POV Thanatos.
Finally, we arrived at Nemesis' laboratory and rested until the next morning. The shared dreams with my sister were a bit unsettling, but they provided an excellent opportunity for an important conversation.
After showering, Nemesis told me to take Evelina with me and go up to the top floor of the skyscraper.
She went to find Spica, and I headed to Evelina's room, where I had left her before my sleep after comforting her and letting her fall asleep.
Walking along the white corridor, I reached the door and knocked, — Evelina, it's me. Are you asleep?
There was silence in response.
I pressed my ear to the door and heard a faint hiss of air, as if there was wind inside the room.
Frowning, I lowered my gaze to the floor, noticing green gas seeping through the gap.
— E-EVELINA! — I panicked and shouted, pounding on the door.
Entering, I found myself in mild bewilderment.
The green-eyed brunette was emitting acidic mist from her hands, which had destroyed all the furniture in the room. Evelina sat against the wall, her gaze sad, almost lifeless, staring into emptiness.
Her suit wasn't affected by the Acid's energy due to it being a wonderful gift from Morena, but it didn't save Evelina's spirit. Noticeable reddened cheeks had been rubbed from constant tears throughout the night. Even in this state, she looked very attractive and appealing.
I realized that Evelina was emotionally devastated and broken, even after I had consoled her for hours.
— Darling, why are you sitting on the cold floor? — I approached her and crouched down, touching her black hair, — It hurts my heart to see you suffer.
— You know, I... — Evelina spoke very softly, her voice breaking from crying and sobbing.
Apparently, she pretended to be asleep to not disturb me and allow me to rest, and then she had cried all night.
Had I known this would happen, I wouldn't have left her side and wouldn't have slept at all.
— You didn't sleep, did you?
Evelina nodded and admitted, — If Agatha had been taken earlier, I would have just grieved in your arms, but now... It hurts so much, it's so bad... this awful feeling of absolute helplessness and loss.
During our conversation, my clothes slowly disintegrated, but I paid no attention to it. I put on a smile and began to caress and comfort Evelina, nodding to her words, — I know that feeling. But rest assured, you will reunite with Agatha, as will all of us. I will do what I must.
For a few minutes, we said nothing, and I decided to break the silence, — Come with me, Spica and Nemesis are waiting for us. You can just listen to us and not speak if you're not in the mood. But we will be discussing our relationships with each other, getting to know one another. So, I want you to be present.
— Phew, can't we postpone the discussions?
I shook my head, — No, we can't. Get up, lazybones.
Reluctantly, Evelina got up and walked with me to my sisters through the spacious corridors. After greeting passing employees, we took the elevator to the top floor.
Entering the relaxation area, we witnessed a beautiful sight: the lower part of the room was adorned with rectangular floor tiles, white tables, chairs, sofas, and pots of plants. If you walked further, you could enter a greenhouse with a designated artificial ecosystem.
Dome-shaped walls and roof look quite picturesque from the inside, and the daytime sunlight creates a very cozy atmosphere.
— Wow, not bad, — I said, approaching my sister and cousin.
Evelina sat on the edge of the sofa, holding a pillow tightly to her.
Nemesis and Spica greeted us, and Spica was the first to speak, — What serious conversations are we having here? We've already discussed everything in private.
— It's more related to Nemesis, but it's better to discuss everything together and all at once, — I replied.
Spica nodded at my words and called for the parrot Florence, who joyfully flew around the plants above our heads.
I activated the communicator and, connecting with my "soulful" wife created a protective barrier around us.
— I'll start with the fact that I broke your sword... — I admitted.
— WHAT? — Nemesis exclaimed, standing up from the sofa, — How did you break it? Who did that?
—Morena Sirius, — Spica said ahead of me.
Nemesis looked at us with confusion, waiting for explanations, and Evelina grimaced at the mention of the annoying Empress.
— It's a long story, but in brief, I can classify her as an ally and a potential partner. Although for more accurate conclusions, we need a lot of clarifying information and...
Suddenly, the space vibrated, and before us appeared the Undead Queen, speaking languidly, — You called me, dear Thanatos?
— M-Morena... — remembering her presence in several of the ten thousand attempts, Nemesis got up and shielded me with her body, addressing the Empress, — What are you doing here? Leave before my mother arrives.
— Your brother activated a barrier, so she doesn't know I'm here, — Morena said, pushing my sister away like an annoying fly. She sat on my lap and smiled, saying, — And these are the women you managed to gather? Where's another mortal, the sister of reckless and immature Evelina?
— You bitch, I'll knock your teeth out, — Evelina snarled, about to hit Morena, so I had to calm everyone down.
I spent a few minutes reducing the aggression, then spoke, — You are all here to dispel a large part of the veil of lies. Since my life will be linked to all of you, falsehood and deception are the last vices on par with adultery that I never want to catch from women I care about.
— And what do I have to discuss with children? — Morena asked, shrugging her shoulders, — Only with Spica can I discuss something meaningful. You immature fruits of the imperial eucalyptus can't comprehend philosophical concepts. However, relationships are not such a heavy topic for us.
Nemesis sat to my left and, drilling a hole in Morena with her gaze, said, — I agree with Evelina. Besides, I'm not so small as to be lumped together with Thanatos and Evelina.
— Morena, be a little softer, okay? — I calmly requested.
— Fine, I'll tolerate your company for the sake of Thanatos, — Morena waved her hand demonstratively and hugged me tightly, as if displaying magnanimity towards my girls.
— Hm-m, now that we're talking about you and me, tell me about your agreement to become the bride of my uncle - Erebus from the Divine Dragons sect.
Hearing my calm tone of voice, Morena fell silent and, looking away, gave Spica and Nemesis a spiteful glance, then she growled at them with a deadly tone, — Confess, who blurted out this provocative nonsense, ignorant youngsters! Are you misleading my husband to spoil our relationship? It might seem like a clever move, but only if you have the strength to withstand my cold-blooded wrath.
Nemesis sensed the threat from her and raised her hands, pointing a finger at Spica, — It was probably my cousin, I only recently found out that you got involved with my beloved brother.
— Oh, you treacherous scum! — clenching her fists, Spica tied Nemesis with plants and playfully started choking her.
Sitting on my lap, Morena wanted to address Spica, but I explained, — Spica told me that most of your arrangements were mostly verbal, but I would like to hear from you personally why you didn't tell me about this. I'm just slightly bewildered - are you hoping to catch me and, as a bonus, my uncle, or was he just your best option before meeting me?
Morena smirked whimsically and began scratching my cheeks with her claws, — You are perceptive enough to come up with two of the most likely options from a large number of other possibilities. What do you think, which option am I adhering to?
— I'd like to believe the second option. If it's the first option, then I will definitely find a way to break the 'unbreakable' Soul marriage contract. Even if I have to kill you for it.
— WHAT? A Soul marriage contract? So, she's your soulful spouse? — Nemesis said with envy in her voice. She tore the plants holding her and grabbed Morena by the wrist, shouting at her, —How dare you bind your life with him without my knowledge! I will definitely tell Niks about this! Let's see what she does to you after that.
— Nemesis, I asked: no violence, threats, incitement, or swearing, — I commanded, frowning at my sister.
Her blue eyes lit up with a bright light, but Morena raised her hand and struck Nemesis on the crown of her head with the edge of her palm, calming the white-haired girl down.
After that, I didn't resist Morena's kiss on the cheek, waiting for her words.
She put out her flame and lay her head on the sofa, throwing her seductive legs over me, — I'd planned to marry Erebus before, but you proved more promising by knocking me out for real. You could have raped me if you'd been driven by lust. But you're a decent boy, because I was unconscious for quite a while. I didn't tell you about Ereb, as his existence is a trivial matter to me. It's nothing important, and even if he knew about you, I'd punch him if he tried to get rid of you. I've already made my choice.
— Thank you... I guess, — I said, feeling awkward. After all, I need time to adapt to all this fantasy.
— Hmph, I demand a new sword from you! — Nemezida snapped.
— Alright.
— What are we discussing next? — Spica inquired.
— Nemezida's lies, — I said, turning to my sister, — You've been deceiving the truth for so long that I had to seek it from external sources. In the end, I contacted Morena and started paying more attention to other girls than to you. Do you really want to slowly ruin our relationship?
Nemezida remained silent for a few minutes, contemplating various dreadful outcomes in which she and I would surely part ways. She suddenly burst into tears in front of everyone, admitting that she had become a pathological liar, — I've been lying and deceiving myself. My affairs are so bad... I enjoy lying, hiding the truth! I-I can't stop myself, Thanatos! Please forgive me for this. I'm more than sure that I wouldn't have told you about my pregnancy until the very end, that I would have kept our family a secret. I like secrets, concealing the truth of important information. I get psychological pleasure from it...
— You're pregnant? — Spica, Morena, and Evelina simultaneously exclaimed.
I didn't know what to say to her words. Nemezida had to admit something similar.
Without answering the girls' questions, I spoke to the culprit, — Sister, this is very wrong. If you were hiding trivial things, I wouldn't even blame you, but lying about something important has become a serious obstacle in our relationship. In just two weeks, we've gone from loving siblings to constantly arguing and apologizing to each other.
— R-right, you're right...
Spica turned to her cousin, "I'm surprised that with your upbringing, you admitted the truth to us and to yourself. That's very good. But I don't think you'll change."
Taking my feet off Morena, I hugged and comforted the crying Nemezida in my arms, saying soothingly, — She doesn't need to change. I lived with her peacefully for 17 years before this, and I didn't feel any problems with that. She won't be my only woman, so let her be herself. I'll handle it wisely, redirecting her lying nature to a different path to some extent, so it will bypass our relationship.
Nemezida genuinely didn't understand how to get out of this situation, so she asked, "W-what do you suggest, little brother?"
— First, we'll make a Soulful Wife pact to reduce the temptation of lying, and secondly, I'll always point out to you directly whether you're lying or telling the truth. That way, it will deprive you of the pleasure and comfortable environment, encouraging honesty in exchange for praise.
— But if I feel uncomfortable, it will mentally hurt me, — Nemezida boldly supposed.
— That's right, you told the truth, good for you, I stroked her head and smacked her lips, explaining, — You're going to have to suffer.
This will eventually teach you not to take pleasure in lying, associating it with discomfort. Considering your age, the changes will happen slowly but surely. For now, we'll proceed like this, and in the future, I'll take more radical measures.
— Cousin, this might work. I praise you, — Spica nodded, fidgeting with impatience. While stroking her parrot, she became more patient than usual.
Meanwhile, Evelina listened to our conversation, looking out the window with another cushion in her embrace. And Morena carefully read our faces, analyzing the conversation.
— Nemezida, did you sacrifice the best progress for the sake of a joint child? Was it a conscious choice? — the Empress inquired.
— He actually raped me in the pussy without my permission, but I don't regret anything. Our little one is as essential to me as air in my lungs! The fruit of our love...
— What do you mean "sacrifice"? Can't the Dual Cultivation's special techniques negate my case? — I asked.
As far as I remembered from Nemezida's words, this could be rectified.
Spica crossed her legs and said, — But it still affected her. Now she will never reach the rank of a Star Galaxy. And she never condemned you for this.
— What do you mean she'll never reach a new rank? Is virginity REALLY that important?
Morena grabbed my right hand and rested her head on my shoulder, saying, — It's very unlikely that she'll break through to a new stage of evolution. Elevating within the same rank without chastity can be done rather smoothly, but progressing through evolution stages is very difficult. At the moment of losing vaginal virginity, there's a huge surge of Negative Energy that leaves the body and never returns, depriving female cultivators of the best progress prospects. For men, the loss of Positive Energy occurs on a smaller scale, but it happens after each sexual act. Therefore, the Succubus race is very dangerous for men, as it feeds on their Positive Energy, transforming it into Negative.
Nemezida approvingly nodded at Morena's speech and added, — Little brother, never get involved with the race of galactic prostitutes! Most of them are essentially public restrooms, carriers of various infections.
— I wasn't planning on getting involved with them, chastity I replied, inadvertently picturing a seductive succubus with two horns in my head, performing a striptease at my feet.
— Well, Thanatos, you're terrible! chastity Nemezida noticed that I got lost in vulgar thoughts and pinched me on the nipple in spite, — Don't even think about them, or we'll fuck you up to death ourselves, right, Evelina?
— Y-yes... — she awkwardly smiled, blushing like a ripe strawberry.
Evelina felt awkward because we haven't had sex yet. All I did was put the stick behind her cheek, put my crotch on her rippling fangs.
The bright sun was scorching our backs through the sturdy glass. We stepped back a little from serious discussions, starting to drink coffee and enjoy snacks. There was a respite, allowing each conversationalist to digest the information, and it allowed me to reflect on my own.
With Morena, I discussed the most important question, and her answer satisfied me. Nemezida's problem is quite solvable, but not immediately. I'm fine with Spica, but I still don't feel that spark between us. It's not critical since our time hasn't come yet. As for Evelina, I must definitely keep an eye on her, particularly her psychological state.
I'll grow stronger with her so that she doesn't feel inadequate and useless. Similar problems might arise for the girls, where their individuality and strength get overshadowed by a powerful man.
Since, apart from Agatha and Evelina, all the other women are stronger than me, I'm going avoid such relationship problems. However, my personal weakness weighs on me as a man, as a masculine male.
But these minor issues are solvable, especially now that I can deceive time itself.