Iris woke up on Pallorn's lap as the memory of the long, luscious night emerged in her heart. Her face carried a hint of pink flush. She tried to get up, but a pair of delicate hands restrained her, stroking her hair, brushing her cheeks.

"Thank you for your reward, my Goddess," Pallorn said.

"My Goddess?" Iris stared at the deep blue eyes then shook her head to stop her strange thought from spreading. "Why did you charm me?"

"I can hear your voice, Iris. You called for me, and I answered." Pallorn smiled. "As your sister, I need to take care of you. You also wanted it, didn't you?"

"I told you to wait until the night comes."

"We did it until the night came, and more. You never once struggled."

"That was because of your power. You're a devil, a Fallen Angel." Iris got up and lightly kissed Pallorn's cheek. "But you're lovely."

"A Fallen Angel for a Fallen Goddess. We're a perfect match."

"I am not a Goddess, and I haven't fallen." Iris wanted to argue, but the warmth circulating through her body made her shiver. "You took me by surprise, and it was for your sake, your reward."

"This is why I need to be your angel, my Goddess." Pallorn leant forward and placed her hands on Iris's chest. "Inside there, my love and faith connect us. Though I’m unable to be your first, I’m still honoured."

Iris's expression melted as she held Pallorn's hand and tightened her grip. A nostalgic smile flooded her face, giving her a rush of joy that washed away the grief which lingered since the departure from the Dreamscape.

"Thank you," she said.

"Then give me more reward." Pallorn waved her wings, her eyes curving like a cute puppy. "My Goddess, bless me, and I shall be your believer, your family, your love."

"We are already a family." Iris surveyed the room, whose layout became a mess because of the ecstatic night. "Please keep my divinity a secret for now. I'll tell them when the time is right."

"As you wish, dear Iris." Pallorn embraced Iris, feeling the fuzziness of her Goddess seeping into her body. "I chose you because I trust you. Please take good care of Tardi, of everyone. Please be the Goddess we can give our faith to."

"Anything for the family. Anything for you all."

Iris felt the faith inside her soul quivering and gradually growing. Its size was infinitesimal, but she could feel its influence on her existence. Though slow, she was changing in the fundamental aspects. The indescribable feeling rushed through her body, cold, hot, majestic, aloof, caring. Amidst the confusion, a soft prayer anchored her.

"Please help us," Pallorn prayed. "My Goddess, please save Sister Lenmia."

It compelled Iris to act, but she was too weak. The crystals Vilia left for her wasn't enough to buy a potion to heal the soul injury, and it would take months of hard work to gain enough crystals, the months that she wouldn't have. Since the Ambassador of the Broken Empire arrived, Iris knew turmoil was coming.

"It's noon already," Iris said. "Our sisters must be worried now. We should get out and celebrate with them."

"They won't be worried." Pallorn giggled. "They surely heard us but were too considerate to barge in, though I wouldn't mind playing with them again. Will you help me?"

"Sister Pallorn, please leave me be. I'm too tired."

"After I've reached the Transformation Phase, I can easily sense your emotions, my Goddess." Pallorn seized Iris's chin and pulled her closer. "The higher you are, the harder you fall; your soul is even purer than mine."

"I'm in control of myself. Everything I do, I do it because of the necessity." Iris retreated then turned away. "Even if you successfully bend me, I will arch back. Only I can corrupt the others."

"As expected of my Goddess, Lilith's incarnate."

"You guys change me, your fault."

Iris walked to the door and pushed it open. The sunlight pierced her body and refracted around the room, illuminating the messy furniture and Pallorn's figure.

Her pearl-like skin gleamed. She stretched her wings and her arms, exhaling. Her thin black dress moved from her shoulders to her neck, mingling with her silky hair. Despite soaking and merging with Iris, no trace of slime or sweat remained on her body.

"You're really an angel, a Fallen Angel, but an angel nonetheless," Iris said.

She stepped outside. Dulcie and Tardi were leaning against the wall, intensely listening. When they saw Iris, they jumped and wryly smiled.

"Sis Iris, welcome back," Tardi said. "We didn't hear anything."

"You were here all night?" Iris sighed. "Sleep is important, even if your body doesn't need it."

"Sis Iris," Dulcie said, "how can we sleep when your moans kept us awake? When you excited us, it was hard to calm down."

Iris glanced at Pallorn, who smirked and walked out of the room. Her higher grace captured Dulcie and Tardi's expressions and filled them with love and desire. Her two pairs of wings neatly folded on her back as she held Iris closer and kissed her cheeks.

"They didn't hear anything else," Pallorn whispered. "My Goddess, your secret is eternally safe with me."

Though she wanted to pinch Pallorn's cheek, Iris merely glared at her playful expression then returned to Dulcie and Tardi, whose minds had been entranced by Pallorn's angelic, demonic grace. She strolled to them and flicked their forehead. Dulcie lightened up and rubbed her pinkish flesh, blushing at how close Iris was. The faint, resounding moans still haunted her mind, aching her body, tempting her heart.

Compared to before, Iris had become more gorgeous. Something changed, something profound. She looked more humane yet majestic, having the same yet higher air than Pallorn, the god-like, diabolical charm that gripped Dulcie's heart and commanded her will.

Iris was too close. Her mouth hovered slightly out of touch, reflecting stray light that seeped through the intimate gap. Dulcie slowly tilted forward, her lips brushing against Iris, but she pulled back. Her heart pounded and instilled boiling heat in her veins, turning her green skin pink like blooming flowers.

"Too close, Iris," she said. "I'm not ready. Please be gentle."

"Dulcie, I'm stronger than you now." Iris stepped forward. "I'll be teasing you from now on."

Tardi glanced at Dulcie's lovestruck face and giggled. She wrapped her hand around Dulcie and pushed her. She tripped and fell on Iris, who casually caught her in a gentle embrace. The blue slime soaked Dulcie and heated her flesh until she turned red like a rose.

"Rose Girl really suits you, Dulcie," Iris said. "I feel like plunging your lovely petals, one by one."

"Iris," Dulcie said, "please, Sister Iris, don't tease me. You can have my body, but don't just tease."

"Your head is full of those thoughts." Iris tapped Dulcie's nose. "Not right now. We have something more important at hand. And Everyone else is watching."

"I don't mind, Sister Iris," Tardi said. "Everyone else is the same, except you, Sis."

"You all are too much."

"You'll be too much too."

Iris shook her head then turned to Pallorn, who stared at her back, still thinking about last night. Pallorn grinned, pulling her hands to her abdomen and her thighs, but her elegant image stopped her from descending into the madness, which she reserved for the intimate moment with her sisters, preferably during the night.

"Iris is right," she said. "Where is Sister Lenmia?"

"She's with Varda and Reta, in the study room," Dulcie said, biting her lips. "Reta wants to learn magic, so she's helping her decipher the language. I can take Sister Iris there."

"You and Tardi should go rest." Pallorn waved her wings and enveloped Iris, grazing her arms. "I'll take Iris with me instead. We have some unfinished little business."

"Taking Sister Iris for yourself, and yourself for Sister Iris," Tardi said. "You two are too stingy."

"You will have a night-long compensation, arriving at your bed." Pallorn winced. "Though you won’t be able to endure it, so catch up soon."

Taking Iris's hand, Pallorn guided her down the stair, leaving Dulcie and Tardi behind, feeling jealous, frustrated. They needed to get stronger, fast, or else their sisters would slip away.

...

Corane sauntered to the massive stone gate, which towered over her and the surrounding, piercing the underground ceiling. It exuded an ancient aura that weighed on the heart of surrounding Monster Girls. They couldn’t handle the pressure and retreated away.

Corane frowned and raised her hand. The Corruption Power surged in her body and ignited a purple flame at her fingertip. She blew and watched the fire expanded, sparking into a whirlpool that brightened the surrounding and dispelled the ominous gloom. The motionless gate didn't resist, but the flame couldn't threaten it.

The invisible, unknowable power extinguished the great purple flame and returned into the surrounding the dimness of the desolate land, upon which no visitors stumbled, and from which no visitors left. Only the cold murky air seeped through the tiny gaps below the gate, warning any people who sought its secret a certain doom.

Corane smiled; her mouth curved until it threatened to split. The magnificent wings protruding from her green dress trembled as her blood boiled.

"It's been so long," Corane said. "Undria, we're getting closer."

Standing in front of the gate, she glided her hand across it, feeling the rough yet refined texture that spun into strange, incomprehensible marks. The Corruption Power seeped into the gate, illuminating the hidden design.

The entire Layer trembled as the hidden gears moved and snapped, producing screeching, mechanical sounds that reverberated into the distance. From the gap between the gate, acidic black smoke ruptured, spreading into the forestry surrounding. The trees and flowers that it touched withered and disintegrated into ashes.

Corane flapped her wings. A powerful gale annihilated the black smoke and overwhelmed the metallic clicking sounds. The gate remained unscratched, but its component came to a halt. Silence submerged the Layer. The other Monster Girls held their breath, clenched their fists, and contracted their eyes.

"Everyone," Corane said. "In front of you is a legacy of a fallen race, a race whose origin dated back to the era long forgotten, the era of forgotten myths, of impossible legends."

The Labyrinth of Love trembled as the monumental gate creaked and parted way, revealing the all-consuming darkness that lurked inside. The freezing air gushed out and soaked the Layer with a spiritual cold that gripped all souls. A faint murmur endlessly echoed until it drowned all noises and occupied all thoughts.

The Monster Girls fell to their knees, gasping for breath, clenching their chest. Their muscles tensed as they unconsciously mumbled strange chants of an unknown language, rapidly losing control of their mind and body.

Corane swept her hand in front and created a wave of magic that washed over the Layer, dispelling the mental domination. The Monster Girls slowly ceased their struggle and got up. Confusion and terror plagued their heart. They didn't dare to take a single step closer to the ancient ground.

"The Puppeteer Legacy Ground has given us a chance," Corane said. "Inside is the opportunity to ascend and soar to the sky, and the calamity in which your life will end. Now, who’s going in first?"