1st Pov Naruhime:
Fierce determination burned within my chest as my body became a bolt of lightning streaking across the endless skies of Mato.
Yellow arcs crackled around me, illuminating the dark clouds I tore through. The landscape was a blur of colours and shapes because I was going so fast that nothing could be clear, but I slowed down to get a better look at my home dimension.
Mountain ranges stretched endlessly across the horizon, their jagged peaks piercing the clouds like the fangs of colossal beasts. Deep valleys split the earth beneath them.
Forests of leafless trees covered small portions of Mato; below them were Shuuku lying in wait for any unsuspecting person to wander over.
Yet it didn't last long as I increased my speed, turning everything into a blur, and the yellow electricity crackled intensely for a brief moment.
The faster I flew, the wider my smile grew, a sweet smile that should not belong to someone like me, who craves battle and is so loud that my siblings would find it hard to communicate with me.
But the more time I spent with my consort, the quieter and more reserved I became around others. A soft laugh escaped my lips, who knew that someone other than my siblings had done such a change to me.
It had been far too long since I had seen my consort. I wonder what he's doing?
Training?
Fighting?
Researching some strange new ability, he somehow keeps acquiring?
Sleeping?
Pampering Shikoku?
The moment that thought surfaced, lightning exploded around my body as the surrounding clouds evaporated instantly.
"...No, calm down", I muttered to myself.
I quickly regained control of my emotions before I accidentally flatten a mountain or bring the Demon Defence Force over to me, which would be annoying.
But I did kill some Shuuki down below, thousands of corpses lay burnt and motionless.
Whoops.
Did Shikoku or Jaku'un need them?
Probably not, but I'd better get out of here before I'm discovered.
Still... The image of Shikoku shamelessly draping herself over him refused to leave my mind. That woman had no concept of restraint when it came to him.
If she wanted something, she would have it. After all, she is a greedy being, and that goes the same with me and the others.
If we want something, we will go great lengths to achieve it, and I want my consort to claim me and have a moment where it's just us.
My mind surfaced scenes of shameless positions that my consort would do to me, as my face heated up, and my body tingled in response.
A dangerous crackle escaped my horns as a soft laugh escaped my lips. No matter where Xixor went, trouble would inevitably follow behind him like a loyal pet.
The wind roared past my ears as I increased
My speed once more. The pressure wave alone sent clouds scattering apart.
Far below, I sensed that countless Shuuki immediately fled whenever they sensed my presence. My attention to the ground was shifted upwards, far above the clouds floated several enormous winged silhouettes.
A faint smile crossed my lips. This was Jaku'un's work, her secret flock of mutated birds.
The creatures resembled enormous feathered Shuuki, though calling birds or Shuukis felt a little inaccurate, as they looked entirely new.
These creatures were created through the fusion of Xicor's crows and Shuuki biology. Their bodies were covered in black feathers, harder than steel.
Their wingspan rivalled those of the flying machines, Xicor told us about.
What was it called again? A jet? Yeah, a jet.
The most unsettling thing about them was their faces, or rather, the lack of a face. Where their eyes should have been was a smooth, helmet-like shell of dark bones.
But even without eyes, they navigate the skies flawlessly.
Their talons could shred ordinary Shuuki apart with ease, while their cries echoed across the entire mountain range.
Jaku'un has ordered them to remain hidden from the Demon Defence Force, as she wants to keep them a secret for as long as possible.
A sensible decision, I would say, as she has only a few. Once she has made more than enough, they'll be ready to be sent into the Mato and, very possibly, the human world.
My gaze followed one of the larger specimens soaring higher in the sky. Its body was easily twice the size of the others.
Must be a Unique Shuuki, one of her more successful creations, and a rare one at that.
The creature tilted its head towards me. Despite it lacking any eyes, I knew it was watching me.
It gazed at me for a few seconds before flying away with the smaller ones following suit. I couldn't help but feel a bit amused by how much higher the intelligence of these newborns is compared to the newborn Shuuki I am used to.
The landscape below me was familiar to me. I was nearing my destination, and the rocky formations were the same, though only a few were different due to Shuuki battling each other over territory.
Soon, I found the entrance, which was an ordinary cliffside, but I could easily sense the illusion concealing everything beyond it.
As I landed before the entrance, the distortion from the illusion placed over the entrance washed over me before the real path inside was revealed to me, and a small smile crept up my lips; it must be Shikoku's work or Fukuma's.
Either way, I remained impassive and headed deeper inside. The corridor before me was lit up by blue flickering flames within countless wall-mounted torches.
Their ghostly light painted the passage in shades of sapphire and silver. The deeper I walked, the stronger his presence became as my pulse quickened and my feet moved faster.
Before long, I realised my body was moving on its own, being drawn to my consort.
"Naruhime?" A familiar voice called from behind.
Glancing over my shoulder, Rairen stood further down the corridor with a face full of confusion, "What are you doing here?"
The answer was obvious. "Seeing my consort"
Rairen immediately sighed before crossing his arms, "...Of course"
I ignored him and continued forward as his muttering faded behind me.
The closer I drew to the training chambers, the stronger Xicor's presence became, but it was off as there were multiple instances of Xicor's presence, and weaker as well as Kuusetsu's presence inside.
Strange.
Hopefully, it's just training and nothing serious.
Warmth spread across my chest. Whatever he was doing, I'll be there soon, and hopefully have some alone time with him before Shikoku appears.
The heavy doors stood partially open as a wave of heat rolled out from the inside. The wave of heat blew my hair and jacket back, and a wide grin grew on my lips as excitement grew within me.
I stepped through, and the sight before me immediately drew my attention.
Multiple Xicors gang up on, surprisingly, Kuusetsu. The floor was cracked with craters littering the field, and several stone pillars had either collapsed to the ground or been sliced.
They blurred around the training room, shockwaves resounded in the chamber, and various elemental attacks were thrown around.
These other Xicors were probably clones, and it was easy to tell which was the real one, as their energy levels are vastly different from the one that stood far back, watching them fight.
I wanted to go over there and embrace him, even though my own body tried to move on its own, but I forced it to stop as I knew a training session was when I saw one.
For now, I remained behind as I crossed my arms under my chest. My eyes weren't on Kuusetsu or the clones, but on Xicor, the real one.
The more I stared, the more the warmth in my chest spread around my body.
"Something caught your eye, Narubime?~" A familiar voice reached my ears, making me jolt from its unexpected timing.
"Big Sis Shikoku!" The very woman I was hoping would not be here was relaxing on a lawn chair with a glass of orange juice beside her and a white wolf sleeping beside her as its ears twitched slightly.
Her kimono was gone, and in its place was a purple bikini and sunglasses. Her mouth had a feline smile directed at me as she stared at me with her sunglasses lifted slightly.
"Hi Naruhime~ nice of you to arrive", she waved lightly before taking a light sip of her drink.
"What are you doing here!?" I yelled out impulsively.
"Me~?" She dramatically placed a hand on her chest, "Why, I am merely enjoying the heat against my body while enjoying the view in front of me~" she gestured toward the battle, but I knew very well it was at Xicor.
I grumbled under my breath at how shameless she has become when Xicor is around.
"He's mine for today, got that!" I growled out as yellow electricity crackled around me in response to my emotions.
Shikoku raised both hands in mock surrender, "Fine, fine, you have your turn with him since I have been pampered by him for a while", she said before a sly smile crept onto her lips.
"Though you are a bit late, as I've been 'enjoying' him far too much and vice versa"
I already knew the implications, and going by how Shikoku licked her lips, they've done it multiple times.
Who knew I was this far behind!!
I switched my gaze back to the fight, ignoring Shikoku's quiet laughter behind me.
A clone skidded across the floor before thrusting his clapped hands forward. A compressed beam of water erupted from his connected hands and shot towards Kuusetsu.
Kuusetsu sensed the attack and leapt aside. Before she could counterattack, another clone snapped his fingers as steel-tipped spears appeared in thin air around the clone. The weapons were coated in a thin layer of cursed energy.
Kuusetsu shattered the spears with a strong sweep of her robe, only for another clone to appear overhead with his hands aimed at Kuusetsu.
Flames exploded downward like a meteor shower as heat flooded the chamber. Kuusetsu quickly erected a thick wall of water above her as her mind raced with different strategies.
She gritted her teeth as she struggled to keep water up. Soon, the flames destroyed the barrier and completely consumed Kuusetsu's form.
My eyes widen as I fail to sense Kuusestu's presence. Did the clone kill my sister?
Lightning was expelled from me in a violent storm. Before I could charge and kill the clone, Shikoku's voice stopped me.
"Calm down, she's alive"
I blinked several times as the lightning around me dimmed slightly. "What do you mean?" I demanded as I sharply turned to her.
Her smile only grew more amused, "Keep watching, and you'll find out"
The disaster flames clones searched through the chaos as the smoke finally disappeared before he landed.
He was about to call out to the others, but a clawed hand pierced through his chest as blood spat out from his mouth.
Before he could react, a feather blade shot through his face as his body went still. Kuusetsu pulled the feather and her arm out as the body dropped to the floor before melting like clay.
I raised a brow. She fazed through the ground to escape the attack and use it as a surprise attack.
What kind of ability does she have?
"Judging by your confused expression, you don't fully understand what happened?~"
"A little", I nodded.
"Kuusetsu absorbed several humanoid Shuuki and Humans, gaining not only their beauty, but also their abilities", She explained.
"How many abilities does she have currently?" I asked curiously.
Shikoku pondered for several seconds, "I'd say five, Shockwave, water manipulation, although it was limited, as it was in the hands of a human, but in the hands of a deity like Kuusetsu, such limitations have been exceeded"
"You're saying she improved the ability further than the previous owner?" I guessed.
"Correct", she nodded before raking her nails through the fur of the white wolf as it leaned into her touch slightly, "Xicor has been giving her ideas on how to each of the abilities output and input"
"Like I was saying, she has an ability that allows her to faze through anything. She can excrete a slimy substance that can heal her wounds or have physical attacks bounce off her, and can stop or reverse time", She continued.
I process the information given to me before focusing back on the training.
Kuusetsu stood still, staring deeply at her blood-stained weapon and arm, "You may have his face, but you are not him", she said to the three remaining clones.
A clone blurred behind her before striking her in the back with Raito. Her body was blasted forward into a rock wall as dust and debris exploded outward.
The disaster tide clone landed next to the Ratio clone as he created multiple large, compressed balls of water before shooting his hand forward as they blasted towards Kuusetsu.
Out of the dust came two pure white feathers that slashed through the balls of water before Kuusetsu flashed through the air and smashed her fist into the Raito clone's stomach as a shockwave rang out in his body before he blasted away through several pillars.
The disaster tides clone reacted immediately as he used the water to create a hammerhead shark to charge into the goddess, forcing her back as she skidded across the rocky floor.
Kuusetsu pushed her arms up as the shark was thrown off target before she slashed the shark in half with her clawed hand.
Kuusetsu was about to charge at the Distaer tide clone, but chains wrapped around her, restricting her movement.
Before she could attempt to escape, she was swung around and around before the chains disappeared in red particles as her body skidded heavily through the ground.
Kuusetsu staggered up as she wiped blood from her mouth.
"Remember, every ten minutes, I'll bring the clone back with a different ability if you don't take them out fast enough!" I heard Xicor call.
Just hearing his voice sends butterflies through my stomach. I shouldn't disturb a training session with my consort guiding my sibling.
For now, I'll wait for this training session to end, and then I'll have him to myself.