"Dad," Lilyon's voice echoed around the valley. "We're landing on that hill over there."
"Why?" asked Brunos displeased. "I can see the castle is still miles away." He wasn't sure if he was really protesting for the distance to cover was still long or because he didn't want the Petite's warmth to leave his back.
It wasn't easy to convince her to leave her serpent behind. It took them to even speak Chinese though they didn't know anything about it. Not really Chinese but how were they supposed to tell her 'it can frighten the people at the palace?' How would they tell her, 'Leave it behind. You will come to visit it.'
They would gesture for her, and she would stare at them puzzled. Thankfully, Brunos looked at the serpent and made a disgusted face showing that he is frightened and that's when the Petite patted the serpent's head and it went back into the tree.
The connection between them was obvious. The mommy-son type. The serpent looked worried and sad upon being told to stay behind. Brunos and his crew were stunned as they asked themselves limitless questions.
Was it the serpent that carved the tree for her to get a shelter? That protected her from the Pergi? How did they meet? Why was she alone?
Now,
they had been flying all day long and the longer they went the more Brunos felt connected to her. Her heartbeat when they first met was not like when they were flying with their bodies glued to one another. He hoped there would be a way to communicate with her in the future.
"Everyone isn't allowed to get close the castle," explained Lilyon. "The guards might detect you as a threat and I think you know what it means."
Morgan had never fallen from a high distance, but now he was Brunos. The pain he experienced that time when they were ambushed in Valinan was unbearable despite being a memory. He couldn't risk experiencing it for real.
"But I'm exhausted," he said as he safely landed. "I don't know how I'm going to walk down this hill and up that one."
The sight of the castle was further away that all he could see was a huge Crimson Star above the castle. They had told him that Kagern had gifted it to Valeria on her two hundred years jubilee. Which is why when he died, Valeria changed the castle's name from Pegrinan to Crimson Castle to honor him.
"That's no problem," said Lilyon taking steps towards him. "I can feed your hunger."
"But I'm not hungry," Brunos replied his eyes still studying the Crimson Star, wondering how came a man could produce such a stadium-size beam and make it float in the air but fail to give it the shape of a butterfly. "I'm only exhausted."
Lilyon craned her neck to look into his eyes. "Is there any difference between hunger and exhaustion?" She asked muttering to herself. "They are colourful."
After a moment of wondering whether to answer her question or ask her what were colourful, he replied. "Of course they are different. And... and what's colourful? Is it on me?"
Lilyon raised her hands and rested them on his temples, her thumbs caressing the skin near his eyes. "I hadn't paid much attention before, but it seems that your eyes have changed colors. Now they're blue. They were green when we met and amber this morning. And... and red that time we met a Pergus."
Brunos scanned his surroundings and saw there was no blue colour around. Only darkness and the light from the Crimson Star. For this, a wide grin appeared on his face. He was glad to learn that now he had eyes of some colour. His colourless eyes while on earth were the reason he hated mirror the most. They reflected the colour around him which mostly happened to be a mixture of his hair and skin.
They change?
"What do you mean by they change?"
"They change colours after some hours," replied Eleanor after reflecting on her encounter with him.
As they stared at him in awe, the Petite observed them silently and without forewarning, swooshed her claws in the air injuring Brunos severely on his neck.
"What a fuck!" He groaned in agony as he touched the wound to stop blood from gushing out.
Lilyon and Eleanor grabbed her arms unsure of what to do next before realizing what was going on. Brunos's eyes were glowing red.
Lilyon was the first to notice. "They've changed."
"Yes! They are red." Eleanor added.
As Brunos raised his hands in front of his eyes to confirm what they were saying, the Petite stepped closer to him and scanned his wound using the blue light from two parallel lines under her eye.
"The wound is also gone." Said Eleanor surprised whereas Lilyon was suggesting, "Maybe the colour changes because of the change in your emotions."
They all stared at the Petite wide-eyed. "Who are you?"
She was as always puzzled.
"So," asked Brunos as his eyes slowly turned blue again. "How are we going to walk down here and up there with this exhaustion?"
That's when Lilyon kissed him.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to give you some Lust Leaves. With them, you don't feel exhausted or hungry as you call it."
He remembered that he hadn't eaten for two days ago and found it strange. Suspecting it had something to do with the system, he opened the screen and found out that only one lust leaf remained.
But they were five. How came...
"Before the curse," Lilyon's continued explanation interrupted his thoughts. "We used to feed on souls collected from the human world. Now we leave on the Lust leaves. The actual food only satisfy one's tongue but is of no use to the body. Everyone needs two LL a day to survive. One at day, another at night."
'So that's how my four leaves were varnished?' He told himself still listening to Lilyon.
"That witch made it to torture us. She is even the one who created Pergus Forest. The only place where they are found."
"My lady, it's so strange that he had not yet collapsed." Eleanor interrupted.
"Yeah! It's mysterious that you're still on your feet. Two days without consuming them you collapse. Three days, you cannot see. Seventh day, you die." She said reaching for his neck to pull him closer. "That's why you need to have some. You'll pay me back later."
"Do you mean they're given through a kiss?" He protested.
Her lips touched his for a while before she replied, "Or through sex. When given through a kiss, you pay back the other way."
"And you want me to pay you?" He chuckled. "You're perverted and experienced. I thought you've never touched an incubus before."
"Do being blind means not hearing?" She asked walking away. "I learned from Mom's testimonies. She used to describe to me how the whole process worked and how she was lucky. She even told me that she was once fucked by five incubi at the same time."
"Shit... it's your mom you're talking about. Some language please."
"That's how she taught me. She even told me how you used to... Not you! How daddy used to do it to her and how I will treat you when you come. Though you need the queen on your side, you'll always be mine."
They started their journey, an I'm lucky grin plastered all over Brunos's face.
After walking for a while,
*Ding
[Night Quest.
Task: Do something that can revive long lost feelings to whom you do it to.
Notice 1: It's anything you want. The feelings must make her like or love you. They must also make her happy and sad at the same time.
Notice 2: The rewards for this task are given based on the extent of completion.
10% completion, 10 Lust Leaves.
20% completion, 30 Lust Leaves.
60% completion, 70 Lust Leaves + A boost.
Total completion: 60 Lust Leaves + 2 Boosts + a special skill and Level up to Trial Level 3.
Bonus: You will get a hidden ability and 1000 Lust Leaves if you manage to do it on someone you haven't met for at least ten years.
Bonus Notice: The ability will be stronger basing on how many years since you saw that person.
Penalty: If she gets angry with you instead of liking or loving you, you'll need 10 Lust Leaves per day to survive for 3 days.]
When Brunos finished reading it, his heart was beating like Jumanji drums. He would have even fallen if it wasn't for the Petite who had decided to hold onto his arm when they started their journey.
"Your highness, what's bothering you?" asked Eleanor when she saw him sweating.
He stared at them lost in thoughts. The rewards were delicious. He wasn't interested in whichever were boosts or skills or talents. He could imagine having to live 500 days without worrying about Lust Leaves. However, where would he find that person? What would he even do to or for her? He had one night.
Gosh... why isn't it like 100 nights?
At least he could manage.
"Dad?" Lilyon asked after seeing Brunos ignoring them. "What's bothering you?"
He shook the quest for his mind making a face of 'what did you say?'
"Are you alright?" She asked then when he nodded she added, "You better concentrate. We entered guarded territory. Guards might be here soon."
As if mentioning them was a call for their arrival, five succubi appeared from nowhere and put swords on their necks.
"Our influence and help ends here," Lilyon whispered to Brunos. " Only your words can save us or get us killed."
"Who are you?" asked the most beautiful among them, whose almost everything screamed purple including her hair and wings.
"I'm your king." He told the succubus without delay and with conformity.
A kick from behind bent him, and in an instant, he was on his knees.
"How dare you insult our Queen?"
~Hope you've enjoyed. Let me know in votes and comments:)