WIEDERGEBURT Act III: Chapter 62

Lorelei had asked me to meet her at a small inlet on the other side of the island in two days time. I spent those two days meditating on the elemental affinity of lightning. Within the deepest region of my subconscious, I remained next to my Spiritual Power, the strange nebula and those floating spheres, studying the changes that my Spiritual Core had undergone.

When the time to meet with Lorelei finally arrived, I packed up my camp and headed toward the inlet. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be returning to this place.

It only took a few hours to traverse the island. I probably could have moved faster if I wanted, but there was no point in rushing. When I did reach the inlet, the dirt shifted into sand and the trees around me vanished before the shore.

The inlet was long and narrow. It was shaped sort of like an arm. It led into a small bay with a rocky shoreline. Water gently lapped at the bay.

As I stepped onto the inlet, I saw Lorelei waiting for me at the edge of the water. Her eyes lit up when she spotted me. She raised a hand and waved, her gesticulations wild and enthusiastic.

She wasn’t alone. There were several other fish people with her. Not all of them were women. There were a few men with large, burly chests, and a head full of hair. One of those men had a surprisingly large and bushy-looking beard. His hair was a bright shade of fire red, and his eyes were the same green as Lorelei’s.

I walked onto the water, my feet lightly touching the surface but not becoming submerged. Water Walking was a skill I had learned while exploring these islands. By channeling a constant stream of water-natured Spiritual Power to my feet, I could walk on water as if I was walking on land. When I did this, several of the fish people began speaking in hushed tones.

“He can walk on water!”

“The Messiah!”

“What an amazing man!”

“Are you sure that’s a man?”

“He’s gorgeous!”

I had grown so used to people saying stuff like this that I was able to ignore them as I walked up to Lorelei. She smiled brightly at me.

“I’m glad you could make it!” She turned to the man with the fire-colored hair. “Daddy, this is the man I was telling you about. He’s the one who slayed the Scylla.”

A hushed silence fell over the group of fish people. Jaws dropped, eyes widened, and several looked like they’d forgotten to keep pumping their fish tails because a few of them began sinking. As the group gawked at me like I’d just sprouted three extra heads, the man Lorelei called “Daddy” studied me with sharp eyes.

“Is killing a Scylla really that big a deal?” I asked. “I only killed it because I was hungry.”

My words seemed to invoke even more shock in the group, who began blabbering even more. While they chattered like children, the man continued to study me as he finally spoke. His voice was a deep baritone.

“The Scylla is a powerful Demon Beast that our kind had long since been taught to avoid. Several of our greatest warriors went against the Scylla and lost their lives. That you claim to have slain it merely because you wanted to eat is rather… shocking. If what you say is true, then you are easily the most powerful person I have ever met.”

“So I see...”

Well, the Scylla was an A-rank Demon Beast. In most cases, A-rank Demon Beasts were considered incredibly powerful. There was a time when I would have had trouble dealing with one on my own.

“Lorelei said you needed my help?” I inquired.

“Daddy, tell him about the Leviathan!” Lorelei said.

Leviathan? I found my curiosity peaked simply from that one word alone. I didn’t know why, but that word seemed to invoke a powerful resonance within me. Could this Leviathan be what I was searching for?

“The Leviathan is a powerful Demon Beast that has been roaming these seas for hundreds of years,” the man said. “We generally have not had a problem with it, but the Leviathan recently discovered Atlantia—the home of us Merfolk. It laid to waste our home and killed many of my people, including a number of my best warriors.”

“And you want me to defeat this Leviathan for you?” I asked, figuring out where this was going already.

“If you are able to defeat it, then I, King Neptune of the Merfolk, will be in your debt,” he said.

I rubbed my chin and thought about his request. Slaying a Demon Beast would not be hard, especially if it was only an A-rank one like the Scylla, but if it was an S-rank Demon Beast, then I would have finally accomplished one of my goals. There was no harm in helping these people out, and if it got me what I wanted, then I would be a fool not to accept their request.

“I’ll do it,” I said at last. “I only have two conditions.”

“Name them,” King Neptune said.

“The first is that you tell me more about this Leviathan. I’d like to know what it looks like, what kind of abilities it has, and where I can find it.”

King Neptune nodded. “That is a simple enough condition. What of the second?”

“I’d like you to find a Six-Headed Water Serpent.”

While the Merfolk around us whispered and muttered, King Neptune silently contemplated my request. Six-Headed Water Serpents were A-rank Demon Beasts around the same level of strength as a Scylla. That meant they were far more powerful than anything these Merfolk could fight. On the other hand, I had already slain a Scylla, which meant I was powerful enough to defeat a Six-Headed Water Serpent.

I waited for King Neptune to make his choice. Lorelei glanced back and forth between the two of us nervously, perhaps wondering if her father would accept my conditions. To be perfectly honest, I felt like my two conditions were rather small compared to what most people would ask for. All I wanted was information on the enemy I was killing for them and the location of a Demon Beast. They literally had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

“I shall abide by your two conditions,” King Neptune said. “Now, allow me to fulfill your first request and tell you everything I know about Leviathan.”

***

It was the day our group was set to leave. I woke up surrounded by a pile of bodies as always. Kari, Lin, and Fay were practically smothering me. I would have said it was stifling, but I honestly enjoyed the warmth that came from being surrounded by these women. However, one of our group was missing.

Siv.

In the past few days, Siv had stopped being so shy around me. She wasn’t very talkative, nor was she quite as affectionate as Lin, but she would always hover nearby, touching my hand or thigh, sitting so close I could feel the warmth of her skin. She was reserved in how she showed her feelings for me.

Kari and Fay had fully accepted her into the group. Lin had been a bit more reluctant, but I think she was mostly jealous of Siv’s strength.

Another thing I had noticed was that Siv, like Lin, had Runes etched onto her chest. They were located in the very center of her chest and looked just like Lin’s. I still didn’t know what they meant. However, I at least knew it was those Runes that established the connection that let her and Lin use my elemental affinities.

I sat up in bed and slowly peeled the girls off me. They had wrapped me up within their embrace, so we were pretty much a tangle of limbs. It took me about ten minutes just to get free of them, especially Lin, who had realized I was trying to escape and unconsciously kept wrapping her arms and tail around me every time I removed them.

Wearing nothing but a pair of pants, I wandered into the living room/office, where I found Siv sitting on one of the couches. She had brought her bare feet onto the edge. Her knees were curled into her chest. She had set her chin on her knees, wrapped them around her arms, and was staring off into space with glazed in eyes.

I walked over to her and sat down. Not saying anything, I instead chose to wait to see if she would initiate a conversation.

“Nightmare,” Siv said at last.

“You had a nightmare?” I asked for confirmation.

Siv nodded and tried to explain in her broken human tongue what her nightmare had been about. “I was… enslaved. Sekbeist… they enslaved me… and used me for their purposes… I was forced to journey… to ruined city… went through a gate that led to other world. D-died in battle against powerful person.”

I slowly leaned back on the couch, then grabbed Siv’s feet and pulled to make her let go of them. I placed her soft, small feet on my lap and began massaging them. Siv released a soft mewling sound that was halfway between a growl and a purr. I didn’t know Dragons could purr. Her toes curled as I pressed my thumbs against the pads of her feet, sending a small amount of the water element into them to help loosen the muscles.

While I gave Siv a foot massage, I thought about what she had said, piecing her story together in my mind.

It sounded like her nightmare detailed a time about her being enslaved, but when I considered what the second half of her story was about, I concluded that it was a nightmare in which I didn’t save her from a life of enslavement. The ruined city she journeyed to was obviously Nevaria. The gate… was likely the Warp Gate located underneath the Imperial Royal Palace. She and the Sekbiest went through the Warp Gate, ending up in another realm, and then she was killed fighting against a powerful being from that other world.

“Can you describe what this other world looked like?” I asked.

“It was… big fortress in the sky. Floating city with rainbow colored bridge. Not many people lived there. Um. People look like humans, but many different hair colors. Here, people only have blonde, brown, and red hair. There, people have green, purple, pink, blue, and every other color of hair. All the people there, uh, very powerful. Single swing can destroy entire horde of Sekbeist.”

As she spoke, Siv fell back onto the couch, lying down as I continued to massage her feet. However, some time during her tale, Siv had taken to using her free foot, the one I wasn’t massaging, to caress the increasingly large bulge in my pants. I tried to ignore the feeling of her soft foot rubbing my cock through my clothes, but it was very hard. As she finished her story, I had no choice but to stop massaging her feet so I could readjust my pants.

I laid down beside her, on my side. Siv turned over so she was facing me and scooted closer. I placed a hand on her naked hip and began slowly caressing it, which once more caused Siv to release several odd purring sounds. I guess it was more like soft growling than purring.

“I’m not exactly sure which realm you ended up in,” I said at last. “Our world has nine realms. Miðgarðr, Niðavellir, Útgarðar, Ljosalfheim, Rikevrann, Sfærevann, Mørkeverden, Vindenket, and Gudeverdenen.” I paused to reach up and cup Siv’s cheek, tenderly stroking it with my thumb. “I have no idea which realm that one is since I know very little about the other realms. However, I can say it was not Niðavellir. That realm is home to the Dweorg. They’re a race of very small men and women who are incredible craftsmen, but they are not very powerful. It sounds like where ever you ended up was filled with powerful people, so I’d guess it’s one of the higher realms.”

“Hmm...” Siv scooted closer to me, until her face was pressed against my chest. She entwined our legs together and nuzzled against me.

I decided not to say anymore, but I did keep thinking about the world she had ended up in, and about her dream in general.

It was clear to me that she had not just had a dream. What she dreamed last night was obviously a memory from her past life. I remember how the other day when we had sex, Siv had bitten me in the neck, drawing quite a bit of my blood. The key to someone regaining the memories of their past life appeared to be having sex with me and taking in my blood.

I didn’t know for sure, but I think the act of having my sperm injected into them triggered the memory, while drinking my blood tied their physical bodies to mine. This was just a theory. However, Kari and Fay had dreams of their past lives, but they always forgot those dreams after awhile. On the other hand, Lin and Siv could perfectly recall what happened during their dreams. The only difference between these four women—aside from their inhuman origins—was that Lin and Siv had already exchanged blood with me.

Speaking of exchanging blood…

Since Siv had gone back to sleep in my arms, I closed my eyes and traveled into my subconscious. I ended up right next to the swirling nebula that was my Spiritual Core. Just like I had suspected, there was another orb rotating around the Spiritual Core that had not been there before. It was a dull green color, about the same size as all the other spheres, and didn’t seem to be active.

I floated over to the orb and placed my hand against it. Channeling my Spiritual Power, I felt the power flowing into the orb, activating it, and like a tether connecting me to the orb, I felt the power of wind flowing into me.

Wind was both gentle and harsh; it could softly blow across the land, creating a cool atmosphere that helped people during the warmer days of summer. However, it could also turn into a fierce squall, a raging tempest that destroyed everything in its bath. Someone who controlled the wind could create anything from a gentle breeze to a mighty hurricane. The ability to manipulate the wind was also the ability to manipulate the weather, since wind was an important factor in determining and controlling the climate and weather.

As the information on how to control the wind appeared within me, the sphere began glowing a bright green. A link formed between the wind and my Spiritual Core, which once more increased in size.

Like the earth and darkness elements, I was only at the Second State of Spiritualism with the wind element. Fortunately, because of my inhuman half, I would not need to use movements and dances to use this element, but my powers over the wind were nowhere near the same level as my powers over lightning and water.

I returned back to the physical world to discover that someone was calling my name.

“Eryk. Eryk.”

Opening my eyes, I looked around to discover that I was still lying on the couch, hugging Siv to my chest, and Kari, Fay, and a grumpy Lin were standing before me. I blinked several times, then yawned. Siv also awoke and sat up, stretching her arms above her head as she released a cute yawn that let me see her adorable little fangs.

“What are you two doing on the couch?” asked Kari.

“Siv had a nightmare about her past life,” I said as I sat up and rubbed my neck.

“Oh?” Kari raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like an interesting story. You’ll have to tell us about it later. For now, though, we should take a bath and get ready for our journey.”

The suggestion to take a bath was met with unanimous agreement, so all five of us put on some clothes and traveled down to the private bathing room. We cleaned each other off and then soaked in the tub. I simply chose to sit on the steps like normal, but Kari and Lin were swimming around in the deeper end of the bath. Fay and Siv sat next to me.

“What is that on your neck?” Fay asked suddenly.

“That?” I didn’t know what she was talking about.

“There is a black mark on your neck. Right here.” She tapped my neck right at the junction between my neck and shoulders. “It looks like a tattoo.”

I couldn’t see the tattoo by turning my head, so I looked down at the water and stared at my reflection. Just as Fay had said, there was indeed a black tattoo-like object on my neck. It looked a lot like a four-legged dragon with massive wings and a long body coiling around my neck and shoulder.

This tattoo had not been present the other day, which could only mean it had appeared as a result of Siv biting me when we were having sex. She must have injected her blood into me when she bit me. I don’t think she intended to, but perhaps the act of injecting blood into someone during coupling was an instinct that had been hardwired into other races like Lamia and Dragons.

I looked at the vine-like pattern on my finger, the Ring of Marji, which Lin had given me over a year ago. They definitely bore a striking similarity, not in shape or appearance, but in how they had both been created.

“I’m sure it’s similar to this Ring of Marji,” I told Fay, holding up my hand and showing off the “ring” around my finger.

“Hmm… so when Siv bit you, she gave you that dragon tattoo like Lin gave you that snake tattoo,” Fay murmured.

“Does that mean I’ll be able to give you a tattoo like that if I bite you?” asked Kari as she stood up in the water and waded over to me. She placed her hands on my thighs and leaned over with a daring smile. Her breasts swung from side to side, enticing me to reach out and play with them, though I resisted. “I’m awfully tempted to bite you now to see if I can leave my own mark on your body.”

“You bite me all the time,” I said dryly.

Kari laughed. “That’s true. Maybe I should bite harder.”

“Hmph!” Lin snorted and crossed her arms. “Just biting Darling isn’t enough to give him a Ring of Marji. If that was all it took, then anyone could do it. To give the Ring of Marji to the man you plan on mating with, you must inject your Spiritual Power and blood into your mate, while also drinking the blood and Spiritual Power of your mate. That is how Mama taught this princess to give people the Ring of Marji.” Her frown deepened as she stared at Siv with a look so hard the Dragon girl attempted to hide behind me. “This princess has no idea how you managed to do give him a ring when it doesn’t look like you were even taught how.”

“Maybe it’s instinct,” suggested Kari.

“Maybe,” Lin muttered, though she did not look at all happy by the suggestion.

***

After taking a bath, everyone got dressed and traveled back to our living space on the top floor of the Nevarian Braves headquarters.

I was wearing my normal clothing. The blue vest and light blue undershirt trailed down past my knees, while the long-sleeved fingerless gloves fit snugly on my hands and arms as they traveled up to my shoulder. My storage ring was on my right index finger on the same hand where the Ring of Marji was proudly displayed. Placed over my vest was a basic silver breastplate with numerous gleaming Runes carved onto the surface.

Fay was wearing an outfit almost identical to mine, but designed for women instead of men. Her boots were longer, coming up past her knees, while mine stopped just below the knees, and her vest was closed by a leather strap just below her breasts. Mine had been left open. Not that you could it anymore since she was also wearing a breastplate. She wasn’t wearing her gauntlets right now, but they could be summoned at a moment’s notice thanks to the storage rings on her two index fingers.

Kari had pulled up her black stockings, which disappeared into a burgundy battle dress that was short enough I would probably see her butt if she bent over. White boots went on her feet. Several leather belts buckled around her waist, one of which had a sheathed dagger swinging at her hip—a secondary weapon in case she lost her ranseur. Her white gloves were fingerless like mine and went up to her elbows. Meanwhile, a shoulder pauldron sat on her left shoulder while her right shoulder was bare. A silver breastplate with the same Runes as mine and Fay’s sat covered her chest, which looked smaller than normal because she was wearing breast bindings.

Lin did not wear much. She had a breastplate that went over her chest, but it only covered her chest. Her stomach was completely exposed. Similarly, leaf-shaped armor plates went over her hips. They were covered in Runes that I had personally carved into them. The armor only covered her sides, while a skirt underneath the armor protected her modesty.

The last person who got dressed was Siv. Like Lin, she seemed to prefer less clothes, which I guess came from her reptilian nature. Dragons were also a cold-blooded race and relied on things like the sun to warm them up. Her battle gown was a simple dress that exposed her entire back and even some of her butt. That whiteness of the dress complimented her pale skin. Of course, the backlessness of the dress was for the practical purpose of not confining Siv’s wings. She had no armor, but she didn’t need it. A Dragon’s body was stronger than any armor. Even a sword infused with Spiritual Power would shatter against her body.

“It looks like we’re all ready,” I said. “Let’s go.”

We left headquarters and hopped onto a carriage that would take us to the north gate. As we did, Kari noticed something.

“You didn’t have the blacksmith forge a new weapon for you?”

I shook my head. “If my weapons are going to keep breaking like this, then there’s no point in having someone make them.”

“That’s true.” Kari looked at the ring on the middle finger of her right hand. “I’m very glad my ranseur hasn’t been destroyed like your weapons have.”

“It seems the Dragon’s Tail Ruler isn’t able to withstand my Spiritual Power.” I frowned. “I simply pour too much into it.”

“Maybe you should consider not doing that,” Fay suggested.

“I would,” I smiled mirthlessly, “but I keep going up against enemies that I can’t afford to hold back against.”

“This princess is glad she can make her own weapons with her Spiritual Power,” Lin said.

The carriage eventually slowed to a stop and the five of us exited. I paid the driver. As the man left, traveling back toward the Nevarian Braves headquarters, my group walked toward the north gate, where an entourage of people were waiting for us.

Empress Hilda stood at the head of this group. With her were Valence, Rainer, Dante, Herleif, Earland, Geirolf, Mykkel, and even Stelys Valstine. None of them were wearing armor at the moment, but that didn’t diminish their presence, especially the empress, who stared at the five of us with a proud but wan smile.

“Mother,” Kari greeted with a bow.

“There’s no need for such formality right now.” Empress Hilda waved her hand to dismiss Kari’s actions. “I am merely here to see off my daughter and her friends. As per the promise I made to Eryk when he won the Spiritualist Grand Tournament, I shant stop you from exploring the Morkdypt Ravine. Of course, since you have reached the Third State of Spiritualism, there is no need for me to stop you. Your strength is nearly a match for mine now.”

“Hee hee.” Kari rubbed the back of her head and bashfully grinned at her mother. “I have become pretty strong, huh?”

“You have.” Empress Hilda nodded. “However, please do not let it go to your head. You might have grown stronger, but as you’ve witnessed from the battle against that strange man, there are still people far stronger than us out there.”

“I understand,” Kari said.

While Kari was having a touching moment with her mother, Stelys walked up to Fay and placed his hands on her shoulders. He stared into her eyes. There was a gentle smile on his face that did not match his gigantic appearance.

“Fay, my daughter, you’ve become so strong and made me so proud. Please take care of yourself while you’re traveling through the Demon Beast Mountain Range.”

“I will, Dad.”

Fay smiled as father and daughter shared a hug.

I stood back with Lin and Siv, watching the two families as they said their goodbyes. It was not my place to intervene here. However, as we watched the proceedings, Dante walked up to us with his normally lazy smile.

“You never cease to surprise me,” he said.

“What did I do to surprise you this time?” I asked.

“Just everything,” Dante said with a chuckle. “I’m always amazed by how much you accomplish. Anyway, today, I am just here to request that you take care of my daughter.”

That wasn’t something he needed to request of me, but I knew he was just being a father. What father didn’t worry about his child?

“Please do not worry,” I said. “The day I let anything happen to Kari is the day I cut out my own tongue.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Dante said.

A round of goodbyes were made. Stelys, Empress Hilda, Herleif, and even Valence bid me goodbye as well, telling me to stay safe and come back soon. I think they realized that it would be months before we returned. Not only were we planning on traveling to the Morkdypt Ravine, I was going to gather all the ingredients necessary to create the Elemental Enlightenment Pills for the girls and myself. I wanted to reach the Third State of Spiritualism with my three new elements. I also wanted Fay and Lin to reach this state with their elements as well.

After everyone bid us farewell, the north gate was opened, and the five of us began our journey.