I awakened in a comfortable bed. There was no pain. Still, when I tried to move, I found that I was quite stiff.
"Luka, are you awake?" I heard Ilias say off to my right.
I turned my head to face the goddess. "is this a dream?" I asked.
"No," she laughed softly. "I'm not talking to you in your dreams. We're in the castle."
"Is everyone okay?" I asked weakly. I know that in movies the hero sits up in bed and acts like he's ready to get back into the fight. Let me tell you, when you've been knocked cold in a fight, that's not your first instinct.
"Yes, no one died," Ilias said. "You almost did. Your entire body was broken from the fall, but I healed you. By myself, no less. Micaela really boosted my power. I'm nowhere near what I was, but…"
"How did you guys beat Heinrich?" I asked.
"We didn't. We were saved by the appearance of your two mystery friends."
"Two mystery friends?"
"Nero and Neris," Ilias answered. "Neris was powerful enough to go right through Heinrich's anti-teleportation field, and Nero was going toe to toe with Heinrich when she whisked us back to the castle. She found you and brought you back a few minutes later. From what she told me, Nero beat Heinrich soundly. That guy has crazy power."
"How is Alice? And Nanabi? Was Melon hurt?"
"Alice and Nanabi took some heavy blows, but they made it out all right. We all would have been killed if not for Nero and Neris. I wonder why they are helping us? I don't know those two."
"I'm not ready to tell you that yet," I responded.
"What are you ready to tell me?"
"Do you really want to have that talk now?" I asked. "Given what I've told you already, I can't imagine you'll enjoy it."
"I'm also sure I won't be surprised by any of it," Ilias replied. "Luka… given what you've told me so far, why would you stick your neck out for me like that?"
"You asked me to."
"I did, that's true, rather stridently as I recall. But why did you do it so willingly? Supposedly you think I'm this terrible person. Why not just let Heinrich kill me? I was the only one he was attacking."
"I protect the weak, and right now, you're weak. I'm sure you're also very important to our quest. I can't imagine you were sealed into that form without a good reason."
"I'd assumed Promestein or Black Alice did it," Ilias mused. "Not so much to make me little. As you probably know, taking on a weaker form is a way to escape the Six Ancestors' Seal. Maybe I escaped the seal, thus foiling their plans."
"Or maybe just as the white rabbit shrank Alice for her own reasons, seeing that as a way to help her somehow, maybe someone did the same to you."
"Like who?"
"I don't know the answer to that," I admitted. "What I do believe with every fiber of my being is that you'll be needed. There was a time when I thought getting rid of you was a solution. I don't believe that anymore."
"Well, I guess that makes a sort of sense. You saved me because you need me."
"It wasn't just that. Your counterpart and I, we had a long relationship. It had its ups and downs, but I know what kind of person you're capable of being. Maybe that's the purpose of making you weak. So you can experience what it's like to live among the little people."
Ilias seemed to think about that for a few moments. She reached out and took my hand in hers.
"Luka, I've spent my entire existence thinking that I needed to make people believe in me," she said, squeezing my hand affectionately. "But until you, I never really understood what that meant. My followers have always had this vision of me as the sometimes benevolent, sometimes wrathful goddess. I thought that was belief. But you are the only person who really seems to KNOW me, outside of my Seraphs. The way you believe in me…. That's the way I want people to believe in me."
"Then let's save this universe together," I responded, giving her my most charming smile.
"So can we talk about why you've had to save it from me?"
"You already know the answer to that. You had a plan, one of the contingencies being the destruction of all life on the planet if I didn't kill the Monster Lord. That's what happened where I came from. Or would have, if we hadn't stopped you."
"So my plan failed, in every aspect. As megalomaniacal as my plan sounds, you do realize I had my reasons for doing it?"
"You did," I acknowledged. "But they were the wrong reasons. Based on old grudges and a selfish outlook."
"Old grudges? Do you even know what monsters have done to humans over the centuries? Do you know why I sealed the Ancestors and the Dark God? That wasn't just an old grudge. Even with the sealing of those ancient enemies, monsters continued to oppress humanity. You've seen it yourself! Even in this supposed age where monsters allegedly get along with humans, you can't avoid getting raped unless you travel with an entourage!"
"A better world is possible, Ilias. I've seen it. I had this same argument with the Dark God. I had to make her see the light as well. The price she paid was similar to the price you paid."
"You killed her?" Ilias gasped.
"Worse," I chuckled. "I exiled her to a world without magic. Well, that was the first time. Then you sent me back in time and I did things differently."
"Wait, back up! You're really confusing me now. Tell me everything, from the beginning."
So for the next two hours I told Ilias my story. Not everything. But mostly everything. I told her about how she used an opportunity of a confrontation between her and Alice to bring us together. I told her how instead of growing to hate Alice as Ilias had expected, I had fallen in love with her. I told the tale of Ilias' anger and her war against all life, and her eventual defeat. Then I explained how that simply led to the same type of problem with her ancient enemy. I told her of both timelines that came after that, my exiling of myself and Alipheese to my world, then of my destroying Alipheese and recreating both her and Ilias, but in diminished forms(although not as diminished as Ilias found herself in the current situation). I told of Ilias and Alipheese's rape of me to obtain my power, and how it had been a useless endeavour, since I WAS my power, and it could not be taken from me without my consent. All of that had happened in just ten years. The remaining centuries had been spent living in a world of peace and relative comfort, developing a relationship with Ilias. It must have been successful, because she didn't want to let me go, sealing my soul in my own statue in Luka Village, until Tamamo and Eden had forced her to let me pass on.
"Luka, that's an amazing story," Ilias said when I was finished. "How much of that have you told Alice?"
"Well, she knew more than you did yesterday, but today you know a lot more than she does. Ilias, this is a leap of faith on my part. I only tell you all this because I hope you'll learn from the mistakes someone else made, so that you can take a different path."
"Thank you, Luka," the goddess said sincerely. Or at least, she sounded sincere. "I was already heading down a different path, as hard as that is to believe. But first, I need to know something. You said you were a god yourself, if only for a moment. What did you see when you could see everything?"
"I've forgotten a lot of it," I admitted. "But one thing I do remember is all the people. I knew everyone. Their past, their probable futures, their dark secrets, but also their hopes and dreams."
"But didn't you also see how everything fit together? The way nature's laws interacted, the grand sweep of time? How can any of those individual lives matter to you? They are here and gone in the blink of an eye. I wanted to make the world a better place. A place where generation upon generation of humans could prosper, without fear of monsters."
"Do you still believe you were doing the right thing, Ilias?" I asked.
"You know, it's funny," she laughed softly. "From my view, sitting in heaven, seeing the entire world, seeing how it all fit together, it just made sense. I had a clear vision for getting to a better place, and sure, it would cause some short term suffering, but what did that matter if I created a world where everyone would be happy and safe, forever? But I see things differently now. For all my omniscience, for all that I knew how mortals felt about their lives, I thought it didn't matter. Their suffering meant little to me. I only cared about it if it was being caused by my hated enemies. If a human screamed because another human was stabbing them in an alley in Sabasa, as far as I was concerned, it didn't make a sound because I didn't care to hear it. But if a human cried out because a monster was devouring him, I heard that, and it made me angry. I told myself it was because I cared about humans, but really it was just my hatred of monsters. It was all about the monsters, not about those who worshipped me. I never bothered to really KNOW anybody, even though I knew them, if that makes sense."
"It does," I said supportively. "In that brief moment when I knew everyone on the surface, I didn't really know them in the sense that one person knows another. I mean, in one respect, I knew them better than they knew themselves. I knew every detail of their lives and the inner workings of their minds."
"See, you do get it!" Ilias said triumphantly.
"But that was like reading a file on someone," I said. "It was as if I had a file in my mind about every person who had ever existed. I had all the pertinent facts about them. But those were just facts. I knew that Clarissa in Grangold loved chocolate cake. But that still didn't mean that I knew how she felt deep inside when she bit into an amazing piece of chocolate cake."
"Oh my goodness, Luka, I didn't know either! I didn't get human gluttony until I could actually enjoy food! Mortality has its benefits! And then there's sexual pleasure. I never understood why humans debased themselves so. I knew sex was pleasurable, but I didn't fully understand what that meant. For all my omniscience, actually experiencing things has given me a completely different perspective!"
"So then you also know how people feel when they experience pain, or fear they are about to die," I pointed out.
"Yes, that too," she said, looking down. "I knew everything, and yet I knew nothing."
"So does this mean the plan's off?" I asked hopefully. "No killing the Monster Lord, no destroying the world? Are you willing to help me make this world a place where all beings can live in peace?"
"Oh, Luka," Ilias said. "I've been around millions of years. No one changes overnight. But I can tell you this much. All I care about right now is saving this world. After that…. If Alipheese could learn to not try to conquer the world and use humans as livestock, I can do no less. I'll try things your way. For awhile, at least. And if I'm being frank…. I've grown to like Alice. If you ever tell her that I'll throw you in the Sealed Sinner's Prison, do you understand?"
"I think she's starting to like you as well," I laughed. "But I'll let you two hash out your relationship. We've got a long way to go. At the very least we have to travel the rest of this continent and get me three more spirits. And if my first adventure was any indication, I'm sure that will be just the beginning."
"Hopefully we can get me back to my full glory by then. With your power and mine, nothing can stop us."
Ilias grew to her full size and looked at me meaningfully. "Ilias, you can do that?"
"Not really," she said. "Only if I'm in physical contact with you. I can grab small amounts of your power for my own purposes if I'm touching you. Given what you've described, you can stop me if you want. I promise never to use it in a way you wouldn't approve of. I just wanted to stand before you as a woman, not a child."
I noticed that she was still holding my hand. Interesting. Was it something Ilias always could have done, or an after effect of Nero's spell? Ilias climbed on top of me and began kissing me.
"Ilias, what are you doing?" I asked, worried about where all of this was going.I had enough problems with Sonya! Not that I was in the habit of rejecting pleasure these days, but Ilias doing it seemed to bring a lot more strings with it than the monsters merely feeding.
"I'm thanking you properly for putting your life on the line for me. It wasn't the first time. I'm sure it won't be the last. A hero like you deserves a goddess' reward."
"Are you sure there isn't more to it than that?"
"Would it be wrong if there was?" she asked. "Maybe there should be something more. There will never be another man who gets me like you do. You've been a god. You have incredible power. So you want to make the world a better place? Do it by my side. Marrying the Monster Lord enabled you to do so much good! Imagine how much good you could do as this world's god! You have the power, you just don't know how to use it. With me guiding you, there's nothing you couldn't accomplish!"
"Ilias, I'm not even going to be here when this is all over. There is no 'us' after we save this world."
"Only because you don't want to use the power that you have to save yourself," Ilias argued. "With your power, life and death have no meaning. You could be immortal just by wishing it, if you knew how to wish it. As a goddess, I can't comprehend why you already can't. Maybe you just don't want to. You seem to fear your power. You should embrace it."
"it's not about saving myself," I replied. "I did the immortality thing, or something very near to it. Everyone I loved, except for a tiny few who were truly immortal, died. I want to join them. Your counterpart told me herself that there was such a place."
"I believe there is," Ilias said sadly. "You're sure that's what you want?"
"I've never been more sure of anything," I said firmly. "My time passed long ago. My first wife, my children, several generations of grandchildren, almost all of my friends. I want to be with them again. Seeing everyone here is wonderful. But they aren't the people I lived my life for and with."
Ilias climbed off of me, tears in her eyes. I tried to console her. I knew how hard my Ilias had taken it when I'd told her that I wanted to die like a mortal man. And then again when I finally did pass from her world. I misread this Ilias, however.
"Then let me repay you by making you a promise," she said tearfully. "When you leave, to receive your well deserved eternal reward, the Luka you replaced will be left behind. Am I to understand that he believes in the same things you do?"
"I'm pretty sure he does," I said. "The main difference being that he worships you. Every Luka I've ever met except for me has been a devout follower of your faith. I'm different because I originated on a world where you didn't exist. But didn't you know that?"
"As you pointed out, there are limitations to that kind of knowledge. Since he worships me, he'll be especially happy to have me in his life.Well, enough talking over your bedside as if you're about to pass on right now. We have a long way to go. Where do you want to go next?"
"Sabasa seems like the obvious destination. Gnome is in the desert, hiding in the ruins. Practically, I've found her to be the most useful of the spirits. If I'd had Gnome, I wouldn't have needed much healing after that fall."
"Sabasa is a long way away," Ilias said. "That's a week long journey, assuming we don't get lost in the desert."
"Yeah, the first time I tried it was two weeks. Alice had to save me by flying around and locating Sabasa from the air."
"Well, I don't know how it was on your world, but there are a couple of cities on the way to Sabasa which we can rest up in. Not that this castle isn't wonderful, but as big as our party is getting, we'll need frequent resupply. I don't think our pantry can last a week."
"No, it probably can't at this point," I agreed.
"The city of Monte Carlo is two days away from here. We won't want to stay long. That place is a den of iniquity."
"Monsters and humans getting along?"
"Not that kind of den of iniquity. Organized crime runs that place. It's a godless town where every vice is catered to. As a matter of fact, there are several towns in the area like that. Sabasa itself has historically been fairly devout, but the small towns are governed with a light hand. Monte Carlo is barely governed at all."
"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to have a job to do in Monte Carlo?"
"If you do end up with one, it won't be because of me," Ilias said pointedly. "It will be because you can't ignore injustice. But that's a good thing. Go, my hero Luka, and smite the evildoers!"
We shared a laugh at that. I was concerned, however. A lot of people were growing very attached to me, when my time on this world could be measured in weeks, months at most. Should I consider staying? Did I actually have the power to make that happen? And if I did, what of this world's Luka? I didn't have the right to replace him, to leave his soul forever in some kind of limbo. I decided then and there that even if I did want to stay, I couldn't unless there was a way to do it that allowed me to bring this world's Luka back. I would not live a new life at the expense of someone else's.
Since I was not fit to travel for the next two days, Alice left me in the castle while she and a few of the more powerful monsters did the walking. By the morning of the second day, I was able to wander around the castle again. I was grateful that I had been unconscious while my body was broken from the fall. Even more grateful that Ilias had healed me so skillfully.
"Up and about?" Sonya asked. "You looked pretty bad. I screamed when I saw you. I'm so glad Ilias has more power now. Even together we wouldn't have been able to heal you before Micaela."
"Was it really that bad?" I asked.
"Remember your foot under that boulder?"
"Yeah."
"That was your whole body."
"Oh," I said. Now I was really glad I hadn't been conscious for any of that.
"I'm so excited to meet the Queen of Sabasa!" Sonya exclaimed, changing the subject. "I love that a woman is in charge of a kingdom!"
"Women are in charge of two kingdoms," I pointed out. "At least, I assume so. The Queen of Grand Noah is female, right?"
"Yes, you're right, and she's pretty impressive too!" Sonya enthused. "But I've heard so much about Queen Sara! Did you know her back in your world?"
"I did," I said. "And you're right, a very impressive woman. What happened to her father? Where I came from, she didn't become queen this early."
"No one really knows," Sonya replied. "he disappeared, presumably investigating a Tartarus rift."
"Hearing that a lot lately," I noted. "Well, there's still hope for him, then. We know that Marcellus has moved between those rifts. We've visited two and come out again. Alice's mother also disappeared into one, but she's back."
"Well, take it easy today, Luka," Sonya ordered. "I'm going to head outside and join the monsters on their walk. I love traveling!"
So if I'm being honest, I was feeling a little horny. If I'd been ordered to get some rest, I should probably have a monster assist me in resting. But who? So many choices! Should I visit someone who I knew I enjoyed immensely, or try someone new? Melon was our newest acquisition, and I was awfully curious about how she would pleasure me. And I knew that two of my favorites, Kyona and Aisha, were outside as well. So naturally, I headed outside to find them. Finding them wasn't difficult. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves, frolicking around with their new friend, Melon. Seeing me, they greeted me warmly.
"We heard what happened," Aisha said. "I hope it didn't hurt too much."
"I was knocked out for all of it," I assured her. "But I'm doing okay now. A little stiff, still need some bed rest, but I'm on the mend. I should be one hundred percent by the time we reach Monte Carlo. Isn't it awesome to be able to ride in a castle while others do the walking?"
"Sure is!" Melon said enthusiastically. "I get tired really easily. Plant monsters aren't good travelers."
"I've got a shift of walking today," Aisha said. "The Monster Lord needs bodyguards when you're not around. I'm big and brawny cuz I'm a BEAAARRRRRR!!!!!"
"You sure are, Aisha," I said. "Interested in a meal so you have energy?"
"You're offering?" Aisha asked. "I guess it could help you get back to sleep. I'm not really hungry, though. But if you want me to do something really quick, I can."
"Yeah, we just ate last night," Kyona confirmed. "Those guys are really cool. And they love my tongue! But then again, I've never gotten bad reviews."
"I'm sure you haven't," I chuckled. "How about you, Melon?"
Melon turned away bashfully.
"She's a little shy about asking," Kyona said. "She's used to living in the wild, where monsters don't ask. She might seem sweet, but she grabs male travelers."
"I don't hurt them!" Melon said defensively. "My magic isn't very powerful. I can make men come as many times as I want and they never die. So it's not wrong, is it?"
"Melon, you can't rape men," I said. "Just ask. Most men will say yes. If you ask me, I'll say yes."
Melon turned away shyly.
"As hungry as she is, she's not ready for that yet," Kyona said.
"But she asked Alice if she could feed off of me!" I objected.
"That's different," Melon replied. "I can ask another monster if I can borrow their prey. But I wouldn't know what to say to a guy. Guys are all weird about that kind of stuff." Melon whispered conspiratorially to me. "They think it's sexual!"
"You're making them come, Melon," Aisha said. "It may not always be sexual to us, but it is to them. What's wrong with them enjoying it?"
Melon looked down. It didn't look as if she'd be able to bring herself to ask me. I decided that we needed to move a little slow. Progress often comes in small steps.
"How about this, Melon?" I said helpfully. "I'm really curious as to how you'll do it, so I really want you to. So how about you just nod your head? Melon, do you want my semen?"
Melon shyly nodded. I undid my own pants. "Shirt too," Melon said. "This gets messy."
I removed my shirt as well. Melon crooked her finger at me, beckoning me closer. I walked up to her. Melon was a bit on the short side, so her head was right in front of my penis. I expected that she'd get straight to sucking, since I couldn't discern any genitals on her. I'd grown used to the fact that for most monsters, their mouths were their go to technique for extracting semen. This was because other methods were often more work, and many monsters couldn't control their reproductive process, and thus were cautious about letting men into their vaginas unless they had a mating urge.
"Oh, you want me to suck it, don't you?" Melon asked seductively, losing her shyness in a heartbeat now that she knew this was happening.
"Y-Yes. Please," I said, anticipating the feel of her lips and tongue.
"You want me to take it all in my mouth, don't you?"
"Um… Yes?" I answered dubiously, not sure how she'd do that. Her mouth was tiny and looked as if it could barely get around my penis.
"Okay!" Melon said enthusiastically. "But I don't give head."
Huh? I'd heard about such monsters from Alma Elma, but I had never actually encountered a monster that didn't do blow jobs. Alma Elma herself had been quite confused by the phenomenon, regarding such monsters as prudes. How can one love the taste of semen and not want a dick in their mouth?
Before I could finish my contemplation, I felt vines wrap around me. Okay, she's an alraune. I had noticed that she had some vines. No biggie. Then her front watermelon opened like a mouth and I was brought inside it, feet first, all the way up to my waist! My erect penis sank into her fruity flesh on the inside of the water melon. It was not only warm, but writhed around, stimulating not just my penis, but my entire lower body!
"Comfy in there?" Melon asked, looking down on me.
"Wow," I said. "This is amazing! And it smells so nice in here!"
"I have the best smelling pussy in the world!" Melon laughed.
"Wait, this is your….?"
"It is," Melon confirmed. "I was joking when I said I didn't give head. It's just that I'm not very good at it, so I only do it if asked, and only then if a man has really been kind to me. My reproductive organ is like a mouth and pussy all in one. Observe."
The watermelon began chewing on me, causing my penis to sink in and out of the fleshy insides. I was having the time of my life. Ayisha and Kyona watched curiously. Apparently they had never seen a watermelon girl feed before. I bucked wildly as I orgasmed.
"There you go," Melon said soothingly. "Give me a lot. I'm not going to try to make babies with your semen, but since I'm a plant your semen can also help my watermelon to grow back. One of the disadvantages of my organ is that it gets wrecked pretty good. Half of it will be on you by the time I'm done, so I won't be able to use it on another man for at least a few days. So give me a lot of semen, so I heal properly!"
"This isn't hurting you, is it?" I asked, noticing that pieces of her watermelon flesh were spilling out, along with copious amounts of juice.
"It doesn't hurt at all!" she replied brightly. "In fact, It feels amazing! Sometimes I let men eat me out. They can use their teeth and everything! It still feels good to me!"
So many unique monsters, I thought. Maybe I'm in heaven. Maybe this is my eternal reward, I thought. Melon's soft, fruity flesh continued to massage my penis, embedded deep inside her walls. She seemed to take special joy in doing it slowly, maximizing my pleasure. For a good fifteen minutes she just let me bask in the joy of her lower mouth. Or reproductive organ. Whatever it was.
"You're holding up pretty well," Melon giggled. "Now to finish you off. Since you like head so much, how about some deep throat?"
I felt her lower mouth make a swallowing motion, and just like that I was in up to my chest. Oh yes, this was getting messy. I felt the watermelon juice that wasn't quite watermelon juice getting all over me. Meanwhile, I was coming like crazy as my penis was dragged through her flesh excavating new pathways as it went.
"Wow, that's a lot!" Melon exclaimed happily. "I'm glad you liked my deep throat."
With that, she unwrapped her vines and her watermelon ejected me. I shakily got to my feet, covered in watermelon juice.
"Oh no!" Melon cried. "Now you're covered in me! Kyona, Aisha! We have to clean him up!"
Melon's vines snaked out, entangling me once again, this time bringing me to her actual mouth, where she began licking my toes, tickling them. I giggled as her small tongue wriggled between my toes. I stopped giggling when I felt Aisha's gigantic tongue lapping up the watermelon juice on my back. Then I began crying out in ecstasy as Kyona's tongue joined Melon's vines in wrapping up my body, as the tip of it eagerly explored my nipples and my crotch, looking for juice. Yes… this had to be heaven.