I hope that I won’t be late! Please! I don’t want to be too late! That was the only thing that was occupying my mind at the moment, as I was running back to the hut. Aira really made a flower grow in front of the lamia’s nest. It was pretty indeed, with each petal having a different colo… WHY THE HELL AM I ADMIRING A BLOODY FLOWER! But wait, Aira won’t do anything to Gis. Right? Let’s be logical – She knows that I “like” her, so she wouldn’t risk hurting my feelings. On the other hand she is a goddess, so you can never be sure what she would do!

I jumped onto the ladder and started to climb up with a plant in my mouth. I got inside, rushed in direction of bedroom at the end of the hut, kicked the door open and rolled inside.

- “HERE IS DA FLOWER, LEAVE HER B…” But, what I saw left me speechless – Aira was petting the dragoness’s head while sniffling.

- “She is such a good girl!” Aira yelled at me sniffling.“You better treasure her, you hear me?”

I look at Gisele, she just gave me a frightened and desperate look. She either had no idea what she said or did, or was to surprised that it worked.

- “S…sure thing.”

- “Ah, Gisele, I would love you to ask you something, Zari easily gets into trouble” N0o, No! God, please no! NOOO! “If you could keep him safe… Also, he tends to pick fights with people stronger them himself, on one hand it is admirable, on the other so very thoughtless! And…”

She continued criticizing my eating habits, that I am not sleeping enough, (here she was right thought) and many, many more. All this time the pale Gisele just kept nodding eagerly. After she promised taking care of around nine thousands tasks Aira finally was satisfied.

- “You are tired, are you? Get some rest sweethearts, mama-Aira will take a look at that dead angel in the salon and have a talk with my sisters.” She kissed the tip of the dragoness’s head and left the room humming cheerful song.

We were left alone.

- “What the hell did you tell her?!” I asked as soon as door was closed behind a goddess.

- “I don’t even know that myself. I was sure I would die… Also – WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WERE RAISED BY A BLOODY GODDESS!?”

- “Would you believe me? Hey, my name is Zari and the goddess of nature considers me as her child!”

- “No, I wouldn’t! But you still should have said that!”

- “For what purpose!?”

- “I don’t know!”

The situation in the room turned bit awkward.

- “How about getting some sleep, and after waking up pretending that that situation from the moment ago never took place?” I suggested after few seconds of silence.

- “Will work for me… a goddess… a real goddess. So what, Heira would be your aunt and Luxia your older sister?”

- “No…”

- “Because I already started wondering if I would have to deal with the oth…”

- “My relations with them are bit complicated. Heira is playing around with me sending me to some twisted realities or inviting me to hell for a cup of tea, while I saw Luxia only once before and…” Gisele gave that half angry, half begging look.

- “Please, tell me that you are mocking me! For the first time ever I want you to mock me!”

- “I wish, sunshine. They are crazy! Literally crazy!”

- “I was wondering how was that possible that you were so… weird, but after knowing who was responsible for raising you I think that I will have to be bit more forgiving.”

- “Wait, what do you mean by [weird]?!”

- “Hey! In sweet way!”

- “You still could use a better word!”

- “What word could possibly replaced weird?”

- “Original, one of a kind, uncanny, eccentric…”

- “For me you will stay weird. Come here. You were away for quiet long and up until now we weren’t given any time just for two of us.” She spread her arms inviting me into her embrace.

I gladly followed. It was so nice to once again feel her skin on mine. As soon as her hands “trapped” me inside, I felt as if some burden was taken off my chest. Those past two weeks were crazy. Kidnapping, getting tortured inside the castle, the feeling of being chased all this time, then struggling to keep Elana alive and now it’s all done. All the urgent things that needed to be taken care off were gone. Now I could just get myself lost in those strong, yet gentle, loving arms. My prize.

We dropped on the bed.

- “I missed you…” I just whispered.

She kissed my forehead in an answer. I felt as one of her hands was caressing my back why another was brushing my hair. I could get addicted to that treatment.

All that mess, that anger, that fear, that grief that pursuit after god’s only knows what, acting as boss of the group to keep Hellion organized. None of those things mattered now. I slowly fallen asleep, in warm, peaceful dream. The last thing I noticed before following into land of Morpheus was tail of certain dragoness getting hold of me on waist-level. She really hugged me with everything she got. Tell me, isn’t she just adorable?

- “Sunshine... I don’t want to bother you, but someone is waiting for you, Zari, in the living room. You may not want to make them wait.”

Jason said from the doorstep waking me up. Gisele was already awake for quite some time guessing by the fact that she was laying in her side playing with my hair and watching me sleeping.

- “How long was I asleep?” I asked half-conscious.

- “It’s already morning, maybe even almost noon? I couldn’t care less.” She said.

- “I don’t want to move anywhere.” I groaned rolling back in her arms.

She purred delighted, yet in next moment I felt her finger stabbing me in the sides.

- “What are you doing?” I hissed in anger.

- “Your friend said that someone expects you. It’s impolite to make people wait. You will come back as soon as you are done. I spoiled you too much. You need bit of discipline!” Her smile never was as wide as right now.

That’s how you want to play?

- “Very well, maybe some attractive, gorgeous woman needs my help? I just can’t wait till I would ask her to show me her gratitude.”

- “Ha! What could you possibly ask her for? And what other women lives in this forests?”

- “For example? Half of lamia clan – I told you that we have pretty nice relations. Even more – I think that reptile women are just my type, and their queen is quite a babe. I would just ask her to snuggle, as my current woman is refusing me that joy.”

- “Ha-ha, very funny!” Annoyance could already be heard in her voice.

- “I am not joking.” I said getting off the bed “That’s exactly what I am going for right now. If not lamia queen, then I still have twins and Elana. I am pretty sure that all of them would be delighted to…”

A dagger was thrown my direction, missing me by an inch and hitting the wall

- “Don’t you even dare thinking about even hugging another woman!”

I only showed her derisive smile and left the room. Suffer, suffer my love. I then entered the living room.

- “You took your sweet time, darling. Something stopped you on your way here?” Heira asked from the chair.

I moved to the table getting a cup of coffee that was already placed there for me to drink. I took a sip. Ah, the first taste is always the best! The warmness that moves from your mouth to stomach, spreading on your insides and touching your very soul.

Wait. Heira? I looked surprise in her direction.

- “Greet to meet you, what brings you here?”

- “Same thing that brings Luxia.” She nodded in direction of woman sitting in front of her, that I have just noticed. “There are some angels running amok in this world, and that is not what we agreed on.” She said while poking the body.

- “This is not my creation!” Luxia hissed with madness in her eyes.“I did not bless it! I don’t know if I am now more sad or furious!? Just look at this poor, deformed being! They were supposed to be messengers of hope... made of light and innocence! Yet that one sucked a blessing off of my believer! It’s something I won’t stand! I am taking that body with me and would ask everyone in heavens about.”

- “VETO!” I yelled.

Goddesses looked at me surprised.

- “Veto! Objection! I refuse! Body stays! I was the one who, with just a bit help of friends, exorcised it and killed it! I have full right to keep it with…”

- “Is it DNA all you want?”

- “…well, yes... Hey! I doubt that I would laid my hands on bodies of angels in nearest future, especially as they don’t usually have bodies.”

- “If you would receive it in monster core, you wouldn’t have any objections in that matter?”

- “… well, no?”

- “Very well. You don’t seem to have core big enough…”

- “Yes, that’s why I didn’t eat it just yet. I planned on meditating for couple of days and…”

- “This won’t hurt. Much.”

The light goddess said raising from her chair, she moved in my direction and pushed her hand in my belly. I felt as my skin is being pierced, how her fingers are passing my organs. There was no blood no wound, nothing was damaged in the process, yet feeling of my organs being moved to the side was real. She grabbed my spine.

- “FUCK! SHIT! THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!”

Unnatural mana flow detected

[Lesser Monster Core] has been planted in your body[Lesser Monster Core] is now [Low Monster Core][Low Monster core] is now [Low-medium Monster Core][Low-medium Monster Core] is now [Medium Monster Core][Medium Monster Core] is now [Medium-high Monster Core][Medium-High Monster Core] is now [High Monster Core][High Monster Core] is now [Prince's Monster Core][Prince's Monster Core] is now [King's Monster Core][King's Monster Core] is now [Overlord's Monster Core][Overlord's Monster Core] is now [Tyrant's Monster Core][Tyrant's Monster Core] is now [Celestial Monster Core]

- “DAMN IT!” I yelled once again as light goddess pulled her hand back.

- “Now you should be ready for absorbing it… it may tickle…”

What do you mean by…

- “TICKLE!? FUCK YOU! YOU SICK SADISTIC FUCK! I WILL FUCKING TAKE BY TIME RIPPING EVERY FEATHER OFF YOUR FUCKING CHICKEN WINGS BEFORE THROWING IT ON PAN AND FRYING WITH ADDITION OF…”

Her hand once again left my insides.

You have successfully absorbed DNA of [Angel-kin][Order magic level 10] has been obtained

- “That was music to my ears! May you repeat what you will do to her?” Heira asked amused.

Crap. I put myself in a awkward situation.

- “I don’t mind. Different creatures reacts differently on pain. Actually, him reacting with aggression is most natural behavior.” Lady of the Sun answered

Phew. That was close.

- “Now, would you mind if I would borrow that body?” she repeated the question.

- “No. I got what I wanted.” I raised my hands as if saying. [I surrender].

- “So, you have no idea where this creature comes from?” Heira asked me.

- “Actually I do. It came from friend of mine. I think that it was put in her by church when she was sick. You should ask your bishops who gave them…”

- “It is not that simple…” Luxia cut me in half of the sentence. “… I can’t ask them directly. I simply pledged to never interact with humanity. I have angels for that, and even they have to pass many strict requirements to become a messenger…”

- “Then maybe start questioning those messengers of yours? Just look for someone that interacted with humans…”

- “No angel became messenger in past 800 years, and even those meetings were observed by me. I know only one thing. Whoever is playing with my creation cannot be an angel.”

That was the last thing said on the meetings of the goddesses.

We head back to the capital after couple more hours. Everyone was awkwardly silent as we were riding on the carriage.

- “Soooo…” Jason decided to do something about the mood “… You are casually talking with goddesses.”

What else could he ask about?

- “A little bit.”

- “A little!? Dinner with three of them is something you name as [Little thing]?!”

- “It’s not as good as you think it is.”

- “I imagine. So, what was the most crazy thing they did to you!?”

Really?!

- “You know what is the day of the dead?”

- “Yeah, the day a few days before the darkest, longest night in the year. It is said that during those days powers of Heira are greatest.”

- “They are. Back then I was on mission with few other adventurers. She created a rift leading to another world where time didn’t pass. I was trapped between tick and tock of the clock. I was supposed to do… things.”

- “Like?”

- “Like racing with headless phantom in place called Chasm of Death…” “… or collecting artifact for two meter tall dragon-curator, or gambling with mind-readers… that one didn’t work for me, should have avoid that place – tip for you, never gamble against mind-reading psionics!”

- “… you are kidding, right?”

- “DO I FUCKING LOOK AS IF I AM KIDDING?!”

- “Ok, ok! Sorry for asking… you had it rough…”

- “You have no fucking idea… especially that after that I was given a succubus…”

- “PARDON ME?!” Gisele raised her head.

- “Fear not. I am keeping her away. She was the one who helped me get dressed on the party at Blackwood mansion…”

- “Ok. That is the place we put a line! There are things that we could believed, but not that you are…” Daralon started.

- “You want to meet her?”

- “Sure! Cuz I know that you are bluffing!”

- “Zanez, say hello to my friend.” The mark on my arm started evaporating with black smoke. If flew toward sitting in front of me dark mage taking a shape of humanoid.

- “Well, Hell-o, handsome!” the smoke was pushed to the sides revealing a devil sitting on his thighs. She put her arms around his neck bringing her face very close to Daralon “I loooove playing with such skeptic disbeliever!”

- “Oh, you better try hard, cuz’ you have no idea how much I don’t believe in you!” He smiled from ear to ear.

- “Wait, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?” I just noticed it.

- “I won’t confirm, I won’t deny!” He said in my direction before returning his gaze on woman in front of him. “Now, I may be bit old-fashioned, but would you fancy having a glass of wine with me tonight?”

- “Oh, I am sure that glass of wine is everything you would prepare!” she chuckled.

- “Of course that I would! How can you suspect me for any ill intentions!” He played offended.

- “I don’t know…. You know, I can’t just do whatever I please… you would have to ask my owner…” She purred.

- “Zari, what do you say, can I borrow her?”

- “As for me, you can take her away!”

- “You meanie!” Succubi jumped of his laps. “Ok! Right now I have tried everything! Playing mysterious, playing hard to get, right now I even tried making you jealous! COME ON! Just lay with me, or I won’t be able to show my face in hell!”

- “You would have to talk about that with my owner…” I copied what she just said while pointing with head on Gisele

- “Miss, would you fancy some experiments in bed? The three of us could…” She started looking at dragoness.

- “No.”

- “You have no idea what those fingers of mine can…”

- “No.”

- “But!”

- “Listen here, I didn’t hand Zari to the goddess, so what make you think that I would hand him over to some mere… 3rd category devil?”

Zanez was deeply offended.

- “I don’t want him for myself! Just a quicky or two! Hey! And you will love it too!”

- “Zari. Unsummon her.” Gisele said in a cold voice.

- “Wait! Zari – don’t! I am still negotiating here!”

- “You heard the boss. Back to the mark.”

I raised my hand changing still yelling Zanez in smoke that flew to my arm, turned into a tattoo which vanished in an instant.

- “Get rid of her.” She said with jealousy.

- “I already tired.”

- “You are telling truth, are you?”

- “I usually do. I am afraid that only way of getting rid of her would be losing my arm… Gis… what are you doing? Gis? Leave that sword. OK, Gis, sunshine, look at me, just stay calm! It won’t work, it will regenerate, remember? Hydra’s blood and stuff!”

- “If it would re-grow, then you have nothing to worry about, and we can always try…”

- “Gis! Don’t!”

Yet she looked pretty motivated to me.