The start of something new

"Hic! Hic! Hic! R-reeykkkuuu" Mina wobbled over to Riyku and firmly straddled his lap. He was sitting on the couch relaxing with his head resting firmly against the headrest and his eyes closed. It was when he felt the pressure of another body planted firmly on his body did his eyes open and looked to see Mina who was pressing herself firmly against him. "You said, you would have... Hic! sex with me." The woman seemed drunk as ever right now. "I did, but right now would not be the best time," Riyku stated as he took the empty glass from her and set it on the coffee table in front of them, using his other arm to keep her from falling back as he leaned forward. "Why~?" Mina whined.

"Because you are drunk. This goes for all of you." He noticed the other girls wobbling their way towards him before sighing heavily. "No fair~" Vex complained. "Y-yeah HIC! Kristen got to!" Lira seemed to add to which Kristen would snuggle up against Riyku's right arm. "Hehe~" Even she seemed drunk as ever. "When you all sober up, I'll take care of you each of you. Okay?" Riyku would state to which the girls all smiled. "Prowmise." They said in sync to which Riyku nodded. "Yes." After which they seemed to snuggle up against him. A soft sigh would escape his lips as he leaned his head back to rest it against the headrest and close his eyes yet again.

'Just like in your previous lives. You have an uncanny way of naturally attracting women.' Seraphina's voice called from inside of his mind. 'I saw that in one of the fragments.' Riyku replied internally. 'I don't get how this happens or what I do to make this happen. I get it that after these several months they may have developed these feelings for me, but... with Kristen, she threw herself at me.' Riyku stated bluntly to which Seraphina chuckled lightly in response. 'Maybe it was because she saw you as something more than just a normal man. You never tried to take advantage of her, not once. Nor are you even trying to do so now. Kristen, as well as the other girls, see that and realize that you won't betray their trust in you.' Seraphina would explain, but it seemed Riyku still did not get it. 'Okay, but what of Racheal. Her feelings came out of nowhere, and I was truthfully just using her for my own personal gain.' This caused Seraphina to tsk at him, 'Only in the beginning though. The thing you have yet to realize about yourself is that you have two sides to you.' Seraphina stated to him which caused his brow to rise. 'You are a gentleman by instinct and a devil by nature. Whenever you see a woman of any shape, size, or personification you will instinctively be a gentleman towards her unless they are naturally a bitch towards you, of course, then you become a devil. Your instinct of a gentleman is simple as opening doors, aiding in carrying heavy loads or even just helping them out in general. Small things that most people don't realize matter much.' Seraphina explained to which Riyku sighed internally. 'You mean being nice?' He would attempt to correct her. 'No. Remember how you told the barista you were going to take things outside. You were doing it to allow her to know that you were not going to bring harm to her store. The times before that you helped out several other women, be it old and wrinkly or young and childish. You do it by instinct because that is who you are... however, you are also a devil by nature. As such, you can get be angered easily if those precious to you are put in harm's way. You may often at times come off as an asshole as well.' Seraphina seemed to explain some more to which Riyku just gave up in the end.

'Still doesn't explain my present situation. I mean, I can understand their feelings, but why they are willing to accept this situation is beyond me.' Riyku would firmly put out to which Seraphina chuckled lightly, 'Because the world you are in encourages polygamy. Especially those of strong origin. Men and women both have harems to tend to them, not because the genders flock to them out of their sheer strength, but because of pure respect for who they are. They want to be able to be part of that person's life to the fullest. Just like these girls want to be a part of yours. Just as I wanted to be and just as our family did, as well as your previous friends.' Seraphina explained to him once more to which he seemed to finally grasp a bit of understanding of it. 'I won't stop them then, but I don't like the fact that they throw themselves on me every chance they get.' Riyku would sigh heavily to which Seraphina chuckled lightly. 'You have your own self to blame for that, after all, you are the reason they feel that way about you. Everything you've done for them in such a short time-span. Not to mention your Mein is also a part of the reason.' Seraphina would recap a bit before Riyku shook his head lightly. 'Whatever...' This caused Seraphina to giggle lightly. 'Goodnight, my darling.' She whispered softly before seeming to fall asleep. It seemed everyone was asleep now to which he would soon follow.

Riyku's conscious was plunged into the abyss once again and he seemed to glance around yet again at all the footage of memories there were. "You survived. I am impressed." A voice called out, the same one that he detested. "Again with you," Riyku growled to which the tiny black-haired woman who looked just like the tiny brunette locked in the cage had stepped forth into what little light was provided. "Huh? Wait.. who are you?" Riyku inquired to which the girl chuckled lightly. "Hmm... how to put it. I guess you can call me Blaze, I am from the version one point zero. While I was not your Operator like Coco, I was part of someone who watched over your system." Blaze would explain to which Riyku seemed a bit surprised by this, it was the first he had heard something like this after all. "Version 1.0. You mean before my reincarnation?" Riyku inquired to which the girl nodded. "Yup. Although, I should explain something to you. I wasn't the one who locked up Coco. You see, I only came about the moment she was locked up. I have no idea who or what locked her away, but I would like to give you a fair warning." Blaze would state firmly to which Riyku narrowed his eyes at her, "And why should I trust you?" He would retort to which the girl would chuckle lightly. "Because I haven't tried to harm you. You see, something has infected your system. They want you to revert back to the old system, the one that has damaged. For what purpose? I have no idea. I just know that the old system was full of malfunctions. There was nothing I could do to fix the malfunctions or even stop what was to come of it." Blaze would state as she circled around him. Riyku would follow her with his eyes, "What do you mean? What happened?" He inquired.

"Your system shut down. You died. After that, I know nothing else. But I did hear something say, May the end begin anew." She would relay the message to him. "Huh?" Riyku did not understand it, to which Blaze did not even understand. "Not sure. After that, when the system was rebooted you were in a new body in this strange world. I was once more locked up and watched as a new Operator took over. After that, I just observed until I was free. That was when your Operator was locked up." Blaze stated. "Then what of that warning, with the limiter ordeal?" Riyku seemed to inquire. "Oh yeah. I ran a search through the process. You've met the requirements. First being, you need to over level ninety, and the second being you needed to have unlocked any form. The Class Up quest is supposed to send you into a trial against yourself. Where you will battle against enemies of your past and should you fail... well, you will be consumed whole by your own power." Blaze stated to which Riyku seemed to relax slightly. "So I just need to prepare and become stronger." Riyku stated to which Blaze denied his claim, "Wrong. You are strong enough. As I said this battle will be against yourself; therefore no matter how strong you become you will be fighting a battle equal of that. What you need to do is reaffirm your resolve. That is the strength you need. If you had gone into the Class Up with the resolve you had today, the Power of Darkness would have consumed you whole. The only reason you were brought back was because of the bonds you forged with those five." Blaze stated as she brought footage of Riyku hanging out with Lira, Vex, Skylar, Mina, and Kristen. The footage showed them doing various things, like shopping for clothes, checking out weapons and armors, and so much more.

"They will become the pillar of your strength. The stronger your bonds become with them the stronger your inner strength will be. You are plenty strong on the outside, but what you need is inner strength." Blaze would step up to him and tap upon his chest. A bright light would illuminate over him which caused him to blink rapidly as he suddenly felt a warmth embrace his entire body. "What did you do?" Riyku inquired to which Blaze chuckled lightly. "I have bestowed upon you the Power of Bonds. The 'Bonds' you make will link up with those you surround yourself with. They don't have to be lovers, but friends and even strangers or business partners. The stronger your bond grows the stronger your inner strength with becoming. You will have a new tab labeled 'Bonds' which will have each person's name and the strength of their bond with you." Blaze explained to which Riyku smiled softly. "Bonds eh? It feels like something I never really had in my previous lives." Riyku stated to which Blaze shook her head. "You did, but you refused to accept them." This caused Riyku's brow to raise. "Why?" To which Blaze shook her head. "Because you did not believe you were strong enough to protect them with your own power. Your inner strength became your downfall. Which is why I am giving you this power, and giving you this advice. So you do not make the same mistake again." Blaze would inform him to which he nodded lightly.

"Looks like your time here is up. As such, I will be going as well. If whatever has infected your system catches wind of me, I may be locked away as well, so I'll be in hiding for a while. Take care and remember, cherish your bonds." Blaze stated as his vision slowly became blurry and his body was ejected from the abyss only to awake to the chirping birds outside and the weight of the woman snuggled into him. Blinking softly he would take notice of the text box before him.

'You feel refreshed and ready for the day. +100 Shield points.'

'The spirits of mana graced you during your slumber. +200 Mana points for four hours.'

Well, that is reassuring that he slept for eight hours. He really wanted to get up now, but he was underneath these five... so a thought came to mind. Seeing several couch pillows scattered on the floor he would use blink maybe five or six times in a row in less than a second to make it so none of the girls woke up while he was away. Nodding to his own accomplishment he would yawn softly and stretch his limbs as he began to head towards the kitchen area. He was greeted by the Head Chef who smiled warmly at him, "Ah. Master Riyku, Good morning. Did you and others have a wonderful rest?" The chef seemed to tease him lightly to which he chuckled and nudged the male in the arm. "I don't take advantage of women. You know that, Chef." He would reply with a playful expression. "That I do. Are you planning on preparing breakfast for them? I can do that for you since I am already preparing breakfast for the Master and Mistress Novaa." The Chef offered to which Riyku shook his head. "I appreciate it, but I think I'll get this one myself, "Riyku stated with a smile to which the Chef nodded. "Of course. I won't stop you. If you need any help don't be afraid to ask." He would reply to which Riyku nodded lightly before taking an apron off the rack and putting it on. Next, he would tie up his hair into a ponytail before moving to wash his hands and arms at a washing station. "Alright." He would begin to take out various ingredients for a western style breakfast. A bowl with several eggs, then some flour, sugar, and butter along with several other ingredients for the main dish. Since a small number of eggs would be used later he would prep the batter for the main dish. Once that had settled and become ready he would pour a small portion of the batter onto a skillet. Setting the bowl of batter aside for later use, for now, he would prepare the side dish which by now anyone could have guessed was going to eggs. Putting two and two together, it would home-style pancakes and eggs.

As time passed, everyone seemed to have been waking up. Skylar seemed to have walked into the kitchen due to the lovely aroma. "Smells good in here. What are you making?" Skylar inquired to which Riyku would chuckle lightly. "A simple breakfast." He replies. Skylar would look at the process he was going through before blinking rapidly. "Simple? You made everything from scratch!" He cried out to which Riyku would shrug. "Is everyone up?" Riyku asked to which Skylar nodded. "Yeah, the girls are washing up," Skylar replied. "Good, can you set the table and get them into the dining area. "Umm, okay." Skylar was still kind of stunned, not once has Riyku ever seemed to bring any kind of home-cooked meal, or even attempted to cook. So, he didn't know that he could do such a thing.

As he left the kitchen he would make his way to his sister's room and knock on the door. When he heard her say "come in," he would open the door. "Can you get the other girls. Riyku is preparing breakfast for us." Skylar told her. "Oh, of course." It took her a moment before she realized what her brother just told her. "Come again?" She asked him to repeat. "That was my expression too." Skylar saw the expression on Mina's face. "He is cooking? For us?" Mina inquired to which Skylar nodded. "Okay, I'll go get the other girls. Thanks for letting me know." Skylar would nod and proceed back to the kitchen area to set everything up before taking a seat him. Soon to follow were the girls who all took their seats at the table. The expressions on their face happened to shock because this was the first time anyone knew that he could cook. Well, that he was cooking, they did not know if he could cook. Still, the aroma in the air was sweet enough to make one's mouth water.

"Alright! Breakfast is ready." Riyku came out with a pushcart of two domes, one bigger and the other smaller. He would ride up to the table and remove the domes which revealed steamy hot pancakes and scrambled eggs. The pancakes seemed to be what gave off the sweet smell that would warm the body, and the eggs would compliant the smell with their rich looking text. He would set the plates in the center of the table along with two bottles of syrup that he got from Chef, before pushing the cart out of the way and taking a seat at one of the empty chairs. "Alright, go ahead." Riyku seemed to smile brightly at them as he sat there. Kristen was the first to reach for the tongs to take a few pancakes off the mountain and pick up some scrambled eggs with the scope provided. She would then use her fork to cut into the pancake and to her knowledge, it was like a knife to butter. Blinking for a moment she would put her fork into the piece and bring it to her mouth. The moment her tongue touched the pancake she seemed to moan in delight and munch on it before going back for more and more than used her fork to get some eggs which seemed to perfectly complement the text and taste of the pancake along. "It's soo good!" She squealed with a bright expression.

It seemed everyone else followed suit afterward and their reactions were all the same. "Glad you enjoyed it," Riyku stated as he reached for some himself, but set them in an empty plate beside him. "Seraphina, come out and enjoy a meal." He called to her and she seemed to appear in the chair, fully clothed this time at least. A soft yawn would escape from her lips as she looked at the food then to Riyku. "Good morning, Darling. Did you prepare this?" She asked to which Riyku nodded and she smiled warmly. "I have missed you delicious food. I am sure your skills as a cook transferred over to this life as well." Seraphina stated before partaking of the meal, her reaction was pretty much the same as everyone else to which he chuckled lightly and took his own share. Enjoying the taste of his food.

Time would pass and everything was emptied. The Head Chef had come to collect the plates and utensils while setting glasses of warm coffee for everyone except Mina and Skylar who happened to have glasses of warm tea. "You never told us you could cook!" Kristen would exclaim to which everyone agreed. "You never asked." Riyku would reply as he partook of his cup of coffee. "True, but Seraphina knew and she reacted as if it were her first time." Kristen would add to which Seraphina chuckled lightly with the tip of her cup against her lips. "My Darling's food is top tier. He would give a five-star chef a run for their money. So my expressions are adequate of such. Besides, he wasn't always good at cooking you know." She would tease them a bit with his past which caused them to want to learn more. "Really!?" Lira inquired to which Seraphina nodded. "Mhm. He as pretty terrible at first. But as time went on, he learned to cook, season and handle food as if it were like breathing to him. I guess that is a perk of living for so long." Seraphina stated, and the mood would have turned grime if Riyku wasn't the one to give a good laugh first. "It's not that serious. I tested it out once on my own. Which is how I found out I could cook. It just comes to me the moment I think of something I want to make. The pancakes you had were cinnamon seasoned and the eggs were lightly scrambled and lightly dusted with salt and pepper. It wasn't anything too serious." Riyku would partake of his coffee once again.

"If you say so, I might just hire you as our Assistant Chef," Skylar stated which caused everyone to look dead at him. "Hey, what is up with that!? You look as if I am stealing him away!" Skylar called out to which everyone began to give a good laugh including Riyku. "Say, why don't we hit up that Gambit's Arcade later today. After all, it is our vacation time." Vex called out to which everyone seemed to agree. "Oh, give me a moment." Riyku would his wristband before him and tap upon it to bring up some contacts. One of which was labeled 'Gambit's Arcade'. The male would tap upon it and an audio feed only screen appeared. "This is Gambit's Arcade, your Host Mimi speaking. You know you can just call my cell, Riyku." The woman called out which caused everyone to look surprised. "Yeah, yeah. So, can you set up a party for at least seven people." Riyku inquired to which Mimi took a moment as if she were looking through something. "Sure can. Will this be a V.I.P room?" She asked which caused everyone to go eye-wide. "Sure," Riyku added. "Great! What time?" Mimi inquired to which Riyku would look at a nearby clock that read, a little after nine. "How about noon?" Riyku would reply, "Perfect! V.I.P party for seven set up at noon. See you then, playboy." It was almost as if Mimi knew exactly why the party was so high in number, but before Riyku could any response in the call ended. "Another woman eh?" Kristen would tap upon the table as if wanting an answer.

"I don't mind. He has had plenty of women in his life." Seraphina would finish her cup of coffee. "Well, when you put it that way... It makes sense." Vex would agree. "What? No, it doesn't." Kristen would retort. "I don't see a problem with it. We all had an agreement prior to this." Lira stated which caused Riyku's brow to raise. "Agreement?" He inquired. "To protect you, remember." Mina would state with a warm smile almost as if hiding something. Riyku would shake his head as if he already knew what she really meant, "You can always fall in love with someone else. It won't hurt me." Riyku would reply to which the girls all shook their heads. "Nope. I am sure I can speak for us when I say, our feelings belong to you. Sure, there may be a hotter guy, or a smarter guy, or someone who is kinder, but... you are you. I am not lying when I say you are pretty much a three in one, but of course, you can be mean at times. Still, I find it charming and I am sure the others do." Kristen would remark with a smile and the other girls nodded. "Well, they got you beat Riyku. Looks like you are the only one who has yet to accept it." Seraphina would state as she nudged him playfully. "Still, Ladies. Just remember who claimed him first." Seraphina stated to which Riyku looked at her and sighed heavily. "Looks like you are stuck with them," Skylar added to which the girls looked at him. "What are you talking about, you are part of this too," Kristen stated to which they nodded. "Wait, but I am a guy!" Skylar exclaimed. "So? There are men out there who have other men in their harems. What is your point?" Vex inquired to which Skylar shook his head. "No, no no! I will not have sex with him!" Lira and Mina seemed to chuckle lightly, "A harem isn't just about sex. It is about the dedication of love and affection through many means. Riyku has shown that he cares deeply for each and every one of us, and we feel the same for him. Even if he does not want to admit that he has fallen in love with us." Mina seemed to explain to which Riyku would close his eyes with a happy sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Alright fine." He would then open his eyes to see a text box had appeared upon his UI.

'Affinity Updated! Affinity- Harem King Lv.Max: By being surrounded by those who dedicate their love and affection towards you through many forms and means, and you do the same for them you will gain +1 Stat for each person in your Harem. You will also gain +10% experience points per person. You also unlock Harem Skills such as 'fast travel' 'fast summon' 'lover's healing' 'lover's comfort' 'restoration' and, 'retribution.' You are also allowed to share a portion of your power with those of your Harem and receive a portion of theirs. You may now use 'Link'. 'Your Harem members can be seen upon your mini-map as well as your expanded map, in the form of a pink dot. You can also identify them by name upon activation of a said dot.'

Riyku had been reading over the text box which caused them to all look at him funny. "Something wrong?" Seraphina called out to which Riyku shook his head. "Something I wanted to know about when I first came here was Updated." The male seemed to chuckle lightly as a soft smile painted across his lips. "What is it?" Kristen questioned to which Riyku looked at everyone. "You guys." The remark caused them to give him a puzzled expression, but from the sincerity on his face, they could tell he really meant it. Seraphina, on the other hand, would know right away so she leaned back in her chair. "That's so like you. I should've known." She seemed to state which caused everyone to look at her. "You'll all find out what he meant sooner or later. For now, we should think about what to do." Seraphina stated having noted the time on the clock was nearing ten.

"Maybe we should chill for a bit. We have had a rough time overall." Mina would suggest. "True, I don't mind just sitting here chatting and having some coffee to pass the time." Vex would add. "It is a good coffee." Lira seemed to add to which everyone would agree by now that just relaxing was the best choice. "Say Seraphina, while we wait. Why don't you tell us a bit more about Riyku?" Kristen inquired of Seraphina who blinked and shrugged. "What do you want to know?" She asked to which Kristen would give a thoughtful expression, "Mmmm, you said he had a wife and children. What of that?" Riyku would look to Seraphin and give her a simple nod, to which Seraphina snickered. "Well, for starters. The wife looked exactly like you and she had the same name as you. Two beautiful children to boot. Day in and day out they would play with their father when he wasn't working, and when he came home they would help him to relax. Needless to say, just because you had two kids you didn't stop the lovely dovey honeymoon thing. It was quite a bliss-filled time for him." As Seraphina explained, Kristen's cheeks flared up. "Ahem, so what happened?" She tried to forward the subjected to which Seraphina shook her head. "Riyku, you should tell them. You do remember it after all." Seraphina stated as if handing it off to him. They sensed something sad was going to come of this and they were right when Riyku sighed. "My wife was murdered and my kids slaughtered before my eyes. It was because my wife married a demon and the children were part demon. So, when that got out the villagers did not take kindly to it. They chased me down to kill me, but I escaped." Riyku would express in a monotone voice and the atmosphere turned to grime. "I am sorry..." Kristen stated softly to which Riyku shook his head. "It was a past life, a past memory. I am here and this is my new life. " Riyku would expression which seemed to lighten the mood a little.

"He is right. This is the happiest I've seen him in all of the lives he has been in. He is like a whole other person. I kind of wish I had my hot cold-hearted killer husband, but this soft adorable man is not so bad either." Seraphina stated which caused everyone to blink in shock. "Cold hearted killer?" Skylar inquired to which Seraphina nodded. "He never hesitated to take a life if it meant furthering his goals, be it whatever they were back then. For some odd reason, this attitude attracted women of all kinds. From assassins to dimensional walkers. Don't know why, but I know I've always been in love with him since his birth as a child. I grew up with him after all. His Mein was that of the Shadow, I was one of the Queens of Darkness at the time and I wanted to take over his body and use it for my own purposes; however, he seemed to have a steady control over the shadows. Although you should not confuse Shadow with Darkness, both are different in their own aspects. He only tapped into my power after a while at such a young age which caused me to take an interest in him. Since then, I was just watching him; until one day he seemed to call for me. Sadly, it was right before his death as a child, but I cared for him even in the next life and the life after that and so on and so forth." Seraphina, it was a bit of a sad tale, but with a little happy twist.

"You said he had a family, who else is there?" Lira inquired to which Seraphina nodded. "Four others. Skeith, Iris, Ithaca, and Nira. Of course, just saying those names won't bring them here. Riyku has to remember then in full and call to them." Seraphina stated to which Riyku shifted his glance towards her. "In my dream, you were a black-haired woman, but now you have violet hair and different color eyes." Riyku would address which caused her to blink rapidly for a moment. "Probably in one of the previous lives. Of course, I can change my hair color freely. Do you prefer black?" As she asked the color changed to such, to which Riyku shook his head. "Your original fits you just fine." He would state to which Seraphina smiled. "Thank you, Darling." A soft sigh escaped from the girls around the table. "What's wrong?" Riyku inquired. "We said we would help you get your family back, but if it has to do with your memory then I doubt we can help at all," Mina stated to which the rest nodded in agreement. "Oh, on the contrary, you all can help him. You just need to start the ignition for his memories to flood into him. In my case... well I don't know what happened." Seraphina would state. "If anything, he was wrapped in darkness and feeling all alone. Which probably triggered it." She added and everyone looked at him as he shrugged. "I'm not sure. Something was talking to me and egging me on and after that, I blacked out." Riyku stated.

"Something was talking to you? Like a voice in your head?" Lira inquired to which Riyku nodded. "That's not strange. I can talk to him like that now or when I rest in his shadow." Seraphina would reply, "Still... If anything only one thing comes to mind. Harvester..." Seraphina added to which everyone gave a puzzled expression. "Oh... Sorry, let me explain. Harvester is a manifestation of who Riyku truly is at his core, or at least that is what he is supposed to be. Harvester seeks to bring pure destruction to all those around it. Harvester can take the form of anyone and anybody, including Riyku himself. Why Harvester exists is beyond even me. He claims to have been with Riyku as long as I have, but I haven't felt his presences till Riyku became known as the Dark Demonic Reaper." Seraphina seemed to just throw out an explanation of one thing while leaving everyone confused on other things. Seeing this caused her to sigh lightly, "I'll explain another time. We should get ready, it is already eleven." Seraphina stated as she glanced at the clock. Everyone seemed to look towards it too before nodded in agreement. "Alright, so we'll all go ahead and get ready and then meet up at the front of the house in thirty minutes?" Mina inquired to which everyone nodded and dispersed, Seraphina seemed to have returned to Riyku through the normal means.