Chapter 275

"Honey, I'm home!" I called out as I entered the Colored Rooms. My body jerked as Meridia pulled me towards where she was.

To the familiar surroundings that were her 'throne room' or rather whatever this small pocket of space was called.

It was both scary and interesting how she was able to completely bypass my Campione Magical Resistance when she wanted to bring me to where she was. Then again, it was more akin to an Absolute Authority than a Magical Phenomenon.

Meridia, the one sitting upon her Throne as this part of her usually did, looked at me evenly for a moment before speaking. "Welcome home."

I loved when she plays along.

She slowly got up from her seat, walking over.

I reached out as she got closer, pulling her in.

She always smelled nice.

"Let's stay like this forever." I mumbled.

"Do not tempt me." She whispered. "I should just lock you up and keep you here forever."

I lifted my head up, giving her a smile. "If it meant I could see you every day, it would be worth it."

"Don't tease me." She huffed, pinching my arm.

"That's like telling me not to breath."

"Suffocate." She countered with another huff, pulling out of my arms. She turned away, arms crossed in 'annoyance'.

"My Meridia is too cute~" I chuckled.

She glanced back at me, but didn't react. "Why have you come, do you require something?"

"I just wanted to see and spend time with you." I said with complete honesty. "I missed you."

I saw her lip quiver slightly. She remained silent for another few moments before finally giving in and came back into my arms, burying her head into my chest.

She just needed to be coaxed sometimes.

I knew she liked to be doted on but was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

I ran my hand through her silky blonde hair, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

How long we stayed like that was unknown, but I enjoyed every single moment of it. She was eventually the one to pull away again, though there was a hint of reluctance to it.

"Would you wish to walk with me?" She asked softly.

"I would love to." I felt her reach for my hand, taking it in hers.

"Come, I keep a personal space separated within my realm. No one else has ever set foot within here." She sounded a little cheerful as she pulled me along, space shifting as we were taken to another portion of her realm.

I blinked a few times as the surroundings changed. It looked like we were back on Nirn; a sun hung in the air, grass was beneath our feet, and in the distance was a mountain range. But in immediate view was a small pond, with a little bench to the side, and a family of ducks happily swimming around.

She continued to pull me along to the bench, stiffly plopping herself down as she forced me to follow suit.

Cute.

It wax extremely cute how bashful she was being.

"You have many different beings that live within the Colored rooms, don't you?"

"Yes." She said simply. "Many are not native to Nirn, many are those who pledged themselves to me in life and beyond."

"So….this is your special place then, not even your servants are allowed here?"

"That….is correct." She said quietly. "This is where I come for a few moments of quiet or relaxation."

Ah, this must be something personal for her.

"Thank you for sharing this with me." I squeezed her hand affectionately.

"...Yes, be thankful." She looked away. "You are thus far the only being in existence that is allowed to be here with me."

And this is why I fell –

I couldn't help it as my eyes widened in realization.

"What?" She looked at me with confusion, clearly noticing my reaction.

"I just had a realization about myself." I looked up into the sky that was probably fake.

"…..should I be worried?" She said dryly.

I looked back down at her, and I knew that this feeling was real and not just some kneejerk reaction.

"We don't see each other as much as I do the others." I let out a sigh.

"I suppose we do not." She didn't deny it either. "It is difficult for me to leave, and you have your own matters taking you to various places."

"And yet…." I scooted a little closer. "My feelings never diminish in the slightest, and if anything, they've grown over time."

She was always there for me, patiently waiting. I knew if I asked for anything, she would answer without a second thought.

"What are you getting at?"

"Do you remember what I said when we first met?"

"Wilhelm…" Her breathing hitched.

"I was such a mess back then." I bit my lip, pulling my eyes away from hers. "I did some ridiculous things for equally ridiculous reasons just because I could." Well, I still did, but they're more calculated for when considering potential back lash. "But there's one thing I've never regretted and I'm thankful I had the audacity to do it."

Turning back to her, I met her gaze as I wanted her to see me as I said it. "I Love you, Meridia."

"Y-you silly man." She flushed red at my confession. "You finally decided to speak those words to me?" She sounded annoyed, but there was that quivering of her lip again that gave away her true feelings.

"…I love you too." She whispered, hiding her face as she leaned against me.

Yeah, this was the woman I fell in love with.

[****]

"Hnn." Meridia let out a soft moan.

"So you really sculpted all these mountains, they aren't just some kind of background or illusion?" I asked.

"…Hm….yes." She breathed out. "It's not difficult within the confines of my realm. I created everything down to the smallest blade of grass."

"Is it a fully functioning ecosystem? Like, are there bugs, stuff in the dirt, wolves in the mountains, etc."

"No." She shook her head. "I merely sustain everything with my own power. I didn't wish for any of those annoyances."

"Are the ducks yours or did you bring them in?" I smiled knowingly at her.

She did say Ducks were her favorite animal, I wasn't surprised at all to see them happily swimming around.

"Ah…." She let out another soft moan. "From outside." She replied. "I have intertwined a spark of power, however, so they will not wither nor age."

It's really interesting to see a Goddess of her level and what she could create at a whim.

"Other foot." I stated.

She shifted slightly, moving around so her other foot now entered my lap as I began rubbing this one as well.

"I do not know why you insist on doing this." She grunted as I began working on this one too.

She says after letting out all of those appreciative sounds. I doubted anyone had ever given her a foot rub before.

"I want to spoil you." I chuckled, kneading into her sole.

Those content noises began coming out again, which made it all worth it.

And bonus, with the way she was laying, I could see up her dress.

She still doesn't wear panties.

"Where do you think you are looking?" She let out that adorable huff again.

"Where you do think~"

"Pervert." She pursed her lips, though made no effort to conceal herself.

"Says the woman who's flashing me." I grinned.

"Hmph." She laid her head back down. "You may gaze upon me if you wish. This body has no secrets from you at this point."

Hmm, I really wanted to do lewd things to her, but I also really wanted to keep spoiling her as well. I guess we could do sexy times later, I wanted to show her my appreciation.

"Did you have fun during the festival?"

"It was….enjoyable." She breathed out, a look of contentment on her face. "I did not think I would enjoy myself, however, Jinn was….."

"Being Jinn?" I offered.

"A non-explanation that somehow is a perfect response." She snorted. "I was unable to deny any of her requests and somehow followed along with her whims."

"Hurricane Jinn, sweeps everyone up." 'That Genie of mine…' "She was really meek when she first came over."

"Yes, I recall. She was hesitant with her words. Now she has no filter when it is just around us." Though Meridia didn't sound put off in the slightest. It was nearly impossible not to like Jinn.

It's unfortunate that Izzy didn't show up. I would have loved for them to meet as well. I'll have to check in with her to see what's up in Yomi.

"You looked beautiful in that Kimono of yours."

"There is no need to speak the obvious." She said haughtily.

Even when she does things like this she was extremely cute.

"Overall, it seems like you girls are getting along a lot better." I pushed down at the center of her foot. "It felt like you all were always on good terms, but I guess it's like you got closer after that get together."

"I will not deny it." She let out another content breath. "Are you curious? We spoke about a great many things."

"Hmm, curious? I suppose I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. However, I'm not going to ask nor was I trying to find an opening to pry any information. Just an observation on my part, one I was happy to see."

Didn't want her to think I was trying to pump information out of her or anything like that.

They had their own 'secrets' and I was certainly not going to pry.

"How long do you intend to stay?" Meridia seemingly blurted out after not speaking for a moment.

"I have no set time, and no pressing concerns, so….awhile?" I said rather vaguely.

"I see." She settled back down. "You may continue."

I rolled my eyes at her reaction, but continued all the same.

I glanced back at her again, or rather, what she had no trouble showing off.

There were other ways to appreciate her I suppose~

[***]

Meridia had a nice glow about her, and it wasn't because she was the personification of Light in this universe.

Call it pride, but I was happy that I could make her like that after spending quite awhile for her own enjoyment.

I stretched my arms as Meridia sat back on her throne, returning us to where we started. "So, what exactly did you need to drag us here for?"

"Someone wishes to speak to you." She shifted demeanors quickly. That loving woman of mine was now the Goddess who ruled over this realm. "And that part of my realm is reserved for myself and those I love." She sniffed.

Hearing her say that, it was difficult to get my heart to settle down.

But I was curious who wanted to talk to me that she knew personally.

With a burst of light, another large figure joined us and I felt silly for forgetting about him.

"Durnehviir." I greeted the Dragon who stood across from us.

"Drem yol lok wah hi." It intoned, looking at me before a look of confusion flashed across its face. "Apologies, I spoke of greetings. I felt a similar presence to my kin and spoke instinctually."

"It's fine, this isn't the first time I've been mistaken for one of you lot." I waved off his concerns.

"Curious." He inspected me. "Smell of Dovah but not Dovah." He said idly, but didn't dwell on it. "Mistress." He lowered his head in subservience towards Meridia.

There was actually a hint of gratefulness to his tone as well

"I have answered your request, you may speak freely." Meridia gave him permission to act infront of her without concern.

"You're looking better." I inspected him just as he did me.

"I have thus returned to my previous state due to the blessings of my Mistress." He acknowledged.

That wasn't all, if I guessed correctly. He was certainly purged of all that necrotic power, and it was probably replaced with Meridia's essence instead.

"You said you want to speak with me?"

"Yes. I wished to express my gratitude. You and my younger brother freed me from that prison, I am forever grateful. I wish to give you both something, but I believe it may be useless to you."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I will teach you the words required to summon me." He stated.

"The words to summon you?" I repeated what he said and a flash of realization dawned on me. "Elaborate, please."

The Dragon, seemingly smiling, opened its jaw. "Dur Neh Viir" The words exploded out and I felt a shimmer of spatial expanse, but it died down. Like, it would have pulled Durnehviir to the spot if he had been anywhere else.

The words were its name, but they had so much more meaning in them. Honestly, Dragon Language could match Runes in how broad they could be interpreted.

The shout was impressive and all, but I felt something else once I heard it. A sudden realization, as if a final piece had been slotted in for the spell I needed to summon Ddraig.

I already contemplated that a Shout might need to be added to the function of summoning Ddraig, but seeing it now, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was the correct path.

"Durnehviir." I tapped my chin in thought. "I have something I want your opinion on."

"I would be willing to assist in anything you require. My debt is large." The Dragon replied.

"I'm not like Thorum – a Dragonborn. I'm getting by because I have a Dragon living in my soul right now."

The Dragon blinked in surprise. "A strange circumstance." He pondered quite obviously. "I can understand. Your instinctual understanding is lacking. What do you require help with?"

"I'm working on a spell to summon said Dragon to the physical plane even if he's only a soul. I have worked out the basics, how to give him a temporary body and such. But…..I need help with the words to summon his soul."

"Interesting." The Dragon looked genuinely enthused by the idea. "Speak your thoughts."

"Well, there are a lot of working parts…..and I already said I don't know much about the Thu'um much. But…..is it possible to add more than three 'words' to a single 'shout'?"

"Ah." He seemed to understand. "It is possible, but difficult. Even a Dovah like me would have trouble speaking more than four words to bend the world. Eldest can do so without difficulty, but I am not as strong as Alduin."

"Is it really that hard?" I questioned. "I've learned several shouts at this point, and going from one or two words to three didn't seem that significant." It would be a lie to say the difficulty didn't noticeably increase, but not to the point where it seemed impossible.

"Unt wah Mindok. Try to understand." The Dragon told me. "Pick a shout, I will have you add a word."

"Unrelenting force?" I offered.

"That will do." The Dragon nodded. "Repeat." He stated, lifting his head up to the sky. "Fus Ro Dah Vaaz."

The shout was familiar, but with an added word that changed the entire effect. It didn't release an invisible force to merely slam into something, I could feel the air being torn apart upwards.

Uh, he didn't look like he was strained.

I glanced at Meridia who was silently watching us. She showed no discomfort, so I looked up towards the aurora in the 'sky'.

"Fus Ro Dah Vaaz!" I shouted. I expect a similar effect, or maybe something like what happened when I was first learning the Thu'um in general, but instead, the shout seemed to implode upon release.

The invisible force that should have lashed out, instead turned inward. The rippling effect collided with the tearing and an eruption happened at the focal point, causing me to get knocked back.

I was unharmed, merely brushing myself off as I stood back up.

"I see what you mean." I scratched my head.

Before, it was just understanding and becoming coherent with all three words. Now….it was like the effects actively fought against one another.

"The Thu'um, as the mortals say, it speak not from the mouth, but from the soul." The Dragon explained. "You are neither Dovah nor Dovahkiin, yet you show surprising mastery of the Thu'um, this speaks well of the strength of your soul."

"And I'm guessing that it isn't merely the strength that matters when you try and push the shout further?"

"Correct." The Dragon seemed pleased with my guess.

Hmm, it's basically a different version of Divine Words, I can see that they weren't so simple.

"I believe I may know a solution." The dragon stated.

"A solution?"

"You have said that a Dovah lives in your soul, thus two are one. Can two not work together?"

I blinked at that.

'Ddraig?'

[I'm listening, brat. I don't see a reason why we couldn't...]

"Well…..that is an interesting train of thought. Let me tell you what I'm working with so far."

I didn't have to explain too many details, but this was way too good an opportunity to pass up.

***

"Take care of yourself." I kissed Meridia lightly on the lips.

"Should I not be the one saying that?" She rolled her eyes.

"Don't get into fights."

"….."

"Make sure you –"

"Are you going to just tell me everything I should be saying to you?" She pressed a finger to my lips.

"Maybe." I grinned.

She huffed, lightly tugging on my cheek. "Behave yourself."

"I always behave myself!"

"Lies are unbecoming of you."

"Name one –"

She crossed her arms, giving me a look.

"Five –"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Name a hundred times." I said smugly.

Her expression collapsed rather quickly as she now held a small smile. "You are ridiculous." She leaned in, giving me a quick kiss as well. She let out a sigh, setting her head against my chest again. "Before you leave, can you say it again?"

"I'll say it however many times you want, whenever you want." I ran my hand through her hair. "I love you, Meridia."

"I love you too, Wilhelm." She replied.

They were foreign words for both of us, yet they felt inexplicably warm.

"I'll come back soon, okay?"

"Yes. You are forever welcomed here." She took a deep breath, taking a step back.

I quickly made a Portal, because I knew if I lingered for too long, I would never want to leave. I gave her one last look, a smile that she returned as I entered the portal, back to Kyoto.

[***]

"Wilhelm!?" Yasaka blurted out upon my arrival in the middle of her office.

She looked anxious and like she was in the middle of something.

"Is something wrong?"

"You have the most amazing timing! I was just about to call you, there's been an attack, Nurarihyon has called for aid. I was preparing to leave myself along with my men."

It only took me a second to process what she said. Nurarihyon's people were attacked? I doubt it's as simple as that terrorist attack they also suffered. No, Yasaka looked way too anxious about this.

I was a member of the Hyakki Yakō, even if only honorarily, I wouldn't let whoever it was so brazenly attack people I was connected with.

It's always something, isn't it?

"Let's go." I said without a second thought.

***

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone. Also got a new chapter of the Hogwarts Side story up.