After Asterios and Selene returned to the ship, Miria welcomed them with a pout. She told the duo that she had tried to see if she could still observe things through Ast’s eyes and that it had worked. But, she was unamused due to Selene not taking the chance to spend some intimate time with Asterios in her own home just like she had.

It took the fox lady a moment to convince Miria that they hadn’t wanted to take too long since there was still barely anything they knew about the whole thing. They didn’t know if it was completely safe to stay in the other realm for longer periods of time even if one or more of Ast’s summons remained in his homeworld. They were still on the ship, which was constantly moving.

Miria understood that, of course, but still felt a little bad for taking advantage of the opportunity without thinking about their current situation. Asterios had to shower her in headpats and scratches for quite a moment while explaining that if he had felt any danger or something weird back then, he would have said so and they would have stopped. But, it had been fine and he had wanted to embrace her too so she shouldn’t feel bad about it.

They all agreed to explore the realm hopping after reaching their destination and Miria finally settled down, melting under Ast’s caresses. At least, that was what they thought until she jumped back to her own home for the night, leaving the other two alone in their cabin.

Miria’s intentions were clear as day to both Asterios and Selene. They could only chuckle and shake their heads at the panthergirl. But, neither of them wanted to waste this goodwill of their thoughtful friend and they spent some quality time together before falling asleep, which included a lot of patting, brushing, hugging, kissing, tail fluffing, and other, more intense activities.

The storm grew weaker on the next day and The Bellowing Kingfisher returned to its proper pace while cutting through the slightly restless sea. For the rest of their voyage, they conducted some small occasional tests on the summoning gates in between other activities. A few of them regarded Umbra, who was the only one not from the girl’s realm. Except for Asterios, of course.

After getting into their world, Umbra could still freely use his Shadow Movement ability to help the girls traverse it. Since Asterios had now visited both Miria’s and Selene’s homes, those places were included on the lists of spots Umbra could now move to. Thanks to that, the girls didn’t have to ask Asterios when they wanted to travel between their houses anymore.

It also seemed that thanks to the established spatial corridor which had been brought to existence during the summoning and contracting rituals, Umbra could jump to the beastfolk realm and back in a flash just like he could travel to his own. He could even transport them between those worlds effortlessly, pretty much ignoring what should have been an unfathomable distance between these realms.

Everyone understood that it was all thanks to their bond as any attempts to smuggle someone from Eabiarhia into Kraedorion and vice versa failed at the initial stage. Moving them inside the realm? Yes. Transporting someone who wasn’t connected to Asterios in or out? No.

They left the more sophisticated tests for later and only explored the interdimensional travel for a very short time each day. For example, Asterios would join Miria’s whole family for breakfast, get guided around the main temple of Spiritual Foxes by Selene, share a brief tea break with Lerisse, observe Miria’s father at work, accompany her mother shopping, and such. Always for just around fifteen minutes or less to not tempt fate.

Each time, one of the girls would stay behind on the ship just in case. Yes, there was also Umbra, but everyone felt like he was a little special with his own interdimensional situation and the whole getting pulled out of a cursed, sealed realm through Ast’s summoning thing. Better safe than sorry.

And so, around sixteen days passed. Loud and clearly hurried steps over the wooden planks began waking Asterios up. A moment later, someone burst into his cabin, pushing the door so hard it slammed into the wall with a thud.

“Master! Master! Come quickly! The sky! The sky! Something tore the sky! It’s bleeding! Master!”

The intruder was no one else than Miria, who had often snuck out of the bed before her master and her beastfolk friend to either prepare breakfast for them at the ship’s kitchens or to help Moreso’s crew with things she considered fun.

She bolted towards the bed and leaned onto it while pressing her hands on the mattress by Ast’s side. A wide, fascinated smile painted the panthergirl’s energetic face and she was so excited she couldn’t stop jumping in place.

Asterios chuckled seeing her eyes which were pretty much sparkling with curiosity. He brushed through Selene’s long white hair as the fox lady lazily raised herself from his chest while releasing a dreamy sigh, sleeping soundly on it just moments ago.

She smiled at him mischievously and pulled herself up to share a good morning kiss with her Soul Mate, making sure that she gave Asterios the best possible view of her body in the process. They were, obviously, both still completely naked. Both girls loved to snuggle with their master during the night and any clothes just got in the way.

The awoken duo glanced at the panthergirl brimming with excitement after they finished their morning greetings. Asterios smiled at Miria while Selene was a tad confused by her friend’s words.

He had intentionally omitted a few things about the Demon Continent, even going as far as hiding the information deep in his mind, just to let it be a surprise for them. He knew that his timid mate would react exactly like this. It would have been a huge waste to spoil such joy.

Asterios helped Selene quickly dress up—not without the sly fox lady angling herself just the way to make him accidentally cop a feel of her charms for the amusement of them both—and materialized his own clothes before they all followed Miria to the main deck.

The moment they stepped through the door leading outside, the lively panthergirl started jumping around while pointing at the morning sky. A few members of the crew chuckled at her adorable behavior, having as much fun watching her as she had from spotting the unusual phenomenon.

And, it truly was something worthy of such a reaction.

When Selene and Asterios glanced up, they spotted a clear separation of two skies, literally. The sight resembled the horizon splitting seawater from the orange sky of a sunset but high above their heads instead of in front of them. The usual light blue color clashed against fierce red, creating the impression that someone had torn the sky as an almost regular line spanned over it.

“What in the name of the Great Heavens is this…” Selene muttered in awe by Ast’s side.

Asterios chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, waving the other one at Miria to come back to them. She quickly ran up to the duo and inserted herself into a similar position on his free side, staring into Ast’s face with pure thirst for knowledge in her eyes and her ears twitching like crazy.

“This is what people started calling the Edge of the Demon Continent. I think you can guess why,” he started.

“Because it’s literally like a border up there!” Miria replied vigorously.

“But, how does it work, my Lord?” Selene asked, curious about the mysterious anomaly.

“Honestly, no one knows exactly how it works or how it came to be, but there are some theories surrounding this peculiarity.”

“If you don’t know how it works then it’s definitely magic!” Miria interrupted Asterios with a huge grin, recalling his teachings from the very start of their time together.

He moved his hand to her head and petted her cute ears with a bit of force, making her giggle adorably.

“That’s most likely the closest answer you could get, yes.” Asterios pecked her cheek, summoning a faint blush on it. “But from a more technical standpoint, the concentration of spiritual energy in the air in the whole Demon Continent is vastly different from the other parts of the world. That’s said to be the reason behind the sky having a scarlet hue there.”

“Oh? Is that visual phenomenon the only effect?” Selene curiously raised one of her brows at him.

“No. You will literally feel the difference the moment we get closer to the land. Although, considering that you are very sensitive to spiritual energy, you might even be able to notice it when we cross the Edge. There’s a reason why magic developed by demons is considered the strongest and most volatile.”

“So… If I understood that correctly, Master… The Demon Continent is like a paradise for magicians? Due to… more mana in the air? Something like that?” Miria tilted her head.

“Yep. Something like that. Without going into very specific details.”

She beamed a smile at him and started rubbing her cheek into Ast’s, extremely happy that she had managed to get it right. Asterios kept brushing through her hair until Selene suddenly shivered, capturing their attention.

“You were right.” She turned her face to them. “I’ve never felt something like this before. It’s like I’m surrounded by a faint breeze all the time. And it feels like… I’m somehow stronger.”

~I feel it too. What a curious occurrence. Just being here might allow me to very slowly increase the amount of power I utilize. I’m still nowhere near my full strength and I’m sure I won’t be for a long time due to that cursed seal over my realm, but any progress is welcome,~ Umbra added.

Asterios pointed at the sky and they all noticed that the visible division was currently straight above their heads.

“Surprisingly, even I felt the crossing. My senses seem to be getting sharper. Anyway, you should stay out as much as possible then, Umbra. I appreciate you mostly staying as my armor or back in your world but you have as much right to hang out in the open as the others.”

A purple-eyed raven made of pure shadows materialized on top of Ast’s head and perched in his hair.

~I’m well aware of that, Master. I don’t mind, though. At first, I was afraid that I would have issues coming back here after returning to the Nethernight Realm, but everything has been fine so far. Staying back there allows me to avoid experiencing these limitations on my being and slight pull trying to suck me back while I still enjoy your worlds through your eyes.~

Asterios nodded. “Alright. I was just letting you know. Feel free to do as you wish.”

And thus, the party observed how the blue sky slowly disappeared behind the horizon, leaving only the scarlet shade present above their heads. Additionally, the water assumed a bloody color too after they got far enough, completing the eerie atmosphere.

A day later, the ship was finally nearing Ashen Barrel after almost two months of travel. A few issues had delayed them slightly, but The Bellowing Kingfisher had reached its destination, pushing through all the trouble fate had thrown at it. Svertaniel was especially glad that their voyage was coming to an end. For obvious reasons.

The trio—plus Umbra—stood on the bow of the ship together. The girls had rained questions at Asterios after they crossed the Edge of the Demon Continent but he had avoided all of them, keeping them both in the dark about any other details.

Thanks to that, he could feel the excitement coming from both of the girls he held in his arms as the port town of Ashen Barrel came into sight. It looked nowhere similar to Nebula or even Dagger’s End. Already from a distance, they could spot the fascinating, sharp shapes of the buildings. And they were all black.

Almost everything looked to be made of some extremely dark metal. The port, houses, towers, warehouses, industrial buildings, and pretty much everything was in ebony shades and had a very ominous-looking style. Sharp spikes and edges dominated the decorative architecture.

Miria kept jumping up and down in Ast’s arms. “I love it so much, Master! It looks so cool! It looks so fierce and ferocious, just like your other clothes! Are all the buildings really made of metal?”

He chuckled, unable to disagree that his black and red attire fit perfectly with the Demon Continent’s style.

“Maybe not all but the vast majority, yes. Stone and other minerals are still used commonly, especially for roads. It truly is an amazing sight. I never thought I would be able to experience it myself.”

“And now you will be able to come here whenever you want, fufufu~” Selene pressed herself more into him from the other side.

They stayed at the bow until the ship got close to the docks and they could make out the black metallic piers extending into the water. Quite a few docked ships shared the same material as their base, fascinating Miria greatly as she hadn’t thought that metal vessels of such size could be used too.

Svertaniel was the first person to jump off the ship the moment Moreso’s crew dropped the ramp, followed by the ever-so-excited Miria, and then the rest of the party. The demon man quickly recollected himself and made a courteous bow with his back to the onyx city.

“Welcome to Ashen Barrel. It is not the greatest port town of the Demon Continent but neither is it the worst. We’ve already discussed most of the customs during our travels but always feel free to ask me anything. Shall I go and secure our lodgings then? I know of a perfect place.”

Asterios nodded. “That would be really appreciated. We’ll be relying on you from now on, then. Thank you for everything in advance, Svertaniel.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ll head straight to the Tilted Plating, then. Here’s a map I drew on how to get there.”

He handed a piece of neatly folded paper to Asterios and stepped back.

“Thanks. We’ll join you in a bit. I want to check on my mother back in Tyrienheim first since I held myself back from moving away from the ship through Umbra’s shadows. And there’s someone we need to pick up too, as you already know.”

“Don’t worry about me and take all the time you need. I’ll use it to check what might have possibly changed around since my last visit.”

“Alright. I’ll let Umbra accompany you when we don’t need his help to travel. We’ll be able to get in touch quickly if anything happens.”

Svertaniel’s eyes sparkled briefly and he bowed again. “It will be my honor to be accompanied by the Lord himself. You have my eternal gratitude.”

Asterios smiled wryly and waved at the demon walking away towards the city. Shortly after, he thanked Moreso for the incredible trip and promised to stay in contact. The captain was going to remain around for some time but they weren’t sure if they would return to Ashen Barrel after leaving to explore the Demon Continent anyway since Asterios could just jump whenever he needed with Umbra’s power.

Then, he did exactly that and jumped back home. Materializing in the gardens behind the mansion after around two minutes of real time, he greeted his grandmother who was taking care of some documents there. They talked briefly and Asterios went to meet his mother.

With Anna’s guidance, he found her in her own office, pretty much as he expected. Kindra’s kind voice invited them inside after he knocked—the girls joined him shortly after Asterios had emerged from the shadows—and she quickly trotted to hug the trio when she noticed who the guests were.

“Asti! Miria! Selene! I’m so happy to see you again! I take it that you have arrived at the Demon continent? Or did something happen again?”

“Hi, Mom. No surprises this time, fortunately. We landed just recently. I wanted to see how you are doing,” he said, hugging her back.

“Just as usual, busy with all the little things. There’s always so much work to be done regarding the brands I watch over. And there’s now even intercontinental trade on my head because a certain young man decided to push everything onto his mother while running away to enjoy his sweet time with his beautiful lovers on a cruise ship to a land far away.” She pouted at him while squinting her eyes.

Asterios rolled his eyes while the girls chuckled, and Kindra joined them with her own giggle, dropping the fake expression. He noticed something peculiar during that motion and his eyes moved to a stylish grey vase filled with gorgeous roses. They sent out sparks from their yellow-orange-red mix of petals like small fireworks.

“Sparkburst Roses? I would have never thought you would get something so expensive for your office with how modestly you hold yourself.”

“What? Ah, no, I didn’t buy that. It was a gift.” Kindra waved her hand at the flowers.

“A gift? From who?” He raised a brow at his mother.

“King Welrond paid us a visit not that long ago, can you believe it? He seemed very impressed by the trade talks and came to praise my skills and experience as a merchant. I honestly thought he would be at least a little bitter with how much I have stolen from his deal with Patriarch Grotger but he was very kind and polite the whole time he was here. He even stayed for tea. I wonder what such a busy man was doing in Tyrienheim at that time. I don’t think I’ve heard any official news about his arrival so I guess it was something important not shared with the public.”

Asterios exchanged glances with Miria on his right, then with Selene on his left, and rubbed his temples, sighing.

~He didn’t.~

~He did,~ both girls replied together.

“Mom, what do you think about the king?” Asterios asked.

“Hm? I think I told you already. He is a very kind monarch who cares for his people a lot. He is also polite and strong. Everyone respects him and so do I.”

“That’s not what I meant. What do you think about him as a man?”

Kindra furrowed her brows at Asterios lightly and tilted her head. He pointed at the flowers with his thumb while keeping eye contact between them. She glanced at the vase and her eyes widened a bit

“Oh, no, no, no, no.” She shook her head.

“Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.” He nodded his head.

“There certainly wasn’t anything special behind those. He is a king. I’m not even a noble.”

Asterios crossed his arms over his chest. “If not for your stubborn rejections, you would be the head of the most prominent household in the Human Continent. And I don’t think he cares about such things anyway considering his kind nature.”

She did the same. “These are just speculations. You can’t assume such things about a king. Especially since he clearly hasn’t been interested in finding a new partner for like eighteen years now after his first wife passed away in childbirth.”

“I agree that this must have been at least part of the reason but he could just have not met anyone else he felt attracted to since that day or sometime later after getting over the heartbreak. As you have said, he is a strong person.”

“I can’t. It’s not possible.”

“Do you dislike him so much to not even give it a thought?”

Kindra shook her head. “No. It could get awkward. You are soon going to be Silvia's personal instructor.”

Asterios smacked his face with his palm. “We’ve met once and you are already matching me with the princess? And how is that any different? I’m the same as you.”

Kindra giggled. “S-ranked adventurers are just like royalty, aren’t they?”

Asterios groaned.

“Fine. Two can play this game.”

“What?”

He smirked at her and his body started getting enveloped by shadows.

“Oh, don’t you dare to—”

And he was gone. A moment later, Asterios reappeared on the edges of a training arena with two figures lightly sparring in the accompaniment of the clashing metal.

A man in a flaming armor and cape noticed his arrival and dismissed them, starting to walk towards Asterios with a smile and his arms spread wide.

“Ah! Asterios, my dear friend! We’ve been eagerly awaiting your return!”

Asterios locked gazes with the crimson-haired girl the man had left behind. No words were necessary.

He did.