After a quick check through the bond to make sure that he wasn't going to bust in on something he'd rather not see, Wren called out to Jaden and Lilly before entering their quarters. The first thing he noticed was that their side was a lot nicer, by a huge degree.

I see how it is....bang the boss' son and you get the executive suit. Discrimination!

“Waiting till the last minute to pack, I see.” Wren said.

“The pavilion has a formation under its foundation. It's ownership has been granted to us. When it's time we shall move it to our realm.” said a very naked Jaden.

“Whoa buddy, nice to see you! I'm sorry if I was, um, interrupting anything. I didn't feel anything in the bond to, you know...”

“No, brother Wren. This is just how I feel most comfortable within my own rooms. Did you need to see me or...”

“Yeah, you and Lilly both actually but just you is fine for now. Probably better to explain before hand anyway.”

So, the whirl marks go all the way down huh. Minor curiosity checked off the 'used to squick me out' list.

Wren took a steadying breath before continuing, “So after getting a chat in with my old man, so to speak, I got a lot more information on how this whole bond thing's supposed to work. Even though he doesn't think so, I believe that bonds in friendship are not necessarily inferior to lover bonds but do have a few weird quirks to work around. I'd like to find out if that's true.

“Your dad explained to me briefly about your lineage's version of the bond which seems to be mostly be a psychic connection with the ability to share essence. Mine's a bit more than that. You see, my bond has the sharing thing too but it also puts a bottle over the escaping excess spiritual essence and condenses it into a refined substance similar to faith but without the baggage of 'believers being able to influence their deity over time' thing. The sub-space bit's actually an optional bonus. I just didn't know that. When the bonded do whatever it is they need to do to unseal that bottled spirit stuff, both benefit. It nurtures the spirit of both parties and grows the bottle a little bigger.

“I think I've found a way to do that. We still need to get pretty personal but it doesn't come down to the 'good ol fashion' way of getting it done. You think we're good enough heart-brothers to be game to try?” Wren said hopefully.

“Brother Wren, Lilly and I have touched upon this secret, have shared and benefited from it, so it would feel greedy and cruel to deny you that. I just need to know this is important to you because it's an intense kind of sharing and I don't like the thought of Lilly sharing that with another man.”

“ My astral body is still pretty banged up Jaden. It hurts to use my strongest ability, that's my need. If it makes it better though, I'm pretty sure if we channel it through our real feelings it will only intensify those but it requires us to keep focused on them. That's why I wanted to do this with you first because I'm not totally sure but I have to try. We all need to be top shape just in case there's an emergency. There's always some kind of surprise.”

Jaden pondered it for a few seconds before saying, “You've approached this respectfully brother Wren and I agree with your need. I consent. Even if something untoward happens, I'm willing to be responsible for it and not hold grudges. If Ephyra is to be believed my firstborn is assured to be of my blood, that is enough.”

Solemnly, Jaden moved to the center of the room and stood waiting. Wren momentarily likened his countenance to a man bravely facing a firing squad.

Jaden, you are way overthinking this man but your heart's in the right place I guess.

Lilly entered the room looking a little angry.

“Where you going to say something before you started?”

Wren and Jaden both replied with an immediate affirmative of different types before giving each other a knowing look.

Lilly continued, “Troy is on his way. We're gonna have a nice chat before this happens.”

Wren said, “Lilly, we're all bonded. My theory works off the idea that if emotions of a certain type can be focused on then those are the only ones that get affected. If all four of us are too close together then I'm afraid of, for lack of a better term, emotional contamination.”

Lilly locked Wren dead in the eye and said, “Wren, from the very next day after we bonded I've been thinking about a lot of things. Pondering over what I believed to be inevitable. On some things I was wrong so I'll cut some latitude on the possibility I'm wrong this time too.” Lilly looked at Jaden and continued, “ I hate to say this love. My faith and trust in you is no small thing but you have sex on your mind at least once a minute. Wren here isn't aware of this yet but he really only thinks about sex when someone else is.”

“ Then how do you explain his confession about the Grimalkin issue I just told you about?” Troy interjected as he walked in, apparently having followed Wren in secret.

“Wait, what?” Wren said confused.

Lilly let out an annoyed huff, “ This conversation's wandering to the bogs. Listen up. Troy and I have been irritated at the fact that you can send messages to us but we can't send them back. Troy learned a spell model called Whispering Winds. It doesn't go very far but he can load a lot in. Jaden has trained me to strengthen the telepathy that comes with both bonds but it's distance is even shorter. Now back to what I was saying.

“He's a perfectly physically healthy nineteen year old boy. He doesn't have to know the names of what he's feeling to feel them.” Lilly turned back to Wren. “Think back to all the times that that you had a physical reaction to someone, not when you thought about how good looking someone was but when you felt it. When you disagree with the feeling you just shut it off. I've felt it many times. The reason I didn't beat the shite out of you that day you, you know, was because it was just as likely mine and Troy's feelings that were ruffling your feathers first. Bluntly speaking, your pecker is a dowsing rod.

“Now here's where I give you a bit of bad news and a bit of good news. The things that were inside you, the things you took in. They did things to you Wren. You kind of sweat a 'please save me' scent when you are in dangerous situations. Blokes are obviously more sensitive to that but even I've felt it and that bad part of you made it stronger. The more times you are in dangerous situations with people, the more they take in. In the moment, it'll make them, well, want to protect you. Outside of the bad times it makes them want...other things.

“Now the sorta good news. The good part of you makes you produce an antidote to it. It's, well, I think you can figure it out. So, like I was trying to get at in the beginning, Jaden and I have taken in too much of your scent so we need the antidote and might even need it again in the long run... Now shush! I'm not finished! No one wants us to maintain our friendship just the way it is more than me, that's why I said what I said. If it was just that matter alone, then giving you a little alone time and a cup would solve the problem. We could even...don't matter. Add in the spirit sharing thing and even your best of intentions are gonna be derailed, Wren. I've made peace with it. Jaden's apparently just made peace with it and now you gotta make peace. You also have a friend in the big house up there who's probably in need of a little peace and so does the little peeping tom over there...Come out kitten, or I'm gonna chase you down and tickle you till you wet yourself.”

Grimalkin slowly rounded the corner like a kid who had his hand caught in the cookie jar.

“Now, if everyone understands how disastrous and complicated things were about to get then hear my plan to hit the reset button on this cluster fook...”

That was how Wren found himself still a little drugged, drunk and blindfolded in the middle of Jaden and Lilly's very nice bed the next morning. After clearing out the grogginess he saw no reason to remove the lethargic soreness in all the right places but none of the wrong ones because he felt better than he could remember.

If there was anything to put a dampener on all this 'feel good' it was that he couldn't remember anything about it. Even his inner mind only had haziness except for a few clipped pieces: A drunken Grimalkin making his personal version of a declaration of a 'best day ever' in the style of a kid's first visit to Six Flags, A mid and late session dose of drugged wine that smelled a little musty and making Wren glad he didn't know how they were made, the sound of an elimination game being played on who had the rights to pet Wren's head as they went to bed and and several fuzzy ones involving several mouths and hands making him feel very happy to be alive that kinda just blended together.

“Alright, Cinderella...the party is over. I just came back from speaking with Ephyra and Lilly. Apparently I have to give you one free pass...” an agitated Troy delivered before continuing, “It's a full ride, all promises suspended with no guilt but listen to me on this one. When you're done, you are going to make me that ring. You are never going to use my history against me. You are never going to make another man bonded to you outside of maybe, Little Gray, unless it's absolutely necessary and that explanation better be really good. Last off, I won't give you any problems about looking for A girl as long as you don't neglect me.

“I don't even know what to make you promise me about you pheromone problem so I'll just say you better not do anything that makes you feel guilty about facing me after you did it or it gets done to you. I hope for both of us that you never have to face the consequences of a victim or their loved one's hurting you because of your issues. I know you don't understand yet but I want you to promise me those things. Will you?”

Wren didn't even need his connection to Troy to see he was just laid out the bottom line.

What a hot mess. Don't know what this free pass crap is about but I won't have to wait long for that I bet. If the old me would have ran into someone he was interested in that had the baggage I have now, tied to their ass, I would have shit on that interest and walked away.

“Damn it, I wanted your first time to be with me so badly. I was so patient, waiting for the right time. This must be some kind of punishment for the things I've done.” Troy muttered, looking more angry than heartbroken but some of those sad feelings were mixed in.

“Alright, you've got your promise. I, Wren Tidren, do solemnly swear that Troy is the only guy that I'll willingly play bitch for till death or circumstance drives us apart. I also similarly swear that I will not willing make another male bonded, aside from above reasons, with the exception of Little Gray but even that would be at his request and some time to really understand the commitment. I also solemnly swear that I'll only be intimate with a woman that I'm considering to be my girl for real, aside from above reasons.

“I'll make a ring to symbolize that promise and when I find the right materials, I'm gonna make you a ring that symbolizes my real fucking feelings for you. Now please tell me what the hell this is about!”

“I'll hold on to those promises until you give me that ring but I don't want it till you're back with me at the end of the day. I don't want anything that might happen to make me not want to... Just let me take you to Ephyra. She'll explain. I'm glad that thing in you is not around anymore, Wren. It did some really bad things behind your back.”

As Troy led Wren out the back of the pavilion to see someone he thought he'd be free of for the day, he was lost in thought.

What the hell did you do Lustitia? I mean I think I know what part of this is about but I didn't feel bad for what I could see you did to Glaucous and Ephyra. They got their just deserts for doing what they did but I didn't see anything worth everybody acting like this for.

“Wren, so glad you could join us in this unscheduled delay of plans,” Ephyra said full of dripping venom and sarcasm.

“What a pleasant surprise to be greeted with your unexpected presence on such a fine and auspicious morning,” Wren said, trying but not exactly succeeding in matching her.

“While we labor to fruitful endeavors you shall be laboring to undo what your other self has wrought upon Riverson and Rohn. Unless, of course, you do not believe that they deserve a nominal effort on your behalf to give balm to their ills?”

You dirty fighting cunt! Wait, what? Why Rohn? More importantly, if Rohn's a part of this why would it be just Rohn?

“You're angry confusion is truly a balm to this old woman's heart. Let me brighten your path lost child. Riverson's ills are truly of our own devising, I'll grant. Sadly, despite my efforts, yours are apparently required. Once you have satisfied Riverson's need of you then I will grant you the rhyme and reason of Rohn's predicament and it's easiest solution. Of course I have no desire to unnecessarily scheme against you so the choice is yours.”

“Well, whatever consequences have come from your plan. It's no skin off my nose to at least hear Riverson out. Outside of a small rough patch there at the beginning he's been nothing but good to me.”

In other words, I'm starting to seriously consider whether I would piss on you to put you out if I saw you on fire.

As Ephyra walked towards Wren she briefly glanced towards a silently entreating Troy.

“Fear not for his safety, dear disciple. Great pains and a price have been paid to ensure it,” Ephyra locked eyes with Wren. “A price I hope your beloved can appreciate the significance of.” she finished with a razor blade smile before placing her hand on Wren's shoulder, sending him on his way.

A unique blend of water and ley line magic mixed to form the passage Wren found himself rushing through. The way was long enough for Wren to catch the faint sound of an ancient and haunting melody before he found himself shunted out into a wide and vast cavern more brightly lit by the ocean sky filtering through the wide opening to the southwest of him. Newly made and mostly finished structures decorated the space, giving it a fairy tale quality charm that Wren could have appreciated under other circumstances.

The hushed crooning of a familiar baritone voice echoing out from the elaborate structure behind him let him know where his destination lay.

Discovered: Uncharted arcane well- 100 achievement points

Optional Mission Activated: Claim arcane well for SYSTEM management or negotiate for obelisk/safe zone placement.

Rewards: variable

Minimum rewards for successful negotiations of obelisk and lock box placement are: 100 achievement points and 1 personalized tier IV equipment

You're kidding me right now. Well, safe zones didn't just spring out of the ground's ass I guess. One crisis at a time seems to be becoming a motto of mine... Well, let's see what the damage is.

As Wren followed Glaucous' song about a seafaring hero who lost all in search of a golden island down into the bowels of the the stone hewn cavern he couldn't help but have a small irreverent thought.

If Glaucous is anything to go off of, this world takes theme casting really fucking serious.

Wren descended one final small circular staircase before he arrived in an area that can only be described as otherworldly. A short but clear faceted crystalline shaft lead to a coral laced underwater palace of stormy gray stone decorated with lapis lazuli mosaics. Despite the cleanness and obvious upkeep, it gave a sense of immense age.

“Wren, is that you who steps upon the the sea hall of my ancestral home or has my strange madness reached an even greater height than even Ephyra had predicted?”

“Nope G man, it's really me. What's got your pickle in a twi...st?”

Wren couldn't help but stumble a bit as the cogs in his mind ground and skipped a couple pegs at the sight of Glaucous chained upon a fluffy mattress before a golden throne in a reception hall so opulent in trappings that he was certain it would make the Palace of Versailles look beggared. Two slender but sturdy looking chains connected the rune decorated manacles on Glaucous' wrists to thick U bolts anchored in the floor, all made of a silver metal that had a purple chrome shine.

“Didn't strike you as the type to have such heavy tastes but then again if I lived for centuries I might be looking for ways to spice things up, so no judgment.” Being at a lack of words in a situation that obviously required him to say something, Wren fell back on lame wit.

Glaucous chuckled dryly before he said, “This is for your benefit and safety, so that we might converse with my power and impulses restrained. Aside from a few minor enchantments it is, by far, more a symbolic gesture. The greater part of my efforts-” Glaucous raised his left hand to show off his thumb that had been severed at the first knuckle, the raggedness of the wound suggested chewing rather than a clean cut.

“That's a story I'd rather not hear. More like a story I'd rather not remember that my call mark came back with... Was that Ephyra's doing?”

“Yes, a gesture she needed to quell her own madness and to enlist her aid with the easing of mine,” Glaucous muttered ruefully, “ Sadly, her attentions have done little to quell mine. It seems I need find my cure at the ill's source.

“Make no mistake, I do not refer to your mating scent, intoxicating though it is, I mean the demon that lies within you that twisted and poisoned my spirit. It awoke within myself a need, a drive that would see me rise. Shadows of possibility spoken by an echo may bolster my spirit to grow, however, it does naught for it's vessel. I am at the cusp of great change. If I cannot convince myself of the truth within that shadow, when the time for change comes upon me, my spirit will swell beyond what it's vessel can endure and I will be sundered.

“My instincts clamor for me to claim you, to make you mine. I know I cannot so it instills a lie within the truth I reach to claim. Submit to me this once, Wren. It would be enough for you to be my lotus, in true flesh, for merely a moment. I have done all which needs be done to insure I could hold you gently. To wash over and invigorate you, to not tear your petals or bruise your leaves, I have gone to great lengths to insure it. In dire need, I call upon you to be conquered!”

Da hell! What's with the fucked up imagery here? What do you do with a guy who's saved your life, telling you if you don't let em fuck you he'll die. I mean, besides calling the nearest mental health facility. If I couldn't feel the desperate plea behind all that domination bullshit I might have been able to politely tell him to fuck off. For a person as proud as Glaucous to bend down even this far, tells me he's not yanking my chain... Ah damn it! Just the thought of taking that log splitter up my tree trunk gives me stomach cramps. My personal thoughts aside, there's something off about this whole situation. Intuition, what are trying to tell me?

“I know, for you, this is no trifling thing. Rest and avail yourself of any amenities or refreshments you desire. Though time draws short, take what you need to find courage and relieve your anxieties. I make the promise of knowing I've never had a lover lament my affections, even those who have chosen not to return to me after one embrace.”

Wren sat down and closed his eyes. Tuning out all distractions to the best of his ability, he sunk deep within himself. He had learned the lesson of heeding his intuition even when situation demanded him to disregard it.

I am an infant in an existential realm...Hiidan's words. He was far more fearful of my ignorance than my willfulness or recklessness. In some small ways he even seemed to condone my clumsy efforts as long as I seek to understand what I do.

Flashes of an over enthusiastic, careless teenager accidentally harming a small child danced across his mindscape, a child who's destiny was changed by a seemingly harmless sequela.

I highly doubt I'm being warned about the chance that sea monster might perforate my colon, so what's... Submission. He's on the brink of some kind of apotheosis and even though it's unintentional, this has taken the flavor of ritual. Of course there would be consequences to surrender, even a symbolic one, to a burgeoning god.

I don't want him to die though. I'm not such a prude that I wouldn't endure some pain and humiliation to save a friend's life but this isn't just about getting a pork loin crammed into my lunch box. This is straight up trading my future for his.

Isn't there any other options?

An old bible parable of a house built on sand gave his mind an image as two different parts of himself offered two different solutions. One side:

Make the uncertainty within him a truth. Sweep away the sand. Replace it with your own foundation. Shelter his fragile house till it is strong enough to protect you in turn. Subordinate him. Help him become a god, a god that belongs to you.

The other:

Lay aside our personal journey. Grant him comfort. Through love, understanding and selflessness lead him to greater truths. Patiently guide him to understand that greatness does not come from prowess alone but also through wisdom...

Yeah, both of those are shit. I don't want to be a master or a martyr. Is there nothing between?

A cold and impersonal part of himself, in ways he didn't understand, processed the intuitive insight and quantified the emotional/spiritual and physical needs. It created a formula, a balanced equation. It gave an answer to the query; What is the least personal cost to the greatest benefit for all. Not just for this problem but for fall problems. If he accepted this answer, he would sacrifice the pure computational power of clear reason and the miraculous/powerful but unpredictable results of pure emotion to create a force that would encompass the circle inside the triangle of three extremes.

Ax 1/3 maximum potential for maximum stability. If this was an MMO I would scream hell no. Everyone knows that all-rounders suck at end game. But this is real life and having a fatal flaw is, well, fatal when you're in situations with no one to rely on but yourself. Yes, me, that's how I want us to work.

There were no words that Wren could use to express the process that he underwent sitting oblivious in front of Glaucous but the emanations of thought he could understand coming from Riverson revealed a scene of jagged power worn smooth and seamless. It's outer warning and threat discarded for an awe inspiring inner perfection. The removed pieces didn't disappear, however, for a force drew them within, lost to one purpose but used for a different inscrutable one.

Discovered: Tier III Embodiment Sophrosyne- Adaptive variable essence consumption based on user actions (Minimum EE or comparative equivalent 1% PPM, maximum 20%)

Advisement: Evolutionary catalyst resulting in -error- (restricted by request of A/I/C Hosts) Estimated growth potential-moderate [This participant's Table of Information and daily activity logs are now classified under the potentiate statutes in effect as of Fifth Cycle All-Alliance Treatise Agreement] Operator and Host have been similarly advised.

Lost: Unclassified Tier Embodiment Void Walker

Host has granted operator request: Personal message-

~ So proud of you ~

Wren's astral body no longer resembled Hiidan's Call form as it took on a 'starry sky' personified appearance with a soft radial of prismatic light. This 'subtle yet not' change was due to his void realm becoming more intimately conjoined with him. 3.5 mind showed him a triple layer parallel dimension aspect to it now, connected but inaccessible to each other by mundane means. Iridescent sparks of multi-colored light decorated the inner lining of the center sphere as ghostly and blurry versions decorated the first along with equilateral orbits of his additional essence pools. The last retained the void like qualities of the original. All three, in natural state, where currently a little under 37' in diameter with the last being able to flatten over double that.

Despite many more things to observe and understand about this new change, nearly an hour was spent in a day now a quarter gone with much to do. Wren opened his eyes and took on the mantle of his new embodiment.

I may not have the body of a Greek god but I do have one that looks 'out of this world' hehe... Alright, I see what I need to do.

“I am a creator, an artisan and craftsman. I will not submit to you to aid you in building your spirit's temple. For it to be fully completed in such a way my bones would need to be buried beneath it, least the glory of my work distract from the glory of the god that dwells within. In ancient times, that was the way.”

Unadorned truth in metaphor.

“It is not the only way, nor is it the best. For your benevolence I will show you another.”

Reciprocity.

“You filled a part of me with fertile waters and an umbral fragility was taken by ourselves from the other. I will empty a part of you with barren waters and an illuminating strength will be granted by ourselves for the other.”

Equality through symmetry.

“You are a being whose power is rooted in life but whose strength may take it. Would you exchange this to become a god whose power is rooted in death but whose strength may give life? This decision is only made worse by the path being easier. I need not tell you where easy paths lead. I can show you a greater path but it is a hard one. In the end it is your decision to make.

I will give generously on my terms...

If you choose to embrace your fragile palace on shifting sands, I will walk away with no remorse. I am willing to make sacrifices for a friend in need but I will not follow you to ruin.

But I will not be taken advantage of.

“So after all of this, even after all this time has passed, I am still a boy pretending to be his grandfather. I now see it in Ephyra's eyes as well... Something similar but only a weak imitation.”

“No. Among us, she is the one who is farthest from your truth for all she desires to see in you is your grandfather. She would discard the rest if she could... You are not a boy in his shadow, Glaucous. You are a man with the potential to lay him to rest in yours. It's just not a sure thing. You will sweat in toil, bleed in battle and pay your pound of flesh before you can see that day.”

Through the anger and will to deny it Wren could see the ghost of acceptance gaining substance with each passing moment.

“These are far from the honeyed words of your other self but I feel that familiar pull within them.”

“Poison is often hidden in sweetness. Truth, for all of it's wholesomeness, is often bitter and hard to swallow. As for that other, to be whole I must accept it but it is far from the greatest among the many parts of me and farther still from the best parts.”

Deciding to take a small risk, Wren walked over to Glaucous and took hold of the hand with the severed thumb. Reaching down into the purifying entropy within his void, he found the piece of the spirit gathered from Jaden and gathered the parts most like the father, shaking the rest back into the void. He melded it into some fortifying eldritch essence and finished bolstering the construct with a bit of life, magic and stamina. Before Glaucous' eyes, Wren shaped the missing piece of thumb back into existence.

It had been severed by an existence above Glaucous. It would have taken him a good deal of effort as he was now to overcome the will that had taken it and lingered within the wound. This existence that was below, even him, had made it look nearly effortless. Though it would take a small time for it to be fully restored after the manacles were removed that's all the effort it would take. Wren could feel these thoughts and more. It was deliberate.

“I am foremost a creator, an artisan and craftsman. Now it is time for you to make your choice.”

The skin of living cosmos receded to reveal Wren with a calm, warm smile accentuated by the soft prismatic corona.

“I have never allowed another man to join with me so.”

“That makes two of us but don't worry. Whether I wanted to or not, my call mark brought me a very thorough lesson on,” Wren lowered his voice to a false baritone, “ The way to seek fruition with a man.”

Glaucous managed a small chuckle through the anxious uncertainty of unfamiliar territory he found himself in.

***

As Wren undressed to join Glaucous on the mattress he fought the urge to look Glaucous in the eye and declare that he never intended to treat him gently but thought it in bad taste considering how close the the proud blue man was to losing his composure.

“This is a delicate balance for me Glaucous. I do this out of love in friendship. There is no passion or desire in this for me. I may acquire it before the end but that is incidental and I need for you to understand that.”

“Was it needful for you to say this?” Glaucous said a bit pained in heart.

“As needful as it is for you to recognize how unwanted your amorous feelings for me are. This is a purge, though there's no reason not to enjoy it as long as the reason for it's happening is understood. I only wish there was more time.”

“As do I. If this is to be the only time then a full day to revel in each other is only then enough.”

Well, I actually was meaning that if I had a day or two more to work with then this sex part wouldn't even be necessary but I think I've bruised your ego enough today.

Wren crawled up in between Glaucous' legs before sliding his own under them. He stared ahead directly into the center of Glaucous' pecs for a second feeling lost in the size of the man before looking up to meet a frosty blue gaze.

“If you were a woman I could motorboat the hell outta some titties right now.” Wren took a moment to send some imagery to Glaucous. “I don't know what kind of woman you'd have to find to be in the same position I am with you but...”

“If you keep doing and saying things like this I'm not going to be able to concentrate on the task at hand.”

“Why do you have to concentrate? No one made a rule, that ever stuck, that sex has to be serious business. You aren't responsible for anything right now anyway even if it was.”

“I've never been in such a position. I've always needed to be careful, even to the ones I was less kind to.”

Wren looked down between them.

“Yeah, I'm only packing two thirds your heat and I know I ain't got anything to be ashamed of. That's a lethal weapon.”

“I've yet to take a life with i-it.”

“Sorry. Guess my hand's a little cold? Damn dude, relax! Is that a sphincter or a guillotine?” Wren chuckled a little as he worked his well oiled middle finger deeper.

“This sensation is far different when not done in the grip of passion.”

“Lay back for me big guy. If it makes you feel any better about this. I know that this situation's gotta be surreal for you but can you imagine how much it is for me? The closest I've ever been to a guy before this was when I was in MEPS.”

Wren sent a few more images.

“Why did the white haired man need to grab your genitals before asking you to co-ugh? It's not important.” Wren's second finger cause Glaucous to tighten for a moment before trying to relax again.

“Kinda surprised you're so clean down here. Was there maybe a thought of this in your head already?”

“T-there's no need to speak of such things since it came to this ju-uncture. Consider it good pla-anning.”

“I can feel I'm not hurting you. Why are you so twitchy?”

“I keep feeling the loosening happen in jumping sections instead of smoothly as I imagined. I also am finding the sounds pleasing which makes me want to tense. It is a co-onflicting thing.

“O-ho!? I suspected but you're an audiophile?” Wren briefly explained.

“I suppose I am.”

“Are you opposed to this mattress of yours getting ruined?”

“If you'll unchain me when you're done, then no.”

“And how am I to do that?”

“The manacles are keyed to your command. If you touch them and will them to rel-”

Wren reached out with his free hand and undid the manacles with his free hand.

“Those were keeping my instincts under control, Wren!”

“Well, if you can keep them under control for like, thirty seconds they're not going to be a problem. Besides, what I'm going to be doing next would be much harder. If you could turn around for me, on your knees, I'll guide you down.”

Glaucous hesitated slightly but with a soft low growl complied.

Funny, it was less than a month ago I was making a bad joke to myself about how uncomfortable it would be if I needed to make a full chakra circuit and that's exactly what I'm about to do.

Wren got up to a full stand on his knees. With one hand holding his cock steady and the other firmly holding Glaucous' hip he guided the larger man down till his tip was resting at the nervously twitching entrance. He could feel the tension thrumming through the powerful frame beneath his fingers.

In as soothing a tone as he had ever used, Wren said, “Alright big guy, take a slow, deep breath and let it go just as slow. One more time for me.”

At the peak of the second breath, Wren eased himself halfway in. The rest of Glaucous' breath rushed out raggedly as the powerful frame shuddered. Wren's gentle but firm grip gave just enough impetus for Glaucous to remain where he was instead of rising back off.

Glad I got curious with a girl on this once or I would have had a fight on my hands I think. This is an incredibly wrong moment to be thinking about how empowering this is.

“Is that initial twinge starting to fade now?”

Wren saw the back of Glaucous' head bob slightly. He slid the hand on Glaucous' hip slowly around, across sensitive skin, to settle half in and half out of a short but dense thatch of curly raven black body hair. Aside from a downy treasure trail, it was the only to be found and it was a lot softer than Wren imagined it would be. The intense but briefly lived shudders that wracked the blue man's form and had his lower muscles pleasantly spasming around Wren's cock, had little to do with pain.

Wren worked the rest of his length in with slow, small, concentric movements of his hips before he was finally fully inside. Losing himself to the moment for an instant he rewarded the big man's patent effort with a light kiss to the spine, eliciting a low breathy growl, as he moved his other hand to trace the rigid muscles of a broad back. The hand continued it's climb, fingers splayed, to run through the glossy hair on Glaucous' head till it rested firmly on top. A small warning of displeasure rippled in the air.

Top of the head's a no for you? Too damn bad. It needs to be there.

In a reverse of previous times and in greater amount, Wren moved a thick line of Life Essence up through the base of his own hard member to his waiting hand like a ground to cloud lightning strike. A sound disturbingly similar to a wounded animal rolled out of Glaucous. If not for the mentally blinding feeling of surprised, intense pleasure rippling through the air Wren might have believed he'd grievously harmed the the big guy as Glaucous seized for a couple of seconds.

It's one of the few things that mortal beings have that most supernaturals do not. It would explain why so many find themselves drawn to humans in the legends, despite the obvious danger.

Once establishment of the circuit was made Wren felt free to enjoy himself for a bit, letting his corona do the pick up as he would let small strikes of LE keep the bestial instincts of Glaucous in check. Wren felt it may have been petty to relish in the feeling of having this powerful being at his mercy but he already had paid the devils due so once the line was crossed he saw no further harm in it. Once he had small particles of life energy spread throughout Glaucous, he laid the big man down on his back. After being driven to the point of drooling insensibility by Wren's relentless ministrations, it was time to do the real work and the part that Wren looked forward to the least in his healing.

Wren connected the loose LE particles within Glaucous into the Tree of Life configuration for no other greater reason than powerful and appropriate symbolism which he believed couldn't hurt. He also liked the simple symmetry of it as it overlaid the chakras forming a strong tower. He knew in intimate detail, every place that his other self had touched and changed. Using the LE structure and mental map of twists, he drew the imprints away along with some of Glaucous' abundant spiritual essence. After purifying it through his void he cycled it back in, sealing cracks and soothing burrs. As the last touch of the center portion of his endeavor he anchored the Tree of Life to the Glaucous' astral body, ensuring that for years to come the small internal cycle would draw and release small bits of LE whenever Glaucous' stimulated that higher mental process Wren's intuition informed him was the exercising of 'wisdom/enlightenment' to help the big guy quell and gain mastery over his hindering instinct through positive reinforcement.

Alright Wren. It's home stretch... Alright this is the absolute least appropriate time for Mary Poppins to be singing 'A spoon full of sugar' in my mental background noise.

With a look of long suffering, deep sighs and secret, strongly denied naughty thrill Wren picked up the pace of his thrusts aiming for the sweet spot. As he curled down he managed to take the head of Glaucous' copiously dripping member into his mouth as he urged himself to empty a volley into Glaucous' squelching hole in turn causing the sensation drunk Glaucous to shoot a forceful rope into Wren's waiting mouth, the rich source of SE more than making up for the losses Wren had taken, except maybe to his dignity.