AN: editing will be done later to correct spelling and such.

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P.S: don't be fooled by the ending. Just don't worry about it. Kay? All I'm gonna say. Dont freak out , Iris is still going to remain herself. Just a bit ....influenced now.

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The three held back secret smiles, confident the boy would choose to forsake the trouble of going against them and instead take the few years of bliss.

All mortals were greedy at heart, they all had this desire for a life of ease and comfort.

They were materialistic, excelled at being decadent and debaucherous.

Reveling in physical pleasures, how could it be this one was any different.

Indeed, they, as the manifestation of sin itself, knew all too well the temptation such seductive words would have on this weak and naïve youth.

Was there anyone his age able to have second thoughts about something like this?

Tey were fully prepared to wear him down. But perhaps this could be resolved here and now, or at least that's what they belived could happen. How can he not be moved? They offered things that were only a fraction of what they could in truth. Deals like this, with things like wealth and power, were the most common and easiest way to entice others into doing what you wanted. Perhaps the boy didn't even know that difference between the three, but that didn't matter.

But contrary to what they thought, his next actions were rather unexpected.

He laughed, disdainfully, full of arrogance and contempt, seeming to mock them.

"Money? My family has so much I couldn't spend it all given ten lifetimes. Women? I could have my pick of any in this world if I wanted. Power? With my talents, if remain determined enough, I will someday reach heights that others could only look up to."

He looked at them coldly, as if they were small and insignificant.

" Is this...all that you have to offer? Do you think such things could sway me? I only wish to live peacefully and happily with those I care about. There is nothing...that can get me to give up my freedom! Especially not for a mere few years of things that I can already get given time! You think I'm a fool? That I would be tempted to give up my body and soul for one of you to use as you please? And for what, some boring, unappealing deals such as those? Do you even know what it is my heart truly desires? Even I don't, how could you? Yet you speak as if I would just go along with your wishes. How laughable. You're all...too naïve!" He snapped at them, contemptous, his tone dripping with a venom.

The words reverberated throughout the forest.

And in an instant everything went back to normal.

The birds, the winds, the slight vibration of the ground, all that was earlier seeming to wait in anticipation, holding its breath, was now once again full of life.

The three couldn't help but furrow their brows.

Was this person..really human? He refused? No, how could that be?

He dared call them the naïve ones?

Even if he were a saint-like person who had forsaken worldly pleasures he would still be tempted by what they had to offer.

To have the world in your hands to do with as you pleased, what sort of person wouldn't even consider agreeing?

Everyone had some kind of desire, something that they would kill for. Yes, it might not be something like what they offered. It could be to feel the love of a person they had long admired, it could be to bring back someone they had lost, or it could be to bring downfall upon one's enemies. Those sort of things. But either way, everyone had something they wanted more than any other. Even if they didn't know what it was, even if they thought they were without desire of any sort.

Could it be that this boy simply wanted something that they couldn't offer at the drop of a hat, something more intangible?

Such obvious disinterest, this boy, what is it that he truly wants in this life?

They knew he was no saint, so what exactly did he want?

If his words were true...then perhaps they would have to consider some other approach.

But for now, in the meantime...

They looked coldly at the boy.

"We offer you every type of pleasure, carnal, material or otherwise, that this world can give. And yet you refuse..." Nakir spoke as if he found it all amusing. And certainly it was. He knew this boy would likely not be so easily won over, and merely went along with this to satisfy the two next to him.

"..It seems that we will have to simply wear you down, both body and mind, until you agree."

This was Azamat speaking, smiling with a sharp smirk which hinted at some unknowable horror to come. He was well aware of what was coming. A person like him attracted trouble of a certain variety which can leave a scar that was soul-deep to those like this boy, whose pride and sense of honor would be more likely to break before it bent. How would a person such as he feel, knowing that they could help themselves if they were given a chance but remaining powerless, chained, and at another's mercy? To be capable, yet not having the opportunity to do anything to save yourself...

He has no idea what was in store...

The woman was next.

"My dear, sweet boy...you have no idea what awaits you. Our troubles are now yours. Now every force in this world will be out to get you. Every choice you make, even if they are the right ones, will eventually lead all those you love to ruin by your own hands.

In this life you will suffer, your body defiled and your mind at the edge of insanity... We would have given you the means to avoid this. But no longer. If breaking your spirit is what is required, then so be it. You still have a chance to use us, to help yourself. But whether you can resist us or be a willing participant...that's up to you. Heaven or hell, which will you choose, I wonder?" She smiled at him, her bewitching face like that of a monsterous nightmare in his mind, Beautiful, but deadly. A rose with cold thorns ready to cut into him.

"You may have refused our offers but that hardly matters. Did you not know, boy? Every mortal sins. Why do you think that is? It's because they feel. Emotion is, in itself, sin. It's what drives you. Makes you commit the most heinous of sins. Even something as "pure" as love can be a most disasterous of poisons, something you will come to know soon enough." She said mysteriously. "And that isn't counting all the other emotions that mortals exhibit. The point is, boy, that you are mortal. You feel and you sin, even when you think you don't.

Because you feel, every choice you make will be dictated by some selfish emotion that you cannot even begin to understand. And since you have us inside you the heavens themselves will judge you harsher than anyone else. Every time you give into lust, wrath or envy, three emotions that are of the most primal, the most basic that are within all mortals like youself, you will become one step closer to becoming ours. As you face the things that are to come you will beg for our help and therefore give yourself up even faster. Personally, I have little doubt you will ask for our aid in due time."

The look in her eye was clear, without a single doubt. "One of us will take this body of yours, it's only a matter of when..." Maybe he will even be aware of what's happening to him as his body is controlled.

Etain gave a pleasant, melodic laugh that could make one feel warm and content...but there was a sinister undertone, a hidden note within that laugh which made the heart beat in fear and dread.

The words didn't make him troubled. He was not one to cower for what might be.

But this was the first time in his life that Lyle truly felt the signs of the changes to come. He dared not contemplate what those changes might be..

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"Melanie, is something wrong?" An elderly servant asked in concern as the young girl walked past her.

The girl came to an abrupt stop, frozen.

She didn't turn, for fear the older lady would see the fierce blush and hazy, heated expression on her face.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine." Did her voice seem too high, did it come out too breathless, or too fast?

The elderly servant was eyeing her back curiously, she could feel it.

"Well, alright. Ah, but you might want to fix your strings. Your uniform could fall off if it's so loose. Honestly, young people these days are in such a hurry. You don't even wait to put on your clothes properly." A sigh was heard.

Melanie bowed her head. " Yes, I'll fix them, thank you." Then she walked hurriedly away.

She went to her bedroom to the other side of the large mansion, one that young master Lyle had put her in to give her a bit more privacy than the other servants.

She locked the door behind her.

Then her knees gave out and she slide down to the floor, her breathing a bit rough and her skin still sensitive.

Thinking of what just happened left her speechless and brought waves of heat to her cheeks once more, painting her face a lovely red.

She still smelled him on her, a deep earthly musk that smelt of spice and sandalwood. A very masculine aroma that was made more pungent by the slight sweat he had somehow built up.

It lingered at the back of her nostrils, a pleasant scent that gave the feeling of safety and well-being. A scent she had come to know well in her time here.

Thinking of the way he kissed her, so dominatingly and without shame, made her feel dizzy. His tongue on hers, teasing...

His touch, hot and electrifying, as he glided his hands over her naked body...

The other, more sinful things he had done that she dared not think about...

For a second she considered the possibility that maybe all this time, he...Maybe not love, but...At least, the way he touched her...

However, as her mind cleared she knew that was impossible. Love was out of the question. Lust, though...Was that it? But she was in no way comparable to the others who threw themselves at him in the past weeks...

She remembered how horrified he looked at the end, the confusion he showed as he looked down at her.

He must have regretted it. He probably didn't even know it was her. Maybe he thought it was someone else, maybe Cecelia.

Most likely he hadn't even noticed her at all and merely did those things by impulse...

Of course, after all this time, why would he do those things?

He could have his pick of any beautiful woman...

There was even one so close to him, Lady Cecelia. A person who was so beautiful, so bright. A person with background. Why wouldn't he try with her instead...?

Melanie knew she was a bit pretty, but he wouldn't look at her in that way with only that amount of appeal.

What's more, her hands were not as soft and smooth as other girls because of the chores she had to do. Her arms and legs were long, but had a bit more muscle due the laborous she had done in the past, and sometimes even now. She wasn't bulky, but she could never be mistaken to be as delicate and refined as those of good upbringing...She was mediocre in comparison....

Sometimes she even smelled of dust and cleaning product. Completely unappealing. Who would find such a thing desirable?

He could never find her attractive...

Such intense passion couldn't be for her.

Yes, he was probably just...

But even if he wasn't, she would only ever be some peasant he picked up off the street...

He wouldn't be like another person, he wouldn't save her to simply take her whenever he wished. He wasn't like that...

She felt both confused and faintly hurt. She didn't know why, either.

What was this pain, this hollow sadness and frustration at the pit of her stomach?

She didn't understand why she felt this way. She wasn't sure what she felt, exactly. Played with, maybe. But he wouldn't do that to her, she knew. He wasn't that sort of man. So why did he...?

Would this change things between them? No, of course it would. What did this mean for her, for them? She always felt her position was so clear and defined but now she began questioning if that was the case.

She didn't want things to change. She was fine with how things were right now. This peacefulness, this idleness. She didn't want those things to end. But now...after what they had done together...could it truly remain the same? Maybe it's simply best if she pretended nothing happened...

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Two figures lay in the room. One was a blond-haired woman in white, her full, mature, curves put almost on display for all to see. Her eyes were mesmerising to look at, a mix of green and red.

The other was a small girl, as golden-haired as the woman, her eyes also a lovely emerald green minus the flecks of red.

She was adorable, her delicate face like a doll's, looking pure and angelic to the extent it would make even criminals feel the need to protect her.

Although their coloring was the same, the two people didn't share much similarities in terms of face structure.

But the two beauties could even still pass as family.

Right now, the woman who looked almost lovingly at the girl could absolutely be confused as her mother.

The woman currently had an outstretched hand.

In her palm was a large, clear orb showing the bodies of two figures as they tangled themselves in a passionate embrace, committing acts that seemed absolutely scandalous in nature.

"So, girl, it seems that he is already pulling away from you. It won't be long until he leaves. Until he finds some girl and starts a family, without you, leaving you here all alone."

Just seconds after the two hit the bed, the image was cut off and the woman's song-like voice filled the young girl's head.

Iris looked at the woman weirdly.

"My brother wouldn't ever leave me. My brother loves me more than anyone. This is fake. You...you're not real either."

Her voice was small, the last words spoken doubtfully. But the first words, they were full of conviction, not at all lacking confidence.

The woman smiled down at her.

"Are you certain of that? Your brother is a healthy man, afterall. Who knows how long this has gone on for? And he never told you, the sister that he *loves more than anyone*. The two of them, they seemed pretty experienced at that. The girl didn't fight much at all. Even now, they're probably doing something that would make even myself blush in embarrassment!"

She laughed beautifully.

Iris snarled. "Lies! My brother wouldn't ever have such relations with a woman without even telling me! He wouldn't...he isn't ...." She struggled for the words.

"The trust you place in him is commendable. But a young, handsome man like him probably has a string of pretty girls whom he likes to play with. Why would he tell you anything? You're just the sister. What he does isn't any of your business. He probably thinks your constant need for his attention is so childish and tiring that he doesn't even want to be around you anymore...and is that not already the case, huh? My dear girl."

Each words, each syllable, was pointed and aimed directly at the young girl's own insecurities that lay hidden in her heart.

The girl stiffened. " My big brother loves me. I won't listen to anything you say. If he doesn't want me around, he wouldn't be with me. But he's always by my side, so what you say is groundless."

"Is it really? How many of the times he was by your side happened because he sought you out? Was it not always you who clung to him? No point in blaming him, anyone would get sick of their sibling sticking to them day and night without letting them breathe. To him you may be little more than a nuisance at this point."

Iris almost flinched but instead ignored the woman's cruel words before getting off her bed, fixing up her hair and clothes by the mirror. Yet she coudn't deny the effect they had on her. It was one of her biggest fears...Something she was terrified of...

The woman followed, looking at the girl's reflection and running a hand along her cheek intimately as if they were long time friends or close family.

"Think, dear Iris. Is he here?" She whispered in the young girl's small ears. "Is he by your side right now? No? That's been happening more and more lately, hasn't it? You try to deny it but he's already distancing himself. That Cecelia girl comes to him every other day, eager for him to notice her. And the cute maid Melanie is always right by his side even when you are not, ready to serve him. Like a good little wife. The bitch. Both of them. They haven't made any move on him yet, though. When they do, then wouldn't that mean all his love and affection will be taken away from you and focused on them instead? Pretty soon he'll not have time for his sweet, dear sister..."

The girl frowned. "Melanie, she's fine. I told brother I would find him a good wife myself. One that won't bother us, who won't try to say our closeness is odd. A person that will obediently stand aside. She, though a servant, has a nice enough body. And her temperament is okay. If he has to have someone to take on his "evil fire", then she is acceptable. Cecelia too, is the same. I hate that conniving woman, though, and she's not suited for him. But that's besides the point: Brother won't give me up for either of them, or even both."

She said, a monotone. Yes, this was true, right? Of course it was. Her brother cared for her more than any other. He might not say it often, but....

" It won't play out like that, you know. Does he not already dote on them a bit? He teases one while spending more and more time with the other. Were one of them and he were to tie the knot he would naturally pay more attention to her and forget you. Even if not, I'm sure he has others more than willing to dominate his time. Ah, poor girl, this oh-so-precious relationship you have with that loving brother of yours, why can't you see it's already falling apart?"

The woman's look of pity, her sympathetic gaze, hurt more than anything else she could have said.

"But worry not...this sister here will take care of everything, dearest one. That boy, doesn't he already belong to us? So we simply have to make him understand that. Let's carve our names onto him, body and soul. Let's make him unable to ever leave us. Let me uphold my promise."

Her green eyes held flakes of faint orange, shining with endless greed and possessiveness.

Soon, her figure disappeared.

But those eyes, they remained...

...Because they became the girl's own.