"Everyone okay?" Blanc asked, screaming so all could hear him.
None of them were harmed. Indeed, a victory on multiple fronts.
"How are you feeling, my love?" Blanc asked, turning towards Miyanna as she tried to free her sword from the gorilla's body.
"I'm… fine… but this sword, fuck," she sighed, giving up trying to pull it out, "I can't get it out, can you help me?"
Blanc was surprised that the only issue Miyanna had was the stuck sword. He thought that maybe she would be shaken to a certain degree, but it seems that her previous kills, whether she was trying to survive or as an Iron Line soldier, hardened her soul enough.
Still, with a smile, he replied, "But of course."
He moved to her side, grabbed the sword, and, with a strained groan, pulled it free.
Though drenched in blood, the blade held firm. No chips, no cracks, even after carving through bone. Yet another moment where Blanc found himself proud of the gift he'd bought her.
"Here you go," he said, handing the sword over to her, but not before continuing, "You did well, I'm proud of you."
Miyanna's adrenaline rushed out of her body as if it wasn't there to begin with, at Blanc's words.
"Th-thanks," she stuttered, grabbing her sword.
With a warm smile, he then turned towards the others. Each of the adults managed to kill one of the gorillas, leaving Kael and Lune with no harvest.
"Kael, Lune," Blanc called out to them.
And they approached running.
"What is it, brother?" Lune asked, smiling.
"If we find more gorillas next, we'll have you kill them for their harvests, okay?" he asked.
And the twins nodded sharply, not minding losing out this time.
"Good, go rest, and protect us while I show Miyanna how to harvest. Could you do that?" Blanc grinned, winking at them.
"Yes," Kael replied, striking himself with a small fist on his chest, "Do what you have to do, for we are here."
"My," giggled Celine as she approached them, cleaning the blood from her sword, "Such bravery."
"Indeed," Blanc laughed as he patted his younger siblings, roughing up their hair, "Then get to it."
With the twins giving a mocking salute, they went off to grab their bags and the water inside them.
"Do you hear anything else nearby?" Celine asked once the two had put enough distance between them. "They made quite a bit of noise, after all."
Blanc focused on her request, focusing all the Marks he had on his listening. But nothing felt out of the ordinary, though neither had it the first time they found the water. The waterfall above them roared too loudly for him to catch anything beyond it.
"Nothing," Blanc said with a shake of his head.
"I'll keep watch with Kael and Lune until you two are done. Then I'll harvest mine, alright?" Celine asked.
"All right, however, it would be best if someone were to explain to Miyanna what was happening while I do it; otherwise, it might be too much for her first time," Blanc said.
"Ah, I think you are right," Celine grinned, "I remember how much it was for her the first time for other things too."
"You know I can fucking hear you, right?" Miyanna sighed, clearly embarrassed as she approached the two.
"Was I wrong, sister? You covered your face with the pillow for half the night," Celine asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"Be-because you two were watching me and making fun of me," Miyanna stuttered.
"We were not making fun of you, my love," said Blanc, "It only looked cute how different you were in bed."
"I'll show you cuteness, just you wait," Miyanna threatened.
A usual sign of aggression that she showed when the embarrassment reached a certain level.
"Still," Blanc continued casually, turning to Celine, "Can I ask you to explain things to her?"
"Of course," Celine replied, nodding gracefully.
With confirmation, Blanc moved towards the pool that stood below the waterfall, where the gorilla he had killed painted the pool crimson.
He grabbed one of its large hands and, with a groan, began pulling it out of the water, hoping the constant waterfall would clean the pool soon enough. However, he made sure to rejoice in the coldness the water brought to him as he pulled the gorilla.
The others will surely be happy to take a bath in it, Blanc thought to himself.
Once out of the pool, Blanc removed the arrow from the gorilla's forehead and kneeled in the mud beside it.
Before he began, he looked at Celine and Miyanna one more time as they watched from the other side of the pool.
With a nod from Celine, who had already begun explaining things to Miyanna, Blanc removed his cape and long-sleeved tunic. With his upper body now bare for his wives to see, he placed his hand upon the gorilla's chest.
Once again, his mind sank beneath the surface of the world as the harvest for Raw Vita began.
The world fell silent, the waterfall behind him, not even a whisper in his ears.
His body stiffened as usual, his mind calm as if under the water of the pool next to him.
It was not long until the wisps, serpents of crimson and amber, started slowly doing their dance out of the gorilla's chest and towards his own.
Once the serpents touched his chest, they began pulsing slightly, taking after his heartbeat as they entered deeper and deeper into him until they found his heart and the placement for Blanc's new Marks.
The Raw Vita of the gorilla had been harvested.
And a new Mark appeared, on his right pectoral muscle, mirroring the one on his left, the Mark he had received from the old woman he had killed. A handprint, the White Mark of the Gorilla, now stood proudly on his chest.
But there was another, hidden from view on his upper body: on the sole of his left foot, the outline of a gorilla's footprint appeared. Though smaller than the actual foot of the beast, its meaning was no less the same thing.
With that, the ritual was soon to be over, but right before his mind returned to the surface, for a moment, he felt as if he were the gorilla itself.
He felt relaxed and happy as he felt his body cool down in the water of the pool in which he and his brothers stood. It was a good day.
But then something happened. His brothers were being attacked. By what? He felt rage surging inside him.
He began pounding on his chest, but then…
Darkness.
Blanc's eyes opened as his conscience returned to him, a sad feeling deep in his chest as he looked at the gorilla who lay dead before him.
"I'm sorry," Blanc whispered, placing his hand slowly on the gorilla's shoulder, "And thank you. You and your brothers will be with us from now on."
"Blanc seems to have returned," Celine realized. "Did you understand my explanation, Miyanna, dear?"
"I-I think so?" she muttered, slowly getting nervous as she stared at the new Mark on Blanc's chest.
"Remember, you will feel as if you are drifting away. You can open your eyes, but never, and I mean never, take your hand off the beast's chest once you begin," Celine instructed.
"Okay," Miyanna nodded, taking mental notes.
"Are you ready, Miyanna?" Blanc asked as he approached them, leaving the gorilla he had just harvested behind.
"Is more explaining able to calm me down?" she asked.
Celine smiled warmly at her words while placing her hand on Miyanna's shoulder, "I fear not. Only experiencing it will calm you down."
"Then there's your answer," Miyanna sighed as she replied to Blanc's question.
"No point wasting time then," Blanc said, grabbing her hand. "Good luck, my love. If you panic, just open your eyes, and you'll see us here, watching over you."
"O-okay… I'll be going then," she stuttered, taking a step towards the gorilla, but not before changing her mind and kissing both Blanc and Celine, a thing they only did at night.
"I'm off," Miyanna said, now really heading towards the gorilla.
"She's more scared of the harvest than the killing," Celine giggled in a whisper.
"I call that cute," Blanc replied as they watched her kneel down and, with a sharp exhale and ever sharper nod, pressed her hand over the gorilla's chest.
And as they guessed, Miyanna's eyes opened the next moment once she began the ritual, looking for them. When they offered her a smile or a nod as support, she closed them back, focusing.
In a minute, the wisps found her chest too, and placed their Mark on her skin, though it was not visible to them, with Miyanna having clothes on.
They were curious, but they knew they would be able to see it properly at night, so they let go of that thought just as Miyanna opened her eyes, her mind returning to her as her body relaxed.
"Miyanna?" Blanc asked, seeing her somewhat confused.
"You were right," she muttered, as she began opening and closing her fist, "It really is different."
"Now, dear sister, you are in name, marriage, body, and soul a true Noble Blood," Celine laughed quietly, but soon turned on her heels, "I guess it's my turn now."
"Want to go and watch Celine too?" Blanc asked Miyanna.
Her bronze eyes turned to watch his own with great warmth flowing inside them, "I like the sound of that."
"Let's go then," Blanc replied, offering his hand to her.
A hand which she accepted gratefully, getting on her feet and walking towards Celine just as she was about to begin her own harvest.