Leaning onto the window frame, Iris pointed at a particular star. Its radiance wasn’t too dim nor too bright, its distance not too far nor too near.

It was the perfect star for the perfect person.

“Is that your home?” Ludmint said. Her eyes focused on the lovely star.

“It leads me home.” Iris smiled. “It’s the lighthouse amidst the vast ocean, the guiding torch that shows my family.”

Ludmint’s eyes brightened. “The conduit through which your mystical spell channels its power?”

“There is no reward for answering correctly.” Iris shifted closer to Ludmint beside her and kissed her left cheek. “This kiss is to affirm my love for you. I’ll give them out as many as I want.”

“I don’t need them, for I know your love is as eternal as the stars.”

“The stars aren’t eternal, though.” Iris chuckled. “But for us mortals, they might as well be.”

“Do you . . . still wish to become a Legendary?”

“Are you snickering at my fantasy?” Iris pouted. “I must revoke that kiss.”

“I’m the guardian of your dream, Dear. Together, we shall achieve the impossible, all through the power of love.” Ludmint grinned. “Allow me to transfer it back to you. Of course, with my lips unto yours.”

Iris veered away before rushing in and pressing her lips against Ludmint’s. Though her tongue stayed put, her gentle yet rough motion heated her body. Her hands, gripping the wooden window frame, tightened. Pinkness spread on her arms.

“Shall we?” Ludmint whispered. Her warm breaths misted Iris’s expression.

Iris shook her head. “Tonight, the stars align.”

Under the shimmering night sky, she held Ludmint’s hands and returned to the bed. She lay in it, with Ludmint’s head resting on her chest, and whispered the language of the otherworld, the language of the stars. Her spell, Hearts Connected through the Stars, circulated her power through her intricately prepared formation.

From the invisible lines tracing her bedroom and her destiny star, golden light flowed. Its soft, milky radiance illuminated her, glimmering her large eyes, polishing her silky countenance. She gestured her hands, her fingers drawing an oval silhouette, an incorporeal mirror that bridged the vast gap in distance. The golden light flooded the confined space, forming a thin surface in which blurry visions manifested.

Two beautiful, familiar silhouettes emerged from the mist. Sitting on a large sofa, Flamira rested her head on Errenia’s right shoulder. Her smile cut through the distortion and greeted her main body as well as her main body’s lover.

“Main Body, we meet again at last,” Flamira said. “Have you been well?”

“Flamira, do not call me Main Body. Call me Iris, your other half.” Iris shook her head. “Ludmint’s been supportive. Her kindness is the foundation that propels me to reach this point. For that, I’m grateful.”

Ludmint caressed Iris’s cheeks. “Please award me a kiss, Dear. Show your other half that our love isn’t weaker than theirs.”

Iris smirked, kissed Ludmint’s forehead, and eyed Flamira. “Since last time, you’ve changed substantially. Is it because of me, or is it because of her?”

Errenia laughed. “Dear Iris, would you blame me, if I broke her?”

“She must’ve allowed you to break her.”

“Main Body, please don’t say such words!” Flamira blushed. “I realised my feeling, that I didn’t hate my desires, that I didn’t consider them wrong. I love Errenia, and love is never wrong.”

While Flamira and Errenia cuddled, Iris frowned. She looked over to Ludmint, who returned it with her unwavering gaze. Iris knew, felt, and understood what silence conveyed, yet she hesitated. Her heart urged her body. She should concede to Ludmint’s plead. But a part of her objected, saying that she should keep steady, that she must resist the temptation lest she succumbed forever to her instinct.

She wasn’t Flamira; Flamira wasn’t her. She wasn’t jealous. She couldn’t be beside Errenia, and thus Errenia indulged with her other half and not her. How envious.

Iris audibly coughed. “My spell cannot last forever.”

Errenia reluctantly separated from Flamira. “I wish it would. Although Flamira is you, I still want to see the original you. Having two yous must be better than just one.”

Ludmint hmphed. “Aren’t you a greedy one, Little Errenia?”

“Lady Ludmint, power alone can’t win love.”

“It helps immensely.”

Iris pinched Ludmint, who flinched and moaned softly, deliberately.

“One more time, and I’ll kick you out.” Iris furrowed her brows. “Are Serinda and Artium not here?”

Flamira sighed. “I urged them to wait until the next calling, but they didn’t want to waste time. They set out for Hellen Kingdom five days ago.”

“Their birthplace?”

“They wanted to take back what’s theirs,” Flamira said. “They wished to help you, Iris. They didn’t want to idle while you struggled in a foreign land.”

“Why didn’t you stop them?”

“How could we?” Flamira wryly smiled. “If you were here, could you stop them? Could you stare at their entreating faces and harden your heart?”

Iris averted her gaze. “It’d only been a short while since they reached the Transformation Phase.”

“With Errenia’s support, their powers smoothly progressed until they hit a bottleneck. Without significant experience, their speeds have slowed to a crawl.”

“When . . . will they return?”

Errenia shook her head. “Although there are teleportation circles that massively shorten the travel time, we’ve no idea how long they’ll take to accomplish their goals. Moreover, as the war grows intense, it’ll become harder to use the teleportation circles.”

“Fortunately, we can communicate with them, even if barely,” Flamira said. “Errenia spent a fortune to buy a pair of bracelets. It can transfer a letter every week if both sides recharge them. Is there anything you wish to tell them?”

“Everything I want to say, you’ve already said it.”

Iris and Flamira chuckled and covered their mouths. Their voices rang through the magical mirror, echoing inside the bedroom and the living room. Their lovers peeked at them and laughed too.

“What bad and good things have happened on that side?” Iris said.

Her expression solemn, Errenia explained the general situation of Tentoid Empire. Because of the aid of the Churches and other nations, Tentoid Empire stood firm. The war, though intense, couldn’t shake the empire’s foundation. So long as the True Master of the imperial family remained alive, Tentoid Empire would never fall.

Still, the Seven Goddess Church’s sluggish movement aroused the suspicion of the powerhouses. Despite Tentoid Empire being one of their crucial territories, the church never struck back with the ferocity befitting their status. Their Holy Maiden, since the war began, had vanished without a trace, as if the divine revelation had ceased, and the Seven Goddesses were no more.

“Although this chaos made my life as a Hastinda harder, it made my life as a Monster Girl much more comfortable.” Errenia poked Flamira’s lips. “I’ve been spending most of my day with her. She truly is you, Iris, yet she also isn’t you.”

“Has she been slacking off?”

“She’s been working hard. Her control over fire is comparable to mine now. And she’s been maintaining a Secret Organisation under our names. Unless I drag her to our bed, she’ll refuse to sleep.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Flamira said. “I won’t repeat our mistake. The Secret Organisation Errenia found is Invisible Shield. We gathered the rouge Monster Girls and offered them a job under us. Because of the war, many hiding Monster Girls lost their peace; I want to help them.”

Flamira told Iris about the structure of Invisible Shield and the number of its members. Most of the members were Metamorphosis Phase Monster Girls who got corrupted during the wars and rescued by the Transformation Phase Monster Girls of the Invisible Shield. Because of their inability to hide their seductive appearances, they could only work underground.

“Are there any Condensation Phase Monster Girl?” Ludmint said. “They must have fled The Empire to Sinking Dark Forest.”

“It’s Sunken Dark Forest now. And it isn’t peaceful either,” Flamira said. “Since the last Sinking, multiple cracks in space have manifested. These rifts join Main Material Plane with Abyssal Plane.”

“Demonic invasion?”

Flamira nodded. “It’s also why the rest of the Pure nations couldn’t send sufficient troops to assist The Empire.”

The discussion moved to the recent happening, which Errenia happily revealed. Her topics ranged from her father’s commencing a secret meeting between the upper echelon of Hastinda Family to her blissful bedtime with Flamira and finally to Flamira’s training the other Monster Girls in various lovely activities.

“It’s . . . necessary.” Flamira turned her face away. “When I—we—experience their bodies, our understanding of ourselves increases. To progress forward, we must . . . indulge in the act of intimacy. You also know this.”

“I haven’t denounced you of anything.” Iris glanced at Ludmint, who smirked. “I . . . never intend to stop you. I also enjoy the occasional intimacy with my dear Ludmint.”

“Indeed we will.” Ludmint bit her lips.

“We too shall indulge our lust after this,” Errenia said.

Iris and Flamira rebuked their lovers, but their words, like sprinkles of perfume, could only fill the atmosphere with a steamy impression. Their voices gradually faded as they shifted their postures, their lovers faintly stroking their naked flesh.

“Ludmint, where have your shame gone?” Iris said.

“We must outdo our competitor. They’re taunting us, Iris. If we don’t fight back, we’ll lose their respect!”

“Stop it, or tonight’s event is cancelled.”

Ludmint retracted her hands while flashing her teary eyes. Iris’s anger dissipated into warmth in her chest, which would linger until she expelled it. She couldn’t overcome Ludmint. Her lover knew her best and could poke her weakness accurately, verbally and physically.

The reddened Iris changed the subject by talking about her recent progression and checking on Flamira’s progress. They exchanged information, cross-referenced knowledge, and discussed plans. Throughout the talk, they kept changing their postures, discomfort lurking in their bodies.

“The spell . . . is ending soon.” Iris exhaled. Her misty breaths clouded her face. “Is there anything else?”

Flamira grasped Errenia’s hands and held her breath. “No . . . no. We too wish to go to bed soon. Farewell, Main Body, Lady Ludmint.”

“Farewell, Flamira, Errenia.”

Iris vertically swung her hands. Her fingertips cut through the magical mirror. It fractured into countless yellow sparks, which dimmed until the only light in the room was that of the pale moon above.

On the bed, with moonlight curtains concealing her figure, Iris closed her eyes and tensed. Her messy pyjamas stuck to her body, grazing her soft, sensitive flesh. She opened her mouth, her tongue slithering out, and panted. Her pink air exuded heat that heightened her perceptiveness.

“Iris, are you ready?” Ludmint whispered.

She received no verbal response, but Iris’s expression answered her question. She lowered her body, pressing her chest against her lover’s, her thighs against her partner’s. Her long silver hair fell onto Iris’s face, hiding the moment she kissed her dearest.

She savoured the fruity taste. The sweet saliva moistened her lips. Her heart beat in sync with her movement, her hands tracing her love onto the delicate back. The blanket and pillows flowed with her movement, covered her indecent acts, and pushed her closer and closer toward Iris, toward a climax.

The two Monster Girls, each yearning for love and lust, let loose their desires. They implanted their love into one another. Their muffled moans lingered in their ears, intensifying with each echo, multiplying, dominating, blinding.