Ding...
"Congratulations! The Host has successfully absorbed the Heart of the Fallen! The second seal on the Host's bloodline has been undone!"
Ding...
"The Host's authority has risen!
New features have been unlocked."
Ding…
"Congratulations! You have completed the Main Quest.
[Claim the reward]"
One after another, nurous windows appeared, but I didn't pay them any mind. After a long ti, my mind was finally at ease.
The rhythmic sound of my heart slowly returned to normal. The pair of wings on my back vanished, and my hair turned black again.
More than a minute had passed, yet Nyria and I continued kissing each other, our lips moving in slow, deliberate motion, savoring each other's taste.
"Y-you two! Have so decency!" U's flustered voice echoed, drawing our attention.
She was still on the bed, her face burning red. She had covered her face with her hands but was still peeking through the gaps between her fingers.
"Decency? But we are only kiss—" I began, but my words stopped mid-sentence as my eyes drifted lower, scanning Nyria's bare figure.
"Have you had your fill?" Nyria asked sharply, narrowing her eyes at .
"N-no, I wasn't trying to l-look," I blurted, quickly closing my eyes.
The flow of my Soulforce faltered, and both of us fell directly onto the bed.
---
An hour later...
"Th-thank heavens," Mother Lunaria cried, holding Nyria in her embrace. "Forgive , my daughter."
"Mumma, please do not say that," Nyria replied gently. "I have never blad you for anything. Moreover, it should be asking for your forgiveness for the delinquent behavior I showed over the years."
All of us had moved to the upper room of the castle. U was sleeping on the sofa, resting her head on my lap. Nyria, my mother, and Mother Lunaria stood near the bed.
Once Mother Lunaria parted from Nyria, my mother stepped forward to hug her next.
"You have suffered so much, my child," Mother said softly. "If only I had not taken you with , that day—"
"I wasn't the only one who suffered, Mother Aestra," Nyria replied, wrapping her arms around her. "We all did."
After their emotional reunion, Mother Lunaria and my mother left the room, leaving with U and Nyria.
"What did you do to Ignis? How did you beco so strong? How did you save ? I have a lot of questions," Nyria said, sitting beside . "I want to know everything."
"I also want to know," U demanded, opening her eyes.
"Go to sleep, silly. I will tell you later," I chuckled gently.
"No, I'm not tired anymore," U shook her head.
"Look at you two, being all lovey-dovey," Nyria remarked with a side glance.
"Who was the one kissing in the air, completely bare, without a care in the world?" U replied with a sly smile.
"Sister U, I was the victim there!" Nyria insisted loudly. "And please do not tease . Aren't we on the sa team?"
U's ears fluttered in excitent upon hearing Nyria's words.
"Now that you ntion it, you are certainly correct, Sister Nym."
Both of them looked at with excited eyes and demanded,
"Now tell us the story of your adventure."
'Looks like I won't be resting for the whole night,' I sighed inwardly.
I began with how I punished Ignis, leaving out so of the more extre torture I inflicted upon him. Nyria listened silently, her hand tightly gripping my thigh.
"From now on, no one will lay a finger on you, Nyria," I said, kissing her forehead. "That bastard does not deserve your worries."
"I'm not worried about him," Nyria replied. "I just do not want you to stain your hands for soone like him. It would have been better if you had simply executed him."
After that, I told them the tale of how our small army conquered the fortress of Ironvale. The story continued with saving Father, teleporting the enemy army, and the final clash between the two forces.
I deliberately left out the parts about suffering from the Corruption of Death, losing Sovereign Lightning, and eting U's parents.
"Wait a minute, you are telling that in just two weeks while I was unconscious, you declared and won the Second Ultimate War, bringing the mighty Azure Sun Empire to its knees?" Nyria summarized with widened eyes.
"Well, that is one way to put it," I chuckled.
"Haven't you beco so dependable, my hubby?" Nyria exclaid, wrapping her arms around my neck.
"Our hubby!" U added, hugging from the other side.
"Oh, right, our hubby," Nyria corrected herself.
Both of them narrowed their eyes, their smiles vanishing.
Nyria's hand moved toward my side, where my arm should have been, while U fixed her gaze on my face.
"Why are you wearing a cloak?"
"Why are you wearing a face-changing mask?"
Both of them asked in unison.
I rose to my feet and said with a smile,
"I ca directly from the battlefield, so I'm covered in blood."
"I'm exhausted from the long war. Rest for the night." I began moving toward the door, but was stopped midway as both Nyria and U grabbed my cloak from behind.
"Do you think we only just noticed your strange clothing?" U muttered firmly.
"We didn't say anything because of Mother Aestra," Nyria added.
"Take off your cloak," both of them said in unison.
"C-calm down, ladies," I said in a teasing tone. "I know we have been apart for a long ti, but it's too fast for m—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Nyria pulled the cloak off my shoulders while U grabbed the mask from my neck and removed it.
"Oh h-heavens," Nyria whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.
"T-Taranis..." U murmured, her hand rising to cover her mouth.
This is why I was trying to run away, I sighed inwardly.
Beneath the cloak, my bare upper body was revealed, covered in nurous deep scars across my torso, each one seemingly lethal. A deep slash mark remained on my neck from the countless tis Aruma had beheaded .
Both of my arms were missing, and on my forehead was a deep horizontal scar, not to ntion the cross-shaped scar on my cheeks and the vertical cut running from the corner of my lips.
"Haha... I must be looking hideous right now," I chuckled with a smile.
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