But just before they could burst, the sweet embrace of unconsciousness claimed him. He willingly embraced it and let Triny take over control of his body. The power of his Kaioken receded and the power of nature energy surged.
Countless black tentacles covered Igor's body like a shield, just in time for the profound explosion that followed.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!!
.
|DxD|
.
TIme Chamber: Seven Months Later (1 year and 5 months after entry)
.
Months have passed since that cataclysmic event. Peace and serenity had returned once more to the time chamber. The iridescent lights in the sky illuminated the time chamber without hindrance.
The only evidence that a catastrophe had taken place was the massive hole deep within the confines of the time chamber. The ground in the time chamber was incomparably hard, yet the explosion still managed to gauge out a hole the size of a small house.
The ones responsible for such a mess were safely tucked in bed, or rather, one of them was. Igor was still unconscious, but his body had greatly recovered compared to then. This was due to Triny's diligence in the matter.
Black tribal markings covered Igor's body, signifying that nature energy was flowing through his body. All the injuries he suffered from chakra tearing its way through his body were steadily erased over the months.
Naturally, Igor would be unable to keep up and maintain nature energy flow while unconscious. Again, this was all thanks to Triny's diligence. Their experiment succeeded and through his memories, Triny knew exactly how to merge her chakra and his ki to create nature energy.
Temporarily disregarding the benefits of advancing his healing rate, the ability to produce nature energy had finally allowed her to manifest herself in the physical plane.
Dakaang~
The door to the bedroom opened, but there seemed to be no one behind it. However, the sound of footsteps echoed on the floor before finally, a small pair of hands reached up and clutched on the blanket.
"Nngh!"
A cute childish cry of struggle rang out before the owner of the hands pulled themselves up. Slowly, threads of blonde hair exposed themselves before a tanned childish face revealed itself. It was Triny---her cute little face locked in an expression of struggle.
She held onto the blankets with all the strength she could muster before swinging her leg over. She was draped in a black dress, yet wore nothing under her feet. She rolled over for the last stretch before she finally laid on the bed.
"Haa…haa…haa…"
She gazed at the ceiling with a sense of accomplishment.
"I did it…"
It was a minor victory, but a victory nonetheless. Soon, she sat up and crawled over to her fellow blonde. He was completely covered by the blanket, leaving his face exposed.
She crawled onwards and sat on top of his chest.
"Hey. Wake up. I can feel you're fine now."
She was tempted to sit on his face just to suffocate him for all the trouble he put her in, but she discarded the thought.
"Wake up, meanie."
She tried shaking him, but those eyes remained peacefully closed.
"Hmph!"
She decisively stretched out her hand and clinched his nose shut. If he wasn't going to wake up, then she'll suffocate him to death.
"..."
A brief silence ensued in the room. The gentle yet conniving grin Triny wore spoke volumes of her non-altruistic intentions.
But soon enough, a calm voice called out.
"I'm wondering if I should break your arm."
"Hmph! Try making threats after your voice doesn't sound funny."
"..."
Coral blue eyes opened and met with amber brown. A silent battle was fought between them in a bid to see who would relent first. Triny's grin and Igor's calm glare---it was unknown who would throw in the towel first.
In the end however, Igor was the first to admit defeat by shifting the topic.
"How long have I been out?"
Triny retracted her hand and crossed her arms. For a moment, a brief flash of worry flashed over her eyes.
"Seven months…"
"Hm. I woke up earlier than expected."
"Of course you did. Look at who's been taking care of you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Igor effortlessly grabbed her by the waist, sat up, and pulled her into a hug.
"Thanks for the help, Triny. I knew I could count on you."
And he meant it. His tone was sincere and his gesture was warm. Lord knows what Triny could do with full uninterrupted control to his body. If she wished, she could potentially squash his soul and fully control his body.
It was a testament to just how much he trusted her, and she felt it.
"..."
Triny's true emotions were slowly revealed. His hug was a simple gesture, but it was like the final stone that cracked open the dam.
Drip…Drip…
It was easy to make fun of him and even joke around just earlier. But when he held her, when she felt his warmth and sincerity, it was like the afternoon sun that thawed away the wall she built.
Her arms latched around his waist.
"You…*hik* you almost died…"
Perhaps Igor was unaware, but she knew how close he was to dying in the first few months. In his plans, he had overestimated the defence of her tentacles and underestimated the power of the explosion.
On normal days, he could survive it without any problem, but his body was weakened from chakra-poisoning. He was infinitely…infinitely close to death and she had to expend a great amount of effort just to keep him alive. If he didn't live…she couldn't bear the thought.
"You almost died."
"..."
Igor wasn't insensitive to her dilemma. True to her thoughts, he was unaware how close he was to death, but he could make guesses.
"Thank you for taking care of me."
His words were sincere without repute. He held the little lass in his arms and was grateful for her efforts.
Apologise? That would undermine their hard work. Promise not to do it again? The future was too finicky to chain himself to such a promise.
But for now, he was glad. Triny can form a physical body to use in this world. And as expected, she was strong. Just from her aura alone, she was in the realm of Peak-God Class like him.
Earth's current nature energy levels would never be able to support such a powerful entity purely formed from nature energy and chakra.
Still, all of that no longer mattered. Now, she was strong enough to protect herself. As long as she learned everything she could in the library, she'd have more means of defending herself from anyone who'd seek to take advantage of her, especially if she transforms.
.
|DxD|
.
For the first time in a long while, Igor missed Aurelia from the bottom of his heart. And for the first time, he cursed her existence. Food, food he used to enthusiastically eat now tasted like dirt.
But it couldn't be helped. All Igor knew how to do was add salt to meat and barbecue it with his ki. Such an arrangement satisfied him greatly in the past, but Aurelia's feasts for the past ten years made him used to tastier food.
Sigh…
There was no use complaining. Triny sustained him with nature energy, but it could only suppress his hunger, not replace it.
So with some amount of reluctance, Igor took the roasted leg of a cow and began eating. Just the size of the leg alone was nearly half his height, yet that wouldn't be enough to feed him.
Triny sat on the other side of the table with a smile. A few hours had passed since Igor woke up and her mood was better. In fact, part of the reason her mood was better was because Igor was 'suffering'.
As the person bonded to him, she could feel his clear desire for Aurelia's cooking.
[Hmph! Serves you right!]
She had no desire for food. As it stood, nature energy was being transferred to her remotely, allowing her to maintain this form.
"Hihihi~."
"What are you laughing at?"
Igor looked at her with an unkind frown.
"If I recall, you have the wings of a dragon. Rather than beef, I'm in the mood for some roasted dragon wings."
Krrr…
The chair creaked ominously as he stood up. His eyes turned red, his body slowly being surrounded by a crimson aura.
"Eep!"
Triny dared not linger.
Su!
She ran faster than the winds, but Igor was right behind her.
"Leave me alone!"
"Give me a wing!"
"Nooooo!"
She didn't stop running because if she did, Igor might really tear her a new one. She quickly dashed out the door and disappeared into the skies. Indignant tears streaked across her cheeks when she saw Igor was still behind her with saliva dripping from his mouth.
He just wouldn't relent!
"Waaaaa! I'm sorry!"
She tried to open a gap, but he remained right behind her at all times. And so the minutes passed as Igor playfully chased the young lass. He wasn't wholeheartedly serious about eating her…maybe.
He was hungry, but not to that extent. It wouldn't be the first time he tried eating someone after all. Now that he thought about it, maybe Triny would be tasty.
"Just give me an arm!"
"Nooo!"
"A finger?"
"Waaaaa! Leave me alone!"