27: Variable (2)

"Altia..." - Artemis said with a frown.

Altia quickly released Eric from his trance before signaling her companion with her gaze not to say anything for now.

"Huh? What happened to me?" - Eric asked with a frown as he shook his head to shake away the confusion that was still present in his head - "Did I say something weird?"

"No, but you stopped for a few seconds and looked into the void" - replied Altia with concern - "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine" - Eric replied with slight embarrassment - "I guess I'm just exhausted from being in charge..."

Eric quickly let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head and prayed for his best friend's quick recovery.

"How long do we need to get to the library?" - Artemis asked as she shook her head.

"Not much longer" - replied Eric with a sleepy look on his face.

"If you want, I'll take care of the rest, Eric" - said Mark as he looked at the leader of the knights.

"You won't do anything to them?" - Eric asked with a frown, after all, he didn't trust this guy very much.

"In the least, these women are not my type" - replied Mark neutrally - "She lacks many kilos to reach my standards of beauty."

Altia and Artemis' expression darkened as they felt their killer instinct begin to overflow.

Mark began to shiver unconsciously as he felt his back become drenched in a cold sweat.

"Are you okay?" - Eric asked as he pretended not to have seen anything.

"S-Sorry, I have something to do, see ya" - said Mark as he ran away at full speed.

"Anyway, we'd better continue" - mused Eric as he shook his head.

"What's a member of [pilgrims] doing here?" - Artemis asked while slightly feigning a frown, after all, wizards and witches are natural enemies, like wizards and warriors, or wizards and thieves, or wizards with other wizards... damned wizards, they ruined the magic...

"I feel like you're thinking something stupid" - Altia said as she gave a blank look to her companion.

"No, I was just thinking about how stupid wizards are" - Artemis replied as she shook her head - "I only just realized how out of their pride, they are surrounded by enemies."

"Hmm, well, you're right, wizards are idiots" - nodded Altia as her eyes changed slightly - "Oh, I see you woke up."

"Huh?" - Artemis and Eric looked at the black-haired chic, confused at her words.

* * * * *

"Ren!" - Erika exclaimed with a huge smile as she watched the black-haired young man slowly open his eyes.

"Erika..." - muttered Ren as he felt like he was still in a dream - "Where am I?"

"In the castle, you made it" - smiled Erika as she caressed his cheek - "You protected us all, but..."

Ren slowly regained consciousness - "Oh, I see, I'm happy to hear it..."

Erika and Ren were silent as the birds sang outside the window.

"Ren..." - Erika said as she took a long breath - "Please don't do that again..."

"You mean use [possession]?" - Ren asked as he sat on the bed - "I'm sorry, it's impossible for me to promise you that, not when that might be the solution to save more lives."

Erika was silent as she bit her lip, though her expression changed as she felt an evil, but strangely familiar presence - "!"

Ren's expression also changed as he felt his heart pounding, a similar sensation to his first encounter with Erika, though at the same time it felt different.

"Oh, it's good to see you've awakened, Ren D. Bahamut" - said a sultry, feminine voice - "Your power is intoxicating ~"

Ren was silent as he noticed how a shadow appeared in the corner of the room.

"Who are you?" - Ren asked as he felt a sharp pain penetrate his skull - "Ugh..."

"Ren!" - Erika exclaimed in terror as she saw how her beloved was beginning to let out a moan of pain - "Ren!"

"Back off, you filthy priestess!" - roared the female shadow as she appeared in the middle of Erika and Ren - "I recommend you don't touch him!"

"No, you're the one who shouldn't touch him!" - Erika exclaimed as two angel wings appeared on her back.

"Hmph, second awakening, you're more skilled than I thought, however, that's not enough to face me" - snorted the shadow as it sent Erika flying with only its aura - "Damn priestesses of the Belldandy clan..."

Erika slowly felt how her consciousness was starting to fade.

Ren gritted his teeth as he watched the shadowy silhouette appear in front of him and caressed his cheek affectionately - "Y-You..."

"Oh ~? Do you recognize me ~?" - asked the female voice.

Ren gritted his teeth as he felt something inside him awaken at those words.

"Do you want me to give you a hint?" - asked the female silhouette - "Ok, here it goes ~"

Ren felt everything around him go dark.

"You are special, - - - - -, your soul is delicious ~" - purred the female voice.

Ren's expression changed drastically with these words as memories that were not his own echoed within him.

* * *

"You are special, - - - - -, your soul is so delicious ~" - said a beautiful woman with tanned skin, golden eyes, though the most important detail was the two horns protruding from her head that gave her a much more seductive aura - "How I have longed to have you ever since I first saw you."

"Don't even think about it!" - exclaimed a beautiful red-haired woman - "I won't let you near - - - - - "

"Be silent, filthy priestess" - growled the chocolate-skinned woman as she appeared in front of the woman and grabbed her by the neck - "Your mere existence is an abomination to this continent, no human should possess a fragment of a god's soul!"

"Stop!" - roared a black-haired young man, though his appearance seemed ordinary - "Why have you been spying on me all this time!"

"Isn't it obvious?" - asked the woman as she let out a small lunatic laugh - "I love you, - - - - -, I love every single thing about you, your false sense of morality, your desire to try to be something you are not, your self-control you use, so you can show yourself in a way you are not, and finally, that delicious soul that should not exist in this world!"

The black-haired young man's expression changed drastically when he heard this - "Y-You! How!"

"I know everything about you, my beloved - - - - -, and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING" - said the chocolate-skinned woman while licking her lips - "Your soul is an open book to me, I can see every secret you try to hide, from your fantasies with some of your companions, to your desire to go back home."

The expression of the black-haired young man changed drastically.

"Although I have to tell you that this wish is useless, you can't go back" - sighed the brown-skinned woman - "That goddess doesn't have the power!"

"N-No, she promised me!" - exclaimed the young man while gritting his teeth - "I won't trust what a demon says!"

"Oh, but I gain nothing by lying to you, my beloved" - said the brown-skinned woman while caressing the boy's cheek - "If I really wanted to break you, I would have done something much worse, like for example, make my subordinates rape every one of those girls that haunt your thoughts, but I haven't, I've just been killing them one after the other because they are not worthy of you!"

"You're crazy!" - exclaimed the red-haired woman as she gritted her teeth - "You're the one who shouldn't go near my brother!"

"Hmph, you're still alive only because of the sibling relationship you have" - said the brown-skinned woman as she walked to the red-haired woman - "Although I guess it's obvious, the Belldandy fragment inside you is already active, which makes you unable to have feelings for anyone, not even your parents..."

The red-haired girl's expression darkened when she heard this.

"Honestly, I don't know if it was a blessing or a curse that you awakened your ancestry so early in your journey" - the demon queen said as she shook her head, though her expression changed when she felt the black-haired young man's aura change drastically - "Oh ~? Do you want to awaken your ancestral blood?"

"I'm not going to let you keep eating my head with your words!" - exclaimed the young man as his black eyes began to glow with an intense golden color - "[Dragon Awakening]!"

"Hmm, I guess we'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way..." - mused the demon queen as she shook her head - "Subdue you with brute force..."

* * *

"Y-You..." - Ren muttered as he felt something inside him snap.

"Yes, your memories, your delicious soul is awakening again my beloved ~" - said the female voice with a flirtatious tone - "And this time there will be nothing to separate us, my beloved Draco ~"

"Rivenna..." - Ren murmured before losing consciousness.