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Overheat
Execute: 11001000
Inject: Trojan
The late afternoon. After receiving a highly encrypted message from Leanbox and an operative had dropped off the necessary decryption key in person, Blanc finally had proof that her sisters were alive. And well. It was a recording, but the latest Leanbox newspaper was shown to prove it was from the same day.
The twins, both still in their goddess forms, were waving at Blanc and telling her how comfy their room was but also how much they missed their sister. The recording of them lasted for five minutes before the image changed, showing Vert inside the sharicite chamber.
"Blanc. I rescued Ram and Rom from Planeptune where they were subject to torture. I will return Rom to you under two conditions. First, Lowee is not to attack anyone with its army. If others initiate an attack, you can respond with as much deadly force as you want but do not leave your territory. Secondly, you will announce an official, temporary ceasefire with Planeptune and Leanbox, stating that Lowee is focusing on rebuilding before it continues its efforts in the war." Making a brief pause, Vert's expression softened a little. "Whether you accept these terms or not will not influence the way Ram and Rom are treated. They are precious guests of mine and will remain that way if you should decline. If you need a reason for why I am doing this, consider this. The last few days have been extremely stressful not only on us goddesses but even more so on the people. They require a moment of peace, even if superficial and forced."
The video ended there. Blanc sighed deeply, both relieved that Ram and Rom were safe and horribly confused what the heck was going on with the fake Vert. "How is she able to rule Leanbox? Isn't she a fake?" Blanc turned to Mina, who was looking very much like there was something she wanted to say. "Mina!" Raising her voice just a little bit, Blanc startled her oracle. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Its just that..." Having lived for over a thousand years, Mina had forgotten a myriad of things over the past centuries. But after seeing her in person and then on video, she had a bad hunch. "This could be Green Heart, but not the one we all know. Leanbox was formed 1100 years ago and back then was ruled by a goddess of the same name as the current one. Vert, Green Heart. I... I don't know how this would happen or if it is even possible, but... if we assume it is possible to revive a dead goddess, this would be the original Vert, the one that was replaced 700 years ago."
Normally, the thought would have seemed ridiculous to Blanc. But after facing Purple Heart in battle twice after she transformed again, it wasn't so farfetched anymore. But why would anyone want to bring the original Vert back? Was it because her Vert had died?
Starting to feel depressed again, Blanc walked away, trying to pick up a cup of tea, only to fly into a fit of rage seconds later, remembering that moment when Vert had called her cute, smashing the cup into the ground, hiding her eyes behind her hands. She had enough already of feeling horrible over what had happened! Even in death, Vert was still toying with her heart.
"Lady Blanc..." Mina was worried about her goddess. She had to go through so much lately, it was hard to even try and cheer her up.
"Did Vert set a deadline?" The voice of the white goddess was a bit murky and shaky. Blanc was trying hard to hold back her tears.
"It doesn't appear so. But we should make a decision soon." Mina saw no hope of breaking into Leanbox capital city and rescuing the twins. Leanbox had always been a rough place and even though it became calmer in the recent decades, their soldiers wouldn't stop to ask who's there if they spotted an intruder.
"I want Rom back as much as you do, but calling a ceasefire... I don't know what Vert is planning but it can't be good." Blanc walked to a window. The sun was going to set within the next two hours. If she was going to announce the ceasefire today, she would need to make a decision quickly.
"For all that its worth, Leanbox has not been involved in any major military struggles as of late. If they are trying to create a ceasefire between nations, they must have good reason after all that time to recover they had. It is possible that they're laying a trap and plan to launch a surprise attack but our non-aggression pact with Lastation should prevent that from happening. They would immediately become the target of every other nation on the planet." Mina was not only serving as oracle or governmental aide to Blanc. She was also helping her as an adviser in military matters. She had lived through several wars, although none were as bad as the current one, giving her plenty of experience.
"I'll think about it." Blanc couldn't decide if it was worth letting Planeptune live a little longer to get Rom back. If she just destroyed that eyesore of a nation, Leanbox would find itself outnumbered very quickly. On the other hand, threatening Leanbox could result in Vert seeing herself forced to make more use of her sisters. "Mina, how are the shares?"
"They're zero point seven percent down since the attack but also one point one percent up since we formed a non-aggression pact with Lastation. We're ranking second with twenty-seven point two percent." She didn't need to look these things up. Checking on the shares was her job, first and foremost.
"Call Lastation and ask them what Planeptune and Leanbox are doing. If possible, I want to talk to Uni face to face, with you at my side. We allied to take care of Planeptune and now Vert is trying to force me into a ceasefire. There is something else to this."
"Isn't it too dangerous for both of us to leave? There will be no one to defend Lowee in the case of an attack." Mina couldn't leave the capital to fight anyway. Her powers diminished greatly the further she got from the sharicite.
"That's why I need Lastation to look into Planeptune and Leanbox activities." Blanc wouldn't leave for an extended period of time unless she could be almost sure that there was no risk of an attack.
"I will contact Kei then." Mina bowed slightly before walking away.
"You and Lastation's oracle, how long have you known each other?" Blanc held her back by asking a question.
"Can we talk about this another time?" Mina couldn't answer that question even if she had wanted to. It had been centuries and memories from that long ago were long gone. She kept an extensive number of virtual diaries reaching all the way back to five centuries ago, when she first realized how many things she was just forgetting. At best, she could search for an answer in there.
Not saying anything in return and letting Mina leave, Blanc sat down at the table, resting her head on the surface. Why did Vert have to die before she could rectify things? It would haunt her for decades, maybe even centuries, at this rate. But she really couldn't think of anything that would stop her from thinking about it. Vert could be condescending, self-centered, arrogant and often had her priorities backwards, but in the short time she had been her company, she had also learned that she had some good qualities, too.
Beating herself up over it again and again wouldn't change anything, Blanc knew that. Right now, she should be focused on Ram and Rom and getting them back from Vert. Knowing her little sisters, Blanc thought that separating them could in the end cause more harm than it did good. They were so close, being hundreds of kilometers apart wasn't exactly the best state of being for them.
It was a moral dilemma. Leaving them with Vert, if she kept treating them well, would keep them together and probably safe. Having only Rom returned to her would separate them and even though she would be reunited with her little sister, she generally left their education and supervision to Mina. It was depressing that not taking one of them back was the better choice for them.
Mina had gone to the sharicite room first, checking on Ram and Rom's connection to the crystal. Root access granted. "Run diagnosis H on current candidates." As Lowee's oracle, Mina knew a lot about the sharicite system, believing herself to be on par with Kei's knowledge of it or even superior. Of course, she didn't compare to Histoire, who created the entire system to begin with.
Diagnosis complete. Divinity levels normal, physical condition normal, mental condition minor deviations. Elevated sexual drive and unnaturally high levels of endorphins. Divinity energy connection normal, share energy connection abnormal. Critical error in distribution. Share energy is being rejected by candidates. Mina wondered what exactly could have caused that. And she was feeling very uncomfortable about their mental state. Opening a video screen in mid-air, she played the video of the twins again. There was no sign of them being abused in anyway. She did however notice that they were playing with each others fingers. Not thinking anything of it when she first saw it, knowing that their mental state was slightly off, she did realize that they were awfully close. Towards the end of the video, Ram kissed her sister on the cheek, causing the short haired girl to blush intensely.
Mina had tried so hard for centuries to keep those two from learning about those things. One day out, and all her effort went to hell. Sighing heavily, she was happy that at least it didn't seem like anyone else was doing erotic things to them.
Leaving the room and heading to her private quarters, Mina's room was very modern. She repeatedly changed it over the years. The one thing that never changed, however, were her bookshelves. Blanc's desire for reading had come from an influence she had on the goddess in her early days. Roughly 20% of the castle library were pretty much books she was storing there, due to lack of room in her own chambers.
A high class bed with curtains at each side, a large desk with an even bigger mirror, three closets, carpets on the floor and her own private bathroom, which was almost as big as Blanc's and the remaining space was filled up by eight book shelves, filled to the brim. A few framed images were standing on the desk. One of her and Kei from 200 years ago, another one from her and Chika, 80 years ago. They were taken in times of peace, when corporate fighting was the only kind of fighting going on.
Taking out the uppermost drawer from her desk, Mina emptied it carefully, took a ball pan, removed the lead and stuck it through a tiny hole in the bottom of the drawer, raising a fake bottom. Beneath that was a small crystal of bright azure blue. It was her crystal. Putting the drawer back together, Mina returned to the sharicite room, the azure crystal, that was barely bigger than the tip of her pinky, in her hand.
Putting the crystal on top of the sharicite, Mina left and locked the door, so only Blanc could open it. That crystal was her insurance when leaving the capital. Every oracle was given one like that by Histoire upon taking on the job. It allowed them to store share energy and take it with them. For a short time, they could fight as if they had the sharicite directly with them.
Heading towards the COC, Mina hoped that with the coming ceasefire, people would be able to rest for a while. The war had taken its toll on everyone. There were so many bodies still to retrieve and even more to bury. It would cost a fortune to rebuild the capital city and there was also the matter of resources being a problem if the devastation of the lands kept going on.
Sending everyone else out, Mina wanted to talk to Kei by herself. She had a high opinion of the girl with the tomboy look. And maybe even a little bit of affection. She was cute and a hard worker but much too stiff. If she could get her to loosen up a little, she would make for a great date.
Thinking about that, Mina sighed. It was one of the drawbacks of living for centuries. Humans were born, lived their 70 to 100 years and then died. There were many exceptions in both directions but one thing generally always held true. An oracle lived for hundreds of years, maybe even thousands. To fall in love with a human was a sentence to despair when they grew old and eventually died. That only left the goddesses, their candidates, other oracles and non-humans as love interest. Chika was heels over head in love with Vert, so one of Mina's primary options was Kei.
Thinking about Vert and Chika, Mina wondered how exactly the Leanbox oracle had reacted to the other Vert showing up. But right now, there was no time for that. Opening a secure line to Lastation, a special line that had been established after the non-aggression pact, Mina first reached an officer, who had to call Kei.
Waiting, Mina wished she had a cup of tea. When Kei finally arrived, she showed up with horrible bed hair, her head looking like an exploded mop. Mina had to try very hard not to laugh. "Kei, this is highly classified. We need to talk alone."
"Get outta here..." Waving her hand, Kei's behavior left both the soldiers and Mina in awe and shock. That was so very much unlike what she was normally like. "Mina...? Is this so urgent? I only slept for one hour after fifty hours of working straight."
She preferred this Kei over the regular one. "Yesterday, Green Heart was delivered to us. But it looks like she is not the real one." Mina omitted her theory of it being the first goddess of Leanbox."She escaped and made it all the way to Leanbox. We don't know how but Planeptune handed Lady Ram and Lady Rom over to them. They're now guests of Leanbox. They're asking us to call a cease fire with Leanbox and Planeptune."
"Why are you calling me about that? It's your decision whether Lowee calls a ceasefire with them or not... well, I suppose Blanc's decision, not yours." Yawning, Kei's eyes were half closed and she was seemingly in danger of falling over. Drooling a little, she was the polar opposite of what she usually was like. Her clothes were in a state of catastrophe as well. They must have dragged her out of bed.
"Lady Blanc won't make the decision without knowing what is going on in Planeptune. She wants to talk to Lady Uni face to face about the state of things." Pausing and hesitating just a little, Mina figured this was as good a chance as any. "I'll buy you dinner in exchange."
"Fine, fine... I'll talk to Lady Uni. Just... lemme get some sleep first, okay? I'm a bit beside myself when I don't get any sleep." Yawning loudly, Kei didn't even bother to cover her mouth. Mina was liking this Kei more and more. So the secret to make Kei loosen up was to fully exhaust her. That wasn't very useful. "I'll get back to you in the morning."
"Thank you. You look kinda cute with your hair all messed up by the way." Smiling, Mina couldn't stop herself from commenting on it.
Tugging on her own hair, Kei made a slightly annoyed face. "Wanna see you show up for a video call with bed hair..." Yawning again, she was ready to fall asleep. "Anythin' else?"
"Get some rest." Mina chuckled and ended the call. In a way, it was to their advantage that Lastation had inaugurated a new goddess. Black Heart likely wouldn't have agreed to a non-aggression pact or the face to face talks in the first place.
Thinking about Ram and Rom and what they were doing, Mina headed towards Blanc's quarters, personally delivering the message.
=== OVERHEAT ===
Acting like nothing had happened wasn't too difficult for her. Uni had always been good at hiding her feelings. Not as extreme and often unintentional as her sister, but she could give the pretense of not being bothered at all that Nepgear had escaped. Spending the last day ignoring the elephant in the room with all her might, Uni was finally forced to confront the fact that Nepgear had escaped the moment a chance presented itself.
Eating dinner by herself, before the war it had sometimes been the only time of the day she managed to get her sister away from work, Uni still fought back her tears. It wasn't that she was sad because Nepgear had escaped but because she could have prevented it if only she had let her go. Nepgear would still be gone but at least the circumstances would've been different.
And she wasn't in the position to make any more dangerous deals. Randomly poking in her salad with a fork, Uni had no appetite. She wondered when and how she would see Nepgear again. Hopefully it wasn't on the battlefield or her execution. Bored with herself, Uni got up and called for 5pb to be brought to her. Kei's subordinates had already reported that the oracle was down for the count after talking to Lowee's oracle so she wouldn't be making an appearance, no matter what. When Kei slept, she really slept.
Ten minutes later, Lyrica made her entrance, wearing a beautiful blue dress that reached to her ankles. "You wanted to see me?" She had been anxiously waiting for Mages to make contact. Having a day to think things over, Lyrica thought about her sister, Lyeka, and about how the hymmnos were passed on to her.
"Eat with me." Uni wondered what the girl had been up to. Thanks to her unique ability of being able to inaugurate a candidate, Uni wasn't willing to let her roam free and possibly get captured by Planeptune or Lowee. The last thing she needed were even more goddess among the enemy states.
Sharing her dinner, Uni wondered if there were other things the girl could do. "Can you use a hymn to track down a candidate? It's not that I'm in a hurry to find someone, I was just wondering." She never truly got over the habit of behaving like her sister when she was bothered.
"It might be possible for someone more skilled than me. But I can't do that." Mages had not said anything about keeping her gifts a secret but Lyrica was cautious. Who knew how much longer she would end up being a prisoner if she revealed that she was learning other hymns?
"That's too bad." Uni was disappointed and cut her schnitzel, eating a piece of it. Talking about the state of the war, Lyrica's imprisonment and how she was doing, Uni was still depressed by Nepgear being gone. With dinner finished, the newly inaugurated goddess walked out on the balcony. She didn't like alcohol much but sometimes it helped forget certain things. Her sister wasn't pleased when she consumed some, always telling her she was too young.
Standing outside, Lyrica excused herself eventually, leaving Uni to herself. The black haired goddess was leaned on the guard rail, staring west into the evening red. Where was Noire when she really needed her? If only she could have gone with Nepgear. She would have left without a second thought.
Sighing heavily, Uni wondered what she should do now. Not about governing her nation or the war but about Nepgear. She wasn't going to give up on her, she would never do that, but she lacked any kind of coherent plan to get her back.
Feeling the wine get to her a little, Uni went inside to refill her glass. She had seen Noire get drunk a few times in the last century, all of them occasions when Neptune had done something incredibly stupid and for some reason or another, things were left to Noire to fix them.
Thinking about it, Neptune had always been a bit clingy with her sister. Only in her human form though. As Purple Heart, she was all business and hard decisions. Drinking another glass, Uni felt a bit woozy. "I finally got to be a goddess and she still doesn't fall for me..." Sighing yet another time, Uni grabbed the whole bottle and returned to the balcony. The war and everything was getting to her. Putting the bottle on the ground next to her, she rested her head against the cold stone of the guard rail.
"Maybe I didn't let her go, so what... it's not like she'll be able to take over Planeptune anyway..." Feeling more and more depressed, Uni took a step back, putting the glass on the guard rail and transformed. Lifting up her breasts with her hands, Uni started to pout. "I even get taller and bustier now when I transform! No more shrinking! But it's still not good enough?"
Sitting down, next to the half empty bottle, Uni yawned loudly. She was drunk and she didn't care. At least she was able to say exactly what she was thinking this way. Not like there was anything to listen to, though, since Nepgear had to run away!
Fishing for the glass above her head, Uni refilled it again. "Stupid war... ruining everything..." If not for the damn situation everyone was in, she could have spend a quality evening with Nepgear instead of drinking away her anger.
In a different part of the castle, Lyrica was making sure that nobody was around. Locked inside her chambers, she had sung nonsensical stuff over a dozen times during the day. That way, the guards wouldn't be suspicious of they heard her singing something.
Preparing herself, Lyrica took a deep breath and opened her mouth. She felt something snap in place when she finally used the hymn. Like a connection to some kind of power source, making a lot of energy flow through her.
kiafa hynne mea? pagle tes yor.
Can you hear my voice? The voice that is calling out to you. It took a few seconds before she received her answer.
Fou paks ga kiafa hynne yor.
Yes, I can hear your voice. The response was much more powerful than her question. It almost overwhelmed Lyrica, forcing her to close her eyes and focus completely on the hymn, disregarding everything else.
It was a test for her. To see if she could handle hymns that were passed to her not through training but through the Metasphere, passed on by Lyeka, her sister.
kiafa sarla pagle tes yor.
Can you hear my song? A question, a plain one. Lyrica's voice echoed faintly through her room, a silent melody accompanying her. This time it took a lot longer for the answer to arrive.
Mea paul yor.
I understand you. Mages voice was much more clear than her own, almost booming within her head. Trying to adjust how loud she received the message, Lyrica was having trouble with answering and doing that both at once.
Pausing for a moment, Lyrica was feeling rushed by the power flowing through her. It was different from when she had sung LINKER to inaugurate Uni. There wasn't just the power flowing out of her, changing what the hymn was targeting.
Sonwe hynne yor
I could hear your song. The connection broke after that. Mages must have been satisfied with Lyrica for the time being.
Sinking to her knees, Lyrica felt stunned at how much power was actually channeled through her for a hymn that was just about communicating. She couldn't imagine what some of the supposedly powerful ones that Lyeka talked about would do to her.
Going to bed, exhausted, Lyrica was secretly looking forward to meeting Mages again. The more she learned, the more she immersed herself in her unique abilities, the more she looked forward to expanding her knowledge of it even more, to sing even more.
Too excited to fall asleep for a good thirty minutes, Lyrica wondered if she could get her sister to be a bit more gentle when passing on the hymns. If she wasn't so rough about it, maybe she could actually enjoy it.
When she finally managed to fall asleep, she found herself in her room, the mirror at the wall, showing Mages and a chain on the ground, respectively representing SPHILIA and CLOSSPHERE. It took a good minute before Mages appeared, slowly walking down the stairs. "Sis." The word came out unintentionally
"You did well, communicating with SPHILIA, Lyrica." Touching her cheek in passing, Mages clicked with her fingers and the room changed. Her own core was much more comfortable after all. "Today will be tiring. Sit, please."
Taking the chair Mages left free, Lyrica sat down, across the table, her sister intensely looking at her. "Are the other hymns more intense than SPHILIA?"
"In some ways, yes. There exist hymns capable of destruction unseen ever before, but also some that can be used to grant new life. They have as many uses as there are feelings. But tonight, we are short on time. I will be teaching you a hymn that is extremely complex and one you will need to know. It will deepen your understanding of the world and our powers."
Raising her right hand and opening her palm towards the bed that stood in a corner, a resting place that would put even a goddess personal bed to shame. "This was one of the first three hymmnos that were ever created. To fully understand what and who we are, you will need to know all three." Standing up, Mages nodded to her sister. "The first you know. LINKER, the power that connects a candidate to the sharicite, making them a goddess. This room is LINKER, the hymn all Lyrateils know by birth." It was necessary to educate Lyrica this way. She had limited time and the girl needed to know who she was.
"The bed embodies EXEC SUSPEND." She would eventually have to explain what the difference between EXEC and METHOD types was, but not today. It was indispensable to teach Lyrica about the true nature of hymmnos first. "I know of no instance when this hymn has been put to use but it comes with a great deal of insight into the finer workings of what we do." Mages took off her head and jacket, leaving them on the chair. Her staff was resting against it as well. Her body was almost the exact same as Lyrica's, to the point where she might have been mistaken for her twin by some.
Sitting down on the bed in a lady like manner, Mages waved over her sister. "Come. This hymn is too powerful to be given with a mere kiss. The tradition was for a mother to teach their daughter or daughters when they reached the age of sixteen." Incestuous relationships had been normal due to how unique society was in their small village. "I will teach you SUSPEND but it will require a great deal of physical closeness. Do not worry, we will not be sleeping with each other." Not that night.
Swallowing hard, Lyrica joined her sister on the bed, sitting in front of her, incredibly nervous, expecting some kind of lewd activity. But Mages did nothing of the sort. Taking Lyrica's hand and putting it right above her heart, the former Leanbox idol still blushed but the moment she could feel the calm heartbeat of her sister, her own heart synchronized. Seconds passed and became minutes, both of them unmoving, Lyeka sitting there with her eyes closed. Exhaling extremely slowly and thoroughly, the clothes she had been wearing vanished entirely, Lyrica's hand resting on her bare breasts.
Looking at her for a while, Mages said nothing. Eventually, the idol returned the act by simply thinking it, her clothes vanishing, Mages hand resting on her breasts. The continued calmness of her sister stopped her from feeling embarrassed. She moved so very slow that Lyrica had enough time to get used to everything.
Taking her hand away, Mages locked both her hands with those of her sister, getting a little closer. Waiting until Lyrica was back to being completely calm, Lyeka talked to her in a whisper. "The synchronization of our soulspaces is finished. I'm going to start teaching you the hymn now."
Letting her left hand go, Mages took Lyrica's right hand with both of her own, raising it to her mouth, kissing her fingertips, one at a time, then the back of her hand. Looking up, Lyeka felt the first fragments seep into the soul of her sister. The first part of the bed's framework, so to speak.
Repeating the process with Lyrica's left hand, she paused. "This marks the first part complete." Knowledge was streaming into the idol. That the hymns were powered by the sharicite that existed. That they had the power to access any sharicite with beyond root access but unable to perform its programmed functions. They communicated uniquely with the crystal, with their words and voices.
Putting her hands against Lyrica's shoulders, Mages pushed the girl on her back, kneeling next to her. "How do you feel?"
"Hot, calm and excited at the same time. It's weird but... not weird at all." She couldn't quite make sense of it. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced and at the same time felt like something she had known for all her life.
"The physical contact with become more intense now. If you feel overwhelmed, talk, but do not flee from me. It is essential you do this." A gentle smile accompanying her words, Mages waited until Lyrica carefully nodded.
Bending down, she kissed her sister's neck, her long blue hair tickling her skin, dancing over her collarbones. A series of only barely touching lips to skin, a dozen connections, Lyeka slid her hands over her sister's naked shoulders, over her arms, touching her hands briefly. The second part was starting.
Returning to her starting position, Mages placed a single, long and loving, kiss between Lyrica's collarbones, her tongue leaving the tiniest drop of saliva imaginable behind before she returned to her starting position again. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine." She would have been embarrassed to hell, laying naked in front of someone else, in the real world. But in here, where there existed only her sister and she, it was different. The knowledge that was flowing into her, the words that made up the hymn, it was coming with a warm, gentle sensation, like taking a warming bath. She was enjoying it instead of shying away.
Bending down again, Mages lips returned to Lyrica's neck, covering the other side in the same pattern as before. Her hands sliding along the younger girl's sides, up and down, slowly letting the girl grow accustomed to her touch. Returning to her starting position a final time, she bend down for a fourth time, a single kiss place on Lyrica's lips, too brief to let her respond. It was the seal that marked the second part complete. More knowledge streamed into her.
That the sharicite was a server that processed the faith of the people, gauging their piety, converting it all into energy, distributing it. A sharicite was nothing but the most advanced computer on the planet, capable of gathering thoughts that referred to those that were linked to it in a special way, the goddesses.
"The next part will be the most intense. I cannot stop here, but I need to ask you despite. Are you fine with our bodies touching?" She couldn't make any mistakes during this. SUSPEND could send both her and Lyrica into an eternal state of sleeping, likely nobody in the world that knew the hymn to wake them.
"If you're as gentle as this, I'll... be fine." Now she was getting a little embarrassed.
Nodding, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, Mages prepared herself, reciting the third part of the hymn in her mind. Laying down next to her sister, she waited for a moment. "Turn your back to me."
Doing as she was told, anticipating what would happen next, the gentle feeling was gaining in strength, growing a trace of passion. She had never slept with anyone before this, so it was completely new to her. But she barely had time to think about anything that was happening to her. The hymn was flooding her mind, occupying all the mental capacity she had.
Wrapping her arms around her sister's waist, Mages exhaled slowly, slowly getting closer, pushing herself against Lyrica's back, her soft breasts slightly pressed by how close she was. Kissing her shoulder, kissing her neck, Mages nibbled on Lyrica's ear, lovingly, gently, tenderly. Her embrace fading, her hands moving upwards, running her fingertips over her sister's breasts, dancing around her nipples, they slowly stiffened.
The last part of the hymn was flooding inside of her. Her vision was fading, even though she was fully conscious and awake. The gentle touches remained felt, the loving care kept reaching her despite. Finally, Mages let go and sat up, only to bend down, holding back her own hair with one hand, touching Lyrica's cheek with another. The very final line of the hymn about to enter Lyrica.
The peak of the ceremony was a single tender kiss, lingering for seemingly forever between the two blue haired sisters. With the feeling of something settling into place inside of her, Lyrica understood what Lyrateils truly were. Like goddesses, candidates and oracles, they lived with the sharicite. But not the powerful ones that governed the land but minuscule ones, embedded into their very bodies, melted together with their hearts.
It allowed them to connect with the large sharicite, sap power from it, process it and use it to alter the world. Due to their unique physiology, they became able to process vast amounts of energy, much more than a goddess used in even their most grand attacks. But there were still many questions that remained unanswered.
Breaking out in sweat and panting, Mages got down from the bed, getting dressed with some clothes from a closet. She was completely exhausted. "Tell me the final line of SUSPEND." She needed to know she had succeeded. Large parts of SUSPEND were in the modern language and not hymmnos, due to the delicate, ever evolving nature of society and the sharicite that was connected to it.
"Eternally.." Lyrica answered in a trance. Suddenly feeling very embarrassed, she realized just how close she had gotten with her sister. It had all felt very good and she hadn't been embarrassed at all before, but now that her mind was clearing up, she was feeling a bit horny.
"I'm sorry we have to part right after I taught you but I exhausted my energy teaching you the hymn. Dwell on the knowledge you have gained." Vanishing on the spot, Lyrica woke up in her bed, sweaty and panting. She was feeling ten times as horny now as she did inside her dream. But she was very grateful for what Lyeka had taught her.
=== OVERHEAT ===
Just short of midnight, Cave and Nisa arrived at the Leanbox border, after hijacking a small private boat to cross the ocean. But what had greeted them was far out of their imagination. Shot at without explanation, both of them had been wounded but managed to escape.
"What is going on?!" Shouting, Cave was running along side Nisa, a whole squad of Leanbox soldiers after her. Escaping on the boat was suicide. They'd be a sitting duck on the water. That only left them the option to flee further inland. And it was crawling with soldiers everywhere. Cave didn't want to use friendly fire to kill them. Some of them had taken special operations classes under her or even with her.
"Aren't they your people?!" Nisa was wondering why the heck she had gotten into this mess. Escaping from Tekken had been arduous, pushing them to their limit. Making it all the way to the north where their boat supposedly was, they found only burning ruins. Having to go over land, it had been a very stressful game of cat and mouse.
"Forest!" Taking a sharp turn, Cave felt a bullet pierce her lower left arm, going through and through. They weren't fooling around. The rounds they were using were made to break through heavily armored infantry and low grade energy shields. One shot of those to the head or the chest and it was game over.
Seeing that Cave got hit, Nisa made a decision. "I guess I can cheat just this once!" Jumping slightly into the air, turning around in mid-air, putting her hands together, making a single fist, and raising them above her head. "Nisa Justice Destroy!" With the impact of a minor local earthquake, Nisa destroyed the plain they had been running over, shaking the ground and forcing parts of it to fall into a chasm, parts of it to rise up from the tremor.
Cave hadn't stopped. She knew that Nisa was capable of shaking a few pursuers on her own. Within twenty seconds, the blue haired girl was catching up to her, their silhouettes mixing in with the countless trees. The forest was only about 150 years old, planted on the orders of Vert to counter the deforestation that was going on. Trying to lose their pursuers, Cave was having trouble ignoring the pain, causing her to get slower.
Nisa took the initiative, grabbed Cave, throwing the redhead over her shoulder, one hand securing her, the other still wildly flailing while she was running for her life. Hero of Justice or not, taking those bullets would kill her without a doubt.
"Treetops, go." Instructing Nisa, Cave ripped part from her skirt, the half that remained and wrapped it around her right arm, using her teeth to pull on one end and her uninjured arm to pull on the other. Taking a few brief deep breaths, Cave pulled with everything she could, to create enough pressure to stop the through and through hole from bleeding her out. The pain was so strong that she couldn't even see anything beyond the red curtains that was suddenly covering her eyes. Screaming out in pain for a moment, the redhead fainted. Nisa sped up the moment she felt Cave weaken, becoming a bit more of a burden.
Hitting a wall of mist, Nisa just kept on running, stumbling over a thick branch, almost crashing into a huge tree, branches and twigs scratching her arms, face and legs. She would get Cave out of this alive, she swore to herself.
Running and running, Nisa's heart almost exploded in fear when she suddenly had no more ground under her feet, falling. Thankfully, the fall was brief, but it was so dark she couldn't see anything. A creaking noise was briefly heard and someone covered Nisa's mouth. "Quiet."
Listening, a stampede was getting closer, dozens of rapid steps approaching and suddenly passing right over them. Chatter could be heard, someone still covering Nisa's mouth. Just by the breathing sounds, the blue haired hero was able to tell there were three people, two right behind her and another right in front.
The stomping passing and dispersing, the person in front lit a match. The person in front was a girl and not the one that was still covering her mouth. Whispering, she introduced herself. "Marvelous, Marvel for short and my friends call me Marvey, Gamindustri Anti-war Measures Expedition, leader." Short, shoulder length orange hair, red eyes with a peculiar symbol embedded into her iris, a black coat over a skimpy white outfit, barely concealing her very large breasts, Nisa couldn't see the rest of her. "CC, let her be."
The hand was removing from Nisa. Another match went on, behind her. The light was now enough to see that she was below a trap-door that had been barred. The room was part of a larger cave, the ends of which she couldn't see. Turning around she saw two more girls. "Cyber Connect. Part of GAME. Just call me CC." A girl with even shorter hair than Marvel introduced herself. Her hair was green, spiky, wild. Her breasts were significantly smaller and Nisa could spot a few white tattoos on her slightly dark skinned body.
The third girl was much shorter than the other two but almost as busty as Marvel. "Red, also belonging to GAME." Her hair was tied into a one-sided bow at the left of her head and her clothing was very unique, black, red and golden, most of it hidden beneath the same black cloak CC and Marvel wore.
"She needs help." Nisa didn't care about introducing herself or who they were and what they did. Letting Cave down, she put her on the floor. "A bullet went through her arm."
"CC, get her to the sleep room. You're staying with us. And you haven't told us your name yet." Marvel grabbed the blue haired girl by her arm. "CC is, despite her looks, quite good at patching people up." Because she gets hurt all the time herself out on adventures, Marvel thought to herself. Red followed after CC almost immediately, slapping the green haired girl's butt as she walked past.
"I'm Nisa. She is Cave." She didn't know how far she could trust those girls. What exactly was an anti-war measures expedition doing, anyway?
"Why is half the Leanbox border guard chasing you?" Marvel would restrain her if necessary. But in general, an enemy of the army was a friend of GAME.
"We don't know. They opened fire as soon as Cave identified herself and we ran. They would have killed us." Nisa had gone through some really bad things as of late and trusting random people wasn't very high on her to do list right now. Telling them that Cave was a top level operative of Leanbox and she was her lover was even further down the list.
"We'll patch her up. Things have been crazy in Leanbox for a while. First monsters pop up everywhere, then the oracle gets kidnapped and Green Heart comes back but looks and acts differently. The state is a mess right now." Babbling on about the state of things, Marvel didn't distrust Nisa for the time being. "So... want to join up with us? We're putting together a resistance army so we can stop this stupid war. Its just hurting people because the goddesses are too stubborn to make peace with each other."
Nisa, after being with Cave for several days, saw all kinds of problems with that scenario, the lack of a goddess on their side being the most prominent one. "Can we stay for a while? I'm not eager to be shot at."
"CC Is gonna patch up your partner. After that, we'll talk. We could use two strong people with us. You are strong, right? That's why they're chasing you with so many people."
Nisa was a little annoyed by the enthusiasm of the girl. That and her almost completely exposed, large bouncing breasts. She didn't mind Cave's, since she got to fondle them, but this girl slightly annoyed her.
"We're not bad." She didn't like lying at all, but the situation was calling for it. Cave had taught her that bending the truth a little could be very beneficial in the long run. For the time being, she had to play by Cave's rules instead of her own. She was staying with the redhead out of her own accord after all, so she wouldn't just give up on her the moment things got a bit dangerous. "But what are you doing in a cave in Leanbox territory?"
"There is a series of connected tunnels that span through all of Gamindustri. They are even a few that go from here to the main land, below the ocean. It's really cold, wet and dark down there, though." Marvel had great hearing and put a finger to her lips when she noticed soldiers up above coming closer. Getting up, her height forcing her to crouch a little, she waved Nisa to follow her.
Reaching a different room, several barrels and crates filled the room, a dozen hammocks spanned between them. A single large wooden table was nearby, too, several metal bowls and tankards on it. "We have over a dozen small bases all over Gamindustri." Marvel was explaining things to her like she was window shopping. "The ceiling's thick, so soldiers won't hear us unless we shout. So no shouting, okay?" Putting a finger to her lips again, the girl laughed quietly.
"Are you planning to launch a military offensive against one of the goddesses?"
"We don't know yet. We're still recruiting and haven't really decided on a proper course of action yet." Gasping for air when someone suddenly groped her from behind, Marvel's fist met with the head of the girl called Red. "I told you not to do that when I'm talking to a new member." Looking at Nisa, she smiled again. "You'll be new members, right?"
"I'll consider it." Nisa had no real intention of joining. Looking at Red, she was even more pissed off than before. The room was only dimly lit by primitive torches and lamps, but she could see her chest bounce with every step. Not that the girl actually made many steps. She resembled an overly hyped rubber ball, bouncing around, more than anything else. It was so unfair that a girl that short could have breasts that big.
"Marvel, we should totally recruit the redhead. She's really nice." Red was saying it in such a way that there was no doubt what she was talking about.
"Keep your hands off her." Starting to be really irritated, Nisa glared at Red. "Do you go after everything with breasts?" Being with Cave for so long, who took great care to never tickle her complex about having no breasts to speak of, Nisa had gotten even more sensitive to when people triggered it.
"If they're good looking, sure! I want all of GAME to be my harem!"
Nisa had no answer to that and turned away before she exploded, heading through the room, hearing Marvel scold the girl shortly before squeaking again, most likely from being groped. Finding Cave two rooms further in, Nisa noticed a constant downward slope. The tunnels were leading down. "How is she?"
"I stopped the bleeding and closed the wound but it will take a long time for this to fully heal. It would go faster if we had any kind of healing elixirs or tinctures." The girl called Cyber, or CC, was kneeling next to the unconscious operative. "The bullet went cleanly through and through, so at least there isn't much risk of infection."
"Thanks for helping." After being in the war herself, Nisa was very happy to see that there were still people trying to stop it. But she wondered how much they could really do. The nations had immensely powerful weapons, the goddesses and large armies. It would be a rough road.
"We help those that get hurt by the war. Optimally, we'd like to stop the war entirely but that's not so easy." CC was rather realistic about their purpose and chances. She still believed in the cause, though, and was giving her best to help the others. "Marvel already asked you to join us, right? Giving it any consideration?"
She didn't have any intention of joining, not just yet. They were doing something that very much sounded like something a hero of justice should be doing, but Cave had showed her pretty well how those things ended. And Cave surely wouldn't want to rebel against Leanbox and the other states.
"I'll think about it." And this time, she really meant it. "But more importantly, you said it would help if you had any elixirs? Where would we even get something like that?"
"Atelier would be the most likely choice. Are you planning on going?" Taking a quick look at Cave, CC got a clue. "I see. She's really important to you, isn't she?"
Ignoring the later comment, Nisa was focused on helping Cave for now. "How do I get there?"
"I was planning to enlist some of Atelier's merchants into GAME, so I'm going with you." Marvel had come to join them as well. "It'll be a long trip. One day, maybe two if we have to rest a lot or get lost."
"Just go. I'll stay with her. Red, you're staying with me, too." CC leered past Marvel at the redhead that was sneaking up to their orange haired leader.
"Keep an eye on things, Red." Marvel put up with the short girls behavior because she was a decent fighter and had a surprisingly high amount of female contacts all over the world.
"Anything you want!" Trying to please the girl she wanted to be her harem member number one, Red happily nodded.
=== OVERHEAT ===
Chika woke with a raging headache and she was soaked to the bone. Rain was hammering down on her, wet grass and mud beneath. Pushing herself up, it was nearly pitch black. Having to stand in the rain for a while, until her eyes got used to the darkness, the oracle searched for wounds. But surprisingly, she didn't have any. Even the scratches she had suffered during the fight were gone.
How had she gotten here? It wasn't even evening yet when she had been attacked. But based on how dark it was, night had clearly come. Had she been disposed of? But that didn't explain the lack of injuries. Going down on her knees when a particularly strong wave of pain rolled through her head, Chika wondered why Lastation would send a robot after her.
Lastation? How did she know it belonged to them? Trying to think about it, she remembered. Lady Uni wants you gone. The robot had said that. Because of that, it was clear that it was indeed Lastation that had ordered the attack. But to what purpose?
Trying to get her bearings, Chika was stumped for a moment when she saw an incredibly massive building in the distance. It wasn't just any building. The big landmark, the pride of Leanbox, the Huge Box structure. She couldn't be more than maybe ten kilometers from the capital city at this rate. Starting to walk towards the city, Chika's headache got even worse.
It took her over an hour to finally reach the outskirts of the capital, where her powers were starting to return. Using them to catapult herself from building to building with her corporeal tentacles, Chika caught a glimpse of a large clock. It was just past 3 AM.
Finally reaching the tower, the soldiers seemed shocked to see her. "Close your stupid mouths and open the door!" She wasn't in the mood for any games.
Letting her in, Chika had to deal with even more gawking soldiers, all of them in awe of her just walking back into the tower as if nothing had happened. "Do I have a big sign on my back that says please ogle me or something?" Her mood was getting more sour with every passing second.
Taking the elevator up, nobody dared to stop her. She was soaked and in a horrible mood, enough to make the soldiers mind their words. Reaching the top level, Chika returned to her room as the first course of action. There were repairs going on even in the dead of the night but thankfully her room was mostly fine.
Slamming the door shut behind her, Chika stripped naked, grabbing a towel from her closet and rubbing herself dry. She would take a hot bath before she went to sleep and before she could do that, she had to check in with the chief of staff. Sighing, standing still and holding her towel, Chika wished that Lady Vert was back, so she could take care of those things.
Her wish came true in a very different way. Two long arms wrapped themselves around her waist, big breasts pushing against her naked back. "Welcome back, Chika." Whispering in the oracle's ear, Vert had entered the room silently, hugging the girl.
Flinging around, forcing the arms off her, looking at the visitor with her mouth wide open, she laid eyes on Green Heart, wearing a black divinity suit. "Am I... dreaming?" Her heart was beating so fast, she felt it was gonna explode any second now.
"I doubt it." Smiling in a seductive way, Green Heart stepped closer to the naked Chika, holding out her arms, asking for a hug. "Did you miss me?"
"Where have you been all this time? Do you know how worried I was when I heard you got captured by Planeptune?" She was so overjoyed to see Vert again that Chika completely disregarded the fact that she was naked, jumping straight into Vert's embrace.
"It's all in the past now." Chika had no need to know what had happened. Petting the girl's head, Vert's lascivious smile revealed most of her intention. "Chika." Raising the oracle's head, Vert kept her smile, looking right into her eyes. "While I was gone, I realize how much you mean to me. I don't want to regret keeping my feelings bottled up."
For Chika, it was like a dream come true. But there was something odd about Vert. "Why did your divinity suit change? Not that I dislike this new look, it's really sexy." Licking her lips, she had trouble keeping a clear head with the way Vert looked at her. But that too, was a bit odd. Vert was bold with her affection, very much so, but this still felt off to her.
"Even I don't know. The sharicite couldn't find anything odd either. I think they tried to do something to me and failed." Keeping Chika close, Vert moved her hand through the oracle's long, green hair. "You're all wet... what happened?"
Chika's eyes closely followed Vert's lips and she needed a little nudge to stop spacing out. "W-what? Oh, me. I was attacked and abducted, I suppose. I woke up a few kilometers outside the capital." She was slightly mesmerized by Vert's change in attitude. It wasn't that unusual for someone to change after going through life threatening situations, so she decided to pay not too much attention to it.
"Did you get a tattoo while I was gone? Or did someone draw on your face?" Getting awfully close to Chika's cheek, Vert looked at a small four letter word that looked like it was imprinted on her cheek. "EXEC?" Gently rubbing over the oracle's cheek, the letters came off, like they were paint. "Someone did draw on your face." Vert grinned.
"Lady Vert, you... you said you realized how much I mean to you... what exactly..." Her sass had slightly evaporated before the prospect of Vert confessing her love to her.
Proving her intentions, Vert laid siege to Chika's lips, her fire burning through more than just her mouth, raging throughout her entire body. Shaking a little at the sudden event, Chika threw herself completely into the sensation, responding, forcing the kiss to go on and on, not letting go of her beloved Vert. Heat rising through her cheeks to her head, Vert pulled away first, a greedy Chika desperately trying to continue their shared pleasure.
"This is how I feel about you." Noticing the glassy look in Chika's eyes, Vert wondered if she had gone too far too quickly. But for now, she wanted to push her over the edge anyway. Picking up the naked girl, Vert carried Chika to the oracle's private bathroom.
Chika had gone to paradise, she was sure. Maybe the attack had actually killed her and this was her heaven, with an affectionate Vert waiting for her. Resting in the goddess' arms, Chika was let down into her large tub, shaped like a bowl, big enough to fit four people inside with ease.
Opening all four faucets, Vert climbed into the tub as well, Chika resting on one of four large stone seats that were placed inside. Sitting down on the pale-green haired girl's lap, the goddess kissed her again, their kiss lingering for the duration of the tub, which was more of a miniature pool, filling itself with hot water.
"Lady Vert, I-" Chika couldn't talk because her love put a single finger over her lips.
"Vert is fine. I don't care about formalities between us. You can call me whatever you want, wherever you want." A state was ruled through power and making her relationship with Chika public simply spoke for her confidence in herself.
"Can I touch you?" Chika swallowed hard, eying the large bosom of her other half. She wanted to grope, fondle, squeeze them, suck on them and tease her nipples.
Responding with action instead of words, Vert bend forward, pushing her breasts against Chika's. The water had risen to the point of just reaching their chest and was rising rapidly. The girl with deep purple eyes knew that her oracle wasn't trembling from the hot water. Softly rubbing their bodies together, Vert kissed Chika's nose, their eyes only centimeters from each other.
Pinching herself, Chika had to make absolutely sure she wouldn't just wake up in the middle of this. Wincing from pinching too hard, Chika was quickly relieved of the pain. Vert's breasts kept rubbing against her own and a naughty chuckle signified that her goddess had noticed how incredibly stiff her nipples had gotten. Poking against Vert's soft skin, Chika couldn't help but push harder against her goddess.
The faucets closed by themselves as soon as the water reached their shoulders. Creating tines waves on the surface, Chika put her arms around Vert's shoulders, sticking her tongue out, her face pained from not having kissed her in over a minute.
"I didn't know you were such a lewd girl, Chika." Vert teased her, tracing her fingers over the girl's lips. Letting her lick them, she backed up a little, only to grab Chika's breasts, playing with them, making them bounce a bit while fondling.
"Vert... Vert..." She couldn't think straight. Being touched like this by the girl she had been in love with for more than two centuries was simply too much for her. Returning the favor, grabbing Vert's breasts, Chika felt like she was handling two massive marshmallows, her fingers almost sinking into them.
A new kiss starting between the two, Chika wished that the moment would never end, that the rest of her life was being with Vert like this. But the more she got involved, the more she lost herself to the heat, the more she could hear a faint voice in the back of her head.
Lasting for just about a minute before breaking away and backing off a little, Vert ran the palm of her right hand over the oracle's chest, right down the middle, passing her stomach, bending forward and kissing her again while at the same time moving her hand between Chika's legs. "What a lewd body you have... getting so excited when we haven't really started yet."
Sliding first one, then a second, finger into Chika, the pale green haired girl came too early, her body unable to contain all the excitement she was feeling. "I'm... sorry.. I just..." Panting, Chika couldn't even make excuses. She was so embarrassed.
Vert simply looked at her in amusement, slowly pulling her fingers out and licking them, like they were still dripping with Chika's honey. "What a pity the water washes it all away. I'm sure its delicious."
At this point, the face of the oracle was a mixture of excitement, embarrassment and pure lust. Taking Chika's right hand, she licked the fingers of the oracle for a little while. "Don't you want to return the favor?"
Trembling at the idea of making Vert orgasm with her fingers, Chika's heart was beating so hard that her chest hurt on the inside. Nervous to the max, she took Vert up on her offer, reaching between her legs. A deep moan escaping the goddess when her lower lips were being toyed with, she pressed herself against Chika, their breasts slightly flattened by the pressure. "Hurry... I can't wait." Her voice was a hot whisper.
=== OVERHEAT ===
"What are you planning?" Staring at a display that was showing nothing but a silhouette and static, Rei was very much annoyed. "You knew that I am using Leanbox to stall the war so why did you release her?" She didn't need to tell him, or her, to what purpose.
Rei had learned that someone had bought Leanbox's oracle at the slave auction and then shortly afterward released her. Those three idiots. She would give them a good beating later. The buyers identity was still a mystery but at least she managed to contact him.
"You're not the only one with plans, dear. I need the oracle in Leanbox but don't worry." Chuckling, the voice got a bit deeper. "The oracle won't notice the difference between your Vert and the dead one." There was a slight pause. "Oh, no reaction?"
It wasn't her Vert. She didn't know what exactly happened but the memory implant had not been as complete as it should have been. Judging by her reports, Vert had no recollection of the past few days, resulting in the chaotic situation. Changing plans with Capcom, she had to pay her a lot more to get Vert out of there. Things got even worse then. Instead of returning to Leanbox and the nation falling into chaos, she was now doing lots of unexpected things. Someone else was using her. Capcom refused to say anything and forcing her was not an option.
"What are you after?" Rei didn't want to run into another problem. Things were hazardous enough as they were.
"That's... a secret."
She was being toyed with and she didn't like that. "You know who I am and what I can do. I'm not unreasonable. Tell me what you want and we might just be able to cooperate."
"Cooperation, huh? I see no reason to cooperate but since you're so insistent, I'll tell you something good. The Blue Reaper isn't the only one capable of manipulating people. And most of all, the surface world isn't your playground, Cyan Heart." The connection was cut abruptly, leaving Rei in one of the many communication rooms by herself. Firing several energy spheres into the device, she completely destroyed it.
"Not my playground?" Her grin was ripe with anger. Whoever was messing with her plans would pay for doing so. If Leanbox continued with the war and wiped Planeptune off the map, everything would go to hell. Not many had the means and guts to mess with her plans. It was well known that she had wiped an entire continent off the map at some point and that put a lot of fear into the smaller people.
She needed to get that oracle out of there. But it would be a lot harder this time, with Green Heart around. She didn't like it, but it was time to call in favors. If she couldn't get them out or kill them, she could at least stop them from doing anything. By force, if necessary.
=== END OF LINE ===