Gwendith stroked Yuriko’s hair as the pair lounged in bed. She preened under her lover’s fingers as they kneaded her scalp. Her long hair, which would have been unmanageable considering its length, flowed and reacted to her thoughts. She didn’t need to use kinesis to manage it, and barely needed to be cleaned. It was why she could soak in a bath for hours and get ready almost as soon as she got out of the water. Even so, nearly two paces of hair length put considerable strain on her scalp despite how strong her body was. It shouldn’t lead to anything chronic, but the head massage felt soothing and stimulating at the same time. 

“You’re too tense, my love. Relax, everything’s settled on the other side, isn’t it?” Gwendith murmured in her ear. 

“Yes, it’s done.”

Yuriko sighed. The past few hours had been stressful, especially since she had to juggle her enlightenment along with the need to save her friends. If need be, she would have abandoned the former, but thankfully, it had not been needed. She reaped valuable insights, though she feared that some had been lost in the process anyway. How could she know what was lost when she didn’t know what she knew? After all, the things that are hidden stayed that way because nobody knew to look for them.

Gwendith pressed up against Yuriko’s back and she felt the hardened peaks rub against her skin, bringing a flush of pleasure and arousal with it. Despite having just concluded a pleasant session, Yuriko’s appetites and lusts continued to grow. It seemed the stronger her Mien grew, so did her proclivities. 

The three of them already had a routine and schedule set, with Heron taking the 1st, 3rd, and 5th day of the week, while Gwendith took the other three. On the seventh day, Yuriko either abstained or took both of them at the same time, though admittedly, the latter was a rare occasion since neither of her lovers was comfortable being naked in the other’s presence. It had been quite awkward the first time Gwendith suggested it, but now that the act was on the table, her whims sometimes went in that direction. She didn’t press if they didn’t want to, however, though she sometimes wondered if they would even say no to her when it came to that. She could only carefully watch their expressions and emotions, then react appropriately. The only times it happened, both of them pushed past the awkwardness and made for quite a memorable evening. 

“Care to share the particulars?” Gwendith asked between nibbles on Yuriko’s ear. She shivered, half because she found it pleasant and half because she was quite ticklish. Unlike Heron, Gwendith knew all of her ticklish, sensitive spots and delighted in tormenting her. 

“I don’t mind,” Yuriko said as she closed her eyes. She shifted herself so that she was on her tummy and Gwendith adjusted so that she was astride her. The other girl’s thighs squeezed on her hips as she continued massaging Yuriko’s head.

“I rescued the others but we lost almost a dozen people. That was a mess.” Yuriko sighed in regret. She hadn’t been close to the club members and only paid attention to the captains. Thankfully, Walter and Kyra both survived, though mentally wounded. “They were forced to fight each other, not quite kill, but they weren’t allowed to hold back. The first duels, when they didn’t fight as fiercely as those rotters wanted, resulted in both fencers being tossed into the lab. They were among the dead. Every moment they spent in that labyrinth, every time they fought each other, they were mentally wounded. The Unfettered were doing it deliberately, and I’m not sure why.”

“You have guesses?” 

“Of course. Just a guess. They were attempting to control the kids Alteration to see if they would manifest useful powers. The interstitial space was filled with exotic energies, and I’m sure every last one of the club members are already Altered.” 

“Did they reveal it?” Gwendith asked, “Are you sure you can’t detect it?”

Yuriko gave her lover a side eye and Gwendith shrugged and giggled. “I can’t. You know that. You know it’s nearly impossible to detect Anima strength unless they flaunt it.” 

“Hmm, could you not develop a technique, a spell, or something to check?” 

“Maybe, but is it really necessary?” 

“My love, are you not building an empire of your own?” Gwendith whispered with a sultry voice, “You train people even though you don’t need to, and you seek to grant them greater strength. And do you not bind us with your Mien?”

“I…know.” Yuriko sighed. “But it’s too early to do that, right? We don’t have a territory of our own.” 

“But you’re well within your rights to build the core, aren’t you? What are we but your inner circle? My Yuriko will be a Queen, an Empress. I can see it.” Gwendith nibbled and kissed Yuriko’s jaw and neck. 

“And you wish to be my consort?” Yuriko asked wryly.

“Of course,” Yuriko could hear the grin in her lover’s voice. “But are you asking me? That’s the first time, huh?”

“I guess,” Yuriko chuckled sheepishly. Gwendith looked at her with some anticipation, but when Yuriko didn’t say anything else, she echoed the chuckle. 

“I understand, my love.” Gwendith pressed down on Yuriko’s back with her bosom. “But you know what this means, right?”

“Ehehehe…”

“Hmmm, please continue with your story.” 

“Alright,” Yuriko sighed. “Well, after I rescued everyone I could, I cut a path through the layers of reality and returned to the material plane. We found ourselves near where the buses had been ambushed and we made our way to the road. Not long after, we were found by one of the superheroes, Shielder, I think, followed by a bunch of ambulances and trucks. There were a few more heroes there, including two I knew before.” Yuriko paused, then said heavily, “Soundwave and Lightfoot, Jeremiah and Haven. Neither of them remembered me.” 

“You think something…no, it’s obvious that something happened, but do you think their memories of you were deliberately wiped or was it just a coincidence?”

“I don’t know. They recognised me, of course, and they had connecting threads. But theirs were lost in the hundreds of thousands that surround my dreamscape body,” Yuriko mumbled, trying hard to remain coherent. Gwendith’s foot had crept up her thighs and was slowly rubbing closer to her sensitive bits. 

“Uh-huh. Astoria seemed clear on the surface, but who knew that its currents ran deep.” Gwendith muttered, “How many threats have you faced? The daemon scourge, that strange connection with Karcellia on that bridge space, and now, murderous, insane criminals?”

“I’m not sure they’re just criminals, actually,” Yuriko said. “I’ve read in the Network, the Astorian version of REI-space, that the Unfettered has been running around for nearly a decade but nothing’s been done about them. Sure, they’re hard to kill, but they’re not that hard to beat up.” 

“Ah, my love, you conflate your power with theirs,” Gwendith giggled, “you might have had an easy time fighting, but do you think the same is possible for the Altered superheroes? Aside from that flying brick, Shielder, I think most of those heroes are unbelievably frail.”

“A hunch?”

“Mostly, yeah, and seen through your eyes, so probably not that accurate, but honestly, if I or Heron were there…”

“Hmmm, you both have awakened Anima, so it’s not a fair comparison.” 

“Altered powers are not holistic, I think. It strengthens one aspect of a person, but leaves the rest vulnerable.” Gwendith mused.

“Probably, although I suspect that like other Anima strengthening methods, it would eventually improve everything. There’s just no way to rise to the next level while leaving too many gaps.”

“No, I don’t think the Astorians know about that,” Gwendith mused, “From what you said, they currently suppress or discriminate against Altered. They may not be enough studies on it, and I think that the presence of Altered is relatively new.” 

“Hmm, a good point. I still don’t know what causes it to awaken.”

“What about that little strumpet you took in?” Gwendith giggled, “I’m sure after that kind of ordeal and exposure to exotic energies, that she Altered too?”

“Scarlett? I haven’t checked yet,” Yuriko muttered. 

“Oh, too busy snuggling up to her, huh?”

“What? Ah, no, no…” 

“My love, you don’t need to hide it.” 

“I, uh, we haven’t…hmmm.” 

“What?”

“Scarlett just snuck into my room in a nightie.” 

“Oh my.” Gwendith giggled even as her stroking grew more aggressive. 

“Yes…ah.” Yuriko gasped as she felt Gwendtih’s agile toes gently digging into her. “G-Gwen…” 

“You’d prefer something more…robust?”

“Whatever you want…” Yuriko gasped. Both of her bodies were in amorous situations and the dual feedback flooded her mind and slowed any other thought to a crawl. 

“I see.” Gwendith pulled her fingers off Yuriko’s scalp and trailed them down her back. “The thing with the Unfettered happened yesterday, right? What happened after that Shielder guy and the others arrived?”

“Uh…they…well, I didn’t…want them to…ahn… focus! On me, so I…ah…used the Mien…TOOOoo, Gwen!…ahn! Ah…”

“Keep going, my love.” 

“You meanie! Both of yoUU!”

“Ah, sounds like a woman after my own heart, hie hie!” 

Yuriko could barely speak and it was nearly an hour later before the conversation picked right back up. 

“So, continue?”

“Hmph!” Yuriko pouted. “Anyway, I used the Mien to divert attention from myself and Scarlett, then let the students give their own statements. I couldn’t avoid giving my own, but I just said that I wasn’t caught up in the initial attack.”

“Any reason you didn’t want to reveal yourself? This is unlike you…”

“I’ve told you before, Altered face discrimination.” 

“And you didn’t want it to hinder your goal of gathering admiration from the masses?”

“Yes. It only takes four days to gather a droplet of Ambrosia now.” 

“Oh, interesting,” Gwendith said as she idly rubbed her fingers on Yuriko’s hips. “Are you able to take in more Ambrosia now?”

“No, not for a while yet, but I can use it to turn Saki into a Squire, and Ryoko into a Handmaiden.”

“What’s the difference again? You never explained.”

“Handmaidens, or footmen in the case of males, I suppose, don’t need to increase their own power. They don’t need to learn or define Truths. They’ll be pulled up to a couple of levels below mine just from the connection alone.”

“Whereas we Squires still need to figure things out, got it? Hmm, we cannot match your level, right?”

“Oh, you can, but you won’t be Squires anymore, in that case.” 

“Ah. Well, don’t worry, we won’t ever leave you.”

“I never doubted.” 

Both of them sighed, and since snuggling felt nice, both of them fell asleep that way. Early the next morning found Yuriko already done with her ablutions. Gwendith was still in the bathroom, mumbling about how early mornings should be banned. Yuriko chuckled as she quickly packed all of their belongings into the spatially expanded luggage. After she was done with Gwendith’s room, she hopped over to check Heron’s room and found him already with his luggage all set. 

“Good morning,” he said brightly as he gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek. Yuriko hummed and returned the greeting. “I think we’re all tired of this place, huh?” 

“Hmm, it was peaceful,” Yuriko commented, “but ultimately, nothing too exciting happened. Other than the invasion, and how likely is that to happen again?”

“A non-zero chance, I presume, but not anytime soon,” Heron agreed. 

The two of them checked in with the other members of the group and found all were ready. Gwendith emerged out of her room soon after, and all of them, Ilvara Erdmann included, left their residential building and headed to the docks. 

The Rascal, having been in drydock for the better part of the Season, looked shiny and bright. The captain and crew were busy doing last-minute checks, but they sped up once the companions arrived. Yuriko did her own checks, though other than material fatigue and damage, she couldn’t really contribute much to the checks. Even so, in less than an hour, the Rascal lifted off from the dock, and soon enough, they were crossing the Void Ocean.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep