Chapter 21 Kiss
Damien and the two ladies continued their journey with the occasional monster attack easily dealt with by Dark Phoenix's black flames.
The sun gradually sank as day gave way to night.
"It seems we must rest for the night. How I missed the night!" Suggested Damien.
"Yes. But we should hollow out the trunk of a tree. The ground is unsafe."
The next suggestion was offered by Dark, being the only one with the experience of being in this illusory world.
The trio jumped to another branch before walking towards the tree stem.
Dark burnt out a hollow with her black flames and the group entered to rest for the night.
"Dark! Give us a rundown of the dangers we need to look out for in the night." Asked Damien as his facial expression turned serious.
Lino changed into her emerald green color scheme and created green vines which grew around the entrance, closing them inside.
She did everything quietly. She hadn't talked ever since that time Damien tried to interrogate her.
Her expression was impassive and no emotion could be read from it.
'I wish she could go back to her noisy self.' Thought Damien as he gave her a side eye while waiting for Dark to organize her thoughts.
The hollow had become pitch black with Lino blocking off the entrance but they could see fine thanks to their elemental sight which allowed them to see the elemental particles surrounding each other.
They were like fire flies flying around them providing illumination to those with elemental sight.
Dark was sitting while leaning against the walls of the tree hollow with her hugging her bent knees to her chest.
Damien was seated opposite her with spread legs while Lino had moved next to him silently.
Dark's beautiful face was resting atop her folded knees as her dark eyes, illuminated by the floating elemental particles were trained on Damien.
"At night, nocturnal beasts prowl the illusory world with most having stealth capabilities and those at the demigod level have divinities compatible or enhanced during the night." Explained Dark.
The elemental particles floating in the space around them were absorbed into their bodies when they touched them.
It was a way to recover and it was automatic but the elemental particles needed by demigods to synthesize the strings of their bodies were astronomical that it would take over the entire lifespan of a demigod for the wandering elemental particles in space to replenish their needs. It is why elemental crystal were so high in demand.
"By the way, Dark, that flimsy dress is too provocative. It is almost transparent in my elemental sight." Commented Damien as his blood red gaze due to the use of his elemental sight roamed her form.
Dark blushed upon the comment but since it was too dark, the elemental sight couldn't capture the redness which had crept up her cheeks.
"Why do you always want to tease me?" Dark asked as she tried to divert his attention away from her body.
Lino was moving her emerald green eyes between them. She was mostly admiring Damien's side profile.
'Too bad I can't change into the light rose form which can illuminate this place. The light might attract curious beasts as nocturnal beasts are very sensitive to light.' She thought.
"The reason I tease you is simple. I want you, well not only you. I want to form a harem of goddesses." Declared Damien while his gaze still roamed her form.
'Good thing my knees are folded. My breasts aren't entirely visible.' Thought Dark as she released a sigh of relief in her mind.
"Why do you want to make a harem? Besides, every woman who managed to reach godhood is proud. How could you think that they will fall for you, let alone allow other women to be with you when they do fall for you?" Dark asked.
Lino also trained her curious emerald green eyes at him.
"That is hard. Even I don't know how I will handle it." Said Damien as he stroked his chin in thought.
'It seems like fighting will be inevitable. I need to become a god as soon as possible.'
"I shall cross that bridge when I get to it. Those houses will mostly be occupied by gods and goddesses. I will try to court some of the beauties when they come." He said.
"What about Silver, Me and Phoenix? No, wait! Phoenix is way out of your league." Dark once again asked as her heartbeat accelerated in anticipation of his answer.
"Silver... That one does hate me. You..." Damien trailed off as his body vanished from its position before his face appeared mere inches away from Dark's.
He was currently on all four with his knees and fingers on his knees as he stared into her eyes. Her head was still resting on her knees.
Dark's eyes rapidly blinked when he appeared in front of her. Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest as it sent waves coursing through her veins with its powerful beating.
Damien brought his lips closer and touched them with her upon which her eyes widened.
Lino clenched her hands into fists and her knuckles turned white as she beheld the scene.
'Am going to make sure I become a goddess and become worthy of him.' She thought as her emerald eyes threatened to devour Dark.
His lips opened as his tongue snuck out and forced hers to apart. It entered and explored inside of Dark's mouth.
Dark's opened eyes closed gently as she revelled in the kiss.
'She has fallen for me.' That was Damien's last thought as he too closed his eyes. The taste of her lips had removed any trace of thought from his mind.
The elemental particles in their surroundings brightened and dimmed in concert to the sound of the two's synchronized heart beats as their lips were entwined.
They forgot about their surroundings as if they were in a world if their own.
Lino felt as if she was being suffocated when she saw Damien kissing her. She yearned for him to kiss her too buy she knew that it could only happen when she advanced to become a goddess. It was the condition he had given her when she had confessed her feelings to him back in the universe.
Tears silently streaked down her cheeks as her heart broke.
[Why are you crying? He already gave you a chance by giving you a threshold you must reach before you qualify to be with him.]
"Shut up! Rose." Lino whispered as she berated the voice in her mind. She raised her hands and tried yo wipe away the tears from her eyes.
[You shouldn't cry. You just need to become a goddess and let me take over. I will slaughter every bitch who he tries to bring into his fold.]
"That would only make him hate you. Besides we had a pact that you were going to sleep for ten thousand years. Why are you awake?" Lino asked.
[That deadline is almost over. You do know that I crave for chaos. So I wanted to see where you were before I took over. I am going back to sleep. Give my regards to Damien, my beloved. Tell him its almost time for our second meeting. Hahaha...] The laughter trailed off as the voice vanished in her mind.
"I wish you weren't inside me." Lino whispered one last time as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
Emerald vines, produced from Lino's body creeped along the walls of the tree hollow and sealed it off after which Lino shouted, "I AM RIGHT HERE!!! YOU HATEFUL PEOPLE."
Dark abruptly raised her hands and pushed Damien away upon hearing the shout.
"Are you CRAZY? Those beasts must have heard you! We must escape as fast as we can!" shouted Dark at Lino as she ignited with black flames as she prepared to rush out.
"Don't worry, I sealed off this place and isolated this place with my vines. No sound escaped." Lino explained nonchalantly.
"It must have atleast produced minute vibrations. The nocturnal beasts are very sensitive!" Dark shouted as she picked up Damien whose hand and knees had formed groves in the green vines on the ground when Dark had pushed her away.
Lino had managed to grow her emerald vines even underneath them when they were kissing.
Black flames lit up on Dark's nightwear clad body forming a contrast with the white cloth.
She placed Damien on her shoulder before turning into a black blur to appear in front of the vines sealing off the entrance.
Lino's emerald form shifted to white as the white rose atop her crown shimmered.
She followed behind Dark as she blasted out of the hollow with her black flames.
Still midair, multiple eyes colored in a myraid of colors shifted their attentions to them.
Dark and Lino shifted directions and raced towards the direction they had been moving towards during the day.
Dark incinerated anything which appeared in her path as Lino followed behind her. The beasts turned into blurs colored in multiple colors as they chased the two from behind.
"Pardon me, but the perfect I being carried by a woman really is embarrassing." Damien commented atop Dark's shoulder. His face was dangling in front while his butt and legs were at the back.
"Bear with it. We need to escape and you are the slowest among us." Said Dark.
Damien viewed her side profile and this was the first time he saw a grave look on her face.
Lino snickered from behind as she stared at his butt.
"Lino!!! You are embarrassing me!" Exclaimed Damien.
"No no no, you are embarrassing yourself. Too bad we are running for our lives or I would have taken a picture." Lino answered with a playful tone in her voice.