"Allura Leander."
As Allura was strolling in a new world, enjoying its beauty with a smile on her face while she humd a joyful tune, she heard a voice in her head.
It was Shadow.
But…
It wasn't Shadow's usual casual, banter-like voice, it was… different.
It was far more serious.
And that changed Allura's expression.
Did sothing happen in the Main Universe?
Was Nux fine?
Such questions appeared in her head. In an instant, she tried to connect to Nux and her worry only beca stronger when she couldn't.
But before she could say or do anything, Shadow's voice sounded again.
"You will stay here."
The Universe's First Goddess declared in a solemn tone.
"You will be safe.
You will have everything you need.
But you will not leave."
"What…?"
Allura didn't understand.
What was happening?
Why was she being locked away?
Was everything fine?
Where was Nux?
Why can't she sense him properly?
More and more questions appeared in her mind and of course, Shadow knew what she was thinking. She didn't need to read her mind for that, she knew the woman well enough to know how she would react to this.
And Shadow answered, this ti, her tone much lighter than before.
"What 'What…'?
You betrayed us, you didn't think there wouldn't be consequences, did you?"
"What? Betrayed—?"
Allura frowned for a mont, but then, it clicked.
And the mont it did, she stopped.
After all, she knew she was wrong, she was… greedy and selfish.
"And now, you will be facing those consequences."
Shadow spoke and from her tone, Allura could tell how much the woman was trying to stop herself from smiling but failing nonetheless.
For a mont, that… relieved her.
After all, even if she 'betrayed' them, it didn't an she didn't care about them. She was just… too absorbed in the mont.
But she truly did not wish to hurt any of her sisters, so when she heard Shadow's usual, teasing tone again, her mind eased a little and she… she gave in.
"For how long?"
She asked, accepting her 'punishnt.'
And that was when Shadow's smile widened even further.
"Indefinite."
She answered in a gleeful tone, making sure Allura knew that she was enjoying this.
And Allura…
She couldn't say anything.
She could… only accept her fate.
That happened three months ago.
To mortals, three months was still a considerable amount of ti, but to Transcendents who could live for Eternity?
It was nothing.
Or at least, that is how it should be.
But for Allura, those three months felt like a slow, cruel stretch of ti that never ended because she lived through every mont alone.
Sure, the world Shadow had caged her in was beautiful.
It had soft skies, gentle light, warm wind, and quiet nights. It had endless trees with silver leaves. Rivers that ran clear and sweet. A mountain in the distance that never erupted, never shook, never threatened.
It was the perfect prison.
Allura stood near the river for the hundredth ti, staring at the water as it flowed where she saw her own reflection.
And lately… her reflection made her chest tighten.
Because she looked the sa.
Her body was strong.
Her aura was stable.
But there was sothing new now.
Sothing tiny.
Sothing delicate.
Sothing… alive.
She placed a hand on her stomach without thinking, not because her belly showed yet. At the level she was, her body didn't change that quickly unless they allowed it. This was also one of the reasons why no one noticed it till then; she mostly did it out of habit and to… feel what was in there.
A child.
Nux's child.
Her child.
Her fingers pressed lightly, and she whispered slightly.
"Where are you…"
She was missing him, the father of her child.
There was no answer.
Her bond with the others still existed; she could still 'feel' their presence, that they were all fine.
But Shadow's cage had dulled the rest.
So won wanted to completely cut the connection so she wouldn't be able to sense anything at all, but Shadow didn't dare do that.
Not when Allura was in the condition she was in.
But even then, the current scenario was no different than torture either. In so twisted sense, it was even crueller than a complete cut-off.
The Succubus could still sense them, but she could not reach them.
She could not call.
She could not hear the casual chatter that used to fill her mind like background music.
She could not hear Skyla's constant excitent.
She could not hear Felberta's steady presence.
She could not hear Amaya's sharp comnts, or Shadow's annoying teasing, or Evane's simple questions.
Aisha's and Edda's absence felt like a voice too, more than the others did.
And the worst…
Nux.
Not being able to talk to him whenever she desired left a hole in her heart she couldn't fill no matter how much she tried.
She had long beco used to having her head constantly filled with different voices, so much that the silence now… made her run in circles.
At first, she tried to cultivate.
She truly did.
After all, they all wanted to get stronger for Nux's sake.
She sat under the silver-leaved trees and closed her eyes, breathing slowly, letting her energy settle.
But every ti she tried to ease her mind and focus, the sa thoughts rose.
Where are they?
Are they angry?
Where is Nux?
Does he know?
Is he… angry?
Or is he… excited?
And then, the worst thought of all would creep in.
Are they… doing that?
Allura's cheeks would heat up every ti that thought appeared, obviously not from shyness, but from the image that ford in her head every ti she imagined that.
And how could it not?
She was one of Edda's 'close friends'; the number of tis she had heard that unholy woman talk about all those wild thoughts and fantasies that she had and the things she would do if her fantasy ever ca true was… innurable.
She had heard it so many tis that at this point, Allura too seed… open to it.
Of course, she still hadn't fully accepted that idea, but just thinking about how the rest might be lying on the sa bed while she is trapped in this darned place left her with an emptiness she had never dealt with before.
Her mind that continuously imagined everything did not make it any easier either.
Those hungry, greedy looks. Felberta demanding her right, the others following, and Nux caught in the middle.
Allura could imagine it all.
And the more she imagined it, the more… lonely she felt.
She wanted to be included as well.
And maybe she would have if she hadn't betrayed them.
"…"
Allura's mood worsened.
She tried to leave this world again, she had done it many tis.
But against Shadow's authority, she was… helpless.
Nothing she did worked against the power of the Universe's Goddess.
She had even tried to call Nux directly through the bond once, and all she got was a faint pulse.
A pulse that told her he was alive.
And nothing else.
That pulse had saved her from losing her mind.
But it also made her hate Shadow even more.
Because she knew Shadow could have allowed more.
That woman simply didn't want to.
Shadow wanted Allura to sit here and rot in her own thoughts.
So that was what happened.
Allura sat.
Allura waited.
Allura thought.
And ti passed.
Finally,
On the ninety-third day, the sky changed.
Allura was sitting near the river when she felt it. Her eyes widened as she felt a familiar sensation in her head.
A presence.
Multiple presences.
So sudden, so… sharp, that her heart almost stopped.
And in an instant, she stood up and moved.
Yes, the Succubus could sense it; the restriction on her was gone, her imprisonnt was… over.
The distance wasn't much; with Allura's speed, she crossed it within minutes and about fifteen minutes later—
She was there.
In front of a mansion she did not recognize, maybe it was sothing they made for their ti together.
The Succubus felt a wave of jealousy when she thought about it, but that feeling disappeared in an instant because her eyes fell on them—
The familiar faces that walked out of the mansion.
Faces that had… ridiculously satisfied looks on their faces, faces so smug that for a mont, she wanted to slap them.
The won on the other side, however, didn't seem to notice her. Their minds were… too foggy to notice anything.
"Heh, it's good that we built this mansion."
Skyla nodded, satisfied.
"I told you~"
Edda nodded.
The look on her face showed… pure bliss.
A look Allura had never once seen on her face; it was clear that sothing big had happened. That was when she heard sothing else.
"I still can't believe we won."
Rune comnted, still in so disbelief.
"If he had won even today, I wouldn't have shown my face for the next decade!"
Vyriana snorted, but of course, behind that snort, there was a proud smugness. She too was satisfied, especially as she glanced back at the door and thought about how a completely passed-out Nux lay there, helpless and… completely wrung dry.
"Indeed."
Astaria agreed with the Dragon's words.
"Watching him groan as he passed out was satisfying to watch."
The Swordswoman nodded.
"Did you look at the face he had after falling unconscious?"
Thyra grinned.
"I'd never forget it."
Riona grinned.
The rest of the won smiled too.
And Shadow puffed her chest—
"Hmph, it took all of you to make him pass out, I did it alon—"
However, just as she was about to continue her boasting, her eyes turned and then, her grin widened even further.
"Oh ho?
Look who ca running."
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