Lilith pushed me onto her black and red bed, her tongue caressing her lips as she started to unbutton her dress. She pinned me onto the bed with her leg whilst pulling the string of her stockings which made them fall onto the bed, her hungry gaze staring at me the entire time.
I crawled up the bed trying to get some distance from her.
"Don't flee yet~."
Loxes filled the room, and I could feel as if I was being swallowed by the void. She climbed onto the bed and mounted on top of me, with her legs locking me in place and her hand pinning down my chest.
My body couldn't move for some reason, it was as if my body had stopped listening to me.
"I filled your nervous system with loxes and temporary shut off your motor reflexes. You will be fine after an hour or so, plenty enough time for me to feast~."
I tried to open my mouth but no matter how hard I struggled my mouth wouldn't open and my tongue couldn't move to form letters.
Her eyes glittered like the nightsky as she grinned with hunger. Her hand gently swept across my cheek before lifting my jaw.
The cross in her eyes turned red and loxes poured out from her body filling up my body. She starting panting heavily before collapsing onto my side.
"Such potency… such an exquisite taste on the tongue." Her body started quivering and touching herself as she continued to pour her loxes into my body.
Was she absorbing my loxes by filling my body with hers, like how osmosis works? Higher concentration of ions tend to flow to lower concentrations to balance out the surroundings. But my body didn't get too affected by her stealing my loxes it was only her that was blushing and trembling. I then realized I could move my body again, didn't she say it would stay for over one hour?
She looked up and saw me moving around normally even after she had completely paralyzed me. Her laboured breaths became even more erratic as she saw me move around.
"Fu Fu… the more I get to know you, the more interesting you become."
She put on her clothes again and tidied up her buttons before sitting down onto the chair in in front of her bed.
"You took 30% of my lox reserves filled with Nihility. Yet you walk out unscathed and unbothered."
It seems like she was done absorbing the loxes oozing out of my body. She sat back up and smiled at me with satisfied.
"Upon tasting your loxes I felt a sensation in the core of my soul that I never felt before. You were truly delicious, much more than those who seek the power of Nihility."
Her eyes wandered up my body and an euphoric look brewed on her face.
"Would you want to become my fiancé?"
Yeah, this girl was out of her mind. She just asked me to become her fiancé just because I taste good.
"No thank you, I have bigger problems I have to deal with."
She continued sitting still on her chair with both hands on her thighs.
"You wish to guarantee your safety correct? That's why you came here."
Wait, how did she?
"Don't underestimate the networks of information that goes through the systems of the Yunestra and Fivindus family. I read through your documents, Vicent, or should I call you Vivshi? Fu fu…"
"Don't get me wrong here, I wish not to claim the bounty, money is trivial for me. The Fivindus family has yet to figure out that you are the one the royal family had set out a bounty for. Therefore I offer you my assistance."
She crossed her legs and put her hands together on her knee.
"I will neutralize the Fivindus family and the Royal family," she said casually as if her words didn't hold any weight.
"Neutralize? You mean?"
"Putting an end to their reign. I'm sick of their appalling taste anyways."
"Why would you just…"
"I'm a bit bored I suppose. Fu Fu."
She stood up and buttoned up the rest of her clothes before walking towards the entrance of her room.
"You should be able to use my loxes in the fight now, use them as you see fit."
She closed the door behind her and the room filled with silence. My hands seemed normal and my body didn't feel any different. Had she just scammed me? Did she say it was training to disguise it as stealing my loxes?
I let out a big sigh before leaving the room and Lilith was no where to be seen. When I met Aylin again at the cafeteria she was for the time without Rei. She told me that she had some important business to tend to and therefore let Aylin go by herself to the restaurant.
Aylin suddenly started sniffing the air and glared at me with squinted eyes.
"Have you been around any women as of lately?" She suddenly asked.
"Well, uh…" I remembered back to the moment Lilith was straddling me.
Aylin turned her head away and ate with her head turned sideways.
"I got a new guide and they just happened to female, that's it." I reassured Aylin.
Aylin let out a doubtful hum before turning back fo face me.
"Just don't do anything weird okay?"
"Like what?"
Her gaze fell onto the table and she started to eat faster without looking up. As she was speed-eating heavy footsteps from the corridor could be heard. The sound of armor rattling grew ever so closer and then I heard a shout. Aylin choked on her food and I hurriedly gave her a glass of water.
Rei came marching toward me with her battle gear on. She yelled out my real name but luckily it was only me and Aylin there in the restaurant at the time.
"You filthy criminal. How dare you set foot upon this sanctuary." She took off her glove and threw it right into my face.
"I don't care about Father's decision anymore, you will resign yourself and leave this place. Or I will personally take you to the royal capital and be your executioner!"
Aylin spun around shocked and horrified at wha Rei was saying.
"What are you saying Rei? He isn't a criminal!?"
"This man, he threatened a Prince, he damaged royal property, he is a despicable criminal. Why are you defending him, Aylin?"
So this was Lilith's plan. To instigate a battle between Rei and me. But why would she force out such a reaction from Rei? I picked up the glove and as Aylin was going to defend me I told Rei that I accept her duel.
On the condition that she would stop bothering me and Aylin if I win.
"A criminal deciding his own terms? Very well, as my honor as knight of the Fivindus family I will grant you this one final wish."
Aylin grabbed onto my shoulder and tried to pull me back.
"Vivshi, you don't need to fight her, I can talk it out with her!"
I pushed Aylin off and told her that this was about preserving my dignity and honor. She tried to reach out to me again but stopped midway as Rei and I walked away.
The both of us stood in the empty training arena where Lukas and Rayel had fought. Aylin stood in the stands worriedly with both of her hands grasped together.
"You can make it easier and back off now."
"No, I will prove to you that I'm not the criminal you think I am."
"Despicable, I granted you mercy yet you refuse it. Truly a criminal doesn't learn."
She readied herself and immediately infused her body and blade with the Aeon of Ember's loxes. They didn't burn as hot as the real Aeon of Ember but if she touched me I would be seriously burned.
I had gotten one of the weapons out of the Fivindus storage. It was a normal short steel blade. I focused and tried to infuse my own loxes into the blade. The blade was shrouded in a mysterious black aura that made Rei a little bit surprised.
"PREPARE YOURSELF!"
She lunged towards me and slashed down with immense force. My blade blocked her attack from above but I could feel the difference in quality of our blades as I heard cracks in the steel of my blade. I tried to pour even more of my loxes into the sword and managed to reinforce with enough durability to withstand the blow.
But then another attack came and I had to block again. Every block chipped my blade and made it one step closer to breaking. I had to end this duel quickly before things got ugly. I parried one of her blows which staggered her and made her gasp for air.
I thrust forward hitting her chest plate. She landed on her knee holding onto her sword and chest.
"I will not be subjugated by the likes of you."
Her body was consumed by flames. Was she burning through her entire lox reserves? Her face bore an expression full of contempt and disgust.
She threw two flaming lox slashes at me which I had to dodge. The damage that it would inflict on me would be too significant for me to even try dodging.
"REEIIII!" Aylin screamed out from the stands.
"DON'T DO THIS!!!!"
Rei didn't even bother to look or listen to Aylin's pleadings and marched towards me with a burning blade.
"My signature ability is flame projection, prepare yourself."
Did she reveal her ability because she was so sure that she would win? What a cocky bitch she was.
I clutched the sword in my hand and prepared to go onto the offensive. I rushed towards her and managed to get into her blind spot but she blocked her back with her flames and kicked me into the walls.
I coughed as dust from the sand filling my mouth from the impact. I got back up on my legs and got into my stance again.
This time she went onto the offensive blowing up the my sides that I didn't block with ember loxes. It was flaming explosives projectiles and that damn flame wall I had to deal with.
My sword was chipped and some parts of it had started to crack from the heat and pressure. She continued bombarding me with missiles but I took that opportunity to close the distance between us and managed to get into striking distance, but when I was about to slash her, the flame wall blocked it and my blade snapped in half. My eyes widened in horror and my mouth opened in anticipation. Should I activate my Aeon? At that split moment of thinking of activating my Aeon, Devina's words played in my head and I abruptly stop. Rei turned around and swung down her blade onto me, but that's when loxes from my body flowed out. It was dark and ominous and it entered Rei's body.
"What is this? You last desperate attempt to hurt me?"
But then suddenly her body froze. Her hand started shaking and the grip over her sword slowly loosened. She managed to rotate her head a little bit and saw Lilith sitting in the shadows of the stands grinning with a twisted smile. She was looking down on Rei and laughing maniacally as if she had just seen a comedic show.
"You damn… traitor…"
She forced every fibre in her body to swing down and end the fight. Her teeth grinding against each other as her sword approached me. But the paralysis had already taken effect.
The sword in her hand fell onto the ground and her body followed suit as she collapsed to the ground. The flames around her body extinguished as her eyes closed.