My vision was blurry as I began to wake up, and I was still dizzy after the last blow Kaiza had dealt me, I couldn't believe he knocked me out, still, what was that yellow blur I saw. My vision began to get clearer and soon, I suddenly saw Kaiza, sitting in a chair in front of the bed, I looked to the left to see Saika and Saniki, both with worried looks on their faces, I was surprised to see Saniki looking worried of all people. I then looked to my right to see… Xenona!? I began to wonder to myself just what in the hell she was doing here, but as soon as I was about to ask, she suddenly hugged me close to her, causing me to go completely red in embarrassment. "Xenona…"
"Should I take you right now as punishment?" she whispered into my ear, moving onto the bed and sitting on my lap. I was at a loss for words as she chuckled, obviously teasing me again, not that it was a surprise to me since she was a succubus. "I don't mind doing it in front of these people," she added, smirking down at me, but soon stopped when Kaiza coughed, catching her attention. I looked over to see him facepalming, and the other girls seemed to be ready to jump Xenona and tear her apart or something. "Maybe next time, Kurou. Don't keep me waiting. I can be patient, but I am a succubus," she whispered into my ear before getting off, sitting down beside me and pulling me into her lap. I could feel her trembling, her arms wrapped around me, and I realized how much suffering I must've caused her by leaving and getting hurt.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to her, and she held me even closer, her chin on my shoulder. Kaiza stood up, catching my attention as I glared at him, not sure what was going on. He had a serious look on his face.
"This is my last warning to you. If you go after Edakura, everyone you love and know will be in grave danger," he said, his arms crossed as he specifically seemed to be looking at Xenona more than me. And when I thought about it, something had attacked Kaiza before I passed out, making me wonder if it was actually Xenona who did it. "What she's apart of isn't anything nice, just like that company hunting you down… Hellzone Corps. If you go after her, I can guarantee…" he looked back at me after staring at Xenona for a moment, "that if you aren't strong enough, this group here will lose their lives. Including your girlfriend." He nodded at Xenona who had her eyes narrowed and looking serious again.
Now that I thought about it, Kaiza had a point, I was going up a highly advanced organization from what Kaiza told me, and if I went with him, I would have been putting Kagura Village in danger, and yet another village would be destroyed. I had a look of deep thought, wondering what to do, Xenona was more powerful than anyone I knew, even more than Edakura, but would even she be enough? I couldn't go after all, I realized this now, I was about to tell Kaiza my answer before suddenly "We can handle it." said Saniki suddenly, and I'd look at her in surprise "Our village is full of trained, powerful individuals, all trained by the village chief or someone else, if anyone can handle some kind of invasion from a group like Hellzone Corps, it's us." said Saniki confidently.
Kaiza's eyes seemed to darken before he turned around and shook his head, crossing his arms. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with us for some strange reason. But my attention was now on Xenona who let go of me and crawled out, walking away. I grabbed her hand, looking at her, wondering what was going on with her. She seemed to be very tensed, a murderous aura coming from her as she growled, reminding me of the time with Sendo. "Vampire princess," was all Kaiza said, and that made Xenona grab her sword, running out the window. I ran and watched her smash something down into the ground and hold her sword to its neck, not even sure what it is. "Seems like she's here too."
I would look at the being Xenona was holding her sword towards, examining them, it seemed to basically be what looked like a black wolf with white, hollow eyes. Something about the wolf didn't feel natural, I couldn't sense anything from it, but there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it had power, and someone must've summoned it, but who? "Where the hell did that thing come from?" I asked aloud, confused as to why a creature like this suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"That's a shadow creature. It's from a realm known as Shadowverse," Kaiza said, walking up behind me, gripping his spear tightly in his hand as he looked out the window too. "We call the wolves Abyss," he explained, the others coming up and looking out the window as well. "Better get your girlfriend out of here. Even Immortals like her are weak against those. Once bitten, their soul is drained infinitely since they can't die. All they feel is eternal pain until they pass out or the creature stops sucking their soul's energy."
As soon as Kaiza had explained that, I didn't need to think twice about doing something, I would jump out of the window, an inferno of green hellfire bursting around my body as I headed towards the wolves. When I made it, I would crash into the wolves, creating a huge combustion of flames that would knock away all of the wolves, sending them crashing into the left and right wall. I stood up in the crater created from the explosion and would glare at the wolves, watching as they all got up from the rubble, then I would raise my sword into the air, covering it in flames before slashing down, sending a powerful ark of flames rushing towards the first group, destroying them.
"I could've handled that," Xenona protested as she walked up to me, putting away her sword. It didn't seem like she knew what the creatures were either if she thought that she could beat them without breaking a sweat. Another figure came out from behind her, much taller than her, and covered in much more scratches too. "Don't touch him, Yuliya. I've got dibs on him and his blood," Xenona said to the other female whom I now know as Eiko, though I didn't know how Xenona knew her. I could only assume that Yuliya was another demon of sorts. Yuliya didn't seem happy about Xenona's words and hit her across the head, making Xenona crash onto the ground. "Hey! What was that for?"
"I have no need for your new toy's blood," Yuliya said, and it made me a little mad at her suggestion, but Xenona beat me to the punch. They flared at each other- and yes, they did flare with flame auras around them- while glaring at each other too. "Hmph. I will end whoever dared to challenge us queens," Yuliya said, turning away from Xenona, her hand in a tight fist, gripping a sword whose blade was a blood red colour. I was completely lost now, looking towards Xenona for an explanation, but she seemed distracted, so I walked up to her and kissed her cheek, my face a bright red. She seemed to be happy now, standing up and holding me close. Now that I had her attention, I decided to ask her my questions.
"Xenona… just who is that? And how do you guys know each other?" I asked, confused at why they seemed to be so aggressive with each other, whatever the case, there seemed to be a clear rivalry between the two.
"This is her royal highness, princess Yuliya of the Vampires," Xenona said with a smirk, nudging Yuliya's side, receiving a glare and a shove in response. I was silent for a moment, taking in the information before jumping back in shock. The woman before me wasn't just a vampire, but the queen of the vampires, and it finally made sense why she said she didn't want to drink my blood. "She's like an older sister to me. Don't worry about her." Yuliya gave a sigh at Xenona, grumbling something under her breath that sounded somewhat like, "You're the freeloader".
"I see…" I said, I made two mental notes in my head after taking in the information, first, be extremely cautious with my words around this woman, and second, don't piss her off, I had a feeling the consequences for doing so would be severe. I would try to keep my composure and would look at Yuliya, holding my fear back "P-Princess Yuliya… if you don't mind me asking… why are you here?" I asked, almost afraid of what her answer might be.
"Seems you chose someone like your old lover," Yuliya commented to Xenona softly, and I guess that I wasn't supposed to be listening, but I still overheard what Yuliya said anyways.
"I won't let him die this time. I know he's your type too, but stay away. He's mine. I won't lose another one," Xenona hissed, almost challenging the princess that I feared. But that was all they said to each other, and both queens turned to face me. Their overwhelming power flowed from them, making me go pale in fear, but it was clear that Yuliya was much more powerful than Xenona, which I never thought was possible.
"I need to take your girlfriend. We're having a problem with the shadow creatures," Yuliya said to me before turning away and looking at Xenona. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I blushed when she suggested that the queen of the succubi was my girlfriend. "They're going after both of our kingdoms. I have a feeling it has something to do with you and-"
"We don't want to speak of that around my 'boyfriend'," Xenona said, smirking and covering Eiko's mouth. The vampire princess didn't seem happy, her fangs sinking into Xenona's hand and stealing blood. "Hey! You're already powerful enough! Don't steal my blood!" Xenona snapped at Yuliya, who swallowed the blood and pulled away, looking disgusted.
"Your blood is too sweet like always," Yuliya commented, her wounds suddenly healing, and her aura seemed much more powerful too. I didn't understand what happened, and Yuliya looked at me, as if knowing about my confusion. "Boy, do you know about the 4 Princess's Alliance and the effects of their blood?" Yuliya asked me, and Xenona seemed to be shaking her head, as if not wanting me to know. But I wanted to anyway. It seemed like important information that could help me on my journey. However, I wanted to know why Xenona was reluctant to tell me, and turned to her to ask.
I would look at Xenona with a gentle expression, smirking at her "Don't worry Xenona, you can tell me about it, I promise I won't tell anyone else." I said, giving her the message that I wanted to gain her trust on this.
Xenona seemed hesitant still, but sighed and gave in, nodding her head at Yuliya. "I'll start with Xenona. As an archon-succubus breed, and a royal, her blood can enhance magic strength and its capacity depending how much blood is drunk." Xenona grumbled, but I didn't understand why since her ability sounded very cool. "As a vampire, my blood can enhance healing ability, allowing your healing rate to multiply several times higher. However, if you touch me without permission, I will end your life. I am not stock or cattle."
I nodded my head in fear of what she would do, and she continued on with her explanation. "The princess of the dragon demons hybrid enhance your physical strength, but I wouldn't recommend her since Xenona would become jealous." Yuliya looked at Xenona who was grumbling about Senna, the one who attacked her. Senna was, after all, a breed of dragon and succubus. "And the last one is the princess of the Pure Blood demons, one that I would never recommend someone as weak as you to drink the blood of. They can change anyone to pure demons, and enhance everything that each of us can only enhance one of: physical strength, healing rate and magic strength. But this is permanent. If your body can't handle the stress of the change, you. Will. Die."
"So don't you dare drink the blood," Xenona said, pulling me into a tight hug. She looked worried, and I wondered if it had something to do with her previous lover or something. "I can't lose you…" she whispered to me, and I knew how much I meant to her, giving her a hug back. No matter how wild Xenona was, I swore I would always be there for her and protect her, even if I was weak. I wouldn't die for her because I knew that would bring more pain to her immortal being, but it was the thought that counted. "However, if the body can't handle it, it will explode. So small doses should be all that is drunken," Xenona warned me, kissing my forehead. "Also, I hate that princess of the Pure Bloods. Looking down at us because I'm a half breed," she grumbled, complaining while hugging me.
"You're a possessive freak, you know that?"
"Shut up, Eiko! You're just jealous because I got a cute one!"
"I-I'm not that cute…" I said in an embarrassed voice, looking up at Xenona. She simply chuckled and gave me a light kiss as a response, and I could feel myself melting into it again. I didn't know if it was Xenona's natural magic, or something else, but I knew that I was falling for Xenona. "Are you using seduction magic on me?"
"How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" Xenona joked, pretending to be offended, but she didn't respond to my question. I decided to just shrug it off, then would look at Yuliya.
"By the way, Princess Yuliya, about those shadow creatures you were talking about… is there anything I can do to help?" I would ask, if Xenona seriously was weak against those things, I wanted to do anything I could in order to help her out, no matter what, even if it was in a small way.
"The threat isn't anything I can't handle. They are mere trash to me," Yuliyasaid, and I could believe that since I could sense the power difference between her and Xenona. "I came to warn Xenona. You need to seal off the entrance to your realm before they infest it," Yuliya said, looking at Xenona from the corner of her eye. "And as you probably have heard from Kaiza," she looked at the blue haired male who was in the background, "their soul draining ability drains us and nulls our ability. Their sole purpose is to take our energy and enhance their own. I have yet to find their master, but when I do, they will pay."
"..." Xenona had a serious look in her eyes as she let me go and stood off to the side. I could tell that this was why she was heir to become queen; because she knew how to take care of her people, and it was like the way she usually acted was a mask. A magic circle appeared under her feet, and it was like a door behind her slammed shut and locked, like an illusion of sort. By the end, Xenona was panting, probably tired from sealing the outside of her door. She looked at Yuliya before grinning, almost like she had an idea. "Hey Kurou. If you become strong enough, you can change Yuliya into armor too!"
"He changed you into armor? Some queen you are," Yuliya said, spreading her wings and flying into the air. They were like bat wings, but I was surprised that despite their tiny size, they were strong enough to help her fly through the air. "I have no intention of becoming armor. If we make a connection, Xenona wouldn't be happy. I'm off to see the other princesses." In a burst of speed, Yuliya disappeared into the horizon with insane speed that I wouldn't be able to match even if I wanted to.
"She acts cold because of how she lost her lover," Xenona said, hugging me from behind, watching Yuliya fly away with me. "Naru was his name. A young mage targeted by a demon and giving his life hell. Yuliya noticed when she was about to drink his blood and killed the demon." Xenona was silent for a moment before she continued her story. "He offered his blood to her, and they grew a bond. She protected him, and he entertained her. She really loved him, and he did too. He was your age when he died." There was a dark look in Xenona's eyes, and her grip around me tightened. "1000 years ago… there was a law that a demon should never have a relationship with a human. Yuliya was a queen, and she was looked down upon, and the demons would never accept her lover. No matter how hard she tried to run with him, it was futile. She was restrained and he was caught… and right before her eyes, killed. I remember… how lost she was for so many years, shut in her room, mourning the loss of that boy. His final words… 'Thank you for everything. I love you, Yuliya.' She was heartbroken, and still is now. Can't find another lover because she still loves him."
I felt both shocked and sad upon hearing the story about Yuliya and Naru, to love someone, only to have them killed right before your eyes, in a position where you couldn't do anything, that was the worst kind of pain anyone could feel. I felt sorry for Yuliya, wishing there was something I could do to help her, but knowing I probably would never be able to. I looked up at Xenona, remembering the tiny conversation between her and Yuliya, and I couldn't stop myself from asking. "What about your old lover?"
Xenona was quiet for a moment, and I was about to take back my question when she picked me up and flew through the air. She landed on a hill where we both could see the setting sun, and sat down, pulling me into her lap. "His name was Katsuya. 1000 years ago, I was a strong leader, and threw all my emotions away to focus on my kingdom. I was the one who influenced Yuliya to fall in love with a human… because I was the first one." Xenona held me close, and I pecked her cheek, making her smile, but the tears were building up in her eyes. "He wasn't liked by other humans. Always bullied… and I found myself stepping in and saving him. He was a short tempered little devil once I got to know him, but his smile was something I wanted to protect. I went to the human realm every day, and discovered this emotion called 'Love'. At first, I didn't think anything of it, but I found myself wanting more. To claim him as my own so I didn't have to share this human boy that I loved. But like Yuliya, the other demons didn't accept my love for this human boy. I was a new demon compared to Yuliya, so my power wasn't strong. It was 2 days before she was found… Katsuya… Katsuya was..." I looked at Xenona, seeing the tears run down her cheeks to the point where she couldn't speak. She just held me close, crying her heart out.
I was silent… at a loss for words about what I should say to Xenona, whatever fate Katsuya must've suffered must've been too horrible for her to speak of. The only thing I could think to do was hug her tightly, and I finally managed to find some words to say "You don't have to worry, I won't die, I swear I won't, I'll become strong enough so that will never happen." I said, swearing that I would make sure I didn't break my promise.
Xenona had a small smile on her face as she kissed my forehead, turning towards the sunset. "The demons wanted to show me a lesson, but he screamed at them to let him take the punishment instead. I watched as he went through the torture, unable to do anything. If anything, it was more torture to me than him." She let out a small sigh, shaking her head. "But every time… he would smile at me and endure it all for my sake. Even when he was slowly dying in my arms, he endured it to stay with me a bit longer. If only I were smarter back then. I could've given him the ability to turn into a demon and… we could've been happy together."
I was quiet, looking up at Xenona who seemed to be lost, and I felt a bit sad that she was torn apart from this person I would never know. "But you know his final words? 'I'll come back for you. I'll be another person, but I'll love you just the same.'" Xenona looked happy as she held me, and that made me happy too. "Even if I have feelings for Katsuya… I love you now, Kurou. And… now that I'm stronger, I will make sure that I protect you forever. So don't worry about me." Xenona went quiet, as if pondering something. "The other princesses in our alliance went through the same thing. We swore that we would leave the other demons and allow our people to love humans. Because you creatures are…" she chuckled, not finishing her sentence.
I wondered what she was about to say, so I would ask her "We are what?" I asked her, curious about what she meant to say next. However, it was clear that Xenona loved humans, considering the fact that she came to the human world all the time, and to think that it was all because of one boy that she came to love humans. I wondered what Xenona would be like if she hadn't met Katsuya. One thing seemed for sure, she would probably not have the same feelings she had now for humans.
"That's a secret," Xenona said to me, putting a finger to her lips, chuckling softly. A sigh left her lips, and she buried her head into the crook of my neck. "I'm a succubus, but you're too young. I can't steal it from you yet. But if I keep getting deprived…" she whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine, "I don't know if I can hold back. Be careful around me, Kurou, or I'll eat you up." She seemed serious, and I wondered what would happen if she was deprived.
I also wondered what Xenona had meant by "deprived" anyway, if I remembered correctly, succubi fed off of pleasure and… sex, now that I remembered I was blushing as red as an apple. "Y-You mean…" I said…but was unable to finish my sentence, just in pure shock as a wild amount of images began running through my head, all of which I tried to block out, but it was no use, they just kept coming. However, I suddenly began to feel a strange force inside me put the images to a complete halt, as if in annoyance, or to stop me from having a nervous breakdown from the thoughts I kept having.
"Aw… you were imagining it, weren't you?" Xenona teased me, picking me up. I looked and watched as she spread apart those beautiful wings she had, reaching out and touching them gently. "I can control myself because I'm not a full succubus, and because I don't want to harm you." She shifted me into bridal position, making me blush while she flew off. Sometimes I couldn't help but feel like Xenona treated me like a child, and I didn't know why. "Kurou, promise me you won't throw your life away for me. I'm immortal, so I can't die no matter what. But you can."
"I swear I won't." I told Xenona as we flew through the air, giving her a serious look, I didn't want to cause Xenona any pain by throwing my life away for her, I'd only feel guilty in the afterlife if I did. Soon, me and Xenona would land, right where Kaiza was, who was currently tapping his foot a tad impatiently.
"Are you two lovebirds finished?" He asked with an annoyed look, aimed at Xenona specifically. Xenona would just look at him with an annoyed expression as well.
"Oh shut up, we were having a moment, isn't that right, my sweet Kurou?" Xenona said while putting me down and hugging me, and I would look at Kaiza and nodded. She chuckled and kissed my cheek like usual before facing Kaiza. "I won't be so forgiving the next time you attack my Kurou. Keep that in mind… Sun. Moon won't get off so lightly either."
"Those nicknames are old like you," Kaiza said with a frown, shaking his head. I didn't understand what she was talking about, but I guessed that the Sun was Kaiza while the Moon was Edakura, which made sense. "…I'm saying this to you because you're technically my 'nephew' now, but you have bad taste in women."
I would scowl at Kaiza, for some reason, that comment of his annoyed me "Tell me that when you hook up with a beautiful girl, 'Uncle'," I countered at Kaiza.
"I don't need a kid. You're enough trouble for me," Kaiza responded, rolling his eyes at me, but smirking before looking towards Xenona. "My sister and I won't forgive you either if you do anything that hurts this boy." He narrowed his eyes, and I could see the outline of a shadow behind him, like Vizas. I still have yet to learn of this demon, or why Kaiza had him, but I would leave it for later.
"We have a long journey ahead, so let's get some sleep," Xenona said, guiding me around Kaiza. We found ourselves in the room from earlier, and Xenona plopped onto the bed. However, there seemed to be only one bed, so that meant Xenona could sleep on the bed and I could- "Let's sleep together," Xenona said, pulling me onto the bed with her. I fell face first onto her, blushing as she shifted the covers over us. "...I'm going to help you find your mother. But more importantly… I'm going to keep you happy. So believe in me, Kurou."
I would smile at Xenona, glad that she actually decided to help me find Edakura, but more importantly, I was glad she was with me. I felt that me and Xenona would probably grow closer together the longer we were with each other. Soon, Xenona and I would finally fall into slumber, Xenona giving me a kiss on the forehead just before we went to sleep. I could feel the warmth of her wings wrapped around us as I drifted off to sleep, thinking about how much I actually loved the queen with me.
"I love you, Xenona…"
"I love you too, Kurou…"