"So, Varanaxus was defeated? Hmm, to think that someone on the mortal realm faced him and won? How interesting." A large demon wearing a crown of flames asked, looking down from his throne of ornate obsidian at the messager that had arrived moments earlier.
"Y-yes, my King. The details are still unknown, but a few of his Generals went through his gate set up in the Cave of the Lost Princess when he did not return, and all they found was dead demon soldiers, and Varanaxus's corpse. His head looked to have been beaten in by pure blunt force." The messager said, and the Demon King rubbed his chin in thought.
"So, there was no sign of my daughter then?" He asked, and the messenger shook his head.
"No, my King. From what I gathered, the dormant soldiers were stirred by the local life, and not by the Princess." The messager said.
The King just nodded, as he sat back, and grabbed a glass full of a red liquid that he had on a small table next to his throne.
"No matter. She will return some day. I know she will. That conscience of hers will eat away at her until she does, as well as the blood bond. Yes, yes, all in due time." The Demon King said, smiling at the thought, "That is all, you may go."
The messager bowed to him.
"Yes, my King. As you wish."
As the messenger left, the Demon King pondered the predicament. It was infuriating to say the least. All because of that damn mother of hers. This is why their kind having morals was irritating, but he couldn't pass up the power their blood held. Even gaining a fraction of that power through the marriage ritual had proven a great boon. The ability to tell his soldiers what to do, and them being compelled to listen? It was truly the best thing a ruler could ask for.
However, demon blood also connected you to your family. Even from this distance, through the barriers between realms themselves, he knew his daughter could feel her mother's pain. Her misery. Her despair. Even muted, the feeling must be excruciating for someone like her.
"The longer you wait, the more she suffers. That'll have to do, for now." He said, a smile parting his lips.
He sat there for a while, and then began to ponder the other issue, which he found more interesting than anything else.
"And then there's this unknown factor. One who can contest a demon lord from the 5th hell? Very interesting. I wonder just what kind of monster they are?"
●●●
"Sid, what the hell are you wearing?" Carl asked me as he sat across from me.
Thad began to laugh.
"It's definitely something I never thought I needed to see. Thank the lord for my wife's sense of fashion. Looks like you've grown. Those muscles are liable to tear that shirt in half." Thad said as he continued to chuckle.
"I think it's super cute!" Yuna exclaimed.
"I will take full credit. Don't worry Sid, there will be plenty more where that came from, and I'll make sure they fit you better." Rya added with a smirk.
I just groaned. Once we had left the airport, we made our way to Liz's home in short order, and we all made our way to the living room. I was currently sitting with my snickering girlfriends on one couch, with Thad sitting on one couch with Rya, and Carl sitting with Yuna on another. Clyde and Lina sat on a couch to our right, and currently servers were bringing us drinks, and apparently they were currently making "a shit ton of food," as described by Rya.
And of course, instead of jumping right into important matters like normal people, it was apparently decided that making fun of my outfit was the first order of business. I just let everyone get it out of their system beforehand, as I did think some lighthearted banter was helpful to ease our spirits, even if it was my pride on the line. I guess I didn't really care about that as much. We all came back alive, and that's what was important.
"So, while I'm enjoying this more than I should, we do have important matters to discuss." Clyde said, and everyone quieted down.
I looked over to see Lina's grim expression, and that just got me even more curious. She was so distraught by the mention of demons, that her pink aura I saw once before was leaking from her in small waves, but no one else seemed to notice.
"Yes, we were all quite worried when you said things went bad, but you didn't say more than that." Carl said, and Yuna nodded.
"Out of curiosity..." Thad began, looking at everyone else before he said, "Was the Earthquake we all experienced a while ago connected to whatever happened?"
"That was a big one, and so sudden. It also makes me wonder." Clyde said, and Lina nodded in agreement with his words.
"It was... something." Yuna said with a small smirk.
"Y-yeah. Definitely unexpected. It was all over the news as well." Carl said, and the man actually flushed for the first time that I'd ever seen.
The look that Yuna was giving Carl made it clear that I really, really didn't wanna fucking know. Moving on from that however, I was a little surprised that me unleashing my power could be felt from so far away. I had felt the ground tremble beneath me, but for it to be felt from so far away was a little fucking ridiculous to hear. Even the 3 women who were there looked a little shocked, and Rya looked at me with a bewildered expression.
"I had jokingly thought about you causing the whole world to shake, but it seems I was closer than I realized. Does anyone know how far it went?" Rya asked, turning from me to everyone else.
Everyone stared at me from that statement, as Rya had all but confirmed that it was indeed me who did that.
"Damn..." Clyde said, running his hand through his hair, "From what I saw and heard, people as far as Illinois felt the Earthquake. I assume those of equal distance as well."
"Holy fuck." Was all I could say. That was fucking insane.
"You have yet to explain what happened out there." Thad said, causing everyone else to voice their agreement.
I looked over at Liz, Naida, and Rya, and they all nodded at me. I guess they wanted me to tell them the details. I looked over at Clyde and Lina, who both looked nervous, although Lina was trembling, although most people wouldn't be able to tell since it was so slight. Ever since the mention of demons, she'd been on edge. Hopefully she would explain what was going on as I told them the story.
So, I began to tell them everything. Everyone gasped, besides Clyde and Lina since they already knew, as I told them about facing off against demons. They all had questions and other things they wanted to ask, but they patiently listened to me as I kept talking. Everyone now and then, my girls and Rya would interject or add in their perspective on things, such as when I told them about my fight with the first lesser demon.
"I was no match for it. The bastard sent me flying, but Sid was there to catch me." She said, grinning at me, "He thoroughly kicked its ass. It was very impressive."
Thad had pulled his wife into his side, and gave me a grateful nod.
"Thank you, Sid. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her." He said, and I smiled and nodded back.
"You've all become like family to me. I'll do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe." I said, making everyone smile, and my bonds fill with so much warmth, I felt like I got hit with a fire ball.
"What happened next?" Carl asked, as the man was literally at the edge of his seat.
I went on to tell them about the bodies we had found, and everyone was solemn at that news. They were just regular people exploring, and their curiosity got them killed. We didn't even meet any of the others that had went into that hellish cave with them, and for their sakes, maybe someone making them forget what happened wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Still, it didn't change the fact that their friends and families would have to go on and find a way to live without them in their lives. And that... was fucking depressing.
I shook my head to dispel those thoughts, as I couldn't do anything about it, as much as I wished I could, as I continued. The mention of the greater demons did get another rise out of everyone, especially Lina, as I explained my fight to them. Lina in particular looked the most shocked when I explained that I not only fought 2 of them at once, but that I had won. Seriously, what the fuck was going on with her? Clyde looked worried for her as she fidgeted in place. Perhaps she will explain more once I'm done.
"It takes a team of powerful individuals to fight just one greater demon, and yet you beat two all by yourself?" Thad asked, and I nodded.
"It was so cool." Nadia said with a dreamy smile, but then it disappeared, and then she frowned, "Until it wasn't."
"It gets worse?" Yuna asked, and all 4 of us who were there nodded.
"There was a portal inside of that cave. One of the greater demons opened it before I killed them, and the demon inside of it was really pissed off." I said, and Lina's face went pale, and she finally spoke.
"What was it???" She asked in a panicked tone.
My eyebrows rose at the show of emotion, but I answered her regardless.
"It was a demon lord by the name of Varanaxus." Rya said, and I inwardly thanked her, as I had forgotten the fucker's name.
Lina gasped, and actually began to breathe in and out quite heavily. Okay, so the curiosity had morphed into more of a, "I need to fucking know."
"Lina, you've been acting strange, like you know something, ever since the mention of demons. What's going on?" I asked, as now everyone was also looking at her.
Clyde came to her aid.
"She's... well... has had some bad experiences with demons in the past." He said, and I could tell that while he wasn't lying, he wasn't telling the full truth either.
"What kind of experiences?" Rya asked suspiciously, as she seemed to be firmly in the same camp as me. Something here was off.
Lina rested a hand on top of Clyde's, and gave him a strained smile.
"I'm sorry for interrupting. Please. Can you tell us the rest. I need to know. I promise to tell you more... just... please." She pleaded with me, and the watery eyed look she gave me cut me deep. Whatever she knew, it was obviously painful for her.
"I still want to know what this is all about, but fine." I replied, gentler this time, and then I went on to give them a play by play of the battle.
The shocked gasps were quite prevalent as I relayed how I got my fucking ass kicked for a while there. How strong the demon lord was, how he shrugged off all of my attacks, and just how much of a fucking asshole he was. I left out what that prick and I talked about for now, as that was truly the most informative part of that whole meeting. Plus, it would provide for good discussion, and I was hoping that would finally get Lina to open up about what had her so on edge.
Here was the hard part for me. I gritted my teeth as I relived the scene, and then told them what happened. Rya shook with rage and Nadia's tails thumped rapidly against my back as I told them about what that cocksucker did to Liz. Liz leaned into me, reassuring me that she was fine. She was strangely the most calm about the whole ordeal, and even the bond affirmed that was she mentally sound, if a little wiped out.
Thad was trembling, and I didn't blame him. I actually heard his knuckles popping and cracking from balling them into fists so hard. Liz let go of me, and stood up. She eased her way over to her dad, and the man shot up instantly and pulled her to him.
"Oh... my sweet girl..." Thad said, and it truly seemed like he was unable to find the words from being all choked up, as tears ran freely down his cheeks.
Yuna had gotten up during this time, and she rubbed Liz's back, and then hugged her once Thad had let her go. I could tell she loved Liz as well, given the wet eyes and soothing words she spoke to her. Honestly, I think I really needed this kind of heartwarming shit after the prolapsed asshole of a day we all just had.
Thad turned to me, his voice shakey.
"Please... tell me he suffered." Thad said, and normally I'd be shocked to hear a man like Thad say something like that, but I completely understood him.
"He did." I growled, my voice rumbling the glasses on the table in front of us, causing everyone to stare at me in shock, "Sorry."
"What happened next?" Lina asked, sitting forward with baited breath.
I told them about the depths of my despair, of my fear of losing Liz, and then my explosive anger. I was sure that was what caused the Earthquake that was felt in other fucking states, and that had me wondering just how much mana my body released at that time. I had never really told anyone before, but it was time to truly start figuring out what I was, so I told them about the weird thing that happens before I gain more power.
Carl was the first to address this point.
"You say it feels like something is physically cracking inside of your chest?" He asked, and I nodded.
"Every time it happens, power rushes out of my core, and it strengthens me more and more each time." I replied, and he looked to be deep in thought.
"I'm also interested in that, and about this red lightning of yours. Can you replicate that?" Thad asked me, far more composed than earlier. Liz had stayed with him, and she sat sandwiched between Liz and Rya. It was heartwarming to see just how much they loved her.
"Hmm... I think so." I said, and then held my arm in front of me.
I gathered my mana in my outstretched arm, coating my whole arm and hand in electricity. It sparked with even greater power than before, everyone's eyes widened.
"Incredible power..." Carl said, his jaw slack, and Yuna's eyes were lit up as she observed with wrapped facination.
"I'm glad I hired you..." Clyde said, with Lina staying silent next to him, but her eyes were bulging.
"That is... impressive." He said, sounding very impressed, then he tilted his head, "It's the same blue it normally is though."
It was, despite being much stronger. I concentrated and tried to summon the red lightning, focusing on not the power of the mana, but the feelings I had when I released it. My mind flashed back to seeing my beautiful girlfriend stabbed through the chest, and then tossed aside like a meaningless object. Rage filled my mind once again, as fresh as when it happened only hours prior.
My lightning crackled and fizzled, and my sight became tinged with red. Suddenly, my arm erupted with crackling red lightning, and the strength of the mana surrounding my limb seemed to double in power.
"Holy shit!" Thad exclaimed, his eyes bugging out.
"You can say that again..." Carl said, staring intently at my arm.
Yuna and Clyde seemed dumbfounded and memorized by the power being emitted from me. I was in much better control this time, although the rage I felt was still very real. At least I knew how to trigger this effectively, although I could feel that I had to be careful not to get too worked up, as my ego kept urging me to leave the home, go find every criminal in the city, and turn them all into mince meat.
"So beautiful..." Lina said as she inched closer, almost falling out of her seat.
I gritted my teeth as my anger tried to boil over. Nadia's hand reached out and gently laid her hand on my forearm, while Liz reached out from across me and laced her fingers with mine. They both sent warmth and love through our bond, and through their touches as they eased my mind. My power didn't even seem to phase them, as it ignored them completely. It was an instinctive need to always protect them, to never cause them harm.
"Everything is fine, love." Nadia said sweetly in my ear.
"And I'm fine babe. I'm right here." Liz said in a gentle tone.
The raging fire inside of me was doused in an instant, and I let my power fade, the electricity disappearing into sparkling motes. Liz smiled from across from me, while I felt Nadia plant a kiss on my cheek. I was once again reminded of how incredibly lucky I was to have the most wonderful women to ever exist at my side.
"Thank you. Sorry about that, I let myself get carried away." I said, my girls giving me loving smiles.
"Well, isn't that something? It seems love is its own power." Yuna said with a genuine smile.
I'll say. You should see the other guy." Rya said with a savage grin.
The other men in the room stayed silent, as they seemed to still be trying to decipher what they just saw. Lina, on the otherhand, looked like she was going to die if I didn't tell her the rest. Throughout this whole discussion, I had kept a close eye on her, and after feeling her mana for a while as it slowly leaked out of her in irregular waves, I realized something. It was different from everyone elses, but also very similar to something I've felt before, and quite recently.
"What happened next?" Clyde asked as he got a hold of himself, and both Thad and Carl seemed to shake off their daze, and went to listening to me intently once again.
So, this was the more fun part of the story for me, as I described in great detail how well and truly fucked the demon lord up, dismantling him with ease once my power had increased. Thad in particular looked very pleased as I explained how I just kept punching and pulping his face over and over again. I thought that was a pretty neat part of the story as well.
"That's brutal. Good job, son." Yuna said happily, and Carl nodded in agreement with that.
"To defeat a demon lord that strong with your bare hands..." Lina said in awe, but she still looked sorrowful, almost regretful.
"And tell me, how did you do it? How did you save my girl?" Thad asked, and I smiled at him, even though my nerves began to run rampant. I would have to tell them the thing I'd been holding back from telling them, but it was high time they knew anyways.
"Girls, please show them." I said, resolute in my decision.
They nodded at me, understanding my meaning, and they pulled their shirts aside. The soft and delicate skin was nice to see, but the more important part of this was the marks on their chest, now visible to everyone. Thad and Carl stared opened mouthed, while Yuna just looked thoughtful.
"Are those... your initials?" Clyde was the first to ask, and I hesitantly nodded.
"Sid, why are your initials seared into my daughter's skin?" Thad asked pointedly.
"I too wish to hear the answer to that." Carl added, although he seemed more curious than angry. Hell, Thad didn't sound as angry as I thought, he just genuinely wanted to know the answer.
"So... like..." I said, schooling myself and accepting the fact that I had to tell them this, "After you daughter's and I were... intimate with each other, my power flared within me, and it marked their skin. I couldn't control it." I said, and Yuna smirked at that comment.
"Sounds like those grandchildren are closer than I'd hoped." She said with a giggle.
Liz and Nadia flushed quite furiously, and while I had gotten better at controlling it, I still did too, just not as much. Rya giggled, while Thad and Carl just stared at me. Tue girls released my arm and just put their hands in their laps as they fidgeted.
"I assume this is recent. What does this mark of yours entail?" Thad asked.
"Well, it bonds us together on a deeper level. I can feel them, in a metaphysical sense. I can feel their emotions, their pain, their power. I'm still understanding it myself, but it works the other way too." I said, and both Carl and Thad looked at their daughters.
"It's true. Ever since what happened earlier, I can even feel some of what Nadi feels. It's honestly reassuring to have them with me. I'm happy with it." Liz said, and my eyebrows rose. That must be new, as I didn't know she could feel Nadia as well.
I knew that some of the things my girls shared with me could then be shared to the other. Liz had Nadia's weird way of ignoring odors, and I also made sure that Nadia was receiving Liz's regeneration, but the fact that they too were connecting to each other on another level was a surprise. I didn't mind it one bit obviously, but it was still news to me regardless. Being a god is truly a wild fucking experience, that's for sure.
"I can feel you too, Lizzie. Although the connect with Sid is still stronger. And I wouldn't give this up. I love feeling this close to you both." Nadia added, and now Carl and Thad looked thoughtful by their girl's words.
"There's more than that though. We can also share things with each other. Like thoughts, certain feelings, and even certain abilities." I said, and everybody looked thoughtful at that.
"I assume this is where your 3rd tail came from, little fox?" Carl asked Nadia, who blushed at the name but nodded.
He rubbed his chin for a moment, and then just shrugged.
"Hmm. That's nice. Okay then." He said, seemingly dropping the matter just like that, causing me to just blink.
"I'd like to hear an explanation, but I assumed you saved Liz's life using this bond?" Thad asked, and I nodded.
"Yes. I was able to empower and strengthen her core. Her ability to heal is double what it used to be, perhaps even more. I could even strengthen her fire if she wanted." I said, causing everyone's eyes to widen.
"Really?? You can??" Liz asked, her voice sounding hopeful.
I nodded.
"Not yet, though. I can feel that it woukd hurt you if I tried again so soon. Your body has to adjust to the changes." I said, then I looked at Nadia, "I can do it for you at some point, if you'd like."
"YES!" Nadia squealed, and then proceeded to violently kiss me in front of everyone, causing me to grunt in surprise.
I heard Yuna and Rya laughing merrily, while Liz let out soft giggles. Once Nadia was done stealing my air, I looked at her flushed face and couldn't help but chuckle.
"I wonder where she gets that from." Carl deadpanned, causing Yuna to laugh even more.
I looked at Thad, and the man actually had a gleam in his eyes that scared me.
"Well then, by all means, keep doing what you are doing, Sid." He said, causing my eyes to blink repeatedly once again.
By doing what I am doing, he means me doing his daughter. Suddenly, I felt like a fucking idiot once again. All of my fears were once again unfounded, as their father's literally didn't even seem to mind as long as they their girls were happy. Hell, not just that, but they were stronger. I grinned at just how awesome my girl's parents really were.
Lina's voice broke through the noise.
"Sid, was that everything??" She asked, and that brought me back to the topic at hand before we got sidetracked.
I looked at my girls, and at Rya, and they nodded at me. I could trust everyone here, and I liked both Clyde and Lina enough to share the rest. That being said, I couldn't quite figure Lina out. My brain worked to understand it, but it felt as though some unknown factor prevented me from fully grasping it, and I was almost certain Lina's power, which I was unaware of, played a part in that.
"Well, before we fought each other, we did have a small conversation." I said, and that got scones everyone's interest.
So, I began with the revelation that I was indeed a God, or Godling, as the demon had said. Thad and Carl both pumped a fist at their correct assessments, meanwhile Yuna nodded like it made perfect sense. These people did not have the reactions to shit that I would have expected, although Clyde and Lina's expressions were a bit different.
"I HIRED A GOD!" Clyde said as he began to laugh, "Who the hell could have seen that coming?"
Lina stared at me with wide eyes, and now that I looked closer, I could see her eyes glowing a faint pink, seemingly using mana sight on me. I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I don't particularly feel like one. I'm just... me." I said, and my girls smiled at me.
"You are." Nadia said warmly.
"We love you, Sid. It's who you are that matters." Liz added.
Man, these girls were so fucking sweet. My heart filled with warmth, yet there was still one more thing to address, and now I looked right at Lina. Something told me that this would be the most important part for her, and as I looked at her, it was like a fog lifted from my brain, and suddenly, I understood.
Her mana was definitely familiar. It was different, but also similar to the mana I had seen all day inside of that cave. Demonic mana. Despite that, she didn't give off the same sense of murderous danger that I saw from the other demons. I felt that she was genuine in who she was. Lina's eyes widened as she realized that I knew.
"You've seen past it, haven't you?" She asked in a defeated tone.
I nodded. I was right about my previous thought. Her power seemed the work in affecting people's minds, and hiding her true self. I think it wad her nerves that loosened the hold on her power, allowing me to see past it. No one else seemed to notice, but I sure did.
"The demon lord did say something else. He wanted to know where 'The Princess' was, i didn't have a clue who he was talking about, obviously, but now I think I do. So tell me, Lina, do you know what he was talking about?" I asked, looking at her pointedly.
Lina looked at me silently, as everyone turned to stare at first me, and then her with their interests peaked. Eventually, Lina sighed in resignation, and stood up.
"Honey, you don't-" Clyde said, but Lina just turned and gave him a pained smile.
"Sorry dad, but I have to do this. Everyone got hurt because of me. Elizabeth is a wonderful girl, and she almost died, and it would have been my fault. I need to do this." She said, and then walked over to me, and stood about 5 feet away from me.
So, Clyde is her dad after all. Or at least, he's someone she sees like a father. Either way, I was calm as Lina looked me in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sid. No..." She turned to everyone else, and gave the most respectful bow I'd ever seen someone give in the modern age, "I'm sorry to you all. I feel I have to make this right. You all deserve to know."
Suddenly, her form shifted, and the illusion in place that I you couldn't even tell was there fell away, and all I could do was stare at the demoness now before me. However, my stare was more in shock and awe than anything else. I'd seen demons today, a lot of them, but they were no where near as beautiful as the one before me.
Her outfit was much the same as last time. A white button up dress shirt with short sleeves, showing off a modest amount of soft skin, as well as a healthy bit of cleavage. A black pencil skirt showing off her long and seductive legs, complete with black high heels that made her appear a few inches taller.
However, this time was much different for several reasons. For one, her skin was now a light red color, replacing the once pale skin, but this had the odd effect of making her look even more appealing than before. Small curved horns stuck out of the top of her head, and they seemed to be about 8 inches in length, and I actually questioned my own taste, as I thought they looked quite cute on her. Her brown hair was now a dark black, with streaks of natural red flowing through it from roots to tip, and pointed ears stuck out through her hair.
She had a sinful body shape that drew the eyes to all of the right places. Her breasts seemed bigger now, possibly the same size, if not slightly larger than Liz's. Because of the tightness of her shirt, I could fully admire the slim waist that transitioned into wider, sexually tantalizing hips. In classic demon fashion, a thin spaded tipped tail moved back and forth behind her from her nervousness, and yes, I couldn't help but admire that too. As I looked back up to her face, her glowing pink eyes were what drew me in the most though, as they were enchanting to look at, and they all but memorized me.
Everyone else stared in shock, Rya and Liz going rigid, while Nadia just looked inquisitively, but with a hint of hesitance. Lina stood there, one arm crossed over her chest, while she held on to her elbow with her other hand. How can a demon look this fucking adorable? Lina looked pensive, and afraid, but eventually she summoned her courage, and spoke with a tremble in her voice.
"My name is Nephilina Sindarian, and I am, or was, the Demon Princess of the 7th hell."