Chapter 22: Chapter 21: House-Warming

“Are you joking!? You expect me to face him? For the same humans you said tried to break up me and Klaire? Made everyone’s lives a nightmare?” Carl was far from feeling helpful, with everything he had witnessed and experienced.

“No, I’m not. Yes, I do and finally, no. I expect you to face him for the people you care about. In the process you will help the humans grow, some may even earn their own pluses, but you have a duty. Is it fair? No it isn’t. None of it is fair and I’m partially responsible, any of us could have stopped it back then at that meeting.”

The growing resentment Carl was feeling was profound, but Lillim was being so damn placating, that it was hard for Carl to hold onto it. She was not only admitting responsibility, but she was empathising before he even knew what he was feeling.

“How would I even win this game of his, what do I do? How do I do it? I’m eighteen, I just died, then I got married unexpectedly, then I had the origins of the world as we know it shoved in my face, now I’m what exactly, what the hell are these pluses everyone is all so damned obsessed with anyway? We were told they recognised advanced builds.”

“Carl, you do it the same way you do everything, with Klaire at your side and by charging ahead. In realms like mine, titles hold power and you are “The King of Endeavour”, so endure as you always have. You have had a lot happen take a day, while you were all learning I was slowing down time a bit, I’m tired myself.”

“Grandma… I have so many more things to say…” Carl took a breath, deep and focused. “First though, thank you. Thank you for marrying us and saving me from the stupid mistake I made with the ring, it might be a big deal I wasn’t expecting just yet, but I’m grateful.”

“Your welcome dear, now, you and the Mrs. go consummate, or whatever you had planned.” She stood and gestured for the other three to follow, leaving Klaire and Carl blushing and rambling in embarrassment.

When they got outside Lillim created an incursion gate and called three of her daughters through. “These ladies will be your training partners, Lycan boy you will focus on keeping a clear head in beast-form. Alysse, you will be training every inch of your body, honestly Squidge has more definition than you… Lydia, you will be brushing off the cobwebs since you’re already stronger than any bar Leanna and myself.”

“Then why not spar me yourself? I don’t think I lost more than a st-” She was on the ground before she even knew what happened.

“That daughter is one of my strongest, but her stats are still half yours. So brush of the cobwebs, I’m not very good at holding back. When you’re done, draw up a contract Carl will be happy with, my tolerance for his whining is drawing thin.”

Lydia was suddenly very angry, she hadn’t noticed it building in her, but seeing the kids bounced from one life changing event to the other was heartbreaking and Lillim was talking as though they had just scraped a knee.

“Lillim, you need to stop that…” She mutter as she picked herself up, slowly releasing the restraints she had yet to on her stats. “Whining is the least they deserve. You’re the ones who screwed up. You’re the ones who caused this mess. So don’t act like he is being selfish for having feelings on the matter. Klaire hasn’t even recovered enough to snap. I did lose more than a step, I even forgot how I nearly destroyed the humans back then.”

Suddenly she ran a hand along the chest of Lillim’s daughter, then placed it on her opposite cheek and gently turned her head to towards her. “Be a dear and teach Mummy a lesson, she was very mean to those children, you know.” Without even questioning the daughter charged at Lillim.

Lydia then turned toward the other two and then simply appeared behind one, one arm draped over a shoulder, the other wrapped around her waist, andchin resting on the shoulder still free. With a seductive sigh and words whispered the second daughter charged Lillim.

“I’m sorry but if you want me to love you like them, then you had best impress me.” She said coldly to the third, before she too charged at Lillim.

Alysse and Gillian, still standing by the house, were themselves practically drooling with lust and tempted to charge Lillim themselves. “Oh Damn! Sorry! Hard to control at that level kids. I’m sorry we won’t work… Ever, the age gap and ability difference, it’s too much.”

The moment she rejected them, her effect had passed, on the daughters anyway. On the other hand, calming down the other two, who were eyeing her like free steak in a five-star restaurant, were young and emotionally unstable.

“Seems you’re stronger in that regard than you ever utilised properly. I’ll handle them.” Lillim laughed as she stood between Lydia and the lecherous eighteen year olds, then transforming into her true and horriffic form.

She grew about ten-metres, curled horns sprouted from her temples, her skin turned violet with crimson swirls running through it, her two arms split into six, each of which ended in talons designed to rip things to pieces in the messiest way.

Suddenly the young two were cleansed of sinful thoughts, overwhelming terror becoming the focusing point of their entire existence. “Sorry little onesss… Am I not worthyyy of your affectiooonsss…” Lillim’s voice was a low growl, warped and muffled by the interlocking dagger like fangs that filled her mouth, which flawed skin framed in a crescent from one ear lobe to the other.

“N-n-no it’s not t-t-that, but C-c-c-carl would kill me i-i-if I made a m-m-move on his Grandma.” Gillian was forced out through his fear inspired impediment.

Lillim looked back before Lydia and her burst into laughter, Lillim changing back to her less soul crushing on sight form. “Lydia, you surprised me, to think you made my girls even attack me. No wonder the humans were on the back foot the moment you three joined the movement.”

“Please don’t mention that, threatening to bring every pure bred human line to an end was edgy even for my rebellious phase. I also would have robbed us all of meeting Carl.”

“Hm, the last bit I guess would have been a shame, i guess.” Lillim shrugged, not really seeing the harm in the overall plan.

Inside the house, Klaire and Carl were speak where they had been left.

“Carl, you aren’t disappointed we’re married are you?”

“No! Of course not, it’s just, a week ago I was gutted that I brought the stupid armlet instead of the ring that day, then I make you a ring to promise we’ll get married and screwed it up. I’m frustrated, I feel like I stole the moment from us, like I keep stealing moments from us.” He sighed, not wanting to sound like he didn’t want it, desperate for Klaire to understand.

“I don’t care Carl, I now get to spend the next two months telling everyone we got married and the Mother of Demons herself officiated. I challenge you to find a more memorable wedding than the one we had.” Klaire laughed. “Not to mention actual gods sent us wedding presents. Can I be honest?”

“Of course, what?”

“I’m kind of excited. I can’t wait to see Faylorna, to see how she reacts when I tell her the news. I can’t wait to come back and properly start our life and adventures. I can’t wait to really be a wife, help you build this settlement, help you when we build others. I’m even looking forward to facing him, getting even for scaring us so badly.”

“I can’t say I agree with that last bit… Honestly, I just don’t know how to feel, he wasn’t always bad and despite the fear, he saved our lives. Why did that skill even summon the end boss?”

“I don’t know, maybe it was a kindness in a way?”

“Kindness?”

“After seeing him in the past, hearing how hard he was trying to stop that slaughter, don’t you kind of feel like stopping him no matter what is the right thing to do? I do.”

Elsewhere, on a station separate from the SAT-Station, this one orbiting around a cold dwarf-planet at the edge of Earths solar system, the governance committee was holding a meeting.

“She has made her way to the station again.” A man said, dressed in a smart and formal suit that did not sacrifice practicality in pursuit of fashion, but rather blended them seamlessly together. The fabrics ripple as the one he addressed placed a hand on his shoulder and patted.

“Lillim? No matter, for now our plans are working despite her interference. Carl and that half-breed are no longer a couple… For now, that is as much as we can do without drawing too much attention.” The other gentleman responded, dressed in a similar suit but his advanced age gave him a more distinguished appearance.

“Actually, on that note we have bad news…” He took a slate out and showed an image taken on the park level of Carl and Klaire in an embrace. “It’s captioned “Power Couple Back Together?” I believe the incident during the exam likely made our little intervention seem comparatively minor in hindsight.” The evaluation was uncannily accurate and yet the lack of any doubt that it was a result of their own failure was a testament to the arrogance on display.

“Well, I guess that was just bad luck. I can’t say I even blame them after coming out the other side of an Omina-class threat.” He chuckled, though the twitch in his lip spoke of agitation. “We’ll simply have to break them up again.”

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