World: Elicia.
Residence: Avalon.
[***]
The next day, at 8 in the morning, in the living room.
"Don't take too long. Although, to be honest, I still think I should go with you," said Aiden to Leen, his tone a mix of concern and resignation.
"Don't worry, really. I'm just going to have a quick talk with the elders and the council, give Elaine a few instructions to replace me, and that's it. Why complicate things by bringing you along too? It's better to finish this as soon as possible," Leen replied, waving her hand carelessly, as if the matter were a triviality.
Her priority was to finish quickly and return to Aiden; there would be time to go back if necessary later.
"I understand… well, don't take too long. I'll be waiting for you here," murmured Aiden, though his expression betrayed that he wasn't entirely convinced.
"Hmm~." Leen nodded softly before stepping closer with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She placed a quick kiss on his lips, leaving just a hint of her warmth.
As they separated, a magic circle began to glow beneath her feet.
"I'll be back soon, dear husband~. Don't miss me too much, okay?"
Leen flashed a playful smile and, with a flirtatious look, vanished in a flash of light, taking Paula with her.
Aiden stood staring at the empty space where she had been, raising a hand to his lips.
He found it endearing that Leen wanted to return so quickly just to be with him.
As his thoughts wandered, he wondered if it would be possible to create a permanent magical door connecting different worlds.
It didn't seem too complicated; after all, traveling randomly between dimensions wasn't the same as establishing a stable link between two specific points.
Despite the intriguing idea, he decided to leave that project for another time.
Shaking his head to dismiss his musings, he began walking through the halls of the house.
He climbed the stairs and, upon reaching his room, paused when he saw Mukuro sleeping peacefully in his bed.
Her long blonde hair spread across the mattress like a golden mantle, and she was wrapped in the sheets, dressed in rather provocative lingerie.
Aiden couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to sleep "peacefully" the previous night, considering Mukuro had embraced him on one side while Leen surrounded him on the other.
With a gentle smile, he stroked her head without waking her and then lay down beside her.
Carefully, he discreetly pulled out a Game Boy from the [Gate of Babylon], lowered the volume, and started playing Pokémon FireRed.
Even though it was an old game, it remained one of his favorite pastimes.
In his past life, he had been a huge fan of the Pokémon series, to the point of dreaming about creating a virtual reality game using NerveGear technology.
Unfortunately, his death had cut that dream short.
Time passed as he played until the clock struck noon and Mukuro finally woke up.
Aiden put his game aside, and the two headed to the bathroom, waiting for Leen's return.
During the bath, Aiden couldn't help but ask Mukuro for help in dealing with his sexual desire, as he was still quite aroused from the night before.
Mukuro, of course, thought Aiden was as wild as ever, something that seemed to never change.
In the end, both spent a lot of time there, protected by a barrier that ensured the melodious voice of Mukuro would not leak outside.
Meanwhile, Leo Pemptos, Aries Prote, and Salamander were having fun running around the vast Avalon residence.
In addition to the main house, the place had several additional areas, as it was located in a beautiful beachside area.
There were scattered constructions such as training fields, a soccer field, a beach volleyball court, and many other facilities to explore and enjoy.
[*]
At 2 in the afternoon, on the beach area, the sand crunched under their feet while the sky was adorned with clouds and a radiant sun.
Around them, cabins, a soccer field, and, in one of the cabins, a kitchen area could be distinguished.
Aiden and Mukuro remembered how they used to prepare a lot of food for everyone there, especially for Tohka.
Both walked leisurely through the place, accompanied by Leo Pemptos, Aries Prote, and Salamander.
"Hmm, Leen is taking too long…," Mukuro commented, letting her long hair float to the rhythm of the sea breeze.
Then, she added with a thoughtful air:
"I guess it makes sense. She must be busy talking with the elders of her tribe and organizing all the details with Elaine, right?"
In her mind appeared the image of that fairy with blonde hair and eyes of the same color.
Elaine was, without a doubt, one of the most talented fairies.
Leen had taught her many things, preparing her to take on the role of matriarch of the fairies and ambassador of Mismede once she retired.
"Muku wonders if she might have encountered difficulties leaving so suddenly," Mukuro expressed, fully aware of how complex everything could be in the intricate world of politics.
Aiden watched as Leo Pemptos and Salamander dashed towards the beach, flying at full speed until they disappeared into the distance.
Then, he turned his attention back to Mukuro, who was still holding his hand, and replied calmly:
"Well, I don't mind waiting as long as it takes her. It's logical for it to take a while, considering she's leaving her position as ambassador of Mismede and court mage of Brunhild so abruptly."
He knew she would have to give explanations and reasons for her departure, but with her name in play, there likely wouldn't be major problems with the fairies.
After all, Aiden had done a lot for them in the past.
"Besides, she must delegate all her responsibilities to Elaine, her successor, and travel to Mismede to meet the Beast King and formally present her resignation. However, I doubt that will be an issue. She's leaving behind a successor as competent as herself, and after more than 90 years in that role, she more than deserves to retire without any problems."
As he said this, his gaze once again turned to the direction where Leo Pemptos and Salamander had disappeared.
Both had activated their [Balance Breaker], transforming their small forms into their original versions.
Far away, about 10 kilometers out at sea, they began exchanging blows and attacks.
The waves roared violently, and occasional lightning lit up the scene.
The battles continued even in the sky, where, although Leo Pemptos didn't have wings like Salamander, flying posed no obstacle for a being of his caliber.
"Do they like their new 'bodies' that much? Though I understand they need to get used to them, now that they are beings distinct from what they used to be," Aiden commented.
Previously, the spirits were purely spiritual entities, formed from elements like fire, water, or even constellations.
However, now they were independent-avatar-type [Sacred Gears], which required adapting to a new existence.
This process wouldn't be quick, as their bodies worked very differently.
For instance, they no longer produced their own power source; instead, they depended on their bearer's energy to use their abilities and powers.
Aiden could feel how Leo Pemptos and Salamander were drawing large amounts of energy from his body, whether spiritual or magical, to fight each other.
Of course, they could only do this because he had given them permission; otherwise, it would be impossible for them.
Aiden, for his part, had no problem sustaining their existences in their full glory, as his energy reserve was immense.
Since the Tree of Life in his soul fused with the [Monument of the King] and the [Spirit Pieces] of the girls, his energy capacity had grown even further, though it was already colossal.
Now he could maintain the existence of Leo Pemptos, Aries Prote, and Salamander without difficulties all day, if he so desired.
Still, they couldn't produce their own energy yet because they had just "been born" as a new form of existence.
But, once the core of the [Sacred Gears] fully fused with their souls, they would be able to generate their own power, as if they were living beings.
Although the energy they produced wouldn't be enough to enter [Balance Breaker], for that, they'd have to rely on their bearer—Aiden.
However, at least in their basic form, they could fight on their own without depending on spiritual power, magic, or another energy source from him.
"We have to get used to using our powers, and battle is the most effective way to achieve that," Aries Prote commented, calmly observing, in his basic form, the intense fight between Leo Pemptos and Salamander.
"That was also the reason we roamed the world yesterday hunting so many Behemoths."
"Hmm… Behemoths, huh?" Aiden reflected, evoking in his mind those creatures, so diverse and intriguing.
They could take forms such as wooden golems, oxen, or even giant pigs.
He had hunted quite a few of them in the past, as they provided a good amount of excelia.
It was by facing those monsters that he managed to accumulate the merits necessary to move from level 4 to 5 in the [Falna], and later they helped him advance from level 5 to 6.
"Before, Nushi-sama hunted many of those. Although they were quite common, it's surprising they still exist," Mukuro commented, evoking in her mind those monsters and how Tohka and Kotori used to slice them in half with astonishing ease.
"Well, they are creatures scattered around the world, and the world is enormous… I never bothered trying to extinguish them or anything like that," Aiden responded calmly, while refocusing his attention on the battle of the two avatars.
…
A golden lion that mastered electromagnetic energy was facing a fire dragon.
Needless to say, as they trained, explosions came and went constantly.
In the midst of their exchange of blows, Leo Pemptos noticed something: he was stronger than before.
If he harnessed Aiden's power, he could reach heights that once seemed impossible.
He even thought that, with Aiden's help and guidance, he could execute attacks he had always dreamed of performing but had previously been unable to due to a lack of spiritual power or talent.
—Boom!
Leo Pemptos delivered a devastating blow to Salamander's body with a lightning-charged claw, piercing his stomach.
However, the dragon began regenerating almost immediately.
It wasn't that he had flesh, as his body was made of pure spiritual power.
Salamander roared fiercely and, with a swift movement, struck Leo Pemptos with his tail, followed by a breath of fire that sent him flying through the air, forcing him to retreat.
Leo Pemptos' body shone intensely, and Salamander had no time to react as the lion appeared before him in the blink of an eye.
With a furious combo of claws, he sent him flying into the water, where the impact caused an explosion that sent a rain of droplets scattering in all directions.
But Leo Pemptos didn't stop there: from the clouds or his own body, he continued unleashing lightning in various forms, giving him no respite.
Suddenly, from deep within the water, a line of fire—a burst of scorching energy—emerged violently and struck Leo Pemptos directly.
His body completely disintegrated, leaving only the core of the [Sacred Gear] floating in the air.
But that was not the end.
Little by little, lightning began regrouping around the core, which served as its center.
In a matter of seconds, the imposing figure of a lion took shape once again, ready to continue the battle.
Both seemed tireless, willing to exchange blows eternally because the thrill of the fight consumed them.
As long as their cores remained intact (and breaking them was no easy task), they could fight without limits.
But suddenly, a familiar sensation stopped them.
Both frowned—if such a thing were possible.
They looked at each other for a moment, and as if sharing a thought, they deactivated their [Balance Breaker] forms.
Then, they turned their gaze toward Aiden, who was observing the battle from the shore, over 10 kilometers away.
But something had changed.
Aiden had turned his head toward a specific point, and his expression showed displeasure, as if his senses had detected something unpleasant, almost like trash.
Without exchanging words, the two looked at each other one last time and, without hesitation, quickly took flight toward where Aiden, Mukuro, and Aries Prote were.
…
…
…
[***]
End of the chapter
(•_•)
A/N:
Sorry for today's "short" chapter (it's about 2,100 words, more or less).
Honestly, I didn't have much time or inspiration; it's not always possible to spend 3 or 4 hours writing a chapter over 3,000 words.
Even so, thanks for reading and for the usual comments.
Peace out.
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