@-2

She isn't busy. She just doesn't want to talk to me. All his anger at Rose and her unreasonable actions vanished in an instant. And here I thought getting injured was an easy way to earn forgiveness from Miranda. He inwardly laughed at his delusions.

Suddenly his eyes widened. He realized from her actions that Rose was actually here to apologize but was too embarrassed to do it. He turned towards her, rested his head on his hand, which was raised at the elbow, and he studied her face from above. There were obvious signs of discomfort. Her lips were puckered; her eyes danced around, stealing quick glances of his face from time to time.

Raymond was amused by her behavior. He thought about letting her stew for a while but couldn't hold himself back from teasing her. "Is this how you apologize?" He grinned at her reddening face.

"Do you want to know or not?" Rose asked, baring her teeth at him.

He continued grinning. "Nah, who cares!?" he said after a little while, finally able to stifle his laughter.

She lifted her brows, looking surprised. "You really don't want to know?"

Raymond just smiled at her. He felt relaxed for the first time in over a day. He realized he enjoyed this tranquil atmosphere, lying in the same bed with Rose doing nothing but gazing at her silently. He loathed to admit the fact that red was his color of choice. Ah, that red hair and those red eyes.

A bit bothered by the bangs covering her eyes, he subconsciously tucked them behind her ears. Satisfied, he stared at her red eyes. "So beautiful," he whispered. He was lost in her eyes, unaware of his own actions as he tenderly caressed the contours of her face. He traced his finger over her lush, red eyebrows, her sharp nose, the edges of her beautiful oval face, her full red lips, and he stopped at her chin.

"Hehe, stop," Rose giggled. "It tickles."

Raymond jerked away in surprise, appalled at his actions. Oh My God. What is happening to me? It's Rose. Rose. The Rose, you despise so much. He peeked at her face and panicked. Oh no. Her face is turning weird. Quick... distract her.

In his panic, he blurted out, "What happened to your boy? What's his name again? Mae? Jay? Sorry, I tend to forget... there have been so many... wait, I remember now. Antonio. What happened to him?" Yes, this ought to distract her. Good job, me. He praised himself for the quick thinking.

"I dumped his ass," Rose answered in an angry tone.

"Really?" He almost yelled in excitement.

She smiled mischievously and stared into his eyes. "Jealous?" she teased.

Raymond turned his head away in embarrassment. He never liked this line of questioning. In fact, being teased about his jealousy towards any of her boyfriends was one thing he wanted to avoid the most. Shit... shit... quickly... distract her again.

"So, who's next? I met that Captain Fjord or whatever his name is today," Raymond said, his head still turned the other way.

"Maybe... I don't know. But I'll tell you one thing, he's definitely dreamy," Rose murmured in a low airy voice.

His mood turned sour in an instant. All his excitement and panic went poof listening to Rose's words about Corey Fjord. He never liked it when she talked about her boyfriends. And he was very grateful that he did not have to deal with this problem when it came to Miranda.

He was sure if she ever brought a boyfriend home or told him about finding someone, he would go apoplectic. And Lily, she was different from the rest. He believed she wasn't even interested in anything other than magic and training. Figures. And just when I thought...

Raymond had realized after their spar that Rose had gone easy on him. She had not used body strengthening magic, and that was the only reason he could take her by surprise. If she had cast it, her reflexes would have drastically improved, and she could have easily parried his strike.

Ha... He sighed, some things never change...

"What's that?" Raymond was interrupted before he could finish his thought. He looked at Rose, who excitedly jumped and fetched a letter from his dresser table. "It's a letter, I think." She quickly opened it without a care for his privacy.

"Sure. You can open it," Raymond said with heavy sarcasm.

"It's from Shania," Rose muttered, almost an afterthought. She started grinning as she read on, growing to a lung bursting laugh by the end of it. "It's a love letter," she barely got out between her fits of laughter.

Raymond snatched the letter from her, confused by her crazy reaction to a simple love letter. His face turned red as he read about their recent tryst written in its full glory. There was a further mention of a repeat performance. By the end, the letter took on a grave tone, as if written by two different people. He read through a brief account of a family emergency and an apology for leaving abruptly. She promised to always keep him in her heart and hoped for the same from him.

"It's a parting letter." Raymond threw the crumpled letter towards the door.

Rose flicked a tiny ball of flame at the piece of parchment. "That fucking bitch... how dare she?!"

"Said there was some family emergency or something," Raymond continued in the same dispassionate tone. He obviously didn't believe a word of it. Most likely she found another opportunity or some other prince. He was not concerned either way.

"Good riddance. I never liked her anyway," Rose huffed. The atmosphere suddenly turned tense. Raymond was once again reminded that, of all the girls in his family, none of them had liked Shania or any of his previous girlfriends for that matter. He always chalked it up to his own poor choices. Now, though, he couldn't help but look back. Hmm, this is interesting. He tried to remember his past girlfriends. Now that I think about it, not all of them were so bad. Hmm. Maybe...he chuckled at the absurdity of it. Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen. He cursed at himself. Not everybody is a deviant like you.

"Then I'm going."

"Huh, why?" Raymond asked.

Rose said while getting up, "Since you don't care about politics..."

"I never said that..."

"So, do you really want to know?" Rose seemed taken aback by his change of mood. Raymond felt smug, as he had long guessed that she hadn't wanted to really explain it. And he just didn't want to give her an easy way out of apologizing.

"It's fine even if you can't tell me... I'm sure it isn't because you don't know the reason." He smirked; he loved it when she squirmed a little.

"Humph." She snorted at his antics. "I can't say for sure, but there is a chance the Eastern Continent is behind this affair," She remarked, her eyes glaring straight at him, daring him to ask any more about it.

Raymond asked, "The Eastern Continent?" His tone was skeptical. They both gazed at each other before guffawing at the same moment. "The fucking barbarians!"

The Eastern Continent, which was the continent to the east of the continent of Paschwes, was commonly referred to as the Barbarian Land by the people of Paschwes. Apart from the folk tales and songs, there wasn't much mention of it in the general populace. There were rumors about a war being fought in the distant past, but nobody took it seriously, and believed it to be a grandma's tale for children.

Raymond had never seen a native of the Eastern Continent, but there was only disdain for them and their barbaric ways, in his mind.

"Just tell me one thing. How do you know so much? Do all of you have secret meetings behind my back?" Raymond impatiently asked the one thing which had bothered him since the afternoon. He always believed himself to be smarter than Rose. He could swallow his defeat at her hands if they used magic, but he could never take being outwitted by her.

Rose turned around, a mysterious smile on her face. She slowly lifted her finger to her lips, "Secret meetings...are secret," she whispered in a throaty voice. Winking at him seductively, she skipped out of the room.

Raymond's heart thumped out of his chest; he couldn't believe how sexy she looked and sounded. I don't think I can survive all these surprise attacks to my heart. He let out a weary sigh. Ha...I should just get some sleep.

***

"Should I do it or not?"

Raymond was back at his usual cave, the next day. He had already failed twice in his attempts to awaken, and was weighing whether to attempt it for the third time.

"There's a risk to my mana pool if I fail. On the other hand, if it's a success..."

"Hmm...tough to decide." He sulked as he recalled the pain he had felt in and after his fight with Rose the previous day. Then a shiver ran through his body as he thought about his upcoming "fight" with Suzanne. "Yesterday was just an appetizer. Aunt Suzy...she wouldn't hold back either..."

He gritted his teeth and decided to try it anyway. The chances were low, but it may yet happen.

It was mid-afternoon when he regained consciousness. "Fuck, my head's all dizzy. Ugh..."

He decided to wait for some time before leaving the cave. Still lost in his thoughts about the beating he was about to take at the hands of his aunt, he was alarmed by a loud roar. He rushed to the cave's entrance, nearly stumbling on the way. His soul almost left his body by the terrifying scene he witnessed.

His horse lay dead by the tree he had tied him to. A Violet Horned Bear stood over the corpse, its paws and snout dripping with blood. Another Violet Horned Bear, which looked a lot older, was circling around, sizing up the younger one.

"Fuck, what are two prime beasts doing this far out?" Raymond cursed under his breath.

He was out of ideas at the sight of two prime beasts, which were about to fight. He wanted to run for his life but was afraid he would be killed as soon as he stepped out. The only thought going through his mind was that he should've been nowhere near this scene.

"Maybe they'll kill each other by the end." After the immediate shock and fear of the situation lessened a little, Raymond felt much calmer. He slowly and very cautiously returned inside the cave, trying very hard to not make a single bit of noise. Curled up in a corner, he tried to recall every little bit of information he knew about the Violet Horned Bear. He remained completely silent while listening to the growls coming from outside.

"Sounds like its ending." Raymond cautiously peeked outside after the sounds completely stopped. The bigger, older of the two beasts was the victor. The younger one lay in a pool of its own blood. The surviving one wasn't much better off. It had wounds all over its body. One long gash across its neck looked particularly nasty.

"Fuck! Fuck! It's alive." Raymond could only curse at his bad luck. The surviving bear moved towards the corpse of Raymond's horse. It tore apart the corpse with its strong paws. Goosebumps ran over his body as he watched his horse being eaten in such a bloody fashion.

"If only I had awakened my attribute... I wouldn't have to hide here like a fucking rat." Raymond sighed at his pitiful condition. He wanted to dash out, but he didn't. He was aware that he could never out-run a prime beast. He prayed for the bear to turn away from the cave after it had its meal.

He waited anxiously, sweat covered his body and made his clothes wet. His throat became parched due to nervousness, and the cold breeze stroking his skin felt like a thorny, icy, whip. The tension had him on edge, and he felt as if his mana would go berserk, leak out his aura, and alert the beast of his position. He gnashed his teeth in frustration of his lack of strength while trying his best to calm down his nerves and control his mana vibration.

Raymond understood that he wasn't equipped to deal with the situation, and if he waited too long, it could prove fatal. "There's no other way. I have to attack it before it discovers the cave." Steeling his heart, Raymond decided to fight the bear when it was at its most vulnerable. He tightened his armor around his drenched shirt. Pulling his sword out from its sheath, he cautiously approached the bear.

The Violet Horned Bear was busy devouring the flesh of the horse, unaware of the danger approaching behind it. Raymond stopped nearly 10 meters away from it, judging it to be as close as he could get without alerting the bear of his presence.

Raymond channeled all his mana to his right arm. He knew he would get a single chance at this. So he decided to forego any protection and used body strengthening magic only on his sword wielding arm. More! More! Silently, he glared at its back. He had never tried to take his body strengthening to this limit and that too only on a single part of his body.

His arm was vibrating and bulged slightly, looking almost as if it wasn't his own arm but somebody else's. It was a thin line between life and death and required impeccable control and concentration to circulate his mana and sneak in behind the prime beast without its knowledge. He had to pierce his sword through the gash at its neck; the beast's body was too tough for him to aim anywhere else. An immeasurable strength coursed through his arm while he studied the length of the wound, and it made him a tiny bit confident; however, he shuddered at the thought of it still not being enough.

Now, Raymond shouted in his mind. The bear had dived down to tear a chunk of meat and that was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He ran faster than ever before and jumped up to increase the power of his strike.

*Screech*

The beast howled in agony. The sword pierced inside its flesh, and Raymond kept on pushing it deeper, extending the wound. Blood jetted out everywhere as the beast thrashed about desperately and almost crushed Raymond beneath its huge body.

There was a short tussle between them before Raymond twisted his arm, which made another fountain of blood to burst out from the beast's humongous body. "Fucking die!!!" He screamed with his eyes bloodshot. He had put in every ounce of his strength in that strike and didn't let up until the beast stopped struggling.

"Huff..." Raymond panted. "Is it over?" Just when he thought it was dead, that he had done it, that he had successfully killed a prime beast, the beast lifted its paw and prepared to slash at him. It was like the flash of the last ember before the flame died down.

Time slowed down around Raymond; everything was happening at a snail's pace. He thought about dodging the attack; however, he gave up on it quickly. He was very short on stamina and was also stuck in his position. It was impossible for him to dodge its paw in that short duration. He realized at that instant, there was no other option but to double down. He had to kill the beast before the paw could touch him.

"Aggh!" He shouted. The veins on his body swelled and his mana channels shook unstably. Scraping the bottom of his mana pool, he viciously pushed the sword deeper and twisted it around. "Die!!!" He did not stop until the sword finally pierced through the beast's neck on the other side. Hot blood sprayed out, painting Raymond in red.

*Crash*

The Violet Horned Bear was finally dead. It died before it could kill Raymond.

"YES!" Raymond screamed in joy, though, an instant later he suddenly shut his mouth, afraid to have alerted any nearby prime beast with his delirious roar of laughter.

He vigilantly listened for a while, sighing in relief when he didn't hear any noise. That... was stupid. He cursed at himself as he tried to pull his sword out of the beast's body. When the sword didn't budge an inch, he quickly gave up on the idea. Too exhausted to move away, he lay down on the spot. He had overdrawn his mana pool and his mana was dry. It felt to him like he was completely sapped of energy, and at the same time, it was painful. He knew it was stupid to remain out in the open, however, he couldn't move no matter how much he had wanted to. His eyelids turned heavy as an unprecedented spell of drowsiness struck him.

"Maybe this was an opportunity," Raymond mumbled dazedly. "Yes, I've decided... I will try again to awaken when my mana recovers. I refuse to believe I can't awaken, especially after this..."

***

"RAY..."

"RAY"

He was shaken from his stupor when he heard a loud shout. Someone shouted his name, and he could hear the sound of horse hooves fast approaching his direction. Lily?

Lily leapt down from her horse. She crushed his head to her chest and started to wail loudly. "I was scared..." were the only words coming out of her mouth that Raymond could make sense of. He was overwhelmed by this display. Lily had never been one for showing much affection. She was much quieter than the rest of their boisterous family.

He consoled his sister by gently thumping her back. Gradually, her wails turned to sobs. "I'm fine. This isn't my blood." Raymond chuckled. "I'm fine. I was just exhausted and lying down." Lily finally calmed down after listening to this. She took his face in her hands and tenderly wiped the bloodstains.

"Injuries?"

"I'm just tired and used too much of my mana." Lily nodded her head at his response. She went up to her horse, fetched a few pills from her bag and stuffed them in his mouth. She took a look around herself, seeing the dead horse in between the corpses of the two prime beasts, one which had a sword pierced through its body, she hummed in understanding. "Amazing, extraordinarily amazing," she whispered.

"All in a day's work."

Lily frowned, seeing the smug look on Raymond's face. The more she looked at his annoying smirk, the bigger the frown grew. "I warned you."

"Huh? Warned? Oh, about an increase in their numbers?" Raymond posed; he continued in a carefree tone. "How would I know? This never happened before."

"I warned you!" Lily repeated her previous words in a much louder voice.

"I told you-" unnerved by the scowl on Lily's face, Raymond swallowed back the words he was about to say. He was confused. What's her problem? She should be praising me. Hmmph.

"The other thing," Lily uttered through clenched teeth, her anger barely contained.

"Other thing? What other thing?" Raymond couldn't tell heads from tails. He was totally lost. "What are you talking about-" Yeah, if I hadn't tried it for the third time, I would have not been unconscious. Raymond realized his horse must've alerted him, but he was unconscious at the time. Oh my god, I could've avoided all this. He sheepishly turned his eyes away from her suddenly hurtful stare.

"Get up," Lily ordered. Raymond obediently followed behind her, too ashamed to say anything. She retrieved a fresh set of clothes from her bag along with a bar of soap. She glanced at him and marched on towards the nearby lake. Although artifacts from the prime beasts were valuable, Raymond and Lily, as royalty, had never harvested any magic beast corpses and were in no mood to start then.

"Why are you carrying my clothes?"

"I thought you ran away," Lily replied in a flat tone.

"Hey!" Raymond shouted at her back. "I'm no coward!" A long pause, then "Hey! Say something! Did you really think I ran away!?" Several seconds passed before he spoke again. "Why aren't you saying anything!? Lily!" Raymond kept shouting at Lily's back as he followed her to the lake.

"Strip." Lily, who finally seemed to have calmed down from her fit of rage at his stupidity, turned to face her twin.

"What?" Raymond started. What does she mean "strip"? Then he smiled naughtily. "Are you going to peep?" he teased.Lily sat down by the edge of the lake, unconcerned. Tossing him the soap, she said, "be quick. You smell... horrible."

Raymond was puzzled at this display of indifference. He found it hard to believe that she was not affected by the idea of his nudity. They had taken baths together in the past, but that was the past. This is too much. Does she not realize she is about to see her brother naked? Do I even register as a male human being to her? Frustrated, he muttered, "I also have feelings, you know," and started stripping.

After he had thoroughly scrubbed his skin to get rid of any dried blood and filth from his earlier fight, he dressed in his fresh clothes all while keeping his eyes focused on Lily. He was convinced she would at least take one curious peek, but was he proved wrong when she didn't. He was at a loss. I don't know if I should feel relieved or depressed. Nah, I'm thinking too much...

Raymond suddenly shouted, "What are you doing?" as he watched Lily beginning to undress.

"Taking a bath," Lily replied, already in her underwear. "Aren't I allowed to be clean for my own sake, and of my own choosing?"

Raymond was left speechless. He averted his eyes in a hurry. "Can't you wait!?" he yelled, embarrassed by his twin sister's outlandish behavior. He waited until he heard the splashing of water, only then did he turn his head around. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now... Maybe I should ask about the war... She definitely knows more than that idiot, Rose.

"Lily, what's the deal with that war?"

Lily eyed him for a moment. Raymond could see her considering a response. "In short, there is a conspiracy," she spoke after a short while.

"What conspiracy?"

"Really? Now?" she asked, glaring at him, pointing that she was busy.

"... I'm bored."

Raymond waited for a while, but she didn't look impressed by his reason. "Tell me," he shouted again and again.

Lily, frustrated, yelled at him. "Shut up. I'll tell you... You should be more serious..." She looked torn. "All right, pay attention! Kyrgstan is an even smaller kingdom than ours, whereas Zekovia is part of the Tibal Alliance."

"Really?" Raymond felt surprised after listening that Zekovia was part of the Tibal Alliance. He didn't know much about the two kingdoms, but he definitely knew about the Tibal Alliance.

The Tibal Alliance, along with the Frito Empire, made up the two major powers of the continent. After thinking for a while, he declared, "the king must be stupid." Raymond had spoken callously because he had heard many a previous tales of mad kings or idiot emperors who doomed their own people. He guessed this situation might be the same. If you are going to war with the enormous Tibal Alliance with only the power of your tiny kingdom, then you must be stupid!

"No, he isn't."

"Oh, he isn't? Huh... weird!" Since Lily said the king isn't stupid, then he isn't stupid. If it was anyone other than Lily who said those words, he would raise his doubts and question them, but he knew from experience, Lily only spoke about something if she was absolutely convinced that it was true.

"Then... then the Frito Empire instigated the war?" He asked in an unsure voice.

Frito Empire was the biggest empire on the continent of Paschwes, and its history was mired by bloodshed and wars. During its heyday, it occupied more than two-thirds of the continent. Tibal Alliance, established by the kingdoms to the west of the Frito Empire, had slowly chipped away its boundaries and restricted its hegemony. But the Empire could never be taken lightly. The two powers had not openly fought for a long time but proxy wars were nothing new.

"A new Emperor is about to be crowned. They don't want any disturbance at this time," Lily replied flatly. The current emperor was already advanced in age, and the crown prince was getting impatient, waiting for his chance to sit on the throne. He had the support of the majority of nobles of the empire and Henry Trading Association, the wealthiest merchant association in the empire, had also shown its sincerity towards the crown prince.

"Then... a coup?" Raymond asked in apprehension. The chances of a coup led by any of the other princes were slim at best. Though the empire was huge and had a bloody history, there hadn't ever been an attempt to revolt against the emperor or to seize the throne by force.

"Maybe. But if it was done by the Eastern Continent, it would be worse for all of us." Her tone turned serious when she mentioned the Eastern Continent.

Raymond thought about the implications of the war if the Eastern Continent was the one who instigated it. It doesn't really matter, right? What can a bunch of barbarians do? Fed up, he asked, "It doesn't matter, right?"

Lily seemed to hesitate. "The Eastern Continent is- is..." appearing as if she had reached some kind of decision, she concluded, "You'll know later, once we return home."

Raymond wanted to ask more questions but lost his ability to think when Lily started walking out. He wanted to turn away, but one look at her firm breasts, and he lost all sense of self. Her wet, lithe body slowly came into view. Her puffy, brown nipples were erect in the cold breeze. A small patch of pubic hair shielded her vagina from his eyes.

Lily glanced at him once she was out of the lake but didn't pay mind to his leering eyes and picked up her clothes to dress herself. Raymond immediately turned his head away in shame. You've done it this time. Ogling your own twin sister, you should be ashamed of yourself.

"Let's go," Lily said in an even tone. Raymond followed behind, his head bowed down, too ashamed to walk beside her. I seem to be always walking behind her. He chuckled at the thought. She doesn't seem like she minded. Working up his courage, he increased his speed to walk level with her. He took a quick peek at her face and was relieved when she didn't react negatively. Whew, it's alright. He tried to strike up a conversation to further assuage his guilt, but she remained silent throughout the short walk back to the cave.

Lily finally opened her mouth when they reached the cave. "We're staying the night."

Raymond was conflicted when she said they wouldn't be going back. He very much wanted to boast in front of Rose and Suzanne. Most of all, he wanted to recount the whole scenario, from the two beasts fighting, to him slaying the surviving one, to Miranda, but he was equally afraid of her reaction. It would break his heart if she maintained her silence, and he was not ready to take that risk.

...

Raymond sat beside Lily on his futon. Evening rays lit the cave, enough that he could see her face clearly. She looked the same as always; her small nose was the same; her cherry red lips were the same; her thin eyebrows were the same; her shoulder length, damp light brown hair, was the same; her round face was the same; her deep brown eyes were the same, and yet... she looked different. She is even more beautiful today, Raymond thought to himself.

He always knew she was beautiful. Everyone in his family was; it would be weird if she wasn't. But something had definitely changed for him What the fuck happened? First, it was a cousin, then an aunt and now a sister. What the fuck happened? Raymond asked himself the same question over and over. The conclusion he reached, after thinking about the events of the past few days, shocked him to the core. Maybe it's all related to that damn dream!

Too tired to think any more about it, It's her fault. He blamed it all on Shania, now his ex-girlfriend, for leaving him hanging.

"Hungry?" Lily was the first one to break the silence.

"A little." Raymond extended his hand to receive the dried rations she took out of her bag. He started laughing when he peeked inside the bag; it contained several items necessary for a short journey. "You really thought I ran away!?" Lily shrugged her shoulders in response, making him laugh even harder than before.

...

Raymond was stretched out next to Lily. The futon was big enough to fit both of them without any awkwardness coming in between them. Unfortunately for him, there was only a single pillow. He let her have it, grudgingly. After his "meal" of military rations, he felt much calmer. There was a hint of arousal in his loins from earlier scenes of seeing Lily naked and dripping, but he decided to ignore it, focusing instead on his magic. His mana had yet to recover, but he was not worried. He was quite confident he would awaken soon because he had been able to kill that Violet Horned Bear.

"Ray?" Lily whispered softly.

"Hmmm"

"You asleep?"

"Not yet."

"Would you lie to me if I asked you something?"

Raymond turned to his side, now facing Lily. He gazed in her eyes and told her, "never."

"... Are you in love with Miranda?"

"Of course." Raymond suddenly sat up straight. "What... I-I mean... WHAT?"

"So, you are..." Lily muttered while Raymond continued to stare at her in disbelief.

Raymond wanted to deny it; he opened his mouth but the words didn't come out. He sighed heavily and once again laid down beside her. "Yeah, I think I may be in love with her."

"It's okay. I understand," Lily said as she reached over and stroked his head. Raymond was perplexed by her reaction. He expected harsh denouncement and not words of understanding. They both turned silent for a good long while.

...

"Ray?"

"Hmm..."

"Do you love me?" Lily asked nervously. She was very afraid of his rejection, and it showed on her face. For a long time, she had wanted to convey her feelings to him, but she was always too afraid. She would watch him secretly pine for Miranda, and her heart ached at the very image of her being cast aside by him.

Lily knew she should have treated him better and had always regretted not being able to show him how much she cared for him, how much she loved him. Once, they used to be inseparable, but after she awakened, there was suddenly this distance between them.

She used to be the awkward one, studious, shy, and always tagging behind her brother, but all of a sudden she was the prodigy; the genius. She was the center of attention and not her brother. She blamed herself and her family for creating that environment around them. For a time, she even thought she was cursed along with her whole family.

The more Lily felt herself falling for him, the harder it became for her to open up to him. She immersed herself in her training to get rid of all these conflicting, confusing feelings. But now she couldn't wait anymore.

The scene of Raymond covered in blood shook her to the core. She never wanted to see that horrifying scene again. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, that she would do anything for him. Instead, all of her thoughts jumbled up and what came out of her mouth was a desperate plea.

"Yes," Raymond replied after a long pause. He seemed prepared, as if he guessed from her earlier tone that she would ask this next.

"More than Miranda?"

Raymond was left speechless. He couldn't have expected this question. He turned towards her, meeting her eyes, silently questioning her intentions.

"It doesn't matter," Lily whispered. She had made up her mind. It didn't matter to her anymore. What was important was that he said "yes." There was no rejection, no repulsion, only a simple "yes." She was done waiting, second guessing, and hiding behind her silence. She didn't care about Miranda; she didn't care about their mother; she didn't care about tradition; she didn't care about rules. All she cared about was him.

She pushed his back to the futon, and climbed over him. She stared at him, with lust in her eyes. She leaned down, covering his lips with hers. Raymond was stunned, and he pushed her away.

"We can't."

"We can," she said again leaning in to continue her assault.

"Mother will not approve of it, and you know the traditions."

"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. I just love you, Ok? Nothing can change it. Nothing," Lily cried out, tears in her eyes.

...

Raymond was frozen still. Wait a minute! It somehow feels like... He drew parallels between Lily's and his own. Lily is pushing her feelings to me, and maybe I was doing the same to Miranda... He recalled the stunned reaction of Miranda when he had unexpectedly kissed her. Maybe it wasn't as simple as that. What if... He was confused and felt lost.

Did I force myself on Miranda? Couldn't be... She can easily overpower me! The thought ate away at Raymond. What if she didn't want to hurt me by rejecting the kiss? Although it was highly unlikely, if there was even a smidge of truth in it, it was a sobering thought and... painful. He felt like throwing up. The pain due to the thrashing he had received was nothing compared to the one he felt in his heart.

"Is this what I've become?" Raymond murmured inaudibly.

He hadn't run away because he was scared of another battering or the pain. He was scared and desperate. It was as if he couldn't trust himself any longer. In their family, in the entire history of their kingdom, he was the only one who was this late in awakening their attribute. The concept of time was blurred for an awakened. The stronger one was, the longer they lived; however, Raymond felt like his time was dashing away.

It was hard enough to be the black sheep, an outcast among his own people... the possibility that he would forever be stuck in that position was different altogether. Suzanne's method was his final hope, and if that too didn't work... he shuddered to imagine the consequences.

The mind-numbing pressure of his situation, the thrill from killing a prime beast, and the dour reactions of Miranda... such a rollercoaster of emotions. They were overwhelming, and he couldn't keep up with them.

"Ray?!" Lily's voice seemed apprehensive.

At that moment, Raymond realized it. The earnest confession of Lily's love for him, as well as the extent of love and passion hidden behind it, healed his chaotic soul. She blew away the dark clouds of weakness and despair.

It's fine if don't awaken. It's fine even if I can't accompany her for a lifetime. It's fine like that. She loves me. She loves me so much, and it's enough...

Her love was real; he could feel it was. It was different from the familial compassion, and far removed from the consoling pity he sometimes sensed from the other members of his family.

It was nothing like he had ever experienced. For the first time, Raymond didn't cling on to the idea of proving himself. It wasn't about approval, strength, or anything else. It was about Lily.

I like it! I need more! I want more with Lily!

Raymond knew then, he couldn't and shouldn't try to deny Lily. In that short instant, He thought about his mother and their traditions, and finally about Miranda... He impulsively wanted to push Lily away, but his hands never moved to do it. Fuck it. She's right, nothing matters. At least not right now.

Giving in to the moment, he pulled her down. He returned her kiss with equal vigor. His lips parted, allowing her tongue to invade his mouth. He shut his eyes, lost in the scent of her skin, the taste of her tongue.

...

Lily came up for air; she placed her elbows on either side of his head. She gazed at him, a maiden in love. She leaned down until their foreheads touched. "I love you," she whispered, finally able to say the actual words, which always seemed stuck in her throat. Her inner feelings, her want for him, her love, she at last brought up the courage to tell him. She didn't want to hide anymore, and she knew she would not be able to even if she did want to.

Raymond's eyes challenged her, asking if she really did want this. He opened his mouth, but before a word could get out, she sealed his mouth with hers. She pushed her tongue inside with force. Her hands busied themselves by exploring every inch of his face. She let out a soft moan when he bit her lips. She pulled at his hair, tilting his head and moved down to his neck. Her sloppy kisses left his neck wet and red.

Her hands undid the buttons on his shirt, and she rubbed her legs with his, their silk clothes increasing the already hot temperature. She immediately moved her hands down, after she undid the last button on his shirt, to work on his pants, all the while placing small kisses on his chest. She pulled his pants down, his underwear along with them, while his shirt was already tossed away.

She straightened up to observe his naked body. His body looked almost golden in color, in the waning lights of the setting sun. Her eyes bored down on him, trying to take in every little detail, etching them in her memory. Her eyes lit up with the unadulterated joy of a child who got their hands on a favorite toy.

She rubbed her cheeks against his chest and tightened her arms around his back. She purred in contentment, as she inhaled the scent of his body. Her hand shook with nervous excitement, while she slowly reached down and circled around his poking member. Raymond groaned at her tender treatment. He seemed eager to turn her around, to squeeze her tits, to pinch her nipples, to taste her pussy; his smoldering gaze and his greedy hands told her that he wanted to do all that and more; however, he didn't.

Lily understood why; she always did understand him. He wanted to make it about her, and it made her heart warm with love for him. "Ray..." she muttered and placed gentle kisses all over his chest and stomach while she slid down towards his dick. She looked at his swollen, veiny, member in amazement. Gently wrapping her palms around it, she gave it a tug, which made Raymond moan in response. Too afraid to hurt him by her inexperience, she stopped her movement and gazed at him. "Teach me," she demanded.

"You don't have-"

"Teach me," she said again, this time with more conviction behind her words.

"... Do what comes to your mind. I'll stop you if..."

Lily licked her lips nervously and then extended her tongue to wet the crown of his dick. She stopped to check his reaction and continued when he moaned in what seemed like an approval. She ran her tongue from the base to the tip of his dick, and it elicited a whimper from him. Now more confident, she licked the sides of his erect member, her fingers ran up and down the smooth skin. Spitting a glob on the tip, she increased the speed of her motions.

"Take me in your mouth," Raymond said impatiently. Encouraged by his words, she engulfed the head of his dick in her mouth. Raymond hissed. "Gently."

Lily slowly proceeded to take in more of his member, trying hard to take in the whole of it. Her saliva dripped from her mouth, wetting his balls and puddling on the futon beneath. She struggled some more and failed in her quest to take in all of his length inside her mouth. Giving up for the moment, she ran her tongue over his balls, her fingers wrapped around his length, stroking it, squeezing it.

She dived down again, her nose almost touching the base of his dick this time. Again and again, she tried, each time taking in more of him than before. Pleased by his increasing hardness and cries of joy, she went faster. Her fingers now covered the remaining length, moved in rhythm with her head.

"Yesssss... just like... that..."

She repeated her motions. Her tongue teasing the back of his crown, her fingers wrapped around his shaft, and her saliva dripping down while her head bobbed with increased speed; she was a woman possessed. Her efforts drew groans of approval.

"I'm close..."She closed her mouth around the head of his dick. Her hands frantically jacked him off; she pushed her tongue to the slit of his cock. She felt his dick jerk along with the rest of his body and then a jet of cum struck the back of her throat, and then another and then another. She swallowed it all; she licked the dribbles of cum around the sides of his dick and cleaned it all with her tongue, finally stopping when there was none left.

Lily got rid of the rest of her clothes in a hurry. Her underwear, wet with her juices, was next to go. Raymond was captivated by the sight of her tits, her small but firm tits. Her nipples were erect. Her pussy lips, dripping down on the futon below, were swollen. His dick got hard again in an instant. His hands were swatted away by her when he reached towards his breasts.

She leaned over, now face to face with Raymond, and whispered, "My turn."

When Raymond started to slide down, she held him still by her thin but strong arms. Confused, he raised his eyebrows.

"Not that. Not today," She explained. She squatted over him, with her hips placed above his knees. Reaching down with her hands, she took his cock, already hard and aching for attention, and lined it with her entrance. She rubbed it over her pussy, getting it wet with her own juices.

Lily moaned when the tip of his dick poked her clit. Feeling primed for his dick to enter her depths, she held it in place and slowly slid down. Her whole body went stiff as she felt his member rest inside her. She moaned in delight, finally able to indulge her desire. She felt it throb, and her muscles tightened in reflex. They both groaned in pleasure. She lifted herself up, his cock almost out of her pussy, and sat back down in one fluid motion.

"Ohhhh..."

"Yesss..." Raymond echoed his sister.

Lily was lost in her own world. Nothing mattered anymore to her. She just wanted this feeling of being filled with her brother to last forever. She knew she loved him, but this proved how much. She had never felt like this before. No feeling, none, could even come close to this. She shut her eyes and increased her speed, her hair swaying along with her head.

"So good, Ray! So good!"

"Ah!" Raymond grunted and traced his finger over her lips and down.

Lily felt his hands cup her breasts, and she moaned in approval, "yes..."

A spark went through her body when she felt his tongue circle around her nipple. She abandoned her restraints. Holding his head tight in her arms, she pushed her breasts to his mouth, shifting it from left to right. His tongue slithered over her skin, and it made her limbs feel like jelly. Her hips, though, didn't let up. She called his name, moaned for his dick, mumbled her love for him, and groaned when he sucked her nipples.

"Oh, Lily... tasty!"

She blushed at his comment, her face a dark shade of pink. The walls of her pussy contracted as she ran her fingers through his hair and back. "Ray!" She moaned again as his rod hit a particularly sweet spot. Twisting her head to meet his gaze, she covered his lips with her own.

"Uhh..."

Lily kissed him intensely, trading saliva between their mouths. His smell, his lovely, manly, smell made her swoon. The fullness in her love-hole because of his member inside her, and the heat of his body as she wrapped her arms around him and her legs locked behind his waist, drove her wild. It throbbed, his dick, it pulsed whenever she gave him a kiss, and with it so did her heart.

"Oh, lord... so big!" A long sigh of pleasure escaped Lily's mouth as her twin jerked upwards. She tightened her hold around his back and let him drive her. Her lips quivered in pleasure as he increased the strength of his strokes. The thumping sounds intensified and she locked him close, her whole weight on his thighs with her legs the leverage to rock her hips over his pounding, hard, cock.

"So tight..." Raymond moaned over her collarbone. His words, his hot breath over her neck, brought her to an edge. She ground her engorged clit against his chiseled muscle, marveling at his handsome features.

"Ray, I- I'm close..." She felt it coming, the elusive wave of pleasure. She kissed him deeply. Her hips were a blur as her limbs held him still. A torrent of juices flew out of her pussy with a loud squelching noise. "Cumming!" Her scream got muffled inside his mouth. and her whole body vibrated as if lightning had run through it. Then it happened one more time.

"Arghhh..." Lily screamed. Raymond's mouth was latched on her nipple while his dick spewed loads of cum in her pussy. She squirted again, and her core shook with delight. Dazed and fulfilled she let go of him and fell back beside him. Her body twitched for some time as she remained dreamily staring at him.

When she regained some semblance of reality, she kissed him with passion, confessing her love over and over again. She smiled as she cuddled with her brother. She was finally able to sleep in peace after years of yearning.

***

Lily woke up the next morning alone in the cave. She panicked to find Raymond missing. Hurriedly, putting on her clothes and armor, she went outside. "Hey." A voice greeted her.

She sighed in relief, seeing the smiling face of Raymond, her brother, her twin, her love, and now her lover. She smiled at the memories of the previous night. She started laughing, her mood further brightening up, when Raymond lifted her in his arms and spun her around, obviously in a very good mood himself.

"I awakened," Raymond laughed out.

...

The third part has already been written so there shouldn't be a long wait.