, prostrate yourself now and we might consider being lenient!"

    "Yeah, or else we can stick this staff up your ass and make you squeal like a pig before sending you off to your parents a changed man!"

    "Fuck your mother, we''ll mess you up worse than my love life!"

    Apollo remained indifferent. " All you do is throw out hot air, enough. You will all die here. Once once i''m done here, I''ll find that daughter of yours and send her with you...." His eyes flashed with dark promise.

    Had he not been so angered he would not have made such a threat. He was  not usually so petty but right now he wasn''''t above such things.

    The Lokis sneered at him.

    "Ha, this noob thinks he can be a match with her? The poor, stupid little fool...."

    " That girl isn''t as playful as us, my pretty-faced friend. She won''t even bother to lift her head head and simply use a paw to send you to the next life. Don''t even bother."

    "THat daughter of ours won''t go easy on you like we currently are. Ah, she''ll take that ego of yours and shove it down your throat. You have  zerio chance. Give up."

    They actually thought him pitiful. However, the man''s words did ignite a substantial anger in them. Threatening thieir daughter, he was asking to die!

    "Well, I think this has gone on for long enough. Alright men, form up!" A Lokl called the others to attention. "Come on, let''s show this pretty-boy''s who''s top dog. "

    "Yeah, let''s really fuck up his day!"

    "I kind of wanted to play with him more...."

    "But he dared kill some of us, this is a grace sin. I vote that we lynch him, then boil him alive for good measure."

    "Whatever, let''s just hit him with every goddamn spell we know."

    "I want to revisit that Mercury threat of mine."

    "You''re one sick fuck, you know that?"

    "Your mother."

    "...Idiot."

    One of the Lokis spoke up. " Oi, you bastards, shut up! Let''s get this over with! Attack!"

    "Attack!

    "Kill him!"

    "Sell him to a brothel!"

    "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

    The Lokis, their eyes ablaze, got ready to hurl all kinds of spells at the sun god.

    But would Apollo allow them to organize themseleves?

    No, he ignored their inane comments and simply shot his arrow.

    It split into hundreds, thousands, forming countless arrows.

    The various Loki scattered about the city were going to be impaled by untold bumbers of arrows.

    They all teleported at once, dodging the arrows. But that wasn''t all that chased them, the whisps of miasma had also not been forgotten.

    The arrows of light moved at ungodly speeds and some of them lost their lives.

    Though they could teleport, they still had to be aware of incoming attacks to dodge them. The arrows were too fast, they could barely see them.

    Some of them got smart and simply teleported out of existence as soon as they materializeed, moving about the area randomly.

    As this was happening, as they began to throw spells at the man, they didn''t notice one thing.

    The barrier from before....it was cracking.

    And Apollo was getting ready to create another equally terrifying plague for them to deal with....

 chapter fifty-two part 2

    AN: Will be doing editing for this later.

    -------------------------------------------------

    As the Lokis threw all kinds of attack spells at him, ranging from fireballs to curses and everything in between, Apollo merely raised his hand and a wall of fire would stop them in their tracks. His divine powers could nullify such weak spells instantly, there was no need for him to fear.

    He quickly grew disappointed in his feeble attempts. "Loki, for all your talk, it seems you''re nothing more than a weak little parasite. It is said the small dogs bark the loudest and that appears to be true. I''m ashamed of myself for having been beaten by you the last time."

    Apollo let out a look of disdain as the numerous Lokis ran around in an attempt to survive Apollo''s onslaught.

    But to this taunting, they were indifferent.

    One of them spoke just then, casually, carefree. As if it were simply any other day.

    "Ah, it seems we''re being underestimated."

    "That seems to be the case." Another, carrying the same tone, commented.

    One of them laughed lightly. " Well, have we had enough fun yet? I, for one, tire of all this."

    "I suppose. Shall we get a bit serious then?"

    "Against an opponent like this, is there a need?" Another asked back, teleporting away from several arrows and whisps of gas.

    "Apollo isn''t exactly weak, though."

    "Quite so, but he can''t compete with those three monsters we hang out with."

    "True."

    "Well let''s show him a bit of our power in any case. I have things to do, you know."

    "Is everyone ready?"

    "We''ve been ready, so why drag things on any longer?"

    "Let''s not."

    As one, they all smiled wickedly.

    Apollo frowned. " Big talk. Are you implying that you''ve been holding back a bit? Amusing. Come, let''s see what feeble attempts you can make!" He said viciously.

    They laughed. "Boy, who do you think we are? Do you not know why we''re tolerated? It''s not simply because the other gods cant catch us...it''s because they don''t want to risk trying to stop us!"

    "You, who exists within the same Pantheons as both Mercury and Hermes, don''t know to fear us? Then let you show you...exactly what kind of person you point your claws at."

    Every Loki in the city then disappeared at once.

    A bright flash of red and green light blinded Apollo for an instant.

    In the moment before, merely a fraction of a second, he witnessed streams of red and green converging high above the center of the city.

    Apollo raised a hand in that direction and a new miasma came to life. It was thick, almost in liquid form. It was darker than the other, more inky. A stain in the sky. He hurled it towards the convergence along with countless arrows.

    The light quickly coalesced into the shape of a man an instant before the arrows, miasma and whisps hit. A large explosion ensued, a mixture of radiant light and inky darkness tinged with trace amounts of a sickly green.

    Apollo wasn''t sure what happened, but at that moment he was sure that the man was no more. Something like that was surely enough to destroy his body.

    He had just been about to turn to leave and regain control of his vessel when he heard a light, mocking voice.

    " Where are you planning to go, boy? Surely you don''t belive something of that level could harm me, right?" The voice laughed.

    "Impossible...." Apollo looked towards the voice.

    In a matter of seconds the smoke and miasma from the explosion was forcefullly cleared away.

    In the center stood a man, a tall man who was a head larger than Apollo.

    He wore dark, obsidian-like armor. It wasn''t overly large, but rather sleek and seemed as if it were created solely to be worn by him. His chest was comprised of black chainmail with his shoulder guards were a bright gold. This armor turned black once more as it continued down towards his arms, the armor covering his hands and making them end in fine points.

    His leggings were simialr, his feet wrapped in armor as well. The entire thing was almost shard-like in the way it seemed to all come together to form one singular piece that covered his body.

    At his back was a long cape, the outside gold while the inside was a dark green. His head had a golden helmet that had two long horns entending for nearly two feet upwards in a slight curve.

    In his hands was a long staff, longer than he was tall, but it''s head was a odd shape. Like a long blade, silvery and emitting a pale luminescence like moonlight

    His hair had grown too, reaching his lower back in a fine, well-groomed mane. His face had lost it''s previous boyishness and become sharper, more defined. His body as a whole had transformed But of all this, his eyes were the most attention grabbing, turning into a brilliant emerald green that appeared to radiate it''s own light.

    This appearance was surprising enough, but to think that he had withstood that last barrage without even a scratch....

    Apollo watched him carefully. He had never seen such a form from Loki, or either of his other selves that he knew.

    "So what if you change yourself? Would that make any difference against me? It would be best if you simply stand still ane accept what''s about to happen, Loki. Your antics have gone too far, attacking me and stealing my possessions. I won''t let you off like the other gods do."

    Loki was unperturbed by his accusations. "Boy, I merely borrowed it. Don''t get your panties in a twist. As for attacking you, come now, you''re a big boy. You think giving you a little bump on the head and putting you to sleep a few years qualifies as attacking you? Are you truly so sensitive? I only took this thing for a ride, nothing wrong with that, is there?"

    His glib tone infuriated Apollo even more.

    His eyes flashed dangerously.

    Apollo disappeared.

    He moved with his greatest speed, creating a sword of concentrated sunlight and aiming it at Loki''s throat. He intended to stop all these games and simply do away with him.

    This was one of his strongest abilities, a weapon that embodies his own powers. A sword wielding the power of the sun within it. A weapon with destructive capabilities comparable to that of Zeus'' Master Bolt

    However...

    Loki had not moved an inch, simply had gazed at him with amusements.

    As soon as Apollo had disappeared he snapped his fingers.

    And just like that, as Apollo came before him ready to cut his neck, thousands of golden chains surrounded the youth''s body, immobilizing him.

    No matter how he struggled, these chain would not give any slack at all, would not budge in the slightest. He was stopped abrupty, his body still in a position that aimed for Loki''s neck.

    His sword was merely inches from him but right now that small measurement seemed an insurmountable distance.

    "You really are a fool, you know that? You grow confident in your victory simply because you kill a few clones possessing barely even one tenth of my true power? You grew so arrogan, so sure of my defeat, that you simply disregarded my every move. You think those spells from before were meant to hurt[/i you?"

    He laughed, as if the thought was ridiculous. "Please. Give me some credit." He smiled at him. " You didn''t notice, did you? That there were quite a few of me who simply hung back and simply avoided your attacks.. They weren''t lazy, either. They were [i]preparing. And all so that they could complete this nifty little thing."

    He ran a hand over that chans, admiring them.

    "These things are an original by me, based off the things that my daughter wears around her neck. They are almost as strong and have quite a nasty effect attached to them as well. I can''t summon these things all that fast unless I have some other''s vcarry a bit of the workload. It''s quite complicated to perform, you see. So many things have to be done just right. I can''t do that all by myself if I prioritize speed. But luckily I didn''t have to do it by myself. However, know this: Even if I didn''t use this method, I can still think of at least several dozen more that would result in you defeat in a matter of minutes."

    He then raised a hand and lightly slapped the youth''s cheek. Next he snapped his fingers again, causing the chains to tighten dramatically.

    Apollo felt his throat being squeezed, his air supply blocked.

    "Now, since this is quite taxing I have to appear in this form. It''s bothersome, really. I have yet to perfect this spell, so the energy is quite high. If I want to maintain this thing, I cant use my other, weaker forms. You should feel honored, not all that many get to see me like this. Although this form doesn''t suit my sense of aesthetics, I do get to do enjoy the fact that I now have the power to do this."

    With a gesture, Apollo''s body was manipulated like a pupet, forcing him upright.

    An instant later Loki pierced his chest savagely with his hand.

    Bright red blood sprayed everywhere. Apollo''s eyes went wide, his heart beating erratically as he understood what the man was about to do.

    Loki cleched his hand around a soft, spongy material and ripped it out of Apollo''s body.

    In his palm rested the still-beating heart of the stunned sun god.

    Loki smiled. " Simply doing this won''t kill you for long, but, well, that doesn''t matter all that much."

    In order to "kill" a god, one needs to destroy their entire body until they are simply not able to function antmore or else they will heal from practically anything. The best way to do it was to reduce them to smithereens.

    Therefore Apollo''s sword would have simply cut off Loki''s head but would''ve spread it''s flames throughout his entire body as well.

    Loki squeezed the heart in his hand, causing Apollo intense pain.

    As he gripped the thing tighter it sprayed out more blood and was soon reduced to something akin to a deflated balloon.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Apollo had felt the entire thing, a wave of pain spreading everywhere from the tip of his head all the way down to his toes like an strong electric current was flowing through his body and wreaking havoc.

    He went let out a scream, a loud, piecing thing that was cut off as his heart was completely pulverized. His golden radiance was no more, everything about him turning dull and lifeless.

    Loki smirked.

    In his head all he could hear was a deep, epic voice going, Loki wins. Fatality.

    The thought amused him immensely

    He looked at Apollo''s unmoving body.

    With a snap of his fingers he conjuring several camera and light stands. All of them looking at Apollo.

    He then manipulated the chains that were around the youth, positioning hi, so that he appeared to be beding over with his ass in the air.

    Loki tore off the youth''s clothing.

    With his staff placed firmly in his hands he came up from behind the youth.

    He then let out a dastardly grin full of evil intentions.

    -----------------------------------------------

    Aries had only just arrived at the highest level of the ship when he saw a golden youth chasing a small, adolescent boy high in the air.

    "Eh, is that Apollo and Loki up there?"

    It appeared to be so.

    He watched for several more minutes as Loki made serval rather unsavory threats to Apollo that made Aries raise his eyebrows in amusement.

    He saw groups of people running for their lives, each one taking the various paths down to the lower levels.

    He looked around found an abandoned stall not far away the sold numerous snacks. He helped himself to some popcorn, icecream and several other treats. After a few minutes of preparation, he was ready.

    Then he floated and found a good place high up on top of one of the large building where he could enjoy the show. He sat down on near the edge, resting upon a comfy padded chair he liberated from a nearby store moments ago.

    "Ah, he''s multiplying." He idly provided commentary. "Just what we need, more Lokis. As if the ones we already have aren''t enough."

    Apollo was seen conjuring a thick miasma. " Shit, that looks nasty."

    The Lokis sealed the thing in a barrier. But it seems a few whisps hadn;t got caught, and a few seconds later one of those thin streams found itself behind one of the Lokis.

    Aries cringed. "Son of a bitch. Disgusting. " He almost lost the contents of his stomache as the poor Loki shriveled un onto a gangrenous mess.

    He felt relieved as the Loki was put out of it''s misery.

    The Lokis then spouted abuse at Apollo, one of them making an especially disturbing one involving Mercury that caused Aries to shiver. Ah, that woman, would she be happy or sad to know that she is being used as a means to threaten others?

    Probably the former. But damn, that woman is into some pretty sick and perverted shit. If she were allowed to do as she pleased with the youth''s body then wouldn''t he be ruined for life? Je ewouldn''t be suitable for marriage fter something like that.

    Aries finished the popcorn and food just as Apollo dodged the Lokis collective attacks. They had rebounded off each other and flew out everywhere and Apollo didn''t let it stop there. He sent a flurry of punches and kick that were almost too fast for Aries too see. Luckily he had good battle sense, which apart from increasing his combat abilities and growth, also enabled him to follow the movements.

    He took a sip from a large glass full of amber liquid as the Lokis once again launched various threats at Apollo.

    He considered. " Hm, should I help him out? He''s getting his ass handed to him." Then he threw out the idea as soon as it came to him. Loki can handle himself. Even against this pissed off Apollo he''s still more than capable of dealing with him.

    And it was pretty fun watching him let himself get fucked up.

    ....But Aries groaned as he heard Apollo''s reply. " That damn firefly, he''s in for it now. Doesn''t he know Loki''s a damn daughter-con? Threatening her is a really bad idea...."He sighed, almost pitying the sun god.

    It was hard to notice from the way Loki reacted to it, but Aries knew that he was pretty miffed right now.

    Aries himself, a long time friend of Loki, still wasn''t exactly all too familiar with that daughter of his. Sure, he had some relation to her due to him being friends with Loki and being in the same pantheon as her other father Hermes, but even still Loki had not let her interact with him all too much.

    He was like that towards his close friends, and now Apollo comes along threatening his daughter?

    Aries continued to watch the fight play out,

    Apollo, as expected, got a bit tired of all Loki''s nonsense and hurled arrows of gold along with those whisps at him.

    "But damn, they really are making a lot of noise."

    And not to mention all those people who were going to go down to the lower levels while spreading the panic. A lot of people are going to be loosing their shit once they hear about what was happening right now. A battle between two gods would do that.

    Normally they didn''t use large-scale attacks at the beginning. But a prolonged battle would just make them throw out larger and more powerful moves. Eventually they would be hurling out things that could wipe out nations. It wasn''t that bad right now though.

    Still, those people down below would make this fight known and then all hell would break loose.

    Aries had a sudden bad feeling just then but he didn''t know why. It was gone so fast...Maybe it was nothing....

    After some dodging and more talk, the Lokis disappeared. A flash of light came into existence at high above the city''s center and Apollo conjured a new miasma before he launched it at the place Loki''s silhouette was seen.

    "Ah, he used that form, huh. I wonder what he''s gonna do."

    His question was answered as Apollo was about to strike the man down. Chains appeared around him, rendering him helpless.

    "Hm... those things look familiar...."

    And there was a reason for that, one Loki explained. It was a small rant, one used to taunt the sun god.

    Loki did this to show his superiority over Apollo. He had even said that he had dozens of other methods he could have used instead, which Aries believed.

    Then Loki ripped out Apollo''s heart and crushed it. Apollo''s screams made Aries smirk a bit. He found the whole thing pretty hilarious.

    But just as he witnessed Loki about to make good on his earlier threats, Aries decided to appear to him.

    ------------------------------------------------

    "I didn''t know you were into that kind of thing, Loki. I feel as if i''m finally seeing the real you."

    Loki almost jumped up at the voice, surprised.

    "Fuck, learn to make some goddamn noise why don;t you."

    "I''m not all that stealthy, you know. You just didn''t pay attention."

    Loki glared balefully at him. " Whatever. So, how long you been here?"

    Ares shrugged. "Since nearly the beginning, I guess."

    "Then why didn''t you help me?" Loki frowned.

    The man gave him a lazy look. "It would have been such a hassle to disrupt such an amusing sight. Normally I would have wanted to join in but i just wanted to enjoy the free entertainment this time."

    "Bastard."

    " You can''t say that, I only have one real parent."

    Which was true, his mother had an immaculate conception, without the aid of any man. So calling him a "bastard" was inaccurate. Even if that wasn''t true, both Hera and Zeus were married.

    " Ah....right. Hey, you do know that I just totally fucked up your brother just now?" Loki remembered that the two had that kind of relationship.

    "Apollo is a little shit anyway, I don''t give a fuck."

    Aries meant it. His childhood rather fucked up and he never really bonded with any of his family members. At least most of them. Athena was alright, he supposed, but some of the others didnt care much for him and the sentiment was returned. The amount of crap he had to go through as a kid due to this.....

    Ah...his family relations were pretty complicated. Most were simply step-siblings anyway, like Apollo. His true, sole parent was Hera. He wasn''t related to Zeus by blood at all, so his children didn''t have any real relation to Aries.

    In fact, his family, his pantheon, was too damn complex and annoying for him to really give much thought about. Some people, like Roland, had only ever heard about those pesky myths mortals came up with.

    Then they assumed a whole buch of bullshit. Roland learned a bit more and therefore now knew most of those myths were completely made up. Some weren''t, but they were not entirely right either.

    Thinking about all this really gave him a headache....

    " So cold. No love for your poor little bro. Quite sad."

    "Shut up. Not like you''re any better off." Loki, with his other selves like Hermes and Mercury, was probably even worse off than Aries was.

    Now that was a damn messy situation.

    Though, honestly, gods didn''t usually give much thought to those who were not directly related to them in some way. If you were not siblings or parent and child, then generally speaking, they didn''t really consider you part of their family.

    " True. Anyway, wait a few minutes, I got to shove this--"

    He heard a cracking sound.

    "Hmm?"

    Aries heard it too. "Was that..."

    "...Yeah...."

    They looked over and saw the barrier for the first plague breaking. Apparently it was like that since Loki had forgotten to supply it with power. Now it was under too much stress due to the miasma inside expanding.

    "It looks like it''s running wild now that Apollo''s dead. I should do something."

    "Can you? That isn''t an ordinary plague, you know."

    "No worries, I got this"

    Loki waved off the man''s concern.

    He turned towards Apollo''s body. "You wait right there, I''ll get to you in a minute."

 chapter fifty-three

    AN: I know how I left you guys hanging for, like what, two or three weeks? Sorry, no excuses. I just had some thing to do. To make up for it I spent the past few days making this incredibly, by my standards, long-ass chapter. It''s probably the longest chapter i have made yet. And that''s counting all the chapters where i made info dumps. So, yeah, pretty long. Please keep in mind that usually this one chapter would be big enough for several. That isn''t even because the pacing is good, it''s because I can write ALOT and i feel te need to end chapters once it reaches a certain length.

    Also, I will make this pretty short, but....I kinda joined a certain website. Meaning, the creator is letting me put up my other work there.

    https://fantasy-books.live/</a>

    Yup, there it is. Check it out, there''s some pretty interesting works being hosted there.  I will make a short announcement about this later, too. My other work is not all there yet since im mainly editing them right now.

    Anyway, about this chapter...towards the end it is very NSFW. so be careful.

    Personally, as a side note: I''m liking Fenris the more I write about her. What do you think of her so far? I gave some backstory in this chapter, so tell me what you think.

    P.S: I really almost regret making this a harem novel. It''s like, Roland and Morigan have so much history with each other that none of the others except Gehenna can compare to them. I mean, I wrote a fair bit about Morrigan and Roland in this chapter and I am really liking how they are turning out. To the extent where it almost seems like it should just be those two together. Gehenna and Morrigan are my favorites right now, with Fenris slowly catching up.

    BTW, tell me, how are my character interaction so far? Am I doing it alright? I want to know. That''s it. Remember to rate, review and comment on whatever you wish.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Fenris had ditched her mother not long ago.

    She didn''t know how, but the woman had woken up and ambushed her. Next thing she knew, she awoke and herself laying faced-down on a table being massaged by some woman she didn''t know. Her mother was laying on the table next to her, letting out a pleased moan.

    After some heated talking, Fenris left in a fury.

    That damn woman, she had kidnapped her!

    If she weren''t Fenris'' mother....

    Well, suffice it to say that she wouldn''t have been very comfortable.

    Fenris wandered about in her cat form when she spotted Roland and his....wife....walking along with Grace. They looked good together, those three. Well, four, if you count that fox.  Morrigan and Grace was in disguise, but that couldn''t fool Fenris'' nose.

    Roland and Morrigan--thinking of those two together was still a bit hard for Fenris.--actually did seem suited to each other. When looking from afar, they were a great pair. Grace, too, that cute little girl, fitted together with them perfectly.

    The three were all easy on the eyes and once you stared long enough it would be hard to turn away. Grace was adorable, a girl one couldn''t help but feel instant affection for. Morrigan was stunning, she turned heads everywhere she went with her seductive curves and magnetic charms. Roland exuded a powerful presence at all times, his handsome appearance catching the eye of many females.

    Fenris understood that. The other women would obviously be able to sense a strong, capable male.

    When the three of thrm were together the effect was dazzling. Yet no one intruded. One was because Roland and Morrigan had a "Don''t mess with us"-type of aura going on. The other reason was because they seemed to not want to disturb such a group. It would have been a shame to do so.

    Fenris hesitated too.

    Roland''s eye lit up at the girl''s every action, it seemed. He had a look of unconditional love to him. Morrigan and him walked arm in arm as well, the move appearing natural to them. Morrigan had a soft, smiling face on at the moment.

    She was usually a bit cold to everyone but Grace, yet now she couldn''t help but open up her heart and put her feelings of happiness on display. And Grace, that girl, she was so bright and cheerful....

    Before, both the girl and the woman always seemed a bit weighed down. Ad if there was something missing. But now was different. It was hard to explain in words. It was as if they were right where they belonged.

    They all looked so peaceful and happy. So...content.

    Fenris felt a bit jealous at seeing them.

    When would she have that, she wondered.  Would she ever? For a long time, that is what she wanted. To start a family of her own, to be loved like that.

    Fenris had lived a long time now. She had fathers and mothers, but that was different. She wanted a mate who loved her and children to dote on.

    Fenris was never all that liked by her other family members. They never openly showed any disdain but she knew they hadn''t ever fully accepted her. They never shunned her, but neither did they ever welcome her with open arms. They smiled at her, but they appeared almost forced.

    Her "real" father, Loki, loved her. But their relationship had never been very close. Loki didn''t know exactly how to be a father. He loved his daughter, but he had spent little time with her as a child because he never quite knew what to do with her. And that wasn''t his fault. But the damage was done. She, even now, never spent much time with him.

    So Fenris, early on in her life, wanted two simple things more than anything else: A mate that loved and cherished her, and children of her own from said mate. But forget about the second, she had never been able to find even the first.

    She refused to accept someone weaker than her, but even if she found someone stronger she wouldn''t merely submit to them. If she did, then what sort of relationship could that ever be?

    She wanted a strong mate, but also one who truly cared for her. She wanted to be taken care of by that person too. She was a strong woman. She didn''t need to be taken care of. But she wanted it. To be cherished and held dear.... In her long life, she had rarely felt this. It was almost a foreign concept. Could she be blamed for wanting it? Is that not what everyone wanted, deep down in their hearts?

    And then to have many, many  children with that person. At least five or six.

    Giving them the love and affection Fenris had rarely gotten from any of her family, later spending her time together with them and her beloved mate in blissful idleness...

    This is the life she wanted, what she craved more than anything...

    The three she gazed at  now appeared to already have that. Or close enough. And it was almost painful to see.

    Fenris was watching a woman enjoy what she herself most desired.

    Honestly, she almost wanted to cry.

    It was close, right there in front of her...but it wasn''t her''s.

    All of that...everything those three had...everything that Morrigan already possessed....it seemed so far from her grasp....

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    They had already walked for some time now, enjoying probably every worthwhile attraction that caught Grace''s eye.

    Now they merely wandered the streets and were window browsing. It was already dark now. It was something that always made him curious. How was this ship able to produce an effect like this where it became night?

    He knew that it must have meant it was already dark outside the ship too. Well, in the end he didn''t think too much of it. Though to be accurate it wasn¡¯t exactly night time just yet. It was merely close to it, the light already starting to fade a fair bit. It wouldn''t be long now, though.

    As such, the lights from the shops were currently turned on and Grace''s eyes looked everywhere as she marveled at all the things she saw.

    The little fox walked by her side right now, it''s tails floating around in the air like snakes.

    The girl''s silvery hair fluttered as a light wind blew. The hat Roland had given her was perched firmly on her head and only served to increase her already considerable charm.

    Roland felt a wave of warmth as he saw her. Even if she did nothing this feeling would persist. How could every small action of her''s bring him such a feeling? Every time she smiled or laughed or simply stood there he would feel this. This girl, he had not known her for long and already he found himself becoming more fond of her as time went on.

    She was his own flesh and blood, his daughter. His daughter. She was so like her mother in terms of appearance, like a small angel. But her eyes were all his, those deep blue eyes were something that she got from him. Morrigan had given the girl her looks, had given her a home, had showered her love...

    But what had Roland, her father, given her up to now? Nothing. Apart from those eyes that hat was all she had ever received from him.  No, that was wrong. He had given her something: Pain. Sadness. A broken family.

    All this time she must have been wondering where he was, why he wasn''t with them. She had been waiting for him for a long time and yet he had never, until recently, ever even seen her.  Not only that but when Morrigan had found and been rejected by him, it was her who had to try comforting the woman.

    It didn''t matter that his lack of appearance in her life wasn''t his fault. The fact was that he was never there for her or her mother.

    He had only brought them misery and heartache. Some parent and husband he turned out to be, right?

    Grace seemed so bright. She was raised well. But that was all Morrigan''s doing. Roland himself had no part in her upbringing.

    He wasn''t sure if he had the right, after such a long absence, to be part of her life. But he would be from now on. He couldn''t be concerned with "If he had a right" because right now all he could think of was "He had to make up for lost time."

    He was here now, and though he couldn''t turn back time he could still ensure that neither she nor her mother would be put under any kind of pain on his account.

    This was among the many things he had on his mind at the moment. Sighing, he idly held the ring he received from Grace in his hand.

    "Dear, what is it?" Morrigan, to his side, asked.

    He shook his head. " It''s nothing."

    "Hm." She looked at him, not believing his words.

    Roland smiled. "I''m fine, don''t worry about it."

    "This has something to do with the ring, doesn¡¯t it? I should have had Grace throw it away the instant I saw her with it, that suspicious thing."

    "No, it''s not about that. Well, not entirely. " He wasn''t thinking of that right then but it was still one of his concerns.

    So he asked, " Where did she get it anyway?"

    She frowned. "I''m not sure. We got separated at that city from before and when I found her she had that with her. She seemed quite enamored with the thing. It was strange. I inspected the thing but couldn''t discover any real abnormalities. But to think I forgot about it up until now...."

    He understood what she meant. " The thing is certainly strange, isn''t it?"

    "Indeed." She paused. "But my previous question....I don''t know what you''re thinking, but I know you''ve been a bit out of it like this since you laid eyes on the thing. Why?"

    She couldn''t read his mind but when it came to him she had a sharp intuition. She knew something was wrong. Was there anyone who understood him more than she? Obviously she would spot when something weighed on him.

    He closed his hand around the ring. The words didn''t come out easily. " I think....I think this was mine. When I held onto it the first time, I felt something. I can''t be entirely sure, but....I think it was a memory...."

    Morrigan''s eye went wide in shock. "A memory!" She exclaimed softly. Her eyes locked onto him and she felt her breath quicken. "What did you remember? Was it....did you..." She looked at him expectantly.

    Of course he knew what she was thinking at the moment. But he couldn''t do anything but let her down. "No. It wasn''t about us." He felt like taking the words back as he saw how crestfallen she looked. "I''m sorry."

    Morrigan looked away for a moment. "It''s alright. It doesn''t matter." She finally said, looking back at him and smiling. But he couldn''t believe her.

    Her expression from before, so disappointed, made him unable to.

    "So..." She began. "What was it that you remembered?"

    Roland smiled bitterly. " I''m not entirely sure it was a memory. I don''t know. But what I saw...." He trailed off. "Death. Everywhere. Blood and bone and broken bodies scattered across a desolate landscape. I was high above it all, looking down. I felt anger, and hate. I don''t know why, either. I also saw a small girl....So young, full of life....But then there was a woman. Her eyes, her face, they were...."

    He stopped himself.

    He couldn''t continue. That woman, the person he saw, it was her face. But exactly what was she to him then? That person, she must be thousands of years old, probably much more.  The girl he saw could become a person that could live that long if she cultivated her power but she was human. Humans fundamentally lack the ability to become as strong as what Loki and the others made that Gehenna out to be.

    They can''t be the same person. That Gehenna, from Loki''s words, is a walking time-bomb, a disaster waiting to happen. She, according to Loki, is hated and feared by not just gods but her own kind as well. If she and the little girl  were the same person then there would be no way that she could reach that level of power.

    Humans could become gods, but they couldn''t become that strong. Even those who were demi-gods had their limits, though much higher.

    Plus, that Gehenna was a demon, right? Loki never made that clear. Was she a demon, truly? Or something else? Her aura felt like it, but also not....

    There were gods and goddesses that were aligned with chaos and darkness but he wasn¡¯t sure if that was the case here. Well, whatever she was Roland didn''t know what to think.

    But they couldn''t be the same person....

    He was almost sure of it.

    He was silent for a long time, contemplating, before he noticed Morrigan looking at his expression oddly.

    "Well, that was all. Nothing too important."

    "...Alright."

    She said nothing more and simply continued walking with him as they followed Grace from a bit behind.

    But she was a bit discontent. That woman he mentioned....she must have been important to him. Was she also the young girl he talked of? To be able to remember that woman even when he couldn''t do the same for Morrigan herself, his own wife....

    She didn''t feel comfortable knowing that. She was right here beside him and yet he wasn''t able to remember anything of their time together. But a mere ring was able to let him recall a woman from his past? Even though Morrigan herself was here in flesh and blood?

    ....That other woman held a place in his heart of such importance that a small ring from his past was enough to allow him a glimpse of their time together. Yet when it was Morrigan who was right here with him, he still....

    ------------------------------------------------

    Morrigan was left in charge of Grace.

    She didn''t know what that husband of her''s was doing her something caught his eye and he told her to wait a bit and watch Grace. Then he disappeared in the throngs of people,  going Heaven knows where.

    It was about twenty minutes before he came back.

    "What was that about?" She asked.

    "Nothing, really. Just something I thought I should do. You''ll see later." He smiled mysteriously.

    Morrigan narrowed her eyes at him, trying to guess his intentions. But she couldn''t see past that smile of his and could only wait till later.

    "Okay, fine. Don''t tell me." She pouted a bit. Whether she was aware of it or not, Roland didn''t know. But on that beautiful, heart-shaped face of her''s the expression was incredibly charming. " Maybe you were just chatting up some pretty girl. " Her tone was bitter, remembering that insufferable woman from earlier.

    Roland laughed. " Why would I waste time on any other woman? I already have the most beautiful woman under the heavens right beside me."

    " Hmph. Sweet words, nothing more. " She spoke coldly. Morrigan then stopped and looked at him, genuinely curious. "Did you say that to all the women you''ve been with up to now?"

    The corner of his lips curled slightly upwards. "No, because then it wouldn''t have been true."

    Morrigan let out a secret smile in her heart, feeling pleased.

    "That''s quite the silver tongue you have there, my dear." She whispered coyly.

    " Only for you, wife of mine."

    Grabbing hold of her waist, under the envious and hateful stares off all the male passersby, Roland planted a kiss on her soft lips. She leaned in, not at all unhappy by the sudden show of affection.

    Quite the contrary. She enjoyed how forward he was becoming. It meant he was accepting her more and more. She loved the feel of his lips on her''s, the warmth and security it brought with it.

    Then, arm in arm, they called out to their daughter and left the area.

    -------------------------------------------------------

    It was utter chaos.

    Everywhere they looked now had people showing signs of fear and worry.

    Roland had no idea what had happened but the next thing they knew it was pandemonium as multitudes of people littered the streets. Suddenly it had become crowed, people shouting and running past them.

    There were men and women alike screaming at the top of their lungs in fright.

    Roland grabbed the arms of a nearby young man.

    "What''s going on?"

    The young man''s eyes looked past him as he answered. "It''s insane! They''re people everywhere saying two people who look like Lord Loki and Lord Apollo having a battle at the highest level of the ship! Several buildings were apparently completely destroyed! Everyone who isn''t a local is leaving, no one wants to stay and be caught up in a battle between such powerhouses!"

    With that, the young man wrenched himself from Roland''s grip and ran off. He disappeared into the sea of people.

    "Loki!" He cursed.

    "Daddy, mommy...." Grace was a bit scared at the dark look her father and mother had on.

    "..." Morrigan was too angered for words.

    He knows of their circumstances, knows that she and Grace would want some time with her husband without distractions....but that damn man goes off and picks a fight with Apollo?!

    No, why was Apollo even here? Loki, that brat, can''t have simply taken this ship with him still inside, right?

    How?

    She felt a deep-seated resentment for the god of mischief. She wanted to strangle him.

    Ruining their outing together.....

    Roland felt the same.

    "That idiot...." He said in a low growl.

    His anger was a near physical force, making others shy away and give the small group a wide berth.

    "Take Grace back." Roland glanced at Morrigan as he readied to leave.

    "What are you going to do?"

    "Unless I get a good explanation, probably commit murder."

    --------------------------------------

    "I thought you could get rid of it." Aries'' voice was a bit high-pitched as he backed away from the growing black fog. It was already the size of a large building and increasing in size every second.

    "Well fuck, this isn''t my fault. The guy went full Dark Apollo. It complicated things." Loki said defensively.

    "Don''t give me that shit, how exactly is it more complicated!"

    "Dammit, he''s a God of Destruction when he gets like that!!" Loki yelled at him. "You know that''s a whole different animal all together from his usual self! You think that kid would attack me otherwise?!"

    Apollo had been around a long time, many thousands of years. Normally he was alright....But once he went into rage mode he was pretty much a different person. Loki and Aries thought of him as such, anyway.

    Aries had a pretty deep dislike for the so-called "Dark Apollo" but the other one was okay for the most part.

    "Why wouldn''t he? Most people find you annoying enough without you stealing their stuff. Need I remind you what you made the kind-hearted Hestia do when you stole that dress made of starlight that she loved? The woman went ape-shit crazy and killed you three times!"

    Loki snarled at him. "That doesn''t count, she never liked me to begin with!"

    "No one ever likes you when you first meet them! Most people think you''re a leach that feeds off the suffering of others."

    His words made the other man sputter. "T-That''s Hermes'' fetish, not mine!"

    Aries sensed the conversation would only regress if this continued, so he threw up his hands in agitation, clearly fed up with all this.

    "Oh shut it! Just hurry up and--Fuck!"

    Aries dodged a tendril of black that had formed and reached for him.

    "It grew tentacles?! What the actual fuck!"

    "Idiot, you said yourself that this isn''t a normal plague. It''s practically grown a mind of it''s own with Apollo dead, unable to control it." Loki observed. "How fascinating." He cooed.

    It truly acted like it''s own entity, as if it were alive. Almost as if It had evolved.

    "Be amazed later, like, once you dismantle the fucking thing. I saw what that last one could do. Apollo seemed to take more time with this one so I don''t even want to imagine what it''s capable of." He shivered once he remembered how that clone of Loki had went all rotten and green, his skin turning rough and maybe a bit moldy.

    And he didn''t even die! Now that was one hellish way to live. Who knew how painful it was?

    Aries wouldn''t die from that either. That Loki had only a fraction of the power the current Loki had. Aries would of course survive it since he had full use of his power. But even he would die eventually. Apollo was damn good at what he does.

    And he did not want to have to wait for however long it took for his body to die and reform. He''d rather kill himself, maybe in a glorious explosion.

    But that would hurt. So he felt it best to not get infected with whatever the fuck that stuff was.

    "Geez, don''t get your panties in a twist. Rest easy, my less handsome friend. Let me handle it."

    "Well hurry it up. If Mephisto or Roland get wind of this, they''ll--"

    "They''ll what?"

    Two calm, slightly cold, voices cut him off.

    --------------------------------------------------

    Lilith felt she might have died today.

    When she, Reina, her little sister and her parents had been out for a walk together there was a sudden blinding briliance from above.

    When the screams started she had no idea what was going on.  When people ran around in horde she knew something was truly wrong.

    When the stray fireball hurled through the sky towards her and her family all she could see was a harsh golden light as it came upon them.

    The heat was scorching.

    Her father had yelled for them all to get behind him. As he took on the fireball, his arm had paid the price. The barrier couldn''t hold, it fell to pieces like paper. He had no way to block it other than to use his body to absorbe the attack. From the tip of his fingers to the beginning of his should everything turned a dark, nasty red.

    Blood sprayed out of the wound, angry lines running along his arm. He didn''t cry out but he grunted loundly and fell to his knees in pain. His arm twitched.

    "Father!" Charlotte and Reina had yelled.

    "Dear!" Her mother rushed to his side.

    Lilith couldn''t afford to be concerned. She looked up and saw two figures. One was instantly recognizable while the other was one she only vaguely recalled.

    A blond-haired youth, slim and well-built but not as muscled as Saren or James. He gave an oppressive feel, a dark, oily sensation at the pit of her stomach.

    He glowed with golden light, from the distance even his eyes seemed to emit bright yellow rays. Maybe they did.

    "We have to run. Now." She looked towards her father. "Can you stand?"

    He said nothing, ever  a man of few words. He merely rose, a bit unsteadily, to his feet.

    Her mother had a panicked look in her eye but she held up nicely. She wasn''t a weak woman.

    As she took his good arm and helped him to move, he didn''t refuse. For anyone else he would have pushed them away, refusing any aid. He had his pride.

    People were rushing towards the lower level of the ship as they tried to escape the battlefield between the two gods.

    Lilith memorized the way and so had no trouble navigating. Even if she hadn''t though she could still simply follow the others.  Soon in the corner of her eyes she witnessed Lord Apollo summon some sort of gas. She felt deep in her bones a cold dread at looking at it. It made her think of death.

    For some odd reason she suddenly missed James and Saren....Maybe it was because of the time they had spent together during their missing months. Their memory was lost, but it seemed some things remained. Though she knew they wouldn''t be capable of doing anything in this situation,

    Rather, she really, really wished that Roland was here. He seemed like he would be able to stop them....

    Well, it was no use hoping. He was probably off somewhere enjoying his time with his...wife...

    She still had trouble accepting that. Those two, no, that woman...to think he and she would be....and to even have a daughter...

    It wasn''t long until she found herself stopping abruptly. She had seen Loki spilt himself into many. A loud boom resounded in her ears as  one of them crashed in front of her. As far as she could tell he was the only one to come crashing into the ground.

    He made a large crater in the ground, saying, " Well, that hurt. Blasted matchstick, just wait for what this daddy has in store for you!"

    Did he see them?  If he did, would he have even cared for their safety?

    She didn''t know.

    She looked towards Reina and Charlotte to her side. They held onto each other''s hand as they ran. What surprised her is that Reina didn''t look very winded at all. Not even breathing rough.  She seemed....somehow calm, even.

    Why?

    How?

    She didn''t think that she had any other private lessons with Roland. Only the one time a few days ago, yet it really made such a large change? Usually she would be tired by now. Her athletic ability was, on a scale of one to one-hundred, a ten. If that.

    Lilith had no idea what they did but it really was pretty effective.

    Maybe she had had underestimated her sister though. Roland, that day, had said something similar, right?

    She looked behind her and saw a figure rise up to a tall building carrying some things in in his hand. She felt as if she had seen him somewhere....

    No, it couldn''t be.

    -------------------------------------------------------------

    There were several ways to get from one level of the ship to another. Large stairs, an elevator that could carry hundreds at a time,  use the gradually rising road that led to a golden gate.

    The last was used the most. People of every race and color streamed into the lower level as he ran. His speed wasn''t something that most could react to when he was in a hurry like this.

    But as he went he spotted a small group he knew.

    "Reina, Lilith, what happened?" He looked towards their father.

    The man in question answered without preamble. "Stray fireball."

    Roland cursed. "Let me see. "

    He gave the wife a glance and tried to reassure her. She understandably wouldn''t want someone who was pretty much a stranger to be messing with her husband when he was so clearly injured and in pain.

    She was unsure her husband didn''t stop Roland so she could only allow it.

    In a matter of moments the wound was nearly gone. But it was still a little red.

    After Roland was done, his patient stretched his arm and clenched it a few times. He seemed satisfied. " Thank you."

    "No problem. But, sorry. I can''t do much better. This wound, it wouldn''t be because of..."

    "Lord Apollo." The man answered.

    "Thought so." A wound from someone like him....Roland may have been able to heal most of it, but it wasn''t easy. Though it may have appeared so, he actually struggled a bit with it.

    But this man truly was pretty strong. An attack from a god like Apollo, who is a major figure in his pantheon, was not something ordinary Immortals or Celestials could survive without taking significant and widespread damage. At he very least 90% of their bodies should be riddled with severe burns.

    Obviously this man must have quite some methods to survive with such light injuries. Interesting.

    Roland moved his eyes to Reina, Charlotte and Lilith in turn. "You three are alright?"

    Reina nodded. "I''m okay."

    "...I think I¡¯m alright..." The young girl looked slightly distressed, looking at her father with concern and relief.

    "Fine. ¡°Lilith shrugged, appearing pretty much calm and collected.

    He nodded. "Good. Reina..." He paused.

    She tilted her head a bit. "Yes?"

    He peered at her. "...No, nothing. Never mind." He said.

    She seemed to have handled the situation well. When they first met he thought she would be a pretty meek person. He knew she was capable of being strong in mind and body, given time to grow, but she surpassed his expectations.

    On that note, he would have to make time for her to have another lesson. But first he had to strengthen her body a bit more. Her power, he sensed, was a tad unstable still. It was best that he fix that before giving her another lesson.

    " Go find Morrigan and stay with her. I''ll be off to settle this damn mess."

    He told them where they were staying at and sent them along on their way. They should be able to catch up to them.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The beating was something that few would be able to handle. Roland and Mephisto had snuck up behind them, grabbing their clothes and throwing them straight down. When they hit the ground the two kicked them while they were down until they were bloody and blue. Then Roland healed them and the cycle of abuse continued for several long minutes.

    If there were some who thought this was something that was a horrible thing to do to one''s friends....well, they didn¡¯t have friend like Loki and Aries. These two deserved it most of the time. Plus, their bodies were damn strong. It took at least this much to dole out some punishment that was appropriate.

    Their little group was already considered a coming together of eccentrics due to their actions. But Loki and Aries were both supreme idiots who, if left unattended, would cause havoc everywhere they went.

    Okay, only if they were bored, but still.

    The point is, this kind of abuse was still acceptable. They all had close enough bonds that a few beatings wouldn''t matter to them over much. Of course Roland had never been subject to this. At least not one-sidedly like this. Sometimes they liked to gang up on him but that was rare and it usually ended once Roland decided to get serious.

    To them, this was all on the level of "play". If Loki and Aries decided they had enough then they wouldn''t be taking this without some protests but they stayed quiet. Likely because they knew they fucked up by causing such a mess.

    Killing a god''s physical body, destroying buildings, causing a panic....

    If this wasn''t deserving of some punishment, what was?

    But the beating stopped eventually, Roland and Mephisto currently standing atop a building while Aries and Loki  in front of them with a defiant look in their eyes. The plague had long since been dealt with by Roland and Loki, the two combining their power and knowledge to forcibly disperse the deadly thing.

    Roland had half a mind to throw the two unruly gods that caused all this into the damn thing and be done with it. But he was a very kind, and generous friend. So he didn''t. Was he not the most merciful and forgiving of individuals?

    Though, Loki secretly kept some stored in a small bottle. It was under heavy, seriously powerful spells and it was pretty tame now. He would have to study it, the thing was pretty interesting.

    Roland wore a dark expression even now. Loki had reverted to his normal childish appearance. Mephisto was watching the other three with a cool, almost unaffected gaze as if he had nothing to do with what was happening.

    Apollo''s body rested between them all, now free of the gold chains which bound him. Loki dispelled them moments ago, albeit reluctantly. Roland found the sun god hovering near Loki when he and Mephisto arrived. The sun god''s position at that time was....most concerning.

    "So, I was under the impression that you simply stole his ship." Roland began. "But no, that wasn''t good enough, was it? You had to go and keep him prisoner. Not only that, you decide to kill him? Alright, I can handle that. But you go on to cause a mass panic by having a fight in which you destroy several building, not to mention all of this had involved a deadly plague, and your fighting also injured the girls'' father in the process." He stared at the two opposite him. " But as if all that still wasn''t enough, even worse, your actions disturb my precious bonding experience with my new-found wife and daughter?"

    His face, to everyone present, seemed to grow more sinister by the second as he spoke.

    Loki narrowed his eyes. " This wasn''t my fault. That damn firefly, he attacked me first. And who told him to threaten my daughter? What would you do if it some guy came and threatened your little girl, hmm?"

    The reply was instant. "I would cut off his balls and feed it to him. " His eyes were cold. "But we''re not discussing that right now, don''t even try changing the subject. Loki, Aries,  I don''t even really give a damn about Apollo dying or you holding him prisoner here. But your recklessness injured an innocent party, even Mephisto and I were forced to come and check what was going on. So many people could have been killed, do you realize that? You''re damn lucky I don''t see any other dead bodies lying about."

    How there was able to be no real casualties from this he didn''t know, but it was a good thing. He was sure some were injured, but deaths? He didn''t see any indication of that.

    People dying was not a rarity at all and Roland knew that. But he didn''t consider a person''s life to be so worthless that he was fine with them dying simply because of a dispute between gods.

    He was no saint, he had killed countless people even in his current life for one reason or another. But neither was he heartless. If people died from this conflict, he would not mourn them. Why would he? He wouldn''t have known them. However, he would have made damn sure that Loki and Apollo were punished accordingly.

    To be honest, though, he didn''t care much over someone dying or being killed. He cared more about how they died. If they were brutally tortured or had any other nasty business happen to them before they were killed then he would be angered. Other than that? Well, it was a bit different.

    For example, thousands could die instantly in an explosion and maybe he wouldn''t pity them too much. He would feel sorry for any family and friends of theirs who would have to suffer from their deaths, but as for the victems themselves he knew they would most likely be treated alright after their souls entered the afterlife so he wouldn''t pity them.

    Unless they built up a lot of bad karma, in which case things would be pretty harsh for them.

    But if someone had killed just one person by some cruel method, if they played with that person before they killed them....Then Roland would be angered to a great degree. He would feel a bad, sour taste in his mouth. A thousand dying instantly but painlessly was much better than simply one person dying a cruel and agonizing death. At least in Roland''s book.

    Of course it was different if someone close to him died. Even if they did die peacefully he would still be pained by their leaving.

    Aries snorted. "I don''t see why you include me.  I didn''t do anything."

    "Exactly." Roland said. "You made no move to stop any of it. That''s just as bad. A person who sees something like this happening but doing nothing about it is just as guilty as the ones directly involved. And why were you not with Mephisto? I put both of you in charge of the boys, did I not?"

    Mephisto felt it was time to join in. " Yes, but you see, there was a pretty little thing that caught his eye and so he had to go quench his evil fire. Meaning that he saw a cute girl, left,  and then probably had her bent over a kitchen table somewhere." He spoke candidly, pretty much condemning the man.

    Aries was indignant. " Please. I''m no animal. We started on the bed but she was the one insisting on getting a bit more adventurous. Besides, you had it handled, why was I needed there?"

    "That doesn''t  matter, he point is that I asked you to do something and you leave to have some fun while Mephisto and the boys were left to their own devices!" Roland all but yelled.

    "Bullshit, you didn''t do any damn asking! It was blackmail, blackmail I say!

    "Oh, that''s right." Roland remembered. " Well, to be fair, you owed me one anyway. So I shouldn''t have had to blackmail you in the first place. "

    "Why did you bribe Mephisto, then, and yet threaten me?"

    "I would have threatened him too." Roland admitted, unabashed, "But he wouldn''t have cared and just done what he wanted. I can''t even think of what I would use against him that would be effective. Simply put, you''re easy."

    "...."

    Aries had no words to describe the feeling of injustice the welled up in his heart.

    The Heavens weren''t fair, ah....

    Roland then turn to Mephisto. "By the way, how are the boys doing? They have fun exploring?"

    " I assure you that they''re more than fine." The long-haired man''s lips rose in a wry smile.

    " Oh?" Roland raised a brow. "How so?"

    "Well, I got them laid."

    "...What?"

    "Okay, technically I didn''t do much, but they still enjoyed themselves. See, we went to a bar and two girls--succubi, I later learned--showed some interest in them. They all went back to the hotel and...well, yeah, I would say that they probably did have a fun time "exploring". The female anatomy, that is." The man chuckled a bit.

    "Wait, succubi?" Loki interjected. " Shit, those brats...." He appeared a bit envious. " I get stuck dealing with that talking, overgrown matchstick while they''re busy having a good time with two delectable vixens? Lady Luck, that bitch, must have something against me."

    "Maybe if you didn''t insult her like that she would have a more favorable impression." Mephisto said mildly.

    Loki snorted.

    "...Well damn...." Aries shook his head in wonder. Succubi, in his book, were second only to that little minx Aphrodite. True masters of their craft. He couldn''t believe that he let an opportunity like that slip away...

    Well, succubi were mysterious creatures. They chose whoever they wanted at the time. Plus, Aries got around. His "taste" might not be to their liking. They might consider him a bit too "spread thin". They usually preferred those type of people who didn''t sleep with any pretty thing that catches their eye.

    Roland held the bridge of his nose, looking tired. "Dammit, what the hell is wrong with you? Succubi, really? You really let them interact with such dangerous people? What if they were sucked dry?"

    "I assume they were." Loki laughed. "Otherwise those succubi wouldn''t have been doing it right."

    "Don''t be worried though, I gave them a shot of my energy to liven them up before I left. They should be feeling pretty great right about now. Eh, I also told them to leave their windows open in case the little seductresses wanted a midnight snack." The energy he gave them was around 3 times smaller than a silk thread. That was all they would be able to handle, really. And it was just to revitalize them. They would have recovered naturally in a few hours but he decided to help them out.

    They were probably feeling a certain high at the moment. So it''s all good. Plus, it would last for a day or two. If those succubi went back for a round two then the boys would be good to go.

    A sigh. "...Well, at least they''re alright."

    But...Succubi, huh...

    Roland did have many happy memories regarding succubi, he had to admit.

    But some of those experiences were not entirely good.

    Roland thought back to the time when he and Sol were lured by a group of succubi back to their clan''s village. Succubi usually do that, bring back particularly strong males so that the females of the village could mate and have better offspring with them.

    It started as innocent fun with Loki, Roland, Aries and Sol looking for a good time. He and Sol caught the eye of two succubi that night, just like the two boys james and Saren had.

    When the succubi lured them into their clan''s village they were both pretty much assaulted with the combined powers of all the succubi present. This...was not to be underestimated.

    Succubi were the worst enemy for males. As long as you were a male a succubi had some degree of power over you. They had numerous abilities to dominate the minds and bodies of men. They were no different, and if not for their strong minds they would not be able to have escaped the combined powers of so many succubi.

    Though it was called a village, there was so many succubi that they could populate a small city. And all of them wanted to hold him and Sol there so they could mate with them.

    But to be fair, in the same situation, not many males would even want to escape.

    To most other males, it would be a dream-like experience. But neither of them wanted to father any kids so they chose to escape. Having a night of fun with a succubus was fine. Being taken to their village so that you could give the females there strong offspring?

    No, that was pretty much unacceptable. At least for them.

    Their minds were still their own because their will power was able to fight off the succubi''s abilities and they were able to escape. When the succubi chased them Sol got annoyed and wanted to kill them but Roland held him back.

    "Forget it. Loki, I was in a good mood today up until now. You just had to ruin it, didn''t you? And I was considering letting you off the hook, too. Never mind that, then. I changed my mind. You must really be a glutton for punishment, huh? Licking sun gold will hurt, you know."

    His words made all those other than Loki, who now stiffened considerably,  confused.

    "...I''m sorry, what?" Mephisto raised a brow.

    "Remember what he told everyone earlier about cleaning a bathroom with their tongue? Well, that applied to staff, too. And guess who was last."

    Roland smiled.

    Aries looked incredulously at Loki as he picked up the meaning.

    Mephisto grinned in amusement. "Hoh? So a development like that occurred, huh."

    Loki nearly choked, screaming. "That was a joke, a joke! I didn''t mean it! Come now, would I, Loki,  make such an outrageous statement in seriousness?"

    They all stared at him blankly.

    "Yes."

    "Of course."

    "Well, if it''s you...."

    Loki''s cheek twitched. " Bah, to hell with all of you!" He shouted in anger. "I refuse to take such treatment. Hmph, saying such things about me, I¡¯m hurt. I don''t have to take this.  Screw you guys, I¡¯m going home!"

    He winked out of existence.

    "...He ran away."

    "True men don''t go back on their word."

    " The coward."

    Roland and Mephisto turned to Aries as he said this.

    "Well, looks like you¡¯ll have to fill in until we track him down."

    "That''s right. It''s only fair."

    "...Eh?" Aries face was showing surprise and disbelief. "Fuck that, why do I have to? I didn¡¯t do anything w--!"

    "You poor thing. Do you not know that phrase, ''Guilty by association''?"

    "...." The man ran before the last word was spoken, jumping off the building and disappearing.

    Roland and Mephisto watched for several seconds. The man wasn''t slow.

    "...Should we catch him?" Mephisto asked curiously.

    "Nah, don''t bother. I''ll let Abigail know what he did later. I don''t know what their relationship is but I have a feeling she can sort him out better than I could. " He looked at the other man as he spoke. Mephisto offered no insight into the dynamics between the war god and the mysterious woman.

    Roland still hadn''t figured out what she was exactly, but he still had fun guessing.

    "Probably." Was the only thing the man said, shrugging. He didn''t say anything more regarding it. "And what are we going to do with this?" He pointed to the corpse of the fallen sun god.

    "...I can probably revive him. His heart was crushed but that only temporarily killed him off. Gods, obviously, wouldn''t die from that alone. At least not for long. A god that has powers over medicine and healing will be able to come back faster, but I should help him out. I can probably rig something that helps him reconnect with this body. I just need to heal him a bit..."

    "He was pretty pissed off." Mephisto observed. "That "dark" side of him might spring up."

    " I hear that he doesn''t remember much when he enters that state anyway so I don''t think he''ll hold a grudge. He probably won''t even remember why he got so mad."

    "And if he does?"

    "I''ll kill him." Roland shrugged. "I don''t want to deal with any more crap like this today so if he isn''t cooperative I''ll have to put him down."

    "...You make him sound like a wild dog in that scenario."

    "If he got like that then he pretty much would be." Roland stated. " But honestly, I''m surprised Loki beat him so easily. When Gods of Destruction are awakened they shouldn''t be so weak..." It was truly strange.

    "Apollo, from what I know, is restrained by the fact that his normal state is always so calm and soft. If he didn''t have that side to him then his other nature as a God of Destruction would be a lot more domineering. His power is probably only a fraction of what it should be. Typically Gods of Destruction are damn strong. Like that Gehenna."

    "Oh? Was she not a demon?" Like with Abigail he could not discover what that Gehenna woman was.

    "Hmm...."Mephisto considered. "I. for one,  consider her a Goddess of Destruction....But no one knows exactly what that woman is. Maybe she''s like Asmodeus, some kind of a half-breed. Not sure. Actually, I don''t even remember when she first showed up. Her origins are pretty much a mystery.  I''m also not certain when she established a foothold in Hell. Maybe only Lucifer knows. Anyway, by the time she became more well-known most people already hated or feared her for one reason or another."

    Mephisto looked lost in though, as if he was remembering something from long ago.

    "Everyone seems to really dislike  her." Roland mused.

    She must have killed many people but from Roland''s understanding that might just  be part of her inner nature. He had to admit that was a bit scary but he wasn''t going to hate the woman for that. Some beings were like that. Created to "balance things out" so to speak. Roland was in no position to judge anyway.

    Though he knew well how hypocritical his opinions were on the matter of killing. He wouldn''t judge Gehenna for killing who knew how many people but he would punish Loki or Aries if someone accidentally lost their lives during this mess?

    Maybe he was like this because Loki and Aries should have known better than to cause a fight in a heavily populated city like this where people could die.

    Gehenna...Roland wasn''t sure that she could truly be blamed for killing. He felt like maybe she had no concept of killing being wrong or bad. And if so....

    Or maybe he was just making excuses for her. He didn''t know. All he knew was that he disliked the way everyone seemed to treat the woman.

    "Yeah. And rightly so. Gehenna..." He seemed to struggle for the words. "...She''s not...natural, you know? You met her, couldn''t you feel it yourself? Gods and similarly higher beings don''t care much for life, but they won''t usually go out and cause massacres. Her? I''ve never known anyone quite so cold-hearted and blood-thirsty. That woman is damaged, I can tell. But I also think she was never completely whole to begin with. There are some gods and demons that are similar to her. Maybe not as bad, but still. The reason why Gehenna in particular is hated is because, I think, she doesn''t feel right. If that makes any sense."

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    He cut Roland a glance. " You told us not to mess with her. And we won''t. But mainly because none of us really want to even go near  her. Most everyone I know just wishes she would simply lay down and die." His words were cold and maybe a little venomous.

    Roland said nothing, but he was getting damn tired of all this. They treated the woman like she was some sort of...abomination.  Mephisto and Loki were not ones to hold such harsh sentiments towards anyone. Not to this degree. Not this absolute disdain.

    He said that none of them would ever even want to go near the woman.

    Roland could only imagine what others thought of or treated the woman if even Mephisto, Aries and Loki reacted like this.  Gehenna seemed to lead a very hard and lonely existence. To be ostracized by, well, almost everyone....

    Or did she even care?

    Even if she didn''t, to have eternity at your fingertips and yet spend it while hated and feared by everyone....

    Roland found that he grew more upset the more he thought of it and he had no idea why.

    Mephisto looked at his friend, saw the changes in his expression. He felt he knew a bit of what was going on in his mind, and he was sickened by it.

    How could he feel sorry for a woman like her? Did he not understand what sort of being Gehenna was? Even after meeting her?  Mephisto felt his friend was being too soft on the woman. Gehenna was one of the most beautiful women Mephisto had seen, and that included both Aphrodite and his own wife, but that was only her outward appearance.

    Inside, at Gehenna''s core....Mephisto felt that there was something broken, something that should not be.  Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, she was attractive to him. Even if he loved his wife dearly he was still a man, after all.

    Gehenna was feared and hated, but also desired. Most gods, at least males, would be attracted to her. But more importantly, underneath that attraction....they would  eventually feel disturbed. Like thousands of insects crawling along your skin and burrowing into your flesh.

    They would feel how unnatural of an existence she was and they would make a point to not be in her presence if they could help it.

    Mephisto thought maybe his friend was fooled by her beauty. It''s said that no one could truly hate a beautiful women no matter what they did. This was obviously untrue, but at the very least a beautiful woman would be endearing enough to them that they would not immediately be biased towards them.

    If it was for a beauty then men would be more forgiving, more understanding. Did that Roland fall prey to Gehenna''s looks? Was he so enamored with the beauty of the rose petals that he forgot about the thorns?

    Mephisto thought that might be the case. And he couldn''t help but shake his head at his friend.  It was the first time he felt Roland was being a bit too foolish. He shouldn''t feel sorry for a woman like Gehenna.

    "Alright, help me with these spells. If we''re going to revive him we might as well get it over with."

    They said nothing more as Mephisto aided Roland in bringing back the dead sun god.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    "...I don''t mind Loki borrowing my stuff, but to have so shamelessly knocked me out and kept me prisoner...I simply can¡¯t let this pass. When I inform King Odin of this I will demand justice be done. Too long that man has done as he pleases, without consequence, but no more. I should think that after this fiasco of his, King Odin will reconsider his choice of wanting him as the Heir-apparent of Asgard."

    Apollo, newly revived, scowled as he spoke in annoyance. He was shorter than he had been previously, his skin more tender and holding the sheen of a white pearl. His  hair, too, even became a few shades brighter, a bright gold instead of the previously darker hue.

    His eyes were a silvery color, different from his previous appearance. His form was younger than before, looking as if he was merely a fourteen year old youth instead of the slightly older look he had before. His voice, as well, became a higher pitch than what Roland assumed it would have been otherwise.

    It was very melodic, soft, lyrical.

    All in all, he truly left a good impression on others.

    Roland was a bit impressed. Apollo actually remembered most of what happened but he wasn''t as angered as one might imagine. That might be because Mephisto had already filled him in on Loki''s punishment.

    But that, of course, was not enough and so Apollo promised that Loki would be getting a lot worse once his father was informed of what went down. Though that last bit the youth said would acutally make Loki happy. He hated the idea of taking over as King once Odin decided to step down.

    Odin was, after all, getting on in his years. Gods were immortal but Odin was truly old. He was getting tired of ruling, of dealing with the thousands of things that went into governing the territories under his control.

    Apollo cut a glance at the southern part of the ship. There, built along the wall, was a giant mansion. A veritable palace of gold and marble.

    " Come, my Oracle! Show yourself!" He shouted the words, a low vibration spreading everywhere. It was like hundreds, thousands of people talking at once.

    Roland and Mephisto waited.

    Nothing happened.

    Apollo frowned fiercely, his eyebrows scrunching up in irritation. "That man, what is he doing? Why hasn''t he come?"  He loked towards Roland and Mephisto. "My apologies, Lord Roland, Lord Mephisto. Please, wait here while I go see what''s wrong. I shall only be a minute."

    And with that, he became a streak of golden light and disappeared.

    Roland hated that title. "Lord". It was foo formal for his tastes. But Apollo, he noticed, hesitated upon the word. He probably wasn''t sure if that was the proper form of address for someone like Roland.

    After all, his situation was a bit unique....

    "He''s taking this better than I thought he would." Mephisto mused.

    "True. But you can''t let Loki''s antics get to you or else you''ll never be able to sleep well."

    "Yeah, can''t argue with that. Loki''s like a damn STD. You have to learn to live with it. "

    "Those can be cured, you know." Either by science or magic. Not every civilization was advanced enough to do either but it wasn''t really a problem. "And as if you''ve ever had one. " A god getting an STD, how laughable.

    "Can they? Huh. " He shrugged. " And the sentiment remains the same. That man is absolutely cancerous. Not to mention his other selves. "

    "And yet he''s still our friend. What does that say about us?"

    "That we''re just as fucked up as he is, probably. That damn klepto, he takes whatever catches his eye. I remember once that he was said to have taken Thor''s hammer and used it to smash bugs when they were children."

    "Oh? How did he...."

    "Hold it? Please, if that prick is good enough then it means the thing has some pretty low standards."

    Roland felt a faint smile coming on at his words.

    Soon enough Apollo came back with a chained up young man. The newcomer had an enraged expression. He was square-jawed and his hair was a slight mess, curling naturally.

    "These infernal chains...How do they last so long? These, what type of magics did Loki use to make them, they even cut off my connection to my own Oracle...Just how did he...Even the original creators of the chain this is based off of would be impressed..."

    Roland saw the chain that bound the young man and recalled the very same material around Fenris'' neck the two times he saw her naked. The thing was, it seemed, always present on the woman.

    "That chain, what is it?" He quietly asked Mephisto. "I saw Fenris wearing the same thing."

    Mephisto looked at him. " No surprise there. But...you didn''t know? Fenris is a Goddess of Destruction. Or was. Not anymore, not since she was chained." He stretched a bit then went on to explain when he saw Roland''s curious expression. "...See, when she was born the girl was a little beast. Completely raged across the Higher Planes. A few realms got eaten. And she even escaped to the Lower  Planes, ate a planet. That girl can really eat." He chuckled. " Honestly, most of the more influential gods wanted to kil her but Loki totally freaked out and threatened to got to war if they tried."

    Roland was pretty surprised. He had no idea something like that happened. He heard some stories regarding Fenris made by mortals, now that he mentioned it, but nothing similar to this...

    "What happened?"

    "Well Loki''s declaration had quite an effect. He never got serious like that, it was pretty out of character for him. Eh, anyway, not many of the other gods wanted to start an all-out war with him. He had me and Aries backing him up too. Though we haven''t interacted with Fenris much at all since that time. But we couldn''t let our friend''s kid get offed, you know? So basically it became a damn huge mess. Not to mention that Loki had his other selves to rely on. So there was a compromise. Chain her up."

    Roland felt it strange. She didn''t seem like a Goddess of Destruction at all. Something had to have changed.

    " So, chaining her...."

    "Altered her personality, yeah." He paused. " Okay, not exactly. It was more like her more destructive nature got suppressed. She''s almost like Apollo in that regard. Her power probably lessened by half. As you can imagine, the entire thing made her a bit of an outcast among her family. I don''t think she was ever told about that time, so don''t mention it. Like, ever. Who knows what could happen. The Fates even once said that..." He frowned. " ...No, never mind."

    "The Fates?"  Roland felt a sour feeling as he heard the words.

    None of the gods of fate liked him.

    No, rather, it was like an illogical hatred? The few he met said he was a "chaotic variable". Which meant they tried their hardest to get him under their thumb. Or kill him.

    "...It''s nothing worth mentioning."

    "Hmm..."

    Roland cast a glance at his friend. He didn''t know exactly what was on his mind but he wouldn''t push it. He felt like he understood a bit though. He knew some of the stories. Now that he heard the tale he did recall a few of the myths mortals had made regarding the Aesir Pantheon.

    Most of it was nonsense.

    But a kernel of truth could be found, sometimes. The Fates, and indeed all gods of fate, were a mysterious bunch. Always working the angles, always managing things behind the scenes.

    If they had something to say about Fenris then it probably wasn''t anything good. They usually only spoke when it was to mess with people''s heads.

    "This...is troublesome. " Apollo muttered. "I can''t seem to..."

    Roland and Mephisto went up to him. " Yeah, I don''t think you''re going to be able to get them off without Loki here."

    Mephisto stated.

    "Are we going to have to bring him back after all then?" Roland wondered aloud. That would be annoying. He could be anywhere and if he didn''t want to be found then Roland would find it a hard thing to do.

    Maybe he should go fetch Fenris. She would probably be able to sniff him out easily.

    Apollo narrowed his gaze as he looked at his Oracle. " Fine. Let''s do it. I truly am getting soft." He sighed. " Oracle, I won¡¯t be angry at you for allowing this but you should expect some sort of punishment. To think I found you messing around with all those women, too..." He shook his head, almost sadly. "I''m disappointed."

    The Oracle protested, making various sounds as he was still gagged.

    "...Here, let me get that." Roland thought the man was a bit pitiful and went to help him.

    He crouched down a bit and placed a hand over the chains that were covering his mouth. He should be able to move them at the very least.

    As soon as his hands touched the material it seemed to shudder slightly before bursting into streams of gold which flowed up into the air.

    Everyone froze.

    The Oracle fell, surprised at suddenly being freed.

    "...What the hell did you do?" Mephisto asked.

    That chain shouldn''t disappear so easily!

    " I didn''t do anything..." Roland frowned.

    Apollo looked at him pensively. " ...Lord Roland, perhaps the chains disappeared because Loki willed it?"

    "..Maybe."

    He wasn''t sure. Loki probably forgot about the man. And even if he didn''t why would he bother letting him free of his own initiative? That wasn''t like him at all.

    "...Huh. We can ask Loki later. It''s probably nothing. Anyway, I should get back to the boys. Eh, those two, they''re not that bad for mortals. Least they can hold their drinks. And I''m sure that wife and daughter of yours are waiting for you. Apollo, sorry about the trouble."

    Apollo nodded at him easily. "No, apologies from you are not needed, Lord Mephisto. I will take my grievances to King Odin and have him take rein of that unruly child of his. So don''t worry, you two. While you''re here simply enjoy yourselves."

    He said magnanimously.

    Roland cut in. "Thank you, but I have to tell you that we''re using your ship to go to the Array which will allow us to head towards the Higher Planes. I''m teaching a few students some basic combat and whatnot so I plan to put them in a suitable place to sharpen their skills. Their battle techniques leave something to be desired."

    Apollo considered. "...I see. And you want to continue using my ship to get them their? But you may not know, my ship can travel to the Higher Planes by itself without needing intermediaries like an Array. I can take you wherever it is you want to go, I don''t have any other destination in mind. " He offered.

    That was unexpected. Roland didn''t know this ship could do something like that. "Thank you, but no. Solomon is here on this planet and, for various reasons, I need to speak with him. "

    The youth smiled and raised a hand. "Say no more. I''ll get you there. I''m not against helping out the development of the younger generation and taking you to speak with Solomon can be taken as returning the favor of beating that insufferable lout. And reviving me. If I was dead much longer I might not even remember much of what happened."

    "Thank you."

    "No need." He said. " Though we haven''t interacted much in the past I still know how to repay my debts when one helps me out. And giving that Loki the beating he deserves certainly qualifies. You and Lord Mephisto both have my gratitude for that. "

    "Well then, we''ll take our leave."

    They turned to go when a shaky voice stopped them. " Lord Roland...please wait."

    From a bit aways the Oracle struggled to his feet. His eyes were a deep, brilliant grey.

    Had they always been that color?

    "Yes?"

    "Lord Mephisto mentioned a wife and child....They''re yours, right? I''m sure that''s what he said."

    Roland stopped and stared at the man. Why was he interested?

    He felt it was odd.

    Apollo''s eye''s went a bit wider. That''s right, Lord Mephisto had said that but he hadn''t noticed until it was pointed out. How curious. A man like Lord Roland with a wife and child....

    "Indeed. Is there something you wish to say?"

    "Yes. Your wife. What color eyes does she have?"

    The question threw him off. What an odd thin to ask...." They''re red. Why?"

    The answer seemed to surprise the man. "Red? Not violet?"

    Roland looked at him oddly. "No. They''re red. Why do you ask?" He was a bit suspicious of the man''s sudden and weird question. And that reaction of his, why did he seems so surprised?

    "...Ah, no, I apologize. I asked something rude. Pay me no mind, Lord Roland. I can''t imagine what came over me, asking something so odd." His eyes shined brightly, nearly glowing.

    Roland didn''t like the look of those milky eyes of his. They seemed to look at him and past him at he same time. A distinctly uncomfortable feeling.

    Mephisto and Apollo watched the exchange quietly. Mephisto felt a headache coming on. Ah, that Morrigan....

    No, he didn''t want to think of it. Honestly, those two being together was simply too hard to believe. That cold woman....

    "No worries, It''s alright. " Roland said easily. "Is that all?"

    "Yes, thank you. " His voice was still a bit weak.

    "I see. Then excuse me."

    Roland nodded to the Oracle and Apollo, once again turning to leave.

    This time no one stopped them.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------

    As the two watched them leave Apollo looked at the young man by his side.

    "...You saw something, didn''t you?"

    He said.

    The other man seemed in deep thought. He took a long time before responding, but Apollo knew better than to disturb him while he was in this state. It would only be counter-productive. He instead thought of what he would do about the citizens who were down in the lower city due to the fighting. He would have to deal with that....Tomorrow.  For now, he wanted some rest.

    "...Yes. But I''m not sure what it was, or means. And it wasn''t about him, really. Rather, it was someone related to him."

    ''Interesting. And what did you see?" Apollo asked.

    The man''s eyes seemed to shine even brighter.

    " A girl. Or a monster. I can''t tell the difference. Maybe there was none. Perhaps there was two. One young, one older. A young girl, a mature woman. One like a blossoming rose, the other like deadly nightshade. Beautiful, seductive...but dangerous. Poisonous to all. Or at least...all but one. And yet even that doesn''t seem right. But why?" He seemed to struggle with something. Some internal conflict Apollo could not see or know. " Is it one, or two?...Perhaps even she doesn''t know anymore..." He trailed off softly. " How sad."

    "While this is all very interesting...." Kind of. Mostly it sounded like gibberish. "...It''s not very specific, Oracle." Apollo reprimanded.

    Apollo no longer had the gift of foresight.  He gave it all to Oracle. Apollo''s other gifts caused interference and so the images he used to get were always hard to interpret. To fix that he bestowed the ability upon Oracle. Usually the man saw things with crystal clarity.

    What changed?

    "I apologize, my lord." He said, calming down and appearing sincere. " But...Well, there is one thing that stuck out."

    "Oh?  And that was...?" The sun god prompted.

    "A name. it was whispered to me, in his voice. Gently, lovingly. But not for me. No. For her."

    "Him?" Apollo frowned.

    Who was Oracle talking about..No, wait...

    "Ah. I see." Really, who else could it be? "What was the name then? Out with it already." He told the man, growing impatient.

    "...Grace. The name was Grace."

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "...Hold up, I need to do something."

    Roland told Mephisto, then disappeared into the masses.

    They had sped through the crowded streets, which were still in a state of pandemonium, before Roland stopped them and abruptly went off by himself with only a few words.

    Mephisto was impatient. And everyone else could tell. They sensed the agressive aura coming off im and stayed away. This wasn;t be cause he was angry, though. It was simply how most percieved him. Aries was like that too. They kept it mainly tucked away but sometimes it slipped out.

    In this case, he let it out willingly.

    He looked around.

    It was damn dark outside. The lights of the city glowed in the darkness, the street lamps illuminating the way. He saw many golden-skinned Apollites.  They seemed much calmer than the rest. Some even munched on food while they watched the others panic. Cheeky little buggers.

    He liked the Apollites a bit. They were kind, generous and fun to hang out with at parties. Especially the women.

    He hadn''t ever went out and picked up a women, or three, since he married Selene. That woman was enough for him. He might admire other women, even be attracted to them, but he had the best of the lot at home. Waiting for him....

    By herself....

    She was probably naked right now.

    The woman always did find it liberating. In their own home where there were few people other than long-time servants which were like family, there was none to disturb her. She took advantage of that and walked about naked as day pretty often.

    Mephisto couldn''t help letting out a sigh.  He fantasized of his wife''s bare skin and welcoming smile, a smile formed by full lips which begged to be tasted.

    Ah...he wanted to go home.

    He could be there at any time, but he did want to at least accompany Roland and the gang until they found Sol. Maybe once they reached the Higher Planes, even.

    It was several more minutes before Roland came back.

    He carried a small, square box that was  covered in blue velvet cloth.  The thing quickly got sucked up into thin air as he approached. It, of course, entered his Treasury.

    But not before Mephisto saw it.

    "What was that?" He asked.

    "Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about, my dear." Roland patted the big man on his shoulder and spoke airily.

    Mephisto gave a small sneer. "Disgusting. "

    "Quite. So I suggest you don''t ask any more questions."

    "Fine, fine." Mephisto replied wearily. " So, tell what was in the box."

    Roland glanced at him.

    "What? That wasn''t even a question." Mephisto shrugged.

    He was ignored.

    "So I take it you''re good to go, then?"

    "Yes. Come on."

    To all those watching, their bodies seemed to flicker and disappear.

    To them, a speed like that was merely a casual stroll.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    As they walked inside the building Roland was called by the receptionist.

    "Ah, sir, excuse me."

    Roland walked towards the man. "Yeah?"

    " Sorry, but that woman you came with, Lady Morrigan, has purchased another room and instructed me to direct you to it upon your return. She''ll be waiting." He informed. "The room is at the top floor, here is the keycard. Rest assured that you won''t be disturbed."

    The man gave a polite smile as he handed Roland the thin rectangular object. He received it with a bit of puzzlement upon his face.

    "I see. Thank you. "

    He returned to Mephisto''s side.

    " What happened." The man asked. He didn''t pay attention to their conversation.

    "Nothing major. You go check on the boys, make sure they''re alright. I sent Reina and Lilith, along with the rest of their family,  to Morrigan when I saw them last. I don''t know what Morrigan would have done with them, so goo check on that for me."

    " Me? And where are you going, then?"

    Roland shrugged. "My wife summons me."

    --------------------------------------------------------

    They parted ways, Mephisto heading towards their rooms while Roland went to the highest level to see Morrigan.

    He didn''t know where Grace would be, though she was probably with her mother.

    It only took him a few moments to get to the door with the correct number on it. He stood there without moving for a second Somehow, he had an odd feeling. Strange.

    He opened the door and stepped in. The room was brightly lit. It''s color scheme was warm, a series of reds, browns, and oranges.

    There was a window in front of him, to the far side of the room which took up an entire wall. It''s curtains were long and thick, a muted green color. They were not fully closed. In fact they were revealing quite a bit of the outside scenery. The city''s lights were a beautiful sight to see.

    The room was very spacious. It held a large white-tiled kitchen and a red, comfortable-looking loveseat.

    Indeed, the room looked very nice.

    But...He couldn''t see Morrigan or Grace anywhere. He stepped inside to investigate, closing the door. After looking around a it he stood in the center of the room, confused.

    He was sure this was the right room, there could be no doubt. So where...? As he was lost in thought, his attention was grabbed when he heard the door behind him make a rattling sound.

    He turned, wondering what caused it.

    What he saw nearly took his breath away. It was Morrigan, standing with the door to her back, her hand upon the lock. But that wasn''t what made him react this way.

    As she stood there, she was dressed in an incomparably casual fashion with an elegant, black lace negligee that was essentially see-through.

    The flimsy material loosely wrapped itself around her body, accentuating her seductive figure. There was a V-shaped neckline at her chest, raised high by her twin peaks.  There was no bra of any sort to hold back her breasts, the tips standing erect and in full view.

    The lower half of the clothing was surprisingly short, only barely covering her round bottom while those smooth white thighs of her''s were completely visible and glowing with a jade-like luster.

    Roland found himself looking down a bit, noticing that that other than the negligee she only wore a pair of matching black lace panties...

    Morrigan''s eyes noticed his sharp intake of breath and smiled in pride. Her husband, she knew, always had a good amount of control in regards to women. That he made such a reaction simply from the sight of her...it  made her secretly pleased.

    She cast a flirtatious gaze at him, speaking in a low, sultry voice. "So, husband, do you think I''m pretty?"

    Roland smiled. " Pretty? Please. Even to call you beautiful would be a grave injustice towards you. "

    " And am I desirable?"

    "Any man would say so."

    "Perhaps. But I don''t care about other men. What do you say?"

    " i say yes."

    "I see." She smiled mischievously. "And would you like to touch?"

    "...Yes." He spoke honestly. " But--"

    However, before the word was even formed she threw herself at him. Roland felt her warm body slam into his own, her lips on his. He had no time to react, no time to even blink.

    Morrigan ripped at his clothes, the cloth not able to withstand her strength.

    She smiled, running her hands over the contours of his hard, deeply defined muscles. This man was her''s, yes, her husband. No one else''s. He had a body that oozed masculinity, the pinnacle of male perfection. Not a single part of him was soft, nothing but lean muscle.  No woman would deny his advances.

    She wrapped her legs around him, forcing him to hold her up. Roland had to place his hands on her bottom, feeling the soft elasticity.

    Roland really didn''t have much control left in him, not when faced with this bold seductress of a wife.

    He fervently returned the kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Tasting, demanding.

    When she mewled in rapture--so good--he felt a hardening in his groin. She melted against him, meeting his tongue with her own and wanting to breathe him in.

    Her whole body felt hot, and she felt his reaction to her. A large, hard object hitting her. That, coupled with the way he took control of her mouth and sent her in ecstasy, was like throwing gasoline-soaked logs into an already raging fire.

    She didn''t ever want to let him go. Had to touch him. Everywhere at once, fingers in his hair. Soft, so soft...they were fine strands, like silk.

    Morrigan thought back to earlier today, remembered that woman and the way she smiled at him. The way she looked at, the way every other woman looked at him. She hated it. More than anything. It drove her insane.  Why? Why did they have to want him, too?

    He belonged to her. This man, everything about him, was her''s. Maybe she hadn''t found him first. That, she had to admit. But...no one could love him as much as she. Yes. This was her husband and she wouldn¡¯t give him up.

    So, no one should want him. Or rather, no one should think of possessing him.

    She was too greedy, wanting him for herself.

    Only her''s.

    His lips broke away from hers, traveling down towards her neck. His tongue hot, scorching, upon her skin. Her back arched, causing him to use a hand to support her.

    His mouth made trails of fire as he went from her neck to her collar bone. Then from there he bent his head towards her breasts and lightly bit into her hard nipples. Like perfect, pink little beads.

    She gasped as she felt his teeth teasing her nipple, a jolt of electricity making her entire body more sensitive to his touch.

    "Roland..." She purred, her voice shaky.

    Hearing his name, he stiffened. His heart was pounding in his chest, a wave of lust making his thoughts slow.

    "Where''s Grace?" He asked, his voice a slight rasp as he fought to control himself.

    Morrigan, breathed out, placing her lips by his ear. "Asleep."

    "The others?"

    "Gone, you just missed them."

    That was all that needed to be said.

    This time he was the one to take the initiative. He moved them towards the large bed to the side, his legs still encircling him.

    He placed her on the cushioned surface, staring down at her. She was breathtaking. Her heated gaze, her ruby-red eyes clouded with lust.  Her delicate face dyed in a feverish red, her dangerously seductive cuves. No man was capable of resisting her.

    Morrigan felt his hands on her legs. He took on in his hand, raising it up into the air. Starting from her foot, he placed small kisses on her leg and worked his war to her calf, then her inner thigh and traveling ever downward until he met the ravine between her legs.

    He brought a hand to her chest and punished her erect nipple by pinching it between his fingers. Morrigan had no defense against it, had no way of resisting the power he had over her.

    And she didn''t want to.

    Roland didn''t stop there, but also slowly ran a tongue over her secret place, her erotic moans making his member go even harder than it was, a pleasant ache. She wrapped her slender legs around his head, pulling him in deeper.

    Her face was dyed in crimson as she panted, feeling the charge of electricity run along her body in waves as the his tongue entered her again and again, teasing her.

    In the corner of her mind she asked, "How many other women did he do this to?"

    How many women did he have that made him so experience in the giving of pleasure? How many women would warm his bed during the nights?

    These worries ate away at her. Or they would. But not now. No, right now, her attention was focused on him, on the numerous shameless things he did to her.

    She felt her body stiffen, then go limp as she felt something gushing out of her. Roland, his face pressed against her most intimate of places, tasted her sweet nectar as it came. Her body felt weak, hot. But the burning desire hadn''t left her even after the climax she just went through.

    Morrigan felt his face near her most intimate place,  his breath tickling her.  She let out a soft moan as his tongue entered her once more. It played with her even now in her weakened state, twisting about inside.

    His tongue was scorching hot, driving her crazy. She felt another rising wave, seeming to well up even from the pit of her stomach.

    Soon enough she inhaled sharply as the sensation overtook her.

    Roland brought his head up, enjoying the sight of her in the depths of pleasure, the way she let out hot breathes of air, the rise and fall of her chest.

    She was perfect. More beautiful than almost any he had seen before. Only one was her equal.

    And this woman, this achingly beautiful and enchanting woman, loved him. Had eyes only for him, would show this type of appearance only to him and no other.

    Yes.

    Because she was his. She belonged to him.

    Every cell in his body knew this to be true.

    Yet he, too, belonged to her. Or at the very least, in this moment, he was truly her''s alone.

    Morrigan made a fast movement and in the next moment it was now Roland who was laying on his back. Morrigan was on her knees, placing a hand on his pants. They were off in an instant.

    Morrigan straddled him. She rubbed against Roland''s erection, up and down, painfully slow. She loved it. Loved the heat and eroticism.

    He let out a sharp, cold breath, the feeling stroke his desire to new heights.

    He sat upright, planting a fierce kiss once more upon her lips and letting his tongue meet her own. Their saliva mixed together as they locked mouths, tasting each other, savoring.

    They broke away only when they had to breathe. "I could get addicted to this." He whispered in her ear. She saw a wolfish smile, his eyes seeming to glow.

    "...I already am. " She told him.

    How long had it been since she had last felt his touch? How many years?

    Too many. Too many years of dreaming of him, wishing for his return. Too long a time spent cold, alone, without him to keep her warm like he used to.

    And far too long without the comfort of his arm, the pleasure and comfort he used to give her all throughout the night.

    She needed this. Needed him.

    Yes, she had to leave a trace of herself on him, she had to make sure to wash away his memory of every other women he had been with until he could  only think of her.

    Was it wrong of her to want this? To ask that of him?

    Maybe.

    But leaving her brand on his skin was the only thing she wanted to do, the only way to ensure he would stay.

    Perhaps this, too, was one of her dreams. Maybe she would wake up and find him still gone from her side.

    She didn''t think she could survive that.

    If she hadn''t had Grace, then....

    Then it might be that she would truly allow that to happen.  Because this felt like a dream. Perfect, too perfect to be true. Him, Grace, Morrigan. Together.

    This moment, having him making love to her like they always did. Never getting bored of it, never tiring of it. Everything...it was everything she had dreamed of, so maybe....

    But...if it was so...then let it last a while longer....

    How could Roland not know what was on her mind?

    "Don''t." He hissed. "You''re not allowed to think that."  The words were almost cold.

    She laughed. "Think what?" Her tone was just a bit mean.

    "That this isn''t real. That I''m not here. That all this, the time I, you and Grace spent together weren''t real."

    "And why shouldn''t I think that?" She asked him. "You were never here for us before." She went on, her voice bitter.

    Then she realized what she said and looked away, not able to meet his eyes. She regretted the words instantly as she saw the pain they caused him.

    That''s right.

    Those words, they weren''t fair to him at all.

    It wasn''t his choice to leave, that''s just the hand he had been dealt.

    Roland, on the other hand, kept staring at her. He was never sure. Not until this moment.

    He knew, now. Knew what she had hidden away in her heart.

    Her took a hand to her chin and forced her to look at him. "...You blame me, don''t you? " He asked quietly.

    For a second there he thought she wouldn''t answer. Then, "What do you mean?...I don''t know what you''re--"

    "Lies. You do know. " He cut her off. "Go ahead. Tell me."

    "Tell you what?"

    " That you blame me for not being there for you. Or for Grace. That you hate me,  hate that I wasn''t there whenever you two needed me. Admit it" His voice was hard, insistent.

    "Yes" No. Maybe. She didn''t know. She didn''t have that right. Not when he had no choice in the matter. She wanted to tell him this. But the words wouldn''t come.

    "I see."  His words were mild, measured. "Well, that''s doesn''t matter. No matter how much you hate that I wasn''t there for either of you, it cannot compare to the hate I have for myself because of the same fact." He told her.

    "But you? You could have moved on. And yet you didn''t. And now I know I have a daughter and a wife who I abandoned. A daughter who wanted to see me but couldn''t, a daughter who''s more yours that mine because I wasn''t there to help raise her. And a wife who missed me, who cried because of she was left behind."

    He smiled. " All of that''s on me. Those are the things that I have to live with." He paused, looking at her strangely. "...You should have forgotten about me. " That probably would have been best for her.

    "Maybe. But I can''t. I don''t want to forget you."  Yes, more than anything, that was true. She loved him. That was something which couldn''t be denied.

    " Do you think I wanted to forget?"

    "No, Of course not."

    " Then say it."

    "...I hate you. I hate that you had to leave." Yet she couldn''t hold it against him.

    " But you love me more." It wasn''t a question.

    "Yes." She cried. " I love you. So much."

    " I know you do."

    He kissed her.

    Neither of them thought of anything more. They leaned into each other, breathing each other in. Slow, deep, passionate.  Morrigan could smell him, smell his spicy scent becoming even more pungent. She loved, craved, that masculine scent. Wanted to bath in it.

    Roland also became intoxicated by her sweet, fragrant smell.

    Morrigan felt him harden against her. She was still straddling him, still teasing him with her wicked movements.

    She was already drenched, ready.

    Roland even still had a bit of difficulty entering her, but it was worth it.

    Morrigan lowered herself onto his erection, slowly, leisurely, easing herself into the riotous sensation.  She held back even as her mind demanded she hurry. But she couldn''t. After so long she wanted, needed, to enjoy it thoroughly.

    She forbade herself from rushing.

    However, Roland had other ideas.

    She was already so wet, what was the harm?

    He thrust into her. He was careful, but he didn''t think there was a need to drag things out.

    She moaned even more, her legs going weak as felt him come inside all at once, pain and pleasure coexisting in harmony. His long, hard member twitched ever so slight and she once more melted against him, her breathing rough and ragged.  A light sweat had built on them both.

    Morrigan''s voice turned even more erotic as she felt a strange pleasure starting inside her, one she had almost forgotten. A second later her body exploded with a thousand sensations that made her shake all over. It was too much too soon, her mind going fuzzy.

    Her body was boiling hot, aching for more.

    Roland laughed quietly, almost in triumph, as he felt her body spasming around his and tightening.  Taking her hips in his hands, he thrust even harder into her, intensifying her orgasm.

    She actually cried out as she leaned forward even more.

    Strands of her pure-white hair tickled him and in a heartbeat he nearly joined her in her climax. He growled as absolute pleasure tore through him, rendering him in a half-crazed with desire

    Morrigan was exquisite, so much so that she left him breathless every time he looked at her.

    Roland groaned as she began to move, payback for his previous actions.  She felt more alive than ever as she felt herself wrapped around him, falling ever deeper into euphoria with every small movement.

    He didn''t sit idle either. Roland used his hands, which were still placed upon her hips, to shamelessly increase the tempo. It seemed like lighting struck her with every thrust,  spreading everywhere and tearing her up from the inside out as it brought her closer to another release.

    He took a hand to her breast, now, choosing to once more torment her hard, pink nipples. The negligee was still present. But he found the material to be bothersome, ripping it off and exposing that white, tender skin of her''s.

    The swell of her breast, the plumpness, the sheer volume, was astonishing. She was a work of art. Without flaw, without imperfection. From her face to her toes, there was not one thing to complain about. One could only marvel, could only stand in awe.

    He broke from his reverie and continued.

    To Morrigan his wolfish paw were relentless, driving her body mad while he continued to thrust himself into her.

    Time stretched on and they didn¡¯t know how long they locking in each other''s embrace but it certainly wasn''t short.

    Roland felt a boiling hot feeling in his chest that spread to his groin.  He would release soon, he knew.

    Morrigan grabbed his hair, dipping her head down and biting down hard on his shoulder as she shuddered, just an instant before he did. A warm, sticky liquid escaped from her, a clear sign of her climax.

    Her entire body went boneless, like jelly, unable to support itself in the face of the sheer ecstasy that assaulted her senses.

    She held onto him, exhausted.

    They fell onto the bed, breathing heavily and soaked in sweat.

    ----------------------------------------------------------

    It didn''t take long for them to recover, but they stayed like that anyway. Resting next to each other, simply enjoying the other''s company.

    His steady heartbeat brought her great comfort. It always did.

    "I have something for you. " He suddenly said, causing her to start.

    She had become lost, merely concentrating on the rhythm of his heart. It was truly soothing.

    Morrigan, coming to her senses, smiled. "Oh? And what would that be."

    "Nothing much. Just something I felt appropriate."

    He held up a hand and a blue, velvet-covered box came into existence on his palm. He presented it casually, not bothering to look at her.

    "What''s this?" She asked.

    He shrugged. " If you want to find out, open. Or, well, If you don''t like it then I can just return it. Or give it away. Maybe Reina or Lilith would like it."

    Morrigan spat back a vehement " No!" She nearly shouted the word. "It''s mine."

    She had felt a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach as soon as he said the words.

    It was something he had gave to her. No one else could have it. She hated the thought. Especially not that red-haired brat. She didn''t know why but she couldn''t bring herself to really like that girl.

    Picturing her husband give the girl something that was meant for Morrigan was almost painful.

    " Then open it."

    "I will. Of course I will. It''s mine. " She repeated, as if the first time wasn''t enough.

    She opened the box slowly.

    "They''re rings. No,  wedding rings?" She whispered.

    And indeed it was. It was an elegant design, not ostentatious or gaudy at all. A simple, silvery band. Platinum? It seemed so.  But instead of a single, normal diamond there were two stones nestled side by side.

    One rudy-red, the other an azure blue.

    "...I never saw you wearing one. So I thought that maybe I should go buy one. What sort of husband would I be if I let my wife go without a wedding ring?"  He smiled lightly, as if it were no big deal. "I don''t know if you already have one, however.,,¡± He stopped. ¡° Actually, you probably do. Given my absence I understand why you don''t wear it. Maybe I should just take these ones b--"

    "I love it. " She cut him off, smiling.

    She did have a wedding ring, once. But it got taken from her some time ago. The person who took it would never give it back. She had probably destroyed it long ago anyway.

    But that was fine. Because she now had another. No, this one might be even better. Red and blue. Their colors. Together, by side.

    She remembered the way he took off earlier. So, was this what he was doing?

    "That''s good, then. " He wasn''t sure what else to say. " I''m glad you like it."

    "I do. Thank you."

    She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, softly, lightly. It spoke volumes.

    Morrigan placed the ring on her finger and admired it.

    Roland hesitated, then put on his own. It felt...odd. Maybe it was just because with the rings their marriage felt more real. As was his responsibility to her and Grace.

    He truly couldn¡¯t turn back now.

    Not that he had ever wanted to. The thought never even crossed his mind. He still felt a bit bad, though. He knew now that he loved Morrigan.

    Roland knew that him saying such a thing would raise questions. He didn''t know her that long, after all... Or, that wasn''t exactly true. He had interacted with her before, briefly.  Even still that was not a good foundation.

    To explain, there was a few reasons that Roland would say this: First, because she was the mother of his child. Second, because she loved him to a degree that it could be seen in the way she looked at, held or spoke to him. Such a thing was hard to remain unaffected by. And lastly, because Roland felt very strongly that it was his duty, as both a husband and father to their child, to love her.

    Was this the sort of love born from shared experiences and time spent together? No. Was this the kind of love a normal husband would have for his dear wife? No. This was not  love as most people would think of it. And it certainly was not like what Mephisto and Selene had.

    No, Roland''s love for Morrigan was like a candle in the wind. It was there, but vastly incomparable to her own love for him.

    When one got down to it, his love was pretty shallow. Yet because of those reason he was still able to say he loved her. No matter that it was not formed from a deep, shared connection or intimacy like what other couples had.

    And Morrigan understood his thoughts on the matter.  She knew he loved her, but that it was a flimsy thing still, spawned for reasons that were not exactly what she would have hoped but there nonetheless. And...she was fine with that, for now. What they had just done was due to her own selfishness, this point she was keenly aware of.

    She needed to feel close to him, and this was one of the ways she could do it. She was the one who came to him. Of course she knew why he would go with the flow instead of simply outright refusing her advances. He was, after all, a man with some control.  Bluntly speaking, if sex was all he wanted then he had ways of finding it without relying on her. He was humoring her,  going along with her whims.

    He was also accepting her feelings, even seeming to form feelings of love for her on his own, albeit for reasons she was slightly unhappy with.

    This, what they had done, was more for her than for him. They were both aware of that.  And she would not ask more from him than he was currently able to give. She would not make this out to be something more than what it was, a result of her wanting to feel close to him again.  She was frustrated that he didn''t feel the exact same way she felt about him but knew it was unfair to expect it of him given how little time they spent with one another in his current life.

    But she knew that he did love her, even if it was not comparable to her own feelings for him or even for the reasons she wanted.  Yet, for now, this was alright.

    Yes, for the time being this pseudo-love of his would have to suffice. Did she have any choice but to accept this anyway? No. So Morrigan would simply enjoy what little she has instead of lamenting what she lost.

    She would work on spending more time with him, making him get to know her more, making him truly love her like he once did.

    Until then she would take advantage of the fact that he was currently indulging her.

    " You know...I think I''m ready for round two." She whispered in his ears, pulling him from his thoughts.

    He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Oh really? What a coincidence. So am I"

    " Then let''s continue. The night is still young, dearest."

    " Ah, what a lustful wife you are. I''m not sure I''ll be able to keep up with you."

    She snorted in disdain. "Hmph. Who do you think made me like this? And don''t worry, your stamina was always one of your biggest strengths. "

    "Is that a fact?"

    "Quite so. You truly are insatiable. Why, I remember that you once didn¡¯t let me out of the room for a full week. You were absolutely shameless, too."

    "I would have to disagree. I know that I would never be anything but a perfect gentleman.

    "Gentleman? Perhaps, but never in bed. Now come here, husband. It''s my turn to ravish you."

 Announcement

    My last update was like more than two or three weeks ago. I have had my reasons, but i should have somehow let you guys know about the situation. At first, it was because a storm made the power to the town shut off. Several days without power. My phone, which i was writing the next few chapters on, got reset accidentally by my 5yo nephew who tried to get into it. Which would be okay, i but the app i used to write had to be reinstalled and i couldnt get what i wrote back. i grew depressed.

    but i remebered most. then my phone died. That all took a bout a week. However, the internet got shut off for like three days after the  power came back on. Then my hand got a bit injured since i had it by a door frame and my little cousins smacked the door on it. No worries, my hand is fine. No broken bones, thank god. Hurts like a bitch even now though. Well, i can still use it to type all this. So its alright really. It''s healing.

    Now, i have some announcements. kind of. i will in the future move these chapters to that one site i mentioned in my last chapter. i havejust been putting it off. I will put my second story there first, once i edit al the chapters a bit more. Which i have only done a bit of. Im lazy af. i will probably just do it all today or tomorrow in one go, though. All of the second story, not this one. This one too long.

    Important: So, i got a new review, i noticed. I saw it a long time ago, only like a day or two after i posted my last chapter. I still had power in my house back then. Anyway, in the review it mentioned the love Roland suddenly seeems to have for Morrigan after they have sex. Like he was a whore. my first reaction was confuse before I realized something. Realized why that reader probably found it outrageous.

    Let me be clear: I dont know exactly when he made the review but it must have been sometime before I had made my edits of that chapter. See, I had already thought of that problem, Roland saying he loved her. I had already been aware of the strangeness that would come with him suddenly saying or thinking that. And i had a explanation for it. But i had forgot to include it. And I realized that not long after the post, maybe a day or half a day after. It must have been at least a full day before I realized that I forgot to put the explanation in though, i think.

    I ask that you go back to the chapter and read near the end again. I explained why he would say he loved Morrigan, the rationale behind it. Because he didn''t think that without reason. I had no idea i left the reasons out when i posed it. I have edited the explanation in so please go back and read it.

    He also made more points, like Grace''s lack of maturity befitting her age, how she seems too childish. That point i think was actually already explained? Also, another point was that a girl could fall out of the sky and Roland would probably just do her. I found that one kinda amusing since that essentially did happen with Mercury and yet he didnt do anything. Well, he isnt a stranger to one night stands so that might have actually happened if they were alone and he didn''t have Morrigan or Grace to think of.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    As for the over-dramatization bit that was said...hm. Maybe that isn''t unreasonable. That''s not a character problem though, but my own fault. I like drama. And i can write a a LOT of words that emphasises any little bit of drama. I personally think im good at stretching small things into long-ass things. I dont think that is something to be proud of though...

    Oh! And he said something about curve this and curves that...i have to admit, i think this is reasonable too. I think i used to be better at character descriptions, before i actually made the story. But it''s like i just concentrate on the physical aspects more, when i should be more...metaphorical? poetic? something along those lines...anyway, i will work on that.

    I dont want to devolve my writing so much that i end up just saying " she had large tits" or something like, " his muscles were huge."

    So, i need to do character descriptions better. When i look again, i do see that his real problem seems to be the characters since that rating is the lowest. I know that cant just be from lack of proper description of characers. Again, understandable since i have not focused on character dialogue or interactions much at all until more recently.

    But I can swear i used to be a lot better in the regard of actual character descriptions. Maybe it''s because i dont read much novels that have decent character descriptions now. My writing is easily influenced like that sometimes.

    Im done. the next chapter is coming in about ten minutes give or take. I will be writing more chapters over the next few days. probably make them shorter but with faster developements. I realized something: Making more dialogue lets me accelerate the pacing. Dont know why, it just does. It''s like the best filler...I wonder, could it be said to be similar to the old saying of  "a single picture can tell a thousand words"? (might have gotten the saying wrong. i know its something along those lines, though.)

    Except in thins case the "picture"is actually dialogue.

    shit, though. i want to write more of my other story since i enjoyed writing it. I might do that later. Been saying i would write more of it, but never do. Maybe because im both lazy and feel obligated to focus primarily on this one. Still, i plan to continue both this one and the other. i plan to finish them. probably wont happen for a long time though.  i feel both might end up pretty long. maybe the second story especially.

 chapter fifty-four

    AN: This chapter was supposed to be an intermission chapter detailing Morrigan''s first meeting with Roland, some time skips that tell of their journeys together...but i decided not to. maybe someday, but not now. Would have been perfect given the last chapter but i still dont have everything worked out. I even had two different versions. But oh well. As i said, someday, just not now.

    Not too much happening in this chapter but as i said i will be trying to increase the pace from now one by using some more dialogue and other stuff. i wont be going through every step of what is happening like how i did before. also, more chapters coming iin the next few days so i am alright with how this one turned out.

    I will edit this later. As always. Remember to rate and leave any comment you like. I will leave, at the bottom of the chapter, some footnotes or whatever. If you see this symbol * by a sentence or something then you can later, after you are done reading the chapter, look at the bottom of the chapter to see what i wrote that has to do with that sentence. So, yeah, if you see this * then look at the bottom of the chapter.

    -----------------------------------------

    A few hours later Roland decided it was time they got ready to go.

    Morrigan felt both irked and regretful at that, really, but said nothing about it. She would have liked continuing for a few hours longer but even so she was more than satisfied enough. Her husband truly had skill in the art of pleasure-making. It was one of his greater talents, she knew. Though the ways in which he perfected those talents made her irritated.

    Morrigan told him to take a shower first. They did need to clean themselves before returning. Though they could easily cleanse themselves with a simple spell most people, including them, preferred washing with water.

    He nodded easily then rose from the bed and went down the hall towards the bathroom. She waited a few moments, waited until she heard the water running.

    She then followed him inside the shower. The white-tiled room was large, with plenty of space to spare and enough for several people. A drain was on the floor, a shower head on the wall and a bath to the other side.

    "What are you doing?" He asked as she stepped into the room with him, watching the drops of water fall upon her exposed flesh when she came next to him.

    "Taking a shower." She smiled, her eyes bright and full of wickedness.

    "Oh? Is that all?"

    "You sound almost disappointed, dearest. Were you expecting something else, perhaps?"

    "Is it not you expecting something?"

    "Well, you aren''t wrong..."

    She leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hair was damp from the water, her skin warm to the touch due to it''s heat.

    Roland sighed. " We really shouldn''t, you know."

    "Why not?"

    "Aren''t we supposed to be washing up so we can leave?"

    "Yes. But we''re in the shower. We''ll get the sweat washed off just standing here. If it''s in here, it''ll be killing two birds with one egg."

    Her strange words made him pause.

    Roland had to think for a second until he got her meaning. "Stone, Morrigan"

    She frowned. "What?"

    "Two birds, one stone. "

    Morrigan frowned. " Whatever." She then coughed once, slightly embarrassed. Expressions were never exactly her strong suit. " But i''m right, you know. Just a few minutes..."

    "Those minutes could easily turn into hours If we aren''t careful..."

    "I won''t complain if so." She spoke honestly. "But I know you won''t let that happen, unfortunately. Or do you mean to say that you are not confident in your ability to control yourself anymore?"

    "Against an enchantress of your level I have to admit that I dont even want to control myself." He stopped. "And yeah, maybe I do find the action a bit difficult."

    " Ah, what a bad wife I am, making things hard for my dear husband." She laughed lightly. She glanced down. "Speaking of hard things..."

    She had, for sometime, felt a certain hot, hard object poking into her.

    "Hey, eyes up here." Roland smirked, unabashed. What need was there to feel shy after all they had done? Besides, it was simply a biological phenomenon resulting from the appearance the sweet temptation in front of him. How could he help not getting like this?

    " Sorry, dear, it''s just that you seem pained. Perhaps I should help relieve some of your agony. Is that not one of a wife''s duties?"

    " Don''t worry, i''m a big boy. I think I can handle a bit of pain."

    "No, that isn''t good." She stated. " It isn''t alright to endure such a thing."

    "Says the one causing it..."

    "Am I?" She brought her face close and whispered into his ear. "That means I have take responsibility and take care of it, right?"

    Whatever response he would have made was gone the instant their lips touched.

    Morrigan''s body felt even more sensative with the water running down her body, the kiss serving only to heighten this sensativity.

    Roland felt similar. He was sure the kiss did nothing to ease the hard-on that came unbidden. It had been a while since he got so turned on to this extent from a mere locking of lips. Even given the current situation he wouldn''t react so strongly unless they were either already in bed fooling around or the woman was kneeling in front of him.

    She pulled back a bit, looking at him with a cross-eyed look.

    "Are you thinking of other women?"

    "What? Of course not." He denied it easily.

    "No, don''t get all shy. Come, be honest. What, were you comparing me to them?"

    "Not really. There isn''t anything to compare. They can''t hold a candle to you."

    "What do you mean, "not really"? So you were thinking of others then?" She pouted.

    "...I feel whatever I say will be used against me.

    "I would never do so." Morrigan shook her head, sending off a few droplets of water. "But this can''t go on."

    "What can''t go on?"

    "Those whores." She sneered. "It seems that I must burn them from your mind. "

    "That sounds like it might hurt." Roland observed.

    "Nothing of the sort. I can promise you''ll enjoy every second of it. As will I."

    She said nothing more as she once again planted a kiss on him.

    ---------------------------------------------------

    They arrived back at their room after another half hour of play. Morrigan wasn''t wrong when she made her previous assertion. She hadn''t ever really done that with him in their previous life. It was...different. But she felt that it was definitely not a bad thing.

    Hmm...she might develope complex. Why? Well... Her husband--she loved using the word at every chance she got--didn''t seem all too affected by it...Actually, that wasn''t right. He certainly was affected by it, enjoying it as much as she. Rather, he felt almost used to it?

    Once again she felt that he was too experienced in such things. It irritated her, but there was nothing she could do about it. Thinking of other women embracing him truly was an unpleasant thought that Morrigan found she simply couldn''t get out of her head. Hence, a complex.

    Or maybe she shouldn''t be complaining. It annoyed her, thinking of it, but she was the one reaping the benefits. Not those other women.

    When they walked back Morrigan had wondered if she was begining to be a bit too possessive of him in her thoughts.

    ...No, that was ridiculous.

    Besides, even if it were true, any woman would feel the same in her position. Right?

    They opened the door.

    The inside was similar to the room they were just in, all but for one thing: It was a mess.

    "..,What happened in here?"

    "Oh, that?" Morrigan glanced at the darkly lit room. "Grace and Fenris were playing. They caused a bit of a mess."

    "Fenris?" Roland raised a brow.

    "Yeah, she found me and Grace not long after you left. When those kids and their parents were here Grace, Fenris, that Charlotte girl and for some reason that Reina all hung out in here. It was generally just the three goofing around, resulting in...this" She gestured to the room as a whole.

    Why was it that everytime she spoke that red haired girl''s name Morrigan felt a sour taste in her mouth? Must be because her first impression of the girl was ruined when she so rudely walked in on them...

    "I see."

    "Don''t worry about the mess for now, let''s go to bed. I am a bit tired. Hm...Grace might be asleep on our bed. I know this place has more rooms than what we actually asked for."

    That would obviously be the case. The receptionist who recognized her would of course not simply give them normal rooms.

    "Oh, and I had left Fenris to watch Grace. Those two have a good relationship so it wasn''t a difficult choice. I don;t know where that woman has gotten to but she will be here somewhere. Probably sleeping like the dead."

    " Huh." Roland let out a short reply.

    That Fenris was here somewhere?

    He thought that was a bit odd. She should be with her father or mother, shouldn''t she? But instead she prefers to stay here? Hm.

    Although since she had a close friendship with Grace he supposed it wasn''t too weird for her to be sleeping here. He couldn''t see her anywhere at a simple glance so she must be in animal form resting somewhere. Maybe under one of the pieces of furniture. Which made it fine. As long as she was in animal form then he wasn''t too concerned with her being here.

    ...He wondered if he should be getting used to having her over. Since she and Grace had that kind of relationship how should he treat the woman? She wasn''t exactly a friend of his but wasn''t some stranger either. She was, however, the daughter of a friend.

    THat kind of person, what would you call it?

    He liked the woman well enough, she seemed very likable. If a bit tiresome at times.

    Whatever.

    He wouldn''t label it.

    Roland yawned suddenly.

    Stange. He wouldn''t usually feel so tired so quickly. He felt kind of cold, too.

    " Come on, let''s go to bed." Morrigan smiled a bit at seeing his action, thinking nothing of it.

    ----------------------------------------------------------

    Grace was indeed in the bed when they entered the room. There was little light, illuminated only by what was streaming in from the window due to the lights outside.

    The bed was large, more than enough for three or four people.

    Grace lay curled up in the blankets, her sleeping face bringing a slight smile to Roland''s face.

    He looked at saw the little fox sleeping by the little girl''s face. Roland frowned. It was troublesome thinking of it only as the "little fox". Had Grace named it yet?

    "This girl, she truly must have been tired. Look at her, sleeping so soundly. I doubt she would wake even if the ship hit a mountain." Morrigan gazed affectionately at her daughter, idlly stroking the girl''s hair as she sat at her side.

    "She did run all over the place, after all."

    "Indeed. She doesn''t usually tire so easily, you know. I think she was more trying too hard to make the best of things. "

    "That''s not really a bad thing, though. And yeah, she does seem quite an energetic fellow." He nodded.

    "...Well, let''s get some rest." Morrigan began undressing a bit and then snapped her fingers, summoning a black white nightgown comprised of silk.

    Then she proceeded to carefully crawl under the covers beside Grace. Despite her words regarding the depth of the girl''s sleep she seemed to still take care not to do anything that might wake her.

    Roland, however, remained unmoved. He simply stared at them, his body taut and a little unsure of what to do.

    "What''s wrong?" Morrigan asked him. Something was definitely off, she knew.

    "...Nothing." He muttered. "I''m fine. "

    "Then why aren''t you coming over?" Morrigan looked at him.

    "..." He wasn''t sure.

    It felt wrong, somehow. Him and Morrigan''s relationship, which could be said to me more sexual than anything at the moment, was still in it''s early stages. Having sex was inconsequential, it was something they both enjoyed and that alone wouldn''t change that fact that they still couldn''t be said to be a normal couple by any means.

    Although that was only from Roland''s point of view. Morrigan wasn''t even considering that because to her this was merely a matter of course.

    Roland felt this momentary hesitation was as to be expect given everything. He supposed that when you got down to it something of this level was not a matter to worry much about.

    So he chose to ignore that little feeling of wrongness, undressed, and then took a spot to the other side of Grace

    Normally he never entered a deep rest, there was always a part of his that was wary of his surroundings for one reason of another.

    But in this case he found that it was one of the rare ocassions he truly felt at ease during sleep.

    -------------------------------------------------------------

    Roland woke up first, feeling rays of golden light upon his face coming in from the exposed window to the side of him. Grace still rested, her arms winding around Morrigan''s own while the little fox sat on the pillow and nestled between their heads.

    He was careful to not make a sound as he got up and proceeded to walk into the living room.

    The place looked...neater. Someone must have been cleaning a bit. As he looked around, he found out who. There, laying on a large, red couch, was Fenris.

    He didn''t see her last night but she must have been somewhere around here in her feline form. He still didn''t quite understand why the girl didn''t just get her own place of stay with one of her parents, though. But it didn''t really matter, he had no real complainst about it.

    Though it was only for a short time she did live with him and the others in the dormitory Loki provided.

    But all that aside, there was a problem. Which was, she wasn''t in her cat form as she usually was.

    And since she had that problem that she told him of when they first met, this meant she was naked. Quite a troublesome defect, to be sure. She lived so long and yet still hadn''t mastered the ability? Maybe there was a reason he didn;t know of, but this was a bit much wasn''t it?

    Sghing, he went over and took out a blanket from his Treasury. He was once again pleased at the convenience the space brought him. He stored many things inside and probably wouldn''t ever want to live without it. It truly was convenient to have.

    Roland was about to cover the girl when she opened her eyes and made a sudden movement, catching him off-guard.

    She seemed to still be in a half-asleep state and unaware of her actions. But this girl...she was fast. Absuredly so.

    In just a moment she growled low in her throat and jumped at him, her hands outstretched while her fingers grew what seemes to be razor-sharp nails extending around a full inch past her fingertips.

    She was going for his throat, he knew. Roland could feel the bloodlust emanating from her every pore, her hair rising slightly in anger. Or, no.

    This didn''t exactly seem like anger. Rather, it was something like fear. An involuntary reaction, a fight or flight response.

    In any case, her hands were nearly about to tear into him before he caught her hand. The force behind the attack, though, was monsterous to an insane degree. He was even forced back a few steps.

    Yet it was too crude of a strike, lacking real skill and simply a show of brute strength. She was moving by puure instinct, nothing more.

    Roland wasn''t sure what was wrong with her, what she was dreaming of that might have made her do this or even if a dream had anthing to do with it at all.

    Of course, he didn''t want to hurt her. He also didn''t want her to hurt herself.

    So he used her own force against her and, while his hand was wrapped around her wrist, twirled her around until her back was to his chest. One of her arms were behind her as well, the one he held onto. Her other was still free, but not for long.

    He grabbed her other hand as it reached for his eyes, ready to claw them out. He took her hand in his own and forced it to her side. She struggled against him violently, beathing rough and almsot seeming to hiss at him. But no matter what she did she was unable to escape from him.

    "Fenris, calm down. You need to wake up." He called into her ear gently, calmly so as to not startle or provoke her further. " I don''t know what you''re scared of. " He told her. This reaction was completely like that of a cornered animal. Fear and anger mixing together, attacking for all it''s worth in a desperate attempt. " But you''re safe here. Now, wake up!" He insisted.

    Her entire body stiffened suddenly, soon her struggled weakened and then ceased altogether. She went limp, her head falling forward. She looked as if she had passed out. Roland was forced to support her or she would fall to the floor in a crumpled heap.

    Roland was dismayed as he saw what state she was in. " ...Did she pass out...? " He muttered.

    But this was a needless worry, for she abruptly started struggling again.

    "What--No, who''s--? Dammit...Let me go!" She fought, speaking viciously.

    "Hold up, it''s just me." Roland tried to reassure her.

    She paused. "...Roland?" She asked.

    "Quite."

    "You...What..." The woman appeared confused, her tone a bit weak and full of a lack of understanding.

    "Don''t worry. You just appear to have a penchant for attacking people in your sleep." He smiled faintly.

    "Huh? I attacked you?" She raised her voice a bit as she said that. "No, that''s not right. I don''t ..."

    "Ah...it''s okay. But it seemed you had a bad dream. That''s probably what made you so edgy just now. What did you...?"

    Fenris said nothing, staying quiet.

    "...I see." He said. If she didn;t want to talk about it then he wouldn''t force her. But this was a bit concerning. How often did this happen?

    She must have known what he was thinking because she spoke again. " Just so you know, this doesn''t normally happen."

    "Oh? You must not like me very much then. "

    "No, that''s not what I..."

    He laughed. "It'' s okay, I understand. Besides, better that this happened with me rather than Grace or anyone else. That strike wouldn''t have been something most can just shrug off."

    "I would never hurt Grace." She asserted firmly, almost angrily.

    "I believe you. But it seems you are not always in control of your actions." He shrugged.

    "Don''t worry, boss, I won''t let this happen around her. And maybe you''re right. Maybe I just don''t like you." She offered a shrug of her own.

    "Good to know."

    "Also, one more thing."

    "Yes?"

    "Can you let me go? I should think that I won''t be runing wild anymore. Or is it that you''re currently enthralled by my unparalled level of beauty and can''t bear to part with me now that i''m in your hands?" Her tone was mild.

    For a while now he had grasped onto her rather tightly. She could feel the warmth of him surrounding her, the strength in his arms as he held her in place. It was a pretty new experience, to be honest. She couldn''t remember ever being in such a position with any male. None she had met were able to do so. That one man whom she had bitten the hand off of, even, was not able to accomplish this.

    Roland snorted and let her go. " Quite an arrogant one, aren''t you?" She was very reminiscent of Mercury right now, judging from what he had seen of the older woman.

    Fenris glanced at him, using her hands to hide her breasts. Then, thinking more about it, she just chose to let it go. He had seen her like this a few time before so it really didn''t matter much if he saw once more. She didn''t care much about showing her body in the first place. Only when she was alone, though.

    Come to think of it, that one morning when she was outside his door and saw Morrigan walking out of his room Fenris had also been naked at that time as well but hadn''t really hid anything. To do so now didn''t make much sense, really.

    And with him it was already too late so what use was there in being shy? But she would still cover herself. It wouldn''t do to be like this all the time in front of him. She didn''t want that either. He might get the wrong idea if she did.

    She saw the blanket by his feet and quickly bent down to get it. Then she addressed him once more, wrapping the blanket around her body. "Arrogant? Please. I have a line of suitors who would love it if I simply looked at them twice. You should thank your lucky stars you get to see such a lovely sight. And I know what you''re thinking. Don''t compare me to that vulgar incarnation of lust." She glared coldly.

    Roland shook his head, a small smile slowly beginning to form on his lips. "You know, Fenris, I''m thinking that talking to you will never be boring."

    " Likewise. You, too, don''t seem to be a boring person. You get ten points for that, you know."

    "Points?" He raised a brow.

    "Indeed. You can get a total of 100 points. Currently you have 25."

    "What happens when I get to 100?" He asked, wondering when he had acquired the other 15 points.

    " I will pat you on the head and say "good job~". A sort of service, you see. Are you not thrilled? Keep it up."

    "No thank you. "

    "Your loss."

    They had just finished talking when they heard footsteps behind them.

    Roland looked and found that Morrigan had entered the room, looking them over and appearing a bit unpleased at what she saw. She sighed and looked forlorn. "Ah, husband, how cruel. I leave you unattended for a few minutes and you''re already flirting with another girl while I sleep."

    Roland was indignant. " Oh ye of little faith, do you truly mistrust I, your husband, to that degree?

    Fenris also joined in. "Morrigan, your words are too much. You know me. Would I be such an easy woman? As if. This man may have been restraining me with his arms and whispering sweet nothings into my ear just moments ago, but would such things work against yours truly? It is good you come to handle him. I was just about to throttle him for his insolence."

    Morrigan stared at them blankly, then shifted her gaze to Roland. "...Dearest, what is she talking about?"

    "Oh, nothing. She was just trying to kill me. But no worries, I fended her off easily." He replied calmly.

    "No no, I don''t care about that, she couldn''t kill you anyway. But seeing as how the girl is currently as naked as a newborm baby and covered only by a thin piece of fabric, I have to ask: Did you truly do as she said just now? If so, did you like it? Think carefully about your answer."

    "...."

    Roland spent the better part of an hour making such banter with the two beauties. Fenris went on like how she did, seeming to be the type to find joy in watching the world burn. Morrigan was little better.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Had it been anyone else facing the two women Roland currently was he felt that not one of them would have been able to handle themselves against them as well as he had.

    The two were a truly troublesome pair to deal with.

    ---------------------------------------------------------

    A few hours later Roland heard a knock at the door and found Lilith, along with Reina and Charlotte, standing outside his room.

    " Char?" Grace peeked her eyes out from behind Roland and smiled happily as she noticed Charlotte.

    "Grace~!" Charlotte smiled, a tad sleepily, and moved with towards her with a sort of languidness that somehow reminded Roland of a sloth. This girl, she always seemed tired. Or only half-awake. As if she had little energy to expend. Maybe that was inherent...

    Roland graciously allowed the girl through and directed his attention to the other two.

    "She dragged us along." Lilith explained apologetically.

    "That''s fine. Make yourselves at home." Roland waved them in.

    "Pardon the intrusion..." Reina''s voice was a little weak, tired. She seemed very withdrawn too. As she came in the girl hadn''t looked at him at all, and avoided him like a plague. The latter was understndable given their situation, but the first was a bit odd for her...

    "Oh?" Fenris, sitting on the couch as if she owned the place, glanced at the girls curiously. Particularly Reina. "Sister, you''re starting to look like death. And trust me, I''ve seen him before. That is not a look you want. You''re lucky you''re so cute or else you would already be mistaken for a corpse. Didn''t get much slep last night I take it? No, seems worse than that...Maybe you had a bad dream?"

    Lilith looked at the woman curiously. She hadn''t ever seen this woman before.* Who was she? She seemed a bit familiar with them...

    Roland, catching the look, wondered. Had the two ever seen Fenris in this form? No, likely not. Or of course not.Fenris staying to live with him and the kids was under the condition she stay in her cat form, after all. Them not recognizing her was no surprise.

    As the Fenris made her commentary, Reina, not bothering to wonder who the woman talking so familiarily to her was for the moment, flinched at the word "dream" and sent a fierce glare at Roland.

    He stared back, not understanding her reaction.

    "Ah...I was wondering who it was. So it''s you two. No, three counting the girl." Morrigan sat on a chair near the window, sipping coffee from a porcelain cup. Her voice was cool, without inflection. It seemed that the arrival of the three made her more like her usual cold self.

    Fenris might have been an exception since she knew her well and Grace was close to her. But the other three, especially Lilith and Reina, were strangers to her.

    " Come now, Morrigan. They''re not bad, you know. You''ll probably be seeing them a lot in the days to come so I do hope you don''t remain so unwelcoming." Roland said to her.

    "Do you mean to say that they''re going to be showing up at our doorstep often then? Great. "She replied drily.

    Morrigan disliked mortals. Not hate like how she did before being force into mortality once more and later meeting her husband, but still an inherent negative bias still lingered in her heart.

    "Don''t be fooled. " Roland told the girls, not minding Morrigan''s words. "Underneath that cold exterior exists the warm heart of a loving mother and wife. She just doesn''t show it often. She truly is a dishonest person."

    At this Morrigan snorted in derision, unamused.

    " Getting back to my question...Reina, are you alright? You do seem a bit under the weather."

    Lilith sighed. "That''s what I''ve been saying but she doesn''t listen."

    Reina frowned seerely at them. "I''m fine. Nothing''s wrong. Shut up..." Her tone said she was sick of having to keep saying everything was okay

    "Hmm...should I check you over then? Who knows, maybe something is affecting your health. A disease of some sort? Come here, let me..." Roland, being a bit close to her, whispered into her ear. He wouldn''t really have a need to touch her simply to see if there was anything wrong. it would have been more accurate, but that was all.

    "What do you care? This is your fault anyway, you and her..." Reina muttered.

    "What do you--?" He got cut off.

    "As if you don''t know!" She hissed miserably, low enough so that only he heard her. "Doing all those s-shameless things! Even when I thought it was ove,r you two, in the damn shower kept on--!" The girl''s hands tightened at her sides and her eyes had a slight sparkle in them, as if she were about to cry over some percieved injustice.

    Roland remembered the conversation they had in the cave yesterday and was shocked. He almsot fel like he would cough blood.

    "Don''t tell me..."He hesitated. "Reina, last night, could it be that you...?" He couldn''t seem to finish the sentence.

    "...I ...saw...everything! I hate this. Ah, you two, why? Just why? At least turn the lights off... All those vulgar things...like animals...No, worse...All those cries and moans...Hands, roaming everywhere...No, I don;t want to remember...Forget, just forget...Yes, forget all of it, find my happy place...Ah.."

    She seemed to have broken down and soon began talking to herself in a hushed tones.

    "...I''m sorry...?" Roland could offer no other words of comfort.

    Reina broke of, then looked at him in the eyes for the first time. Her gaze slowly traveled down, then she looked away again, her face red, muttering even more. Going, "...It''s burned into my mind. So much clearer than the other times...How did she, they, not feel pained? Utterly shameless, all of them...These two especially. No, forget...happy place, happy place...it''s not working..."

    Roland felt incedibly awkward

    Morrigan watched the exchange out of he corner of her eye.

    Those two, why did they seem so distraught suddenly? What were they talking about Should she listen in? No, that would be rude, and he would know even if she did.

    That girl''s face was so red, though. What did he whisper to her?

    ...Everything about that scene bothered her...

    "Reina?" Lilith looked at her sister, worried. She kept on saying something under her breath and the coloration of her face made her seem sick, feverish. She had always been a weak girl. Lilith grew concerned at seeing her sister''s strange behaviour.

    "She''s fine. Just...let her sit down for a bit." Roland suggested.

    "Right..." Taking her sister''s arm, Lilith directed her to a seat beside Fenris. The goddess had long since changed into a set of woman''s clothes, provided by Morrigan. Which was just a buttoned-up blue blouse and black skirt, really.

    " Well, if you will all excuse me I have an appointment to catch." Roland walked back to the door.

    "Daddy, where''re you going?" Grace, despite having been up to now talking intently with Charlotte, noticed the instant he moved to leave.

    "Yes, dearest, where are you going?"Morrigan cut a glance towards him.

    "I''m going to check on the boys, then I''ll have to track down Loki. Must be around here somewhere."

    "Daddy, I want to go!" Grace proclaimed, standing up.

    "What, you''re going to leave Charlotte here? Didn''t she come to see you?" Roland looked at the girl in question.

    "..." Grace was unsure of what to do when faced with that question.

    Charlotte smiled at Roland easily. "Don''t worry, I don;t mind waiting here~" She yawned suddenly. "I woke up early today so I think I could use a bit of rest."

    Grace''s eyes sparkled. "Really? Alright! Oh, and daddy, we won''t be gone long right?"

    "...I guess I can bring you back after an hour If we don''t find him. "

    Fenris stretched her arms. "Take me with you. I''m sure I can sniff that lecher out."

    "Sounds good."

    "Wait, so are we just going to stay here then?" Lilith asked. "Reina, Charlotte, are you guys really fine with that? What would we even do here by ourselves?"

    "..." Reina didn''t answer, looking away.

    "...Sleep?" Charlotte replied for them both.

    "Char..." Lilith sighed. "That''s just...No, nevermind." The girl was always like this, at least for the most part.

    "Oh? Fear not, my pets, I will endeavor to be a good host and keep you all entertained." Morrigan spoke flatly, making if very difficult what actual thoughts she had on the matter.

    "Pets, she says..." Lilith murmured quietly.

    "So we''re all good then? Alright, come. Follow me!" Fenris took Grace''s hand and walked out the door.

    After glancing at the others and giving Morrigan a meaningful look Roland also took his leave, closing the door behind him.

    ---------------------------------------------------------

    "...They''re not here."

    He referred, of course, to the boys Saren and James. He checked both rooms but they were nowhere to be found.

    "Looks that way." Fenris shrugged, uncaring.

    "Daddy, did they go out for a walk, do you think?"

    "No, I don''t believe that would just walk out without letting me know. They should have been here last night. Wait...Mephisto was here too, checking up on them. I did put them in his care...and he did seem to take a bit of a liking to the boys, just a bit...maybe he took them?"

    Fenris knew where this conversation was going.

    "...Am I going to have to look for them too? This is too much, I didn''t sign up for that."

    " You''re the one who wanted to come along." Roland reminded.

    "...Fine. " She sighed. How annoying. Well from what she saw the boys weren''t bad. She supposed she could help out.

    "Daddy, are we going out now then?"

    "Yeah, let''s go."

    "Wait." Fenris stopped them. "I''m tired. Since I have to do something I didn''t originally plan for you have to pay up. That said, I want you to hold me."

    "...What?"

    -------------------------------------------

    Ten minutes later, outside.

    "...You''re heavy. You need to lose weight, Fenris."

    This earned him claws to the head*. It hurt a bit.

    "Daddy, you shouldn''t say that. Sister Fenris is cute!"

    To clarify, Fenris was currently in her cat form. On top of Roland''s head, her arms outstretched to the front so that they hung by his eyes. It made it a bit difficult to see.

    Fenris enjoyed her current resting spot. Power leaked out of Roland, and it was like a constant delicious treat for her. It was different from her father, Aries, Mephisto or anyone else she met previously. This was dense, like a physical thing. This sort of energy didn''t leak out from them, but it did Roland. Maybe he simply couldn''t control his power very well and so it be came like this, she didn''t know

    Either way, she was the one who reaped the benefits. Actually, though, there was no "taste", per se, but it was still "yummy". Hmm...how to explain...

    Is she had to say, it was more of a "smell"? No, a bit different. But close enough? Yes. This "smell" was good. Tasty. Filling. But she could only eat it when she was really close to him because otherwise it would be too thin to devour and would dissipate quickly.

    She wondered idly what he would taste like...No, wait. That made her sound like her mother, Mercury.

    It was not meant in a sexual way, of course. But more in a literal one. Which might be just as bad, if not worse. That isn''t to say she would eat him. But she was sure his blood would be pretty amazing. That''s what she meant.

    "Whether she is cute or not is besides the point, though. Well, I can''t say she isn''t though."

    "Do you like cats, daddy?"

    "Yeah. Always have. My mother does too, I recall..."

    Grace stopped, staring at him. "Your...Mother?"

    Roland realized what he said only at that moment. "Ah...yeah."

    His mother in this life was still well. He had not seen her often in recent times. He spent the majority of his time in other worlds within the Lower Planes while he had her stay in the Higher Planes. Those girls were with her too, taking care of her. The ones that he had acquired from his time as the "god" of that one cult.

    They hadn''t a place to go after that whole debacle so he took them in. They were probably all doing alright. Nothing would be able to harm any of them in the place he put them, not while he was the one who ruled it.

    He did once recently think he should go meet his mother some time soon. After all this was over. He did miss her, if he was honest. That woman was very understanding and full of love. A perfect mother. He owed her much.

    He smiled a bit, knowing that if she had known he thought that he "owed her" then he would have probably gotten himself a light pinch on the arm and a sad, disappointed look from her.

    "Daddy, you have a mother?"

    "Of course I do. Everyone does."

    A lie. He had no birth parents. Never did, probably. Or maybe he did, once. How he first came into existence was a mystery he would likely never solve.

    "I..want to meet her! My grandmother..." Her voice went small, wistful.

    Grace had a certain light in her eyes just then

    "...Meet her, huh. Yeah. That''s a good idea. I''m sure she''ll love you. But we''re going to have to wait for a while before that happens, alright?"

    He inwardly despaired a bit. If he brought home both a daughter and a wife to meet her...a daughter as old as Grace especially...how would she react?

    This wasn''t a normal situation...

    ------------------------------------------------

    Following Fenris'' nose, the three came to a stop at a rather shady looking building where there were currently no other people in sight.

    It was near a dark corner of the city. Roland had never been to this part of the place before. Last time he was aboard the ship he and the others kept a low profile and just enjoyed themselves.

    The building in question was red. No, more like, it was illuminated in shades of red and pink and other warm colors. And smelled faintly sweet. He caught whiff of various types of perfumes as well.

    This place...it could only be that sort of spot.

    A succubus den. He could feel the demonic energy around the place, enticing, calling him forth. It was annoying. Whispers in him mind that begging him to go closer.

    "Daddy...I don''t like this place."

    "Neither do I." A succubus den, a place where a group of succubi gather to entice men inside and feast upon their life force. A much smaller version of their settlements. Places like this usually didn''t contain more than a dozen or two dozen succubi. A number that wasn''t all too dangerous to people with as much life force as Roland did but regular people would be in trouble if they all chose to take a bite. Especially if those people didn''t actively cultivate their power to higher levels.

    Simply being near this place gave off a small draining effect towards males. It was negligible to Roland but against most others it would definitely be felt much clearer.

    Atop his head Fenris let out a slight hiss. She stood up and stretch for a bit, then climbed down onto his shoulders. Roland picked her up in his arms and let her down onto the floor, though the effort was unneeded.

    He used a spell to manipulate the ground beneath their feet and created four walls around her for some privacy. A few minutes later he let it down and Fenirs, in human form, came out wearing the same blouse and skirt she wore previously.

    "Their scents led here, I''m sure of it. Mephisto''s energy pattern is kind of faint too. This entire city is bathed in Apollo''s own energy so it''s hard to track him unless he was activiely using his powers. But his smell is all over this place. The boys are, of course, with him."

    "Daddy, are we going inside?"

    "Yeah. Afraid so."

    "Daddy...this place...it has those lewd creatures inside, doesn''t it?"

    "Succubi? Yes. Why?"

    " Mommy said that those people are harlots that are our mortal enemies."

    Roland was surprised, as was Fenris. " Why would she say that?"

    "I''m not sure...but she once let slip a strange story. Or more of a complaint. Something about you, daddy, and one of them. I don''t remember much, it was when i was really small and mommy didn''t like talking about you much. However, she always told me that they were all shameless and vulgar women, a group of homewreckers. I still don''t know what that means." Grace looked away from him and cast a bright-eyed glance at the building. "She really doesn''t like them, daddy. She said that if I ever meet one I should give her a smack."

    Roland and Fenris looked at each other.

    Roland could guess at what Morrigan probably meant. Maybe a sucubus came onto him during his past life together with her. Most likely that was the case. Which would explain the seeming extreme dislike Grace said her mother had for them. And also why Morrigan would use the word "homewrecker" specifically.

    "Grace, my dear, what are you planning?" Fenris asked cautiously. This girl...she wasn''t weak. No, she was actually pretty damn strong when she got serious. Also, her morals were a bit skewed. Morrigan''s own ways rubbed off on the girl. If Grace was schemeing something...

    It could get messy. Her mother was a death goddess. Fenris wouldn''t be surprised if Grace was a bit number to things like killing. Though Fenris had no evidence this was the case.

    "Nothing, sister Fenris. But..." She hesitated. "Mommy said--"

    "Grace, don''t. No attacking unprovoked." Roland told her firmly.

    "I know that, daddy. But mommy--"

    "No."

    "But, those lewd women--"

    "Might not be bad." Succubi do what they do to live and grow strong. Some of them took it too far and liked to kill, but not all were like that. He told Grace as such.

    "...I see. I understand, daddy. I won''t do anything. "

    "Good."

    "Grace, hold my hand. " Fenris took her hand as soon as the words left her mouth.

    "Well, let''s go. I would love hearing what the hell that guy has to say about bringing the boys here." Roland muttered.

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    To be clear, a succubus den was by no means a brothel. Brothels have no place in the territories that a god like Apollo directly control. In fact, brothels were mainly unneeded now. Similar things existed, though.

    Places where men or women sought pleasure. But actual sex, physical contact, was not practiced in those types of establishments. Through the use of certain spells that affect the mind or body one can attain the same sort of pleasure without having real sex.

    Roland had once been dragged by Loki and Sol to such a place. He sat on a bed, inside a small room. Then a woman came in, placed a hand over him. Next thing he knew he entered a lucid dreaming state where he was with two women who proceeded to provide certain sevices.

    That was all.

    He didn''t really take a liking to it since he wasn''t able to completely immerse himself in the experience like others could. He preferred the real thing.

    All that said, this place was similar. A sucubus den had succubi would would temp men into entering but once inside the succubi would only take things as far as a kiss, a contact that was the best way to drain the life force from their victims. The men would experience complete ecstacy, though, so it wasn''t all doom and gloom.

    But later they would likely find themselves left on the street with a massive headache. Maybe robbed. A tragic downside to be sure.

    The building was brightly lit. The inside held a giant lobby and a diamond chandelier hanging over it all. This place seemed much nicer from within. He saw to the side a series of hallways, the other side a flight of stairs.

    The succubi probably lived on the higher levels. They liked to travel either alone of in pairs. Any higher than that was a bit more rare. Only buildings like these or the places they hold settlements at contained so many succubi in one area.

    "I smell them. Upstairs. Also, there are other scents up there as well. A lot of them. None of this level, though."

    "You think they''re being drained?" Roland wondered aloud.

    "Mephisto can handle himself. Succubi are the natural predators of men but that guy is too damn loyal to that wife of his and too damn powerful to be taken down with only a few dozen succubi. It would require at least a hundred to make him really waver. Assuming that a Matriarch isn''t here he should be fine."

    Matriarchs. Leaders. One of the olderst and most powerful caste of the succubi race. He remembered that William Vasilius kid. A vampire.

    Vampires had existences similar to Matriarchs. Originals. They''re a myth-like existence that rarely make any appearance. Beings who are, to them, considered royalty and therefor those containing their bloodline are treated as nobility among their kind. Roland had never met one, though he would love to fight one. His hands itched when he thought of it.

    Matriarchs are a bit similar to those Originals in that they are extremely dangerous to the extent that they could pose a threat to even gods if they aren''t careful. But more common. A bit.

    What''s more, Matriarchs grow more powerful when they are surrounded by other succubi. Incubi have Patriarchs. That Asmodeus, if he remembered right, could be considered a Patriarch even though he isn''t of the incubi race. Simply because of the type of Authority he wields, the type of power he commands.

    But enough about that.

    " Meaning that neither he nor the boys should be in any real danger. If the boys were in trouble then he wouldn''t just do nothing about it. Really, what are they doing here..."

    "Daddy..."

    Grace''s worried voice broke him from his thoughts.

    "Yes?"

    "What is it?"

    Roland and Fenris asked in turn.

    " Listen."

    As soon as she said that the both of them heard a very faint, masculine yell.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    AN:

    *So i can''t recall if Lilith, Reina, Saren or James know Fenris when she is in human form. I may have mentioned they found out, i cant remember. At the very least i cant recall any of them talking to Fenris in her human form before. so im pretty sure they don;t know about her in that regard. I will assume that they dont know her human self until someone says otherwise, cause i myself cant remember.

    * I also cant remember if Fenris is capable of talking like a human as an animal. If anyone remembers if she can talk as a human when in animal form, i would appreciate it if you let me know. It could be that she can do so, but doesnt know how. Similar to how she hasnt mastered her transformations, the reason why her clothes end up gone when she changes back into a human form. I am going to assume she can''t talk, but if i find out otherwise i might edit some more dialogue into this later

 chapter fifty-five

    AN: Crap, this one came out much later than it was supposed to. I meant to release it a day after my last chapter but i was concentrating on editing my chapters of the other story so i could upload them to that site i mentioned before. Took a longer time than expected. I noticed a lot of mistakes. I also added a bit, too, so that didn''t help...Then I had to type this chapter out while my hand was all sore and feeling rather stiff. I wonder if a heating pad would help? It doesnt hurt too much anymore though, luckily. More of a dull ache now.

    Anyway, here is the chapter.

    P.S: I feel like I left you guys expecting some fight or whatever, maybe some sort of conflict. But now i feel like i''m kinda trolling you guys with what is actually happening. Somehow i feel i made plot holes here...not sure. be on the lookout for any. And if you find some point them out, please.

    P.P.S: I will edit later. Also remember to rate and comment on anything you wish. The next few chapters should be getting more things done...Thoughi recently had a thought that even if i suck at pacing i can at least try making the dialogue and stuff interesting. oh, and im thinking of making the next chapter start off with Gehenna, tell what she''s been up to.

    Also, I ask that any new reader to please, if the make it this far, leave your thoughts about the story thus far. I know the pacing is shit, so you can bash me for that if you want.

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    With Grace in tow Roland and Fenris raced towards the origin of the yell. It was barely even a few seconds before their blurred figures found themselves up the stairs, the gap between the ground floor and second floor much larger than what one would assume from outside, gazing into a wide space.

    Inside, what they bore witness to was a battlefield. That''s right. A true-blue battlefield.

    Complete with thousands upon thousands of soldiers of every race. It was like they stepped into a seperate dimension that led to a warzone

    Roland had no idea what the yell he heard could have meant but he reacted instantly. He had not known what he would find when he ran up here.

    But the sight that he, Fenris and Grace found...was rather shocking.

    For a moment Fenris doubted her own eyes, looking towards the man beside her for confirmation she wasn''t hallucinating. She was relieved that he, too, seemed surprised.

    They don''t know what they had expected, but this wasn''t it.

    To explain further, there was ten podiums. Five at the left side of the room, another five to the right. And they almost seemed to be floating, the battlefield full of bloodthirsty men and woman and other things happening much farther below. You could see everything that was taking place. There were also "lines" that seperated the zone beneath into large box sections.

    It wasn''t confined to the space of a room either. The whole battle spread for miles, it seemed. There were cliffs in the distance and some areas of the fighting were partially hidden by small clouds.

    "Fuck!" Mephisto cursed. " Retreat! Leave the injured, they''ll only slow us down! Get your asses to B5 now! Oi, Yaz, don''t stand there, send a unit to E7 and keep those bastards occupied! Dammit, when did they finish cleaning up the fourth wave? That''s cheating! James, what the hell are you doing, man? Don''t let those seductresses fool you, they''re damn smart! Remember all that your brother sacrificed so that you can live to see another day! Look, look at him, he''s already...! ...All his men...They''re... dead!"

    The man cursed several more times, his face showing dismay and righteous fury.

    After about another minute or so there was a triumphant laugh that reverberated throughout the room. The masses below stopped as if frozen in time.

    "Ha! All your leaders are dead! Our win!" A feminine voice proclaimed. A girl to the other side of Mephisto''s podium. She and three other girls were grinning amongst themselves while there was much cheering from the other dozen or so women behind them.

    Mephisto''s eyes widened in disbelief, "What? How! Mine is still...wait...his face! It''s turning blue! You...that''s...poison?!" "

    Roland turned his head towards the voice just as it replied. " Indeed! You''re own forces might have been unbeatable due to your keen tactic and excellent decision-making skills... but the others on your team are not as sharp leaders as you! I had Lizbeth send a small force into Natalie''s territory. Since she controls your team''s supplies I only had to make her let down her guard and, while I diverted your attention during my last assault, have my team slip certain "quality ingredients" into the water."

    "Shit. I knew I should have protected the supplies myself...But I couldn''t do what without spreading my forces too thin. If only had more men...Damn Saren, he had to go and get himself butchered. Trying to act like a hero, the fool...." He shook his head, sighing.

    "...I''m still here, you know..." Saren muttered to the side of the man. He was ignored.

    " But going back a bit...I WIN!" She shouted, ecstatic. " You know what that means, my Lord! A deal''s a deal!"

    Mephisto made a pained sound. "Damn demoness, have you no conscience? This here earing was a gift from a good friend of mine who risked his life to acquire it, giving it to me the day I proposed to my wife!"

    "That damn thing was mine first! That old rogue, he pick-pocketed it from me even after I helped him take down that blasted magical beast he pissed off! If not for the fact that I was tired and hungry from chasing down another evildoer the day before, it would still be with me. I tell you now, it''s special to me! It was a token from my first love who''s now rotting seven feet in the ground!"

    A very young-looking girl in light blue pajamas, the one closest to Roland and the rest, spoke up. " Mika, you''re the one who killed him. "

    "I know that, Day. That scoundrel, he shouldn''t have been trying to get into my mother''s pants then. He''s lucky the only thing I did was kill him. I kept the ring as a prize. It''s mine." The other girl, Mika, said.

    "But I thought you said you killed him because he was seeing another woman? No, wait, wasn''t he married? I think that you were the other woman?" Another girl, a dark-haired one with pink highlights, voiced her thoughts.

    Mika let out a small noise. "Huh. Is that how it went? Wow. I think I almost feel...bad...Well whatever. In any case, give it here!"

    Mephisto let out a cold snort. "Fine. I never liked it anyway, the gaudy thing. How did you know I even had it...?"

    "Oh, I would recognize the thing anywhere. It''s special, I soaked it in my blood. We''re connected~. Lets out a nice smell, no?"

    "Hmm...I did always wonder why it faintly smelled like rosemary and cinnamon...So that''s why. Well, here. That damn guy, giving me something he stole from another...I''ll have to go pay him a visit sometime. "

    Mephisto clapped his hand once and the entire battlefield, along with the podiums, disappeared instantly. In it''s place was a normal-looking living room with white couches a red carpet near the center. A wide glass table holding several cups sat in the heart of the room.

    Everything looked very clean, very orderly. It gave off a mature, sophisticated feel.

    The man then raised a hand to the side of his head. He moved his long locks of hair to reveal right ear, upon which hung a small gold-colored earing that was thick and holding a sizeable green gemstone with a blood-red dot inside.

    Taking it off, he put out his hand. A slender beauty with a long pixie cut, who exuded an energetic air, walked towards him cheerfully. Her smile was wide and full of smugness as she recieved it.

    " Thanks mate." She batted her eyes at him as she accepted it. "You know...It''s said that the victor can decide the fate of the loser. I think i''ll be taking a bite out of you, you know, since I won. In fact, I might just keep you around for a while. It isn''t every day I get to enjoy the taste of someone as strong as you, my Lord Mephisto...."

    "No thanks. I have a wife, you know. Although perhaps in my younger and more wild years I would have allowed myself to give into the temptation...I refuse to betray the trust my dearest has placed on me. Sorry, my annoying and seductive little friend, but I''m going to have to disappoint you."

    "...Che!" She clicked her tongue. " Fine, fine. I didn''t think you would let it happen anyway. Too bad, I could have really gotten a good deal of power from even a single night with you. Truly a pity."

    "Well now that we got that out of the way...why don''t we go and get some grub? I''m starving. Ah...Saren, James, do you know how long have we even been here? Feel''s like ages. That guy will probably be wondering where you-- Ah!" Out of the corner of his eye he caught three figures by the entrace to the room and made a surprised look.

    "...What the hell is going on here?" Fenris and Roland asked in sync.

    Grace meanwhile eyed the women with a wary, suspicious look

    --------------------------------------------------------

    "...So Natalie and Yazmin" He motioned to the blonde and brunette women who sat next to James and Saren respectively. "Came back while the three of us, the boys and I, were chattin. Then they invited us to their place. Why? Cuz Mika here caught a faint whiff of that ring on the girls. Weird, since I barely was withing an arm''s distance of either of them...but anyway, stuff happened. The girls were sent back for me specifically but chose to bring the boys too since they took a liking to them."

    "And then?" Roland prompted.

    "Eh...It was alright at first. Some pleasantries. Some light conversation. A good few beautiful women. Some snacks were also involved. You know how it is. These guys are alright. Most of their race are kind of scheming or hard to get along with other than in the bed. But these ones? Nice enough... for succubi." This last part earned him a cold glare from Mika, who sat on one of the couches with a mug of coffee in hand.

    " After that was done Mika brought up the real topic she wanted to talk about. She was being a bit bitchy, to be honest. Ranting about an earing. Once I understood a little more, she demanded I hand it over. I got a bit miffed and refused. Then she issued a proclamation of war. We made a wager. Board games, card games, video games, rock-paper-scissors...amazingly it all ended up in ties. It was really odd..." He trailed off. "...Ah, so, by that time we were both pretty annoyed. So I just thought, "Hey, why not just solve this on the battlefireld?"

    I therefore set up a game I and Sol used to play a long time ago. Like a game of chess, I guess? A sort of virtual war? Hard to explain. But you probably saw, right? At least the last part."

    "...Yeah, we do. You know, that game actually seemed fun. Even I wanna play." Fenris remembered the realistic-looking battle. It was all an illusion, of course, but it was damn cool. She played chess before, didn''t like it. If it was this type of thing thought she would probably enjoy it.

    "I see. I get it now. So that''s what happened, huh..." Roland spoke his thoughts aloud. "Must have taken a while, it''s already morning."

    "Yeah, we lost track of time. The games went on for a while...but that last one started... When was it. Oh. Hm, at least several hours ago. Damn. Really, where did the time go?" Mephisto sighed.

    "...I thought It would never end." James muttered.

    "Right? Watching them go at it was mind-numbing. And that battle...So much blood, severed limbs everywhere..." Saren shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind of something he wished to forget.

    "I know. That game was way too realistic...What was with those things they said before they died? It was creepy."

    "It was, really creepy. That one lieutenant...He said something about his neighbor''s wife right as the light left his eyes. Was it really an illusion...?" He spoke his doubts.

    Mephisto laughed. "Sorry, that was my fault. It was a pre-set type of illusion spell that Sol taught me. Really intricate stuff. It seemed to give all the characters backstories...Like, literally all of them. That guy, he really has too much time on his hands, making things like that. Those people don''t have any consciousness but to have made such details...he really has a few screws loose, that man. It was pretty interesting though. I even saw on of the foot soldiers wet themselves! Go on, just try and tell me that isn''t quality work right there."

    The boy''s looked at him with guarded expressions. They really disagreed. To them such great detail just made them feel bad. It was a game but it made them feel awfull each time they sent their soldiers to die. Saren, that time, didn;t save his brother''s forces to be a hero. Rather, he wanted out of that infernal battlefield. James envied him for that, really. He felt that he should have thought to do that first.

    "All that aside though, you tracked us down using Fenris, huh?" Mephisto looked at the girl in question.

    "Yeah. Well, no. We were going to look for Loki first. I just checked the boys'' rooms before we left and didn''t find them so I decided to do that first. Make sure everything was fine."

    Roland looked at the boys. Everything really did seem okay...but he was concerned. He didn''t know how long until their curses might activate. For now it showed no signs of it but he couldn''t be sure if there was something that he couldn''t see through in regards to them. These curses were not simple, he knew.

    Saren raised a question. "Who''s Fenris?"

    He sort of already guessed who and what the person was, but he wanted it confirmed.

    " That would be me." Saren saw the girl who arrived with Roland, a stunning dark-haired beauty with an almost wild aura about her, raise a hand. Saren and James had been captivated by her the instant Roland and her had made their presence known.

    She was truly one of the most breathtaking women they had ever seen. She definitely stood out even amongst the various beauties that this place was home to. If they had to say, she was at the level of Lady Morrigan whom they had briefly met a few times previous to this.

    Lady Morrigan''s looks were like a masterly done sculpture of ice. They also reminded one of a crescent moon, captivating but anattainable.

    While this girl before them gave a similar impression her''s was a little different. Instead of moon, this Fenris was more of the night sky itself. Deeply magnetic, making a person want to stare even more as time went on to discover what secrets ahe may hide.

    But that was only when her looks were uninfluence by her overall manner. With it, the girl seemed...very animal-like. Untamed, energetic, maybe even teasing.

    "Yeah, that''s her. As she said. Boys, met Fenris. Daughter of Loki." Roland made a short introduction.

    The mouths of the two boys nearly fell open. Along with the succubi in the room, who had felt the woman''s face looked strangely familiar.

    "Yo." Fenris put up two finger to make a peace sign at the boys, something that Roland felt was very like her. "Nice to meetcha. Indeed, it is I, Fenris. Daughter of Loki Jotunheim. Feel free to bow down and offer your undying loyalty. Or don''t I don''t care." She shrugged.

    "Pay her no mind. She''s not exactly playing with a full deck."

    "Hey!" Fenris sent a mean look towards Roland, the perpatrator of the small insult. " That just earned you a two point deduction, mister!"

    " Oh no, please, anything but that." He monotoned.

    Fenris stared at him for a few seconds. "...Fine. As long as you understood what you did wrong. I will let this slide since it''s your first offense but don''t think I''ll be so merciful next time!"

    "Yes, yes, thank you for your kindness O Great One."

    Mephisto was looking at them with a peculiar expression. "...Huh. They''ve got a pretty good rapport going on don''t they?"

    Maybe they were just a naturally good fit. Loki would probably lose his shit if he saw how well they got along. That guy was truly too protective of the girl.

    But really, these two were like ketchup and fries. Good on their own but damn tasty when put together. Or in this case, amusing.

    ...Great. Now he even more hungry.

    Mephisto sighed.

    "...Oi. You two done? Good. Now that we''ve gotten past all that can anyone tell me why this delectable-looking little munchkin keeps staring at us like we''re mortal enemies from our previous lives? " Mika cut a glance towards Grace, who was eyeing the women ever since she met them. The young girl''s gaze was really full of mistrust and slight hostility.

    "Don''t mind her, she''s a bit wary of people she doesn''t know." Roland didn''t know if that was true but he had to make an excuse for her.

    "Daddy...be careful. These women are bad people." Grace whispered to him. It was low but many of the others caught the words as well.

    Fenris knew the dozen or so women took no offense.

    On the contrary they seemed to fawn over her. Once Grace had made her presence known there were several girls who went up to her while smiling and trying to talk to her, some even patting her head or lighly pinching her cheeks.

    Grace''s current words had no affect on them. They appeared to like her even more since they finally got to hear her voice, going, "She spoke~! How cute~! Ah, what a lovely sound~! I just want to eat her up~!" Among other things.

    Fenris dubbed this...The Grace Effect!

    Some children were simply so adorable that it was very hard to not gush over their every action. And Grace certainly qualified. Her doll-like face and slim frame coupled with her long, snow-white hair and azure blue eyes had quite an impact. Fenris, even, wanted to simply rub her own face against her''s and hug the girl due to her cuteness the first time they met.

    "Grace, you shouldn''t say something so rude." Her father admonished.

    Looking at them now, up close, Fenris could really feel how well they fit together. Especially now that Grace''s hair was made black by a spell from her father.*

    "But daddy..."The girl whispered once more. "They keep glancing at you with weird eyes. If mommy were here she would definitely be displeased. Also...they keep touching me. It''s so bothersome!"

    To Fenris'' eyes tthe girl had a dark aura around her at the moment. Like she was ready to blow at any moment. Although it was still kind of cute seeing her pouting face displaying such obvious discontent Fenris was indeed worried that she might do something rash if it kept building like that.

    At Grace''s words one of the women, the one with pink highlights, spoke up. "Huh? Wait, I thought that girl over there was her mother though?" She pointed towards Fenris, whose mouth dropped open.

    "M-mother!" She exclaimed, nearly choking.

    "No, she''s not..." Roland frowned, denying it.

    Grace also shook her head. "Sister Fenris is my sister, not mommy."

    "...Sister?" The woman looked at Fenris doubtfully. "Oh. I get it." Her eyes then lit up as she had a realization. " You must be older than I thought." She said to Roland.

    "I''m 19." He smiled, amused.

    "...Oh."

    "They have a close relationship" He explained. " So I guess Grace just likes to call Fenris sister?"

    "Hm, I see. That makes sense. But 19? Is that right? Are you part god, then? I feel like a person so young can''t feel this strong otherwise..." The girl instead focused on that instead of questioning how Grace was so old in comparison to her not-all-that-much-older father.

    As Roland expertly diverted the discussion onto various other topics between them all Fenris was still hung up on the previous misunderstanding.

    ...Mother...

    Mother, she said.

    Did Fenris appear to be her mother? Was that how an outsider who didn''t know any better would see the three of them? It was true that Fenris did have black hair like what Grace and Roland had, after all...

    She supposed that even though she didn''t share Grace''s facial features, people would still make that assumption when they saw her dark hair. This misconception would likely be reinforced when they witnessed the friendliness that she and Grace shared.

    So, to be clear...They would think Fenris is her mother. And of course Roland is the father...

    Hmm...

    Fenris made a secret smile.

    Mother, eh?

    She had always wanted to be a mother. But because she needed to find a suitable mate that fit her strict standards, that was never a possibility. She had not even found a mate yet...not to mention a child of her own. That looked too far off for the current her. Though she was saddened by this fact, and hated it, it was still true.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Fenris had to admit to herself that maybe part of the reason she became so attached to Grace when they first met was due to a sort of maternal instinct or something.

    Of course, Fenris wasn''t so foolish as to consider Grace like a daughter to her...

    For a moment, though, she idly fantasized what it would be like if she was the girl''s mother. More like, she placed herself in Morrigan''s shoes. Morrigan had a mate and a daughter. Though Fenris wanted many more children than that, it was still much more than what she currently had.

    Which was neither.

    She supposed that if she were Morrigan, or rather if she were in Morrigan''s place, then she would be extremely happy even if she only ever had one child, Grace.

    But then she remembered how last night she was awoken by the strong, heady scent as the husband and wife entered the room.

    It was different from arousal. Stronger. It was even more pungent than mere arousal too, an intoxicatingly spicy and sweet scent that made her head swim and body tingle with the force of it. What was this scent called, you may ask?

    It was sex.

    And it covered the two like a thick shroud. Displaying their prolictivities for all too see. Or smell, in her case.

    Even now Roland still had that scent on him. And was partly why Fenris was, if she was being perfectly honest, a tad flustered in her heart when she came to her senses in the young man''s arms not too long ago

    And now after having remembered that scent, Fenris unconsciously began wondering what sort of sinful things would have to be done in order to make it thick to te extent that the smell lingered even after so much time had passed...

    The thoughts made a fair bit of blood rush to her head.This was because Fenris was, in that moment, putting herself in Morrigan''s shoes.Which meant she would obviously think it was actually she and Roland who were...

    ...Well, did she really have to say?

    Fenris was deeply ashamed for having that thought. She felt like a vulgar woman for thinking of it even for a moment. Though it was not entirely her fault for doing so, she still kicked herself mentally, shaking her head to clear the embarrassment and lewd images away.

    She blamed that woman for this. If she hadn''t made such a assumptions this never would have happened! Fenris was not like her mother, who undressed any man she takes a fancy to with her eyes.

    What''s more, Fenris had those thoughts towards a man who had both a daughter and a wife. A daughter that she, Fenris, was quite close to, so mush so that it was almost like they were sisters. A wife who, although they weren''t close to each other, Fenris had known for ages...

    Fenris wanted to apolgize both of them, mother and daughter. She wasn''t sure if she wanted to apologize to Roland, though. Because while it was only for an instant, and it was not the real him...or even the real Fenris...the image of that man doing such base, vulgar things to her was still fresh.

    Although it was completely unfair towards him, she was a little angry at Roland because of what the fictional him had done.

    Honestly, that man, just doing as he pleased like that... being absolutely shameless...

    What was he thinking?

    Also, It goes without saying that Fenris had no romantic interest in him. She liked him a bit, but that was by no means something that could be classified as romantic in any way.

    If she had to say, she simply felt he was a decent male. He seemed strong, at least. Though she couldn''t be entire sure how strong since she never fought him. She thought that if she went all out she would be able to take him, however. Still, to be hanging out with her father, not to mention Solomon, Aries and Mephisto, he couldn''t be weak.

    On that point he was good. As for personality... that, too, seemed pretty good. So, yes. A decent male, a fine specimen. A very fine specimen. But she only had those kind of feelings, nothing more.

    The only reason she probably had such thoughts towards him was because of who he was. Grace''s father, and Morrigan''s husband.

    He had earned Morrigan''s approval, which was a testament to his capability. Morrigan, that woman, was always cold and had never before cared for any male that came before her. To think that she would come to love someone in such a way was incomprehensible to those who knew her. But Roland had accomplished it. Somehow. To an extent that even in this life she pursued him. Despite him not remembering her, despite that problem he had.

    So because of that, Fenris would know he was a man of some quality even if she hadn''t realized it already. As for Grace...Fenris was close to her. Due to this fact alone Fenris would likely establish a good relationship with her father as well. Simply put, the girl was their "link"?

    She didn''t love him or hold any sort of romantic interest in him but, she was forced to admit that he would indeed be an "ideal mate". Becasue of Morrigan, Fenris knew he was a man of some worth. Due to Grace, she also knew he would give strong, healthy children.

    Grace even served as that which would probably be a catalyst for Fenris and Roland someday growing closer as friends.

    Since Fenris thought of Grace as a sister she never had.

    Without those two by his side to supply these good points, it was doubtful Fenris would ever have such thoughts towards him ordinarily even with that woman''s misunderstanding.

    Still, for having that thought at all...once again she felt the need to apologize to Morrigan and her daughter. As for Roland, upon further thought, she almost wanted him to be the one apologizing to her. Which was idiotic since he did no wrong. The fictional version of him was the one who had been so licentous and merciless towards her.

    ...Though that version of the man was spawned from Fenris'' own mind...Meaning any action he did was something Fenris herself had made him do.

    But Fenris refused to acknowledge this little fact.

    "...And so ended the reign of Sir Dick-Waffle the third, the first and last ruler of the Suck Me Empire. That was a damn good prank, though. Can''t believe Loki pulled it off. Odin lost his damn marbles when he found out one of his favorite planets got Loki''d like that. I tell you, that boy knows how to get a good laugh. Every good-humored god from every well-known pantheon clapped him on the back for that one. That''s one stain on that planet''s history that won''t be washed off anytime soon." Mephisto chuckled. "...Huh. Actually, I''m rather curious as to what happened to Dick-waffle after he was deposed..." He trailed off, wondering.

    Mephisto had just gotten done with some nonsensical story, and Fenris had no idea what he had said up to that point due to her thinking of other things.

    " I honestly can''t believe I never heard of this tale before. You said it was what, 500 years ago? Only? I would have expected Loki to be bragging about it every day." Roland commented.

    "Oh, he did. It''s just that his dear old dad got so angry and annoyed at being reminded about it that he forbade him from talking about the whole debacle. Made him swear on the river Styx, even. The condition was that if he did then Loki jr. would fall off. Now if the topic is ever brought up the guy will be likely to cut off his own tongue. That way he don''t slip up." Mephisto explained.

    "...Daddy, that man seems like a bad influence...I thought so before, but now..." Grace expressed concern, holding her father''s sleeve to draw his attention. A move that made her new fangirl gush even more. Fenris thought they were really geting annoying.

    "What, Loki? True, he isn''t all that sound of mind. Funny though."

    Fenris finally spoke up. " Hey, watch it. That''s my father you''re talking about. If you wish to insult him in my presence you need to pay up."

    Mephisto and Roland looked at her in surprise. She had been quiet so long they thought she was entirely lost in her own thoughts.

    "So cold, Fenris. To say that about your own father..." Mephisto shook his head with a small grin, light in his eyes.

    "Just for the record, what is the price anyway?" Roland asked, genuinely curious.

    " When I think of it I''ll let you know. But i''m keeping a record. I will collect on this later, rest assured, boss. "

    "...Okay then. Well, " Roland stood up. " I think we have taken up enough time here. Mephisto, we''re going to continue looking for Loki. What''re you gonna do?" This announcement made the women pout. It meant their time messing with the young girl would end soon.

    A pity, truly a pity, they thought. Such an adorable little girl...

    " I don''t know, I don''t really have much else to do. Though these two boys are kind of likeable I still don''t entirely want to babysit for longer than I have to. They can''t be left here, so are you going to take them?"

    The boys, Saren and James, felt offended by his use of the word "babysit".

    Mephisto, on his end, didnt want to leave them in this place, succubus den, even thuogh he had grown to know that he ones inside are not entirely bad people. Except that Mika, the insufferable woman, the rest were okay. And those two, Yazmin and Natalie, did seem to take a fancy to the boys. For whatever reason.

    Still, leaving them in the care of succubi, the natural enemy/ultimate temptation of all men...That would be stupid. If Mephisto stayed with them then it would be fine. But he wanted to do his own thing, so he didn''t feel like it. Roland wouldn''t let the boys stay here by themselves, either.

    " They can come with us to look for Loki, if they want. Or go back to our place. But before that..." He looked to he boys. " What do you want to do?"

    Saren and James considered. Then James spoke up. " I don''t want to stay locked up in that room." He said shortly.

    "Neither do I. I think we''ll just leave with you. At least it would be better than being bored out of our minds."

    They didn''t even want to stay in this place. The was some of the women looked at them made the two feel very threatened...like they were predators eyeing their prey...

    And they had no idea how to treat either Yazmin or Natalie....

    This was not a situation they had ever faced before.

    "Alright then. It''s settled." Roland, Fenris and Grace--who''s face seemed eager to go--got ready to leave.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    After saying their good-byes to their hosts the group left.

    Mephisto went his own way, saying something about going to look for some souveniers.

    As for Grace, she was glad to be out of that place. Those women, they were really getting on her nerves. Trying to pat her, making those constant small squeals and other noises then staring at her...

    Ah, she was truly happy to be away from there...

    --------------------------------------------------------

    James was curently facing a small problem.

    A literal small problem.

    Which was the young girl, Grace.

    When they left, the girl looked at he and his brother curiously.

    It seemed that the young girl was interested in them. Apart from a few others the two boys were the closest to her in terms of age. She hadn''t met many people close to her own age so she was naturally drawn to those who were.

    Her father very young too, she understood. But he didn''t count. He was her daddy, her father.

    Going back to James, he was feeling a bit disgruntled, or more accurately, uncomfortable because the little girl was asking many questions about him. Or, no, actually the majority of the conversation was not questions but meaningless things that served no real purpose other than to say them.

    What scared them was that she had also once asked how many magical beasts they killed. Which was weird. No kid would normally ask about such things, right?

    She had said that she keeps count. That the exact number was somewhere around 2,429...around that number because the two of them hadn''t paid attention, still a bit put-off by her cavalier attatude when talking about the subject.

    The girl said that her mother said most magical beasts are very dangerous and the ones who are not very powerful usually rage about and destroy things. They lack real intelligence at the lower stages of power, the girl told them. So they are very territorial and whatnot, liking to go killing people.

    Which was true. Magical beasts were very dangerous. Any of them. Even the onse considered low in terms of power can be very deadly. The brother''s knew that.

    The girl went on to talk about how she once saved a small city--Or was it a village?--from being destroyed by a magical beast. It was during a time when she was trveling with her mother, not all too long ago. The thing was really full of malice, breathing fire down on people''s homes.

    Using it''s tails to smash boulders and throw them towards the city.

    So she killed it.

    With a wave of her hand. It wasn''t hard, she said. The thing was being very rude so she had felt the need to help.

    The brother''s felt that despite her appearance and her childish manner this girl was actually a very scary existence. Maybe she didn''t even understand how amazing, in various ways and levels, her thought process and actions were.

    Obviously her common sense differed greatly from the boys'' own. Because if they faced a magical beast like that they would not fight if they had the choice. Thet were not cowards but they were pretty realistic. They didn''t want to die, after all.

    Also, the girl pestered them, saying they should lay down. That they were really very sick.

    She said that one of them had a very serious cold, while the other seemed to be coming down with a terrible fever. Her words sent chills down their spines, somehow.

    She said her daddy felt a bit hot and cold sometimes too. It comes and goes, she said to them. She spoke her concerns. However, she seemed to think her father was indomitable.

    They learned that her mother had rarely talked about him but sometimes let slip that he was really strong.

    Grace was strong. And her mother was strong.

    So daddy must be much, much stronger, right, because he''s someone whose strength was acknowledged even by mommy? This is what she questioned them with, though it wasn''t really a question at all.

    So she felt her father could overcome anything eventually.

    The two boys also got that feeling from him sometimes, that he was not someone to ever underestimate. Though the girl seemed almost to worship her mother and father. Not too odd. Children did that often, thinking their parents were invincible.

    Though Grace''s mother and father, unlike other childrens'' parents, probably were. At least from what the brothers knew about Lady Morrigan, which wasn''t much, just stories, she was pretty much on the upper levels of power even for gods.

    Really, though, how would one measure a god''s power?

    They boys didn''t know. Maybe there was no clear way to measure it. A god was a god. To them they were an existence that was incomprehensible.

    Loki, Morrigan, Aries...Even Roland who wasn''t a god...they were really just so far above them that their actions and thoughts were just completely unknown to the boys.

    Take Mephisto, another non-god, for example. The whole thing he did with that illusion or whatever. Turning that room into a battlefield. One where they controlled men and women, among other creatures.

    That was not normal. At all. The brothers thought they could even smell the blood, sweat and tears of the people who were battling.

    The one who actually created the spell might have been that Solomon person--who the boys still feared for all the stories they heard about the man--but still. Also, the tales he told them all not long ago....they were insane.

    In short...people Like Loki, Roland and Mephisto...not just gods...but simply the type of people they were...were all "unknowns" to Saren and James.

    The two could not comprehend their thoughts and what moved them. They were unpredictable. Well, Roland was a bit more down to earth but sometimes the things he would say or do left them speechless.

    Like how he created Etherium out of thin air.

    Something they still couldn''t believe had actually happened...Then calling it useless....like trash...

    ...No.

    They chose not to think further about that matter. It hurt their heads everytime they thought of it.

    Grace, too, was like that. A strange person whose common sense, again, was vastly different from normal people''s like James and his brother Saren.

    -------------------------------------------------------

    Meanwhile.

    "Hey, Roland." Fenris turned to him suddenly, a furrow between her brows. As if remembering something.

    "Yes?"

    "Apologize."

    "...What for?" Had he done something wrong?

    "Just do it. ".

    "...I''m sorry?" He frowned in confusion.

    "Thank you. I don''t accept."

    "..."

    "You really do have to learn some restraint, boss. You do understand that, right?"

    "... Fenris, had I done something to offend you?"

    "What? Of course not."

    "Then why--"

    "Don''t ask."

    "...I see. Well i''m glad we have put that behind us. Whatever "it" is. "

    " As am I."

    ------------------------------------------------

    "Lord Loki~"

    A orange-haired beauty cooed into his ear.

    Loki let out a laugh. "Calm down, my pretties, there''s enough of me for everyone!

    "But my Lord, it''s been so long since your last visit. We feared you would have forgotten all about us." Another girl, a curly-haired blonde, pouted.

    Loki who''s favorite and current form was, as always, in his adolescent years, made a disappointed click of his tongue.

    " Some you you ladies. How could I, Loki, forget such fine, delicate flowers like yourselves?"

    The girls surrounding him lowered their heads in shame, asking forgiveness for doubting him.

    Loki smiled, his eyes bright as he took used a hand to hold up one of the girl''s head and raising it to meet his gaze.

    "I truly am sad you all had such little faith in me. I think a punishment is in order..." He lowered his head, reaching down to the girl''s face while the others blushed and had their eyes locked on the scene before them. Staring at the girl enviously...

    A loud boom then resounded throughtout the room right as his lips were about to meet the girl''s own...

    Loki, startled, jumped up and summoned his Gungnir, ready for anything.

    ...Then he witnessed who it was that knocked down the door...

    Fenris looked at the entire thing with a coldness that was downright appalling. Looking at her father contemptuously, she spoke.

    " Hou? What do we have here?" She smiled, the expression not meeting her eyes.

    Roland then stood beside her. Knowing what Fenris was thinking of doing, he quickly followed up with a little somethng of his own.

    Fanning the flames.

    "It''s obvious this is some type of crime, is it not? To think that my friend and your father, Loki, would kidnap so many girl and lock them up in this dreary place to play with. And look at the poor things, their red faces, their gazes hazy. Obviously they''ve been drugged. I''m ashamed to say it took this long for me to realize this man''s true colors..."

    He shook his head, sighing sadly.

    Loki stared, not quite knowing what they were talking about at first. Then he knew he was being set up.

    "...Now hold on just a minute. Don''t you two even dare try to sully my good n--"

    His daughter cut him off. " It really is a shame, isn''t it, that such a vile crimial would continue walking the streets?"

    "Quite so. I think a purging is in order, don''t you?"

    "My thoughts exactly, boss. I sure do not wish to be known for having shared blood with a beast like him. We owe it to all the women he''s ruined to make him...disappear."

    Loki felt deeply wronged by their words, making him out to be some sort of--of sexual deviant!

    Meanwhile, the girls were too stunned by the sudden intrusion and odd discusssion that they were silent all throughtout.

    "Yes, that''s for the best. We need to bring the poor women some justice." He cast a sympathetic gaze to the girls inside the room.

    "Let''s get started then, shall we?"

    "After you, my dear."

    "Thanks boss."She smiled at him, this one much warmer than the one before by several magnitudes.

    "Don''t mention it." He nodded easily, as if they were old pals.

    "...."

    Loki tried to teleport out while they were bantering.

    He couldn''t

    ...Fuck.

 Chapter fifty-six

    AN: First off: This chapter will be put into parts because im very tired and want to sleeep, so i cut off at what i think an appropriate place and will make the rest of the chapter tomorrow or after i get a few hours of sleep. hope you understand. Actually i wanted to sleep first and then finish the chapter but thought " oh hell, i kept them waiting long enough. I don;t want to make that another 9 hours, knowing how long i can sleep. Might as well release it now, no harm done in any case."

    Short announcement: I will merge the parts together. And im thinking of merging the parts of all the previous chapters that are divided into parts. Just to make things a bit neater, i guess. I don''t know. I feel it would look better to just merge the content into one then delete the useless threads i dont need anymore. Oh, and im changing my dividing lines into " ***" because i think they look better.

    And I know this is very, very late. I dont have any real excuse, but it''s not because i''ve been lazy. First off, i have several things i wanted to do in the story while they are travelling. But i dont know if i can work it all that well into the story. I''ll try, but it might end up being poorly exectuted and i hate that.

    So, for the first few days i have been agonizing over what to put in the chapter. I  eventually, after like three days, decided to make it simpler than what i had in mind. But the thing is that when i began writing in earnest something weird kept happening. I dont know if anyone else has had this problem, but for some reason sometimes i would look at my saved drafts and it would say that i dont HAVE any saved drafts. Which is very odd since i usually have a few at least.

    Just drafts of past chapters theat didn;t make the cut and i left alone. Please note that i usually some to this website and write using a web browser on my ps4. So maybe that has something to do with it, but this had never happened before. Thankfully i discovered (after a bout of serious depression as i thought i might have to write everything again) that my saved drafts would come back after a few hours.

    So, not too big a deal but it did slow me down a bit too. Anyway, i re-wrote this a lot and the chapter is very short.

    ---------------------------------------------------------

    The streets were loud.

    Every second her ears were assaulted by the sounds of life. The small clap of shoes hitting the ground, the boisterious laughter coming from small children or friends, the sound of machines whirring endlessly...Everything was so bright, too.

    And the smell...

    It sickened her. Everything. The sounds, the sights, the smells...

    All so annoying. Loud. It made her head hurt.

    She hadn''t been to many cities. She hated them. The people were the worst. Making so much noise, smelling like they were in need of a good wash. She hated people in general. Being around so many didn''t please her at all.

    When her brother was still with her they lived away from such things. In a small house nestled within an endless forest, by themselves. They would travel, have adventures, but at the end of the day they always returned to that place.

    It was quiet. Comfortable.

    It felt like home.

    The only one where she truly felt safe, at peace.

    Then he left. No. Rather, taken. By her.

    Morrigan''s doing, she now knew.

    Ah...all this noise, all these annoying things...she wanted them to stop. Why couldn''t she just kill them?

    But, no. That would be  "bad".

    Right?

    She thought it would be. She wasn''t sure. None of these people tried to attack her, so she had no reason to kill. She felt the familiar itch to take a life. Lives. But she smothered it.

    It wasn''t easy. Laborous, even. Tiring.

    Yes. That was right. She shouldn''t kill without reason. At least that was her current way of doing things. But maybe living like that served no purpose at this point. She killed so many by now that even ten large planets would not--could not--hold all the lives she had cut short. The exact number was unknowable.

    But she still thought that letting these people live had some sort of merit. Even if she herself couldn''t see what it was.

    At the very least she didn''t want her hands to be stained with more blood than need be.

    After all, she wasn''t some monster. Not anymore. No matter what anyone said. Because they didn''t matter to her. Their opinions, their scorn, were meaningless. Only one person had the right to judge her. Who''s thoughts mattered to her. But not them, not theirs. She wouldn''t listen to them.

    That''s rght. She was different now.

    ...She hoped she was.

    Otherwise how could she face him again?

    That brother who was taken from her.

    ****

    Gehenna woke up a long time ago in a dark, seemingly secluded part of a city, wondering where she was. She had ever been in a place such as this, had no idea where this place was located. But it reeked of Apollo.

    She had known that it was her long-time companion who brought her here. Wherever "here" was.

    But it didn''t answer her questions.

    It never did.

    It used to talk to him, she knew. Her brother. This sword was, after all, a weapon that was forged from his bone, heated by the flames of his soul and cooled in his lifeblood. In many ways, a manifestation of his very being. It was a part him.  One piece of a whole.

    She loved it.

    It reminded her of him, felt like him. It even protected her. Like he used to.

    But it never spoke to her. Not once. Never.

    She hated it.

    ...It''s silence felt like a rejection from him...

    Still, talking to it comforted her. After realizing her questions were meaningless to it she departed from her current surroundings.

    She manifested a long, black cloak with a hood to cover her face. But that was not all. She also hid her presence. If she didn''t want to be seen then it would be difficult for those of a low level of strength to notice her at all.

    Her companion hid itself too, shrinking itself into a necklace with a black sword hanging on it while erasing any sign of it''s existence to outside eyes.

    It was then that she began to wander the area.

    Only a few hours went by, the entire city long since turning on it''s nightlife in all it''s glory, when  under the strong urging of her companion found herself floating in front of a rather luxurious-looking hotel.

    ****

    "So, how far are we until we reach Sol''s place?"

    Roland sat in front of a kneeling Loki. The other women Loki had with him also kneeled, of course. To Roland''s side stood Fenris with her arms folded and sending glares at her father--along with the women.

    Loki, despite his current position, still gave off an air of friviolity somehow. As to be expected of Loki, Roland supposed.

    "Hmm...at the current speed...maybe a few days?" Loki shrugged. " Won''t be long, this thing''s pertty fast. Though she could get there much faster if I was behind the wheel. But we don''t really have any need to rush things. Even if we wanted to, though, we couldn''t. I know you brought back Apollo. Hmph. Damn bastards. Shoulda just let me humiliate him a bit, show that brat what for!"

    He let out a cold breath through his nostrils, his eyes blazing.

    "...I don''t even want to know what sick thing you had planned for him. But that aside...a few days?  Alright. I have''t sensed any changes with the boys or the girls so their curses should be inactive still. Which means I don''t have to rush things.  By the way, have you got anywhere with that bead?"

    "Huh?...Ah, yeah." He hesitated.

    "What is it?"

    "...Nothing, it''s just..."

    "Yes? Out with it."

    Loki stayed quiet for a second. "...Well, it seemed my initial impression about the thing was wrong."

    "Meaning?"

    "Meaning that I''m not certain exactly what''s inside that bead. You saw it. Something''s in there. Something that almost seems alive. And I don''t know if we should let it out."

    Fenris looked at him and laughed. "What, scared? You?"

    Loki glanced at her. "No, your dear old man doesn''t scared so easily. But I''m not a fool. We really don''t know anything about the curses, who placed them, what that bead might be or anything else about the situation. Also, Roland, you know this is all very strange, don''t you? The curses the boys have, given their nature, should have activated by now to some degree or another."

    Roland nodded, agreeing.

    The curse the boys had would rack their bodies with Soul Flames. Saren''s would boil his blood while Jame''s would freeze his bones to their core. It was worse than it sounded, too. One simply cannot imagine the pain they would be faced with. Roland would ake the pain upon himself if need be, as he always intended...But honestly speaking he thought the cures they had were straightforward and would activate sooner than now.

    Yet they remained completely dormant...How curious

    "...Welp. That''s all imma say about that. Take my advice: Wait until we reach Sol''s place before you do anything. I know you wanted to help the boys and girls get stronger because you have nothing better to do with you time...but really, any action you make regarding them can cause some unexpected bullshit that will probably just be annoying to deal with. So just go and play with that wife of yours in the meantime instead."

    Loki made sure to stress the word "wife" and looked at his daughter pointedly.

    She stared back blankly, not catching his meaning.

    Roland rolled his eyes as he noticed the look Loki sent his daughter.

    Really, that guy...

    He could only shake his head at the man.

    " Yes, well, you input is appreciated."  He said coolly.  " Waiting until we get to Sol is a pretty good idea, really. I''m sure that if he studies the four a bit he could gleam some sort of insight."

    That guy really was one of the most knowledgable people Roland knew. He surpassed Athena and Thoth, even.

    ...Okay, maybe not more than Thoth. Though he certainly wouldn''t lose to him. Solomon was one of those people who you were never sure were truly a genius or simply a madman.

    In his case, Sol was both. A genius madman through and through. For various reasons.

    For example, the time Sol built a bomb he said was capable of destroying three planets because he wanted to know how cool of an explosion something like that would make.

    Or the time he invented giant humanoid robots for himself and Loki so they could have a fight like how they saw on some animated show.,,Although it had, in truth, turned out to be a pretty entertaining battle.

    Thinking back, Sol was prone to creating some pretty amazing things for completely inane reasons. And those didn''t even take into account all the things he had done with the use of magic. He was always up to something.

    " So we just sit back and enjoy our free time, huh. Oh...about the students, how are they?"

    "Good enough? I don''t know. Why''re you asking me?"

    "...Wait, don''t tell me you just left Abigail to manage them alone?"

    "Pretty much, yeah. She does that most of the time anyway. Besides, she has the rest of the staff with her too. She can handle it."

    Fenris spoke up. " See how he is? No responsibility at all. Completely worthless."

    Her words elicited some discontent among the other women present but they were silenced by a glare.  Roland could practically see the sweat build on their foreheads as they stiffened and shifted their eyes, unable to withstand Fenris'' look.

    Loki expressed heartache. " Ah, my good daughter, why have you become so cold to me? This is his fault isn''t it? Turning you against your old man like  this, how cruel!"

    Roland was the one in question, obviously.

    " Now that''s really too much of a stretch, isn''t it?"

    "Indeed. Pervy old man, what my good friend here said is true. How could he be the cause of my disgust for you? You reap what you sow, you know? Don''t try to pass blame upon others."

    "Since when did you two become friends?"

    "Are we friends?" Roland also asked.

    "You''re a cold one, boss, asking something like that. But of course we are. I''m, like, Grace''s bestie. Which means I have to be friends with you."

    " Don''t push yourself. This is all really going too fast, Let''s start as mild acquaintances and work our way up, alright?"

    " How mean. I really thought we could have had something special here, you know? I''m hurt, truly I am."

    Loki watched the bantering between the man and woman with a peculiar expression where the corner of his left eye slightly twitched.

    Those two...This whole back and forth they did...It was disgusting. An abomination. They hadn''t known each other long at all and yet they were pretty at ease when talking to one another. It was ridiculous. Dammit, this man, did he have to rub it in his face like this?!

    "Both of you shut up. I''m getting a headache. Are you done? Anything else to discuss? If not, please leave. I don''t want to look at this anymore. Go. Just...go." He felt like he would be sick. He needed a drink, or a hundred. And a woman. Or ten.

    Fenris turned to Roland. "Are we done, then?"

    "I guess. Not much else to say, really."

    "Good. Being in this vile place any longer wouldn''t be good for my health. Come on, Grace will probably be getting impatient."

    ***

    It was around 45 minutes later when everyone, meaning Roland, Grace, Fenris, Morrigan, the three sisters, James and Saren all gathered in the spacious room back at the hotel.

    When they arrived Morrigan rested on a love seat with Grace''s little new companion lying on her lap while curled into a ball. Charlotte was dozing off on a couch, her little head nestled against Lilith''s arm. As for Reina...she seemed considerably calmer than she had previously until she spotted Roland and company walk in.

    As soon as she saw him she coughed lightly twice, appeared to remember something, blushed, then narrowed her eyes while muttering something low and hushed that even Roland''s sharp ears failed to pick it up.

    Currently Grace and Charlotte were being taught some type of game by Fenris while the rest of them sat down. The boys soon stood up and announced that they were going to their own rooms, not comfortable with the weird ttension they felt in the room. They weren''t sure exactly where it came from.

    Probably from the strange behaviour they noticed by Reina and the glances towards Roland or Morrigan she stole on occasion. Or perhaps the cold aloofness the death goddess showed upon her face. Whatever it was, they really wanted no part in it.

    But when they reached the door, opening it... a figure rushed inside at a absurd pace and crashed into them!

    The two crashed onto the carpeted floors with great force.

    "...Hm?"

    A femine voice reached their ears.

    "...Twins? Hah. A pair of strapping young''uns, eh? A bit too young, though, from the looks of it. Too bad, you''re not exactly all that ripe yet. Oh well. Thanks for breaking the fall, kids. Come, take my card. Call me in about four or five years."

    James and Saren, still reeling form their heads knocking against the floor, were too out of sorts to understand the strange string of words the voice let out.

    "Mother!" Fenris stopped what she was doing and turned a sharp-eyed glare towards the newcomer. Her hair seemed to stick out slightly like the raised hackles of a wolf.

    "Yo, daughter." Mercury got up off the brothers and made a big grin. " Thought you got rid of me, huh? If anything you probably would have expected your father to come bustling in, but it was me, Mercury!" She laughed hartily and used a thumb to point to herself. "Also, in case you''re wondering, it''s not all too hard to track you down. The nose knows, my dear. And I have an excellent one.

    "Hello, Mercury." Roland, unruffled by the sudden appearance of eccentric and lewd goddess, leaned back in his seat and casually welcomed her.

    The woman''s eyes turned to him, her smile widening. " Ah, Roland?  Looking delectable as the day we first met, I see." Which wasn''t even three days before now. " If I was a bolder woman who cared not for the various things getting in the way of our union I would jump you right now. But i''m not a homewrecker, sadly.  But that aside...what''s this?" She took a quick sniff. " Oh-ho, I recognize this scent! So, been busy, have you? With Morrigan, I assume? Or was it perhaps one of the other fine young ladies I see?

    Lilith knew she was referring to her and Reina. So she raked a indignant stare towards the woman, feeling deeply offended.

    "...Wait, no, it''s Morrigan. I can smell it. Weird, I was sure she was too much of a prude to ever get herself laid...Then again she is your wifey. And the mother of your kid. So I suppose even she can get all hot and bothered. Ah, and the Voyeur Girl is here too! Didn''t notice her. Looks a bit pale. She alright?"

    Reina, hearing her, reacted differently from how her sister did when she was the one in question. Reina could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, thoroughly shamed.

    It was because she couldn''t deny the woman''s words, not at all!

    Because, as she was, she was the ultimate voyeur. Knowing this, she wanted to bury her head in the ground.

    The woman talked fast and without much pause in her sentences. Even Roland''s polite smile became strained when he heard the woman''s barrage of words.

    Morrigan joined Fenris in her glaring. "Mercury, watch that vile tongue of yours unless you want it removed. We have two children here that don''t need your filthy words to contaminate their ears. Also, careful who''s husband you dare to make passes at. I would rather not have to clean you out from under my fingernails. Remember, what''s mine is mine and anyone that tries to say otherwise will be subject to an early grave."

    Mercury blinked. "...Woah. That escalated quickly. Damn. Chick went full-on yandere..." She thought aloud. " Note to self: Try not to piss off the possessive death goddess. Or, barring that, hide behind the husband in hopes of a rescue. "

    " Mercury, would you be so kind as to get off the boys now?" Roland inquired. They stiffened up as soon as they heard Mercury''s name. Understandable, though. Despite being a bit amused by their reactions he felt it was time to let them up.

    "What?" She brought herself back to the matter at hand. "Oh, yeah. Sure thing, sweet cheeks." She rose magnanimously, even going so far as to help the boys up off the floor with a wave of her hand. The two felt their bodies lifted by an invisible force and then drop them on their feet.

    The boy didn''t take kindly to having their bodies played with by something they couldn''t see. Made them uncomfortable. At any other time they might have snapped at the woman. But they felt it wouldn''t end well for them if they pissed her off.

    They weren''t deaf, they heard the woman''s name.

    Honestly, how the hell did they get involved with people like her? Then had such a uneventful life before now...Or not. But the things they faced were mainly bandits of a weaker magical beast.

    "Thanks."

    "Thank you..."

    Saren and James muttered the words, looking quickly at the scene in front of them, then decided to make their exit once more. They thought that with the appearance of someone who appeared as...unconventional...as Lady Mercury things were bound to get "interesting". Which didn''t appeal to them at all.

    Grace and Roland made a small wave of good-bye to them as they left, the others in the room focusing on Mercury.

    "What the hell are you doing here?" Fenris asked, on guard and ready to flee.

    "Oh, nothing important. Aries sent me. For you." She pointed at Roland.

    "Me?" He asked. "What does he want?"

    "It''s not a big deal, really. It''s just that he accidentally sparked a all-out war between two  nations."

    "...Wait, what?"

    "Oh, don''t blame him too harshly. One army was already placing a rather large and important-looking city under siege."

    ***

    When Aries descended onto the city shortly after that little incident aboard The Delphi to have some fun, little did he expect that not long after his arrival he would witness the scene before him.

    To elaborate just a bit, it was the scene that would cause most to avert their gaze. Those sort of people would mind their own business and walk on. Scum that they are.

    He was talking, of course, about the ten or so dirty and black-clothed men who had a woman--along with her young daughter--pushed onto the ground.

    They probably dragged them here, he knew. This part of the city was a bit aways from the hustle and bustle of the city''s nightlife which Aries had previously intended to enjoy. Not many buildings around, and the ones here were not exactly habitable for any but those who didn;t have another option.

    The seven men were dirty, but not some common rabble. They seemed trained. Not your usual thugs, that much was sure. The two damsels in distress didn''t seem normal either. Their clothes were elaborate and seemed of high quality. The young girl couldn''t have been more that 14 or maybe 15 from the looks of it, her long brown hair a light caramel. Unlike the older woman''s  dark blonde.

    Their faces were similar, though, which is why he assumed them mother and daughter. Maybe they weren''t but he didn''t know so he would stick with that for now.

    Ah..getting back to the events unfolding, the men had leering looks that would really make a person''s skin crawl.  Not Aries'', but that was the general inpression they gave.

    The man holding down the older woman was speaking.

    " ...Fuck that. Don''t give me that bullshit. After all the damn trouble we went through catching them we deserve a goddamn bonus. I say we take them both, let these high-born sluts get a taste of what it''s like having to live under the thumb of someone for once in their privledged lives."

    He took out a knife and cut at the woman''s dress, eliciting a muffled sob from the daughter as she witnesses what was happening. The mother also seemed even more terrified, a desperate look in her eye mixed with absolute dread.

    She appeared to choke back her tears though. Aries knew why. Didn''t do to let out a cry when your daughter is watching. Had the girl not been here, he was fairly sure the woman would have broken down in tears by now.

    He was slightly impressed she held it together so far for her daughter''s sake.

    "Fine, do what you want." The tallest one standing next to the first man said. " Just don''t kill them. Our employers need them alive. The woman''s brother won''t open the gates for a corpse. That wily old fox, he must truly be giving those self-righteous pricks a headache... and not the good kind."

    Another man spoke up. "Sir, I would advice against this. When the Rossenheim forces learn what happened to these two, they won''t let us live. Even if they''re the ones placing the city under siege the two who''re leading the army are not the kind of men that let things like this go unpunished."

    "If you don''t have the stomache for it, go take watch instead." The first speaker spat out. "Make yourself useful."

    He was ignored. The apparent leader replied, " By then we''ll already be long gone. We''re just the ones who drops them off. We can drug them and hand them over to the carriers to sneak them out. By the time the Rossenheim army''s leaders know what we did we would already be well on our way to somewhere far out of their reach. Besides, quality mechandise like them don''t come along very often, why shouldn''t we have a bit of fun after all the shit their government has done? Of have you fogotten what they did to that brother of yours? You can''t tell me you don''t want some payback."

    The rest of the conversation went along those lines. Not long after, the men had their captives clothes in shreds. The leader cast a look towards the girl, telling the others that she was his.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Aries was watching all this very passively. Or at least that''s what it would seem like to others.

    Inwardly, he was furious. He could stand many thing, but rape wasn''t one of them. It never was. There could be many several reasons one might steal from another, or kill another. But there was truly never a reason for rape. None whatsoever. It was cruelty, nothing more. No reason or logic behind it, merely a venting of one''s lust upon an unwilling victim.

    In his mind, there was probably no greater sin than rape. He felt like it was idiotic that someone would even think of doing that, too. Masturbation must be a foreign concept to the sick fucks who commit rape. Masturbating wasn''t as good, but shit, it got the job done well enough.

    " Don''t cry, girl. A blue blood bitch like you can''t be acting all innocent after what your kind has done to others. Think of this as a result of all the bad karma your ancestors have built up over the years. Now come on, shut that whore mouth of yours. I bet you play with yourself every night, huh? Dirty bitch. Hah, I''ll also even bet that you''ll enjoy this. I wish that daddy of yours was here to see his precious daughter and sister lose themselves while getting fucked by strangers."

    The leader of the group let out a strong of harsh words that were rather unlike his previously calm and cold attitude. He seemed to get more crass with every passing second.

    When he reached a hand to tear off the dress of the young, sobbing girl, it was time for Aries to snap out of his thoughts and step in.

    He had no need for any weapon. He was one. Before the leader had been able to touch another hair on the girl''s hair, Aries pried him off of her as if the large man were a mere kitten.

    She crumpled to the ground, her face seemed to show relief and confusion at the same time. Or maybe it was more of a stunned look rather than a confused one. Either way.

    Aries applied a very slight pressure and the man''s neck made a oh-so-satisfying crunch sound as his neck were crushed.

    He casually tossed the corpse to the floor while the other men only just realized that an intruder had slipped past and killed one of them.

    "Fuck, who''s that?  He killed boss!"

    " He looks familiar..."

    "Doesn''t matter, murder the bastard!"

    "Shit, and we were just getting to the fun part...!"

    Chaos ensued. They all took out their weapons, an assortment of daggers and short swords, ready to charge him.

    The first man who spoke didn''t bother, leaving his companions to deal with the newcomer while he held down the woman to keep her from running.

    Aries made short work of them, however, despite the man''s apparent confidence in the men''s ability. He seemed to think that numbers mattered, that perhaps the first strike from Aries towards their boss was some sort of lucky shot resulting from a surprise attack.

    But that was wrong.

    As the men came of him, Aries didn''t dodge the weapons at all. When a swords came at him, he punched through it, shattering the blade, and sinking his fist into the skull of the attacker. Blood went everywhere.

    Then he used another hand to tear the heart from a knife-wielding assailant. The next one was backhanded so hard that he flew several feet away with every bone in his face reduced to little more than thousands of tiny shards. Another man had his arms torn off as easily as one would tear a leaf from a twig.

    Several others met similar fates. In fact, he didn''t even bother to touch one of them, merely releasing a small fragment of his power. The sheer force of which was enough to completely destroy every bone, organ and muscle in the man''s body. Basically he became a puddle of flesh.

    The one of the men had any time to even become aware of what happened to them. Aries was so fast that this one-sided massacre was but a very short few seconds. Almost no time passed between one man''s death and another''s.

    Weak, much too weak. You didn''t even have the qualifications to lick my shoes. What complete wastes of space.

    Finally, the last man who held onto the older woman stared at him with horror. Aries smelt a peculiar scent. Like asparagus mixed with amonia to leave you with a foul-smelling, musty odor.

    The man had pissed himself. Judging from that unpleasant other putrid stench that had just wormed it''s way up his nose he knew the man likely shat his pants too.

    Aries glowered at, towering above him with nearly six and a half feet of restrained agression. He knew that his height coupled with that scar on his chin must have made him look like the worst sort of thug right now, but it didn''t matter. His fiery red eyes, like scarlet flames, probably didn''t help.

    The man coward in front of him, causeing Aries to smile wickedly. " You know, I hear that there''s a special place in the other world for people like you. I hope you''ll enjoy the endless days of ass-rape by lustful beast with perpetual hard-ons and a penchant for gangbangs. Who knows, maybe you''ll even meet those little friends of yours."

    He really hoped this was the case. Unless Hades was pulling this shit out of his ass, it should be. A bit of punishment for people like this before sending them onto the next life would only be fair, right? He hoped this man and his pals became cockroachs.

    Without another word, he hurled a crimson flame at the man. Then did the same for the others . He didn;t want them polluting the ground with their filthy carcasses.

    Aries felt he was being very merciful towards them. If it were Roland here instead he knew that closet sadist would have tortured them. Make them really squeal. Luckily for them that Aries was a truly kind and caring individual. A paragon of goodness who would never result to such things. Indeed.

    Great. Now i got blood on me. Really, not just useless, but troublesome as well. Can''t even die without causing someone a few  annoyances.

    This was the final thought that he spared them. In fact, they ceased to exist in his mind from that point on. They were that worthless to him.

    The only thing he found irksome was the blood that covered him. Other than that he appeared worry-free.

    Aries looked at the two women. They blinked several times, trying to understand what just happened. One moment they were about tto face a fate worse than death, and the next they were on the ground with blots of deep red upon their clothes and the metallic scent of blood clogging their nostrils. Even the carnage from moments ago was gone, causing them to feel as if they had lost their minds.

    Aries could clearly hear their hearts pounding erratically in their chests.

    He used his hands to help the mother and daughter to stand. They seemed very out of sorts, allowing themselves to rise simply because they had no idea what else to do or how to handle whatever it was that was going on.

    They stared at Aries, lost.

    "...T-thank...you..." The girl choked out, the words small and full of some strange emotion he wasn''t sure he could pinpoint.  The woman, hearing her, blinked once more and also offered a belated thanks.

    "No problem, my lovely ladies." He smiled, trying to put them at ease. Which actually had the opposite effect, judging from the widening of their eyes and hitched breathing. Undaunted, he went on. " So. Care to point out the nearest restaurant? I''m famished."

    The two women''s minds seemed to go blank.

    ***

    "I can''t thank you enough, Lord Aries." A older male with a mane of salt-and-pepper hair spoke courteously.

    Tall and robust, the leader of the city Aries was currently staying at seemed very healthy despite his apparent age. What was his actual title? Senechal? No, can a senechal govern an entire city?

    Aries didn''t know. He didn''t care much either.

    He nodded to the man, taking a bite of the delectable pork chop in front of him. It was like it meltedin his mouth, sending all kinds f deliciousness to his tongue and filling him with satisfaction. It was a bit spicy, but had a sweet aftertaste. Coated with some sort of honey-based glaze that was both tangy and sweet, it made him salivate just from smelling it.

    There was other things too. Mashed potatoes, scallops, crunchy biscuits slathered with butter, chicken soup and rice...all of it was absolutely divine. So good that it was downright sinful.

    This had to be one of the best meals he had eated in a while...

    He cut a glance to the chef stationed to the far left of him, a rather comely-looking woman who was just slightly showing signs of plumpness. Though not exactly in a bad way.

    This was a woman after his own heart. How the hell did she know his weakness was he stomach? This woman, she was truly formidable! Honeslty, what drug did the woman lace this with? Cause she had to have done that, otheriwise how could these things be so damn addicting?

    Hell, he wouldn''t mind even marrying the woman if it meant he would be able to have a meal like this everyday...

    Having been pulled into his own thoughts, his ears suddenly latched onto a certain string of words by the man that had until just now been like white noise to Aries.

    "...Anything you want, you need only ask." He spoke very agreeably.

    Aries was intrigued, seeing an opportunity. "Anything?" He raised a brow, smiling a bit.

    The man--whose name he either hadn''t learned yet or didn''t care enough to remember--hesitated for a fraction of a second.

    "Indeed, my Lord. Anything you wish." His tone went a tad more mild. He had a seret fear the infamously liscentious god would ask for his daughter. Not as if he would be capable of rejecting the man if he did ask...

    Aries immediately jerked his thumb towards the chef woman. " I want her."

    The woman in question blinked in surprised, looking to her sides with her eyes to see if there were someone else beside her.

    "M-me?" She pointed to herself, quietly letting out a question that he wasn''t sure was entirely inentional.

    "her?" The man''s voice seemed incredulous.

    Aries nodded easily. He turned to the woman. "Hey, woman, what''s you name?"

    "Maris, my Lord Aries." She bowed her head respectfully.

    "Huh. I''ll have to remember that. Welp, your mine now. Hey, old ma--ah...no.  Sorry, your name?"

    "Dakrin, my Lord. Dakrin Marr."

    "Right, Drake. Have someone pack her things. In the morning I''ll come fetch her." He started commanding the man as if it were only natural that he would obey.  Then he once more addressed the chef, Maris. " I''m traveling with some friends for now, but eventually i''ll head back to my temple. Probably. Whenever I feel like it, really. Oh, but anyway, tell me something. What else can you cook?"

    And so began a lengthy discussion between the two. Aries wasn''t all too overbearing like Apollo could be, or like that Thor, but he didn''t have much reservations with ordering about mortals.

    The boys, Saren and James, and the two girls Lilith and Reina, were different since they were under Roland''s care. So they got special treatment.

    As for Maris and this Drake person, Aries treated them different because to him they were on equal standing despite whatever their social statuses may have been prior to his meeting them. He had no afiliation with the man, so he didn;t care for him. But Maris interested him, and so he treated her a bit better.

    And she was pretty.

    So that automatically made her superior to the older, somewhat annoying Drake. They were both like ants comparaed to him, but he liked this Maris girl. Pretty and a talented cook to boot. Much more welcoming to the eyes than this man before him.

    As he talked with the girl, Dakrin felt a twinge of hate. He could understand why a person of Lord Aries'' standing would not give him much thought, but to be put on a level below that of even a servant...

    Unseen by all those present, for a fraction of a second the man''s eye flashed a deep crimson...

    It was sometime later that two familiar people, now looking very refreshed and more in control of themselves,  entered the room. It was the pair he saved earlier.

    It probably went without saying but currently Aries was a guest in the manor where the leader of the city and his family resided. Specifically, the dining room. Complete with a long table and an assortment of foods placed on many plates and bowls of varying sizes.

    Obviously he had been brought here by the two women before him. Or, well, kind of.  It was more like he just tagged along.

    When the two had been kidnapped by the group of mercenaries--Aries wasn''t sure they were mercenaries but they were obviously a bit skilled. Most likely they were a small group that specialized in this type of assignment. Lacking a better word for them, he opted to call them mercs for the moment--the entire city guard had been thrown into a flurry of movement in which all availabe personnel had been rallied in search of the two.

    As he followed the two women only ten minutes had passed before they were surrounded by guards who all glowered suspiciously at Aries. Which stopped instantly when they were berrated by the two. Probably because they though he would kill them if they hadn''t stepped in, probably.

    Putting that aside for a bit, he knew that as close as the guards were to them that they would have found the women given a bit more time and at least chase away the group of hired swords. Though by then the girls would have already been defiled. He felt good about that.

    Not the part of them being raped, but by the fact that his effort wasn''t wasted. He would have saved them either way but if his part wasn''t needed then he would have felt slightly discontent since he would have wasted time on something when he didn''t need to.

    Anyway, getting back to the topic... long story short, he was taken to their home and was instantly recognized by the lord of the city.

    To explain why the guards didn;t recognize him...Well, to put it this...Think about it as if he were a politician or something. Most folk wouldn''t know him because he were not a part of their personal life like a co-worker or friend would be. He might be important and his choices might affect how they live but generaly people wouldn''t pay any attention to him. It would be more likely that he would be recognized by someone higher up. Plebs like the guards or those mercs might find him familiar but they wouldn''t think much of it under normal circumstances.

    Sure, his face was pretty well known.  But it wasn''t to the extent of Morrigan or Thor where one was a supremely beautiful woman and the ther was an attention whore who thrived on people''s admiration and worship. Since this place was like a vacation spot for gods they would sometimes make appearances. But Aries? No, hardly ever. Ad to that all these varing pictures of him that were only vaguely bearing a resemblance to him and things got alot more complicated.

    If he was a beauty like Morrigan or Fenris then people would know him, of that he was certain.

    And only the core members of a Pantheon would even be known to the residents of a planet anyway. The countless other mortal-turned-god or demigods were generally left nameless to them.

    Plus, who would expect a god of Aries'' power and influence to come down to a planet like this, a city like this? Most people would write him off as someone who just looked like him. That is, if they didn''t notice the aura of violence and overwhelming force his body usually exuded.

    As he was idly having such thought, a feminine voice reached his ears. Lyrical, soft.

    "Thank you, Lord Aries, for saving us." The older woman bowed low and spoke her thanks.

    "Yes. Thank you, my Lord. Were it not for you..." The younger one''s eyes misted up slightly, trailing off. Her response must have seemed too informal or something because the woman and Drake stiffened slightly.

    He waved them off. "Sure, don;t mention it. But I advise you to learn how to fight in case shit like that ever happens again. Also...Remember, always go for the cock first, it''s a man''s greatest weakness. If it''s a woman, cunt-punt the bitch. Or get a jab into the armpit. A weak point that spans both genders, that.  You know, I think I have a pretty good training manual somewhere..."

    He snapped his fingers and conjured a small, unassuming booklet. " Eh, you seem pretty weak so take this. It''ll teach you how to use lighter weapons like knives and such. And help you do some muscle training. You seem like you could use it..." The girl was slender and her arms looked a bit squishy.

    He threw the booklet at her casually, the faces of the others present showing startlement and other such expressions.

    The girl caught it quickly in a panic, holding it rather awkwardly as she looked towards her father and aunt. Making a hasty reply, she said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Lord Aries." A perfect bow was issued.

    "Hm." He gave a small grunt of acknowledgement. "So, Maris, as I was saying..." He went back to talking to the chef girl.

    The contents of the booklet, if followed strictly and with dedication, would give one some good results. Roland might be a bit annoyed Aries gave someone a manual, if he were here. He didn;t like leaving a person to their own devices when they had no foundation at all to build up form, like how it was with the girl.

    Still, the booklet didn''t pose any danger to her, Aries knew.

    He didn''t think any more of it.

    But he suddenly had a thought.

    " Hey, Drake. So what''s with the army parked outside?"

    He had noticed it on the way down but it didn''t catch his interest until the mercs or whatever they were had mantioned a siege going on.

    The man frowned severely. "It''s because of those curs, Kallen and Decher."

    Aries stared at him. " Yes, go on. Keep in mind I have no fucking idea who those guys are. Please, do elaborate."

    Drake let out a cough. "Yes, sorry my Lord.  Ahem. " He cleared his throat. " Kallen and Decher are from the Rossenheim Kingdom to the north and the entire nation are servants of Lady Brighid. Lately Rossenheim has been going about conquering lands in her name while forcefully converting all they come across into worshipping her. Now they come knocking at our doors and demand our compliance. The people are scared but we won''t be so easily toppled. Those two ruthless fops, they had to have been behind this attack on my family." His hands shook with rage.

    "Oh?" Aries raised a voice. "Does that bit--ah, I mean, Brighid, know about all of this?"

    She might not.

    "I don''t see how a person such as she would care all too much so i''m guessing not."

    ...Hm. He may have a point. But gods like her and Aries used worshippers as a way to easier manifest in physical form on a certain planet. They could become weaker or stronger than other gods depending on how many followers they had.

    Like Loki. In general his brother Thor is more powerful in terms of raw power, in terms of how much damage he can put out. Here it was different since he was more popular than Thor. Which meant he could display much more of his true power here while Thor would be a bit more restrained.

    Loki would still be able to win against him even if they were on equal footing, however. Loki had too many tricks up his sleeve. That cunning little buggar wouldn''t be put down without at least three Thors. That is, if he fought seriously. Loki was not more powerful than Thor but he was a hell of a lot smarter and wily.

    Which is why Odin, that old thing, always wanted Loki to take over as King when he eventually retired or whatever. Even though Loki was not of his blood, he was still his son. And he was legally his adoptive son. Not to mention the vast influence Loki posessed. Indeed, that guy had a finger in nearly every pie within the igher Planes. And he wasn''t just talking about women. Though that was his favorite sort of dessert.

    Anyway, having more followers could increase a god''s power not just on that planet but also in general. That was what the more powerful gods did.

    At a certain level it was harder to advance in power by one''s own efforts so many chose to passively gain power over time through followers. This was a very unreliable method since if somone suddenly killed off a bunch of a god''s followers they could be weakened severely... but, well, it still has it''s uses.

    Of course, other certain high-ranking gods like Aries and Fenris were already so strong by their own merit that this wouldn''t make too much of a diffference in their overall power.

    And Brighid wasn''t weak by any means so it would be a bit odd if she would really have spared the effort to send the two men to conquer cities in her name.

    " Huh, I see. Well this all really has nothing to do with me. But if I were you, I wouldn''t let this slide. Some arrogant pricks taget people close to me? I''m very territorial, I would hunt the fuckers down and used their intestines to choke the life out of them."

    He actually did that once. Or several times. But those were for different reasons.

    " ...Perhaps...you''re right."

    Aries squinted at the man.

    Wait, did his eyes just...

    "...Yes, something like this can''t be left unpunished. Those villains come to us and expect to force us to change our way of life at the drop of a hat. They hire thugs to kidnap my family. If we sit back and do nothing then eventually they''ll weaken us until we can;t fight back..."

    "Yeah, probably. In a siege like this the defending position isn''t something you want to be in. They''ll starve you. I''m assuming that the food you grow here won;t be enough to last all too long. It seemed to me that there are too many people within these walls and i didn''t see many fields growing food when I descended. Also, your water supply will be gone quicker than you would think. They''ll completely block you in . Even your communication with the outside world will be cut off. Then within a month or two I doubt you and your citizen will have the strngth to defend yourselves. And you know how rape-y soldiers can sometimes get."

    No self-respecting soldier would even think of it, but it happens. The conquered will always be the bitch of the conqueror.

    The women in the room, hearing him, shivered.

    Drake seemed to suddenly have a look of resolution upon his face. He inclined his head in agreement with Aries.

    " Your words are true. The longer we wait the more dangerous it will be. I had planned to negotiate with them,,,But tonight''s events have made it clear that they''re a wild animal that has to be dealt with." The man considered. "Thank you again, Lord Aries. You;ve given me much to think about."

    The man''s sister thought he was going insane. Ws he considering taking action? No, that couldn''t be. The brutes from tonight, may they burn in the deepths of hell, had one job: Deliver them to the people who would smuggle them out of the city ant into the hands of Kallen and Decher so that they could be used as leverge.

    Harming them was something those beasts had thought up on their own. She was still shaken up by that, as what her niece, but neither of them wanted an all-out war if it could be helped.  Could they win against the army outside? She wasn''t sure....

    Hearing all this, Aries suddenly stood up. "Hm, well, thanks for the meal. If you''ll excuse me, I have some things to do. So..." He paused. "...I think i''m just going to go. Maris, I''ll be picking you up later."

    He then quickly left. He was fairly sure that his presence here made the man a bit crazed. He had that affect on people, especially when they were under pressure.

    It wasn''t until the next morning that he found out the man would be launching an assault on the opposing forces. Which would drag not just the two armies into battle, but their respective nations as well.

    If one was being honest then they know it probably would have happened anyway but he did a hell of a job speeding it along.*

    *********

    * Some of you might understand why speeding it along could be bad for those who are in a current defensive position. At least having it so suddenly escalate isn''t good, you see. Especially when you have civilians to think about.

 Chapter fifty-seven

    Author Note: Yes, i know, i blueballed you all. Believe me when i say that none of you is as pissed as i am for that. I''ve had some shit that had to be taken care of. Graduated highschool like a few months ago, i ever tell you? Life fucking sucks and i feel like it''s taking me with my pants down every day. This adult thing aint pretty. But enough of that.

    Because it had been such a long time, and i already have pretty shitty memory, i feel like i forgot stuff. So if you find anything that contradicts any of my previous words, feel free to point them out. For example I recall someone mentioning something about Fenris not being able to talk while in animal form, and he''s right, but i cant see where in that chapter she was talking in that form. Again, not dropping this. Hate starting shit and just leaving it. I dont think i''ll have any long hiatus anymore, but at least i cant see myself canceling this story anytime soon.

    Maybe no one bothers reading this anymore. Got tired of waiting and just went, "fuck it, i quit" . Wouldn''t blame you, i''d do it too. So im really just making this for my sake. If anyone still reads this story, woohoo. But if not, it''s cool, i''ll continue regardless.

    *******************

    The sun was a bright golden orb in the sky by the time Roland arrived.

    In tow was Grace, who simply wanted to spend as much time with her father as she could, and Mercury, who just had nothing better to do and so decided to tag along for the hell of it.

    A great battle was raging across a large plain, the air thick with the metallic, coppery scent of blood.

    Roland looked at Aries, who was also hovering above it all.

    "Explain." He said pointedly.

    "I came, saved some beauties, got the leader of that city worked up a bit, and he started this shit later on."

    Only the bare minimum was said.

    "Who''re the ones fighting?"

    "Who knows? I didn''t pay attention. But see those two silver-clad bastards? I''m pretty sure that they''re the enemy of the city down there, the leaders of the opposing army. Ah, it seems like they''re going about conquering lands in the name of Brighid."

    "Brighid?" Roland raised a brow.

    Mercury groaned. "Please tell me that bitch isn''t on the planet too." Mercury never got the full details of what happened, she just ran across Aries when she was sneaking out of the ship for some fun earlier. He then asked her to fetch Roland, wo which she agreed after some urging, though she didn''t know why he didn''t simply call him.

    Maybe because he thought the man would only come if asked directly by someone.

    As for himself, he waited for them at this spot, a bottle of spirits in hand as he munched on a sandwhich. It annoyed her watching the guy just laze about when as he asked her for a small favor, but as magnanimous as she was, she ignored it.

    That aside, back to the topic at hand, Mercury disliked the power-hungry woman. Or, actually, it could just be called an irritation in response to the woman''s stuck-up nature. In reality it was Brighid who hated her. Not really the other way around. They had a lukewarm relationship at best, if it had to be said.

    "No, probably not." Aries answered. "And, well, to be fair I doubt she would actually tell them to pull shit like this. I think they''re acting by themselves." He said dismissively. "Anyway, so, what do you wanna do?"

    "Obviously we have to stop them. Anyone infected by your unique and damn troublesome energies will only grow worse as time goes on, and may even affect others if left unchecked."

    Some people of the Lower Planes were more easily susceptible to Aries'' aura of violence, especially if they were in positions of power and in the midst of a siege or other war-like event that made one more stressed out than usual.

    Roland also knew the only reason Aries called him here was because he himself didn''t especially care about there being a war, but understood that Roland might sense some of his energies running rampant. Since Roland was fairly good at sensing things, it was a possibility.

    So thinking that Roland would notice and be mad with him at accidentally starting a war because he came down to have some fun...

    Aries likely thought it better to just ask what, if anything, Roland wanted to do about it.

    And Roland did want to stop it. Why? Because this particular war was an indirect result of Aries, and one of the people involved was infected by his divine energy. Meaning that in the worst-case scenario, that infection would spread until this entire world became a war-torn husk of it''s former self.

    This is part of why Aries was never well-recieved by his kind. The man was the cause of not a few conflicts that wouldn''t have even happened if not for his presence.

    As for this instance, maybe the other gods would protect the planet, maybe not. Who knew. Roland understood that as a God of War, Aries cared little for whatever might happen to those involved. But Roland couldn''t, in good conscience, let that worst-case scenario even potentially play out.

    People of this world should not have to suffer due to Aries'' carelessness.

    As for himself, the only reason Roland likes to step in and stop a war is for self-satisfaction since he hates the things people do during wars. They were unsightly to his eyes, so he would stop them if he saw them happen in front of him.

    Because Aries didn''t care, but he did, Roland had to stop wars several times before now due to Aries starting something. But he couldn''t blamed, really, since what else could you expect from a guy like that?**

    Roland felt like a maid. Always cleaning up people''s messes. Or, more specifically, the messes of his friends. Though now that seemed to extend to those kids too since he decided to help them out. Ah, whatever, it''s not like it was something he couldn''t refuse to do.

    " Daddy, are we going to fight?" Grace was smiling. Fighting was something she was good at. She wanted to show off how strong she was...

    Perhaps if was selfish, but she wanted to be praised by her father...

    "No." Her face fell at the words. "Something like this can''t be considered a fight. We''re here to break this up, not add to it. Alright. let''s go, then."

    "Where?" Aries started to follow.

    Mercury answered for him, speaking like he was an idiot. "Do you really have to ask?"

    **********

    "Little slut, acting better than me simply because you''re going to be Lord Aries'' new toy! We''ll see how much he favors you after I ruin that whore face of yours!"

    Davron screamed at the top of his lungs while two scared-looking women cowered next to him.

    Another woman, with a bag at her side, was struck down onto the floor by the man with a flick of his wrist. She felt pain blossoming on her cheek, knowing that this was just a teaser for the real torment to come...

    She prepared herself for the worst, not saying or doing anything that may set him off any more.

    He glared at the two behind him. " And you two! Daring to try telling me what to do, iny my own city! I should tear the flesh from your bone! Just watch how I deal with you!"

    He was foaming at the mouth, his eyes flashing red every now and then as he rampaged.

    A heavy, oppressive aura surrouned him that was going wild, lashing out at everything in his path. The walls cracked with the force of his power. He looked menacing, a terrible look upon his red face

    "You can try something, if you''d like, but then I''d be forced to step in. Tell me, how would you feel about having your bones ripped from your body? Because that''s likely what will happen if you tried hurting someone in front of me."

    Roland spoke in a glib tone, as if he truly cared not about doing such a thing.

    The other, older man turned a snarl towards him, saying, " Who the fuck are you!"

    But he didn''t care for the answer, just pounced and clad his hands in a sharp energy that appeared as if it could cut through anything.

    ...Obviously it was just a pathetic excuse for an attack in front of a person like Roland.

    He didn''t have to dodge at all, just let it hit him.

    The man''s hand, his fingers, twisted horribly upon contact.

    "You bitch!" He cried out in pain, howling like a wounded dog, ready to strike again with his other hand. It looked like he already lost all sense. Little better than an animal.

    Roland never gave him the chance to strike again.

    "Bitch?" He snorted coldly. "Please. Let''s not bring your mother into this"

    Roland wasn''t above making comments like that every now and again.

    Taking the man by his collar, he lifted him up and injected a trace amount of his spirit energy into the man''s body, forcing the malignant, destructive force outside of him.

    The older man spasmed, a reddish mist coming out of his every pore as his eyes rolled back into his head.

    Aries'' energy when it entered a person like this was not something that ordinary people were capable of expelling. It required having it purged from every cell of the body, and if you didn''t have a good control of spiritual energy then you couldn''t even attempt it.

    Not only that, you had to reach deep down, straight to the "core" of a person''s body, and make their own energies circulate throughout their bodies so that the forceful injection of two foreign--Aries'' own and the one from the person doing the curing-- energies didn''t tear them up from the inside out.

    It sounded easy, but it wasn''t. Where could you find someone who could even touch the divine energies of a god in such a way and not be infected by it as well, or get incinerated?

    If a god bestowed you some of their power, then nothing would happen. But this? This was like a poison. Or a disease. Either way, it was very dangerous to approach. And would take you at least half an hour to be sucessful in purging even if you had the ability.

    Roland took just a few seconds, but that was just because he was way too powerful and skilled at manipulating energies to ever have trouble dealing with something like this. Hm, and it also helped that he got here before it got really bad.

    One of the women widened their eyes at the sudden appearance of the four.

    "Lord Aries, you''re here!" The youngest-looking one seemed to be very much put more at east.

    "W-what did that man do to him? My brother...is he...is he..." The apparent sister of the man glanced at her brother with a complicated expression. Mixed with lingering fear, worry and relief.

    "Don''t fret, hot stuff. My friend here just helped him get back to his usual self." Mercury chimed in.

    It took a moment before the woman was able to reply, pausing at the words used to describe her.

    "...I see. Thank goodness. My brother, something went wrong with him. Just now, before you all came, I thought...I thought that he would really have..." She couldn''t go on.

    Nearly being killed by your own family would have that affect on anyone.

    Not to mention the younger one, who currently had a tear-streaked face while clinging to the woman.

    Aries ignored them, walking towards the other young woman on the ground.

    "Are you alright?" He asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

    Fuck, he thought, shoulda never have left the girl here. I didn''t think he would be so wildly affected by my energies, though...it should have taken a much longer time to make him this crazed. This is weird. I don''t think I was that careless either, how could my energy have escaped and infected the man? Maybe he would be more bloodthirst by being near me, but only if it was for a prolonged period of time. This is too drastic a change, isn''t it?

    Aries had an aura of violence around him at all times, and it made people want to fight, to battle. But it isn''t like people would instantly want to kill whoever was closest to them at the time.

    Only if they were around him for a long time, and multiple times a day, that it would truly start to mess with them. Assuming, of course, that he didn''t deliberately make it drive a person to their tipping point.

    So he found it a bit odd this would happen.

    Plus, that guy was about to strike out against his own flesh and blood. After only being infected for like half a day or whatever, this shouldn''t happen. One would have resistance to killing their own kin like this unless they already had a deep-seated hate for them.

    ...Well whatever. He wouldn''t think much about it. Strange shit happens all the time.

    He didn''t care much about the man, but he saved those two women and didn''t want them ending up killed after he made the effort to help them. And he was interested in this other woman right here.

    So their lives kinda mattered to him, even if just a bit. He even told this Maris girl to be ready to leave with him. And she was nearly killed. He probably should have just taken her right away.

    Wait. Thinking about it more, maybe instead of calling Roland, he should have just handled this himself. The looming war mattered little to him, they probably would have attacked each other later on anyways and by that time the defending side would have been weaker than it was now.

    But at least stopping the matter with that Drake guy was something he should have done, no? He did see signs of the man being "infected", even though he didn''t think there would be such big effect on him so soon.

    ...But even as he thought this, he wondered, Is this even something that would have been worth it for me to take responsibility for?

    To be perfectly honest, the only reason he cared at all about this matter was because it involved the two he saved and the girl--Maris--who he took interest in. If they were not involved, why should Aries give any fucks at all about accidentally starting something like this?

    Even if his actions indirectly cause millions to die...could he really say that it would matter to him? No, he was not evil, he would not cause so much death himself if the other people didn''t piss him off.

    But Aries was a God of War. Causing war was part of the job description. And death was not final. People would go to the afterlife. Gods were pretty much forces of nature, and at their heart they were careless. To an extent, at least, if nothing else.

    It had been a long time since Aries had last truly cared about a mortal and what went on in their lives... What things might affect them, might hurt them...

    Maris stared at the outstretched hand, unsure, before Aries got impatient and pulled her up.

    She stood, muttering, "Thanks you, Lord Aries, for helping me stand."

    "Don''t worry about it."

    Meanwhile, the other women were staring at Mercury. They knew her from somewhere, but they couldn''t exactly remember where...

    Suddenly it came to them.

    Lady Mercury!

    Mercury, seeing their awed looks, grinned. "Yo." She greeted. "And how are you fine beauties doin'' this morning?" Mercury went and took their hands into one of her own, giving both a kiss one at a time. She let out a dazzling smile.

    Though it was all for show. She wasn''t interested in women, typically. Not that she never had a woman, just that she had her own preference. Hm, they had their own charms, though, had to admit.

    Still, Mercury liked waking up next to a hard, sexy man more than a warm, tender woman. Just the way she was.

    As for the two women, they were having a hard time believing this was happening. Not just Lord Aries, but even Lady Mercury was here with them... Was this a dream?

    They turned towards the young girl next. Again, that face of her''s reminded them of someone. Other than that feeling, they also had an overwhelming desire to reach out and pinch the girl''s cheeks.

    Finally they paid attention to the other man in the room.

    To have the power to do that to Dakrin, and so quickly, he must be strong. He didn''t even flinch when attacked.

    But they could not for the life of them figure out who he was. They were certain they had never seen a man like him before.

    Was he the girl''s older brother? That had the same eyes and hair... But they didn''t jump to conclusions, they knew full well that powerful men and women didn''t age like normal folk. It was very possible the man was much, much older than his appearance let on.

    Surely the two man and child must be related in some way, but it was just as likely that they were father and daughter.

    "Aries, this guy''ll be passed out for awhile. Is the girl alright?" Roland didn''t wait for the answer, just went and healed her.

    Maris and the other two were shocked.

    Addressing Lord Aries like that, so intimately!

    What''s more, Maris brought a hand to her cheek and realized that it was fully healed.

    ...She had never had any sort of magic worked on her before. It felt...warm. Comfortable.

    How wonderous...

    "Daddy, the people outside..." Grace tugged on her father''s sleeves and reminded him. To her they were of no consequence. She didn''t know them and her mother was a death goddess, after all. But she knew her father cared, so she would too.

    "I know. Aries, come on, let''s get this done then. We''ll pay a visit to those two leaders of the army."

    "Very well then." Aries shrugged. "Maris, take my arm. We''re leaving."

    Maris spluttered. "Y-your arm? L-Lord Aries, something like that, I...I daren''t!" She blushed. Taking the arm of someone like him, she wasn''t worthy!

    "Did I ask?" Aries inquired. His eyes bore into her.

    "...E-excuse me then, Lord Aries..." She had no other choice but to do so after being stared at by him like this.

    As this interaction was going on, Roland gazed at Mercury. "So are you coming or are you going to be too busy seducing these poor ladies into your bed?" He asked mildly.

    Mercury put on an innocent look. "Who, me? Seduce? Why, I would never!" She exclaimed, as if offended. A pause. "Okay, maybe I would. But them? Nah. They look pretty yummy, can''t lie, but If i had a choice I''d rather seduce you."

    Grace bristled at the words, instantly looking at the woman as if she were an enemy. In place of her mother, she had to proctect her daddy from women like this... These sort of loose, morally-lacking women of which her mother told her about, they were no-good!

    She shifted a bit, positioning her body more in front of her father so that she would be ready to ward off any suspcious actions the other woman might make.

    "You seriously overestimate your abilities." He shook his head.

    "Eh. Agree to disagree, my handsome friend. I probably could. It would be something we would both enjoy, i''m sure. It''d get me killed by that woman of yours, though. Maybe worse." She peered at him, looking sad. "You just wouldn''t understand my struggles, ah..." A sigh, " Really, having a delicious treat placed right in front of you, yet unable to take even a single bite, that''s just too cruel...!" She lamented.

    Roland wouldn''t waste time on her anymore. "Whatever. If you''re coming then make yourself useful and get us there. Let''s go, Grace. Remember to stay next to me at all times." He put a hand on his daughter''s back, who nodded obediantly.

    Without another word, he and the rest disappeared in a flash. Literally. Mercury teleported them out.

    They left a very stunned couple behind. Having heard the conversation between the mysterious young man and Lady Mercury, they could only wonder what sort of relationship they had... And how that child fit into all of it...

    ***

    "Dakrin! Open up, lower your barriers! Do you care not for the lives of your soldiers? Do you want their blood on your hands? Make this easy on yourself!"

    A tall, muscled man with a thick beard and silvery armor shouted. His voice boomed, echoing throughout the battlefield like thunder as he stood at the top of a siege tower.

    Another, more slim man was standing beside him.

    Both men was clad in fierce auras like fire. The space around them was hot, scorching. At their sides were broadswords of a very gaudy design, full of numerous patterns on their hilts and blade.

    There was an arrogance in their eyes, an unwavering belief in their own power.

    "He won''t give in. He doesn''t care about them. Kill them all. We''ll claim this land for Lady Brighid, though the honor is more than these dogs deserve."

    The other man spoke slowly, not at all ruffled with what was happening around him.

    Truthfully, neither of them wanted it to come to this. They sent a team inside the city hours ago to kidnap Dakrin''s family so that they can be used as a bargaining chip. But they hadn''t reported in.

    Not long ago Dakrin, the only man, sent out his forces and attacked. Kallen could only assume the team they sent inside failed and that Dakrin became angered enough to lash out like this. It was odd, since he should be smarted than to strike and get his soldiers killed needlessly.

    But they supposed it wasn''t a wrong move. A siege like this one would weaken you the longer it went on. Trying to break it at the start was the best way to deal with it. But that was a hard thing to do, and most couldn''t pull it off.

    Too many complications rose. Not to mention that a siege would have you surrounded on all side with enemies. There were few ways to get out of it, especially if you waited till you were rung dry.

    They were strong, but that barrier was as well. They could not break through it in a short amount of time, it was the barrier which protected the city for many years and would not budge an inch even if they went all-out.

    However, eventually they would have to come out....If they didn''t want to stave to death, that is.

    " Fine. Let''s end this then." Decher raised his voice once more. " Men, listen up--!"

    Suddenly a bright flash of light stopped his words in their tracks.

    It was blinding, making Decher and Kallen has to shield their eyes. They felt an overwhelming force press down on them like the eyes of a snake.

    Appearing to come into existence from out of the ether, five figures made themselves present.

    A tall, muscled man with fiery eyes, menacing to behold. He gave out a very frightful aura, his presence making the two men feel as if their knees would give out. In his arms was a pretty, but very scared and embarrassed-looking, woman.

    After her was another woman, an enchanting dark-haired one with a seemingly ever-present smirk. Humming a tune, she stretched her arms like she was tired and about to yawn, very careless.

    A small girl, also dark-haired. With a pair of large, deep blue eyes, she was equisite to behold from any angle.

    Then, finally, another man which held the same eyes as the previous girl. He looked around and his face got slightly darker with every second. Even the clouds above looked like they were gathering and snuffing out the light...

    Neither man recognized the latter two, but the first two were obviously known to them."Lord Aries! Lady Mercury!" Kallen exclaimed.

    Both men were beyond surprised, dropping to their knees instantly in worship.

    "My Lord and Lady, what brings your illustrious figures before us today, if I may ask?"

    Kallen, the more eloquent speaker of the two, inquired humbly.

    "Nohing much. Get up. I''m not the one who wanted to see you."

    "Ditto."

    Aries and Mercury didn''t care to speak to them.

    "Oh?" Kallen arched a brow. "Then who...?"

    "That would be me." Roland, stepping forward, put on a smile.

    "Ah...My Lord, I''m sorry, forgive my ignorance, but....who are you?"

    "No one important. Just a concerned citizen. "Roland smiled. "Call me Roland. Anyway, you see, I''m here because this bastard Aries caused a bit of trouble. The leader of that city you''re attacking? Yeah, he got a bit out of sorts due to Aries'' negligence. I already solved that, however, so you need not worry." He informed.

    At the way the man refered to Lord Aries, both Kallem was put on edge. Who would speak like that to an individual like him and not get killed? This...he didn''t know how to respond.

    But on second thought, maybe it was simply that Lord Aries didn''t care at all. He was known to be quite different from his brethren.

    "I...see." Though he didn''t really. "That''s good to hear, my Lord. But why are you here, exactly? Is there something you require of us?"

    "Yeah....about that. It''s just that I noticed this little spat you were having. I really dislike war, you see. Gets people riled up, makes people do some pretty bad things. Quite distasteful. So you''re going to have to leave."

    "...What?"

    Kallen''s voice got several degrees colder.

    "I said leave. Leave and don''t come back."

    Kallen and Decher''s faces went hard. " My Lord, this holy conquest is something that Lady Brighid herself wished to be done! In her name, we will convert these poor lost souls and allow them to bask in the warm embrace of Lady Brighid, living for her sake. I simply cannot do as you say!"

    "Bullshit." Roland said flatly. "Brighid doesn''t give a single flying fuck about anyone but herself and most certainly wouldn''t care to meddle with mortals'' affairs if she could help it."

    " My Lord, I assure you that Lady Brighid herself had told our king of her wishes on the matter. "

    "Doubtful. Look, even if she did, I don''t care. I currently see something I dislike, so I''ll put an end to it. Whatever petty reason you have for invading people''s lands doesn''t matter to me. Nearly anything your kingdom needs could be recieved if you only asked and worked something out with your neighboring nations.

    It can be done, don''t tell me it can''t. I have no idea whether you really believe this is what Brighid wants or if you''re just using that as an excuse to justify your greed. Whatever the case, I don''t like what i''m currently looking at.

    So leave now. Or I''ll make you. What''ll it be? Because coming here and doing all this is rather annoying. I''ll give you ten seconds to give the order to step away and go. Otherwise I''ll force you out. And you wouldn''t like my methods."

    With every word, Kallen and Decher''s faces got more and more twisted.

    ...Such arrogance!

    "Lord Aries, Lady Mercury...what are you thoughts on this?"

    Kallen asked. If they got involved, they would have to leave. They couldn''t fight two gods. It was an impossibility. But If they didn''t care to help this man before them...

    The man couldn''t be all too weak, to be here with them. But neither Decher nor Kallen felt anything extraordinay about him at first glance. They didn''t recognize him at all. He can''t be a great figure by any means.

    Aries shrugged. "I don''t really care too much. I would just let you run wild, but this guy may not like that so I thought I should let him know. Do what you want, I won''t get involved."

    "As for myself, why should I care either? Eh, I''m just here for the show."

    Kallen and Decher smiled.

    "So what you mean to say, my Lords, is that whatever happens, you two won''t intervene?"

    "Pretty much." Aries knew where this was going. Really, mortals were quite foolish. They didn''t question much, running head-first into situations they knew nothing about.

    " Five seconds." Roland reminded helpfully.

    "Good sir, may I offer a third option?" Kallen asked.

    "Four."

    "If you can beat us, we''ll happily leave." Only someone with the required power could make such ludacris demands. Did this man have that sort of strength? They didn''t know, they had to find out for themselves.

    Otherwise they would never accept this....

    "Three."

    "Agreed?"

    "Two."

    "I''ll just take that as a yes."

    Kallen and Decher were Immortals who had both formed a Universal Core within themselves, both of them also having condensed an Elemental Orb. They were the most powerful of their kingdom, among the most powerful in the continent.

    And right now, they lashed out with everything they had. As they unleashed their full power, the tower they stood on broke apart at it''s seams. Everyone was forced to either hover in the air or fall. Luckily Maris had Aries to hold onto for dear life.

    Decher''s body radiated an intensly cold energy, making the air around him cold. Everyone below stopped fighting in response to the sudden chill, some even being brought to their knees as the cold invaded their bodies.

    He conjured a thousand, a hundred thousand, icicles. They had a deadly point, each aimed at Roland.

    When he released his power, it was accompanied with a feeling of dread. To those below, it looked like they were seeing their deaths in the man''s eyes.

    Ice got harder the colder they were, and these icicles were nearly at absolute zero. How could they break easily? Decher, having specialized in ice-type attackes for many years, was confident.

    Kallen also mobilized.

    The ground shook, breaking apart as thick roots were summoned almost from thin air. They were large, unbelievably so, and grew larger even still.

    As each inch of wood was covered in a deep green aura, you could feel the primal force of the earth from within. Harder than steel, monstrous, rising up and hanging over all those present.

    It had all the beauty and savagery one would expect from nature. There was a reason they were the ones to lead this army. They could strategize with some competence, but more importantly, they could turn the tide of any battle with the sheer levels of power they commanded.

    "Huh, those two are a bit capable, it looks like." Aries commented.

    "Just a bit." Mercury agreed.

    "In what way?" Grace asked in confusion. To her, something like this was very simple, wasn''t it? She thought that she should be able to do the same if she tried....

    Despite not using her power often other than with magical beast for fear of hurting others, she was still very talented. At least her mother had always said so.

    "..."

    Maris nearly peed herself as she stared up at the enormous, wicked-looking tree. She was wide-eyed and shaking, wanting to run and hide. Though she knew this was, conversely, the best place to stay safe. By herself, she would die. This she could feel to the very marrow of her bones.

    She wisely stayed put.

    Kallen and Decher didn''t pay them any attention.

    As one, they brought their hands down.

    The icicles were fast, each one ripping through the air.

    The great roots writhed eerily, shooting out with a surprising pace towards their target.

    Kallen and Decher, their blood boiled in that moment. They were high off their own power.

    The attacks came and bore down upon Roland. Each man at the scene was either shivering in the face of the cold or breathing hard as they were affected by the savage energies of the roots which had sprung forth.

    The two men looked invincible just then, unreachable, every pore exuded the sort of power that you would imagine possible only in stories.

    In comparison to the two, Roland''s motionless stature looked meager.

    "One." A calm voice, not at all concerned. "You should''ve just listened to me. Oh well. I''ll end it quickly, no need to drag this on.."

    Roland spoke one word.

    "Break."

    And the icicles broke, a force greater than their own making them explode and shatter into millions of tiny crystals.

    He spoke again.

    "Wilt."

    And the roots that came towards him shrivled up, unwilling to touch him. The green energy that moved them flickered out like a candle. The mighty tree from before went lifeless, grey.

    As this happened, a silent scream could be heard by Kallen and Decher, who were stunned.

    Their attacks, just now, had been forcibly disspelled! Some great power met their own, overwhelmed it, and squashed them down!

    Their minds hurt, a pain like they had never experienced making them hiss. This was backlash, a consequence of their weakness....

    "Really, how obnoxious. Do you even understand the sort of forces you tried to command? Just doing as you pleased, this world must hate you both for it. Come, let me show you what real power looks like...."

    After saying so, Roland smiled lightly.

    He raised a finger.

    Instantly a chill could be felt, much stronger than the one from before. The wind swirled above him, lashing out wildly. A crackling sound could be heard, like thunder.

    Slwoly, everything within a mile became freezing freezing. It was like they were suddenly transported to a world of that was very nearly devoid of warmth.

    Tiny particles of ice built along the clothes of the people present, making them frightful. The walls, too, were no exception.

    The grass as well became hard as all the moisture within became frozen, stone-like.

    This sort of change was incomparable to the one Decher had caused. His power made things colder, but that was all. Those icicles were hard, nothing more.

    But right now?

    Roland was making the world itself change.

    And these cold energies, they gathered around Roland with surprising swiftness but he didn''t look ruffled at all.

    Soon a small, intricate snowflake took form a few inches above his finger. It was beautiful, clear, dazzling to the eyes. The more you looked, the more entranced you became. It gave off a mysterious feeling, somehow almost regal.

    The snowflake, seemingly fragile, emitted all the majesty and radiance of nature itself. One aspectof nature, but given physical form.

    "You can dodge this, if you can, I won''t mind. But you should pay attention. Your attack from before, this is how to you should have done it."

    With that, he poked the snowflake ever-so-gently.

    It shot out like a bullet.

    Sensing danger, Decher hastily moved. It wasn''t nearly fast enough.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    As the snowflake landed upon his shoulder, he felt a harsh coldness spread throughout his body.

    It was cold....no, it was more than that. It was ice-water being poured into his veins, it was standing in the midst of a blizzard naked and slowly experiencing the touch of death as all warmth drained away.

    He could already feel it, his arm becoming useless. Knowing that it would be turning a dark, nasty blue-black. Pain. It hurt. Like millions of insects tearing into his arm. Unbearable. Mins-numbing.

    Nearly everyone was stunned.

    There, behind Decher''s body, stretching for who knew how many miles, was a giant wall of ice....

    It seperated the land in two.

    "The Laws of Nature in this world won''t bend backwards for you. You tried to forcibly make it''s power your own, and so you couldn''t unleash even a tenth of it''s true strength.

    And the way you shape it...really unimaginative. You''re just limiting it further. Don''t you know, ice wants spread? Like fire wants to consume, so does ice. All the elements do, this is why they counter one another, because there has to be a balance. Condensing ice into one point, then releasing everything all at once, like an explosion, that''s what you should have done. This would have been in tune with what it wants, what it needs. You not doing so, not letting it, made your ice weak. "

    He told this to a few of his students once not too long ago. A few sentences, nothing more. They, too, used ice-type attacks and battle techniques. Those casual words, they gained quite a bit of insight from them. He still wasn''t satisfied with that, though. Words can only do so much.

    Decher, as he struggled to move his power throughout his body in an effort to restore feeling in his arm, had his mouth agap when he saw what was behind him.

    That could have been him, frozen, killed in an instant with no ability to fight back....

    It was then that Grace felt her heart race, skipping a beat. Her breath halted, the air turning thick.

    And then everything just...stopped....

    Every sound, every object in the vicinity, halted.

    The sky opened up, every cloud mysteriously gone from sight. Only an endless, all-encompassing blue remained...

    "Such a dreadful energy...what is this?" Mercury marveled.

    To her mind it was like something was invading her body and holding her in place. Or tried to. A weight like she had never felt before came crashing into her.

    And the smell, hissmell, was everywhere. She felt like she was being watched, like his eyes were looking at her from every direction and could see right through to her core.

    It was extremely uncomfortable, made her feel small and insignificant. She, who had lived for countless years, seen and experienced things that normal folk could never even conceive of, possesed power which made many envious, felt helpless.

    In this moment, for just an instant, she wanted to flee from this place. To be somewhere, anywhere, but here. She, right now, was....scared?

    How odd... What was this?

    "Grace, take note of what''s happening." Aries said at the young girl. "This is the reason not many who know him would ever wanna get on your dad''s bad side. The power he holds, this is still a mere fraction of it. That move from before was him manipulating the one of the Laws of the world.

    But this right here, this feeling of suffocation, is just the force of his will. And it''s making both me and Mercury quicken our breaths. Gods of our level, very few things in the Mortal Plane can do this to us. If he were to fully release his power, do you believe that to most people, even many within the Higher Planes, his word will essentially become law?"

    This was no exaggeration.

    Aries knew that when he, that guy, imposed his will, it took a form that was impossible for lower beings to resist. He "ruled" any space he was currently at.

    And if you had not the strength to fight back, you could only "obey" him. Because his power, it would make you know. Know that no matter what you did, no matter how much your struggled, it was all useless.

    Would make you believe without a shadow of a doubt; Ican''t win.

    It was more terrifying than anything, understanding that you were no more than a bug in the face of something you had no hope of opposing. It hit you deep, down to your very being, was an utterly dreadful feeling that haunted you for life.

    You''d never be able to escape it, no amount of time would ease this dark feeling that would spring forth in response.

    Before he even made a move, you would have already lost the will to fight.

    People strong enough to fight this feeling of helplessness, even still, would understand they shouldn''t underestimate the man before them. Back then, when Aries and Mephisto fought him with all they had, an entire realm was destroyed.

    At their base power levels, he was probably stronger. When Aries and Mephisto didn''t hold back, however, the three were pretty much equal. Yet just with Aries and Mephisto, they would not be able to destroy a realm. Not even if they fought Zeus himself, or Apophis, or probaby anyone else they could think of.

    A realm was such a thing, a space that was firm, part of the universe as a whole. A black hole could suck in everything within a realm, but not the realm itself.

    Similar to a hole in glass. The liquid inside would be gone, but the glass itself would remain, the space inside the glass would also remain.

    Why was it that the realm was now gone, then? It''s because Roland''s power, at that time, ripped the space of that realm down to it''s roots. It warped it in and out, became almost corporeal, and the space was then torn asunder as the energies of the three reached their peak.

    It destroyed everything. It made it so that it appear to never had existed in the first place, just an empty area with no...creation...inside. A clean slate, a piece of blank paper.

    Had it not been for the effect Roland''s power had, the realm would still exist. And that incident is what really made Zeus and all them wary of Roland. They became scared.

    He didn''t cause it only by himself, but to warp a realm until it''s very foundations were brittle enough to just break down...that was terrifying. It was a type of power that was unlike any they had seen, maybe it was even unique to him.

    A person who was previously unknown suddenly showing up with that kind of firepower, that wasn''t normal by any means. Someone who could be a King of his own Pantheon, no one wanted to mess with that sort of person if they could help it.

    "You know, I''ve heard some rumours, but to think it was like this... Exactly what is this guy made of?"

    Mercury then glanced down at the girl, who was starry-eyed as she looked at her father.

    Mercry understood by Aries'' words just how strong Roland was. A King indeed.... So this was why he was treated the way he was by their peers. Honestly, she had never believed much of those rumours. Not until she felt his power herself.

    And this was still a small part? The thought really was depressing. Fuck, who else but Loki and his little gang of misfits would be able to befriend a guy like that?

    As she looked at the girl, Mercury wondered what sort of little monster would she, Grace, grow up into then. Even if she wasn''t as powerful as her father, she would still be able to shake the Higher Planes considerably. A child of the Morrigan and a person like this, it would be odd if she wasn''t a force to be reckoned with.

    ....And Fenris was besties with her! Well done, daughter!

    Mercury thought this, giving her daughter a thumbs up in her mind.

    Hell, maybe Mercury should have a kid with him, too! She''d be able to do whatever she wanted then! With Fenris and little...Hm, Ema? Maybe ....by her side, she''d totally be able to be as overbearing as she wanted!

    Mercury was already thinking about all the things she''d be able to do to mess with people. This fantasy was likely impossible, but she didn''t bother considering such things.

    Meanwhile, Kallen and Decher, along with the soldiers present, were still frozen in awe at the display of might.

    "You two are a little decent, but you shouldn''t overestimate your abilities when only at this level. I trust you don''t need another show of the gap between us. Leave." A command.

    Aries cut in. "Yeah, I suggest you listen to the man. This guy, you don''t want to get on his bad side. Trust me. He''d beat you within an inch of your life, heal you, then do it again and again until you beg for death. Which he wouldn''t be kind enough to give. It''s one of his favorite ways to pass the time, that. Does it all the time. A sadistic fuck if ever there was one. "

    "Sorry, do you want to die?"

    A short laugh. "See what I mean?"

    "I will cut you. Don''t think I won''t."

    "You''re really messed up, then." Aries drawled. "Is this one of your sick fetishes? Cutting people? I wonder how many women you''ve done that to. A bit of pain and pleasure, is it?"

    "Oh!" Mercury''s eye brightened. "That sounds like fun. I wanna try!" Her inner masochist erupted forth!

    "Daddy, you can''t cheat on mommy..."

    Grace''s deep, soulful eyes locked onto Roland''s face.

    "The conversation''s getting derailed, stop." Try to be serious for even a moment and these two idiots(Aries and Mercury) would ruin it. Good to know.

    "...God..."

    Right at that moment Kallen and Decher both let out amazed voices.

    "He has to be a god, with power like that, how can he not be!"

    "That last attack, it was so overwhelming... We made a mistake. We can''t beat him. We should leave..."

    As for the soldiers.

    "A real god, here...."

    "I never thought I''d see something like this in my lifetime, such strength! It''s on a totally different level from even those two! Look at that wall, stunning!"

    "S-should we kneel?"

    " Fool, if you have time to ask, hurry and do it! Why aren''t you already on your knees!"

    As one, every person fighting laid down their weapons and kneeled down, reverence written all over their faces Some were injured, few dead, but regardless, they all dropped and kneeled in their direction.

    Roland paused, thinking, Did they see Aries or Mercury?

    But no.

    He saw Mercury quickly look away, while Aries hid part of his face behind Maris--who was of a mind to follow the others'' actions, and would have if she was not currently unable to.

    ...Being recognized by so many people all at once would be annoying, the two gods silently agreed...

    "Daddy, I think that they mean you." Grace, always happy to help, spoke up.

    Roland momentarily turned away from the two men and instead had his sights set on the people below.

    "What? Shit." Roland muttered.

    "Oh-ho? The Church of Roland is gonna make a comeback, me thinks!" Aries chuckled. "Wonder how many women you''ll have to take in this time!"

    "Daddy, what''s he talking about? Church?" Grace inquired innocently. Then, "Wait, what does he mean, take in women?"

    "..."

    A headache. He was having a headache. A large one.

    Him. A god. No, that wasn''t...

    ...It was his fault. He showed off too much. He should''ve just pounded the two into the ground and have been done with it.

    What''s more, Grace was asking about something that would be a bit complicated to explain....

    ***

    "I''m going to be leaving a Ward on the city walls. If you come back, it''ll summon something that you won''t want to mess with."

    This is what Roland notified the two leaders after everything was settled.

    "....It won''t really end here, you know." Aries said as they watched the army leaving. He, like the rest, hovered in the air, but he had to hold up Maris. No, well, he could have made her flot by herself.

    It''s simply that she may be terrified if he did. And an opportunity to embrace a pretty woman wasn''t something he ever gave up if he could help it.

    "Yeah, I do." Roland replied.

    "You could stop everything if you just took over the kingdom they came from. Or actually, you could stop all the wars here if if you just took over the planet."

    "If I wanted to get in trouble with the other Pantheons, yeah." Roland said dryly. "Loki said this was like a vacation spot for them, right? It''s not really worth it. But anyway, I don''t even have the time for that. Nor the motivation."

    Not to say he didn''t have ways or forcing people to behave. It''s merely that... Well, in the end, he was preoccupied right now with other things. Had it only been himself, he may have done something.

    But with the kids he was watching over, and Morrigan and Grace here with him, he couldn''t just go out and waste time on something that was happening far away and had nothing to do with him.

    Perhaps after he went to go see Sol, but before that? No.

    "So this was all handled quickly." Mercury, to Roland''s left, said with a bored look on her face.

    " What were you hoping for, exactly?"

    "Hoping for, you say? Well I was hoping that after a lightshow full of cool explosions, and a dashing display of might, you''d send those insects to Hell. Then you and me would have a little battle of the sexes in front of their rotting corpses, since i''m kinky like that. Maybe have a little 69 action.

    But that particular fantasy''ll never play out, I understand, so I was actually thinking that at least I would get some entertainment. Alas, it was ended rather fast. Wasn''t able to enjoy it. All that build-up, wasted. A bit anti-climactic, to be honest."

    Roland had covered Grace''s ear near the beginning of the third sentence, suddenly having a bad feeling her words were going to become decidedly less PG-13. He was right, unfortunately.

    Maris, the woman Aries brought along, coughed and blushed fiercly, dumbstruck. Which was perfectly understandable.

    "Fuck, woman, do you ever have anything other than sex on the brain?" Aries rolled his eyes.

    "Hm....I don''t know. Probably not." She seriously considered for a second before replying in such a way. "Oh. But don''t worry, my pretty, I''m more interested in this guy right now. Though I can''t do shit about it without gettin'' offed later if that wife of his ever finds out. Hm, and I actually kinda wanna give him to that daughter of mine, let her grow up into the promiscuous woman I know she can be. Because of that, I''m truly at a loss as to what to do about my own current cravings...."

    A sigh.

    "I thought so before, but you''re.... quite a unique character, Mercury." Roland stated, disturbed by her words.

    "Thanks, hon."

    "...No, that wasn''t a compliment..."

    He''d ignore the latter half of the woman''s musings. Her seeming to think of him as a new toy to be passed around was fairly insulting, but if he let it get to him, he''d lose.

    When dealing with a woman such as this, that would be fatal.

    "Anyway, we''re done. Let''s go. The Delphilooks to have already gotten a bit ahead of us."

    ***

    "....I think we should be getting back. Mother and father won''t like us staying away very long. Mother, especially, is a worrywort..."

    Lilith told this to Reina and Charlotte, mainly just not wanting to stay here in the company of people like Fenris and Morrigan much longer.

    Somehow, they made her uneasy. Morrigan most of all. It was very odd to her, sitting with goddesses like this.

    It gave a sense of... surrealism, if she had to say. Maybe that wasn''t the right word.

    They didn''t look at all to be the sort of goddesses Lilith always picture. Probably because she always pictured them bathed in light and accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of awe.

    Well, the last one was there, but overall Lilith felt this was wrong somehow. She never expected to actually meet such strong, famous individuals. They were both, as far as she knew, very high-ranking within their own pantheons.

    Or at least some of the more recognizable.

    They did give off very regal auras, it had to be said. In Morrigan''s case, there was also a dread that gave Lilith chills. As for Fenris, she was more primal. Like, wild.

    It was very stifling to her, and likely Reina as well.

    Speaking of, her sister had appeared out of sorts for some time now. Her actions a while ago indicated this. Her eyes which has faint bags under them, her pale face a sign of lacking sleep, the way she avoided looking at Morrigan--though this one was understandable, it was a bit weird in how she did it, like embarrassed--and other things Lilith noticed.

    Lilith was fairly concerned for her.

    As soon as Lilith was done talking, she rose.

    ....And so did Morrigan.

    "I''ll escort you."

    "Ah... Lady Morrigan, such a thing isn''t needed." Lilith kept her tone even.

    "Did I ask whether it was needed or not, girl?" Morrigan asked back, staring indifferently at her.

    "Well, no..."

    "I thought so. Don''t mind me, however, it''s simply that my husband would be troubled if someone accosted you three on your way back. I trust that he already placed some protection spells around you in case of such an event, but taking you back myself would be best to make sure you lot are safe and sound."

    "I think I can handle any troubles we may face, so bothering to do this would merely be a waste of your time. My Lady." She added that last part. In all honesty, she didn''t know exacly what the proper etiquette was when facing a person like Morrigan and Fenris.

    The corner of the other woman''s face raised slightly as she heard Lilith''s words.

    "Most of the people here would be able to snap you and your sisters in half like you were twigs. Your father was watching you, I felt his presence not long ago before you arrived. But again, me going personally would ensure you''re all in one piece no matter who may choose to confront you."

    Both girls blinked. Their father followed them? What?

    "Though I personally don''t care if you all do run into trouble, my husband would. As I said, you''re likely already under protection by him, and you have your father to look after you--since i''m sure he''s skulking about somewhere nearby--but I feel obligated to take you back myself regardless.

    And I have nothing else to do at the moment anyway. May as well score some--what are they called? Brownie points?--with that husband by making sure his young wards are completely taken care of."

    "..."

    "..."

    Lilith and Reina both were unable to say no. The woman said she would go, so how could either of them say she can''t?

    "Hm. Guess I''ll tag along too then. Nothin'' for me to do here by myself, really, now that Grace is gone. Come on, Char, I''ll show you how to do that trick again on our way to your place."

    Fenris stood energetically, pulling on the young girl''s frail hand.

    Charlotte, that girl, was the personification of languidness. She was slow, and did things at her own pace. Fenris was the exact opposite. So Charlotte felt a touch of tiredness every time the older woman moved.

    Really, it would be better to just lay down and rest. Why did they have to leave? Grace wasn''t back, weren''t they going to play more?

    ....And walking was really just exhausting....

    After some time, the small band of five left the building.

    ***

    Naturally the group of theirs had attracted quite a bit of attention by men and women alike. As they walked, with the three younger ones in front and the two goddesses a few steps behind, people stopped and stared for a moment. Fenris had only just now fallen in beside the death goddess, choosing to engage in some light conversation.

    While they did so a few enterprising individuals started walking towards them with some obvious intentions. But they were stopped immediately and all but frozen in place with a mere look from Morrigan. Understandable, really, since the woman wasn''t exactly the "easily approachable" type.

    "Filthy creatures." She spoke with a quiet disdain.

    "Weren''t you similar to them once upon a time, Morrigan? You and your Pantheon were mortal before becoming gods. Why such despise?"

    Fenris was younger than Morrigan and her ilk, but she knew this much about them. Even if not how they became so strong despite their limitations of being born pure mortals.

    " You misunderstand. I don''t despise mortals. Not as much anymore, anyway." Her husband was mortal, after all. Even if he was light-years from being normal by any definition of the word. "I merely dislike dealing with them. Especially those like these lot who think they can simply walk up to me and start wasting their breathes on what they believe to be wooing. It''s tiresome."

    Despite her words, Fenris felt they were wrong. To an extent, if nothing more. Morrigan, she felt, disliked mortals more than she let on. Maybe it was an inherent arrogance of some sort. Although that, too, was understandable.

    Fenris, for example, didn''t hate mortals. But even she didn''t exactly want to go through the effort of striking up a conversation with one. Not many mortals interested her enough for that.

    "Wooing, huh. Hm. Even if you did allow them to speak, I doubt any amount of wooing would work on you at all." A sudden thought came to her. " Come to think of it, while we''re on the topic of wooing...That husband of yours, how did that come about anyway?"

    Never before had Fenris really thought about it. Exactly how did such an unusual pairing come to be? Because as she said, she doubted any amount of wooing would do anything to make Morrigan warm up to a person.

    Morrigan never showed even the faintest interest in any man or woman as far as Fenris knew.

    The story of this particular courtship was one that Fenris was quite eager to hear about. It was a curiosity that grew and grew until, finally, she really couldn''t help but ask when given such a perfect opportunity.

    "How?" Morrigan repeated. Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"

    "It''s interesting." An exceedingly simple response was provided.

    " I see. Sadly I''ll have to disappoint you."

    "What, is it some big secret?"

    "Yes." A surprising reply came from the woman''s lips. "The history between me and my husband, the memories we built together, times we shared, are ours alone." A firm assertion.

    She closed the book on the conversation.

    Fenris had the strangest feeling of being left out. It was an odd feeling, too. She''d lost count of the years she''d known Morrigan. Yet what with Morrigan being so unlike her usual self these days, it gave Fenris the feeling that she barely knew the woman at all.

    If Morrigan was truly her usual self, talking about things like her past would not affect her in the slightest. To her, things such as those were unimportant, perhaps even meaningless.

    Most gods, Fenris supposed, were like that too. Times were fleeting, only they were eternal. As such, just talking about their past experiences, what would they care about it? They weren''t exactly open people, just that speaking about memories were of such little consequence to them that they didn''t usually feel at all concerned with sharing them.

    It was something they were not likely to avoid if it was brought up, but otherwise they would just not bother to think about it. This is just how things were.

    But obviously these particular memories were ones that the woman held dear. Else why would she not wish to speak of them? Something precious must be kept close to the heart, was that not so?

    Fenris didn''t push the matter.

    Instead, she asked, "And how''s that working out? Roland, I mean. This whole...marriage thing....it was pretty sudden. You know we''ve heard about his circumstances, right? So he must not have known about you or Grace, or this husband and wife thing between you two. Think he''s gotten used to it?"

    " No, he hasn''t. And as for the first question? Horribly." A reply even more shocking than the last.

    "What? But...how? Seeing the way you two talk so intimately to each other, I thought..." And by the way you two smell so strongly of each other....Fenris wisely didn''t mention this thought aloud.

    "Oh, yes. He talks to me intimately, indeed. He calls things like love, or honey, or dearest...but they''re just words. He doesn''tmean them." She talked about it like it was nothing, yet Fenris could see that the woman was unhappy.

    It was in the slight tightening of her eyes. Subtle, but there.

    "What do you mean by that, doesn''t mean them?"

    "Exactly what I said. That husband of mine, for all that he tries to hide it, he doesn''t care much about me. Or rather, he does, but only because of who I am to Grace. I think it hurts him that I''m here, actually.So him saying those kinds of things, it''s annoying. I like them, but hate it too. Hard to explain, really. Although I suppose it doesn''t really matter in the end."

    "Why? Seems pretty important to me."

    "Well it''s simple, isn''t it? Even if he doesn''t care much about me, as long as he''s still with me, nothing else should matter at all. I hatethat he isn''t like how I remember, that he doesn''t look at me the same way he used to, as if I was supremely special to him, but as long as he and Grace are by my side then I''ll be happy. And as long as I have one, I''ll have the other. That husband of mine, he really is a sentimental person. He won''t abandon his daughter, or her mother, so...."

    She caught Fenris staring at her. "...What?"

    "No, nothing." The girl frowned. " But the more I hear about it, the more I can''t help but wonder if something''s wrong?"

    "...Wrong?" She mused. "Of course something''s "wrong". Do you think anything about this could be right?"

    Fenris instantly knew she chose the wrong words, because Morrigan''s smile became sharper than she''d seen it in quite some time.

    Fenris went cold, knowing that something bad was working it''s way up. She stopped her words, coughing lightly. "Morrigan...Let''s just calm down. I was just kind of surprised, that''s all. I mean you keep saying you love him, but like, from what I''ve seen it looks a bit different? "

    "Different, is it? In what way is it different, then?"

    The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I don''t know. You say you love him, and that you don''t really mind him not returning it as long as he and your daughter are with you...but from they way you put it, it just feels as if you''re using his own love for Grace to manipulate him into--" She froze. And it was only at this time that she realized what she was about to say.

    "Into what?" The other woman asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. " To guilt him into staying with me, or something to that effect? Is that what you were going to say?"

    "What? No! I never said--I didn''t mean--" Although Fenris tried to explain, tried to take back her careless words, it was already too late.

    "Shut up." The woman snapped, cutting her off. " What would you understand anyway? A person like yourself, who''s never loved nor been loved, shouldn''t presume to even speak about the word with anyone. "

    Fenris''s eyes darkened. "Okay. Look, I understand why you''re upset... but even so you''re going a bit far."

    " Far? Please. It isn''t as if what I say is wrong, it''s merely the truth, is it not? Fenris, tell me, given that your own family wants you dead, that you don''t even understand what it means to have a proper one, do you really think you have the room to speak about mine in any way?"

    "...Morrigan, that''s enough."

    "I should think it is." She smiled. "Fenris, as because you know neither the warmth of family nor what it means to love and have the love of another, I would suggest that you stop making baseless accusations towards someone like me who had both yet had to give one up. Because it really is quite rude. You should think about the feelings of others before you speak instead of spewing nonsense like that which stems purely from a place of envy."***

    Fenris didn''t know at all how to respond. Each word out of the woman''s mouth was sharp and vicious, completely without mercy, and Fenris understood well that they were meant to be.

    "...You know, Morrigan... you really are an unreasonably vindictive person."

    Saying nothing more, she sped up her steps to catch up with the others.

    Leaving Morrigan by herself.

    ***

    "...Do it again, I didn''t see too well. This time for sure I''ll do it right..."

    Charlotte, her face showing rarely-seen concentration, urged Fenris to perform the trick once more.

    They walked for quite some time, and as promised, Fenris began to teach the girl the "trick".

    It was an exceedingly easy trick. One that was had stood the test of time. Something that required not a drop of magic at all: Passing a coin through your hand.

    "Alright, watch closely."

    Fenris proceeeded to once more "find the soft spot" of her hand. Acting, nothing more.

    She tapped the coin on the "soft spot" a few times, then, miracluously, it passed through her hand and was caught by a mysterous force before it hit the ground.

    The young girl''s eyes lit up, as they always did upon seeing it, and again examined the coin.

    No magic was used during the trick, only after to catch it. This she knew. But as for how it passed through in the first place...she was stumped.

    "What sorcery is this..." She wondered aloud for the tenth time. "Gimme. I can do it this time. Probably..."

    Fenris laughed, enjoying seeing the girl try so hard. She almost felt bad.

    There was a perfectly good explanation for the trick. See, there was not one coin, but two!

    With just a little sleight of hand performing the trick was simple. Just hold the coin in in the crease of your thumb and forefinger, angle it to hide it from view, and make the audience''s eyes follow the other coin.

    The part of finding the soft spot was to accomplish this, that way they''d stay focused on the visible coin and never notice the other one.

    Then all you had to do was position your fingers around the visible coin so that it built a sort of wall, and as you tapped the coin on your hand the third time, just to push the visible coin up the hand you''re holding it in and drop the unseen coin at the same time. One coin going up and behind the "wall", while the other fell down.

    Of course, she didn''t tell this to the young girl at all. Hence the reason she felt a bit guilty. But watching her try so hard to re-enact the trick, well, it was just too adorable.

    Fenris always loved kids. Even if she disliked most adults, she had a special sort of affection for children.

    Which is why she got along with Grace so well. That girl, she was too cute, Fenris had to resist the urge to just pinch her cheeks every time she saw her.

    It was one of the most gruelling of challenges, but she persisted. However Charotte was, right now, testing her endurance. Grace and Char, was it not a sin to be so damn...pinchable? This wasn''t fair. At all.

    Fenris took a deep breath.

    It was too hard, ah...

    Her eyes drifted to the two other girls by her side, who looked at the whole thing with peculiar faces.

    "What?"

    Lilith coughed, a little embarrassed. "No, it''s nothing, Lady Fenris, it''s just... You get along so well with kids. It''s a little surprising."

    "Is it? I don''t know. Kids are great. Small ones, like Char, they''re so innocent, you know? Not like adults. Adults lie to you, and can be very mean. But children aren''t like that. Not without outside influences. "

    Children are more pure than adults.

    They only become less so when exposed to those "outside influences". Which came from adults.

    Fenris herself had a certain animosity towards adults in general. Never had she really met an adult that she truly admired. Most were either scared of her or hated her.

    When growing up Fenris didn''t recieve much care from her own family: Quite the opposite. Therefore, in her mind, "adults" were always figures to be a bit wary around.

    Because she''d never met a child she didn''t like. But she''d met many adults she didn''t like. The former happened because wasn''t around many children when growing up, children were just not too common where she lived.

    As she herself became an adult, though, she''d traveled many places and met many children. Most all of them, at least the very young ones like Charlotte and Grace, were great.

    They had no real prejudice for her, no fear, because they didn''t know her and couldn''t sense anything wrong with her.

    But the adults, almost always, knew her or what she was on some level or another. Which brought fear. Reverence, at times, but mostly fear. She was like a ticking time bomb to their eyes.

    Then there was her own family, like her uncle Thor, who made it a point to treat her with utmost disdain at every chance they got. This is where that "hate" part came into play.

    Fenris remembered the time when her uncle had backhanded her across the face when he saw her in the royal gardens of Asgard''s Palace.

    She was digging around, hungry, wanting to eat the large root that came from a certain plant that grew there. It took no less than two hundred years for the plant to mature, and it''s root was a much-desired delicacy that made many mouths water.

    Fenris didn''t know any of that, though, she only smelled something tasty and went looking for it.

    Unfortunately her uncle was also searching for it, but the gardens of Asgard''s Palace were so vast they were like a small world all on it''s own.

    So he spotted Fenris, hot on the trail of the root, and he''d followed her out of curiosity or whatever it was that made him do it. Then once he saw that she dug up the root, he''d stepped in and took it.

    When she tried to take it back, he''d struck her, hard, and she landed on the ground. When she got back up he struck her once more and that was the end of it. Before she lost consciousness she heard him laughing, mocking her.

    She woke up sore, face stinging and her arm dislocated from her shoulder, full of frustration and anger. At that time she was too young to be able to use the power that made her as strong as she was today.

    She had never been weak, but how could she take two strikes from one of most powerful of Asgardians, Thor himself, at an age when she''d only just stopped wetting her bed?

    It was such a petty reason for him to act, too. Something that was just so...so childish and stupid. He did it to be cruel, nothing more. He, an adult, a person much older and stronger than she had been, beat her. Her own uncle. Her family.

    And this whole event wasn''t even the end of it, not at all. She was picked on many other times too, and by the people who should''ve been the ones taking care of her.

    Her father, Loki, wasn''t around much at all during this. Another reason she''d disliked her father. Had he been around more, had he really cared, he''d have been there.

    She didn''t understand why he wasn''t there, either, but eventually she stopped wondering. Stopped caring.

    It continued like this until Fenris was able to leave that place, where she was old enough--strong enough--to do what she wanted and none of them could do anything to hurt her anymore.

    And then after that, for a time, she lived among a pack of wolves from a certain realm within the Higher Planes that she eventually came to lead.

    They''d treated her much better than most of her family ever had, honestly. Although she never was able to really feel part of them, either. How could she?

    Morrigan''s earlier words had touched a raw nerve in Fenris. Brought up memories she''d rather not remember.

    A few of her kin probably did want her dead. How could she say otherwise? Even if she did, it wouldn''t be true.

    She knew not all adults were bad people, though. Just that she didn''t like most of them. Mortal or otherwise.

    Lilith shook her head in wonder, smiling. "Judging from how you got Char to like you so quickly, I''d could see you as a great mother..."

    Her eyes then widened, realizing what she just said and mentally kicking herself for it.

    She became extremely awkward as she apologised. "Lady Fenris, I''m sorry, I...I spoke too much." Dammit, saying something like that to a person like Lady Fenris, stupid! Lilith didn''t have any idea how the woman would react.

    Fenris grinned. " No need, my good woman, no offense taken."

    But the grin slowly disappeared as she thought, Really, though, would someone like me even know how to properly take care of a child? I always believed I could, and yet....

    Fenris did want a good mate, and a lot of kids. However... Although she made the determination long ago to raise any future children better than she herself had been raised, when you got down to it, could she say that she had the qualifications to take care of another living being?

    Especially a baby?

    One of her fears was that if she ever found a person to love her, and they ever had children of their own, she''d be a complete mess as a mother.

    That she''d make her own children as miserable as she had been. Fenris got along well with kids, but what of her own? Could she get along well with them?

    Morrigan was right, wasn''t she? Fenris knew nothing about love or family. Or rather, what she did know was a warped version of what it should be.

    ...No, she''d probably be a terrible mother...

    The thought saddened her.

    But she shook it off quickly. It wasn''t like her to focus on negative things like that. Her own insecurities were best left in a dark corner of her mind that could never see the light of day.

    That''s how she dealt with most of the things she didn''t want to dwell on, and that wouldn''t change anytime soon.

    Sensing a change in the goddess'' mood, Lilith and Reina wisely stayed quiet.

    " So this is where you all got off to." A voice suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. "I was wondering what happened when I didn''t find you back at the hotel."

    Roland.

    "These three were about to head home, so Fenris and I decided to accompany them." Morrigan explained shortly.

    "Oh? Good idea. Though it wasn''t needed, I did place some protective charms on them."

    "So he really did..." Lilith murmured. But when? Not that she wasn''t grateful, but having some kind of spell worked on her without her knowledge...it just wasn''t a good feeling.

    And why didn''t she notice? Although she didn''t really practice magic, shouldn''t she have felt...something? She wasn''t magically inept, she did usually know when some spell was being worked...

    As if reading her mind, Roland replied, " Do you really think you could sense a spell made by me?" The way he said it was like he was asking if she was touched in the head. At least that''s how its ounded like to her.

    And she had to admit, she didn''t think she could.

    "Where''s Grace?" Fenris and Charlotte asked in sync.

    " Not here. I told her to wait behind. Mercury''s taking care of her for a bit."

    Fenris blanched. "Are you stupid?" She asked, alarmed. "She''ll be corrupted!"

    Morrigan expressed some concerns too. "I don''t think that was wise."

    "Don''t worry." Roland waved off their words. "Murcury isn''t a bad person, you know?"

    "..I suppose. But even so, I don''t really like the thought of that woman caring for my own daughter."

    Mercury wasn''t really a stranger, but she was sort of like weird aunt you didn''t want around your kids for extended periods of time. Not that Morrigan considered her like an aunt to Grace, the young girl barely knew her after all, it was just to explain what kind of person she was.

    " I trust you can escort them in my stead? I''m going back."

    "Yes, that''s fine."

    She paused. " Oh, and dear?"

    "Hmm?"

    Her eyes went to Fenris for a moment.

    "...Actually, no, it''s nothing. Hurry back."

    Roland caught the look, but didn''t say anything about it. Was there something going on between them? Well, even if so, if she didn''t want to say right now then maybe she would be more willing in private.

    "Okay, I will." And with that, the woman left.

    Roland turned to Reina suddenly. "Fenris, Lilith, Charlotte, would you mind waiting here? I and Reina have to talk a bit."

    Reina, who had been avoiding his eye up to now, spoke up. "What? Why?... Hey!"

    Roland said nothing as he ushered her a bit aways under the curious gazes of the other three present.

    "W-What do you.." She cleared her throat. "I mean... you wanted something...?" Reina was extremely off-put.

    Seeing Roland and Lady Morrigan together brought about some images that she''d rather be rid of...

    "Right. So, I''d been thinking. That problem you mentioned? Well--"

    "You can fix it?!" Reina instantly got an animated look on her face, hopeful.

    "What? No."

    Aaaand the hopes were dashed.

    "Oh..."

    She wilted.

    "Haha, don''t worry. I''m not really sure how to stop you from getting the dreams, I don''t want to tamper with your mind or this strange bond since it''s something new to me. But I won''t leave you hanging. It would be problematic in various ways if I left things like this. And I enjoy my privacy. So..."

    "So...?"

    "So while I can''t stop you from recieving these images, these dreams, I can make you forget them. "

    "You can?!" Again she became excited. Like a little lightbulb.

    " Yes, it''s not all that hard. Come here, give me your head for a bit."

    "...What do you need to do?"

    "It''s fine, nothing major. Just need to touch your head a bit--" He stopped, recalling their odd reaction to each other when they made contact. "No, wait, nevermind. No head touching. Would be better if we didn''t." In no way did he want to do that.

    "C-can you still do it without touching?"She asked hesitantly.

    "I can. Or, well, I''ll just poke your forehead a bit. The spell I''m doing requires at least that."

    Some spells worked like that. Needed certain rituals or actions to activate or perform. This was one of them.

    This was a modified version of something he''d once seen elsewhere. A species of beast used it to go unnoticed through a crowded street, making people forget that they saw it as soon as they looked.

    It went without saying that it ddin''t work on people of certain levels of power, but it wasn''t a hostile beast so he didn''t do anything. What''s more, the beast inspired him.

    Too bad he''d never used it till now.

    That was the thing, Roland knew so many spells and had so many abilities that he sometimes just never used them, or forgot to use them.

    "Ready? This may make your head feel tingly. Just let it pass, alright?"

    "Please just hurry...." Was that a begging tone? No, she didn''t think so, but could she be blamed if it was? She''s seen too much....

    "Right, right..."

    Similar to how he''d done with James and Saren the day they arrived here, he took his indez finger and lightly poked her. Not many people were paying attention to them, no one noticed the way Reina''s eyes glowed a faint blue.

    ...What an odd reaction. That''s not supposed to happen. Is this due to some sort of resonance between this "bond" of ours and my magic entering her body? My previous spell which covered her eyes was momentarily disturbed...Her body''s changing, too, I see. She''s a few hairs taller than she was when I first met her.

    He didn''t think anyone but his realized that, but they were bound to eventually.

    Roland really wanted to experiment on her, see what exactly this bond was and what it was doing to her.

    Hm. That sounded wrong. "Experiment", that word was a little....

    In any case, it''s not as if this was a bad thing. It was making her stronger, passively. Or rather, it was awakening her? Her potential was akin to his own, amazingly. While she may not ever reach his level, she could become very formidable in her own right.

    But, why? For a long time now he''d thought that this wasn''t natural. He was an anomaly. There shouldn''t be someone else like him in existence.

    A person rivaling his physical body in terms of innate potential, even if they didn''t have his strength of spirit energy or mana capacity, they would still be amazing.

    Yet his body wasn''t ever...ever born. It was created from pure energy.So how could there be someone with a similar physique to him? There couldn''t. Gods and higher demons could form their bodies from pure energy.

    Or, okay, demons had it harder for them, but gods were some of the only beings that could do so in a way that was similar to Roland. Roland, however, did it from "birth".

    His body was "special". Even a god, as far as he knew, didn''t have a body like his own.

    So, Reina, what did that say of her? He wasn''t sure, but it was suspicious. Was Lilith really her sister? If so, why didn''t Lilith have that instinctive liking and trust towards him that Reina apparently did?

    Plus Saren and James. At first glance there wasn''t much remarkable about them, but actually their bodies were full of vitality. Of life. Of life energy. Granted, all living things had this. But they were filled to the brim with it.

    As mortals aged their life energy would slowly dwindle. Them? They had about as much as a newborn babe. Maybe more. Odd, very odd.

    While Roland became lost in his thoughts, Reina could hear a very faint, almost nonexistent sound coming from the depths of her mind. It was very strange. Like...a roar.

    She couldn''t explain it, but it felt familiar.

    " Hey, are you two alright?" Fenris got tired of waiting and walked over.

    ".We''re good. Reina, come on." Roland said.

    "Huh? Oh...yeah...coming."

    She was silent all throughout the walk from that point on, still not able to forget that mysterious sound.

    ***

    It was many hours later, nearly dusk.

    Roland was on the top deck of the ship. A place very few would go, a place outside the cities, above the highest level.

    The winds were strong, but they didn''t move him even an inch.

    He was sitting down on a chair right by the starboard bow, idly scanning the pages of a book. The book, too, wasn''t affected by the wind. In fact, the whole area surrounding him was calm.

    " It will just take another day or two until we reach Sol''s place. We''ve made good time. Apollo must have sped up a little."

    Loki appeared in a small flash of light. His small, child-like frame floated leisurely in the air, cross-legged with a hand propping up his head.

    "I see."

    "What''re you doing up here?" The god asked.

    "Nothing, really. Reading."

    "Oh? Your wife and kid are fine with you leaving their sides?"

    "I told them where I''d be. It''s fine."

    "Huh. A horrid place to choose for a bit of alone time."

    Loki''s eye went towards the side of the ship.

    "You can feel it too?"

    "Fuck, man, how could I not? That whole area''s just full of bad juju."

    The ship was soaring high above a desolate stretch of land where little to nothing grew. The entire place, for many miles, reeked of death and unbridled bloodlust.

    It was creepy as fuck, as Loki would say.

    There was more evil intent coming from the area below than what you find in a poor saleryman who just lost half his belongings to his now ex-wife.

    Yup. It was that bad.

    Or, actually, it was worse.

    "Makes your blood run cold, doesn''t it?" Roland commented.

    "Quite. So cold, in fact, that if I took a piss I firmly believe that it''d freeze in seconds."

    "Thanks for the image."

    "You''re welcome, love, I live to make others uncomfortable."

    "So what do think happened?"

    "Who cares? I don''t. Anyway, what did that wife of yours say to my daughter?"

    " Don''t know. I never asked, and she didn''t bother to tell. Why?"

    "Oh, Fenris just seemed a bit moody. Just really down. Seems worried, or something. Like she''s doin'' some heavy thinking. "

    "What? When did you see her?"

    "I''m her father. I can sense these things. A father''s intuition, if you will."

    "Loki..."

    "...Fine. I may have sent a familiar to spy on her."

    "Bullshit. I destroyed it. Maybe not even two hours ago. She''s been with us nearly all this time. Just how did you...?"

    "I know. I was surprised too. You be gettin'' rusty, fam. Or maybe I''m getting better? Either way, that''s a win for me."

    " I''ve gotten careless. I''ll be sure to rectify that."

    "Back on topic, can we? So? What do you think?"

    " About Fenris and Morrigan? Don''t ask me, as I said, I didn''t ask and they didn''t tell. But Morrigan''s a hard person to get along with. Maybe she just pushed her buttons."

    "Yeah, I''ll bet she did. And not in the good way. ''Course, maybe the girl needs that, her buttons pushed I mean. She''s way too uptight. She should be more like her mother. Mercury. Now that''s a woman who knows how to have a good time. And pretty. Like, epically so. I mean just between us guys, if we weren''t basically the same person, I''d fuck her. Pound her right good. Wouldn''t you?"

    Loki smiled, watching him closely.

    Roland didn''t change his expression at all as he replied. "Oh, I don''t know. She seems like a dreadful bore."

    "Bore!" Loki looked greatly wronged. Like he''d just did the man a personal wrong.

    "Yeah. You know me, I like my women with a bit more spice, a bit more feistiness to them. Mercury? I can tell that she wouldn''t be up for what I''d throw at her."

    "Oh-ho!" Loki said. "And what, pray tell, would you do to her then?"

    "Well, for starters, it''d involve chains, a whip, some hot candle wax, and maybe a sturdy coffee table."

    "Oooh...sounds pretty intense. And? After you got her all chained up and at your mercy? What would you do then?" Loki closed his eyes, as if imagining it.

    "....Mercury, exactly how long are we going to keep pretending?"

    ''Loki'' started coughing. " Whatever do you mean, mon cheri? Pretend? What? Speak sense, man! No, hold up, go back a minute. What would you use the candle wax for? I don''t think I''ve ever experienced something like that...Hm, though I imagine it may feel surprisingly--Well, fuck."

    Mercury, noticing her slip, pouted.

    In an instant the boyish figure was replaced with that of a rather voluptuous woman

    "Okay, when''d you notice?"

    "Loki''s never used the word ''love'' to refer to me before."

    "Oh. Shoulda known. Ahem. Yes, well, where were we? Right, right, candle wax..."

    "No, we were discussing the little spat Fenris and Morrigan seemed to have had."

    "Right. That too." She sobered." Look, honestly, I amconcerned." A seriousness came to life in her eyes, which Roland didn''t think possible for her until just then. "My daughter ain''t exactly the most confident of people. Or mentally sound."

    Roland didn''t quite believe that."Really? She seems pretty confident, though. And out of all of the gods and goddesses I know, she''s probably the most normal? Defintely one of the more "stable" ones. Maybe a bit arrogant, but..."

    "Don''t be fooled, my delicious-loookin'' friend, there''s a difference between arrogance and confidence. Fenris can say some pretty arrogant and downright narcissistic things, but she''s not had much experience in socializing. She''s very much a lone wolf, you see. She may interact with some people now and then, but she never felt part of any group, not really. Trust me, I watched her long enough to know.

    She has some very deep pyschological issues to work out. But instead of doing that she takes all the fears and insecurities in her pretty little head and throws them into a box before turning the key to ashes. Despite how it seems on the outside, Fenris is really just one giant open wound. Probably because most everyone she knew in her younger years were major dick-weeds to her.

    But because those fucking bastards kept me and her father away from her during her early life, we couldn''t help at all. So I take great interest when I think something or someone hurts her. Since I doubt she''d say anything about it herself, probably she''d just leave it until it festers and starts slowly eating her up inside.

    Morrigan''s a real bitch, and she knows exactly how to hit where it hurts most with just a few snide comments. So if she said anything that caused my daughter pain....I will hurt her. Badly."

    Mercury''s eyes glittered dangerously and with each word her tone slowly grew more passionate until she was nearly spitting out venom.

    Roland had long since put down his book.

    He was really very surprised. He''d not expected the woman to say so much, and to show such ferocity. She really did care for her daughter, it seems.

    And Roland would agree with her completely under different circumstances.

    But...

    "Mercury. Listen to me closely...You won''t make a move against Morrigan. Ever. If she said something mean to Fenris, I''ll talk to her about it later. But you won''t do anything. You may have the right, but you don''t have my permission. Just now you all but blatantly threatened the mother of my child. I''ll let it go, this time.

    However, next time I won''t. And so if you do anything to her, I will come after you. Don''t make me do that. Because If I attacked you, it''d be tantamount to attacking your entire pantheon. In the worst case they''d make a move as well.

    Which would end badly. For you, and them. Don''t force me to act, Mercury. I''m a very patient, very easy-going man. But I give great importance to family. And Morrigan is, whether anyone likes it or not, a part of my family. You do anything to her, or you make Grace upset, sad, and I''ll not even hesitate to punish you--or anyone else--accordingly.

    Am I clear?"

    His voice wasn''t raised, nor was his gaze full of the same fire Mercury''s had been. There was only a calm, steady manner about him.

    No matter if it was Loki, Solomon, Mephisto or Aries, when they saw him like that they all knew to tread carefully.

    But Mercury didn''t back down at all. "Perfectly, love. I''m so glad we''ve reached an understanding." A toothy grin.

    "Great." He smiled. And the tense atmosphere vanished as if it never even existed at all.

    "Okay, so now that we''ve gotten that outta the way, about the chains and whip thing...."

    Roland promptly went back to reading his book, ignoring her.

    ***

    It was quite some time later, night. Roland had been dragged to bed by Grace, and despite his intentions to speak to Morrigan, he settled for some sleep first.

    He didn''t know how long he''d been asleep before it happened.

    An abrupt force, overwhelmingly powerful, stopping the ship from moving. Holding it in place with an iron grip. Which jolted everyone awake, the action causing a small quake to course all throughout the ship.

    Then a loud, booming voice that resonated within the minds of all the passengers.

    "GIVE ME MY GODDAMN EGG! APOLLO, YOU FOPPISH TWAT, I WANT MY FUCKING EGG BACKNOW!!"

    Roland, Loki, Aries and Mephisto all had the same thought:Sol?!

    ********************

    **Author note: To clarify in case it wasn''t already clear, Aries gives little to no fucks about letting a war play out. But he knew Roland might sense someone infected with his energy, would discover that he caused a war--which Roland dislikes--and be angry. So instead of letting him find out by himself, Aries decided to tell Roland and have him choose what to do.

    Why doesn''t he stop it himself, you ask? Because he himself was pretty neutral on the matter. He doesn''t feel the need to do anything.

    In his mind Roland can act if he wants to, but to Aries, why should he stop something like this?

    He''s a God of War.

    If he personally witnesses something that he hates, like rape, that''s a different story. If he sees, right in front of him, something that he finds distasteful, then he''d act. But if he isn''t there already, why should he concern himself with it?

    This mentality...you can kind of see how careless gods inherently are, and i feel like them turning their eyes away to things like this sort of reflects what some people in real life do. Knowing what might or is happening, maybe even due to their own actions, yet not doing anything if it''s not right in front of them. Sometimes not even then.

    The only difference, the difference that makes gods a bit worse, is that they have the power to change things. Easily. It''s just that they dont for whatever reason that may be at the time. Not to say gods are ALL like this. Or that they are "bad".

    Simply that their logic and values differ from our own.

    But I still feel that in a god''s case, or any higher being''s case, they also console themselves in the knowledge that there is an afterlife. And that the people who deserve it will find peace. This may be part of what makes them so careless, but i won''t get into that right now.

    *** Author Note: Morrigan is definitely the type to react very harshly when she feels she''s being provoked in such a way. She just isnt a very nice person to most people.

    P.S. Another thing. I didn''t originally intend the story to turn out this way. But i felt like this was better than what i had in mind before. The other would have taken a long time. Since i''ve been gone so long, i thought that they should just meet him and get it done with.

    I do know i have to work on more character interactions, especially in regards to saren and james and the other two girls. I feel they got left in the background because people like Fenris, Gehenna, Morrigan, Mercury and Roland''s posse were just so much more interesting to me, and to write about.

    Going to have to work on that.

    Well, now to get started on the next chapter. I already know the direction that''s going to go in.

 Chapter fifty-eight

    Author Note: (usually put this in italics these days, but forgot, then couldnt be bothered to change it.)

    Enjoy the chapter. Remember to rate, review and comment on whatever you wish. More editing out of mistakes will be done later

    And tell me what your initial impressions of Solomon are, I''m curious to know.

    *******************

    "Lord Solomon, why is it that you disturb me?"

    High above the Delphi stood two figures.

    The one who spoke was a tall and lean youth, with a golden laurel on his head. Apollo.

    "Did you not hear me, My Lord Foppishness? I want. My. Fucking. Egg!"

    The other snarled back.

    For all intents and purpses he looked like a very cold, sharp man. From his crisp grey waistcoat and tie to his slightly pointed leather shoes, everything about the man was very clean and tidy.

    Except for his slick black hair that was stylishly messy, that is.

    The man had eyes of silver with small flecks of gold mixed in, framed by rectangular glasses, also black.

    His clothing consisted of a white shirt, the previously mentioned grey waistcoat and a long red coat that was currently left open with it''s sleeves rolled up below the elbow.

    His trousers were, again, black, completing the ensemble to give an overall feeling of refinement. The kind of refinement on a level that very few could match--all in spite of his current visible animosity.

    There was nothing all too out of the ordinary about the man. Although his features were very well-formed and classically handsome, he''d only two things on his person that were truly eye-catching to the god.

    One which was the saber hanging by his left hip.

    The other was located on his right ear where a cross-shaped earing that had a red gemstone in the center, with it''s four points holding smaller blue ones, rested.

    Both of those items caused him to be wary.

    But what caused him more concern than those items was the knowledge of who this man was: Solomon.

    "Apollo, let''s not pussyfoot around. I know damn well you''ve got my egg in there. I may not know how you were able to steal it, but if I don''t get it back, I''ll turn you and your ship--along with every living person inside--into ash! You think I''d not sense it? That I don''t know you keep tearing down it''s seals? You''ve got ten seconds to give it back. Or you''ll find out just how angry I can get..."

    Apollo didn''t back down, but even so he still showed some respect for the man as he replied. "I know not what you speak of, Lord Solomon. But I don''t take kindly to threats. If you try and make a move against me and mine, I won''t sit back and just let it happen. Try not to test my patience..." His tone grew more arrogant as he went on. A sign he was getting angered. Usually he wasn''t like this, but if he was being threatened how could he not show his claws a bit?

    He went on. "...It''s grown quite thin these days..." There was a clear warning in his tone.

    "So be it. I gave you a chance, but since you seem determined to keep up with your lies and not do as I ask...Perhaps you''ll be more willing to comply when I strap you to my Experimentation Table. I always did want to see exactly what it is that makes a god tick."

    Solomon''s wide smile bespoke a sick desire, full of dark promise.

    The cross earing briefly flashed red and blue.

    Instantly a giant silver cross, at least fifty feet tall, appeared behind him.

    "Come out, Dantalion. Rise and subjugate all who oppose me!"

    A faint red light was emitted by the cross'' enter stone. Fierce scarlet flames erupted forth, surrounding both Solomon and Apollo.

    The cross split down the middle, cutting it in half vertically. The cross then came apart. Similar to a doorway that led to a place unknown, one could see a world of flames on the other side.

    The hand was the first to come through. Black and red swirls for skin, marble-like, ending in sharp points. A human-like figure, but a little larger, with jet-black bat wings that stretched out of it''s back. Each leathery wing at least ten or more feet long.

    Eyes that burned with a red light. On it''s forehead, a red gemstone surrounded by four blue ones.

    Dantalion, first of Solomon''s Pillers. A Great Duke of hell, with thirty-six legions of demons under his command.

    Not all demons had a form like this. Dantalian, however, was special. He was a very old demon. Powerful. Primal.

    And this was why Solomon was a troublesome fellow. Even if he wasn''t one of the most powerful spellcasters of this or any other age, he would still hold the loyalty of 72 higher-leveled demons.

    Apollo, however, did nothing yet. "Lord Solomon, I''ll let you know this now. I, personally, do not have what you are looking for. And I know nothing about any "egg". Although...If what you seek is within my ship, you are free to look. But if you truly take the initiative to attack, I''ll respond in kind."

    Solomon paused, considering. No one would be able to tell what a man like him was thinking.

    Finally, "...Very well. I''ll not act recklessly for now. But--"

    He broke off. His head tilted, as if listening to some unknown, unheard voice.

    His expression turned cold and he aimed a very mean look towards the radiant god.

    "What''s the meaning of this, Apollo? You stand there, inviting me in, yet you fail to mention her presence aboard your ship?"

    The god frowned, confused. " Explain yourself, please, Lord Solomon. Your words, clarify."

    "Don''t play the fool! Dantalion clearly sensed that Gehenna bitch''s energy signature within your ship! So, you dare to steal from me, and now that I''ve caught you, thief, you try and lure me into a trap!" Fury could be seen from his every pore.

    Apollo''s eyes blazed. "Do not speak nonsense, mortal, Gehenna would never be--!"

    "More of your lies? Enough of this, Apollo. My Dantalion , whom I''ve carefully nurtured, could never be wrong about this!"

    Solomon had long since "improved" Dantalion''s abilities. Having once served under Gehenna, he intimately knew what the woman''s energy felt like. The cold, dreadful feeling at the pit of your stomach, he could never mistake it for any other.

    Solomon took Dantalion''s special talents in sensing energy patterns and made it ten times more powerful! How could it be that he''d be wrong in sensing that woman?

    Solomon doubted there was anything or any one that Dantalion could fail to sense when it''s within range of his sphere of influence!

    --Although I''m glad you think so highly of me, my liege, Dantalion''s smooth, charasmatic voice rang within Solomon''s mind.I should tell you now that despite my best and continued efforts, even I cannot currently pinpoint Lady Gehenna''s exact location.

    What? Solomon asked back, stunned. Bullshit, how could that be?

    --Something far above my own power level blocks her from my view. This is the only explanation I can think of. I know she is in the area, but if you were to ask where exactly...it would be difficult. What''s more, I''m still weak from being used for so long. Without rest. For days on end.

    It couldn''t be shown on his face, but that was definitely a complaint.

    Did you have anything else to do? No? Then stop bitching.

    --I''m not some cheap whore you can use whenever you damn well please.

    Despite being in a seemingly master-servant relationship, it isn''t as if they were his slaves. Were they truly unwilling to serve him, they wouldn''t have to. Who other than the people involved could truly understand the unique bond that they had?

    --But that aside...would you please change my summoning incantation?

    No. Solomon quickly refused. Besides, what''s wrong with it?

    --It makes you sound like a damn chunni, for one. And me by extension.

    ...Hm? Did I teach you that word? Regardless, no. I like it. Sounds cool. Deal with it.

    To be clear, Solomon didn''t even really need to use an incantation to summon his demons. It''s just that there were a few downsides to not using one at all. Like them losing a little of their power, or having some abilities restricted when called.

    --Fine. We''ll talk more about this later. But listen, Lord Apollo seems to be saying something.

    And indeed he was.

    The god''s eyes narrowed as he thought of Solomon''s words. He muttered to himself. " Although I had just recieved notice of her being on this planet not long ago, I do not believe she''d have any reason to be here specifically. If she is, however..."

    He trailed off. Once he was freed, he''d of course read the notice of Gehenna''s arrival.

    Solomon was growing annoyed. His egg was here, he was sure. And Gehenna was too. Coincidence? He didn''t believe in bullshit like that.

    Maybe Apollo really had nothing to do with it. But he couldn''t be sure either way. If Solomon trusted the god then as soon as he went into the ship it was a possibility that Apollo and Gehenna could work together to bring him down.

    But, that woman, she had a reputation. Would any of the gods work together with her?

    Probably not.

    ... Bah. Who cared what was going on? He just wanted back what was his.

    Wasn''t it fine to just kill the god here?

    It''s not like he wouldn''t come back, albeit a little annoyed. Gehenna wasn''t someone he''d want to fuck with if given the choice, but just grabbing his egg and running shouldn''t be too hard. Although he would of course take certain measures to get aid quickly if it came down to a fight.

    Gehenna was a very beautiful woman, but even Solomon wouldn''t want to get in her way if he could help it. Woman was crazy. Solomon didn''t do crazy. Slightly touched in the head, maybe, but crazy sadistic bitches who went on killing sprees for fun?

    Nope. He wasn''t into that shit.

    "Oh fuck it. Let''s just take this guy out. Been wanting to stretch my legs and test a few things out anyway." Solomon sighed, like it couldn''t be helped.

    He''d completely forgotten his words from before about not acting recklessly.

    "Hey, Apollo!"

    He drew the god''s attention.

    "Duck."

    Never let it be said Solomon wasn''t a very fair and honorable man. Giving the enemy time to prepare, was he not mangnanimous?

    He gave a mental command to Dantalion.

    In the next moment, the demon pointed a single finger at the god. From the point of his claw, an intense red-black light was birthed.

    It grew to nearly one hundred times his own size, eclipsing his and Solomon''s bodies entirely. It was like a small black and red sun.

    And it was then fired, with great speed, at Apollo''s figure.

    Seeing this, Apollo all but growled in displeasure.

    Solomon would learn that it didn''t do well to anger a god!

    "This worthless attack, see how I break it!"

    A violent light enveloped Apollo''s body, making him burn with a golden radiance.

    He disappeared, becoming a mere streak of light, charging right into the giant ball of energy.

    He threw out a single punch, causing an indent in the sun-like object before him.

    It quickly collapsed in on itself as he entered. He directly went into the thing, not afraid at all.

    A huge explosion immediately took place, blowing away all the clouds in the sky.

    Was Apollo harmed?

    Not at all.

    He reappeared in front of Solomon, his hand flat, forming a blade of blazing heat that was aimed at the other man''s throat.

    Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

    But somehow Solomon still had enough time to defend himself.

    His saber was unsheathed, blocking Apollo''s strike.

    Apollo''s other arm flashed, and struck at Solomon''s side--But his attack went right through.

    An illusion? No, it couldn''t be...

    His first attack was blocked, but the other...This thing in front of him, just what...

    Solomon smiled. It wasn''t pretty.

    " Knew you couldn''t resist gettin'' up close and personal."

    "Don''t be stupid!" Apollo snarled, ignoring the man''s words entirely. "You believe Gehenna''s here, but even so you want to fight me? What''s the sense in--?!"

    "Sense? What''s that, can I eat it? Fuck off. I can''t be sure you aren''t an enemy, so I''ll just treat you as one for now. It''s simple, you know? "

    "Bastard!" Apollo cursed at him. "Fine. If you insist on this lunacy then I''ll be glad to play with you for a bit!"

    All of this, Apollo knew, could probably be avoided if he mentioned that Solomon''s little group of friends were his guests. But why should he?

    This man came to cause trouble, speaking nonsensical things, accusing him of stealing and working with that bitch Gehenna, even attacking him without provocation...

    There''s a limit to how unreasonable a person could be. If he was determined to fight, why should Apollo turn him down?

    Even if the man attacked the Delphi, Apollo wasn''t worried. Because even if none of the others cared too much, that man, Lord Roland, wasn''t a person who would needlessly let people die. Of course he''d step in.

    So why should Apollo hold back? **

    The only thing he was worried about was Solomon''s previous words regarding Gehenna being here. Apollo didn''t believe Gehenna was still within his ship, but also didn''t think Solomon was wrong that she probably was inside at one point.

    How had she even gotten in, though? How did he not see or feel her? But that was irrelevent right now.

    He didn''t think for a second that he would fail to detect her if she was inside for an extended period of time. So she must have came last night, maybe, staying only a few hours or so. She had to have left by now.

    Again, he was very curious as to why she would be there in the first place, but he could investigate that later. Perhaps it had to do with that item Solomon was after, that so-called "egg". He couldn''t think of any other reason for her to be at his ship.

    For now he''d just waste a bit of time and see if he can''t get Solomon to suffer a few inconveniences.

    "I''d start runing right about now. " Said Solomon, grabbing Apollo''s attention once again. "This body''s about to go boom."

    As soon as he said that another head-splitting explosion rang out across the sky.

    A large expanse of the sky went completely white for a brief moment.

    Standing just outside of the explosion''s range was Solomon. The body from before was just a semi-phyiscal contruct. Real, yet not.

    His smile was still present and he hummed a small tune, not affected at all by being the target of a god''s attack.

    Dantalion and the giant cross was still by him, and his saber was still firmly in it''s sheath. Why should he unsheathe it? There was no need.

    "That won''t do much to him. He''ll probably come to kill me in about four seconds. Time to suit up, then, I suppose?"

    Dantalion grew alarmed.

    --Wait, you can''t be wanting to--

    Solomon snapped his fingers.

    Dantalion''s body dissolved into red and black mist that rushed towards Solomon''s body.

    His current clothing was then replaced by a full set of armor, black with deep red runes swirling along nearly every inch. Moving soundlessly, as if alive. Which it was.

    This was one of the perks of being the contract holder of a higher leveled demon. Normally no demon would ever be able to just reform itself into even a single a piece of armor. Actually, no normal lifeform would be able to.

    But when you control the very state of being of that demon, and have the power, intelligence and special sort of madness to mess around with the body of said demon....then you can create something unique.

    Solomon was a genius.

    He was the most brilliant "scientist" in any universe. Or so it was said.

    Really, he was just a pervert. The kind of pervert that liked to build new and astoundingly deadly toys that could bring ruin to entire planets. Then casually toss them into other dimensions when he grew bored of them.

    The kind of pervert that would indulge in inhumane experiments that would make even the most cold-hearted of people shudder. The kind that wasn''t afraid to use his various abilities to do whatever he saw fit.

    A man like that was, of course, insane. And dangerous.

    Because someone like Solomon, the sort of things he was able to create and bring to life, the sort of knowledge he had at his disposal, without any real restrictions be it morals or ethics?

    No one would be able to predict what he''d do, or what he wouldn''t do.

    Which in itself was frightening to the extreme just due to the fact of what a man such as him was capable of doing, the trouble he was capable of sowing.

    ...All of this is just to show that Solomon was fully willing and able to take a demon and do all sorts of experiments on it to achieve some interesting result. This is how the current armor he wore came along.

    He asked himself one day if it was possible to take a living thing and transform it into some wearable object, or weapon, like how he''d seen on some show he was watching at that moment.

    The answer he came up with was, "Let''s find out."

    Then, after many trials and errors, the answer became a resounding, "Yes!"

    Much to the dismay of Dantalion, who hated the feeling of becoming worn like this.

    Not to worry, though, no demons(Specifically, Dantalion) were harmed during the various experiments he subjected them(Dantalion) to.

    "I almost forgot how comfortable this felt. Hm, but maybe I should make you a tad smaller? You''re kind of bulky as it is."

    Solomon talked aloud.

    --He''s coming.

    Dantalion, despite having many grievances about being further tinkered with, instead chose to be helpful.

    "Alright. Let''s see how you hold up against a pissed-off god''s strike."

    This was, obviously, not the first time he''d used Dantalion like this. He''d had other of his Pillars go through this transformation, but Dantalion had been modified further not long ago.

    Seeing how the modifications were working was something Solomon was eager to hurry up with.

    As such, when Apollo, rage written all over his face, charged at him once more, Solomon just let the blows land.

    Like a shooting star, Apollo held nothing back. He dashed towards Solomon, coming up from behind and sending a vicious kick towards his back.

    Solomon was blasted forward.

    Before he''d traveled far, Apollo appeared in front of him again.

    A decidedly heavy punch was thrown out.

    This went on for sometime. Whenever Apollo hit him Solomon would be thrown in that direction with great force. Then Apollo would give chase, and hit him again, redirecting him.

    A god''s attacks weren''t to be taken lightly and Solomon felt like a train was being rammed into him everytime another punch or kick landed.

    Normally when a person was thrown like this, when they were flying threw the air at such speeds and then abruptly stopped or changed trajectories, their brains would knock against their skull.

    So Solomon should be dead dozens of times over just for that alone--had he been a normal man, that is. Luckily he''d thought of this problem long ago and. The skull-like helmet that he wore had spells in place to stop such a thing from occuring.

    And even if it did occur, other spells were made so that any wound ofthat kind would be healed instantly.

    Plus it did help that Solomon''s body was about as strong as any demon''s due to him being contracted to so many. Their energy constantly streamed towards him, turning him into something that was human yet not, mortal yet not.

    Wanting to kill him, that was no easy task!

    The very instant Apollo landed a powerful blow to his solar plexus, Solomon was grinning like a little kid--not because he had any masochistic tendencies, but because he was extremely happy with something else at the moment.

    "Fuck, more than 40% of the blows'' force are being negated! Even more than I expected!" Was that not something to celebrate?! "But it seems some parts of this armor is weaker than the others...a shame. Going to have to work on that. I wonder how the wings will perform? Can they keep up with his speed? Let''s try it!"

    Solomon gave a mental command and a pair of wings sprouted from his back.

    These were not Dantalion''s bat-like wing, however. No, these were hardly "wings" at all.

    Rather, they were flames in the general shape of wings. Inky-black, a void-black that seemed to suck in the light.

    As for why they looked like this, it''s because Solomon was still in the middle of developing them. And that was, in part, because he liked how they looked. So they were a bit rough around the edges.

    Even so, he''d wanted to see how they worked. In theory they were not exactly supposed speed him up, not just that at least, but to more importantly slow down the world around him.

    Make the time needed to travel from point A to point B that much quicker. While also distorting the surrounding space to make the distance that much shorter.

    To simplify it further...it would be akin to making numerous and continuous short-range teleportations? Like teleporting an inch or so forward each time, but very, very fast, and not stopping.

    No, maybe that was wrong. Perhaps it can be explained as just taking one step to travel ten steps?

    Whatever the best example was, Solomon, right now, didn''t really pay much attention to these kinds of thoughts. He put them in the back of his mind, focusing on the battle.

    The very instant he saw Apollo become a mere streak of light, he flapped his wings.

    Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

    It was a very weird sensation, because Solomon couldn''t rely on his eyesight to be aware of what was happening around him.

    Instead he had to create a "field" with his spiritual energy. Why? Because otherwise he''d not know anything at all about anything that was going on right now. He used his soul to see, not his eyes, as he simply wouldn''t be able to see when traveling like this.

    It was similar with Apollo. When traveling at the speed of light, how could he see? How would he percieve the world around him? He couldn''t, not relying on his physical body''s limitations.

    Instead he used his godly powers. Because Apollo was a god that governed light, he would be aware of anything that was touched by light. He could "see" even thousands of miles away so long as light of any form was touching the person or object he wanted to look at.

    There were exceptions to this, though. As evidence by the fact that Apollo could not see Gehenna anywhere near here.

    He didn''t use this part of his powers often since they were draining even for him. Well, he didn''t use it regularily, but he would still use them whenever he traveled this fast. Just so he didn''t run into anything he didn''t want to.

    Apollo was very surprised when he "saw" Solomon flying along beside him.

    But he didn''t dwell on this too much, Solomon was a very myterious figure and there wasn''t much that should surprise people when it was in regards to him.

    Apollo raised a hand and sent a barrage of dazzlingly bright balls of fire at the man.

    Solomon did the same, also raisng his hand and sending out dozens of energy blasts in response. Whearas Apollo''s blasts were hot, his were cold.

    One side of the world seemed scalding hot, while the other held a chilling coldness about it.

    Yet in terms of pure derstructive ability, Apollo was superior.

    If there was one advantage Solomon had, however...it was that he had many more powers at his disposal.

    Apollo wasn''t any great mage. He was limited by the powers he reigned over as a god. Light, heat, healing, prophecy, plagues, these were the extent of what he could do.

    Solomon? He was much more versatile.

    They''d not noticed how long they battled like this.

    Solomon threw spell after spell at the god, but to his annoyance they were quickly either countered, dodged or broken through.

    Solomon imprisons him in a black fortress of Dark Silver? Apollo tore a hole through it.

    Solomon summons a giant Undead Bone Dragon--no, unfortunately, it was not those kinds of dragons, those unreasonable powerful beings--to fight alongside him? Apollo melts it down like it was a massive lump of butter.

    Solomon brings up a dozen clones of himself and send countless projectile attacks at the god? Apollo answers by shielding himself in a caccoon of golden fire.

    Solomon tries a different approach and attempts to trap Apollo''s mind in a sweet dream where countless virgin beauties were at his beck and call? Apollo slaughters every one of those bitches as if they were ugly, unwanted step-children. Therefore escaping.

    Solomon, having just taken a red-hot spear to his chest, was growing a little excited.

    "Damn. Although not at Aries'' or Mephisto''s level, you sure can give a person a pretty entertaining fight!" Solomon praised. Despite having several bruises, cuts and burns that couldn''t be healed too well at the moment, he was still letting out a fierce grin that spoke volumes.

    Needless to say, Solomon was mainly just having fun. Like Loki and the rest of their little group, he enjoyed playing with his enemies. The fight. The thrill of it.

    If it were Aries, he''d take all of Solomon''s attacks head-on without reserve. Even that dream he''d sent Apollo into not long ago, Aries would first have a bit of fun with it before breaking out.

    If it were Mephisto, he''d never give Solomon the chance to attack much at all, just cutting into him with his full power like a fucking maniac. Reveling in blood, carnage, with the same expression of excitement as that of a child who was playing his favorite game.

    If it was Roland...Well, he''d probably take whatever Solomon gave out and send it right back. Just to mock him. Hm. Honestly it was hard to tell what that sadistic bastard would do.

    ...Solomon had this impression of his old friend. He didn''t give much thought to the fact that the other man only really grew "sadistic" when the fight was good enough to bring out those traits in him.

    As he was lost in his thoughts momentarily, he was brought back to reality when Apollo conjured a very disgusting purple- green substance that bled out from his hands.

    " Oh. Plagues? How boring."

    Solomon''s adrenalin rush slowly died down.

    "I was having so much fun, too...Oh well. Let''s just end this and get my egg. I need to save strength for if I have to fight that bitch."

    Against Gehenna, if he failed to escaped with his precious item before she came for him, he''d need everything he had to battle her.

    Because even when you wounded her, when you thought you could win, she''d just come back stronger than before.

    Dantalion. Open the Gateways.

    --You wish to summon them all?

    Yes. I have to prepare now. I''m reasonable sure I can beat this guy quickly , find my stuff, then get out of here before she can get to me. But in case I can''t, or if she herself has the item on her person, then I can''t take her on without at least this much.

    Dantalion stayed silent. That frightening woman did indeed warrent such a thing.

    Dantalion shifted out of his armor form and returned to his original self. Solomon was back in his previous atire as well.

    Seeing what was happening, a slightly winded Apollo grew suspicious.

    The giant cross, which had hovered above the two combatants all throughout the battle, broke down.

    It split into many smaller versions of itself and scattered everywhere.

    Under Dantalion''s meticulous control they formed a massive magic circle that stretched nearly a mile in diameter. The magic circle was very strange, each of the small crosses being making up it''s core.

    They became Keys. Keys to a multitude of Gateways, portals, that would soon pop into existence in certain places atop the magic circle.

    There were countless runes acting in support which would stabilize the area here so the portals didn''t tear apart the space they were currently in--which would be very bad.

    To make sure each of the 72 Gateways were able to sustain themselves and not have to drain all life on the planet to even appear in the first place.

    For Dantalion Solomon could just use an incantation to bring him here, or not use one at all if he was in a hurry and didn''t mind them being a bit weaker than usual.

    Same with any other individual demon under his command. But if he wanted to summon all of his 72 Pillars at once, the rules changed.

    Apollo grew pale.

    He understood well what was happening, but didn''t dare to disrupt the process. Were it forcibly tampered with, he''d not be able to escape with light injuries. Perhaps even his "soul", the essence of his being, would be wounded.

    He could only watch as 72 of hell''s strongest demons were about to descend all at once onto the Mortal Planes.

    ***

    It''s been about ten minutes now since they heard Sol''s enraged voice.

    Morrigan and Roland sat in their room along with Mercury, Aries and Mephisto. The latter two came upon Roland''s call. Mercury came to visit Fenris, who was currently in her cat form and resting on Roland''s head--something that apparently the girl took a liking to for some strange reason he couldn''t comprehend.

    Mercury used this disturbance as an opportunity to come by since she knew the girl would be awake, probably here to just see how the girl''s mood was doing. Otherwise Roland didn''t think she''d have shown up.

    As for Loki, he hadn''t deigned to appear.

    Grace was in her and Morrigan''s room, still asleep due to a spell the woman wove around her, that little white fox--whom Roland wasn''t sure if had yet even been named--nestling near her shoulder. As for Saren and James, he''d contacted them earlier and told them to wait in their rooms, to not worry.

    Reina and Lilith, he didn''t know what they were doing but they were with their parents so it was fine.

    "Why isn''t he here? Apollo must have gone to meet him, should he not have already be brought in?" Aries grumbled.

    "He sounded pissed off. Sol, I mean. What was it he was screaming about?" This was Mephisto.

    "Something about an egg." Roland answered. "I think Loki mentioned before that someone robbed him and that he was searching for the thief. You think...?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "That he''s here because of that? Yeah. Pretty much."

    "A reasonable assumption." Morrigan interjected. "But it couldn''t be here. Loki was in possession of this vessel for quite some time. No one here could have taken anything from Solomon. This ...egg...went missing before Loki brought the ship out. No one would be able to enter or leave the ship before then since even Apollo was incapacitated."

    "True. And yet even so Solomon thinks it''s here." Roland mused. "But why? No, he probably sensed it? But if he did sense it, then how could it be here? As you said, no one from here would be able to steal from him, even if they somehow had the ability to do so they wouldn''t be able to reach him."

    "Unless someone from outside, the thief, entered the ship after it was brought out." Mercury replied helpfully.

    "You suspect one of the students." Stated Roland. He ignored the sharp way Mercury glanced at Morrigan every now and then.

    "Quite. Had to be, right? Maybe Solomon couldn''t sense his stolen item before because of the barrier Loki had around the school. But once the thief came aboard, with the item in tow...."

    "They left the barrier, meaning Sol could sense it. Or got within close enough range for him to pick up the trail, which would be why he''s only getting here now." Mephisto finished, looking indifferent to the whole matter.

    Roland saw a few issues with that. "Even so, do you think any of the students could leave the academy without Loki knowing? Because I don''t think they would be able to. Plus, there are other reasons it wouldn''t be one of them..."

    It was pretty much the same problem with no one from Delphi being able to come and go as they wished. The students weren''t just allowed to leave whenever they wanted, there were certain procedures that had to be followed first. At least, that''s what Abigail told him some time ago.

    Even if you thought that one of the students swiped the "egg" first before coming to the school, they all should have gotten to school way before this thief stole Solomon''s egg. From what Loki said, it couldn''t have happened all that long ago. So if all the students arrived before the egg was stolen, and they couldn''t just leave once they were there, it was unlikely that it was one of them.

    Roland didn''t have to mention any of this, however. Morrigan, at least, given her position as a teacher at the school, wouid be able to see the problem with the culprit being a student instantly.

    "Well if it wasn''t someone from here and it wasn''t one of the students, then the only people that are left who arrived not too long ago, had been missing for some time already, and are within the ship even now, would be..." Morrigan let the sentence hang.

    "Your young wards, is it." Mephisto raised a brow, interested. "But I was informed by Loki that they were only gone for seven days of something like that?"

    "They were. Seven days of this world. But Loki apparently neglected to say that they had most likely entered a sub-dimension." Roland informed.

    "Ah, I see. And Solomon''s home, even if he brought it to this planet, would work on different Time Laws. Could they have traveled to the not-so-distant past, then? Time gets distorted pretty easily, so it wouldn''t be any surprise. Solomon appeared to have been searching for this egg for longer than just the week those kids were missing, afterall. And if it did happen like that, then that would explain a few things."

    The man was right. It could easily have gone that way. Time was funny, so sometimes when traveling in sub-dimensions you could end up a few weeks or even a few years into the past. Time wasn''t exactly linear, it all existed as a sort of giant, messed up ball of rubber bands were things such as this were not so rare.

    So if the kids did have something to do with this, then their unique circumstances would, as Mephisto had said, explain some things. Let it make a sort of sense.

    It''s just...are they really capable of stealing anything from a man like Solomon? Did they have help? And if this was all true, if they did steal from him, then where was this egg...? They brought nothing of the sort aboard. He was sure of it.

    "...Let''s leave this alone for a bit. Anyway, you have all been sensing the massive energy fluctuations up to now, right?" Roland asked them.

    "Of course." Aries said. " How couldn''t we? Sol probably got Apollo mad, attacked, and Apollo responded in kind. But I doubt it''s anything serious. I''m just wondering why it hasn''t stopped yet. Is Apollo not going to tell Sol we''re here?"

    Apollo was a hot-head. He was generally fine, but wouldn''t back down from a fight if some prick tried to start one with him. The god likely decided to teach Sol a lesson. And Sol already stopped the ship, so he has time to kill without worrying about the thief getting away.

    With his personality, a fight was all but inevitable between them. Even if he said he didn''t wan''t to fight, he''d still do it. And forget he''d ever said anything to the contrary.

    Still, it''s gone on for a while. Maybe fifteen minutes by now already? They should already have stopped and made up like good little boys.

    But whatever. Even if it was stretching on now, Aries couldn''t see much of a reason for the fight to continue for too much longer.

    All they had to do was wait, right?

    He said so too

    "Wait it is then."

    Five more minutes passed in quiet.

    None of them really made any further comments, comfortably silent.

    All except for mercury, who came up beside Roland and stretched out her arms to pick up her daughter from atop his head. A huge, toothy smile lit up her pretty face as she did so.

    "Come here, Fenris, come to mommy~" She cooed. Her daughter was always so cute when she was in this form~

    This was her present motivation.

    Fenris opened up one eye to see the actions of her mother. When she saw that the woman was inching closer with her arm raised, she grew more alarmed.

    She hissed, growling in warning. Her claws digging into Roland''s head.

    The girl swiped at her mother''s hands when they were within range, not merciful at all.

    "Ow!" Mercury sucked in a breath. "Damn unfilial brat. Hmph. Liking some stranger more than your own mother, the injustice!"

    Fenris, not bothering to deal with the woman any more, closed her eyes once again.

    Roland, on his end, found it a little discomforting to keep the girl--cat? He''d just think of her a cat for now--atop his head. Being clawed like that, albeit unintentionally on her part, wasn''t a good feeling even if it couldn''t pierce his skin.

    As such, he took the cat off his head and rested her by his side.

    Fenris looked at him from the couch''s seat, annoyed. But she was tired, it was late at night still, and so chose to not mind it.

    Mybe another five minutes passed before Mercury once more tried to capture the girl.

    She crawled up next to the couch under the amused stare of Aries and Mephisto.

    Stretching out her arms slowly, she struck!

    But Roland batted her hands away

    "Hey!" She glared. "What the meanin'' of this, handsome? It''s a crime to keep a mother away from her daughter, you know."

    Roland shrugged without care. "She doesn''t want you to touch her."

    Mercury spluttered, deeply offended by this. But she couldn''t deny it. Snorting coldly at the treatment she was getting, she bitterly went back to her seat.

    After some time Roland absently began petting Fenris. It wasn''t really a conscious movement on his part. He liked cats, so seeing a big one with such soft fur by him, he just couldn''t help it.

    He didn''t even realize he was doing it until Mercury unhappily spoke up. "What, so you can touch but I can''t?"

    "Hmm? Oh."

    Becoming aware of it just now, he shrugged again. "Well she''s not opposed to it, is she? Unlike with you."

    "That''s...!" The woman narrowed her eyes. "Ugh!" She huffed.

    What they didn''t know was that, despite appearances, Fenris wasn''t actually asleep!

    As for why she, who didn''t usually like people to touch her, allowed this...it was because she was hungry.

    And as previously mentioned, this Roland fellow tasted great. No, the energy that leaked out from his tasted great. Although he himself probably would too.

    Again, not in a sexual way, but if she could have just a small taste of his blood one day...

    She fantasied.

    Getting back to the topic, she was eating his energy. Sucking it up. The only thing was that she couldn''t do it in any large amount, sadly, lest he take notice of it.

    But even still, the warm feeling she got as she took in that energy of his was very pleasing.

    Mmm...

    The energy she was absorbing, coupled with the way he stroked her fur, was too good.

    She couldn''t stop a bout of soft purring from coming on.

    But...!

    She absolutely shouldn''t be blamed at all for this happening!

    Anyone in her position would!

    She rolled over onto her back, her legs and arms raised as she continued her purring.

    When his hand began rubbing her belly, she writhed comfortably. Again, she absolutely could not be blamed for becoming like this, definitely not!

    Roland didn''t mind any of it. In spite of knowing that this was not actually a cat, and was in reality a godly being who was also the daughter of one of his friends...right now she was just a cat.

    So, this was fine.

    Unfortunately as this entire thing went on they had attracted a few weird gazes from the others in the room.

    Mephisto was the first to say something. " Somehow this feel a little...wrong?" He muttered.

    "What, that he''s in the midst of taming our good friend''s daughter?" Aries smirked. "No, I don''t see anything out of the ordinary. Do you?" He found everything about this a little humorous.

    "Were it any other person it''d seem business as usual for him, but with Fenris...hm...Loki would react badly to this scene."

    "Yup. He would. That''s why imma take a video documentary of it and show him." Aries rumbling laughter had a certain sadistic aspect to it.

    He quietly conjured a small camcorder from seemingly out of thin air.

    Of those present there was still Morrigan and Mercury.

    The latter had a envious look on her face. It was unclear whether that envy was towards Roland or if it was directed at her daughter.

    As for Morrigan, she looked displeased.

    Finally she couldn''t take it anymore, and stretched over her husband.

    She picked up the cat--Fenris--and dropped her on the floor.

    Fenris promptly jumped back up the couch, taking a place on Roland''s leg. Her tail flicked wih annoyance as she stared at the other woman. The petting resumed.

    Frowning, Morrigan gestured with her hands and an unseeable force propelled Fenris to her mother''s bosom. The woman caught the girl easily, smiling happily.

    "Dear husband, I would appreaciate it if you didn''t feel up another woman so blatantly when in my presence. Rather, i''d like for you not to do so at all. If you truly have the urge, I myself am more than able to fulfill it."

    Roland peered at his wife. "Morrigan, you do realize she''s merely a cat right now, right? Is there really any harm in it? Besides. She''s quite nice to pet. You should try it."

    "I''d rather, not. Who know''s where she''s been?"

    At this, Mercury snorted in disdain. All but calling her daughter a stinking animal, the nerve!

    She was so indignant that she almost let her daughter escape from her grasp.

    "Come now. That''s a bit much. She seems very clean, you know? Smells clean too." He countered.

    "And how would you know that? Do you mean to say you''ve been smelling her?"

    Now, she wasn''t being fair. They all had keen senses, it''s not as if they had to get up close to get a good sniff.

    But Roland didn''t bother to say this to her.

    Instead he took a more interesting approach, "I don''t know. Maybe. I don''t think I could be blamed for it if I have been, though. Because you know, the other day when you found us, I actually did get a rather opportune moment to take a whiff.

    And indeed, as you can imagine, her scent was quite appealing. Even now I can vividly recall the sweet fragrance she exuded at that time. That peculiar, tantalizing aroma that she gave out as I was embracing her soft, bare body from behind..." He trailed off, very deliberatly. He then looked to come back to his senses, continuing on. "It was, in all honestly, very nice. "

    There were expressions of shock all around in response to his words. They seemed stunned, a tad dazed, as they pictured the scene in their minds.

    Though Mephisto and Aries blanched, looking very ill at easy, Mercury was different.

    "Damn." She shook her head in wonder. "That sounded...kinda hot. Did that really happen? Has my little girl actually become a woman? But why does she still smell like she''s holding her V-card? Wait...was it just some sort of foreplay? Couldn''t get to the main event before Morrigan walked in? Is that it? Even so, to think my daughter would really take the initiative to go out and seduce a man...I really underestimated her!"

    Fenris, obviously still in her cat form, looked at Roland and the others. Even as a cat she looked as if she couldn''t believe what was happening.

    After a small struggle she leapt out of Mercury''s arms, ran into the room Grace slept in, and came back out almost instantly with one of the blankets around her.

    She immediately said, "It''s a lie! I-I didn''t do any such thing! ...Well, at least, I wasn''t seducing anyone! It''s not like that! Besides, he held me against my will that time!"

    Mephisto started. "Hold on, don''t tell me...Roland, you couldn''t have..."

    Morrigan, the only one who actually knew what happened that time that was being spoken of, only said, " My husband isn''t such a person, as I should think you well know. And from what I know, Fenris was the one that attacked first."

    Aries blinked. "So what you mean to say is that the girl who started the whole thing? That''s...surprising. Who knew our little Fenris would be the one to make the first move..."

    "No, I didn''t mean attack in that sense of the word." Morrigan said.

    Fenris struck while the iron was hot. " That''s right! See, I sorta lost control of myself, and he had to hold me so that I wouldn''t--"

    "Wait, wait, wait, my good daughter, you''re really saying this? You went to him first? You couldn''t control your sexual urges, and so pounced on him? Am I understanding this right?" Mwercury wasn''t sure what was going on anymore.

    "That seems to be it?" Mephisto asked, unsure.

    "I don''t think there''s any other explanation, right?" Aries concurred.

    "So it''s true, then, daughter? Have you actually become so bold, or just unable to help yourself? I can understand with a man such as he, but you shouldn''t be so forward. Getting all hot and bothered over a man is fine, but it''ll hurt if you don''t take more care with your first time! You''re a virgin, dear, and an ancient one too. Don''t you know that for a person like you it can hurt if you just go wild like that without reserve? A person should usually just do as their body tells them in such situation, but someone like yourself, during your first, has to be more aware!" Mercury urged the girl to be more careful.

    "What''re you saying! I''m not some...somehorny teen!" Fenris hissed.

    Aries head was starting to hurt. "Wait, back up. Fenris, we''re not wrong, are we?" His voice became laced with impatience and irritation. "Is all that stuff we''re assuming true?"

    "That''s. Not. What. I''m. Saying!" Fenris glared, grounding out each word through clenched teeth and making sure they were all emphasised.

    "Then what are you saying?! Can''t you speak clearly? " Mercury was exasperated, throwing her hands up into the air.

    "I''m trying to explain, but you people aren''t listening!" The more Fenris talked to them, the angrier and more miserable she got.

    She turned to Roland, who was just watching all this unfold with a very satisfied expression. For all intents and purposes looking extremely entertained. It urked her to no end!

    "You!" She pointed. "You started all this! Tell them what happened!" She commanded.

    Fenris didn''t want to talk anymore.

    What set her off, though, was that right as she said this he actually had the gall to laugh!

    Facing the severe glower the woman sent his way, Roland decided it was enough.

    "Alright, alright." He slowly sobered, agreeing to the demand easily. "Calm down, everyone. Fenris didn''t do anything. She just looked like she had a bad dream and attacked me when still half-asleep. Not in the sexual way, mind you. It wasn''t that nice. Rather, she tried to kill me? So I''m sorry to ruin whatever assumptions you may have had, but that''s not how it is. And really, I''m not such a loose person."

    This got a decidedly less surprised reaction.

    "Anymore, you mean. And oh, so that was it?"

    "Makes sense."

    "...I''m a little disappointed..."

    Mephisto, Aries and Mercury all voiced their understanding of the matter.

    "Happy now?" Roland asked Fenris.

    " Greatly." She sighed wearily, raising a hand to massage a temple.

    "Good."

    "Wait." Morrigan spoke up for the second third time. "Fenris, about your actions just now...and that time before...Please refrain from doing so in the future."

    The girl having a bad dream and making Roland stop her from going wild was understandable. But attacking him while naked was a bit much.

    Did she have to be naked? No. Where was the excuse for that, then?

    And Fenris just letting him touch her like this, even if it was in her cat form, wasn''t something Morrigan approved of.

    See, Morrigan didn''t like them getting too close. Not that she would try to outright restrict his interactions with other women--she wasn''t that unreasonable--but she was especially wary of Fenris.

    The girl craved little more than a person whom she could care for, and whom would care for her in kind. And not in the way Grace cared for her.

    No, Fenris had always sought a suitable mate. Someone strong enough so that she wouldn''t have to be.

    A person whom she could share her life with. A person that would be able to make her time of abuse and lonliness at the hands of her kin worth it.

    Morrigan understood well that the girl wanted, needed, a person to lean on. It wasn''t hard to figure out. She''d lacked a lot of love and attention as she grew up and that stayed true even up to now.

    To want someone who understood her, someone who was able to brighten up her day and make her truly feel happy for once, was perfectly alright.

    But Roland couldn''t be that person.

    She could have anyone else, Morrigan didn''t care, but if Fenris came to like her husband then she couldn''t accept it.

    Morrigan was determined. She knew that there was a chance this cycle of his could continue many times more. Yet she didn''t want to merely let herself become one among the many people he had left behind.

    No, she wouldn''t let that happen. He was her husband. He was the father of her child.

    Morrigan fully intended for her and Grace to be a part of his life, and a part of his later lives. She wanted to always be his wife, and wanted the three of them to always remain a family.

    Fenris didn''t fit in their family. Morrigan once thought that perhaps she could share him if he''d ever had any other lovers or wives pop up, but she was wrong. She didn''t want to share him with other women and didn''t think that she should have to.

    So Fenris could remain Grace''s friend, could become a sisterly figure to the girl. Could become friends with him, too.

    But that was it. In no way did Morrigan want to increase the possibility that this girl would fall in love with her husband.

    Perhaps she wouldn''t. But he already fulfilled the strength portion of the girl''s criteria, even if the girl in question wasn''t quite aware of it yet.

    So the possibility increased just with that alone, and would only increase the more time they spent together, the closer they became.

    Again, it was fine if it was anyone else. Just not him.

    The girl was damaged goods in many ways, but Morrigan didn''t want her husband to be the one to waste the time fixing her.

    Don''t misunderstand, even Morrigan felt that Fenris deserved happiness. The girl was a pitiable one, scorned and neglected by her own family for countless years already. Her scars were deep.

    It''s simply that Morrigan didn''t want Roland to be the one to give the girl this happiness. To be the one to heal her.

    That was all. It wasn''t too much to ask.

    And Fenris understood all of this too. Even now, as she heard Morrigan''s words, she instantly knew why she said them.

    But she felt the woman was overreacting. Fenris wasn''t the kind of person to fall in love so easily. Obviously.

    However there was something else that Fenris understood from this: Morrigan was very selfish.

    The woman believed, or at least thought it was a possibility, that Fenris would grow too attached to her husband.

    Fenris didn''t think this would happen. But knew that if it ever were to happen, Morrigan would flat out reject the idea.

    To Morrigan, Fenris'' own happiness didn''t really matter. If Fenris were ever to fall for Roland--which again, the girl doubted would happen--Morrigan wouldn''t let her be.

    In Morrigan''s mind, no other person could have him. Morrigan loved the man and it was a very greedy, possessive love.

    Because of that, there was just no middleground. Roland, for Fenris, wasn''t an option. Even if Morrigan didn''t say it, Fenris knew a line was being drawn.

    This is what can happen, and this is what can''t. And even if it did happen, it wouldn''t be allowed to bear fruit.

    That''s basically what Morrigan was implying here.

    Though Fenris didn''t mind it. Not really. She didn''t have those kinds of feelings for the man, so why should this matter to her? Plus, that man was Morrigan''s husband. Grace''s father.

    Who was Fenris to even think of getting in between them?

    She was no one.

    And it wasn''t like the woman was saying they--Fenris and Roland--couldn''t be friends, which is pretty much what they sort of were to each other right now.

    So she just shrugged and said, "Yeah, alright, whatever."

    And that was the end of it.

    ...Or it was for them. But not for Mercury.

    If Fenris could understand what Morrigan was not explicitly saying, how could she not?

    Mercury was enraged, disgusted and supremely irritated all at the same time. Really, that Morrigan, how absurd!

    Who was she to say what her daughter could or couldn''t do? Who she could or couldn''t fall for? Was a person able to control their feelings? No, they couldn''t. This was all a bunch of bullshit.

    Fuck, if her cute and adorable little girl had her eyes on someone then Mercury didn''t care who it was, she''d support it fully!

    And if the person her daughter had an eyes on was ever that fine, strapping, wet-dream-inducin'' young''un over there...

    ...Then no matter what this woman said, Mercury wouldn''t watch her daughter only ever sit and pine for him instead of taking action all because of the words of some bitch-goddess like Morrigan!

    Hmph! If her daughter ever wanted someone, she''ll get him! Mercury would, of course, ensure it! No matter what methods she''d have to use!

    Not that she would have to.

    Mercury, being the most beautiful of all goddessses, would naturally have a daughter who was nearly as beautiful as she herself was.

    What man, woman or Apache*** would be able to resist her daughter? Such a person doesn''t exist!

    ...Of course, Mercury understood Morrigan''s reasons... But, even so...!

    Mercury continued to shoot daggers at Morrigan for some time before folding her arms and slowly calming down.

    As for Aries and Mephisto, they didn''t think too much about this. Mercury''s sudden enmity for Morrigan wasn''t lost on them, but as because they didn''t even try to think about why it was so, they just shrugged it off and once more lasped into silence.

    Even if they did know all the things that were going on between the three women, they would only choose to stay out of it. As would be wise.

    "So how long has it been already?" Mephisto asked, referring to Solomon''s arrival.

    Roland was the one to answer. "Around...30 minutes? I think."

    "That''s a pretty long time..." Mephisto said, his brows furrowing. " I expected a short fight. Solomon getting Apollo mad, fists and spells being thrown, the usual. But it''s gone on for quite a while now hasn''t it? Just what could be taking so--"

    As one, every person in the room froze.

    "Sonuvabitch!" Aries cursed. "He''s summoning them all? Here? " The man stood up, confusion written all over his face.

    "Shit, something must have happened. Solomon wouldn''t do this unless something went very, very wrong." Mephisto also rose.

    "Mercury, take us outside. Now." Even Roland grew uncharacteristically serious.

    "Don''t gotta tell me twice."

    Mercury wasn''t stupid. Any force that was able to make Solomon summon all of his 72 Pillars at once like this was nothing to joke about. With all those high-ranking demons and fallen angels under his command, he had enough power to start a war with any of the other Pantheons and put up a decent fight for a while.

    And a Grand Summoning like this would summon not only his 72 Pillars, but it''d also summon all the demonic legions that those Pillars had under their own command.

    This would cause a lot of waves within Hell, as it was nearly one-third of all their forces.

    For him to resort to something like this, things had to be bad. Very bad.

    As such, she wasted no time.

    But Fenris realized something. Looking down at her current apparel, she started backing away. "Hold on, wait a minute, I''m still--!"

    Too late. Every person in that room was instantly teleported away.

    ***

    As the magic circle exanded even more, many Gateways were forming. Gaining power, calling out, getting ready to open.

    While this slow process carried on, a loud cackle echoed throughout the sky as a crazed man raised his hands up into the air with glee.

    Despite his outward appearance seeming like that of a refined gentleman, possessing a scholarly air and handsome looks, he actually gave out the impression of madness at the moment.

    "Ah, how long had it been since I last brought everyone together like this? Come, my pretties, come and say hello to Uncle Solomon! No, better yet...daddy?"

    --Not one of us shall ever call you either of those things. Or I suppose Phenex may do it if you asked, but even she would loathe such a thing. Probably. Also, do not treat them like children. Really, you never change even after so many years...

    Oh quiet, you. You need to learn to lighten up. Have fun. Do you not feel a bit of joy at having us all reunite like this? It''s not everyday this happens.

    Solomon knew that each of his Pillars had their own lives. So he only summoned them all like this when the need was great.

    Gehenna, if he had to face her, was that much of a threat. Not many people knew just how much of a monster she truly was. But he did.

    --Pardon me if I''m not exactly bursting with enthusiasm. Going into a battle like this just isn''t my idea of a good time. I value my life, thank you very much. I''m not like a certain somone who derives a sick sort of pleasure in courting death.

    If anyone was capable of making the usually unflappable demon Dantalion scared, it was Gehenna. Few could kill people like him permanently. She was one of them.

    Always such a sourpuss. Solomon chided. Does it not get boring?

    --Not, not really. Dantalion answered. He then tilted his head, becoming aware of something. He turned towards the ship, his swirling grey eyes curious.

    --Hmm....I didn''t feel it before since I was too focused on Gehenna''s presence....but this feeling....Aren''t these energy patterns....?

    Noticing the demon''s muttered words, Solomon asked, What is it?

    --....If I had to say, I think a few of your friends are here? Most definitely .

    What? Who?

    --Well--

    "Sol!"

    " Hm? ...!!"

    Solomon heard a very familiar voice calling out to him, but when he turned around he was confronted with a strane scene.

    There, just a few feet behind him,was Aries decked out in full blood-red armor. As the man was very tall, he cut a very imposing figure. His helmet holding two dagger-like horns that jutted out from the sides, seeming distinctly blade-like.

    With a giant warhammer. A warhammer who''s head was so large, and who''s was several feet long, that you''d probably only find the like in video games. Completely made of some dark metal that gave a very foreboding feel.

    Something that only a very strong person could wield effectively. Someone like a God of War.

    And this weapon was currently heading straight towards Dantalion''s head

    Solomon was caught off-guard, quickly erecting a barrier. The blow was negated but the barrier cracked, sending out small blue sparks.

    His face darkened.

    "Aries, dammit, who the fuck do you think you''re aiming at!"

    Aries only just now realized who the demon beside Solomon was, his face showing confusion.

    " Don''t throw a fit, love, you can''t blame him for this. He was a bit confused, expecting the worst. Obviously he''d think that was a evil demon or something, he didn''t really have time to think.

    We came here expecting a goddamn waarzone, after all. So please explain why there''s nothing here. I mean why the flying fuck would you start summoning all your Pillars just to take care of Apollo? Are you an idiot? No, wait, don''t answer. I already know."

    Mercury came up from behind Aries and started drilling into Solomon mercilessly.

    "First Aries, and then Mercury?" Solomon muttered. "Why would you two be here?"

    "It isn''t just them."

    A new voice popped up.

    "Ro? And Morrigan....Fenris too? Wait, and even Mephisto? What''re you all doing here?"

    Solomon at first thought this was some sort of illusion, but discarded the idea. He''d know if it was. But then what was going on?

    "Before that, call off the summoning." Roland looked at the magic circle, noticing that some of the Gateways were already opening.

    "No can do. I don''t know why you guys are here, but do you not understand that that matchstick over there has Gehenna in his ship? I need to find my egg, I can''t go in without some first calling some backup. What if I have to fight that woman? I''m not ready to die just yet."

    The man refused.

    "Gehenna''s... inside?" Mephisto, Aries and everyone else were shocked at this revelation.

    Of all of them, it was Morrigan''s reaction that was the most extreme. The woman went deathly pale, a look of fear and urgency coming to her eyes.

    She gripped Mercury''s arm tightly. "Send me back!"

    "Hey don''t use that tone with me, woman, let me go--"

    "Send me back now!" The woman''s sharp, panicked voice gave no room for arguement.

    She could only think of her daughter, in the same ship that had Gehenna skulking about in it.

    She didn''t doubt for a second Solomon''s words about the woman being abaord. No, even if she did have doubts, she''d never leave things to chance. Not with her daughter in the picture.

    Mercury flashed them away as soon as the last word was uttered from Morrigan''s lips, not thinking at all about refusing her.

    Just like that, they were gone.

    Now it was just Solomon, Roland, Mephisto, Aries and Fenris.

    Solomon didn''t know the reason for the woman to panic like that, but he didn''t think too deeply about it.

    He blinked. "I don''t think I''ve ever seen someone willingly go to a place where that devil-woman was said to be at."

    "...That aside, even if that''s true that she''d here, there''s no need to call them all. Do you think we ourselves aren''t enough to deal with a single person?"

    This was Roland.

    Solomon stared at him.

    "...You say that because you don''t know how scary that woman is."

    "He''s right." Mephisto voiced his support. "If Gehenna''s really so near, then...."

    "We might need the help." Mercury finished.

    "Hm...I don''t think it would hurt to have more people here...." Aries shrugged.

    "I trust that Lord Solomon is serious about this. I don''t know how it came to be, but if he says Gehenna''s here, I think we need to consider the possibility that we may have to fight her. So as for him summoning more allies, I have no qualms with it."

    Even Fenris joined in.

    As she spoke, Solomon noticed something. "Why, my dear girl, do not not have any clothes on? Not that this isn''t a feast for the eyes, but that...blanket, is it?...is a rather odd fashion statement, do you not think?"

    "It''s not as if I wanted to wear it. It was a force of circumstance. Mind helping me out?"

    "Yes, yes, fine, if I must. " Solomon waved a hand and the blanket was replaced with a long shirt white that was able to cover half her legs. "Apologies. I don''t have anything else that''s suitable at the moment."

    "It''s fine, thanks." Never let it be said that Fenris was an ingrate. She hated not being able to conjure things with a wave of her hand, or know how to use spells to store clothes in some special space.

    Maybe she should learn. Or get some storage ring.

    Because it felt like she was having to go naked in front of people a lot more often recently.

    It''d be much better if she could learn how to not make her clothes disappear during transformations...but for that she''d have to ask her mother or father, which was a bit hard for her to do...

    Besides, she''d never really asked or needed them for anything. Why should she start now?

    Meanwhile as this interaction was going on, Roland was torn. It seemed that everyone here had the same mindset. Their animosity for the woman was palpable.

    But if Gehenna was really here, and since he was pretty much certain she was someone from his past, he didn''t want things to escalate into a fight.

    If they saw her, they''d attack. He had no doubt about that. He asked Loki, Aries and Mephisto to not go after her, to attack her...but her showing up here would be taken as a sign of aggression to their eyes.

    "Look, Sol, just....don''t summon them."

    Roland hesitated, but still insisted.

    "No." The man didn''t budge.

    "I think that perhaps it''s best to bring them in." Mephisto and Aries also agreed. They came here believing things were at their worst. And that may very well be the case.

    Gehenna, though they absolutely didn''t fear the woman, was not weak at all. And they all were clear on the things she''s done in the past. Even Lucifer, the overlord of hell itself, was careful in his handling of her.

    "You asked us to let her be, and if it was under another circumstance, we would. But she''s following us, or that''s what it looks like. I''m sorry, but even if it''s you, we can''t ignore this."

    Mephisto shook his head sadly. He knew that Roland asked him and the rest to leave her alone, but her coming to this place, he couldn''t see any reason for it other than to cause trouble.

    That was always her reason before, why would it change?

    "What? Why would he ask you to do that?" Solomon asked.

    "Direct that question to him. I can''t understand it." Aries answered, sounding disgusted. "That vile woman, why shouldn''t we attack her on sight? She''s obviously provoking us."

    "Maybe not, she''s probably after my egg! But either way, yes, we should be rid of her."

    Roland was adament. " Why can''t you just listen to me this time? I want to talk to her. I can''t do that if you all are busy trying to kill her."

    "Why would you want to talk to her? Are you stupid? There''s no talking to that beast." Solomon frowned at him.

    "Be that as it may, that''s what I want to do."

    "Then you''re a fucking fool. I like the balls it would take to try sitting down and having a civilized conversation with her, but I have to say: Don''t bother."

    "Wait...Roland, does this have to do with you past?" Mephisto was the first to figure it out. Loki, of course, explained everything about what he''d learned regarding Roland after they had that talk in his office.

    There was no point hiding it."...It might be. I don''t know. I''m not sure of anything yet. But at least I think she might be someone from one of those times, so..."

    Mephisto and Aries, along with Fenris, understood now why the man was saying these things.

    But Solomon didn''t.

    "Hm. I don''t get what you all seemed to be talking about, but whatever, I don''t care. I''m here for my egg and that girl probably has it with her as we speak. So, I''m just going to continue with what I want to do."

    Roland, seeing that the summoning was nearly complete, with over half of the Gateways already opened, tried to dissuade his friend once again.

    Once all the Gateways opened, the entire Solomon 72 Pillars Pantheon would arrive. At that time there was no way this would end with anything less than a crazed manhunt.

    They''d tear the ship apart looking for the woman, and this item of Solomon''s.

    "Sol, just hear me out--"

    "I. Said. No!" The savage face the man put on was up so fast that you''d not believe it wasn''t always there. " I don''t give a fuck what reason you have, I want what''s mine and that bitch has to have it! Either get outta my way or help me."

    "Solomon, just listen to me, I don''t think Gehenna has anything to do with your missing egg--"

    Despite agreeing with him on this point, the others stayed quiet. Even if Gehenna was innocent of the theft, could they just let her run around the ship like this?

    And Fenris was thinking of Grace, too. What if, when the woman showed herself and a fight ensued, she got caught in the crossfire?

    "There''s no other explanation. but honestly, whether she has what I want or not is besides the point. You never saw Gehenna, I know you couldn''t have. So you have no idea of the terror that woman personifies. After thinking it over...althought I loath the idea of fighting her... We may never get a better chance to take her out. I may never have the chance. She''s here, in the Lower Planes, not under the protection of Lucifer.

    She''s fair game!

    And I have enough time to call my posse. Usually such an opportune moment would never happen. Plus with all you here?

    We should be able to do something about her once and for all. At the very least we can trap her here until we can get reinforcements. The other Pantheons must know she''s here. Probably someone is already on their way.

    So, even if we fail now, we can try again later. You don''t know her at all, the things she''s done, the reason people fear her. If it were any of us individually, by ourselve, we wouldn''t want to fight her.

    But we have a chance to be rid of her once and for all. So I''m sorry. But if you stand in the way of that, you should know there would be consequences. I''m your friend, I''ve been your friend for some time now, but even for you...I can''t do as you say. Not this time."

    Solomon was immovable.

    Roland didn''t want things to happen this way. She was just one woman and even if she was here she had not caused any trouble whatsoever. Until she made a move, why attack her?

    And he wanted, maybe even felt the need, to talk to her. For some reason, the thought of her getting hurt just...just bugged him.

    It was completely irrational. He shouldn''t feel that way at all. Not given what she had done to Grace. Yet even so, the feeling persisted. And he didn''t think that Gehenna would hurt Grace again. He wasn''t sure why, but that''s what he believed.

    Again, it was irrational. It didn''t make any sense at all. It was true that he didn''t really know the woman. But still...

    Hearing how hated she was, how much they wanted her dead, simply didn''t sit well with him. It caused a dark feeling of anger to well up in him and he just had no idea why!

    He took a deep breath, then looked the man in the eye. "Sol...please...even if you never give thought to another word from me again, just this once, listen to this selfish request of mine. Whatever happens after this, good or bad, I''ll take responsibility for it. But for now, I''m asking you, as a friend, to stop your summoning and not start something here."

    It may not have sounded like it, but as a man not used to lowering himself, this was fairly difficult for him.

    His words caused a stir among Fenris and the others. It felt like, if this wasn''t resolved peacefully, something would change. They just wasn''t sure what. Or why they felt that way.

    Solomon shook his head. His eyes showed no sign of yielding. "I understand. But again, I can''t pass this up. It''s really is very, incredibly, rare that Gehenna is outside of hell long enough for anyone to make a move. And even when she goes out, it''s also rare she''s in any one place long enough for the Pantheons to do anything about it.

    So...I''ll do what I want. If you don''t want to get invovled, then don''t. Just, I don''t know, fuck off for a while alright?"

    That was not the right tone to use when talking to a person like Roland. "Solomon, I''ll ask you one more time. Don''t do this."

    "Or what?" Solomon asked, his brow raised.

    "I''ll stop you."

    The man snorted. "All talk. I don''t believe you."

    "Don''t push me on this, Sol...." He warned.

    Solomone rolled his eyes, not taking him seriously at all.

    "Did I not speak clearly, ol'' pal? Fuck off or help me, I said. Is that not what I said?. So if you ain''t willing to help...well..." He threw a very annoyed glance towards him. "...fuck...off!"

    "Fine. I''m done."

    Roland, without warning, shot forward!

    He knew the one who was really hard at work controlling the summoning ritual was Dantalion.

    So he went after him.

    Faster than anyone could see, too fast to stop, he grabbed Dantalion by the throat.

    And after whispering a small apology to him...took his hair with his other hand, and torn his head off his shoulders.

    The body went lifeless as Roland''s hands burned with an azure blue light. He then casually dropped the body, making it fall from out of the sky.

    It slowly came to pieces, head and all, fading away into oblivion.****

    Solomon wouldn''t be more surprised even if the man had slapped his mother.

    A shocked silence, then, "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!"

    Solomon, along with Aries, Mephisto, Fenris and the previously wordless spectator, Apollo, all screeched at the top of their lungs.

    Not paying attention to them, Roland turned his gaze to the massive magic circle above their heads

    Knowing what he was about to do, Solomon screamed, "Matchstick, stop him! Stop him now!"

    This bastard, he wanted to kill them all!

    Apollo didn''t think about disobeying at all when faced with this situation, giving chase without complaint.

    Roland was already off.

    Apollo used his fastest speed, gripping a flaming spear in his hand and throwing it at the man before following to try and cut him off from the front.

    The god had only just brushed past Roland, intending to stop in front of him before he could reach the magic circle.

    How could he expect that the spear would be caught right before it could hit, that Apollo himself would instead be the one impaled by it?

    Because that was exactly what happened.

    In the few instances between Roland first moving towards the magic circle and now, he''d turned and picked the spear out of the sky before rushing towards and hitting Apollo with his own attack.

    After than, the spear disappeared. Apollo''s wound was cauterized.

    Roland grabbed the god and threw him at the others, then continued forward. The Sun God was down for the count, dazed. Had that last attack not been laced with the other man''s own power it''d do nothing to him. As it was, though, it wrought havoc on his body.

    "Son of a bitch!" Solomon spluttered, completely enraged. He drew his saber, shouting, "Furfur, wake your lazy ass up! Strike him down!"

    A surge of lighting erupted forth as he drew out the blade. No, the blade itself was made up of condensed lighting. It pulsed with an angry purple-blue color.

    Solomon pointed his saber at Roland''s back, not holding back at all.

    Pillars of lightning rained down from the heavens.

    Roland''s body was blurred as the lightning rushed towards him, engulfing him in a bright light. Yet it made him pause for but an instant before he powered through it.

    In mere moments, he''d already reached the magic circle.

    Mephisto and Aries didn''t stand still, they alway had chased the man. But it was already too late.

    Roland, his body coursing with the lighting from before, forced the energy to heed his command. Causing Solomon, who had a connection to any energy used by any of his demons, to spit out blood.

    With the lighting now forcibly under his control, he directed it to his palm and a giant column of lighting struck out.

    Though it wasn''t what he was originally planning, he used it anyway.

    And due to him injecting his own mana and spiritual energy into the lighting it was now much more powerful than it had been.

    Despite taking a little internal damage, he was not affected at all.

    The lighting, in a great show of light, tore the magical circle to pieces.

    First there was great resistance, a high-pitched, scream-like wail....

    But eventually the lighting pierced through. The magic circle, having previously glowed a bright blue, dimmed. Soon, it lost it''s life entirely. Winking out of existence.

    Solomon felt like his insides were being torn apart. A great pain, unlike any he''d felt before, spread throughout his whole body.

    Everything ended, becoming silent.

    "...You...do you know what you''ve done? Every single one of them with feel this pain!" Solomon snarled."You could have caused this entire world to suffer! Who knows what would happened"

    If he had the time, he''d definitely call a few Heaven''s Punishments down upon the man!

    Solomon had never had someone disturb him when he was performing a summoning of this level. It was one of the few times he even used this method!

    Not even he would be able to truly predict the outcome of forcing the magic circle to break down!

    Roland wasn''t repentant at all. "I asked you nicely, Solomon. Several times. I considered myself very patient. I wouldn''t be like that with many people, you know. But you refused to listen. You were all but forcing me to act. I tell you now: I do not want anyone to fight with that Gehenna woman at least until after I''ve found and talked to her."

    Solomon exploded. "You''d go so far for some murderous, bloodthirsty, evil bitch you don''t even know?! You...You...I can''t believe you''re being so...!" He had no words to express the anger he felt.

    This terrible pain, this soul-wrenching agony....they''d all feel it!

    To him, this was a betrayal. Even if he forgave the man, he''d still be pissed off for years to come!

    The guy didn''t even know the woman!

    "Ah...but let''s not get ahead of ourselves. Listen, Sol, I need your help."

    "Fuck you!"

    "See, I have these four kids. Got some nasty curses on them. I want to show them to you, get a second opinion." He went on smoothly. "And, about your egg? I think I can help with that, actually."

    Solomon wasn''t having it. "Fuck. You!"

    "Did I mention two of them are beautiful young women?"

    "...How beautiful?"

    "Hm...maybe they''ll be almost as beautiful as Morrigan when they mature more."

    "...Gimme a minute...My whole body hurts...."

    Solomon''s anger faded fast.

    ***

    As the whole event came to a close, Fenris and the other two gods present couldn''t help feeling...odd.

    Solomon, they knew, was certifiably insane. He was quick to anger, and even quick to calm down.

    But he didn''t forget. Ever.

    Roland had done something that was a betrayal of trust to the man''s eyes. Solomon, despite appearances, would harbor some resentment to him regardless of what the young man said.

    This didn''t mean their friendship was ruined. Every one of them had got in each other''s way at some point in time.

    They were people who, for the most part, did as they wanted. Butting heads was not new.

    But this was a little different. Roland was protecting, at least for now, a woman who''s sins were innumerable.

    He went so far as to go against one of his own friends for her sake, even if it was only so he could talk with her first.

    Solomon was right. They may never get the chance to launch a all-out, well-prepared battle against her again.

    And she was hiding somewhere in the ship. She didn''t make a move yet but she would eventually. It was inevitable.

    So they''d have to be more on guard.

    Aries, Mephisto, everyone really, all had it out for the woman to some degree or another. They simply did not like her. Did not want her alive. Mephisto and Aries didn''t care all too much most days, but even they would rather the woman not live.

    Deep down, even if they would never truly admit it to themselves...they did have some fear towards her.

    No one liked Gehenna. No one. It was impossible.

    And Roland was choosing to let her run free close by. No one could predict what would happen from now on due to this.

    Fenris herself was thinking abut someone in particular. Grace. As she thought before, what if she got hurt by Gehenna? It could happen. No one knew where she was, just that she was either still on the ship or maybe somewhere nearby.

    Did Roland not even consider this? Did not realize she may get injured? Did the thought never once cross his mind

    ...Or was he just that confident that he could keep her safe?

    Either way, she wasn''t exactly how she felt about all this. She did learn that he wasn''t a person that you could say no to easily, though, if that was worth anything.

    He really did do as he pleased, did he not? Or at least when he actually decided on something then it seemed no one could say anything about it. Even his own friends.

    She liked that. She was much the same. She could be very passive, that was true. But when she wanted to do something, she did it.

    It''s just that despite her estimation of him rising a little, she didn''t know if she supported his actions.

    No matter what his reasons, wasn''t he being a little too reckless?

    Fenris didn''t dwell on it too much. It was pointless.

    Instead, she made a promise to herself.

    If it came down to it, if Gehenna caused trouble, if there was any sign of things going south, she''d take Grace--and Charlotte, if she could get to her in time--away to somewhere safe.

    If things got to that point, she''d do it. She couldn''t let two kids be caught up in all this. Their safety came first.

    ********************

    Author Note:

    **Yeah, he''s sorta relying all on Roland here. Cuz he doesn''t think the others would step in, or care all too much. He knows some the students are on his ship, but he''s thinking, "Well even if Loki doesn''t give a shit, even if no one else cares about Solomon messing up my ship to search for his lost item, that man would." So he can fight with an assurance that at least someone will stop Sol from doing anything drastic.

    Plus, he''s mainly treating the whole fight like more of a duel rather than anything else.

    And to be clear, Apollo at this point doesn''t really think Gehenna is on his ship. He thinks that she was probably there at one point, but must have already left.

    ***Some people will probably get this, others may not. And those who do, you''re cool. The others? A bit less so. I was heistant to even put this in, but hey, it''s Mercury. I thought it''d be fine. You can even just ignore it, it''s not important anyway.

    ****(Even if you skip this, go read the last paragraph please.)Yeah, of course Dantalion isn''t dead. I may have said so before, but demons are very durable. And those who are part of Solomon''s 72 Pillars are a bit special.

    Usually they''re normal demons. But as soon as he summons them they change a little. So even if their bodies are entirely destroyed, like how it is now, it wouldn''t do much. Probably just send them back to where they were before the summons.

    Not to mention that a demon, a higher ranking demon, is even harder to kill than usual demons. It''s still possible for them to live even if they aren''t part of Sol''s Pillars and their bodies are turned to ash. Their souls are pretty strong, you know?

    Although, yeah, that dont apply to weaker demons. Like the guards of Asmodeus''. They could been killed, and he thought they had at first, because they arent higher leveled demons and therefore life-threatening injuries can still be fatal to them.

    Not everyone is like Mephisto, where they can take insane amounts of damage and walk away from it like it was nothing

    As for his children, they are like Asmodeus in the way of being hard to kill. But against Gehenna, it wouldn''t matter, they''d be killed easily by someone such as she.

    Or this is how it should be. If i ever explained it differently before, or if something doesnt add up, let me know. I do tend to be forgetful when it comes to my own stories....

    BTW, need to say one thing...Asmodeus is part of Solomon''s 72 Pillars. But not all of his Pillars have all that close relationships with him. And they have their own lives, they just answer to him at times. Obviously you can see that Solomon has a special position within Hell. Lucifer, in particular, has mixed feelings about him. Just letting you know. Because even I forgot about that for a while. Only remembered after making this chapter.

 Chapter fifty-nine

    Author Note: I''m going to release another chapter in a bit, but it''ll be a lot shorter than this. I could have just combined them, but i liked where i ended things at. I was going to make chapter 60 longer, but eh, as i said, i liked where i was right then and chose to stop there.

    These chapters aren''t too important all in all, mainly just me trying to develope a few characters a bit more before I move on--or rather, just flesh them out a bit more? In any case, hope you enjoy them. Despite my sstory''s slow pace, I try not to make them too boring

    Feel free to rate, review and comment on whatever you wish.

    I will edit out any spelling mistakes i find later.

    ********************

    After Solomon was feeling better everyone went back to the ship.

    Morrigan had rushed to be by Grace''s side as soon as she and Mercury arrived, and they had waited until they all came back.

    When Morrigan heard about everything that happened, she took Roland into her room, put up a barrier to prevent any one from eavesdropping, and had a talk with him.

    " You shouldn''t have stepped in. Maybe Solomon could really have killed her for good, or allowed time for help to come. Why did you have to get in the way like that?

    Morrigan was greatly shaken by the news of Gehenna being here. To her mind, there could be only one reason for her to follow after them: Morrigan''s death.

    Grace''s too. That woman would never let the girl live. She was Morrigan''s daughter. She probably knew that by now. As such, she''d kill Grace for no other reason than that.

    Morrigan couldn''t allow it. Ever. But knowing a monster like her was after them, that she right under their noses, made it feel like an icy hand was holding a tight grip around her heart.

    Even with her husband here, even though she knew how strong he was, she still felt this way. It wasn''t as if either of them were weak, but Gehenna....she was simply too much of a threat. Too powerful.

    "I got in their way because I wanted to talk to the woman. It''s important."

    "What, more important than me and Grace?" Morrigan tone was a touch bitter." She wants to kill us, you know. Of everyone in the Higher Planes, Gehenna hates me most. And she''ll hate Grace, too." She knew the woman would. She had grown so powerful now, and they had too much bad blood between them. Even just seeing Grace with Morrigan that day would make Gehenna want to kill her.

    She''d always held a small kernal of fear for the woman ever since she first saw how demented that woman was. And now that she seemed to becoming even strong than last time... Gehenna hadn''t gone after her before, and she didn''t know why, but now that she''d seen Morrigan again how could she not want to end her?

    Knowing she and her daughter were the target of a person that seemingly couldn''t be killed, had gained even more power than she''d wielded previously....Morrigan''s kernal of fear had reached it''s tipping point.

    It exploded forth and now she couldn''t say she wasn''t scared. Maybe she had held back before, but even if she didn''t would it have really made a difference? Gehenna played with her, never taking her serious at all.

    Could end her with a flick of her wrist, maybe. And this knowledge is what truly frightened Morrigan. Having that woman''s eyes on her, knowing she was lurking somewhere nearby, sent a chill along her spine.

    "That Gehenna...Her being here, it can only mean..."

    Morrigan suddenly felt herself being enveloped by a pair of strong arms.

    She stiffened instantly, never expecting this husband of her''s to initiate such an intimate action himself.

    "Don''t worry so much." He whispered into her ear. "You yourself aren''t weak, Morrigan. And even if you were, your fears are unwarrented. You and Grace are my family, you know? I''ll protect you both. Nothing will happen to either of you. It''s an impossibility."

    Morrigan was distressed.

    Even when she was with the him of before, had she ever heard him say such an arrogant thing? Somehow the him of now seemed even more sure of himself than he used to be.

    But at the same time, it worked. His words carried a certain weight to them, amazingly, even though they shouldn''t.

    When he spoke, it didn''t seem like it was supported by mere confidence. Rather, they seemed more like statements of fact. As if he didn''t believe in them, but instead knew they were simply truths.

    In the face of something like that, Morrigan didn''t know how to respond.

    "And besides. " He added, " I doubt she''s here for you. Otherwise she''d have acted long before now. From what I here of her, she''s not the type to wait around."

    Well she certainly isn''t, Morrigan thought.

    She sighed. Maybe...maybe shewas overthinking it.

    "Alright, fine." Morrigan said, calming down. "I won''t panic. But I don''t want to stay here anymore. Once you and Solomon do whatever it is you''re going to do, and after we reach the Higher Planes, I''ll summon another ship to carry us. I don''t feel at ease here with Gehenna near. No matter what you say or how confident you are, I just don''t want Grace to be anywhere near woman."

    Roland smiled. "Don''t think I can take care of her?"

    "t''s not that. I simply don''t want to take any chances. If you only knew Gehenna like the rest of us, you''d probably be the same way even if you didn''t fear her. She''s not right, she''s just...wrong." Morrigan''s eyes drifted off. " I honestly don''t know how you dealt with her back then. Didn''t she try to attack you?"

    Roland shook his head. "No. I attacked her, though. Gave her a wound on her chest, like Grace''s. If I knew who Grace was bgack then, I probably wouldn''t have stopped there. But regardless, she didn''t do anything about it. But recently I''ve started to think that--"

    He stopped.

    "Think what?"

    "No, it''s nothing." He refused to talk about it.

    Roland wasn''t sure what relationship, if any, that Gehenna person may have had with him in the past. An if she was, if they had been close, then...

    It would complicate things immensely.

    Roland almost didn''t want to know.

    Usually he didn''t like meeting people who might have been someone he used to know in a past life. But this Gehenna person was very infamous, he was curious how they could have known each other in the past.

    He felt she may have been important to him. But wasn''t sure. Although in the end maybe it wouldn''t matter. He''d doubted it was a situation similar to Morrigan''s.

    He may be extremely curious, but unless the woman also had a child with him he doubted he''d feel any obligation to continue being with her.

    Of course, he didn''t know if the relationship between them was that close. Despite his feelings, he couldn''t say with certainty at all.

    And if it was a relationship such as that that, something like lovers, then maybe meeting him would only cause more pain to her. But she didn''t sound like the sort of person to to form close relationships with people so perhaps that wasn''t how it was.

    Hm. Though people said the same of Morrigan, and look how that turned out. Ah, whatever.

    Point was, until he was clear on exactly how she knew him, he''d not let others harm her.

    After that, they''d go their seperate ways once more.

    **********

    Morrigan decided to stay like that for a while. Even when he tried to pull away, she didn''t let him.

    Since he was the one to start it, shouldn''t he take responsibility? Spoiling her just a little like this, that''s something that he ought to do more often.

    The only thing was that it made Morrigan a bit restless.

    And when she decided to take advantage of the situation and give him a kiss on the lips it really only grew worse.

    Morrigan had never been a promiscious woman like Mercury. She''d never desired a man, or a woman. Her sex drive had always seemed rather inactive. Maybe part of the reason was because she never liked interacting with people in general even when she was a mortal.

    This had changed when she''d met Roland. Not immediately, but over time, as she started to fall in love with him, she found that what had previously been dormant had awakened with a fury.

    It was only after they started their relationship that she''d discovered the...profound pleasures... of being with a man.

    Not to say it was indiscriminant. She''d never felt any arousal or interest towards any but her husband. She couldn''t even imagine laying with anyone other than him. Perhaps that was strange, she didn''t know, but it didn''t matter to her.

    It was just that when they were together like this, when he held her...it was difficult restraining herself.

    And so right now she decided to stop, at least a little.

    She could tell he was thinking deeply about something, but the moment their lips touched those thoughts seemed to have vanished.

    His arms hugged her even tighter, bringing them closer together. Morrigan was a tall woman, but even she couldn''t reach the height of tall man like Roland. As such, she was slightly on the tips of her toes at the moment.

    She loved his kisses. Always had. They were always deep and passionate, never failing to make her feel like he''d given her his full attention. Maybe that''s just how it was with him, maybe in moments like this he really did devote himself to the act without bothering to care much about anything else.

    Whatever the case was, she liked it.

    Unfortunately she''d lost sight of where they were. And so when she had begun to start undreassing him, he had to stop her.

    " Best not." He took hold of her hands, putting an end to their roaming.

    As she was, It required several moments for her to get his meaning.

    "Oh, it''s alright" She told him. "Grace won''t be able to hear, and I doubt she''d wake up anyway. She''s a very deep sleeper." Suffice it to say, she wasn''t exactly thinking straight when she said this.

    Catching the look in her eyes as she stared at him, Roland was regretful. But he was very firm. "Trust me, were it anywhere but here I''d not really care to refuse. But I don''t want to take the chance that she will wake up. Thereby scarring her for life. So I think we should stop for now. Sorry, but..."

    Morrigan slowly came to her senses.

    "No, no, you''re right." She assured. " It would be a bad idea. I..." She flushed. "I don''t know what came over me. Forget it. " Thinking about her actions just made her unable to keep the blush from spreading even more across her cheeks.

    She really was being a bit too daring just then, wasn''t she...

    Seeing the expression she was making just then, Roland couldn''t resist teasing her. " So even you get embarrassed like this, huh." He chuckled. "You know, Morrigan, you''re a very beautiful woman. But I didn''t think you could be cute ever now and then too."

    Morrigan smacked his arm lightly. "You''re awful."

    Still, she can''t say she wasn''t a tad happy by his words.

    "Okay, I think we''ve stayed in here long enough. The others are waiting."

    "Right. Of course."

    **********

    When they came back out, Mercury and Fenris narrowed their eyes at them.

    "My, my, weren''t you two in there for quite a while. I wonder what you were up to?" Mercury asked suspiciously, taking a sniff of the air as she did so.

    "..." Fenris couldn''t even...she had no words to...

    ...Ugh!

    Really, what had they been doing? To come out smelling like that...!

    How uncouth!

    And in front of Grace, too! Some people really knew no shame. Fenris hadn''t expected either of them to be so daring!

    "We were just talking." Roland answered, not at all convincing the two.

    Fenris saw through the lie. "Is that so? What''s with Morrigan''s flushed face and the two elevated heartbeats I hear then, hmm?"

    "It was a very heated conversation." The man replied, very seriously.

    "..."

    "..."

    Even Mercury was at a loss on how to respond to that.

    Meanwhile Solomon, who was also present, looked at the two in question.

    "...Hmm. Ro, hey. So you and Morrigan fucking or what?"

    Straightforward, blunt and with absolutely no concern for the people around him. Classic Sol, his friends were thinking.

    Solomon was no fool, he was never accused of being slow. He knew something was up as soon as the woman dragged him into the room.

    Roland decided to be equally blunt. "Pretty much. She''s my new trophy wife, won her in a game of cards a while back. Luck was not on her side that day. You like?"

    Solomon''s mouth fell open. "I''m sorry, what?"

    The other man sighed. "Nothing. But I wasn''t kidding about that wife part. Yeah. It''s new to me, too."

    " Great balls of the fucking Beast...." Solomon exclaimed. "That''s not a small piece of news. Her persuers won''t like this." He frowned.

    "She has persuers?" Roland raised a brow. "...No, wait. That seems pretty normal, actually."

    Morrigan was a very beautiful woman no matter what kind of attitude she had. Of course she''d have at least a few. It''s just that he hadn''t given much thought to them. Didn''t matter to him. Why would it?

    "You don''t look all that surprised, Sol." Roland noted.

    "I was suspicious about it the moment I arrived. And she had traces of your aura around her too. Plus she momentarily reeked of a woman in heat when she saw you. Looked at you like you were a tasty treat, she did. Not unlike Mercury here. So I had a bit of time to come to terms with it."

    Solomon was a very colorful person, he called things like he saw it. A shame that he had no tact at all sometimes.

    Morrigan stared at him as soon as he finished his sentence, not amused at all. In fact, although she didn''t say anything, she had the look of a person quietly contemplating murder.

    "Loki and everyone else freaked out when they first heard of it." Roland said.

    "We did not." Aries and Mephisto, upon hearing this, spoke out against it.

    Solomon ignored them. " I resent that. You can''t compare the great me to those idiots." He spoke off-handedly. "And freaked out, eh? That''s probably because they were just jealous." The man grinned. "Hell, even I am a bit. But let''s get to the point: What did you want that was so important? You said something about my egg? And where are these supposed beauties at, hm?"

    He was taking the news surprisingly well. "Wait, you aren''t a bit curious about it?" Roland thought he would be.

    "You mean the thing about you popping a beautiful ancient goddess'' cherry? That''s unexpected, can''t lie, but you getting with a woman isn''t a surprise, Ro." Solomon shrugged. "Just surprised at how fast you work!" He shook his head in wonder. " What''s more, It''s Morrigan! I have to admit, I underestimated y--"

    "Mommy, daddy?"

    Grace came out of the room from behind Roland and Morrigan, appearing between them. She rubbed her eyes, yawning.

    Solomon froze, staring at the girl.

    Hair similar to fresh fallen snow, a pair of large round eyes that were perfectly gem-like. Greatly reminiscent of a clear blue sky. A small frame, very young. Her face a heart, hinting at the beauty the girl would one day possess.

    A very "adorable" young girl by any standards.

    Solomon looked at the three of them with a disturbed expresssion, disbelief written all over him.

    "Grace, honey, did you sleep well?" Morrigan asked gently, her face softening.

    The girl nodded lazily.

    "Were you and daddy in the room just now, mommy? I thought you were..."

    "Yes, we were just checking up on you. Pay it no mind." Roland told her. The girl was so cute, he couldn''t stop himself from giving her cheek a light pinch.

    "''Kay." She didn''t doubt them at all. "Mommy, me and Evie are hungry." The girl informed suddenly.

    "Evie?" Roland and Morrigan spoke in unison.

    Grace held up the white, multi-tailed fox.

    "Evie. " She introduced. The fox responded by tuning in her arms and licking her cheek, eliciting a few giggles.

    "I see." Morrigan smiled. "Let''s go to the kitchen, I''ll make you something to eat"

    This caused Roland to make an inquiring whisper. "You can cook?"

    "Mommy, you can cook?" Grace also asked.

    "You can''t, can you?" Roland''s words made the woman hesitate.

    Morrigan looked at them in silence, unsure. "...I can do it."

    Fenris walked up to them. "Eh...I better go instead. What would you like, little one?"

    Grace replied without hesitation. "Pancakes!"

    "Wait a minute. I said I can do it." Morrigan insisted.

    "I always do this though?"

    She was unfazed. "No, it''s fine, you don''t need to bother."

    Fenris tried to convince her. " Morrigan, look, we all have things we''re good at and things we aren''t good at. Cooking, well, your skill in that area is a bit..." How did one kindly say to someone that rather than having zero cooking skills, it was in the negatives?

    As long as Fenris had been with them, she''d not once seen Morrigan make anything edible.

    Grace had always eaten things cooked by other people. When Fenris had taken to cooking a few things for the little girl in order to brush up on her skills, she noticed that Morrigan would watch on in disease.

    Fenris would often sleep over at their house in cat-form, so she was there when Morrigan would sneak into the kitchen.

    She never understood why back then, but now it was obvious. Apparently Morrigan didn''t like a person like Fenris, who was so close to Grace, making her daughter things to eat when she herself couldn''t.

    Fenris surmised that was fine when it was people they didn''t really know, like chefs whose jobs it was to do make they were asked, but this was different.

    If she had to say, it hurt Morrigan''s pride as a mother?

    So after Fenris had begun to make Grace any kind of treats she wanted, the woman set out to learn how to cook on her own.

    She had tried a few times but the dishes she made were nearly always burnt, twisted monstrocities that should never have been given life.

    Fenris quickly came to understand that the woman didn''t know how to use a pan, or a spatula, at all. Not to mention know how to use them to cook food.

    She had seen the woman cut herself when she tried to use some kind of weirdly glowing dagger to cut open an egg.

    An egg!

    Who did that, trying to open an egg that way? She''d made a great mess, suffice it to say. As for how she cut herself, she held the egg in her palm like an idiot. To this day Fenris didn''t know what that dagger was either, probably some artifact she had acquired at some point or something.

    Fernris supposed it was understandable, the woman hadn''t likely ever had to cook anything in her life. Or if she did then it would have been a very long time since she last had to.

    Fenris did want to teach her how to cook, as she herself was a pretty good one--as for why that was so, it was because she had to learn to cook at a very young age, no one else would do it for her. She couldn''t just forage for food all the time, and a girl had to eat right? So she got a few recipe books from the Royal Library and taught herself. She''d probably not die from starvation, but she hated it. Being hungry was not a fun thing. And her''s wasn''t like normal people''s, wasn''t sated that easily.

    Yet she correctly came to the conclusion that Morrigan would never accept it, and would instead be mortified if she knew Fenris had seen her futile attempts.

    So despite admiring her efforts, Fenris let it be. Morrigan had never given up trying to learn, but she never got any better as far as she knew. Rather, her bad habits were probably throughly ingrained in the woman.

    But...maybe Fenris should give her the benefit of the doubt....?

    "I said It''s fine. I am perfectly able to do this. I''m her mother, of course I can do this much."

    Morrigan glanced at her husband, thinking, In his past life I may have been unable, but that doesn''t hold true now. I''ve been practicing...I can do this, at least. This is nothing.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    A mother and wife who was unable to cook for her own family, what sort of useless person was that?

    She''d made a few breakthroughs recently, she was obviously able to do this much!

    Morrigan was very confident.

    "I can just conjure something for the little tyke." Mercury offered. Mercury was an excellent cook. She was just too lazy to do it the usual way. since she had the knowledge, she could just cheat and make any dish instantly using a bit of magic.

    She couldn''t just materialize anything into existence, but if she knew how to make it, what components went into the desired object...then it was doable.

    Morrigan didn''t like any of that, however. "No, thank you." She said.

    She was just averse to letting Grace consume anything from Mercury. And using methods such as that to make food, Morrigan didn''t like that either. Both reasons were silly, but even so...

    "Suite yourself." Mercury didn''t take it to heart.

    The two mother and daughter--plus Evie--disappeared towards the kitchen area as Fenris and Mercury shrugged. If the woman was that stubborn, what could they do?

    As for himself, Roland trusted Morrigan knew what she was doing.

    But while all this was going on, Solomon remained frozen. Rooted to the spot, unable to speak. He even still stared at the direction they left. His eyes had never left Grace''s small frame until she moved out of sight.

    Solomon seemed confused. "What? What? Did she just say....daddy?"

    He turned towards Roland, looking doubtful. " Ro... little girl, who is she?"

    " Hadn''t seen her around?"

    "I hadn''t even seen Morrigan in quite some time, and it''s not like we''re close in the first place. So how could I? Even if I did see her, I wouldn''t remember her. But just now, when I saw her next to you both..." He couldn''t go on.

    "Well if you ask who she is, then I can only say that she''s...my daughter?"

    Despite not reacting much to the previous revelation, he had a decidedly bigger reaction from this one.

    Solomon looked towards the kitchen door, then cast a spell to stop the two from hearing the next bit of conversation.

    "Okay. Look. That''s bullshit." Solomon said flatly." That''s...no, bullshit sums it up nivcely. Maybe her age can be explained away, but you can''t really expect me to believe the Morrigan would be capable of...Ro, Death Goddesses, they..." He struggled to say what he wanted. "See, for them, they can only take life away. But they can''t...they can''t give life. Everyone knows that. It''s impossible."

    "Apparently not." Roland said dryly.

    "But...but how did you even..."

    "How do you think?"

    Solomon wasn''t in the mood. "Dammit, Roland, be serious!" He all but yelled, his anger coming quick. "Do you even know what this means? There''s reasons why Death Goddesses can''t birth children!"

    Roland sighed. " I know it''s not exactly happened before, and I know well that it shouldn''t be possible, but--"

    "Wait" He was cut off. "...What makes you think that it hasn''t happened before?" Solomon asked quietly, stunning those present.

    Aries stepped in. "What''re you saying? There''s never been a child like tha--"

    "From what I know, there''s been exactly one." Solomon informed, flooring him.

    Aries recovered after several seconds, glaring. " Cut the crap, Sol, I''ve never heard of any Death Goddesses bearing a child."

    Solomon''s eyes darkened. "That''s because it was much before even your time, and happened in a place much further than any of the universes the current Pantheons are in control of."

    " Then how?" Mephisto''s brows furrowed. " A Death Goddess can''t even....Like you said, It''s not possible."

    "Yes, not possible anymore. Heaven''s Will hadn''t allowed it" He looked at Roland, as if trying to uncover some secret. "....until now, that is."

    "And do you know who that previous child is?" Aries stared at him, hard.

    Mercury did too.

    Solomon was quiet. His thoughts were a complete mystery to those present.

    Finally he deigned to reply, the words almost unwilling to come out.

    "...The burden that the Mark of Life and Death places on a body isn''t something anyone, especially a child, can bear. Not while staying sane." He sighed. " They would be broken from the moment of their birth." Solomon turned to Roland. "No matter how I think of it, your daugher should be the same way. And yet..."

    "Grace isn''t broken." Judging from his tone, no one would be allowed to say otherwise.

    ''I know. She''s not." Solomon nodded in agreement."Ugh, but let''s not waste anymore time talking about it. However....just so you know, whatever happens in the future, I''ll help."

    Roland, Aries and Mephisto looked at him oddly, puzzled by his statement.

    "Grace, huh." Solomon mused aloud. " A good name, that. Seems like a good girl. too."

    Solomon''s gaze rested on Mercury for just a moment while he said this.

    "So, all that aside, are we going to get back on track or not? I still want my stuff. And where are my promised beauties? I see none here. Ah, no...not that Mercury and Fenris aren''t ones, but..."

    He quickly retracted his words once he saw the two women--or woman and cat--look at him with disdain.

    "Right. Sorry." Roland apologies. "Yeah, let''s get down to business, shall we? Come on, let''s pick up the boys first."

    "Boys?" Solomon had no interest in boys, and his tone spoke of it.

    "Yeah. They''ll be excited to see you. They''re big fans." Roland grinned.

    "Indeed?" Solomon smirked, getting full of himself. "Well I suppose I can meet them then. Far be it from me to leave my fans waiting. Who knows, I might like them. Maybe I''ll even give them a few upgrades as a show of how kind and generous I am. Ah, being so popular is such a hassle."

    Though his words dripped with shameless self-admiration his face didn''t betray any real excitement to actually meet them.

    Roland was already heading towards the door when he looked back. "Mercury, would you mind picking up the girls? You know where they''re staying at, right?"

    Since she could teleport the girls here it would make things a lot quicker.

    "Sure do. Don''t worry, I''ll pick them up..."

    "Good to hear, thank--"

    "...For a price."

    Roland suddenly got a wary look in his eye, not quite sure what was coming. "...Fair enough. What do you want?"

    Mercury grinned lecherously.

    "No." Roland was quick to refuse.

    "You didn''t even listen to what I had to say yet!" She pouted

    "Okay, fine, what were you going to ask for?"

    "....Huh. Actually I didn''t think I''d get this far." She admitted. "So...I don''t know. A hug?"

    "Apologies, Lady Mercury, but I think I''ll have to take a rain check. Although regrettable, I''m going to have to refuse your request."

    "A small kiss on the cheek instead, maybe?"

    "Even more unacceptable."

    "Can you lick my toes then?"

    "I don''t know where you''ve been, Mercury. That''s disgusting."

    "I''ll have you know my feet are always squeaky-clean, thank you very much." She said indignantly. " But alright, have it your way. Since it''s come to this, although I''ll be suffering a loss...I''ll settle for you spanking me on my ass and pulling my hair."

    Mercury took full advantage of the fact the spell Solomon had cast a while ago blocked Morrigan from hearing what she was saying.

    Every word out of her mouth just kept on getting more annoying and outlandish. Fenris wanted to smack her.

    Roland was dumbstruck. "Why are these getting more and more ridiculous? Isn''t it supposed to be the other way around?"

    "It''s called good bargaining skills. I ask for something outrageous first, which later makes my final offer seem much more reasonable in comparison. So, on that note, I''ll just take that shirt of yours."

    Roland cast a suspicious glance at her. "Why do you want it?"

    This was a bit much for just a small favor. Why was she being like this? It isn''t as if it''d kill her to just do it for free, wouldn''t take long at all either.

    "You shouldn''t wory your handsome little head about it. Actually, you wouldn''t want to know anyway."

    "Is that all?"

    "Yes sir. I''ll pick it up later. But run around first. Get it all nice and sweaty. Soak it in them masculine juices of yours, my lovely."

    Roland suddenly decided that he had played along more than enough. "Nevermind. We''re done. I can get them myself in a bit. You just stay there and just look pretty or something.."

    "You think I''m pretty?" She grinned. "We''ll discuss that later, sweet cheek. For now you''re too late, i''m already off!."

    She disappeared in a flash of light.

    "I had forgotten exactly how tiresome even just listening to Mercury could be." Solomon commented. "Whatever. Best say goodbye to that shirt, Ro, she''ll get it eventually. Hope it wasn''t your favorite one or anything."

    "..."

    "Let''s try this again. After you." Solomon gestured to the door, impatient.

    **********

    "Hmm..."

    Solomon gave a long, considering look towards Saren.

    The boys were practically sweating bullets, fear holding them in place.

    "Hey, boy."

    "...."

    "Tell me, how keen are you on the idea of fusing your body with the blood of a--"

    "Sol, don''t." Roland stopped him.

    "What?"

    " The last time you tried something like that you gave birth to a pack of giant, bloodthirsty rabbits...all with the power to level mountains if they tried."

    "You can''t use that against me, how was I to know that feeding lower lifeforms the blood of a god and replacing their brains with mini super computers would result in a hyper-intelligent pack of wild, overpowered, adorably pissed-off demon-spawn?"

    Roland wasn''t about to let him weasel out of it. "That was exactly what you were trying to do. For fun. You were drunk so I don''t think you''d remember, but you definitely had that in mind." Probably. Roland wasn''t entirely in his right mind either, but he didn''t boter mentioning that. "And bullshit. How were they intelligent? They bit off Loki''s finger. Then threw tartar sauce on his unconscious body and tried to eat him with alive. Wild animals."

    Solomon rose to their defence. "Yes, but after that they mutated and used their powers to build a nuclear bomb out of spare parts from my lab. Pretty damn smart for creatures that don''t even have thumbs to pick shit up with. If only they didn''t try to gang up to try and feast on our presumably delicious meat...Although I suppose they weren''t all too smart, admittedly, since all they mainly did was fuck every two minutes. Plus they completely ignored their potential. All that unapped godly power...A real waste. "

    " That''s what killed them."

    The rabbits lived for all of a half hour before their bodies broke down. Roland wasn''t sure how he would have felt about just killing or imprisoning creatures that had higher thought capabilities. Although they weren''t exactly self-aware for the most part, it was still a grey are for him.

    But it was weird. They must not have been regular rabbits, surviving that long with the blood of a god running through them. Sol must''ve modified them somehow.

    Suffice it to say, it was one of the more controversial experiments Solomon had conducted.

    Still, at least they weren''t human. Would have made things a whole lot worse in a variety of ways.

    As he was thinking this, neither he nor Solomon noticed that each word sent shivers down the spines of the two boys.

    With faces growing even more pale by the second, accompanied with cold sweats. Combine that with the looks of pure horror, laced with a healthy dose of anxiety, and they seemed completely traumatised.

    "But we''re getting distracted again. Right, boys, come over to my place for a bit. We''re going to meet with Reina and Lilith then Sol''s going to take a look at you. See what he can gleam about your situation."

    "No!" They cried out in fear, visibly shaken. They refused to take part in it! This...this madman, who in their right mind would let him near their bodies!

    Every fiber of their being screamed out against it.

    "I told you this is what was going to happen, what''s the problem? Come on already."

    "W-We''re feeling under the weather right now. Maybe later?" Saren hesitatingly spoke, doing his best to appear unruffled.

    "I can heal you, you know, it wouldn''t be a problem."

    "Ah...well, actually, we''re busy. You see, we promised Natalie and Yazmin we''d meet up with them later. So, we''ll have to reschedule..."

    "You''ve been keeping in touch? Huh. But no, this is much more important."

    "Who''re those women they spoke of? The beauties you promised?'' Solomon''s eyes lit up. Like Loki, speaking of pretty women always earned his attention. Although from the words that were said, Solomon doubted they were the ones Ro had talked about.

    "No, just a couple of succubi they had the pleasure to be the company of the other night."

    "Indeed?" Solomon appraised the boys with bit more respect--even if miniscule. "Impressive. Succubi aren''t easy to come by. Quite a lucky."

    "Interested? There''s an entire den of succubi on the ship. Maybe you can find one to keep you entertained later. "

    "Fuck, after what happened to us the last time we found a whole group of succubi? No thanks, I''m not in the mood to become a daddy just yet."

    "They aren''t that bad." Roland had unexpectedly found that the women all pretty nice.

    "I''ll not take my chances, succbi are a man''s sweetest temptation and greatest weakness."

    "Suit yourself. Now, as I was saying...Let''s go, boys, times wasting."

    "I''ve got to go to the bathroom." James stood up just then, face entirely calm and natural.

    "As do I." Saren also rose.

    "No, you don''t. Neither of you do."

    "..."

    "..."

    "Stop fussing. He''s not going to bite. Or I don''t know, shoot you. Don''t be so childish." Roland chided them for their behaviour.

    "..."

    "..."

    **********

    Mercury hadn''t exactly been at the place the girls and their parent had made their temporary home at, but she could still lock onto their energy patterns and travel there easily.

    Which is what she did.

    What she found was a large living room where the girls'' father--she forgot his name. No, had she ever even heard it?--sat beside his wife as they conversed quietly to themselves.

    "Yo~!" Mercury made her appearance known instantly. " How''s it goin'', you two? Enjoying yourselves?"

    The father''s eyes widened, not expecting the woman to suddenly show up unannounced.

    "Lady Mercury." He stood up, giving a small bow. "What brings you at such a late hour? Is there something you require?"

    She waved him off. "Oh, no, no, don''t mind me. I just need to borrrow your young''uns for a bit. That tremor you felt? Solomon''s doing, the cheeky bastard. Don''t be concerned, the matter was resolved. Ahem. But my fated future sex-friend wants him to look over your daughters'' conditions and so sent me, Mercury, to fetch them."

    Garreth, the husband, stared at the woman oddly. He only knew of one person she could be referring to..... Did they have such relationship? He couldn''t be sure.... But Lady Mercury was a person that was no stranger to casual flings, at least from what he''d heard of the woman.

    However from what he''d seen when they all boarded the ship, wasn''t that man and Lady Morrigan not already....? No, he''d best not think too deeply of it.

    As for her side of things, Mercury, as soon as the words were said, mentally chided herself.

    Ah, that''s right, she wanted to save the guy for her daughter. So it''d be weird if she set her eyes on the man herself as well. A pity. She kept forgetting that, honestly.

    Maybe her daughter would be okay since Grace adored the woman, but if it was Mercury than she''d just be seen as a homewrecker. Fenris was lucky, she was in an opportune position. Already got the daughter''s love and affection, so there wasn''t anything Morrigan could do.

    Hell, maybe the girl would even accept her as a second mother if Fenris wanted to go that route!

    But were it Mercury, eh....she''d die?

    Of course it goes without saying, though, that if she ever did try to snatch him away, she could. Heh, who would be able to compete with her, Mercury, for a man? Such a woman didn''t exist yet, perhaps never.

    That slut Aphrodite, even she''s a mere pebble next to the divinely carved masterpiece that was Mercury.

    ...Wait, she was getting distracted. What was she here for again?**

    "Right!" She recalled. "As I was saying, hand over those lovely daughters of yours!" She spoke like a dastardly rogue, her words quite misleading without context. "So that we can get this over with. Savvy? Fear not, they shan''t be harmed at all~"

    The wife inwardly frowned at the woman''s crudeness, but merely pointed to the hallway to her right.

    "There rooms are right over there, my Lady. They should be awake, the tremor from before having startled them. I think they just got out of the bathroom not long ago." She understood that they liked to take showers when they''re nervous.

    It calms them somehow. If they had the chance to freshen themselves up, they would. They also had a special penchant for cleanliness, so that increased the desire. The two started to sweat a bit during times of stress, which their mother could tell happened more often of late.

    Despite her best efforts, the two apparently didn''t want to open up to them about their problems. Lilith especially seemed to have something on her mind.

    "That being said, can you wait for just a m--?"

    "No time, dearie, I''ve a job to complete and the promised reward is somethin'' I''m gonna be able to have fun with on cold, lonely nights such as these. Toodles~"

    ***

    First was Lilith.

    Young woman had been in the middle of putting on a light, pale-grey shirt. Thankfully she already had a pair of shorts on.

    Mercury appeared out of thin air and grabbed her elbow.

    "Come on, my sweet, gotta go."

    "...!!!"

    Lilith''s heart nearly jumped right out of her chest, not expecting the woman to be here at all. She instantly entered into a state of extreme confusion.

    "What--?!"

    "Let''s get outta here, poppet. Fear not, I''ll take care of you real good."

    Mercury flashed them out.

    ***

    Reina had been the last to get out of the showed, letting the warm water hit her for quite awhile before she decided to leave.

    She was in her temporary room, a single towel wrapped around her all that covered the young woman''s naked figure.

    Her clothes were laid out neatly atop her bed.

    It was just as she took them in her hand when Reina heard a very faint whoosing sound from behind her.

    She abruptly jerked upright in surprise.

    "Oh? Nice. You and this sis of yours got some pretty great assets, can''t lie. ''Course, you''re still lacking compared to me. But buck up, girlie, someday when you''re both a bit more ripe perhaps you''ll possess a tenth of my own otherworldly grace, style and feminine charm. Take pride in that, it''s a very decent amount."

    Mercury took a moment to comment, nodding her head in approval.

    "Lady Mercury!" Reina stuttered, her eyes going wide. "...And Lil? You...why are the two of you..." She blinked, not at all sure what was currently happening."Just what''s going on?"

    "Eh, would take too long to explain and I ain''t that patient a person. C''mere, chop-chop. Time''s a-wastin''."

    Without saying anything more, and under the very flustered, perplexed gazes of the other two, the goddess grabbed Reina and all three of them vanished.

    ***

    Roland and Solomon, with Saren and his brother James right behind them, arrived back just before Mercury flashed into the room.

    It took a very slim moment for Roland to understand what was going on.

    Mercury came in with a very confused-looking Lilith and Reina.

    The first girl''s hair was a little wet, framing her face. She was also wearing nothing but a pair of rather small shorts. She did have a shirt too, but currently she only had one arm through it while everything else other than a pale green bra was exposed.

    As for Reina...she was a lot worse off.

    She only had a large towel around her, the thick cloth all that seperated her bare body from view. She seemed to have some clothes in her hand, but that was it.

    Nearly as soon as they arrive, though, that towel started to slip.

    With everyone''s curious eyes on the scene before them, Roland acted fast.

    Right as that towel was about to fall he raised a faint blue barrier around the three women that hid them from sight.

    "...Mercury..."

    "Yup?" Her disembodied voice came out from behind the barrier.

    Roland took a few seconds to squash down the annoyance that was building in his chest. " Why did you bring them here like that?"

    "Hey, it''s not my fault they''re slow. I was just following your request. This matter is important, no? I had no time to just laze about. And I''m a very serious person, I don''t play around, you know? You needed them here, I delivered. Oh, right, when are you going to give the agreed upon payment for my services?"

    Roland breathed out, sighing heavily. "Mercury....I generally dislike hitting women. But I feel like I wouldn''t mind doing it to you."

    Her voice took on pleasantly surprised tone, almost eager. " Indeed? Interesting. If that''s so, I assume you wish to revisit that other offer I mentioned? Minus the hair pulling? I have to say, that sounds pretty fun. But don''t do it too hard. I''ve very tender skin, It wouldn''t do to be too rough. Although maybe if we used a bit of lotion or oil we wouldn''t have to worry..."

    This woman said whatever she wanted with really no regard for anyone else''s opinions.

    As vexing as it was, Roland couldn''t really find the heart to hate her. She was like the class clown that made things a bit more interesting at times.

    But did she have to spout lines of sexual harrassment at each opportunity? He was really able to understand why Aries and Mephisto didn''t appear to like the woman all too much.

    Like Loki, few would probably be able to handle her. Or keep up with her. She was a troublemaker, no doubt. Just in a different way from Loki. Maybe worse in a certain sense.

    Roland glanced at Fenris, who was staring at the barrier in horror and hiding the majority of her face with her hands.

    Towards the words spouted forth by her mother, she was deeply ashamed.

    "I''m sorry." He told her, his meaning unlear to everyone else but them.

    Fenris'' embarrassment only grew, almost unable to meet his eye. But she nodded, feigning carelessness.

    A silent understanding was formed between the two.

    Having a mother such as she couldn''t be an easy thing to live with. Add Loki into the mix and it was even worse.

    He felt a bit of pity for Fenris. Must have been tough, putting up with them all these years.

    "Reina, Lilith, you two decent yet?" Roland asked.

    Reina''s voice came out a moment later. "...No, not yet. It''s a little small in here...I can''t even see too well....Um, if possible, could you give us a bit of l--? Ah, thanks."

    "No problem."

    "...Okay, done." She called.

    Roland put the barrier down.

    As soon as he did, Solomon sprung forward.

    "Oh? Hey Ro, these lovely young ladies...I assume they''re the ones you spoke about?"

    "Yeah. Sol, meet Reina and Lilith." Roland gave a short introduction, as he had with Saren and James earlier.

    Solomon gave a charming smile, stepping up to take Lilith''s hand. He raised it to his mouth and gave it a small kiss, very gentleman-like.

    " I thought so. Nice to make your acquaintance, my dear."

    Lilith looked at Roland out of the corner of her eye, trying to see how she should respond. Towards a man like this, her first instinct was to retract her hand and kick him. She didn''t like being touched by strangers, and it was much worse when the person looked like some kind of dandy who''s main interest was to get with women.

    But she wasn''t sure who this man was, although he looked a tad familiar. Plus he appeared to be a friend of her benefactor. It wouldn''t be good to act violently.

    "....Right..." She endured.

    Roland laughed. "Don''t worry, it''s fine if you hit him."

    Solomon''s "charms" didn''t work on everyone. Lilith obviously didn''t care much for loose men, which Solomon definitely was.

    Good girl, not being swayed by that guy''s antics.

    "...I wasn''t thinking about doing that at all."

    "Sure you weren''t."

    Solomon ignored them and moved on to Reina.

    But his face changed when he got a closer look at her.

    Though it was just for an instant, it was enough.

    He, unlike with Lilith, didn''t make a move towards her at all. Instead he just offered his hand as a way of greeting.

    After she took it with some trepidition, he spoke quietly to her. "You''re quite young, aren''t you? Well, I suppose it''s not that rare. Some are quite a bit youger. Quite a surprise, though... For various reasons..."

    "...?"

    Reina wasn''t sure exactly what the man was talking about so she didn''t know what she should say to something like that.

    " Those are some nasty curses you four have, too. The boys are a lot easier to see through, and I have to say, their''s are pretty cruel. But you two? It looks like something''s not quite right, doesn''t it? I can''t see what their effects might be. Is this what you wanted me to see, Ro?"

    Roland nodded. "Yeah. I wanted a second opinion. Loki wasn''t able to help me much in this regard, he''s busy with something else..."

    "I see. How curious..." He turned towards the boys, an odd light in his eyes. "Your bodies all seem quite different from a normal mortal''s."

    "You thinki so too? You know, I had a hunch that was the case but didn''t want to assume too much." He thought it was so because during that one training session he gave them, they held up remarkably well. "If it helps, the girls apparently aren''t of this world. Their family originates from the Higher Planes. As for the boys, they''re orphans from what I know."

    "Orphans, you say." Solomon chewed on the words for a moment. "I wonder if...No. Probably not. But still, interesting. Duly noted." He nodded. "Now you, boy. Come here." He pointed towards James. " Give me your arm."

    James wanted to run away just then. But he knew that wouldn''t help. And the situation wasn''t one to make light of. So he complied.

    Solomon grabbed his arm, running a finger along his veins. His eyes moved elsewhere, concentrating. He turned him around, looked at him from every angle and poking him at certain places at times.

    "Ah...So that''s how it is. I missed one..." He murmured.

    "What did you find out?" Roland asked him.

    "...It''s nothing important. Anyway, I can''t do any extensive tests here. You want my help? Fine. But I won''t help while that bitch is somewhere skulking about. I couldn''t even If I wanted too, either. We''ve got to leave, got to my lab. And, about my egg..."

    "Don''t worry, I know where it is. At least i''m pretty sure that it''s what you''re talking about, doesn''t seem much like an egg to me though. In any case, it''s safe. I''ll tell you more once you help out."

    "What," The man narrowed his eyes. "You don''t trust me?"

    "Would you?"

    "Eh, good point." He grinned. " Fuck it, come on then. Dantalion, open the Gateway."

    He spoke loudly, causing everyone to step back as they felt a tingle in the air.

    The previously killed Demon was nowhere to be found, but a spark of light was formed in the middle of the room.

    It expanded rapidly, growing nearly eight feet all and half as wide.

    "Let''s go. Dantalion will keep the Gateway open."

    With that, Solomon stepped into the portal and disappeared from sight.

    **********

    The place Solomon made his home--or as close to a home as a man like Solomon would have--was located in a realm that was seperate and unique from most others. It was a place you couldn''t reach without him. At least, not normally.

    It was a small world all on it''s own with tall mountains, fields of emerald grass, flowers of every shade of every color imaginable....

    The sky was mostly clear, but with a few clouds here and there that kept things interesting.

    There were lakes and waterfalls, all clear and fresh and glistening brightly underneath a golden sun.

    There were also a lot of mysterious creatures, too. Tiny fairies that fluttered by on wings of gossamer, tree nymphs that would occasionally come out of their homes and bath by rivers, beautiful fish with softly glowing scales that would swim inside.

    The more you looked, the more you saw. It was a very idyllic sort of place, the kind that gave you a feeling of comfort and happiness just by gazing upon it.

    Into the distance was a large, castle-like building that stood atop a moutain. It had a large terrace, allowing on to simply sit and enjoy the wondrous scene below.

    "So beautiful...." Reina breathed, marveling the view with an enraptured expression upon her face.

    "It''s a amazing..." Lilith, too, couldn''t help but stare.

    "What is this place...?" Saren wondered aloud.

    "This," Solomon smiled with pride, "Is New Eden!" He let out a laugh, very self-satisfied.

    "What do you mean, "New"?" Roland said. "You literally stole everything here from--"

    "Shut up. I made it better."

    Mercury looked around. "Hold on, this place reminds me of somewhere....And that name...wait, don''t tell me..." She glanced at Solomon suspiciously.

    "I borrowed it." Solomon said, not ashamed at all.

    "...Didn''t bother to tell Big J, though, did you?"

    "He didn''t say no, did he?"

    Mercury was at a loss. "So you did steal it!"

    He frowned. "Again, I''m merely borrowing. It''s not stealing as long as they don''t say no!"

    "You didn''t give him a chance." The woman replied dubiously.

    "The fact remains, he didn''t say I couldn''t."

    Roland shook his head i disgust. "You''re exactly the same as Loki. You even give the same excuses he does!"

    "How did you even move it here?" Mercury wondered.

    "With a lot of fucking difficulty." Solomon sighed. "Nearly crippled myself. Ah, it was such a pain. But this place was too perfect. Had to have it. And it was just sitting there, ignored...Plus, just look at them." He gestured to the Dryads some feet away. "They''re a lot happier here. No one to tell them what to do, everyone living in peace. And I''m not complaining about having some company."

    " It probably helps that they''re pretty, doesns''t it?" Mercury said.

    "Quite." He shrugged.

    Dryads didn''t really need much. They mainly wanted to be left alone, away from conflict. This place was perfect for them.

    " They don''t wear you out?" The woman asked.

    "No, it''s not like that you know? Well, sometimes a few of them get a bit hot and bothered, in which case I don''t refuse, but it''s not like a regular occurance. And I''m not here all day in any case, so..."

    "Heh. Weak. If I were you I''d never leave. You''re with me, right, handsome? This guy, he''s too wasteful isn''t he?"

    "Don''t get me involved in this." He stepped a bit away from her.

    "Mother..." Fenris, who''d been silent all the while, finally spoke up in order to lay onto the woman.

    Apart from her there was also Aries and Mephisto who came along.

    "....Daddy?" A small voice came up from behind them.

    "Oh, Grace." Roland went to greet her. " And Evie, too, I see. So, did you get something in your stomache yet."

    She nodded happily. "Where are we?"

    "In illegally acquired property." Roland responded automatically, causeing her to tilt her head in confusion.

    Solomon glared.

    "I told you, it''s--"

    "Yeah, yeah, I know. Whatever. Grace, your mother..."

    " ...Is right here." Morrigan stepped out from the portal. " Hm. Eden? So this is where it got to. I had thought that might be the case, but I didn''t think it was actually him...."

    "New Eden, thank you very much." Solomon wouldn''t give up on this.

    "How can a place that never changes be called new?"

    "...All of you please leave." He looked around. "Hold on, where''s Aries and Mephisto?"

    Roland supplied an answer. "They said they were going to raid your fridge. And though they didn''t say anything about it, I think you should assume that your wine celler has a very high possibility of being emptied too."

    Solomon seethed. "Bastards! I''ll kill them!"

    He stormed off, flying towards his home with great speed.

    "Mercury, would you mind...?"

    "Not at all, lover boy, I got this! Gimme your hand, everyone."

    Roland backed even further away as her palm darted out towards his own. "No, thank you. I''ll walk, enjoy the view. You can take the kids."

    ...He still had reservations against being teleported. Unless he had to, he didn''t want to.

    "Wait." Lilith spoke. "I''ll walk too."

    Reina joined in. "I want to see more of this place, so...My apologies, Lady Mercury."

    "Looking around wouldn''t be bad." Saren rubbed his chin, his gaze wondering everywhere---particularly in the direction of the Dryads from time to time.

    "Couldn ''t hurt." James agreed simply.

    "Daddy, it''s so pretty here..." Grace was already beginning to wonder off, prompting Morrigan to follow.

    "Grace, dear, wait up."

    "You''d rather walk that come with me? Tch. Suit yourselves." Mercury felt very unappreciated. "No, no, wait up, when do I get my promised reward?"

    "Take it if you can." Roland wasn''t about to bother with the woman, folowing after his daughter and wife.

    Mercury huffed. She called out, " If that''s how ya wanna do it, no problem. You can pay me with your body instead, as compensation for my trouble."

    "Mother!" Fenris snapped, once more angered and embarrassed due to the woman''s antics.

    "What? You know I don''t mean it, dearest girl. Like, I''m only around sixty percent serious. Besides, I was planning to let you have him from the start anyway. I''ll just be satisfied with the shirt. Really, never let it be said that I, Mercury, am a greedy person. So when can I expect some adorable grandkids, daughter of mine?"

    Mercury was having an extremely fun time teasing her daughter.

    Unfortunately Morrigan''s unusually sharp ears heard all this and turned around to look at the woman, her intentions a littletoo obvious.

    ...Fenris felt like she would die an infinitely early death when she realized what her mother just said. Or commit matricide. Whichever came first.

    Why, just...why?

    Fenris hated it. It was fine for Mercury to say such things, but why did she have to include Fenris?

    She felt her anger building even more. It was a very dark, oily feeling that just wanted to be let out.

    But before she could explode, Mercury grabbed her arm. "Looks like Morrigan can''t take a joke. Let''s leave before she decides to get all stab-y. Come along, daughter, off we go~!"

    "No!" Fenris hissed. "I--"

    It was too late, they were already gone

    ********************

    Author Note: **Yeah unless it wasn''t clear before, it would be best to not take Mercury too seriously. She has a habit of saying or thinking a lot of things that can seem kinda....you know? I would consider her bubbly, honestly. Maybe a tad air-headed? Not exactly right, but she is a character who''d get a little lost in random thoughts. Or have certain opinions on things that aren''t too likely to happen. Like thinking Fenris could just walk up and seduce Roland without consequence since she got Grace as a friend..

    Which would be more what Mercury herself would want to do, actually.

 Chapter sixty

    Fenris broke free of her mother''s grasp as soon as they arrived at the terrace, coldly walking off.

    Mercury followed by her side.

    After a few moments she poked her daughter on the cheek with a finger.

    "You seem a bit put-off, my beloved Fenris. What''s up?"

    "Nothing." She replied shortly, continuing her march. Mercury wasn''t even sure she knew where she was going.

    "...Yup. You''re mad. What is it? What''s got your panties in a twist?" Mercury lost her previous whimsical face, replacing it with a more serious one.

    "Do you really have to ask?"

    "Would I be asking if I knew?" The woman shot back.

    That wasn''t what Fenris wanted to hear.

    Mercury had to struggle to keep up with the girl''s increased pace.

    "Okay. My bad. But seriously, what is it?"

    "Look, it''s fine. It doesn''t even matter."

    Mercury''s cheek twitched. "I''m not a mind reader, daughter, but I know know when something''s bothering you." She put a hand to her shoulder.

    Fenris shrugged it off coldly.

    It was only now that Mercury was starting to really grow concerned. What had gotten into the girl so suddenly?

    "Come on, Fenris, talk to me."

    "Really, just forget it. It''s not as if you''d really listen if I talked anyway."

    "So you admit something''s bothering you?"

    "Exactly how would you know when something''s bothering me in any case?"

    "I''m your mother, dearie, it comes with the job."

    "If you think of it as a job then perhaps you should learn how to do it properly."

    Mercury stopped her. "And what''s that supposed to mean?" She asked, feeling uncomfortable.

    "Like I said. Forget it. Nothing''s bothering me, I''m fine, let''s just move on."

    "Is this about Morrigan?" Mercury''s eyes narrowed. "I thought she had said something mean to you, but didn''t know what it could be. The bitch." She sniffed in disdain. "Alright, out with it. What did she say?"

    "Morrigan has nothing to do with this."

    "Bullshit. That woman knows how to rile people up and don''t even try telling me she doesn''t, because I''ve known her a lot longer than you."

    Fenris peered at her mother, looking fed-up. "She has a habit of saying a lot of things, but at least the things<u> she</u> says or does won''t reflect back on me personally."

    Mercury stiffened, gaining a flash of insight. "This...is about me then?"

    "Haa...just you? That''s cute, mother dearest. But no. Although I truly wish you''d not involve me whenever you decide to make passes on a man while in the company of both his wife and daughter, you''re really only part of the problem."

    "See, I don''t get what you mean. What problem? What did I do? If you don''t tell me what I did then how can I apologise for it?"

    But Fenris just shook her head. "The fact you don''t already realize by yourself what it is that you did wrong is a problem in and of itself. As for apologising, trust me, it''s a little late for that." She snorted. "For now I''d be happy if you just at least left me out of the conversation when you decide to sexually harrass a married man in front of his own family. That''d be good enough."

    " Heavens, girl, you''re being ridiculous. Just tell me already." Irritation wormed it''s way into Mercury''s tone. "This passive-aggressiveness is really getting annoying, Fenris. Honestly, sometimes being your mother can be truly tiresome" Mercury spoke mildly, sighing.

    Fenris laughed, the entire things sounding forced. "Yeah, well, being your guys'' daughter grew tiresome centuries ago."

    The woman continued on her path, leaving Mercury stunned on the spot.

    **********

    "That Mercury, she''s no tact whatsoever." Morrigan''s tone made it clear how much she disliked the woman. "She said that to provoke me, I know she did. She knew I''d hear. She seems determined to get under my skin."

    "Perhaps. "Roland said, "But maybe she''s a good reason for it."

    "And what would that be? I''ve done nothing to her." Morrigan completely didn''t understand his words.

    "Yeah, maybe not to her." Roland said proddingly.

    She looked at him blankly. "Meaning?"

    "Meaning did you say anything to Fenris earlier?"

    "Fenris?" Morrigan considered. "No, nothing comes to mind."

    "Morrigan...." He stared.

    "Alright, yes. However I never speak anything but the truth, dearest. Fenris... she didn''t." She said after a moment.

    "What did you say, exactly?"

    "Nothing she doesn''t already know herself." She avoided the question expertly. "But Fenris is a surprisingly petty woman, did you know that? Making false accusations against people, that''s a truly unsavory habit that she''s picked up."

    "False accusations?"

    "Indeed." She smiled. Her eyes roamed across the beautiful landscape idly, saying, "The woman presumes to speak about other people''s families when she has little notion of what a proper one even is. And she has the gall to belittle another person''s love, making it seem like some dark and twisted thing. Even when she herself has never known what that''s like either."

    Roland had imagined what it was that Morrigan could have said to the woman. From her current words Roland got an inkling of what had been said. and it wasn''t pretty.

    He knew that he was probably underestimating just how sharp Morrigan could be when angered.

    "Morrigan, what did you say?" He insisted.

    " I simply reminded her exactly how little room she has to talk about others."

    "Morrigan, don''t. Just tell me."

    Her eyes flashed. "Do you really care so much? Why don''t you seem at all concerned about what she said about me?"

    "I''m very much concerned about that too. But you''re a lot older than her, and hopefully a bit more mature too."

    He felt it very weird that he, a mere 19-year-old mortal man, was saying this to an ancient Death Goddess. But he pressed on.

    "But that doesn''t mean I can just ignore it if you do the same. Because from what I know of you, which is quite little, you''ve a tongue that can flay a person''s skin off and a temper to match."

    He didn''t even have to know her personally, this was widely-known knowledge.

    "Mercury love her daughter quite a bit, Morrigan. She told me in no uncertain terms that she''d not easily let you go if a few careless words from you hurt her. Which would force me to act as well. Which eventually just wouldn''t end well for anyone. So just tell me what happened."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Morrigan let out a breath in frustration. "I don''t see why any of this matters. Is Fenris really so weak that words alone can hurt her?"

    "It''s not about that, Morrigan. Physical scars can heal. That''s especially true for those like you who can recover from pretty much any sort of injury. But emotional scars run a lot deeper. Words are powerful things, and the harm they can inflict are a lot more severe than most people give them credit for."

    People who lived as long as a god did almost never came without a bit of baggage. You simply didn''t llve for centuries on end without accumulating a few wounds in the process.

    And if what Mercury said was true, then Fenris probably had more than most of her kin.

    He didn''t want to seem as if he was favoring Fenris'' problems over Morrigan''s. He also didn''t want to paint Morrigan as the bad person here, because she wasn''t one.

    In situations like this, no one was right or wrong. But their little spat could have become a very serious matter. He needed to know eveything that was said.

    Morrigan ground her teeth. "Okay. If you want to know so badly, then so be it. Come closer, my beloved, and let''s see if you don''t think her slanderous words as hateful as I do!"

    Under her urging, he leaned in.

    "Well?"

    Morrigan looked towards Grace and the rest, whispering into his ear softly. "She had said, basically, that I''m merely using your love for Grace to make you stay. That I''m guilting you into being here. With us... with me." Her voice became raw. "But she''s wrong. I''m not a good person. I know that. I''m not very nice, either, but I''d never do that to you. I don''t want to hold you prisoner, I don''t want to make you feel like you don''t have a choice in the matter. I want you to stay with us because you want to.

    If I truly was doing as she thought, if I was that sort of person, you''d only grow to resent me. And other than you completely not caring about me at all, that''s one of the worst things I can imagine. I don''t..." She stopped, looking away, instead saying. "...I''ll live a very long life, you know. Gods don''t ever fall in love easily, but when they do, when it''s real, they fall hard. I don''t know about any of the others, but I don''t think that I''d be able to handle an eternity of life if the person I loved hated me. It''d be worse than any hell. When you left me, were Grace not there--if I didn''t have her to take care of and hold onto--I probably wouldn''t have lasted long enough to see you again..."

    Roland''s brows knit together as he tried to process all this. "...Is that what made you so angry that time? When Fenris said all that, did you think that I''d come to the same conclusion?" He asked intently.

    "...Fenris has known me much longer than you have. If even she began to question my motives, how long would it be until you suspected me of doing that too?"

    "Do you think I would?" Did she not trust him, then?

    "How couldn''t you think that?" She shot back bitterly. "Unlike in the past, you don''t love me at all. The fact of the matter is that without Grace you wouldn''t have let me be with you. You''d certainly not be as you are now, indulging me like this. No, you''d avoid me as much as possible. As if I was some sort of plague. Just like you did after I first found you in this life.

    And I know what you''re thinking. It''s not about trust. I trust you, I do, very much so. But don''t say my fears are unfounded. If you felt trapped, wouldn''t you hate me for it? For seemingly tying you down? We aren''t in the same situation as before. You saw me as a person to be pitied and cared for the majority of the time I was with you. And I was.

    But not anymore. Now that I''m not the same frail thing I was back then, why would you endure being with me long enough to fall in love with me again?"

    Morrigan had an advantage back when she first met him: She wasn''t able to take care of herself. So he took it upon himself to do it in her stead, to take responsibility for her well-being.

    No matter what awful things she said or did he didn''t pay it any mind, because he knew she was someone who probably wouldnt''t have been able to survive without him.

    Was the same true now? No.

    Other than Grace, what tied them together? She loved him, but it was one-sided. What reason did he himselfhave to stay by her side? He didn''t have to endure her many, many faults like he did last time.

    He would be able to see past those faults, she knew that much. But would he care to stay around long enough to do that, to love her like he once did? Other than her beauty, she had little to give him. Her personality, she knew it didn''t exactly scream sunshine and rainbows.

    She was serious about getting him to love her again. No matter how many other lives he had after this, she was determined to make him fall for her again and again.

    But she just didn''t know how. It had progressed so naturally before....when had he even begun to love her back then?

    Although that''s what she wanted, whenever Morrigan thought about how exactly she would accomplish it, her mind blanked.

    It seemed an insurmountable wall.

    And she''d have to do that multiple times, probably, in mutliple situation, maybe having to face a few rivals along the way.

    It made her want to scream just by imagining how hard it''d be, getting him to fall for her over and over again.

    But she took those doubts and firmly sealed them away.

    It was only now, as she was being pressed by him, when he had asked her that question, that they came to the surface.

    As for Roland, it wasn''t like he was dense enough to not know how she was feeling.

    "Morrigan..." He began. "Your thinking is completely wrong. I fell in love with you once. I trust I wasn''t a fool in my past life. If I could put up with you then, I would be able to do so now. You don''t need to court me." He smirked at the appearance of the word. "Whether it be in the past, present or future, if I fall in love with you it wouldn''t be because of your epic wooing skills. I''ll fall in love with you...for you."

    He let that sink in for a bit before continuing. "The me of back then would have fallen in love with who you are at your core, not some version of yourself that he thought up." He wasn''t quite that shallow a person. "I said it many times before, Morrigan, but you''re a very beautiful woman. Your physical appearance aside, I''m sure you''re equally beautiful in other ways too. I think my past self saw that. I''m also thinking that once all this is done with, that I''d like to spend the rest of my time finding out exactly what those other ways are."

    For a long time Morrigan was too choked with emotion to speak once she heard that.

    If they were alone, if it was just the two of them here, then she believed she might have actually cried.

    With all the kids much further ahead the two of them were given a bit of privacy, but even still she didn''t let any tears fall or make any other kind of noise.

    After walking in a strange, comfortable silence Roland once more spoke up. "Are you going to apologize to her then?"

    "...I''m not a petty person. Of course I will." She let out a wavering breath, doing her best to stop herself from showing an unsightly appearance.

    "I see."

    "Even if Mercury had said nothing about it, would you still have asked?"

    "Of course. Grace adores her"

    "Oh." She said. "And you? How do you feel about her?" She looked straight ahead.

    "She''s the daughter of one of my good friends."

    "...I see."

    "Yeah."

    "..."

    "Did you really expect anything else?"

    "I thought that maybe..." She went quiet. "...I don''t know, really. I mean you two seemed to get along. Very well."

    "No. Not like that."

    "That''s...that''s good, then."

    "Happy now?"

    She let out a rare smile. "Yes."

    "I''m glad."

    With their arms linked, they once more lapsed into silence.

    The walk seemed a little too short.

    ************

    "You guys sure took your sweet time. " Solomon was sitting on a giant silvery throne when they arrived.

    They had opened the giant doorway, finding themselves in a giant throneroom. From a large, stained glass window threads of golden sunlight drifted in and illuminated everything.

    Solomon cut a very imposing figure just then, appearing almost regal. "Come with me." He gestured with a hand, entering a stairway to his left.

    When they reached the bottom, they entered a exceedingly large hallway.

    Numerous doors stood at either side of the room in neat rows.

    Saren felt a surge of curiosity, and sneaked a bit away.

    His hand inched towards the handle.

    "That doorway leads to a world full of large, man-eating predators and poisonous gas that can literally turn your insides to mush. Unless you know the spells capable of counteracting that, I wouldn''t recommend you opening it."

    Saren snatched his arm back so fast that the others thought it was a wonder he didn''t dislocate it.

    Not one of the other three dared even think about walking towards the other doors. Reina and Lilith in particular unconsciously moved a bit closer to Roland, as did Saren and James a moment later.

    Grace held the hands of her parents, right in between them, humming happily.

    As for "Evie"...she had, oddly enough, jumped atop Roland''s head not long ago.

    It was a very curious thing. First Fenris, now the little fox?

    And for some reason he felt like a small draining sensation? He wasn''t sure how else to describe it.

    How odd....

    Finally they reached the end of the hallway, Solomon opening the large door in front of them.

    "Everyone else is already inside." Sol told them.

    Inside they were greeted by a large space. Circular, with a glass ceiling.

    Completely white, the room was full of complex machines of varying sizes.

    Aries and Mephisto sat off to the side, bottles of wine in one hand and chunks of meat in the other.

    Fenris was also beside them, chowing on a large bone that easily gave in under the power of her teeth.

    "Your four, stand on the magic circle."

    Solomon waved a hand and a large magic circle appeared in the middle of the room, glowing a very faint purple.

    "Go on." Roland reassured them after he saw the hesitation on their faces.

    They reluctantly did as they were told.

    But they didn''t get far before Solomon raised a hand to stop one of them.

    "Hold up, kid, you''ll have to wait a bit. Need to ask you something."

    Surprise flickered across Reina''s face.

    "Me?" She pointed to herself, unsure.

    He nodded.

    "What do you have to ask her?" Roland came up from behind her, directin the qestion at his friend.

    "Ah..." Solomon gave a small cough, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "It''s nothing much, but the question I have is a bit personal...."

    "What...do you want to know?" Reina asked slowly.

    "Hm...Well, like I said, it''s a bit personal...maybe a little too much...but it is kind of important, I don''t want to make you go through this without knowing the answer....But I don''t know if I should ask it here."

    "On with it, Sol." Roland urged.

    Solomon grew more uncomfortable, sneaking a glance behind Roland.

    "It''s...Look, are you sure you want to do this here? You two don''t want to go to another room for a bit so we can talk with more privacy? Maybe weave a spell at least, or... something?"

    Roland frowned. "What? No, there''s no need. And why me, too?" He asked. "Hurry up, just ask."

    "It''s a rather sensitve subject, Ro, as you should well know." Solomon huffed. " I''m trying to help you here. Hell, does Morrigan even know?"

    "Know what?" Roland was growing more irritated the longer this drew on. "No, nevermind. Just ask the damn question already, will you?"

    "Okay, okay. Fine!"

    He once more turned towards Reina.

    " Yes, well, let''s just ask directly then." He cleared his throat. "Ahem. I''m going to ask now..." He warned.

    Reina nodded, listening closely.

    "So..." He cleared his throat once more, adjusting his tie. "...Exactly how long have you been pregnant with Roland''s child?"***

    ********************

    Author Note: ***no comment here. Just roll with it for now. Will explain in next chapter.

 Chapter sixty-one part 1

    Nearly everyone sucked in a cold breath at Solomon''s question.

    Apart from Grace, Roland and the currently blank-minded Reina, everyone else was thinking what basically amounted to: Holy fucking shit!

    Aries and Mephisto literally choked on their food, coughing wildly, while Fenris spit out the juice she''d just taken a drink of onto the white marble floor.

    "I knew it!" Mercury exclaimed, jumping up out of her seat. "You two were fucking! Sonuvabitch, denying the great me yet sleeping with the pretty redhead...the injustice! Aaah....and the shame...." She sighed. "Oi, be honest, you been shagging the brunette on the sly too, haven''t ya? Hey, Fenris, this is good. Wasn''t as staunch as I thought, this guy, you got a real chance here....hm...but I wonder it it''d be okay for me to have a taste before then?"

    Fenris was still too stunned by the great mage''s words to retort, glancing between Roland, Reina and Morrigan like she couldn''t quite understand what was going on.

    As for Grace, she had a strange look in her eyes. "Daddy..." she murmured, voice trembling, " Ah, no...I can''t blame daddy." She shook her head. "That''s right...he met sister Reina before mommy and me...is that why I felt like she was similar to daddy? Because I had a little brother or sister growing in her tummy?" She wondered aloud.

    She smiled wonderfully. " I''m so happy! This is great!" She looked very excited about all this. "I never had any siblings before..." She mused. Then, growing more solemn, "I have to be a good elder sister, yes...." She nodded to herself.

    However her expression dimmed as she realized something.

    "Oh, wait, what about mommy?" Grace grew anxious, grabbing Roland by his sleeve and and staring at him with her large, innocent eyes. "Daddy, you won''t leave mommy, will you?" Again her face brightened, as if she just had an idea. "Or, no, I guess you''ll just have to marry Reirei too then? No, step-mommy Reina?"

    Roland got a cold sweat. "Step-mommy? Grace, don''t be ridiculous, how can she be your step-mommy!"

    She continued to stare up at him, making him even more uncomfortable.

    "What do you mean? Daddy, you''ll have to marry Reirei, won''t you? You have to do right by Reirei, don''t you? So once you''re married, Reirei will become my step-mommy, won''t she? Therefore I have to call her step-mommy." The little girl spoke very logically, stunning the room yet again. "I don''t want you to leave mommy!" She became more passionate in an instant. "But I also don''t want you to wrong Reirei and my half-sister or brother that''s currently growing inside her tummy, so this is the only way isn''t it!"

    She tightened her grip. "Which means daddy''s going to have to become married to both Reirei and mommy in order to make this all fine, right? If you don''t then either mommy or Reirei will have to be cast aside, and I''d hate that!"

    Grace had an aggreived look on her face. " Since the riceis already cooked, what else can we do?" She asked miserably. "Daddy, you have to recognize Reirei! She...she''s going to be the mommy of my precious brother or sister, so, this is the only way to make everything right!"

    Roland felt his head swim with every word.

    Goddammit, what kind of situation was this! This is insane!

    He glanced at Morrigan, seeking aid. But she only looked at Reina''s stomach with a saddened face.

    When he finally did catch her eye, she had the look of a woman who''d been greatly lied to. Appearing shocked, angered, sad and a little helpless.

    Morrigan, at hearing her daugters words, was snapped out of her reverie. She approached Roland, her face cold.

    "You told me..." She said quietly in his ear, "That there was nothing between you two. You told me that you felt nothing like that for her." She took a deep breath. "Did you lie to me?"

    She trusted him. He assured her there were no feelings between them. She believed him. But now? She was unsure. Certainly, she felt that those two were attracted to each other.

    The girl to him, if nothing else.

    There was only one reason she didn''t fly into a fury: Because that girl had been by his side before Morrigan herself had got here.

    If they had an affair after that, she''d not blame him. She''d blame her. And Morrigan might have wanted to even kill her.

    In fact, even now she was holding down her anger. But she knew she hadn''t the right to be angry at either of them. They met each other first, after all.

    That red-haired girl was currently in the prime of life, her body still developing to boot. And Roland was a vigorous man if ever there was one. A beautiful young woman in an age where emotions ran high, and a strong, handsome man living under the same roof...

    There was always a high chance of them wanting to release their carnal desires upon each other. That was especially true when the man was as powerful as her husband. Women were attracted to strength, and he definitely exuded that with every casual movement.

    So Morrigan understood well that she couldn''t blame either of them for giving in to primal need.

    But to have him lie to her like this...she didn''t want to believe it.

    Shy really didn''t. She hated when people lied to her. And Solomon''s words made doubt cloud her heart. So although she trusted her husband, she needed to hear it from his own mouth.

    She''d believe whatever he said, because she wanted to...

    With Morrigan standing so close, with Grace pulling on his sleeve, Roland was put in an awkward position.

    "Lie to you? What reason would I even have to do so? I never touched her!" He said firmly.

    "Oh now that''s gotta be bullshit!" Mercury rolled her eyes at him. "I clearly saw you two eye-fucking each other the day we all boarded Apollo''s ship. There was so much sexual tension there that I thought you''d tear each other''s clothes off and start fornicating right there and then! If you two aren''t fucking then do you dare say the girl just got knocked-up magically? Did the Heavens just suddenly decide to place a babe in her belly, hmm? The Virgin Mary 2.0?"

    Lilith, not bothering to display any sort of tact, also said something just then, "Is it true?" She asked. "That day you and Reina went into the woods... You said it was just training, I think, but she was practically glowing back then. I wonder if this why? Did you and my sister really have that sort of relationship?"

    She wasn''t sure what to think about all this. Her sister had looked very trusting of him right from the get-go. And Lilith knew, objectively, that he was an attractive male....

    Did Reina really get into some kind of affair with him that none of them knew about? But that was ridiculous! Reina nearly never left Lilith''s side, unless it was that once, when would they have found the time to...to do those kinds of things?

    Roland''s face turned sour. "Hey, don''t look at me like that. I was training her, nothing more. Or rather, I was giving her a gift."

    He saw the sister raise her brows.

    "Not like that!" He said irritably. "Do you think I''m some sort of beast? Besides, why would I even do something like that in the woods? Do you even understand how uncomfortable that can be?"

    Mercury grinned once more. "So you have quite a bit of experience in that, do you? Good to know. But I don''t think you''ll have to worry, my Fenris here always enjoyed being in the wilderness. She''d not~ complain~ at~ all~ " The woman sang.

    "Mother!" Fenris snapped. "Exactly what do you think you''re implying there!"

    "Implying? Nothing, though? Ugh, you''re so stubborn. Mommy dearest is trying to get you laid, girl, and yet you don''t appreciate my efforts! Most girls would love having a mother like me. I mean come on, look at him, do you even know how rare it is to find someone with that kinda sex appeal? It just like, oozes out you know? And he don''t even have to do anything! He''s like me in that way, actually..." She trailed off, looking thoughtful.

    "...But moving on, really, are you dumb? Do you have some sort of weird sense of aesthetics? If so, you really don''t know what''s good! I mean here I am, holding myself back, just so my beautiful, loving daughter can have a wonderful experience with a man without having to worry about things like him comparing you to me. If you don''t want him then fine, but at least give me the OK!" She coughed. " Ahem. Well, not that I''d really make a move on another woman''s man." She gave a sneaky glance towards Morrigan, who was too busy focusing on her husband at the moment to care what was said. "But like, if fate brings us together one of these days, I at least don''t want to feel guilty about it?"

    Mercury thought it was reasonable. If they ever got into some kind of, shall we say, "situation" in the future... Then Mercury wouldn''t really say no? Morrigan wouldn''t have to know either, wasn''t that so? It''d be a one-time thing, probably. It wouldn''t be cheating...It''d be....what''s the phrase..."accepting one''s fate"?

    Indeed. One couldn''t fight fate, right!

    But Mercury wouldn''t want to do it with the guy if her daughter actually wanted him for herself. Cause then it''d make things weird. Mercury wouldn''t mind too much, but her daughter would, right? Plus, what if the guy requested something outrageous later on due to it?!

    Like having a mother-daughter sandwhich?

    Hmm....Mercury actually thought that the words themselves were kinda a turn on. If she were a man, it''d definitely be something she''d aspire towards.

    But when it applied to her, as a woman, doing something like that with her own daughter was just too weird!

    No, even if he didn''t request that, though, it''s still be sort of weird. It would be similar to finding out you and your daughter had been using the same toothbrush? Or maybe "had been unknowingly using the same dildo" would be more accurate in this situation. Either way it just wasn''t really a good feeling, eh?

    Mercury wouldn''t mind all that much,but Fenris would. In regards to sex, Mercury was pretty easy-going. It was just sex, right? Why care over much if you''d eaten from the same bowl someone else had?

    It''s just that Fenris was pretty territorial. So that would be another reason why it wouldn''t work out. But if Fenris gave the OK, and fate decided to bring them together...Mercury wouldn''t have any worries and just follow her body''s desires~

    Meanwhile Grace froze in response to what she was hearing. She''d long since began looking at Fenris with doubt.

    Her heart was in disarray. "Is....Is sister Fenris... interested in daddy?" She didn''t know if that was the case, but if it was true then she didn''t know how she''d feel...

    It was too late with Reirei, but sister Fenris... Even if it''s her, would Grace be able to wish her well? But if even she became interested in daddy, and wanted to be with him, where would that leave mommy?!

    Grace didn''t know if she could support sister Fenris if she became like that! Daddy would already have to divide his attention between mommy and Reirei as it was!

    Although Grace did believe in "the more the merrier", when it''s applied to things like this wasn''t everything just too complicated? Would that even work here? Daddy, she wanted to spend lots of time with him, but would she be able to if the situation turned out like what she thought it might?

    She had to prioritize mommy''s own happiness first right! Grace urging her daddy to recognize Reirei was already testing her limits. If sister Fenris was added into the mix, she didn''t think she could do the same another time!

    But what if daddy liked sister Fenris back? Grace didn''t know if she had the right to try and get in the way of love, but... No, this was all too much. The potential implications of all this was simply too painful to think of...

    Grace began a series of circular thinking that threatened to fry her brain. She held her head painfully.

    Roland was surrounded by stares from several of the women in the room and they questioned him intently. Lilith and Morrigan being the worst offenders.

    Everyone else, namely the men, had looks that said they''d not want to touch this with a ten foot pole. No support there, apparently.

    He glared at Solomon, having finally gotten a chance to address him. "Explain yourself, Sol!. What do you mean, pregnant? Mine? Exactly how do you think that could happen!"

    Solomon replied calmly, "I would assume that it''d involve a bit of oil, a sturdy bed and a lack of protection. But who knows what sort of kinky things you''re into? Whips and chains could have been used, I suppose. Not that I''m judging. Even I had once--. "A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Roland wasn''t in the mood for games. "Me and Reina never had sex!" He ground out, cutting the man off mid-sentence.

    "Well how do explain her having your blood inside her then?" He narrowed his eyes at Roland. "Don''t take me for a fool, Ro, because I can even clearly sense a living being within her! One that has your aura all over it! I can sense her blood running through her along with it. You want me to explain? Why don''t you?"

    Roland didn''t bother to explain about the blood part, it''d take to long. But the other?

    "There''s nothing to explain!" He insisted. "And bullshit!" Roland growled. "What living being? Reina! Come here!" He called out, holding in his anger as best he could..

    Reina heard his voice, but it sounded so far away...

    She was in a state of epic confusion, going numb.

    The man''s previous words had made her feel like she were struck with lightning, unable to form any coherent thought to even try to come up with a response.

    "Reina?"

    She whimpered. "But...but I don''t want to be a mother..."

    "Reina!"

    "What?" She blinked, finally snapping out of her reverie.

    "You''re not pregnant." Roland assured her. " Just...come here and let me check you."

    "O-okay..."

    Reina obediently walked closer, nervous.

    When she followed his command Roland then touched his hands to either sides of her head and closed his eyes.

    After a few moments he became lost to everything else. Both he and Reina seemed to enter a state of complete obliviousness.

    This lasted all of ten seconds before Mercury sniffed loudly. "Yo, there it is. Lust. Can ya smell it, Mor? That''s grade-A arousal right there!" She nodded in satisaction.

    The sad thing was, Morrigan could smell it. And she hated it. With them being so close, how couldn''t she smell it? It was thick, heavy and permeated every inch of their bodies.

    She wanted to kill her. Here, right now, every part of her being screamed at her to end the girl''s life.

    But she didn''t.

    Couldn''t.

    No, she could. But if she did, he''d be angry at her. If not for that, the girl would already have had the life drained from her eyes.

    "I wonder how she was in the sack." Mercury went on shamelessly. "As I understand it there''s a special appeal from corrupting a young, innocent girl like this little chick here and spilling hot smegma all over their previously pristine selves." She acknowledged with a nod. "But wouldn''t one prefer a woman who knows what she''s doing? I mean I should think he got a bit annoyed at having to teach her everything right? Or who knows, maybe the girl''s the sensitive type. I hear those kind of women are fun to play with, so perhaps she was surprisingly goo-"

    "Mercury, come with me. I wish to speak to you in private for a moment."

    Morrigan calmly walked up to the woman and grabbed ahold of her hand with unparalled swiftness before dragging her away.

    Everyone watched them for a moment but wisely chose to not intervene. Only Fenris was debating whether or not she should follow, but ultimately chose not to.

    That mother of her''s, she had to take responsibility for something at least once in her life. None of her parents bothered to do so in the past, it was high time that changed.

    So Fenris turned a blind eye.

    Whatever Morrigan would say had nothing to do with her.

    ***

    Morrigan took the woman by the throat and pinned her roughly against the wall.

    "You know, I''ve had just about enough of you, Mercury." She coldly announced. "I don''t give a damn about what you say about others, but leave my husband out of it!"

    Mercury, feeling her neck being crushed, teleported away.

    In an instant the roles changed, with Morrigan having herself kicked into the hard stone by Mercury''s foot.

    Although her face bore no mark whatsoever, although Morrigan''s face barely changed even after such violence was placed upon her, it was still a sorry sight.

    "And you, Morrigan," Mercury began in a rasp, her voice slightly strained as she tenderly held her neck. "Had best not be saying any hurtful things to my Fenris."

    Morrigan extracted herself from the indent her body had made, laughing scornfully. "And since when have you, Loki or any of her other so-called parents ever given a damn about the girl? After all this time you finally show some concern? Please. Don''t you think it''s a little late to be acting like a mother, Mercury? You were never one to her before, I fail to see why you think you have the right to start now."

    And that was it. That was the thing with Morrigan. She understood exactly what to say to bring people pain. To scar them in ways that went past mere physical wounds.

    She brought people to their knees with her tongue alone, and Mercury was little different.

    The woman''s eyes misted up, glaring at Morrigan hatefully. "You know very well that we couldn''t...that we..." Words failed her, her throat closing up for an entirely different reason from before.

    Morrigan gave a paper-thin smirk. "Oh, I know. You couldn''t even go to see her when she was growing up, could you? But then...what about after she''d already left that place? Did any of you bother to go to her when it was needed? Did you make a move when she was living amongst beasts, probably cold and starving and yet unable to be given the peace of death? Or what about when most of the other deities called her a slut behind her back because of how loose you and your other selves were? Did you think your actions didn''t affect her? Did any of you even know what she had done for the first thousand years after she got away from that hellish place?

    "Since you''ve never shown any sign of caring for her in the past, don''t dare to preach to meabout hurting her." Morrigan spat. "Her parents had done enough of that without my help. And I doubt anything I could say would trump the damage your neglect had brought her. I doubt my words could compare to the pain of having had the misfortune to be born the daughter of such unloving parents...if you people can even be called that."

    There was something unbearable harsh and unforgiving in those words. Something dark and twisted that made each sentence into a sword that mercilessly stabbed into Mercury''s heart.

    Because Mercury couldn''t retort at all. Couldn''t deny anything.

    Mercury took a moment to take tight reign over the dark, heavy emotions that rolled about within her. Then, once she calmed down, a change occured. Whereas before she had shown pain and sadness, now there was only something akin to sympathy in her gaze. No, pity.

    But it was fake, and only malice could be seen in the depths of her eyes. A desire to hurt, the worst way she knew how, the person before her.

    Yet there were no sudden attacks. No wild displays of power.

    No. She didn''t do any of that. Because wounds like that would heal, as they always would. And Mercury didn''t want to just wounds Morrigan. She wanted to break her.

    And so, after a heavy silence, the storm began.

    "You know, Morrigan, I feel sorry for you." She started, her voice soft. Kind, caring, like how a mother would speak to her child. "Because although you finally found someone that you love, although you found your happiness, eventually it''ll all fall apart. Eventually he''ll see you for what you really are. A mean, black-hearted woman that ruins everything she touches. And then he''ll leave you. Not only him, but Grace too."

    "...Don''t..." Morrigan warned.

    She didn''t listen. "Someday the both of them will realize how much better off they are without you. That''s what you fear will happen right?"

    "Mercury..." Her eyes flashed dangerously.

    Mercury paid the woman no mind. "That they''ll abandon you, that he''ll find someone else, someone better--kinder--than you."

    "That''s enough!" She snarled.

    "That she''ll call someone else her mother instead of you, love her more than you. But don''t worry, my dear." The corner of Mercury''s lips curled upwards in a faint, mocking smile. "Trust me when I say that they won''t abandon you. No. You''ll just drive them away."

    Morrigan''s pupils shrank, something in her mind snapping.

    "Really, just so pitiful..."

    Mercury''s taunting laugh resounded throughout the hall.

    An instant before a pillar of dark, deathly energies slammed into her, she''d disappeared.

    Morrigan was left there, a complete mess, falling to the ground and hugging herself so hard that the nails bit into flesh.

    The pure, unblemished white marble floors soon became stained with small drops of red.

    Followed quickly by translucent tears.

    **********

    "So I see that you''ve met that child again."

    In front of Roland, a great beast stood tall.

    Large, powerful wings, steady eyes full of wisdom, a body that seemed to dominate the space around it with the regal aura of a king.

    But, most of all, the familiarity and warmth those eyes displayed were what Roland noticed first. Like it was looking at a friend. A brother.

    He felt guilty, for that gaze was lost on him.

    The ancient Dragon spoke the words just now with a saddness he didn''t understand.

    "Yeah. I mean it isn''t as if I could drive her away, her being the mother of my kid and all."

    The Dragon beat his wings as if rousing himself from deep thought.

    "...Hm. Yes, Morrigan. Her as well. Quite lucky, that one."

    Roland felt something was weird with his phrasing, but ignored it.

    "Lucky?" Roland smiled a touch bitterly. "I left her for little over a decade as a single mother and my daughter grew up fatherless until but days ago. I should think that luck isn''t part of any of this, Blue."

    The Dragon shook his head in disagreement. "Your other loved ones aside, Morrigan is one of the very few wives that you met once more in a different life from the one they originally got to know you in. Her''s is a special case, because In all but this one they either never meet you again or you avoid them like a plague if they revealed themselves to you. In this regard Morrigan is quite lucky indeed, because she isn''t like the others. For if she did not bear your child, would you have let her be by your side?"

    "No." Roland couldn''t say he would. As a father to her child he had an unbreakable bond with Morrigan, he couldn''t turn her away. If Grace was mortal, maybe it would be easier to. But neither she nor her mother were, so keeping them at a distance wasn''t much of an option.

    Which made him think of something. "You mentioned other wives...I''m curious, exactly how many others did I have?"

    Blue, as Roland had taken to call him, considered for a moment. " five that I know of. You don''t usually marry, for obvious reasons. But as for the question you didn''t ask...no, you hadn''t had any children with them. I can''t know of your life before you met me, but I doubt you had a child with any woman who was immortal. If you had an immortal wife and child before then it stands to reason they would not remain unknown. They''d have likely found you eventually and you would also just as likely have accepted them as much as you did the two outside.

    "But up to now, in all the years I''ve been with you, none other than them stepped forward. You had met a wife or lover before, but either you didn''t know who they were to you or you didn''t let them be with you if you did. Not surprising. Other times they didn''t even say anything and just became a casual affair. Without a child you had no reason to interact with them after the life you spent with them."

    Which meant either there had never been a case like Morrigan''s before or if there was then none of the people involved came to him like she had. If they did exist, it''s not like Roland wouldn''t understand their shyness.

    As he always thought without his memories of them not many would be very happy to meet him. He knew Morrigan felt the pain of that, and even though she withstood it maybe she was just the exception to the rule. Maybe not many others were as strong as her.

    Whatever the case, he decided to stop thinking about it. He was curious since Blue made it seem like a truly rare occurance, which apparently it was, but he wouldn''t pry any more.

    "...So you see, Morrigan is lucky." Blue returned to the original topic. "While some spend centuries looking for you, she only had to wait a few years." He suddenly had a far-away look in his eyes. "It''s almost tragic that she has such good fortune. I wonder how frustrated that child would be if she knew about this. It''d make all her effort seem pointless, wouldn''t it? Truly a sad thought to contemplate..."

    Roland stayed quiet.

    He rarely spoke to Blue, but he knew there were times where he just broke off into little tangents like this.

    "So, why''re you here?" Roland finally got around to asking the question he came here to find out.

    "What?" The Dragon snapped back to reality. "Ah, yes... It''s nothing important, really." He made his trademark fumu-like laughter. Dragons weren''t like humanoids, after all. " I simply found the girl interesting and so sent a fragment of myself into her. This blood bond should not be as strong as it is, I wondered why she had such a high affinity with someone like yourself. What I found was rather surprising."

    "Indeed? And what was it that you found?"

    "Doesn''t matter, that man will tell you in more detail soon enough.

    Roland sighed. "And that''s the only reason? Curiosity?"

    Those deep eyes grew inquisitive. "Do you think I would have another?"

    "Maybe. I doubt you''d tell me if you did though."

    "Quite right."

    "I suppose we''re done, then."

    "It appears so..."

    "...I guess...I''ll just take my leave. Good-bye, Blue." He paused. "It was nice speaking to you again."

    The ancient being didn''t respond.

    **********

    "Alright...just a few more...come on baby...mommy gots to collect what''s owed her..."

    Mercury, moving oh-so-slowly, with beads of sweat along her brow, had her tongue sticking out of her side as she carefully worked the buttons free.

    Everyone else stood several feet away, not wanting to get close to the woman for fear whatever she had was contagious.

    Mercury paid them no mind, however. Nope. She was entirely focused on the task at hand. Or rather, like 70% focused.

    She couldn''t resist a grope or two, and the hard chest that was beginning to show itself was a great, tantalizing temptation to a woman who rarely practiced restraint.

    "Mercury...what do you think you''re doing?"

    She jumped up in fright, slipping and landing hard on her ass a moment later.

    "&#^!!!" A glare. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Mercury accused angrily. "Ugh, whatever." She rose and gently patted her hurt rear, massaging it tenderly to help with the pain. "As compensation you can just kiss my foot and slowly make your way up until I say stop. A fair trade, no, for scaring a fair lady such as myself? Oh, right. And stay still for a sec, will ya? These damn things are a bitch to get undone. I enjoyed the challenge at first but it''s really getting annoying now!"

    She got back to her original place before he was able to react. It was an awkward position, with her hugging him from behind and messing with the unruly buttons on his shirt.

    Roland turned away from Reina--who was entirely lost in a daze due to what he''d just done and unlikely to come out of the fugue state for a few minutes more--then extracted himself from her grip and flicked the woman on her chest.

    The goddess was magnificently sent flying through the air.

    She caught herself quickly, unfortunately. A pity, that.

    He looked over and saw Grace sleeping peacefully on the floor.

    "What did you do to my daughter?" He narrowed his eyes.

    "Oh, she tried to stop me from taking what rightfully belongs to me, so I put her to sleep for a bit. I assure you that no harming of any lolies, specifically that one, took place. Trust me fam, I was real gentle-like."

    Roland supposed he should be mad, but he was more irritated than anything else. "I''m going to hit you."

    This didn''t seem to scare her."Do it. Hurt me daddy, make my bleed." Mercury grinned.

    "Left cheek or right?"

    "Dealer''s choice."

    "Very well."

    Roland didn''t hold back, directly sending out a hand to attack...which met only air.

    Mercury teleported behind him. "Hey!" She yelled out, feeling wronged. "You were actually going to hit me!"

    "I was. And?"

    She spluttered, raising her voice."Well fuck, I don''t mind if you like doing it rough but at least warn a girl before you start fisting her!"

    Ignoring her ranting Roland went to go kneel beside Grace.

    "Grace...Grace, wake up..." He gently called out to her and soon a pair of deep blue eyes, blurred from sleep, met his own.

    Alarm quickly spread across her face and she jumped to her feet instantly.

    "Daddy! Bad woman! Run!" She looked around vigilantly until she saw Mercury, then shouted, "You-you-you...you she-wolf!" Snarling, she charged.

    Mercury shrugged off the girl''s rage. "Actually that would be my daughter. I''m more of a cougar in this case?"

    "Shut up! Bad woman! Die!" The girl charged at the woman in a show of blind fury.

    Which forced Solomon to step in, erecting a golden barrier between them. "Yeah, sorry, but I don''t feel like having my lab stained with blood. If you''re going to tear into each other I suggest you do it outside. Otherwise one of you--Mercury--is getting turned into a toad. And I''m not the romantic type, so don''t expect any handsome princes to come running along either."

    "What? Me? Why me? She started it!" Mercury complained.

    Solomon gave her a contemptuous sneer. "I''m sorry, would you like some cheese with that whine?"

    "Hm. Depends, whaddya have?"

    "Alright, enough. Honestly, thousands upon thousands of years of life experience and you still act like a child. Actually, you''re worse than a child!" Roland cut in, shaking his head in disappointement.

    "Thank you. I try." Mercury took that as a compliment.

    Grace continued to glare, a small blue light slowly building on her fingertips.

    "And you." Roland chided. "Don''t sink to her level."

    "But daddy, I''m--"

    "More mature than her." Roland stated, believing it. "So you shouldn''t be getting so worked up. Remember, she''s just a kid."

    This was a great blow to the goddess in question."You''re a little kid. Hmph!" She muttered underneath her breath, becoming moody.

    The little girl looked at him like he''d grown another head.

    "But...but daddy." Grace began. " To you, she...she was...but she..." Words failed her. " Ugh!" She stomped her foot in sheer frustration. "That woman, she''s just evil, okay! Evil! And evil women must be purged! Mommy said!"

    Glancing around again, he noticed something.

    "Speaking of, where is Morrigan?"

 Chapter sixty-one part 2

    A loud bang rang out, signally that the door had been shut.

    "I''m right here."

    Morrigan walked in elegantly, seeming entirely indifferent to everything with not a hair out of place.

    "Where''ve you been then?" Roland inquired.

    "I had a talk with that thing over there." She inclined her head to Mercury, her face unreadable. "And after that was done I decided to get some fresh air. Why, is there something I missed during my absence?" She looked pointedly at the erected barrier.

    Her gaze also landed on Roland''s half-unbuttoned shirt.

    "Mommy!" Grace immediately replied. "Listen, this vile woman, to daddy, she was--!"

    Roland didn''t feel like revealing to his wife that he was nearly sexually assaulted by a hormonal Goddess, so he quickly wove a spell to rob his daughter of her ability to speak for a moment.

    Grace''s hands moved to her throat, finding that no sound came from her mouth at all. She felt betrayed!

    "No, nothing at all." He told her smoothly. Then frowned as Morrigan reached him. He held her chin up with a hand and looked at her oddly.

    "Is there something wrong, husband?" Morrigan didn''t react at all, merely allowing him to examine her.

    After a moment he let her go. "Apparently not."

    "Alright then." Solomon interjected. "Can we move on to the imporant part now? So, Ro, what''s the verdict?"

    "She''s not pregnant, if that''s what you''re asking."

    " Care to explain what that mysterious energy I''m sensing inside her is?"

    "No. Doesn''t matter anyway. What does matter though is that she''s not pregnant. So there''s nothing to worry about."

    "Are you sure?" Lilith stared at him closely, having long since went to Reina''s side.

    "Quite so."

    "Wait, this means you didn''t put a bun in her oven?" Mercury sounded disappointed.

    "Of course not. I''m no chef. In this case, at least."

    Grace, her voice now released from it''s entrapment, was crestfallen. "I''m not going to be a big sister?"

    "Afraid not, little one."

    "Oh..."

    Morrigan smiled at her. "Don''t worry, darling, if you really want one I think it can be pretty easily done. Right, husband?"

    Roland stubbornly refused to answer that.

    " Ahem." Sol coughed politely. " So...can we get on with the tests then? You can keep your secrets if you want, Ro, but my time is precious you know? Best not to waste it."

    "Wait, you''re certain Reina''s fine? There''s nothing wrong?" Lilith was stubborn, she wanted to know more.

    "There''s no reason for you to worry, she''s not in danger at all." Roland insisted.

    Lilith couldn''t help it. Despite still having some misgivings, she decided to trust his words.

    "Okay..."

    "If that''s done with then let''s get on with the tests."

    "Oh goody." Solomon monotoned. "Right. Hey, girl." He snapped his fingers in front of Reina''s face.

    "Yo, Redhead, wake up. Good news, ya ain''t preggers yet."

    Mercury went and blew into one of the girl''s ears, which caused her to come back to her senses with a shudder.

    "Come on, let''s go." Lilith urged her still rather dazed sister.

    "On the circle, hurry up now. "

    Once more the four kids walked onto the magic circle.

    With Saren and James fighting back the urge to bolt when they saw the great mage smiling at them reassuringly, which really just did the opposite, they all saw a soft green glow coming from their feet.

    "You may feel a slight stinging sensation." Solomon warned.

    Saren didn''t like the sound of that. "Right, exactly how sligh--...!!!"

    He was stopped dead in his tracks by a wave of pain. It wasn''t unbearable, but it felt like being bitten by thousands of ants all over his body. It drove all the air from his lungs and made him stiffen up involuntarily.

    Thankfully he only barely registered the appearance of the sensation because it passed quickly.

    "And sudden fatigue." Solomon continued.

    As soon as he said that, James, all six feet of him, started to fall.

    "James?" Saren rasped out, still breathless, rushing to his brother''s side. "Hey, are you alright? James? James!"

    The poor boy, his skin sickly-pale, could only mumble a few incoherent words before he shut his eyes.

    Solomon went on even further. "Also nausea."

    "Oh...oh gods...I think I''m going to be sick..." Reina''s face was turning a greenish hue, holding her stomach and dropping to her knees. She was a sad sight indeed.

    Lilith prepared herself. "Okay, what''s next?"

    Solomon stared at her weirdly. "Whatever do you mean?"

    "The next symptom. What is it?"

    "There''s isn''t another one." He sounded almost offended by the very question. "Know who you speak to, girl, there''s no way there''d be a fourth. Those three are just lightweights you know? The chances of even one of them coming down with a symptom is less than 5% at the most."

    "Buncha pansies" Aries barked out a mocking laugh before taking a long drink of what might have been wine.

    Solomon conjured a bucket and threw it to Lilith unceremoniously. "Don''t let that sister of yours puke all over my floors."

    He then turned to Saren. "That kid''s going to be out for a while. Want me to get him a pillow or something?"

    "Can''t you just wake him up?"

    "I could." Solomon nodded. "If you don''t mind him likely regressing to the mentality of a ten year old."

    "..."

    "Thought so. Now, I''m also going to need a blood sample." Solomon snapped his fingers and silvery tendrils rose from the ground to prick the youths on their shoulders.

    "And if you wouldn''t mind placing your hands on the sphere." At his words a large, glowing ball came to life in front of each of them. It was like a mini sun, a bright orange-gold.

    Saren and Lilith did as instructed, then helped their siblings do the same.

    Once that was done there were around ten floating screens that appeared by Solomon''s side, displaying words, numbers and graphs that were indecipherable.

    "Hm, right, right." Solomon nodded to himself. "Mhm, all good so far..." He manipulated the screen and browsed through them swiftly. "Yup, nothing out of the ordinary." The screens disappeared in a flash. "Ro, come here for a second will you?"

    Solomon smiled and took his friend by the arm, leading him out of the room under the curious gazes of everyone else.

    "What''ve you found?" Roland promptly took back his arm.

    "It''s bad." Solomon didn''t bother sugarcoating it.

    "And by that you mean...?" Roland urged.

    "Those four little bastards aren''t human."

    "Bullshit. They''re as mortal as can be."

    "Mortal maybe. Human? No."

    "Sol, hurry it up. Just tell me, what did you find? Is this about about the curses?"

    "No. Worse. Here, see for yourself. " Solomon brought back one of the screens from before and sent it towards the other man.

    Roland carefully read through every word.

    "This can''t be right." He shook his head after several long moments.

    "It is. Trust me, I''m not wrong. Dragon, Elf, God, Demon, Angel...those four have the lifeblood essence from each of those races coursing through them." Solomon''s face grew serious. "I don''t understand how they could survive childhood without exploding due to the bloodlines of these races rejecting each other. Ro, they shouldn''t be alive. No, actually, they literally should not even exist!" His eyes blazed wildly. "Just what the fuckhave you gotten yourself into?"

    **********

    Chapter sixty two

    "Go to Hell."

    Through bloodied lips, those three simple words bespoke all the hate and distaste he had for the person opposite him.

    It was dark. Darker than any place had the right to be. There was no sound. None. At least none that came from outside sources. Yet he could hear his own heartbeat, steady and rhythmic. It was a curious thing, that.

    He wasn''t sure how many years he may have been trapped here.

    The sound of blood running through his veins, the sound of his heart pumping that blood all across his body, may have started to drive him insane.

    Not like he wasn''t insane before, in a certain sense. But still.

    Fuck. He was hungry. And thirsty. Was it too much to ask for double bacon burger, curly fries, and a gallon of...apple juice? He was craving apple juice. Had no idea why.

    "Tell me."

    There was a very eerie, yet somehow pleasantly lyrical, voice which emerged from the darkness. It was cold, and harsh, and made Loki want to.

    It also made his skin crawl.

    "Tell me how you found us."

    "We were happy. It was just the two of us, we didn''t bother anyone. No, not much. Why, why did you have to ruin it? It must have been you. Helping her. That''s why he disappeared. Left me. I''ll kill all of you!"

    The woman was insane.

    "We had nothing else. Only him. But he didn''t even recognize me, not at all, not even a little. What did you do? You and that bitch, you must have done something! Turn him back! Give my brother back to me!"

    She had been speaking nonsense like that for who knew how long. Always switching between bouts of what appeared to be sadness--which Loki thought a foreign concept to her--and murderous rage.

    "I just want him back. Why don''t you understand? We looked for so long! We deserve this!"

    "What was the point of taking him? How did you? Why? She did something. Undo it. I won''t let her trick him any longer! Turning him against me, I won''t forgive any of you. Just help me. Why won''t you listen? I''ll let you go. Promise me. Please? Do it!"

    It was all an incoherent jumble of words. Barking like an angry dog, nearly foaming at the mouth.

    And then came the beating.

    It was not a nice way of asking for help. Of course he never would help this bitch with anything. It was just a bit of pain anyway, what happened to this body didn''t matter to him much.

    But what were the meaning of these words? Who was this brother she spoke of? Loki didn''t think the woman had any siblings. Adopted brother? Ridiculous. The very thought of it just didn''t sit well with him.

    This woman, it was impossible for her to care about others. Loki knew this. She didn''t have the capacity to do so. And no one had the capacity to return any care for a beast like her. So why was she saying things like this?

    She must be delusional.

    The only explanation for it, that.

    "If beating you won''t get you to talk, perhaps I should visit that daughter of yours?"

    And she finally said something that made Loki respond with something more than a simple string of profanities.

    "Don''t you dare." Even those three words were forced out in a great show of will.

    "Tell me."

    "For fuck''s sake woman! What do you want!"

    "I want my brother!" She roared maniacally. This plane of endless darkness shook, trembled, before her anger. "I want you to tell me what you did to him! I want you to reverse it, I want him to remember me! Morrigan, that bitch, took him from me. Seduced him away, hid him, bore his child just to spite me! But you...you''ll help me take him back!"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    As she took her rage out on his helpless body, he could only retreat into his mind and take refuge from the things she did to him.

    And it was only then, at that moment, that he finally understood who the woman was talking about.

    Ro...Ro is her brother....?

    The more he thought of it, the more sense it made.

    Roland, was he like her? Was her of her blood, is that why the universe dealt him the hand it did?

    Or, no...

    All those years ago, after that battle, during the time Gehenna and Morrigan went missing...was it possible that both of them...?

    Roland said he''d had multiple lives. That he couldn''t control it. What if he...had met Gehenna at one point too?

    ...Loki had one of the quickest of minds, and thought of things from every angle and possibility when he want to figure something out.

    That said, he came up with a plausible theory.

    Gehenna, at that time, had to be severely weakened. She would have landed on some planet far away from the notice of the other major Pantheons. Sought out a...a host? And after that, eventually, had met with Ro.

    Perhaps the host did not know anything about what dwelled within her. Perhaps Gehenna was so weak she had to enter hibernation and regain her strength. Only faintly aware of her surroundings.

    If that was so...then maybe that''s why she considered Roland her brother. Given what Ro revealed about the details of how he reincarnated, he couldn''t have been born from a mother but instead materialize as a babe. Body born, like a True God''s physical body, from pure energy.

    He''d have to be adopted into a family. Gehenna would have to have bonded to the soul of an infant, which would burn with life energy she could slowly absorb.

    The family she was born into, likely adopting Ro at some point too judging from how she called him brother. Was that how it went?

    Loki''s mind thought up something else too: The Gehenna before him, was she the same exact one he knew? Or had she, over time, absorbed the soul of her host? If so, that may account for why she had not been as active in recent years slaughter-wise.

    But at the same time, he also rejected the idea.

    Even if it was true, even if the soul of a being like Gehenna were to fuse with the soul of another, that would never be enough to influence her like this. Right? That should not be possible at all.

    And for Ro to have a connection like that to this woman, how absurd!

    These were all just theories. Nothing more.

    But her words gave them credence. Morrigan, she said her name clearly. Morrigan would never take the initiative to seduce anyone. At least, she''d never pursued anyone...apart from Roland.

    And she, being what she was, could never birth a child. It was impossible for her...until Roland.

    Fuck.

    Son of a fucking bitch.

    Loki cursed violently within the confines of his mind.

    Gehenna was obviously deranged. She held a strong belief, apparently, that Roland was taken away by Morrigan. But the truth might be more cruel than what she imagined.

    And nothing Loki would say would ever get through to her. He knew it with every fiber of his being. Even if he had the ability to speak right now, even if he told her what he knew, she wouldn''t believe a word.

    Gehenna was angry. Hurt. But mostly angry.

    Roland was her brother.

    Fuck.

    And Morrigan, Gehenna hated her with a passion.

    That''s it then, isn''t it?

    As soon as she''s done with Loki, she''ll go after Morrigan next. And if she learns the truth of things, that Ro is unable to revert back to the person she remembers, then her fury won''t end with just Morrigan.

    No. She''ll cause a massacre.

    **********

    They started their return not long after Solomon had said his piece.

    The story was that he found nothing out of the norm, but he and Roland knew that wasn''t the case at all.

    Grace was still bowing her head in disappointment at no longer getting a little sibling to play with. Even Evie''s, the little fox''s, best efforts did little to help.

    "You were crying."

    Roland voice was small, soft.

    "Nonsense, dearest." Morrigan smoothly denied. "I assure you that not a single tear dropped from these eyes of mine."

    "Liar." He accused. "I''m your husband. I may not have been so for long, but it''s my job to recognize things like that. Contrary to what you may think, I do make it a point to pay attention to you. If something''s bothering you, I''ll know."

    These words should have brought her joy, but Morrigan found nothing of the sort right now.

    Instead they just irritated her.

    "I know that you want to try and play at being a good husband." She scoffed contemptuously, almost mocking him. "But when your feelings for me are lukewarm at best you should stop with the pretending and learn to leave well enough alone."

    It was a very sour, mean tone. She''d lashed out, and instantly regretted it.

    Luckily Roland wasn''t affected by it at all. "I don''t have to pretend. I''ve decided to accept you as my wife in this life, for what''s left of it. Maybe that''s only because of Grace, but even so I do care very much when you''re upset." He then looked at Morrigan with clear disdain. "Don''t think that you can scare me away with something of only that level either, woman. You and I both know your prickliness just now was a front, nothing more."

    She might be able to pull it off with other people, but not him.

    "Fine." Morrigan huffed. " I still never cried though." She insisted, pouting sulkily.

    "Did you know that your eyes are still puffy?"

    "No they aren''t." She refused to acknowledge his words.

    But they were. No one else noticed, yet he did. Morrigan was not happy about that, however. Not at all, not a single bit.

    ...He really did pay attention to her though, didn''t he? No, she still wasn''t happy about it.

    "So you admit that they were at some point?"

    He tricked her. How annoying.

    "No. At no point were they ever puffy at all." She spoke as succinctly as she could.

    "You''re quite stubborn, aren''t you?" Roland smiled." Very well, don''t tell me. Keep your secrets."

    "Thank you for your magnanimity. " She monotoned.

    "You''re welcome." He replied with a small nod. "Far be it from me to put pressure on a woman when she doesn''t want to talk about something. Let it not be said that I don''t know the meaning of patience."

    "Oh? And what''s that supposed mean, husband?"

    "It means that you''ll tell me what''s made you so upset eventually. It''s only a matter of time."

    "So confident?"

    "Indeed. Very much. When you''re ready to talk about it, you''ll tell me."

    Morrigan didn''t get upset over small matters. Still, she would tell him. He was sure of it.

    "Ah yes." Morrigan suddenly turned her gaze towards him, as if having remembered something. "I just recalled. Tell me, husband, why were several buttons of your shirt undone a while ago?"

    "...I was getting hot."

    "Really?" She stared.

    "It is so."

    "Liar."

    "Perish the thought."

    "Grace was about to tell me something before you interrupted her. Remember that?"

    "I''ve no memory of such a thing ever taking place." He lied shamelessly. "Dearest wife, are you ill? I think that perhaps you might not be quite in your right mind at the moment. Shall I carry you?"

    "As delightful as that might be, I think not."

    ****

    The Higher Planes. An infinitely large place with countless realms inside.

    As old as creation, or just about. In fact it''s believed to be the point at which all universes collide. Like mutliple pieces of broken glass just stacked atop one another haphazardly.

    With Apollo''s ship able to travel to the Planes, and Solomon having come to them, it saved a lot of time.

    Once you entered the Higher Planes it became much easier to travel around the various realms so long as they were inhabited.

    It was three days since Apollo courteously dropped them off at the nearest realm, and they quickly secured lodgings for the students.

    They left Abigail and Morrigan in charge, but Roland, Solomon, Aries, Mephisto, Fenris and Mercury stayed behind on the Delphi to look for the still-missing Loki.

    Apollo waited for them go do it too, not wanting Loki anywhere near him. Especially not hiding on his ship.

    Which was a strange thing: How can he not know where the God was?

    If he really tried he should be able to pinpoint his location, yet he came up blank.

    He only needed to know who to search for and he should be able to find them. If he didn''t know to do so, it would be understandable. Yet he was asked. He knew the Prankster God must still be aboard.

    So he should have found him.

    But somehow...he couldn''t.

    And this had them all rather worried.

    "I couldn''t find his scent anywhere." Fenris, meeting back at the hotel Roland and the others had been staying at previously, announced the results of her labors.

    "I had a few drones scan the area and performed seven locator spells. It was useless." Solomon tapped his foot impatiently, dissatisfied with his failing.

    "I checked all the bars. He''s not chatting up any ladies at any of them." Aries leaned back on the counch and stretched his arms with a tried yawn.

    "The upper levels of the ship are no good either, I sent out my consciousness and felt no large or powerful patterns at all." Mephisto took a sip from the coffee cup in his hands.

    "He''s not at that succubus lair you guys told me about." Mercury shrugged. "And I tried using my connection to him to find his location. No dice."

    As for Roland, he was busy making himself brunch--a ham and cheese egg roll with a side of french toast.

    "...Alright." He said to break the silence. "We''re all thinking it. Go ahead and say it."

    "That crazy bitch definitely has him." Solomon monotoned. "See, I fucking told you letting her live would be a bad idea, but no, no one listens to good ''ol Sol anymore. I mean I''m only the wisest, most handsome person in all of existence. What do I know?" He folded arms, glaring at the man spitefully.

    Then, seeing it had no effect, the mage merely tapped his foot and set fire to Roland''s delicious creation.

    "Bastard." Roland, seeing the ashes of his food blow away, couldn''t help but curse.

    "I''m not the one making himself breakfast while our friend is probably being tortured. Fuck off."

    "It''s brunch. " Roland corrected. "And I was hungry. Also it''s Loki we''re talking about. He''ll find his way out himself eventually. Plus we both know torture doesn''t work on him."

    The god didn''t care overmuch about what happens to his physical body. And other methods were child''s play to a guy who, in his more sadistic times, invented about a thousand new ways to break a person without even harming their flesh.

    "Even though that''s true, how do you plan to punish that bitch for doing this in the first place? Ro, she can''t be allowed to do shit like this!" Aries stood up and shouted.

    Roland sighed.

    "I know. I know. We have to find him. And we have to punish her."

    Sol frowned. "You mean kill, right? I can still summon my--"

    "No. Gehenna''s supposedly been keeping to herself recently, right? Not caused any major incidents? I see no reason she should have to die. It seems like right now she isn''t much worse than any of the other beings capable of wiping out entire planets so as long as she stays docile I don''t think it''s worth it."

    Fenris put forth her own opinion, "Okay, fine, but everyone knows she isn''t stable. Who can say when she''ll revert back to her old ways? Her being here while a few of the strongest people in the Higher Planes are also conveniently close by and just laying on their asses is a chance which won''t likely come by again. I say let Solomon summon his posse so we have a better chance at bringing her down while the time is ripe."

    "I''m sure some people will be tracking her down too since the other pantheons had already been notified. If we can at least just keep her here until then you can all have at her together."

    "She hasn''t done anything wrong though." Roland insisted, not sure why he really even cared that much.

    "She''s kidnapped our friend and is likely beating him to a pulp." Mephisto said flatly.

    "So? We''ve all wanted to do that before. Actually a few of us even have. That''s what we do!" Roland countered.

    This caused a shift among them, because they couldn''t really deny his words...

    "It''s how we show our love." Roland smirked.

    "Sadists, the lot of you. In any case before we decide what to do with her, we have to go and save that guy. I mean I''m all for leaving him there with her for a maybe a day or two more, but we are practically the same person after all. Can''t just do nothing. " Mercury started biting her nails.

    Even she somewhat disliked her other selves at times. Still, she couldn''t simply not help him.

    Roland considered for a moment, then spoke up once more. "Actually, about that...I might just have a way to get to him." He said casually.

    "What? How?" They all questioned as one.

    "It''s simple: You guys just have to leave."

    ***

    It was many hours after they''d left. Including them, Roland also asked Apollo to leave as well. It annoyed the Sun God, but he grudgingly left as per his request. He didn''t care about Loki, but he was promised Gehenna would be dealt with.

    He in no way wanted any part of that. After numerous assurances that both his people and his ship would remain unharmed, he reluctantly agreed.

    No one knew why Roland asked them all to depart from the ship, but they trusted he knew what he was doing.

    So they left and sought their own accomodations in the city below the Delphi, anxiously awaiting the results.

    Roland, currently, walked idly through the streets of Apollo''s cities. He did this level by level, going downward until he arrived on the lowest level of the ship.

    He just continued to step along the streets, picking the ones that were empty and lifeless.

    Walking. Waiting.

    "Brother?"

    And then he heard it. A soft, feminine voice that was both beautiful and somehow frightening all at once.

    "So...that''s what we were, huh."

    For the second time Roland came face to face with the terror of heaven, hell and everything in between.

    Gehenna.

    ***

    He looked exactly the same. The same thick black hair and sharp blue eyes.

    The same way of standing, like he ruled over the entire area.

    Calm, steady, as if nothing could faze him.

    Perfectly at ease, even now, with that familiar aura of confidence and power that had always made her feel so safe and warm ever since she was a little girl.

    Gehenna was euphoric, giddy.

    Finally...finally none of those pesky people were here. Only them, alone, like it''d always been before.

    He didn''t look mad, or unhappy. Just idly walking along at his own pace...as if he were waiting for something.

    Someone.

    Gehenna felt it.

    She knew what he was doing.

    Knew he was baiting her.

    Yet she couldn''t help it, she wasn''t able to pass the chance up. It was just them now, she had to talk to him.

    ...Maybe...maybe he even...remembered...

    But Gehenna''s hopes were dashed in an instant.

    Because as soon as she called out to him, as soon as he turned to face her, there was no recognition in his eyes...there was just...nothing at all...

    "So...that''s what we were, huh."

    The words were crushing. Gehenna felt her chest tighten, but held on.

    "I suppose you and I should have a chat, right?" She heard him say, breaking her from her thoughts.

    "Brother...I..." Gehenna wasn''t sure what to say. She froze.

    After so long, after so many years apart and countless dreams about how their reunion would go, she found that she could''t find any words to say at all.

    "You know, even though I understand what we were to each other now, it''s still a bit hard to believe." He gave an awkward smile. "I imagine my previous words to you were hard to hear. You must have felt awful, hearing something like that from someone you care about. Brother...I really don''t think that title suits me. Although I guess it''s not any worse than being called a father." He chuckled.

    The reminder of that time made her flinch.

    "I''m sorry. " She whispered, head bowed. "I''m so sorry...I...I didn''t know she was your daughter...I really didn''t..." She felt like she would cry.

    She hurt her. His daughter. His precious daughter. She almost killed her.

    But she was just so angry, so blinded by hate, that she couldn''t see the resemblance until the ring caught her eye.

    She''d only been able to seeher face in the girl. Morrigan''s.

    Not his. Not until it was too late.

    "Don''t worry, I didn''t know she was my daughter then either." Her brother grinned. Then grew serious. "Although..."

    Gehenna understood what he didn''t say.

    It still wasn''t right, was it. Her doing that.

    He couldn''t forgive her so easily.

    "You know, I''ve been told quite a bit about you." Her brother eyed her carefully. "None of it very nice."

    They told him things. They must have.

    He probably thought she was a monster.

    She hated herself, because she knew she was. And yet things were different now!

    "No, it''s okay!" She rushed to assure him, to try and make him understand. "I''ve been good, brother! I''ve tried! I have, really! Ever since you left, I...I stopped...I did! I stopped! Please, you have to believe me! I''m not...like that anymore..." She finished weakly.

    It was hard. So hard. Everyone hated her. Everyone wanted her dead. And she hated them, too. All of them.

    It was a constant need, an unquenchable hunger...to end lives, to take away. It was her calling. Her curse.

    But she fought it.

    Why?

    Her brother would dislike it. It was "wrong".

    "I''ve really... been good. A good girl. Like you said. I don''t kill anymore!"

    Be a good girl. That''s what he''d once told her. And she made an effort to follow it.

    Good girls didn''t kill, didn''t hurt others. They controlled themselves.

    Gehenna wasn''t able to completely stop doing the latter, but she didn''t kill.

    Even when she really, really wanted to.

    Because when she wanted to, she was always reminded not to do it.

    Like with Asmodeus. She held back. Didn''t kill. She would have, could have, but didn''t.

    Before she wouldn''t have cared at all.

    She changed...she did...really...

    "I see." Was all he said.

    And he looked at her. Really looked. What was he looking for? Searching for? She didn''t know.

    "Where is he?" After a long moment, that''s what he asked. Against all expectations, he said something she couldn''t understand.

    "Who?"

    "Loki. I know you have him. I want to take him back."

    So it was him. That''s what he wanted.

    "Back? Take him back? Why? He can help us! He can help make you you again!"

    She was angry. Really angry. More than she''d ever been.

    Morrigan, was it her? Did she come up with this? Have everyone leave, have her brother come here like this and aske her to give up the person who can help them?

    Despicable!

    It was her! It had to be, there wasn''t any other explanation! She wanted to keep him like that, wanted him to stay how he was, broken!

    Gehenna hated her! Hated her so much! Why, why couldn''t that woman leave her alone? Why, why, why?! Wasn''t the first time enough? Didn''t she suffer enough?

    She only wanted to put things back in order, she only wanted to go back to those days! With him and her and their little house they''d built all those years ago....So why...why did that bitch want to torment us?

    I really hate her very much, so very much.

    She wants to take from us. Take everything we love. The only thing we''ve everloved.

    But no. We''ll be the ones to take from her this time. Take everything, every ounce of happiness that she stole, everything that was ours by right!

    They''d take him, their brother. Take his daughter. Leave her, that bitch,with nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing at all.

    Then we''ll go back. Yes.

    To that place. It''s still waiting for us. There, she could see it now.

    Three, it can fit three. Even if it couldn''t, they''d make it. Sleep in one room, like they used to when they were young.

    We''ll be so happy, then.

    Just us...a family.

    Him and us and her--our little niece. We''ll raise her, yes. Of course. Like she was ours.

    She should have been ours!

    Happy. Together. Just like it should have always been.

    ...Morrigan just has to die first...

    He paused. "Gehenna..."

    She snapped. "Don''t call me that!" A harsh, biting snarl. "I''m Grace, right? I''m your Grace, aren''t I? Aren''t I?! Even if you don''t remember, I do! We remember my name! I...no, we...We''re still...I''m..."

    Her head hurt. It was like it was splitting open. Screaming. All the screaming, the noise, constant noise like static. And the voice. Not her''s. No.

    Grace?

    Gehenna?

    Two names, her name, their name. Yes. Both of them. One--no, two. That''s right. They had two, not one, no. Two. They each had--

    ...They? "They" who?

    ...It hurt...Her head...Her heart...Everything....Pain, so much pain, why was there so much p--?

    "Grace?"

    It stopped.

    "Yes, brother?" Grace questioned, tilting her head curiously.

    He was acting weird today, wasn''t he?

    Big brother.