Within the Shadows

"Haaaa...haaaa...haaa..."

Though she benefitted from Diona waking up and taking turns with her, Kokomi was utterly exhausted after nearly three hours of discontinuous sex.

"You good...?"

Hearing the concern in Paul's tone, a bell-like chuckle emanated from Kokomi's as she replied, "Thank you...for your concern..." before rolling onto her side, staring at him with her hazy purple eyes as she added, "It feels a lot better than I expected..."

With Paul giving her a similar treatment as Diona, Kokomi had cum more than a dozen times before they moved on to having sex. It still hurt a lot when he first entered her, but the pain eventually gave way to a pleasant numbness that gradually built in intensity until even her brain was numb from pleasure.

Adopting a smile of his own, Paul said, "Well, don't push yourself..." as he caressed the head of the pink-haired girl using his knee as a pillow. Diona was even more drained than Kokomi, but the presence of another woman gave her the resolve to continue till the end. As a result, she was currently curled up in front of Paul, using his knee for support as she kissed, licked, and suckled the tip of his penis with an inebriated expression on her face.

Observing Diona's actions with a hint of listlessness in her gaze, Kokomi waited until her breathing had steadied before asserting, "The two of you must really care for one another..."

Since Diona was currently off in her own world, it was Paul who looked to Kokomi and asked, "What do you mean...?"

As if her eyes could see through all things, Kokomi continued to observe Diona as she asserted, "I can tell...the two of you share a powerful bond. I hope a day comes when I, too, can share such a bond with Master. She seems so happy..."

Though he furrowed his brows, Paul wasn't upset by Kokomi's words. A part of him felt obligated to refute them, but he summarily dismissed such thoughts as he stared intently at Diona. When she eventually noticed, her already beet-red face appeared to deepen in color as she stared back at him with an intense and passionate gaze.

Adopting a broader smile, Paul replied, "Perhaps you're right..." as he gave Diona's head a firm caress. Her hair was a complete mess, but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest as she squinted her eyes and increased the amount of suction she was applying to the tip of his penis.

Exhaling another soft chuckle, Kokomi insisted, "I'm sure of it..." before forcing herself to a seated position and adding, "I'm ready to continue when you are."

As if to demonstrate her readiness, Kokomi spread her legs and used her thin, delicate fingers to spread apart her perfectly smooth vulva to reveal her slightly swollen but sopping wet labia. Her vaginal entrance looked a little tender and sore, but the way it pulsed with the beating of her heart made it clear she was more than ready to continue.

After staring at the tantalizing sight for several tense moments, Paul both surprised and relieved Kokomi by shaking his head and saying, "There are only a few minutes till midnight. We should wrap things up so that the two of you aren't completely exhausted come morning..."

Nodding her head in understanding, Kokomi ceased presenting herself before asking, "Would you like me to wipe you down, or do you intend to go to sleep immediately? If possible, I would like to converse with you for a while longer..."

Since time wasn't completely stagnant in the part of the IOF that housed everyone's spirits, Kokomi knew she and Diona weren't the only ones Paul had summoned. As a strategist and Supreme Leader of one of Inuzuma's most influential Clans, she felt a considerable amount of unease not being apprised of their present circumstances.

Understanding what Kokomi was actually trying to say, Paul nodded his head and said, "Sure. There's a bucket over in the corner. I can use Water and Fire Magic to produce some hot water for us."

"Hmmm...?"

Though her eyes had somewhat adapted to the darkness, Kokomi couldn't see clearly like Paul. He helped by pointing her in the right direction, but it still took her a while to find it as she was afraid of tripping or bumping into something. It didn't help that there were distracting noises playing in the background...

When Kokomi eventually returned to Paul's oversized bed, she found him holding Diona's waist from behind, slowly thrusting into her as she did her best to support herself with her forehead and elbows. She didn't have the strength to prop herself up, so she just bent her body forward and let Paul do most of the work.

Not wanting to interrupt, Kokomi stood off to the side with a faint smile as she patiently waited for Paul to finish. When he did, she waited for him to finish caressing the half-conscious Diona's head before raising the bucket like a trophy and saying, "Found it~." in a sing-song tone.

"Mmm...good job..."

Since it seemed like she really wanted him to, Paul gave Kokomi a quick pat on the head. Her face practically lit up when he did, her expression morphing into a squinty-eyed smile as she readily disclosed, "It's been many years since someone last caressed my head. Not since I was made Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island..."

Though he detected a hint of loneliness in Kokomi's voice, especially near the end, Paul didn't want to pry into her past. As a result, he forced one of his characteristically cocky smiles and replied, "Considering we've already had sex, a pat on the head is relatively tame..."

Seemingly amused by Paul's words, Kokomi covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Afterward, she smiled to the point her eyes were on the verge of closing as she said, "I suppose you're right." in a strangely beguiling tone. It was like, for the briefest of moments, she had seen clearly through him.

"..."

Deciding to play dense, Paul accepted the bucket from Kokomi's hands and proceeded to fill it with warm water. As he did, she observed him like a veritable hawk, her eyes never blinking as they appeared to be covered in a perpetual layer of moisture.

"So that's Magic...It sure seems convenient..."

"Mmm..."

Having filled the bucket about halfway, Paul placed it on the ground and returned his attention to Kokomi. Seeing she hadn't grabbed towels or a bath stool, he said, "Wait here." before making his way over to the wooden cupboard next to where the bucket had been kept.

Seeing Paul return with a wooden stool, towels, and a wicker basket filled with bath supplies, a faint blush suffused Kokomi's cheeks. Before she could apologize for her oversight, however, Paul caught her off guard by saying, "Take a seat." in a calm yet ostensibly commanding tone.

Though her first instinct was to remind Paul that she was supposed to be serving him, Kokomi only hesitated for a brief moment before following his instructions.

After Kokomi had sat with her back facing him, Paul pulled out a bottle of oil and a comb with wide spacing between its teeth. He had accumulated a considerable amount of experience bathing alongside and helping wash women's bodies, so his movements were fairly smooth and natural as he began the lengthy process of cleaning Kokomi's remarkably long, salmon-pink hair, asking, "So? What did you want to talk about...?"

Surprised by Paul's sudden question, Kokomi uttered a soft, "Ah..." before quickly composing herself and explaining, "I wanted to inquire about our present circumstances. While I am perfectly content serving you with all my heart and body, my talents are better suited to administration and the military. The prejudiced views of this world may make it difficult for me to serve as your General, but I'm confident in serving as your Strategist and Advisor."

As he had never played through the Inazuma content, Paul had trouble believing someone as fair and delicate-seeming as Kokomi could lead an army. He didn't doubt that she had, but it didn't really make a lot of sense outside the context of Genshin. At the very least, he couldn't imagine her lasting more than a few seconds against a monster like Ei...

Since he didn't really feel like explaining everything in the middle of the night, Paul answered, "I'll take you to meet with Ningguang first thing in the morning. I've been doing my own thing for the past three or so years, so she's the one you'd need to ask if you want to get up to speed.

Blinking in surprise, various thoughts raced across Kokomi's mind in mere seconds as she concurrently replied, "I see..." in an almost disappointed-sounding tone. Paul immediately caught onto this, asking, "What's up...?" despite a slight frown marring his face.

Even without looking at Paul's face, Kokomi had caught the subtle change in his tone, answering, "Forgive me...it's just, I always imagined the man I would dedicate myself to being a peerless and capable Lord. That's not to say Master Paul isn't an amazing person, but-"

Before Kokomi could finish, Paul exhaled a soft laugh, a self-deprecating smile developing across his face as he said, "Relax, you've done nothing warranting an apology. I understand better than anyone just how weak I am. Luckily for you, I'm determined to keep growing stronger until no one, not even the Archons, can defeat me..."

Though he currently couldn't even imagine the power of an Archon in their prime, Paul could feel himself growing stronger with each passing day. He might not be the one to strike down Hitogami, but after everything he had been forced to tolerate, he was determined to give the God of Boundaries at least one good punch. If they turned out to be a female, he might even clap her cheeks...she sure as hell deserved it...

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While Paul continued his conversation with Kokomi, three women, each possessing glowing amber eyes, simultaneously frowned. Paul had not spoken aloud, but they existed as a part of the Intersection of Fate that had fused with his Spirit and Ego. They could not peer into the depths of his memories, but they were intimately aware of his surface thoughts.

Voicing her thoughts aloud, a young woman who Paul would have readily misconstrued as Luciana's daughter coldly declared, "Arrogance beyond redemption..."

Revealing that the young girl was, in fact, the very same Luciana that had informed Paul of his status as Champion, the ashen-haired woman acting as the leader of the trio said, "That's enough, Luciana. We knew what kind of man he was when we picked him as our Champion. If it's to ensure the completion of our objective, we should be prepared to sacrifice ourselves as well..."

Furrowing her brows, Luciana looked toward the ashen-haired woman, asking, "You would submit yourself to such a man? Then what use are the people we have enslaved through the contract?"

Showing no signs of emotion on her cold, calculating face, the ashen-haired woman calmly replied, "You already know the answer to that. They are necessary to nourish the Void Energy gestating within the Champion's body. As his essence flows through them, it becomes stronger and more refined."

Adopting a cold and calculating expression of her own, Luciana retorted, "That doesn't answer my question. If nourishing his Void Energy was our principal-"

Interrupting before Luciana could finish, a glowing, diamond-shaped rune flickered to life in front of the ashen-haired woman's forehead as she said, "Enough. The only thing that matters is the actualization of our objective. If that requires you to sacrifice yourself, you will do so without complaint. Do I make myself clear?"

Though she narrowed her amber, reticle-like eyes in contempt, Luciana replied, "Crystal." before creating a zipper-like tear in the space behind her. She needed to blow off some steam, so she created a portal to one of the few worlds yet to be affected by the devastation sweeping across multiple realities...

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