"Aside from that, Alice Sinclair is physically fine, if we don't count her constant fretting over you." Lucia continued, her fingers absently tracing the edge of the bedside table.
Ashen let out a sigh of relief, even though he'd made sure she was unharmed before he passed out.
"The Sin Lord and her right-hand woman are back up and commanding Ashbastion. So we can assume they're also fine."
He nodded, processing.
"The Ashbastion itself, alongside the entirety of the Wrath Domain, is getting a rare moment of respite after you killed all those Narkals…"
'Yeah, if they came back so soon after more than a billion of them got slaughtered, that would simply be too much…'
Lucia's expression shifted, becoming more uncertain. "The only one I'm not sure about is the Saintess candidate. There hasn't been a word of her since she was escorted back to Paradise, but she should be fine…"
She waved a hand dismissively. "She's their future Saintess after all… they'd do their best to guarantee her wellbeing."
Lucia might not be sure, but Ashen was certain Seraphine was alive and physically fine at least. The connection between them was still there, and he could still feel her on the other side.
Pad… pad…
As Ashen was lost in thought about his blonde lover, he heard the soft pads of Lucia's naked footsteps as she made her way to the room's door.
"Well then. I'll prepare something for you to eat." She grasped the door handle. "You must be hungry with only mana as sustenance for the past three months."
She glanced back over her shoulder. "Do you have any preferences?"
"Wait. Before that, I still have a question." Ashen narrowed his eyes, leaning forward slightly.
"What is it?" Her voice remained steady, but her grip on the handle tightened.
He caught it, alongside an involuntary twitch rippling through her shoulders.
'What's up with that? Am I that scary?'
A sudden thought occurred to him, and he decided to test it on the spot. "Come here."
And under his widened eyes, the twitching intensified. Like a puppet on strings, she slowly turned around, her hand falling from the handle. She walked back with measured steps and finally stood right at his bedside, spine rigid.
'So compliant? No… this is strange… too strange…'
"Well, I'm here. What do you want?" Despite her strange behavior, she still tried to act as if nothing was wrong, tilting her head with a hand on her waist.
But the contrast between her tone and body language seemed glaring to his superhuman perception. Her jaw was tight, her breathing slightly elevated.
"You talked about everyone but not you." He watched her carefully. "Are you actually fine, Lucia?"
"..."
"You look like you aged a decade." He gestured at her face. "Your body keeps twitching whenever I ask for something, as if it's eager to please, but your mind is rebelling against it…"
He reached his hand forward, palm open. "Aren't we partners? Ask me for help. Just like I would ask you when I need it."
The twitching intensified, her fingers curling into fists at her sides, but Lucia's mouth stayed shut. Her throat worked as if swallowing words.
Actually, she didn't have any problem divulging the mechanics of her curse and how she was afflicted with it. Either way, Ashen seemed to have half-figured it out. And she trusted him not to use it to have her do something she truly despised.
The reason for her silence was unrelated. She was merely using this opportunity to train her resistance to her body's submission on the person she envied the most.
The man across from her didn't understand all of this and only took the silence as stubbornness, though.
"Not talking? Alright."
His tone abruptly changed into a cold one. "Come here. On my lap."
And that made her body instantly break through any resistance and obey.
Under Ashen's disbelieving gaze, she put a knee on the bed, the mattress dipping. Then the other followed, and finally, she fully straddled him, her weight settling against his thighs.
And he wasn't the least bit happy about it, his brow furrowing deeply.
'Can't she control her own body? Who did this…?'
A dangerous gleam passed through his eyes, but it soon receded as he felt her soft curves lean against him, her warmth seeping through the thin pajama between them.
Seeing her still keeping her mouth shut, jaw clenched, he decided to push her further. "Open your mouth."
"Ah~" She did, lips parting instantly.
"Tongue out."
And a cute red tongue appeared the moment he ordered, her eyes flickering with suppressed irritation even as she obeyed.
Seeing her lazuli eyes seemed to glare daggers even as she complied, Ashen concluded that whatever made her obey wasn't absolute and didn't mess with her head; it just stopped at her body.
He lifted her chin with two fingers, tilting her head up to look straight into those glaring eyes. "Are you still going to deny it after all of this? A couple of words and you're sticking your tongue out for me like a little doggy…"
His grip tightened slightly. "Is nothing really wrong?"
"C'mon, last warning." His thumb brushed her jawline. "Speak, or I might do something really bad…"
Lucia was tempted to keep silent for a brief moment to see what other 'bad' things were in store for her, but the command overrode that, and she talked.
But the moment her mouth loosened enough to speak, what came was a retort instead. "Who says this isn't my own free will? Huh?"
She even looped her arms behind his neck, as if proving a point, fingers threading through his hair.
Ashen smirked, coiled a hand behind her back, and reduced the distance to zero. Her soft breasts cushioned the collision against his chest.
"C'mon, Lucy…" His voice dropped lower. "The cat's out of the bag. My eyes can't be fooled. You're not this submissive. Just out with it… please."
Then she felt his hold tighten on her lower back. "Otherwise, you won't be leaving my side anymore."
Who knew what disasters she'd get into if he let her roam around like this…
Lucia finally relented, her breath escaping in a soft sigh. "...It all started after I ascended to the Fourth Step. I gained two skills that anchored upon the future."
"One can allow me to simulate future scenarios, and the other…" She paused, swallowing. "The one I used on you. It brings a version of the future to the present."
Her voice lowered. "And the price is… lifespan."
'That explains why she looks older at least.'
Ashen confirmed his hypothesis, his free hand absently rubbing small circles on her back.
"When I simulated your future, I heard things I should not have…" Her fingers tightened in his hair. "And was cursed by that crow…"
"Secrets." His jaw clenched. 'Should've made his death more agonizing.'
"The more I envy someone, the more I have to obey them…" She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "That's also why I've been stuck with you here. If someone discovered this curse and used it to take advantage of me, I'd have no choice but to kill myself."
Her voice cracked slightly. "And I don't want to leave this life after I've finally found you… my precious…"
Before she could say more, Ashen closed the distance. His lips crashed against hers. His tongue invaded her mouth, exploring, claiming, tasting the sweetness mixed with the faint bitterness of her coffee from earlier.
"mmph—chlp…"
She made a muffled sound of surprise that quickly dissolved into sloppy noises and muffled moans as he angled her head with a hand tangled in her pink hair, deepening the kiss until she was clinging to him.
When he finally pulled back, a thin string of saliva connected their lips for a moment before breaking.
"Until we find a way to fix this, you are not allowed to stray from me. Understood?"
"Yes…" The word came out breathless, her cheeks flushed.
Ashen wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was finding this new submissive side of her somehow hot. The way she trembled slightly under his touch, the way her body responded even as her eyes still held that defiant spark…
"Now…" She pulled back slightly, composing herself with visible effort. "It's your turn to answer. Others might think it was me who unleashed that… superversion of you, but I know my skill best, and the effect was only to bring the three months in the future you, not that."
She poked his chest. "So out with it."
Ashen smiled bitterly at that, his expression darkening. It had finally come to this. No one would ignore a man capable of so much violence and destruction, so he had to brace himself for the relentless questions and the chore of having to come up with something believable.
Lucia added, seeing the expression on his face, her hand resting against his shoulder. "If you can't say it, we'll just have to fabricate a lie together. Don't worry, I'm a professional."
Ashen, of course, didn't want to divulge anything. It wasn't about something as basic as trust. He trusted his family and his lovers, but he also knew that there were all sorts of strange powers out there. Secrets was a prime example.
Knowledge was power, so he clung to it. It was also a curse, quite literally, in Lucia's case, which only made him grip it harder.
And the knowledge he held was one of the more cunning curses. It stripped hope and made despair fester in its place. Who would still hold hope if they were to know that the fate of their world was destruction? If they were to see themselves die, their loved ones die, their race die… their world die…
—Ashen shook his head, banishing the dark thoughts.
"Alright, I'll take you up on that offer." He ran a hand through his hair. "But a basic explanation is needed."
"Okay." She settled more comfortably in his lap, waiting.
"Your skill can bring a future version of the target to the present, right?"
"At the cost of lifespan, yes." She nodded.
"I have a similar skill. But unlike yours, it has other constraints instead of lifespan." He gestured at his body. "You saw how my body was barely able to hold on for a couple of minutes, right?"
"Of course." She traced a finger along his collarbone absently. "Aside from Alice, everyone thought you were dead for sure."
Ashen nodded, catching her wandering hand. "The reason it only triggered after your skill is because one of those constraints is… timing."
"And the correct timing was three months into the future." Understanding dawned in her eyes.
"Exactly. It's like a relay." He interlaced his fingers with hers. "Your skill passed the torch to future me, and future me relayed that torch to… a very far ahead future of me… one that is capable of that."
"Hmm… I understand." She tapped her chin with her free hand. "I can work with this."
"Good, I expect an Oscar-worthy script."
Spank—
Lucia couldn't answer as an involuntary moan left her mouth due to the sudden spank to her backside, which let a sharp sound echo in the quiet room. Her body jolted forward, pressing against him.
"Now, go make a sandwich." His voice took on that commanding tone again. "After your master fills his stomach, we'll iron out the details of the story."
Even as her body moved on its own, sliding off his lap with obedience, she bit her lip and sent him a heated gaze over her shoulder, eyes half-lidded and dangerous.
'...Asshole.'