Author's note: my first 18+ chapter (since last one is not very "visual"). I want to ask if you think I should add mature tag because of this. Do know that this kind of scene is very rare and this is probably the last one of book 1.

Also you will notice how random and uneventful this chapter might be. Please be patient as this is the last peaceful chapter and the rest is packed with actions/mysteries! Enjoy the final peaceful moment!

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The next morning, our young demon lord woke up with a huge headache and an exhausted body. His first taste of intimacy with Ikarus was perhaps still too much bewildering, even making him doubt if it actually happened. It was only when he saw the sweet gorgeous looking face of the celestial sleeping peacefully by his side that he was sure that what he experienced, that carnal desire, was not a dream. He has become a man and with it brought forth new responsibilities. But aside from that astonishing adventure, Alastor was still hung up about that weird dream with the Abyssal Knight he saw that night. That short encounter happened much too fast for him to even discern it as reality or merely a faint nightmare.

Suddenly, as his mind was distracted by the images of that dream, Alastor felt a jolt from his lower half. Something was touching him eagerly, trailing from his feet up to his private part in such a sensual way that it has awoken up the little one down there. As expected, the culprit was right next to him, smiling tenderly in a half awaked state at the boy.

“Good morning, my love! I see that you are already prepared for our second round.” Teased Ikarus as she clutched her grip, making Alastor almost moaning loudly.

“Ikarus, maybe we should not…” said Alastor.

“Too late for that!” Throwing away the white blanket they shared as she pushed him down onto the bed, the celestial slowly mounted on the boy, watching him all dumbfounded by her aggressive nature. “In order to dominate a woman, you must first learn what it feels like to be dominated. Here I go!”

Putting her hands on his chest, the woman started to hump down and up on the boy’s body. With each thrust came a moaning out of pleasure from both parties. The erotic view, the alluring aroma of her sweat, All that fatigue Alastor has felt up until now has vanished as his mind was only filled with the bestial desire to fulfil this primordial lust he was feeling surging inside him, along with something else coming. At this rate, he would lose to her and things would stay the same as before.

“Give it to me!” screamed Ikarus desperately.

“….No!”

“What? What do you….? Ahh!” In an instant, Alastor rose from the bed and pushed the celestial down before pinning her upside down on the soft bed sheet, forbidding her from even see him as her behind being openly exposed and up to his mercy.

“You asked for it! My turn now!” declared Alastor as he, without warning, thrusted heavily into her, making her uttering a loud shriek. As expected of Alastor, one session was enough for him to gain enough skills to overpower his master in this subject. With one hand keeping her head down to the bed sheet while the other pulling her two bound wrists toward him, Alastor seemed to have completely taken control of the situation.

But as the couple continued their morning ritual, the door of their chamber suddenly opened and a small elf girl walked in.

‘Brother, breakfast is ready and everyone is waiting for you two to…..” Out of all situations, the person who saw them was little Alice and not even Lilith. “What are you two doing???” She shouting loudly before running out of the room in haste and screaming like a madman. “BAD BAD BAD!”

“Oh….damn!” Ikarus uttered.

“This is bad….” Said Alastor.

“Yeah….it means that we have to stop now…And just when I was about to…..”

“What?”

“Never mind! We should head to the dining room.” Proposed the celestial.

“We will but first a bath is in order. I would rather not have anyone see me soaked in sweat like this.” The boy advised.

“I think it’s arousing like this. Imagine what you will look like in a few years…” contemplated Ikarus. “Oh my, that would be quite dangerous to me!”

‘Stop joking! Let’s just get out of bed! Do you want to take a bath first?”

“Why don’t you join me? It would save us some time….” grinned Ikarus.

“Great idea! I will do just that…”

“….and maybe we will still have a few moments for some other activities….Who knows?” Ikarus smiled mischievously. “What you did just now…I don’t hate that kind of thing.”

“Please…we can continue it another time. For now, we are late so hurry up!”

“Fine! But don’t think that I will let you off that easily. We will definitely continue it later. You can be sure of that.”

* * *

What an unusual sight! It was rare to see the whole crew of the top officials of the demon lord’s castle joining together in a meal in the early morning. There were the four royal guards, the lich Noroeth, Kaiser the supposedly new leader of Ragna, the doll Stella who actually didn’t need to eat at all but still decided to join, Alice the host of Lilith and finally the loving couple of the young demon lord and his beloved celestial.

It was expected to a lively table brunch, especially after last night’s party. However, instead of cheerful conversations and laughter, the room was haunted with an awkward silence as no one seemed to want to speak. Occasionally, they would look at the young couple before turning quickly their gaze away when Alastor noticed them. Unable to endure this annoying treatment, Alastor decided to be the first one to speak.

“Alright, that’s it! What’s with everyone this morning?” he spoke in an annoyed tone.

“Nope…nothing!” everyone replied at the same time. But one of them who stayed silent decided to ask about something else.

“Are you and Ikarus fighting?” questioned Alice in a sad tone.

“What? No! I mean…how did you even come to that conclusion?” Alastor asked in confusion. “Everything is perfect between us.”

“Don’t lie, brother! I saw you hitting her this morning.” Alice yelled.

“This morning…..Don’t tell me that you are talking about when you came into the room!!!” Alastor uttered.

“I am. You two were wrestling with each other and you held her hair while restraining her. I even heard her screaming in pain from outside. Why? Why are you two fighting??? Didn’t you love each other?” Alice questioned.

“What? That’s…” Alastor turned to the other people of the table. “Is that why you were silent the whole time? You thought we are having some kind of dispute or something?”

Representing everyone who seemed to be unable to talk, Maria spoke. “Well, earlier Alice ran to us in tears, saying that she saw you two fighting. We wanted to do something about it but since it’s something rather personal, we don’t really know what to do.

I mean, maybe Ikarus did something wrong or you did something wrong…I don’t know what but surely there must be another alternative before resorting to domestic violence. You are still young and a serious relationship might seem to demand a lot of responsibilities but….”

“Wait! I will stop you right there. Just to be clear, Ikarus and me are not arguing, disputing or even angry about anything with each other. This is all just a misunderstanding.” Alastor explained.

“Then why did Alice say that you were hurting Ikarus? She claimed that you definitely were hitting her when she saw you two together in your room earlier.” Asked Maria.

“That’s….It’s not fighting..it’s….” Alastor found himself unable to explain what truly transpired. Simple because it was too embarrassing to say it.

“Don’t lie, brother! I know what I saw!” affirmed Alice. “He was hitting her butt with his wee wee!”

“…..” Alastor hit his own face, praying that what he just heard was only a dream. But no, it wasn’t.

“His wee wee? But that’s….” A thought manifested itself into everyone’s mind, including Maria who just imagined the disturbing image inside her head. The mere thought of it made her blush brightly like a rose in its peak of bloom.

“I think I understand now. You two were having s….” Naberius spoke.

“STOP! I don’t need to hear it.” Amelia shouted.

“But that explained it.” The beastman said.

“Explain what?”

“The weird moaning everyone was hearing during the party last night. Remember that Mephisto? It was right after Ikarus went to bring Alastor but she never actually went back.” The beastman turned to the devil who was sighing in defeat, refusing to say any other word.

“What? So you mean….” Shouted Alastor.

“I kind of expected that since the window was open the whole time.” Ikarus spoke.

“Then why didn’t you say anything? Or just close it?” Alastor inquired.

“You knew I was busy at the time.” Grinned Ikarus.

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand!!!” Alice vexed.

“It’s…difficult to explain it to you, Alice…It’s….” Alastor stuttered.

“Alice, do you know how flowers grow by spreading pollen?” Naberius spoke.

“Yeah?” Alice replied reluctantly. “The pollen thing is like the seeds for the flower to grow right?”

“Yes. By in many cases, the flower cannot spread the pollen by itself and therefore it needs something else to do the delivering for it.”

“Oh you are talking about the bees right?” said Alice.

“Exactly! The bee takes the pollen and inserts it into other flowers so baby flowers can be born. And here is the thing: what Alastor did was something similar. He, as the bee, took the seeds and then put them inside Ikarus, who is the flower. That’s how babies are born. And this is great news. That means in time you will have baby Alastor and baby Ikarus growing like sprouts everywhere.”

“OHHHHH! So that’s why!” Turning to the frozen Alastor, Alice uttered innocently. “I am sorry for causing trouble for you. I didn’t know you were just trying to plant more babies.”

“No…it’s fine….It’s my fault too for…..not paying attention to my surrounding.” Alastor glared at the other people inside the room who were laughing sneakily at the ridiculous explanation given by Naberius. Most of all, it was because they did not expect the couple to jump right into ‘business’ right after the war, especially considering Alastor’s young age. But who could blame them?

* * *

Demon lord’s castle, Ragna

After the first thought to be a silent breakfast that later turned out to be a comedy act, each of the crew went their way on their own business. Currently two of the oldest men of the house were now having a chat, recapitulating what happened and speculating on what might follow.

“So here we are. After ten years, sitting here in such a peaceful time seems almost unreal. Never would I have thought about a day like this the moment I met you all back then.” A skeleton in a black robe spoke.

“Yeah. Though you are a bit more…how do I say…bony! Get the joke? Hahahahaha!” Naberius laughed out loud.

“…..Hahahahahaha!” Noroeth soon followed.

“Oie oie! I didn’t expect to see you laugh at yourself like that.”

“I am not laughing at your joke, mind you. I am laughing about what happened and how we end up like this. In a way, it’s funny how fate works.” Said the lich.

“Fate has nothing to do with this. We seize our own destiny and it is through our own will that helped us getting where we are. But most of all, it’s thanks to Alastor. He is the one who contributed the most, if it is not to say that he did the whole thing by himself.” The demonic beastman commented.

“True that! But I am happy that now he finally found his happiness after everything he has endured. After what happened….” Noroeth spoke in a sad tone.

“It’s true that we still didn’t find who was responsible for the massacre a decade ago and I am afraid, at this rate we will never find out.

Anyway, don’t think about too sombre stuff! We must celebrate. I am sure Ikarus will bear a child in no time. And that means a new grandchild for me. Hehehehehe!” Naberius chuckled.

“What do you mean a new grandson for you? I am technically a father figure to his mother so it’s my grand grandchild.” The lich retorted.

“Oh please! One look of you and that child will be terrified to death.”

“Oh yeah, you and your canine looks scary as hell. As if I will let that child in your hand.”

“Want a taste of me, old man?”

“Bring it on!”

…..

“Can they be any louder?” Maria who was in the next room groaned.

“You will have to forgive them. They are simply too excited for the news of Alastor and Ikarus.” Grinned Mephisto.

“Of course I know that! It’s just a bit annoying to hear two grown men, or rather two geezers fighting about their grandchild.” The woman spoke as she sipped her tea.

“I think it’s nice.” Scarlet joined the conversation.

“What is nice about a wolf and a skeleton arguing about the possible result of the sex life between a young boy and his older woman?” Maria spoke sarcastically. “…..What did I just say? I am already regretting for saying it.”

“Correct me if I am wrong but you used to have a crush on the same boy right?” Scarlet uttered.

“What? Is this true?” Mephisto spoke out loud like a father hearing about his daughter’s love for the first time.

“Used to, mind you. But after I saw how he is with Ikarus, I know that I have no place there so I moved on.”

“You will find someone else someday.” Said Scarlet.

“Now just hold on for a second! She is too young for this kind of stuff!” the devil argued.

“YOUNG? I am already twenty five!!!” Maria yelled.

“Yes but Scarlet said that you stopped aging since five years ago right? Probably because of Lilith’s blood. That makes you twenty and still a lot of time to think about this stuff. Or simply forget about it.” Mephisto spoke.

“Twenty is still old!!! Look at Alastor!”

“Alastor is an exception! In any case, it’s too soon!”.

“Now you are sounding just like one of those overprotective fathers. I am not your daughter you know.” Maria said.

“Stop you two!” Scarlet shouted. “Now you are really like the old men in the next room!”

Then a voice echoed from the room next to them. “Hey, we heard that!”

“Don’t eavesdrop on our conversation!” Maria roared.

“Then I would appreciate if you do it the same.”

And the argument suddenly turned into a squabble between the two rooms, a competition where the winner was the one who would should louder.

…..

Meanwhile inside the secret chamber where Asgore and Lakyus were buried, along with the hero Izago, a small figure was standing in front of a recently added grave. Once a member of the heroes’ party, this person was thought to be the one responsible for the criminal organization Sanctus but in the end, it was found out that he was only manipulated, possessed by an evil entity whom nothing was known about. Alas, people thought it would be natural for him to be buried here, along with his friends. But what many did not know was that the beast hero had another friend who was still living and well, one that none would expect.

“I come to visit again. It has become some kind of daily ritual for me, I guess. Hope you don’t mind it, do you Arshe?” the slime talked to the grave.

“…..”

“Visiting him again, Azureus?” a voice echoed in the chamber as a little girl walked in.

“Lilith…”

“You were too attached to him. I am not saying it’s a bad thing but I did hope you were prepared for this. It’s not like it’s the first time someone leaves you.” The Goddess said.

“I know…It’s just…” the slime stuttered. “ *sigh* is this our fate? To be doomed to loneliness till the end of time?”

“…Perhaps….I don’t know the answer myself…”

“How does it feel like to be a God, Lilith?”

“It’s difficult to describe. Sometimes you get the feeling of being capable of doing anything. Nothing could stop you on your way. But….”

“But….?” Inquired Azureus.

“There are entities out there in the cosmos that could obliterate our world in the blink of an eye. As one of the creators of this world, I tried to avoid them as much as I could. But in the end, it was just me trying to keep my power and position in this world. That did not last for long. One look at Alastor and you can see how far he has surpassed us. And he is not the only one. Both Asgore and Lakyus seemed to be on a whole different league of their own.

These people popping out of nowhere make me question whether the age of the Gods is over.” Lilith asserted. “You know I started the whole demon race just to serve as my host and for me to take revenge on Eden. What I did to you was simply out of a moment of outburst. Do you resent me for that?”

“No…” Azureus replied.

“You don’t have to lie to me you know. Curse me all you want! It’s because of me that you had to endure all these losses….”

“If you didn’t make me a demon, I would have never to been able to meet people like Arshe. They might only comfort for a short instant of my immortal life but to me, those short moments are what I live for. Besides, we are friends right?”

“….You silly slime!”

* * *

Caelum, the Holy City

In front of the altar of the Grand Cathedrae of Caelum, a man in white clothing was praying genuinely from the bottom of his heart for the world and everyone living in it, not just his people. As the new pope of the Church which was once filled with corruption, the man was determined to correct the mistakes of his predecessors and to restore the lost true purpose of the Church: to be a beacon in time of darkness for those who needed it, to bring salvation and forgiveness and to offer sanctuary for those who realized their mistakes. He knew that his noble purposes would not be easy and many challenges were waiting for him ahead. But he did not fear. For he truly believed to be guided by God himself through the field of misery onto the righteous path.

“Father Maximillian, it’s late already. You should rest for the upcoming peace talk with the other leaders.” A nun uttered from behind the man, interrupting his praying moment. Normally it would be considered blasphemy to do such impious thing like this. But the woman only did out of concern for his health. And her worries were justified. After all, Maxime was not someone who could be proud of his physical. To be frank, he was rather frail, perhaps a cost for his immense healing power capability. In addition, he has stayed in the same spot since early morning and has not even moved an inch, constantly uttering words of salvation and devotions of his faith.

“Thank you, Sister Adelle! I will finish shortly. You may go if you want.” Said Maxime.

“I am afraid I cannot leave your side, Father! Just a few days ago, we have already spotted some intruders coming through the Gate. It was by pure luck that we stumbled across them during the patrol. However, they escaped before we could catch them. Their intentions are still a mystery to us but that’s precisely why I am here: to make sure that nothing will happen to you, Holy Father!” replied the nun.

“I remember you said that you are one of the Vicars, right? Is that why you have been following all days? I would appreciate if you notify of such thing.” Maxime asked. While he was the pope, a symbol of goodness and purity, Maxime knew that not everything in this world could be classified as black and white so easily. That explained the creation of a hidden group not known to many even inside the Church called the Black Sect, specialized in dealing matters that the Church could not normally handle in a public way. Consisted of a gathering of faithful warriors called vicars, they served as the sword that punished the enemies of the Church. In time of need, they were also secret bodyguards of the pope, times like these.

“My apologies, Father! But dealing with intruders and eliminating all threats to your Holiness is our sacred duty since the dawn of our faith. However, these matters are often about undesirable issues that may taint your Holiness. That’s why we decide to keep it from you.”

“And still you decide to tell me that easily? I thought you are supposed to keep it hidden from me.”

“Saying it like we wanted to keep it a secret would be an offense to you since we serve you faithfully. It’s more like we chose to not speak of it. Just now, I only answered because you asked me about it. Else, it’s not my obligation to tell you, Father. Please forgive me for my rudeness!”

“It’s fine. Though please refrain from talking about killing in the house of Gods! It has no place here.” Maxime commented. “Anyway, since you are a Vicar, are you aware of what I asked from the Black Sect a few days ago?”

“Are you talking about the issue of one of our members? If that’s the case, I am aware of it.” Answered Adelle.

“….Did you find anything?”

“Aside from the fact that she was indeed one of us sent by pope Gauwyn to spy on the heroes’ party eleven years ago, we have no knowledge of her current whereabouts as any contact with her was lost after the death of demon lord Asgore. I would advise to talk with the demon royal guards as they must have some knowledges about what exactly transpired and the fate of those who survived.”

“....This is only for my personal affair so I would rather not bother anyone with this until the situation is stable. I have already waited for a decade. What’s hard to wait for a few more days?” Maxime spoke to himself.

“Your Holiness?” the nun inquired when seeing the faint smile on his face, not out of happiness but more like sorrow.

“It’s nothing, Sister! If you don’t mind, would you leave me by myself for a few more minutes? I would like to offer one final prayer.”

“Of course, Father! I will be right outside.” The nun skilfully vanished in an instant, leaving the pope all alone in this sanctuary.

As their conversation has suggested, Maxime has recently brought a request to the Vicars, inquiring about one particular member of the Black Sect who has disappeared after the incident more than ten years ago. At the time, that woman he was looking for was one of the best agents of pope Gauwyn sent to accompany the heroes on their quest to vanquish the demon lord in Ragna. But of course it was only a pretence to keep an eye on the situation used by the Church. However, what Gauwyn failed to notice what that the agent he sent ended up being too attached to the heroes and even the demons of Ragna. That woman later was one of the only survivors of the massacre of the demon lord’s castle, though many assumed she was among the victims.

But the better question here was perhaps: why was Maxime looking for her? What could a man of virtue like him have anything to do with an assassin of the Church? One could assume a few possibilities. Yet, only by looking at his expression as he kneeled down on the floor and prayed for the safety of this woman could tell the whole story. His solemn chant filled with longing to see her again indicated the profound love a young man once had for her. It was due to her that he became a priest. Though their paths were different, separating them for a time. However, just as all members of the Church were allowed to love and marry another, for love was the ultimate message from God to all of us. And so he prayed, each and every day, that perhaps one day he would find her again, to rekindle the feelings they had for each other.

Yet, fate was cruel. Unknowingly to him, the woman has died a long time ago, leaving this man to continue hoping for something impossible. Would it be better for him to know the harsh truth? Or would it be mercy to let him stay in ignorance? For him to cling onto that hope that one day he would reunite with her? There was no right answer. In the end, nothing would change.

“I pray for thy safety. Let us hope that our day of reunion will come soon, Morgan!”

* * *

Whispering Forest

In order to prepare for the upcoming peace talk, Viviana has decided to return to the Whispering Forest to join up with the Beast King to discuss about the subject. With Father Maxime now longer being able to accompany her anymore because of his new position, the young man Lucas has volunteered in joining his comrade on her journey back.

But unfortunately for young Lucas, because of negligence, he has somehow let his horse getting away and Viviana was forced to share her horse with him. Refusing to let him take the strap in fear they would lose their last ride, Viviana insisted being on the driving seat while Lucas to hold onto to her from behind. That was what she thought was the best until when they actually did it and it felt simply too awkward for her with Lucas sitting so close to her.

“Can you stay away from me a little bit?” Viviana groaned. “And stop putting your hands on my waist!”

“Well sorry but I can’t help it. Else I would fall!” Lucas tightened his grip. “By the way, did you change your shampoo or something?” His nose was tingling upon detecting the odd yet alluring aroma he smelt.

“No? Why do you ask such thing? I was so preoccupied with packing my stuff I actually forgot to take my shampoo back with me so that’s why I had to drop by the village from earlier to buy one. But it doesn’t have a smell though….”

“Oh so this is your natural smell? Not bad!”

“The hell are you saying? *SLAP* “ the cat girl turned around and slapped the young man, making him fall on his horse onto a puddle.

“Ouch, what’s that for?” he shouted.

“Pervert! Starting from now, you are to stay at least ten feet away from me.”

“Then how am I supposed to be on the horse?”

“You don’t! WALK!”

“Oh come on!”

…..

Twenty minutes later

“Vivianaaaaaa! Let me on the horse please!” groaned Lucas.

“Never! As if I would let a pervert like you riding the same horse as me.” The cat girl yelled back. At this rate, Lucas really seemed to have to walk all the way to the main camp.

“….Hey, what do you think of all this?” the boy decided to change the subject in hope of change her mind.

“Of what?” the girl spoke coldly.

“You know…demons and such.”

“….It doesn’t matter what I think. The people want peace and I will respect their choice.” Viviana said in a serious tone. “We can’t be stuck in hate forever. Someday we would have to move on. Both sides have hurt each other long enough already.”

“So I am supposed to forgive the demon responsible for the death of my father? For those who died that night?” Lucas said sarcastically.

“It’s up to you. I have no right to make you believe in something you don’t or to tell you what is right or wrong. Because clearly there is no correct answer. But as your friend, I would like to think that you won’t be consumed by your own hatred, Lucas” Viviana looked at Lucas with sad eyes.

“…..*sigh* you take things too seriously….I was just trying to change the subject and here you are, talking like that. How am I supposed to retort back?” Lucas uttered.

“You don’t. Now hurry up! We must get back at the camp before the sun goes down.” Shouted the cat girl.

“How do you expect me to make it in time in my current state? It’s easy to for you to say that since you are on the horse.”

“…Get on!” Viviana muttered quietly.

“What?”

“Get on I say! Before I change my mind.” The cat girl shouted.

“Hurray!” Quickly climbing the horse, he foolishly grabbed the girl’s waist again. Yet this time, she did not push him off like earlier.

“I am going to increase our speed so hold on! KYA!” she spoke. “Don’t you dare touch anywhere weird or I will push you down again and this time you will definitely walk!”

“Fine fine!” he said before muttering quietly. “It’s not like your chest has anything to grab on anyway…Though maybe the butt….”

*SLAP*

* * *

Abyss

Two demon lords, the only existences allowed to reside within this realm of Dark by the Soul Forger, have just met up with each other just to talk out of boredom. They didn’t know each other that much and mostly was even aware of the other through Alastor. However, both shared something, much to their difference compared to the others of their peers.

“How have you been these day?” asked Sullivan to the big stature demon lord next to him.

“Still the same as always.” Replied Belphegor while lying on the ground. “It’s not like anything is going to change in this place. Suit my lifestyle perfectly.”

“You are too lazy for your own good. Not that I don’t understand your reason. After staying in this place for centuries, you started getting used to the boredom.” The dwarf demon lord conveyed.

“Sullivan, tell me something if you don’t mind! I heard that you let that girl Cynthia, who is our only link to Astora aside from Alastor, go without doing anything to her. Why is that? I mean if you are bored of giving power to her, you could have given that right to someone else. Lucifer for example would love to. Else why not just kill her?”

“….Is killing the only answer? Is that what we, demon lords wielding the greatest power, are all about? After living this long, if we can call this living anyway, it made me wonder what we truly are. What is our purpose in this world? Aside from wreaking havoc upon the world?

Look at Alastor! What he accomplished with that power of his! We all once wielded the same power and how did the world remember us? Bringer of death, agent of destruction…that’s how everyone remembers us as.

Why not doing something else for a change? That’s what I thought when I decided to free Cynthia. Besides, after knowing her story, the life she led until now, I just couldn’t…Can’t even be a proper demon lord…What a loser I am!”

“…Wow..I never thought I would hear something like that coming from a demon lord.” Uttered Belphegor in awe, raising his head a bit upon hearing the outrageous claim of his comrade. “You are actually kind of amazing.”

“Hehehe! You flatter me!”

“But watch what you say around others! You know what you just said does not align with what the others said. Especially now!”

“I know….”

“Then what will you do when the time comes?”

“I don’t know. You?”

“…..I don’t know myself.”

* * *

Cedra, Capital of Ceadric

“Young master, you are home!” a maid jumped at the young boy who just returned to his home after the war. Ever since he was away, this young woman has been worrying sick for him, praying at every moment for his safe return. And now, her wish has been granted.

Being snuggled by those two melons almost to the brink of asphyxiation, he pushed her out lightly in a gentle way just so he could take a breath after that heavenly feeling.

“I am so sorry.” Apologized Tasha.

“It’s okay. I am back, Tasha.” Smiled Edward.

“Welcome back, young master!” she bended her head slightly.

“Where are my parents? Are you all by yourself at the mansion?” said Edward as he noticed the lack of light and the absence of everyone else even though he has just come home.

“Everyone has been invited to the palace and the other servants have accompanied the lord and the lady to the party. At first, they didn’t want to go since they knew that you will be coming back tonight but it would be bad to refuse a royal invitation so…..”

“I see. That’s fine. I guess it’s just us two tonight then.”

“Yes!” grinned Tasha before hugging the boy again. “I am so glad you are safe.”

“…Me too, Tasha…Me too.” Uttered Edward in a distant voice.

“You too? Did something happen? Were you hurt after all?” Tasha said loudly as she searched for injuries or any abnormal sign on the boy’s body.

“I am fine, Tasha. It’s you I am worried about.” Said Edward. While indeed his life has been put on the lines a few times, his mind was still preoccupied by the thoughts of Tasha at home. What if she suddenly remembered what happened when he was not by her side? Surely, she would go crazy or even….That shadow told him that it erased her memories but just how much could he trust it? The Death Spectrum was indeed a wonderful gift. Yet even when the war was over, Edward could not shake off the dreadful feeling that stuck inside his mind. Furthermore, there was something else that worried him. The clock brand has not moved an inch since his return from the Swamp. For some reasons, it still showed the eleventh hour with most of its surface blackened. The danger was not over yet, or rather has not even come to be.