Selling drugs in the Dungeon should be a profitable business, no? Chapter 9 (Patreon)

Turns out that this Black Dragon is some big shot that is basically a walking trauma for everyone, cause he is just so powerful and… well, scary, that speaking about him is kind-of taboo.

And now, me, a survivor of his hit-and-run and quick assertion of dominance, is apparently a big ball of trauma and suppressed bullshit that everyone wants to take care of.

Hell, everyone is looking at me like I’m gonna break any second now! And I’m not!

Though it’s very nice and sweet that they do that. I’ll admit it.

But because I don’t like being looked at like that, I swiftly banished all the women to the baths.

Then got forced to sit down with Hera by… well, Hera.

And by forced I mean she just looked at me and promised pain if I dared to leave.

“I’m usually not a fan of tea, but yours tastes very good.” Said Goddess hums lowly, a thin smile on her lips as she places her half-empty cup down. “It’s… relaxing.”

I smile softly right back. “When you know how to correctly use everything the world has to offer, you’ll be surprised at the wonders you can create even from the things you think you know everything about.” I muse softly, then reach forward to refill her cup.

Each of my movement is slow and filled with grace, something I am not… used to.

I’ve never done this before, but something in me just… It’s difficult to put into words.

It’s something that came with the knowledge of Alchemy and all the other Cultivation stuff, which is confusing.

Like why do I have them? How do I have them? Is there something… ulterior to it?

Am I one of them dumb Main Characters with a stupid old man or ancient beast or a fucking sword of all things deep within me, or what?

Bah.

I put the tea-kettle down, the pause when screams fill the air.

Loud, glass-shaking screams of very uncomfortable pain.

Hera downright cackles with satisfaction. “What wondrous music!” Shouldn’t you be worried for them?

Still, I cannot fault their reaction. I’ve already taken mine, and even with the small amount of Impurities I had in my body, it still felt highly uncomfortable.

I felt both hot and cold, and very light-headed, through the whole process.

I cannot imagine how much stronger it is for them.

“What is happening to them, though?” Hera questions, raising a brow towards me.

I shrug. “The same black sludge you saw in the vial is being slowly forced out of their skin. It’s all coming out from deep within their organs, blood and bones, then forcefully ejected out.” This time, Hera shudders. Due to what, I do not know, but I can throw a guess.

Maybe because that black sludge is forced out of her skin, or the possible bad stench, or the feeling.

A lot of things could have made her shudder.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t lynch Dian Cecht yet.” I hum out, taking a sip of my own tea.

Hera throws an annoyed look at me. “What kind of fucking animal do you take me for?” I raise a brow at her. “I just need you to make me the most powerful laxative known to man.” I freeze in place.

I slowly put my cup down. “Hera.”

“Do it.”

“Hera.”

“Do it.”

“Hera!”

“Do et!”

I face palm with a loud groan. “He’s gonna be shitting out his guts with such force that he’ll take flight!” Why do I love this plan? “Give me a day to gather the ingredients.”

Hera’s grin grows downright demonic. “That’s my boy.”

I snort. “I’ll make it delayed too, so he’ll destroy his guts right in the middle of the streets. Hopefully.”

“That’s my boy!”

Me and Hera really shouldn’t get along. It’s a recipe for destruction.

We have fun, while the others don’t.

“Actually, don’t make it delayed.” Hera suddenly says, and somehow, her smirk is now even more dangerous. “I’ll just shove it down his throat in the middle of the street myself.”

Right, because fuck consequences, right?

I slowly sip my tea while keeping eye-contact. “You’ll have ten seconds to get out of there before that entire street is contaminated.” I kindly warn her, deciding that it’s best I do not convince her otherwise.

I’m sure she wants to watch the building fear, horror, unwillingness and resignation on Dian Cecht’s face as the God slowly realizes that yes, his ass is about to be absolutely ruined for time immemorial.

And so will be his reputation, but who cares about that.

“I’ll have a lot of left-overs though-”

“I’ll feed them to Zeus, don’t worry.” Never-fuckin’-mind.

I shake my head with a resigned yet amused smile on my face, the screams of the ladies still ringing from the background, yet growing a bit quieter now. “So, there must’ve been a reason on why you had me stay behind, right?” Other than plotting against Dian Cecht.

And bring Zeus in as collateral yet premeditated murder.

Hera hums and leans back, her expression schooling back to a more… neutral one, of sorts. “I want you to be honest with me.” I blink at her words, then nod.

Her fingers tap on the wood of the table before her in a slow rhythm. “The One-Eyed Black Dragon…” She spits out that name like it wronged her, somehow. The amount of hate and disgust towards the creature is something I didn’t really expect from Hera.

“I know that you do not have a rough estimate on how strong the girls of my Familia are… But, do you think they can match, and maybe slay the beast, even after taking those Pills of yours?”

Ah… I see now.

“What will you do with my answer?” Hera’s eyes widen at the question I fire back.

I sigh softly through my nostrils, then nod my head back towards the doors of the hall, now closed shut. “What will theydo, when you relay it to them. If you even will.”

“Do you think they’ll accept it? That they’ll just… take it, and lie down?” The scowl that crosses the Goddess’s face tells me everything.

And tells her everything too. “Exactly.” I sigh again, this time from my lips.

My chest rises, then falls slowly.

“Have you even played chess, ma’am?” Calling her Hera now feels… rude.

The Goddess before me blinks at the sudden weird question, and change of appellation.

“I have.” Her head nods lowly. “Why?”

I raise my hand and wave it around. To the table set in specific orders, meant to hold a meeting.

To hold food during dinner and supper.

To hold friends, family and comrades as they come together.

To the walls built from the clear sacrifices who knows how many women did.

To the paintings of said women, who I can only presume were previous Captains, as I see Juno among them.

“This-” I drop my hand. “-is chess.” Her eyes widen marginally. “The whole world is in Chess.”

“Any move can be the death of you.” My thumb jabs towards the closed doors behind me, my eyes never leaving Hera’s. “Or them.”

“But unlike chess, here you aren’t assured that the ‘pieces’ around the ‘King’ will follow the order they are given.”

“Will it be because of pride? Or will it be because they refuse to let those who do not put down said pride die alone?” Hera’s hands clench into tight fists above the table.

The tea before us slowly grows colder, but I keep going. “But here, you have a choice that does not exist in chess.” That makes the Goddess perk up lightly.

Her chest rises, and her shoulders square up further. Her eyes firm up with a conviction and hope that is just… nice to look at.

“And that is?”

I smile softly and fold my hands over the table. “Do nothing.” I shrug, and Hera gape.

The sight brings a chuckle out of me.

“I don’t know these women as well as you do, and I never will. One thing I do know though, from just they way they look at you… Is that they put you before them.” Her eyes redden slightly, and her teeth bite and pull at her lower lip.

“By saying and doing nothing, you won’t set a conviction within them. You won’t set them down a path you are clearly afraid to watch them follow.”

“So don’t. Let them keep wandering, and keep gathering strength, while awaiting your approval. Because that is what they seek.”

Hera breathes out, then slowly takes in a slow, yet long, shuddering breath.

Her hands relax, the redness in her eyes grows more visible, but it swiftly disappears with a few blinks of her eyes.

“For one so young…” She starts, licking her lips and hooking her fingers around the teacup before her. “You are surprisingly very wise.”

I shrug. “Victory brings confidence, confidence births pride, pride consequently leads to stupidity. “

“Loss brings a sense of failure, that sense of failure makes one revisit their errors, revisiting one’s errors will lead to enlightenment, enlightenment consequently leads to wisdom.”

My words make Hera’s eyes harden. “And you know plenty about loss?”

I smile lightly at that. “Just one loss.”

“It was enough.”

Her fingers tense lightly around her teacup, and I continue. “It is the mistake I did afterward that I think taught me more. And is still teaching me now.”

The tea in her cup swiftly vanishes down her throat. “You shouldn’t let it keep dragging you down.”

The same happens to mine. “Hypocrite.”

Hera merely clicks her tongue and turns away as I stand and take my leave with a smile on my face.

                                                                  xxxXXXxxx

The talk with Hera, admittedly, made me decide to do something I’ve been trying to avoid doing.

There are many types of Cultivation Paths, as there are as many types of Qi.

Fire Qi Cultivation, Water Qi Cultivation, Blood Qi Cultivation, mainly used as a way to strengthen one’s body even further beyond.

So on and so forth.

And among them, there is one that is rarely done or used.

It’s mostly thought about and followed by the Elders, those drawing close to the end of their very long lifespan.

And, who through this, may face an enlightenment that may or may not change their whole existence and personality.

Basically, it’s Soul Cultivation.

It doesn’t have any combat use, has no need for resources, and again, is generally a path that no one cares about.

It can grant enlightenment like no other, making those in certain Cultivation Realms leap forward in power by leaps and bounds if they achieve it.

But that requires change, and Cultivators don’t do ‘change’.

Soul Cultivation works through facing one’s very own Heart Devil, which is the manifestation of their inner negativity and turmoil.

The more they live, the stronger it becomes, and the more it can affect them later on.

During a breakthrough, the Heart Devil can cause turmoil that may lead to failure, which consequently can lead to a crippled foundation or directly to Death.

Soul Cultivation is meant to avoid that, and to assist one’s personal growth.

But again, Cultivators don’t do ‘change’. They want and seek power. They demand things, and want everything to be handed to them.

They want to be Kings looking down at the others like mere slaves, and be revered like a Divine.

Hence, they’ll never progress in Soul Cultivation, as that actively demandsgrowing better and changing.

And I want to grow better, but I fear facing what is to come.

“There you are!” I blink, reeling back at the sudden familiar voice.

I’m outside, sitting upon the bridge going over the small artificial pond of Koi fishes.

Turning my head to face the speaker, I instantly find myself at a loss for words by beautyitself.

Ah… I forgot that cleansing impurities has this effect on women.

“Ara~? Got you gaping, didn’t I?” Kirin’s downright sensual purr sends a shiver down my spine like none I’ve ever felt before.

Her grin grows predatory, and she’s outright glowing.

“You did take my breath away…” I mutter softly, blinking myself out of the stupor she made me fall into.

She looks radiant right now. Her skin is so much fairer, and she looks a lot more… supple, even.

Aside from her other attire, which I’m sure is her ‘Battle Attire’, she’s wearing a simple purple kimono that hugged her form perfectly.

Sandals adorned her feet, and the lower part of her Kimono is open enough to show plenty of legs.

Her cheeks flush quite a bit at my words, though it’s clear that they make her very happy too. “Be a dear and help me out.” She hums softly as she draws close, offering me one of her hands while the other rests against her legs.

Taking her soft hand in mine, I help her slowly kneel down beside me, a satisfied sigh leaving her lips.

“You could have told us about… this.” The woman says in amusement, waving at her whole body as she does so.

I simply shrug. “I kinda forgot, so my bad.” She shrugs right back, and I tilt my head to look around.

“How’s Meteria?” She’s by far the one I was kind of worried about, especially since she’s surely the one with the most amount of Impurities in her system.

My question makes Kirin frown heavily, a crackle of violet lighting flashing around her. “Alfia took her to her room and is watching over her. She’s… tired.” My hands clench over my lap.

“How bad was it?” Reaching forward, Kirin takes my hand in hers. I don’t shy away from the contact and give it a gentle squeeze.

“Very bad. She was crying. Hard.” Yeah, fuck holding back.

That son of a bitch is getting the worst I can make.

“Do tell Hera that her request will be a thousand times stronger.” I’m gonna add spices to the mix, so the fucker is gonna feel like he is shitting out pure lava.

And if from then on he suddenly finds himself unable to get a boner, well… Shame.

“I am afraid to ask, so I won’t.” Me and Kirin just share a chuckle at her words.

I’m so worried about Meteria, but I’ll give her some time to rest first. “I’ll go visit her tonight, for now…” Now I’m kinda not in the mood to go through the Soul Cultivation.

With a gentle smile, Kirin leans forward so to catch my eye, exposing plenty of cleavage as she does so.

“What were you doing out here? Embryonic Breathing?” Ah, I still have to teach her how to do it, don’t I?

I open my mouth to answer, but then a thought flashes by my head. What if…

My eyes focus on Kirins, and the more I stare the more she twitches and blushes, her gaze soon turning away as she pushes a strand of her free hair behind her ear. “What?”

Yeah, that might be… fun. “Wanna see something cool?” Her eyebrow rises up as she looks back at me.

“Here.” Grinning, I move so that I am kneeling before her, then take her other hand in mine. “Take a deep breath and vacate your thoughts.”

She gives me an amused smile before following my instructions, her expression relaxing as her chest rises.

“Now, close your eyes and relax.” Her eyes flutter shut, and her shoulder sag.

I follow the same instruction I gave her before leaning forward and resting my forehead against hers.

The moment I do so, the endless darkness before us due to our shut eyelids instantly fades away.

The rumble of lighting and scent of burning ozone fills the air as I blink my eyes open, finding Kirin standing right before me as she blinks her own eyes.

Then, she slowly turns and gapes to take in the scenery around us. The perfectly split scenery.

On the right is a valley with a massive mountain in the distance, dark cloud high above.

Lightning constantly bombarded down from the heavens, striking the ground and hills below with cataclysmic might, setting the ground ablaze with each strike.

Scorching it black… yet the green kept coming back.

The destroyed trees kept regrowing within seconds, even they kept being struck down and ruined beyond repair.

The grass kept rising, greener and greater than ever.

“Whoa…” She whispers, saying out loud exactly what I am thinking right now. “What is this place?”

I smile softly and give the smaller and softer hand I am still holding a gentle squeeze. She swiftly gives one back. “This is the Soulscape. And that-” I raise an arm to wave at stormy landscape before us. “-Is your Soul.” Kinda.

Kirin’s eyes widen more and more, her lips parting open as she slowly starts gaping at the reveal.

Honestly, I shouldn’t have done this. The Soul is the most important thing for a Cultivator.

More important than family and anything else, or at least, it should be like so.

If their Soul is damaged, then they might lose years of hard work.

If it’s destroyed, then they will cease to exist. There will be no Reincarnation, no nothing.

It is a Cultivators greatest fear for a reason, since Nirvanic Rebirth is a thing, and they can abuse that and the knowledge they gained through their past lives to reach even higher Realms once their lifespans start to run out.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand how someone’s greed for power is so great that they are willing to do anything for it, even forcefully reincarnate themselves.

“Now it looks rather disgusting.” Kirin hums out, the wonder that used to fill her eyes now replaced with disgust and hate as she glared venomously at the landscape that is the appearance of her Soul.

I chuckle softly at her, drawing her eyes to me. “At least yours is far more honest than mine.” I hum out and tilt my head to the side, throwing a glance at the landscape that is behind us.

Kirin blinks, then turns around. And yet again, she instantly gapes at the sight before her.

A clear mirror-like sheen of water stretched out from the ground, all the way to the horizon, mirroring the sky perfectly.

In the past, I had seen a picture of a place like this on Earth, and had greatly desired to go and visit it just once in my life.

But now, the beauty of such a wondrous place is gone in my eyes, replaced by hate and disgust that mirrored Kirin’s own when she looked at her own Soulscape.

“It’s breathtaking…” Kirin whispers softly.

“It’s disgusting.” I grunt out, earning a cute giggle from her. “Yours is far more honest than mine.” She hums softly at my words, her head turning to glance behind her and at her landscape.

“Why is it more honest than mine?” Right, it’s hard to see the deeper meanings in these things at first glance, and without some pondering.

I took me a while too before I could understand why my Soul is like this. “I am like water.” Kirin perks up and turns to me as I glare at my Soulscape.

“Both calm and fierce. Both shallow and deep. Both weak and powerful.”

“It grants and sustains life, but can also destroy and drown it.”

“It’s beautiful, yet also terrifying.”

“My negative emotions are like an ocean. Beautiful on the surface, yet if you look deep enough…” I lower my gaze to look at my reflection within the sheen of water below me, and what looks back at me is a dark, blackish purple shade with glowing blood red eyes.

My Heart Devil.

“…you’ll see everything it has buried beneath it’s waves.”

I sigh and straighten myself, then turn to give a thin smile to the stunned Kirin. “That’s why I prefer your-” Her finger jabs into my cheek, bringing an end to my words, mostly due to my growing confusion on the way she poked my cheek.

She blinks at me, then does it again. Why?“It’s still beautiful for me, underlying meanings and all.” And she pokes my cheek again.

I try to swat her hand away, but she jump back and away from me while blowing a raspberry in my direction.

And she jumps straight onto the mirror-like sheen of water that is my Soulscape, making my heart jump to my throat. “Kirin, come back here, quick-”

Her smiling expression instantly melts away, and her eyes widen as the wave of pure hostility and hate washes forth from right behind her.

She flips around as I narrow my eyes, watching my Heart Devil rise out of the water with an audible snarl, hand wrapped around a pitch black blade. “What is that?”

I breathe out a curse. I just wanted to show her this place, not the Heart Devils in it.

“That… Is called a Heart Devil.” Her eyes stray back to mine. “They are the manifestation of all of our fears, failures, negativity and so on.”

“The only way to defeat it is by conquering everything that has given it shape, then overwhelming it in battle.” Which is exactly why many Cultivators never face it, even if winning gives amazing benefits.

Kirins eyes widen slightly, then flick to her Soulscape behind me. “So then, there’s one of me too, I presume?” I nod, and her eyes narrow slightly before they turn back towards my still Heart Devil.

“And if I were to fight yours?” I blink at that, nearly gaping at her as she wiggles her brows with a smirk on her face.

That… can actually be done.

I think some of the Cultivators that went through this would usually bring an Elder of their Clan with them, then have said Elder slay their Heart Devil with ease.

But doing that of course doesn’t bring the enormous boon that comes if one were to slay their Heart Devil with their own strength.

There won’t be any enlightenment, but the bottlenecks will indeed get easier to pass through, and the Heart Devil will not bother ones mind and Cultivation until it reforms.

It’s a type of Dual Cultivation, but one that requires cheating through familial ties instead of sexual contact.

“I mean, you could, but…” How do I say this…“You will be assaulted by visions of my… past. And other stuff.”

I’m not sure how to feel about that. Having her see… that, just rubs me the wrong way.

Kirin pauses and breathes in, then slowly turns to face me.

Usually, I can read her well due to how expressive her face and eyes are, but now I can’t really see anything.

The silence carries on, and her eyes search my face and my own eyes for somethingthat I do not know.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her eyes fall down to the mirror-like sheen of water beneath her sandals.

“You know…” She starts, licking her lips and breathing in as she does so. “I’ve always wanted to know more about you since you could tell about my… about how I feel similar to Lady Hera.”

“I’ve always wondered if you’d change your mind and view of me once you learn the whole truth about it… I am both excited and fearful.”

She lifts her head, tossing her long hair over her back as she does so, a relaxed and happy smile on her wonderful face.

“Years ago, I achieved something that shook the whole of Orario.” Her gaze grows distant, and her smile grows warmer, yet her hands clench into tight fists. “I achieved the fastest Level Up in History, with scarily High Stats, and unlocking a fantastic sounding Skill.”

“That day I felt like I was at the top of the world, like I could achieve anything, and that I could bask in that glory until I reached old age.”

Her gaze falls, the warmth now replaced by sadness, one that pulls at my heartstrings. “And now I know I shall not see thirty.” My eyes widen in alarm.

What?!

I can’t see nor sense anything wrong with her! No signs of sickness or anything of the sort!

“The very night I achieved that accomplishment, Lady Hera told me about my heritage, one that I… started abuse a bit after that.” She chuckles softly, pushing a strand of her electric looking hair behind her ear as she does so.

“If this ‘Heart Devil’ works as you said, then you should learn everything through it.” Kirins gaze then flicks towards my own Heart Devil. “And I wish to learn more about the man that bought light to the Hera Familia after so long.”

I sigh through my nostrils, my emotions a complete mess.

I reach up to rub the back of my neck, and I can’t really think of anything I can or could say.

I’m… not used to this.

“You’re not used to women showing interest in you, are you?” Kirin prompts with a giggle, and I groan and actually find my cheeks burn a bit at that. “That too makes you very attractive… But you shouldn’t push yourself away, you know?”

I freeze a bit at that, and Kirin steps forward, staring up at me and reaching up to cup my cheek with her soft hand. “Meteria lovesyou. Don’t try and keep your distance from here, please.”

I was seen through, huh…“It feels like I’m taking advantage of her. And I’d hate to do that to a wonderfully bright girl that can light up a city with her smile.”

Sheltered, that’s what Meteria is. Forced to spend her life on a bed due to her sickness, and only able to experience life through the insanely rare bursts of energy that sometimes hit her, or through the countless stories that the ladies of the Hera Familia shared with her.

And then I came, like some prince from some of those stories or books she surely has heard or read about.

How can I not view it as me taking advantage of her feelings? It just… I don’t want that. Nor do I want to hurt her.

That’s when Kirin speaks up, pulling me out of my thoughts; “Just the mere fact that you consider her well-being, both physical and emotional, should be more than enough to tell you that you aren’t doing that.” She chides me softly, patting my cheek as she does so.

“So spend some time with her, but do be careful!” Pulling back, she turns around and starts walking towards my Heart Devil with a skip of her step and a happy hum flowing out of her.

“A woman’s jealousy is a terrifying thing~!”

Ah, so that’s why you want to fight my Heart Devil! Not to know more about me, but to beat the shit outta me!

This damn, sexy woman…

                                                                          ….

Jealousy isn’t a thing that Kirin ever experienced in her life.

She heard about it. She saw others experience it. And she saw others suffer because of it.

Yet, she herself never felt ‘Jealousy’.

Why would she? She was given everything since birth.

Born and taken in by the most powerful Goddess in Orario, then showered in all of her love and care as she grew up.

Pampered, yet taught discipline and good manners – even when Hera herself lacks them the majority of the time– and taught everything needed to be a self-sustaining woman that depends on no one.

A woman that needs no one.

Her studies flied due to her intelligence. Her spars excelled due to her natural skill.

Her growth sailed due to her efforts.

And then, as a Level 5, she slayed the Level 6 Amsphibaena on her lonesome, striking it down and bringing back it’s Drop Item as a spoil and proof of her victory.

The festivities lasted till night, her new Skill made her feel like she could conquer the very Heavens themselves with enough time…

And then her beloved Goddess told her about her heritage.

About who her Father is, and that he did not cast her out or throw her away at birth.

But tried to put her down.

Mother dead at childbirth, and a father that tried to kill her soon after.

Then a Goddess, who sacrificed a piece of herself just to let her experience life and grow.

The high of her victory, of her Level Up, of her new Skill… It all died down instantly.

And from that day forward, Kirin stepped down from the pedestal she put herself on, and started living among her fellow Familia members. Her fellow sisters.

She once thought herself above them, but now she views them a sisters, who she loves dearly.

But as she grew up and slowly started nearing the probable end of her lifespan, Kirin grew to long for a certain thing more and more.

Love.

She wanted to experience it, even just once. She even had a desire to leave an offspring behind for her Goddess to take care of, so to not grieve alone, hoping that it wouldn’t carry her curse and end just like her.

At first, she thought she had found it within thatman, as his attraction for her was apparent to all… Yet, Kirin swiftly pulled herself out of that spell when the disaster with Brynhildr happened.

Her beloved best friend was far more important than the amorous feelings she was feeling towards a man that protected the filth who broke Brynhildr.

So on she went. Comrades fell as the months flew by, Agnodice nearly died due to Calypsos arrogance, Juno slowly surpassed her in strength, and Kirin slowly felt like there wasn’t much to experience or life for anymore.

Hence, she thought about using the last flames of her life to go and try to bring down one of the Great Beasts with her.

Then, he appeared.

Meteria, the wonderful yet stupid girl she is, left the confines of her room and mansion to wander around without anyone to look out for her… And ended up bringing back a goddamn miraclein human form.

Riley, oh how he rubbed her buttons well since she first laid his eyes on him.

A simple, tranquil teenager with no grand aspiration. No grand dreams. No obnoxious confidence and gall.

Just a teen, wishing to be a doctor, and nothing else.

That made her smile, but his looks just make her purr and squirm in all the good ways.

Never had she felt so physically attracted to a man before… And never had she wanted to slaughter her fellow sisters for being so vocal and vulgar in wanting Riley’s seed to grace their wombs.

Hmph, at least she had a modicum of decorum and propriety, instead of spreading her legs wide and crying out her advances like one of the women in the Red Light District.

She simply thought about them and didn’t make them vocal.

And that’s when she started experiencing Jealousy for the first time in her life, and all because of one of the girls she dearly loves.

Meteria, who swiftly and clearly fell head over heels for the ‘Hero’ who partially healed her and her twin, is the source of said jealousy Kirin started experiencing.

The way she has no fear showing her feelings, or her utter infatuation with Riley, or do anything with him.

She even swiftly threw herself at him, with a clear desire to claim him and be his forever.

Never would have anyone in the Hera Familia, Hera included, ever thought Meteria could be so driven or forward.

But then, thinking back on how she made Hera kneel and cry with a single pout and glare a few years ago, Kirin should have already realized how truly powerful Meteria is.

For a second, Kirin thought about how Meteria’s Soulscape would look like.

Hers instead… Kirin highly hates it.

The mountain in the distance, a sign of her still present pride.

The numerous hills, perhaps a sign of her love for her sisters, or desire for an offspring to leave behind.

The constantly cascading waterfall of lighting is a sign of her impending doom due to her unfortunate heritage.

And the constantly growing grass and trees, a sign of how she kept clinging to life. Desperately so.

Simple, yet it said everything about her.

Rileys is far more subtle, but also insanely breathtaking. A sight she never thought she’d ever see in her life.

And one she is grateful to be graced with.

Finally, her gaze falls upon the ‘Heart Devil’, as Riley called it.

It was a dark, blackish-purple shade of sorts that reminded her of War Shadows, but in the shape of Riley himself.

Just, the snarl on the things face didn’t fit Riley’s pretty features one bit. And that irks her.

So, Kirin takes in a deep breath and steps forward.

Her sandals disturb the clear water below her feet, and the Heart Devil instantly rockets forward.

The water explodes upward, and Kirin finds herself quite impressed at the Shade’s impressive speed.

Nothing compared to Brynhildr’s unmatched speed, though.

Two steps, and the dark Shade is before her with a snarl that sounds echoy, dark sword cleaving through the air and aiming for her throat in a quick rising slash.

For a split second, Kirin realized the lack of her weapon and proper attire.

In the next one, Kirin just shrugged.

A clap of thunder rang from her body, the burst of sound and power staggering the Shade back, before her palm sends it flying even further away.

With the breathing room gained, her left arm crosses over her cleavage.

Three cycling, glowing electric blue Magatama symbols appear both above her cleavage and in the air behind her, spewing out endless blinding lilac lighting as they did so.

“Fotismos Autokrator.”

The hilt of blade soon rose from within the glow between her cleavage due to her chant, and her right hand swiftly grasps it.

Then pulls it out with a cacophonous clap of thunder that shook the mirror-like surface of water all the way to the horizon.

Her lighting rumbled forth, and her katana glowed with unmatched brilliance, a sign of her so hated heritage.

She heard yet another clap of lighting ring out from behind her, telling her that Riley had started clashing with her Heart Devil, but she decided not to look back-

                                                                        < Anger >

A wave of such immense emotion filled her very being, giving her a slight pause.

It faded away just as quickly as it appeared, but Kirin’s eyes widen when she finds the Shade right before her when she comes to.

It capitalized that momentary stagger brought forth by that sudden wave of alien emotion to launch an attack, telling her that this is what Riley warned her against.

Using the things deeply buried within him against her.

                                                                            < Hate >

The next wave is unexpected, but she was still prepared.

Her rumbling Katana came up with a sonorous thunderclap, the air warping from the heat wafting off her blade.

A loud metallic clash rings out right after the thunderclap, louder than her own lighting, and the ensuing metallic screech of the two blades grinding against each other made Kirin wince slightly.

Sparks bounced off her skin, and her hand did tremble slightly beneath the strength of Rileys ‘Heart Devil’.

The snarling Shade pressed forward, both hands on the hilt of it’s dark blade.

And the sight before her… It angered her to no end.

Albeit short, the fight between Alfia and Riley told her everything she needed to know on how the teen fights.

All of his power behind each swing, and movements filled with a precision and grace that is simply beautiful and captivating.

This shade had none of that.

And that pissed her off, as it was ruining one of the things that she adores about the teen that gained her fancy.

Her anger then pour through the blade in her hand, and the stalemate is broken as she swings her arm to the side.

A roaring clap of thunder blasts forth like an angry avalanche, tearing the surface of the water asunder and launching the shade far ahead of her.

Her sandal clad feet raise, and-

                                                                   < A door >

-She rushes forward, clearing the distance between her and the quickly recovering Shade within a second, the sound of roaring thunder following her like a horde of galloping horses.

                                                              < A young girl >

The waves of feelings crash through her body like waves, with the same power her blade crashes against the Shades blackened own.

                                                                   < A noose >

Her eyes redden, but her strength never wavers.

Her steps never falter

She breathes in, and her arms blur through the air.

Each clash between the blade of lighting and the blade of darkness ruptured the clear surface of water, showing the bottomless darkness below.

The darkness Riley kept suppressed and hidden.

                                                    < Feet dangling off the ground >

                                                   < A body held aloft by the neck >

Kirin couldn’t hold the scream of rage that tore out of her throat as the images kept flicking through her mind.

The roar of thunder became an ear-splitting crack that left a wake of heated purple light in it’s wake.

Her blade – now glowing as brightly as a star– cleaved through air and droplets of water, evaporating the reflection of her snarling visage into thin air.

                                                                  < A letter >

The shade staggers back beneath the might of her anger and sorrow filled swing.

Her tears mixed with the water below, and her emotions were further heightened by the visions and alien emotions constantly bombarding her.

                                                                   < An apology >

The shade roars, it’s body growing darker.

Their blade connects, unleashing forth a devastating shock-wave.

Kirin’s eyes widen as she staggers back from the blow.

                                                                     < WRATH >

The Shade swings it’s blade.

The air whistles.

The beautiful landscape becomes the worst nightmares of all fisherman.

Clouds darker than night itself and waves that reach the very stars now replace the previous mirror-like surface of water.

                                                      < A broken, bloodied man >

Kirin stumbles, eyes wide in horror.

The strength she was oh so proud of proved futile before that unstoppable blade.

And the visions kept coming.

                                                            < A plea for Death >

A force greater than she ever experienced smashed into her lighting clad blade.

Her grasp over it crumbled, and she watched it fly through the air.

                                                   < DEATH WAS NOT GRANTED >

The pitch black blade split her rumbling lighting and drew towards her throat-

A sword still in the hilt came into view and effortlessly blocked the blade aiming to take her life.

The ensuing shock-wave that ripples forth vaporizes the surrounding enormous waves and makes Kirin stumble and fall back on her butt.

“Getting awfully cocky for someone that tossed away all techniques for raw power.” Riley muses softly, and Kirin blinks her tear filled eyes to stare at his back.

That last vision…

“Riley-”

“I’ll take it from here.” His foot hammers into his Heart Devil with blinding speed, sending it rocketing through several waves.

Riley breathes out as his Shade snarls and roars with a fury that does not befit the teen’s visage. “Thanks for this, Kirin.”

The woman takes in a sharp intake of air at the tenderness in his voice.

His blade slowly comes out of it’s sheath, and the light gleam to it makes even Kirin wince and feel like the old blade of barely passable quality is now horrifyingly dangerous.

Slowly, Riley lifts the blade high above his head with just one hand.

His shade pounces forward with even greater power and speed than before.

“Seeing it from another perspective really makes me feel childish for clinging onto this so much.”

Riley’s blade swings down.

The gleam around the edge erupts with a brilliance akin to the Sun itself.

Kirin’s wide eyes behold the very landscape being split in half by the swing of a sword.

Never before had she witnessed such wondrous swordmaship.

Slowly, the clear mirror-like surface of water comes back, and the darkness from the clouds and enormous waves disappears like they were never there.

Breathing out, Riley staggers lightly as he puts his sword away, clearly having used a lot of energy to unleash that wondrous attack.

Then, he turns around and gives Kirin a grin. “Got your ass kicked, didn’t ya?!” He cackles at her.

Kirin instantly feels a vein throb over her temple. “H-Hmph! I was simply seeing if you were actually paying attention to my fight and would come to my rescue if I were to be in danger!” She huffs out, crossing her arms beneath her bust with a rather enormous pout on her face.

Riley just gives her an amused look, clearly not believing her lie, and her cheeks start warming up more and more under his gaze.

Finally, he just chuckles and offers her his hand, which she gladly takes to stand back up.

“You defeated your Heart Devil…” She whispers softly, still admittedly shaken from that swing of his sword. “What happens now?”

He hums softly and turns to look in the direction his Shade used to be before he erased it from existence with a single swing of his blade.

“It is nothing more than a shallow victory, as I did not experience everything from the beginning…” He breathes in, and Kirin’s chest tightens, her hand instantly rushing forward to grip his. “I’ll fighting it again another time. Properly.”

His warm, sunset-like eyes flick to meet hers, and the warmth in them make Kirin’s legs feel like jelly. “How was it?” His tender question makes her gulp, and her belly feel funny.

This man was truly dangerous for her.

“I… thought you said you killed that man.” He chuckles softly at her words.

“I did.” He mutters softly, “I left him wishing he was dead, and forced to live the rest of his worthless life being fed nothing but flavorless jelly, and having to be cleaned and taken care off until he naturally expires.”

She had seen it all, kind off. It was all through Riley’s eyes, but she saw it.

The way he broke that man with his bare hands alone, then with tools. Then he slowly got more creative, and kept tending to the mans wounds so he wouldn’t die, so to make the torture last longer.

On and on it went. On and on that man was broken more and more.

A fate like that… It was nightmare inducing.

With a gulp, Kirin decides to change the argument, as she knows that it still weights heavily on Riley’s mind.

So, she nervously rubs at her left forearm with her right hand. “What about you?” The teen perks up and raises a brow at her. “What did you see?”

His eyes widen with realization, and then… Then he chuckles nervously as he rubs the back of his neck. “I didn’t understand anything!”

Kirin outright stumbles and chokes on air, before laughter erupts out of her as she falls back down on the clear sheen of water.

“Don’t laugh!” Riley huffs at her, crossing his arms and looking away with a click of his tongue. “I don’t get why this whole business with Demigods and whatnot, and why it’s going to lead to your death.”

That only makes Kirin laughs harder.

Of course with him being an outsider, he wouldn’t know about the history behind Demigods, and why they must not exist.

She should have guessed when he didn’t connect between why she felt like a Divine, even when she is clearly a mortal. Of sorts.

All fears for his rejection or even an attempt at killing her are instantly evaporated by his adorable cluelessness of the whole thing.

So she takes in a deep breath and calms her laughter, and starts speaking; “Long ago, Gods started laying with the mortals they loved.”

“Their union were dubbed ‘Demigods’, humans with Divinity.”

“They were… powerful. Their Divinity granted them might like no other since youth… Yet, once they reached their teen years, Demigods start going insane.”

“Their Divinity goes out of control, either turning them into bombs that ruin entire landscapes, or in killing machines that will tear through anything before them until their mortal bodies cannot hold on anymore.”

“After the first disaster centuries ago, where the dozens of the first Demigods blew up or went on rampages, the Gods were forced by Lord Ouranous to make their vessels infertile, and to have any children with mortals any longer.”

Riley breathes out through his nostrils. “Yet, you happened.”

A sneer pulls at her lips, and her eyes glare venomously at the Sky, the domain of her vile Divine father who she’ll never stop cursing. “Indeed I have… And Lady Hera sacrificed a piece of herself to seal my Divinity deep within myself. All just to so I can experience life and everything it has to offer.”

Her words were met with silence, and a quick peek revealed a Riley deep in thoughts.

The sight made a fond and warm smile appear on her face. “What are you thinking about?” She question, bringing him slightly out of his thoughts.

“How to heal you.” Is his swift answer, one that tugs at her heartstrings and makes her belly feel funny yet again, while her eyes redden profusely.

“Riley-”

“It’s actually simple, but I can’t remember it for the life of me.” He clicks his tongue and cuts her off, running a hand through his hair as he does so.

Meanwhile, Kirin outright gapesat the teen before her.

He really called something that even Gods were unable to fix ‘simple’!?

And he already has a solution, but forgot about it!?

She’s pulled out of her shock when she feels her hand being grasped by his, and her eyes soon meet his, a grin on his face as he looks down at her. “Don’t worry, I ain’t letting you die.”

Yeah, she’s going to bear this man’s kids, if it’s the last thing she’ll do.

Sorry Meteria, you might have popped his cherry first, but she’ll bear his first bun, that’s for sure.

“Why do I feel like you are thinking about something perverted?”

“Hm~? Just thinking about having your bun in my over~! Nothing lewd~!”

“My bun in your oven- Woman, what the hell?” Kirin only answers him with cackles.

And then he starts tickling her.

So she drops lighting on his ass-

“I’m used to it! Hah!” He cockily proclaims, a smug look on his face.

He then gets struck by lighting three times in a row the moment they step out of the Soulscape.

Kirin, through her fit of side-aching laughter, heard Hera scream something about Zeus daring to challenge her yet again.

Then she even saw her drag a torture machine out of the gates and down the streets.

                                                                 xxxXXXxxx

In the end, what I initially thought was going to be just a show-and-tell of something cool, ended up being… quite productive.

And nice too.

I can now say that I feel much closer to Kirin now than before, and that she feels more open towards me in general.

Plus, it helped me find my next patient to treat.

I… Kinda have a feeling that I know how to already, but I can’t quite place my finger on it for some reason.

It’s something I remember reading about in those cultivation novels, on when the damn Main Character achieves Godhood and stuff like that.

Still, thinking about it only leaves me more confused, and I am too tired to want to spend hours on such a thing.

So I’ll write it down and ponder on it later, glad that I have time to find a solution for Kirin.

I really do not want her to die, as she’s downright lovely to have around.

Am I developing feelings for her? I dunno. I’m not good with this stuff, so I’ll just have to wing it.

Same thing with Meteria. Just… hope for the best!

Either way, the fight against Heart Devil, while short and with no victory achieved, helped me achieve something that seemed simple, but I was stuck on it for a while.

Sword Qi.

Which… Jesus Christ is it damn strong and tiring to use. I didn’t know it needed Qi Strands to be used, and the damn thing sucked a hundredQi Strands dry in a split second, and for one slash only.

It’s still insanely worth it, even though I can probably only use it once or twice before I get very tired out.

Basically, the way to achieve it turned out to be simple… Yet not, at the same time.

At first I thought I simply had to coat the edge of my blade in it, but nope.

I had to Will it into existence, by Willing a Qi Strand to become Sharp.

‘Will’ is… something that I don’t really understand. It’s basically an invisible power that comes from ones Soul, and that can be used to intimidate or even kill someone from afar, depending on how strong it is.

And a Sword Cultivator main strength is exactly that. Their Will.

Albeit my victory through the used of that Sword Qi Strand didn’t bring me any bouts of enlightenment, I still learned a lot from this.

Yes, my Heart Devil will be a lot stronger once he reforms, but so will I.

And once it comes back, I’ll kick my own ass properly, but that’ll take a while.

For now, I must focus on the most important thing.

I raise my hand up and lightly knock on the door before me, and I did not need to wait long for it to be opened by Alfia. The breathtaking Alfia.

She smiles warmly at the sight of me, something that makes my chest clench, then steps outside and beside me. “I’ll leave her to you.” I give Alfia a thankful and warm smile, then watch as she dips her head and walks down the hall.

Gods, she’s so much more beautiful too...

Taking in a slow breath to calm myself, I step inside the surprisingly large room filled with bookshelves and shut the door behind me.

A little and cute excited gasp rings out from the bed the moment I walk inside the bedroom. “Riley!” I couldn’t help the warm and fond smile that swiftly spread across my lips at Meterias excited yet tired voice.

“How’s my favorite gremlin?” I ask as I reach and sit down at the edge of the bed, chuckling softly when she scoots closer to grab my hand, her long hair tied up in a bun above her head.

A little hum flows out of her lips as she brings my hand to her face, her cheek gently rubbing against it the next second. “Much better now…” I swear, she’s too precious for my heart to handle.

I hum softly myself and gently rub her cheek, her eyes remaining closed as she takes slow but measured breaths.

She’s pale, and the quick check of her body through the contact tells me that she’s utterly drained of all energies.

She’s clean, healthy even. Or well, as healthy as she can be due to the still present weird mass around her lungs and heart, but the Grade Four Pill I gave her is still working wonderfully and keeping it suppressed.

Her other organs are working even better than before, her bones are much tougher, and her muscles and blood haven’t seen better days.

All this will make her natural condition even better, and her heart won’t be as fatigued as before, but I’d rather she stays on the Pill. Just in case.

Dian Cecht won’t know what hit him, and I really wish I can make the Pill so much stronger than I already plan to.

I must think of other stuff that I can add to make things so much worse for him aside from erectile dysfunction.

“Wanna go out tomorrow?” I ask softly, making her hum and perk up, her tired eyes peeking open to look at me.

Her small and cute smile grows bigger. “Go where?” I chuckle and shrug.

“Anywhere you want. There must be stuff that you want to do, no? It’ll be just me, and you.” Her eyes widen at that, then excitement and pure elation soon fill those bright blue orbs.

Then, she whines. “There’s so many things I want to do!” I chuckle softly at that. “And so many more I want to do with just you!” Softly, I poke her puffed up cheek, making it deflate as she flops back down onto the large bed.

Her hands take mine in them once more, and a quiet yet comfortable silence falls between us.

One that doesn’t last long; “A picnic.” I perk up at Meteria’s words.

“I’ve always wanted to go out of Orario, and have a picnic. And ride a horse.”

“And ‘nyoooom~’ through the open fields?” I jokingly ask, making her burst out in a fit of adorable giggles.

“If Riley likes my ‘Nyooms~’, then he shall have my ‘Nyooms~’!” She states imperiously, like a Queen giving out an edict.

But she’s so adorable I can’t take her seriously. “You honor me, my lady!” Either way, I still incline my head as a show of thanks.

Because I’d be an idiot to refuse such a wondrous blessing.

Plus, I’ma hoard it over Alfia and tease her with it later.

I’m evil like that.

“Then I’ll make sure we spend a wonderful day together tomorrow, alright?”

“I hope the night will be wonderful too~!”

“You spend too much time around Kirin.” She giggles as I stand, then lean down to give her a kiss on the forehead that makes her squirm in place due to the overflow of happiness. “Now, sleep. I need you well rested for tomorrow, else I won’t get my daily dose of ‘Nyooms~’.”

Huffing like a child, she burrows into her covers and cutely glares at me over them. “How can I sleep now after my Hero comes to ask me out on a date?”

I shrug and give her a grin. “No picnic if you don’t sleep!”

And now she’s trying very hard to fall asleep.

I chuckle softly and shake my head, then turn off the light and make my way to the doors, glad to have made her night much better.

Tomorrow, I’ll pamper her plenty.

“Riley?” I pause as I open the door.

I raise a brow and turn my head towards the darkness of the room. “Yeah?”

“Nyooommm~!”

I couldn’t help it. I left the room laughing like an idiot.

A.N. Yep, loved writing this chapter too. The rewrite really does feel much better than the original. Hope y’all think so too!

And I hope ya enjoyed this chapter!