I was getting closer to our destination, Sharn still sleeping peacefully in my arms with hers still wrapped around my neck. Her sleeping face was so close to mine. I couldn't help but steal a glance at her. Even though she's such a proud and powerful warrior, when asleep, she looks so pure and innocent. Such a beautiful sight. She started to stir. Slowly, her eyes started to open.

"Good morning, gorgeous."

She looked up at me with sleepy eyes. When she saw my face, hers turned a darker shade of green. Her face practically glowed an emerald green when she looked down to see I was carrying her in my arms. "D-d-d-d-d-do you enjoy carrying me or something!?"

I couldn't help but give her a teasing grin. "Maybe."

She was really blushing now. "PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, YOU IDIOT!"

I complied. When she was back on her feet, she straightened out her clothes before giving me a quick, blushing glare. With a huff, she started to walk. I must be some kind of closet sadist. I can't help but tease people like her. It's times like this that Sharn reminds me of Angelica. Now that I think about it, those two are a lot alike. They're both beautiful, strong, honorable, and they're both able to hurt me. That last part got a chuckle out of me.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

She gave me a skeptical look before she continued walking. She really is a lot like Angelica. I wonder how she's doing?

"Why were you caring me, anyway?" I told her how she was knocked unconscious by a surprise attack from the Six Paladins. She told me how it was disgraceful for the supposed "greatest soldiers in the land" to use such a tactic, but even more so that she easily fell for it. She asked me what happened next. All I told her was that I defeated the Paladins, leaving out the part with the Deum Fidem. I myself am still skeptical about that. I'll need to figure out how I was able to pull out the sword, and why it chose me as it's master.

When we reached the outskirts of our destination, we stopped to marvel at it. The trees were huge. The leaves completely blocked the moonlight, so much so that it looked pitch black. I felt a bit excited. Who knows what's in there? Well, besides of course the Dark Lord's Grimoire and a clan of witches.

"Adelram? What exactly are we looking for in here?" Oh, right. I never told Sharn about that. When I explained what was waiting for us, she reacted in a rather interesting way. "WITCHES?! Adelram Umbra, have you lost your mind?! Do you realize how powerful a witch is?! I know you're a powerful sorcerer, but witches are in a whole other category! Your magic is limited, but a witches magic is endless! They know more than just spells! They know hexes, curses, and dark magic that not even you can handle! You really want to challenge that?!"

Okay, I'll admit, witches are sounding a lot more scary after hearing Sharn's explanation. "I'm hoping I won't. I'm not her for a witch hunt, Sharn. They have something, and I'm hoping they'll give it to me peacefully. I should be able to trade at least something or complete one task. Besides, I don't exactly have a choice. This is the last place I know to go so that I can continue my journey. I'd need to come here eventually. Plus, we've survived vampires, werewolves, and reapers. After all the things we've been through, we should be able to survive witches, right?"

She still looked skeptical, but still agreed. When we both mentally prepared ourselves, we took our first step into the territory. When we did, we were hit with a wave of power. All of the hairs on my body stood straight up. All of my instincts were at high alert. I was so... afraid. I had fought orcs, vampires, werewolves, and even Death himself; yet I had never felt this level of fear before in my entire life. Even Sharn was shaking, gripping her daggers tightly. Just how powerful were these women? Still, I can't let something like fear stand in the way of my journey.

We continued to walk into the dark forest, slowly adapting to the tense and dark atmosphere. Eventually, we reached a clearing. There were still leaves and branches blocking the moonlight, but there were also other things as well. Huts. Huts on the ground and huts in the trees. Were these the home of the witches?

"My, what a handsome young man."

We turned toward the direction of the silky voice. It was a woman. Even in the darkness, I could still see how beautiful she was. Her clothes were skin tight and completely black. She wore glasses that covered but didn't hide her mesmerizing brown eyes. She was tall, perhaps taller than Sharn herself. She looked so young too. The mole beneath her luscious lips on the left side of her face only added to her beauty.

"Indeed. Quite a fine specimen."

"I think he looks quite adorable."

"He looks simply delicious."

"Shall we make him ours?"

Around us, more witches started to appear. They were all beautiful in their own right. Still, the first witch was the most beautiful of them all.

"Are you them?" The witches stopped talking among themselves, and gave me their full intention. They must have been curious about what I was going to ask them. "Are you the Umbra Witches?"

"Wha-!" I should have guessed Sharn would have reacted like that. Even I was surprised when I learned their names. The witches however... giggled.

"Indeed, we are." The first witch jumped down from her perch, and floated elegantly toward me. She towered over me. She used her index finger to lift my chin so I could look her in the eyes. "You must be Adelram."

I practically glared at the witch. "How do you know my name?" I know Sharn yelled it out loud, but we were not in their territory. I also didn't sense anyone near us. Not until we entered the village. I also put up sound barriers when we travel, so as to not alert any predators or enemies from attacking us. There's no way that even a witch should have been able to hear her.

The witch giggled before she spoke. "Come now, do you honestly think we would be ignorant..." She cupped her hands around my face. "... of the birth of the first male Umbra?"

My eyes widened ins shock. The witch just smiled as she looked into my eyes. "Don't act so surprised, love. You are quite the brilliant young man. I know you didn't think it was a mere coincidence that you shared the same name as a clan of the most powerful witches in the world. You even researched you linage out of curiosity, did you not? You must have found it extremely strange when you discovered there was no history about your name outside of your mother, correct? Oh, and don't worry. She's doing just fine. She is living a peaceful life from the money you constantly send her... after you abandoned her." It stung a bit when she said that. She let go of my face and started walking circles around me. "Though, I suppose that was quite an act of kindness you committed. Fending for yourself so your beloved mother could live an easier and happier life. It left her heart-broken, but she accepted your kindness nonetheless."

All I could do was stand there and stare at the ground. I... never look back at the past. It held no importance to me. Still, it was still painful to listen to this woman remind me of my mother. The only bit of solace I received was hearing that she was living a happy life. "Oh! How absolutely rude of me! I know everything about you, and yet you don't even know my name." I looked up toward the witch, a gesture to let her know that I was listening. "A pleasure to meet you, dear Adelram. My name is Cereza. Cereza Umbra, the Head Witch of the Umbra Clan."

That caused my blood to freeze. Before me stood the most powerful witch in the world. It took me a while to compose myself so that I could speak again. I took a deep breath before I spoke. "Lady Cereza..."

"Stop right there, love. I'd much prefer you call me 'Madame Cereza', or 'Mistress Cereza' if you must."

That caused me to blush a bit. That must have been the reaction she wanted, if the cheeky smile was anything to go by.

"M-Madame Cereza." Now I was really blushing, and she was enjoying it. Why do I keep running into women like this in the Southern Plains? Beautiful, dangerous, and makes my heart go aflutter. The only person who fits that description in literally all of the Three Plains was Angelica. "I... I'd like to request something of you."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"The Dark Lord's Grimoire."

Madame Cereza smiled. It looked quite playful. "Oh, you mean this?" She snapped her fingers. Out of the ground came a giant book. It was as wide as a desk from the academy, and just as long. The cover was interesting to look at. The cover was brown with black edges. In the center of the book was a golden star. It was surrounded by crescent moons. There were rings of gold surrounding the moons. There were also five different symbols around the golden star. They looked like a claw or a fang, a full moon, the sun, a tree, and an infinity ouroboros. Such a strange looking book, yet so enchanting. I could sense the power radiating from it. It felt just like the power Madame Cereza was emitting. I reached out to touch it, only to feel a slight shock. It was enough to make me pull my hand back. I was hit by Sypha's lightning magic, yet a small shock like that got more of reaction from me than that?

I heard Madame Cereza laughing. "It's not gonna be that simple, young one. We've enchanted the book. Only a true Umbra can open the book. Though you are a skilled sorcerer, you mostly rely on your physical abilities. If you want to use the book, you need to pass one simple task." Before she finished speaking, she walked over towards my back... and wrapped her arms around me. I felt the warmth of her body on my own, smell her captivating aroma, and feel the softness of her breasts on my back. She whispered softly into my right ear. "You must prove yourself worthy of the Umbra name."

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM, WITCH!" Sharn started to charge at Cereza, daggers in hand. She jumped in the air, preparing to slash Cereza's head off. Before she could reach us, however, I saw Cereza raise her left index finger. The next thing I saw was Sharn floating in mid-air. With just a flick of her finger, Cereza flung Sharn into a tree and completely disarmed her. With a snap of her fingers, the bark of the tree wrapped around Sharn's body, leaving only her head visible. "Let go of me, dammit! And get your filth claws off of him! He's mine!"

I blushed when she said that, while Cereza just laughed. "Silly little orcess. Adelram belongs to us. He is an Umbra, after all. Though, I'm quite sure you have no plans on staying here, do you?"

I looked at Cereza. She was so close to my face. I could feel her breath on my neck. I felt so embarrassed for some reason. So much so that I quickly inverted my gaze from her. This caused her to giggle. "Oh, don't be so shy Adelram. I don't bite." She giggled a bit. "Much." When she said that, she gave my right earlobe a playful bite. It was such a shock to me, that I subconsciously activated my powers.

I turned myself into darkness and flew away from Cereza. When I rematerialized, I could feel the heat in my face. My heart was pounding non-stop. I was probably as red as a tomato. Cereza laughed at my reaction. "That was quite adorable. I take it you're not used to being toyed with?" No, I wasn't. That was such a strange experience for me. The strangest thing about it was that it felt kind of... good.

"OH, THAT'S IT! WHEN I GET DOWN FROM HERE, I'M GONNA CARVE YOU UP LIKE A COLOSSUS BOAR!" Sharn was still yelling threats and profanities as she tried to free herself from her wooden restraints. Cereza eventually got annoyed. She snapped her fingers and had bark cover Sharn's mouth. Her yells and screams were now muffled.

"Now then, there is a simple way for you to prove yourself as an Umbra." I listened intently to Cereza, prepared to accept any challenge. "You must emerge victorious in a battle against another Umbra." I was surprised. I didn't think it'd be that easy. "You can challenge any of your sisters to a duel. Until they admit defeat, you will fight them to the end. You just need to win one battle, and you'll official be recognized... as the first Umbra Warlock. So then, which one of us shall it be?"

I looked around the area. All of the witches looked extremely powerful. Any one of them would give me a close battle. Still, I already knew who I wanted to fight. "Madame Cereza, I would be honored if you were to be my opponent." That caused a stir among the witches. Even Madame Cereza herself looked a bit surprised.

"Challenging the Head?"

"How bold!"

"I love a man who lives for danger!"

"I can't wait for her to beat him. This quiet little village of ours will be so much more fun with him around."

Madame Cereza was about to speak. More than likely, she wanted to dissuade me from fighting her, but I spoke before her. "Madame, it is my goal to learn as much about the Dark Lord as possible. To do that, I will need an incredible amount of strength. I have come close to defeat numerous times. I need to prove to myself that I'm worthy of the Dark Lord's Grimoire. With that, I could become much more powerful. However, like you said, I need to prove myself worthy. If I can't earn the respect of the most powerful witch in the world, then how could I possible earn the right to so much as touch the grimoire?" She stared at me intently. She still didn't look totally convinced. "Madame Cereza, I have one condition. If I should lose, if I should fail to defeat you, if I should fail to earn your respect... then I shall abandon my quest, and pledge my life to you and the Umbra clan!"

This caused Cereza's eyes to widen a bit. They even seemed to shine. She was still silent. In fact, the entire village was silent. "Adelram, what have you noticed about this village?" I was confused by what she meant. I looked around, trying to see what she was getting at. I realized what she meant very quickly.

"There are no men... nor are there any children."

"Correct. Adelram, these are my expectations should you fail:" She pointed her finger right at me. "Should you taste defeat at my hands, not only will you pledge you life to the clan, but also your body."

"My body?"

"Yes. You, Adelram, shall become the husband of the Umbra Clan!"

That was a huge shock! My eyes practically popped out of their sockets, and my jaw might as well have smashed into the ground! I was technically a blood member of the Umbra, wasn't I?!

Madame Cereza laughed at my expression. "Calm down, Adelram. Though we call ourselves a clan, we are not related by blood." I was confused by this. "The clan is a coven. A sisterhood. We are brought together by our magical abilities. There are only a handful of us that are actually blood-related. Don't worry. You're mother had no biological sisters here, so you won't be impregnating any of your aunts here!" She said that with such a bright smile.

Wait. "IMPREGNATING?!"

"Of course. You did mention that there were no children here, did you not?"

"But I thought witches were practically immortal!"

"Oh, in terms of lifespan, we are. However, we can still be slain like any other being. We witches don't have an advanced healing factor like a certain bipedal parasite. We can be killed just as easily as a human. Though we do have the power of resurrection, it's ultimately useless if you yourself are dead. Our numbers are also dangerously low. In total, there are only thirteen of us as of now. That is why we are in need of you. Do not fret, Adelram. You will be treated well. We will keep you well fed and well hydrated. Once you finish your training as a warlock, we will accept you as one of us, and of course as the father of our children."

Sharn's rage was going into overdrive. Though it was still muffled, it was loud enough to catch Cereza's attention. "Of course, we will also have to erase the world's memory of you."

"Huh? 'The world's memory'? What does that mean? How is that even possible?"

Cereza gave an exasperated sigh. "Do you really underestimate our power that much? The power of the Umbra clan is nearly limitless. Erasing the world's memory of you is a fairly simple task. As for what it is, it's pretty much use erasing any form of proof of your existence. It's how our clan has known peace for so long, and why there is no record of our name. Every act you've ever committed, every deed you've ever done, every life you've ever influenced, as well as every event, would have been completely erased. It would be like you were never born outside of our village."

The Umbra witches are that powerful!? Amazing. I didn't think power like that even existed. Should I lose, I could quit my journey with absolutely no negative consequences. How could Angelica or Sharn mourn over a man they have never met? However, I noticed something interesting. "You mentioned something before. Something about 'a certain bipedal parasite'. By chance, do you mean the vampires?"

"My, my, you truly are brilliant. Yes. The vampires have been our enemies for quite some time, along with those annoying reapers. In fact, you brought quite a bit of pride to the Umbra name when you defeated their leaders."

"Leaders? . . . You mean Carmilla and Death, don't you?"

"Exactly. Though, you would have brought us even more pride if you had beaten them with your own power. Speaking of which..." Cereza then snapped her fingers. From them, a wave of dark energy surrounded us. It reminded me of the barrier from the Desire Duels. For some reason, I felt lighter. I looked down to see why. All I was wearing were my pants. My Dark Clothes were gone. I looked behind me to see them floating in their original forms. My gauntlets, my boots, my breastplate, even both of my swords were floating there.

"Wow. Even with the power of the Dark Lord, you were still able to wield that sword. You really are special, my dear. Still, I want to fight you, not the power of the Dark Lord or the power of God."

As I looked at Cereza, I heard a wolf whistle.

"We got a sexy one!"

"My, my, what an amazing body."

"Kid's got some nice abs!"

"Hey, Cereza! Why don't you just fail him now?!"

Cereza looked at the witch. "That wouldn't be any fun! I want to see what he's made of!"

"Well, hurry up! I wanna see what he's made of too!"

"Yeah! Some of us want kids right now!"

These women seem to have no filter. They just say whatever they want. Cereza giggled before turning to me. "You heard them, darling. Let's begin." She then took her stance. I took my own.

I had a feeling that it would be way too dangerous to let her attack first, so I shot a fireball at her. She flicked it away with one finger. I didn't relent. I ran toward her, firing various elemental spells. Fire, water, earth, air, and lightning. She just stood there, and deflected them all. When I got close enough to her, I grabbed her ankle and slammed my palm onto the earth. "Grand Eruption!" I caused a geyser of lava to erupt beneath her. She was completely engulfed by the magma. Just to be safe, I tried to jump away from her. Smart move.

Out of the lava came a powerful kick infused with magic. I was able to cross my arms fast enough to block it, but it still hurt like hell. It sent me skidding across the field. Cereza walked out of the lava... without so much as a tan. "Impressive, but nowhere near enough." I knew it. That was one of my more advanced spells, but nowhere near one of my strongest. I stuck out my palm in her direction. "Light Wave!" A blinding wave of energy shot at her. "Hey now, that's really bright, you know. Shadow Wall." The light didn't touch her at all. In fact, it was completely devoured by her spell.

"So that's how it's gonna be? Then how about this? Black Sun!" In the palm of my hand, I had formed a ball of black flames. I based it off of my gauntlets fire. It's not as powerful, but it'll still pack a punch. I threw it at her wall. The two dark forces clashed, but my sun won out in the end. Her wall was completely shattered. "Ooh. Not bad." The sun was about to reach her, but she just punched it away. "Still, you do need just a bit more training."

She's so strong. I've never fought someone so powerful before. This was the first time I've ever felt so outmatched. Not even Death was this much of a challenge. I... needed the big guns. I was preparing to use one of my most powerful spells. God's Law. A powerful spell that should obliterate anyone I see as an enemy. I started to form a ball of light in my hands. As I was charging the spell, looking into Cereza's eyes... I canceled the spell with a clap of my hands. She smiled, looking pleased. "Well done. I knew from the beginning that you don't see me as a true enemy. To you, it's more like a sparring match between allies. The spell you were about to cast would have had no affect on me. Being a sorcerer is more than just knowing the most spells or having the most power. It's about having the wisdom to use that power at it's fullest. To know when to and when not to use a spell. You're proving your worth as an Umbra more and more, Adelram."

I felt a wave of pride hit me when she said that. Being praised by the strongest does that. Still, I knew I hadn't reached her full approval yet. I had a felling that none of my high-tiered spells would work on her. She'd just find a way to counter them. Besides, I've always been more of a brawler, even with magic. With that said, I bit the palm of my hand. Out of the wound, I forged a blade of blood. She looked impressed. "Blood Control. That's quite a rare skill. Not many sorcerers have the resolve to weaponize their own blood, not even us Umbras. Though, we have our own bodily weapon." She pulled off a single strand of her long, raven hair. The long hair just dangled in the palm of her hand, until it completely stiffened. Then, it grew in both length and width. She had turned her hair into a bo staff that was nearly as tall as she was. She twirled it in her hand elegantly, showing it off. "We Umbras prefer to use our hair as a weapon. Believe me, it's quite deadly. Shall I show you?" I got into my stance prepared to fight her. Who knows how powerful she was in close-quarters combat. However, before I could find out, something... embarrassing happened.

My stomach growled. It was so loud, that it practically shook the area around us. I haven't used this much magic since my fight with Angelica. I was already too used to the Dark Armor. I was blushing. I looked up to see Cereza, staring at me wide eyed. Then, she burst out laughing. "Is that what happens when you use to much magic? You become hungry?"

"Don't worry, my child! I'll feed you a nice butterscotch-cinnamon pie!"

"HAH! You don't know how to feed a man! He needs some more meat on his bones!"

"I disagree. He needs the cleansing power of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and seeds."

"Oh, please. Didn't you hear that growl? It's obvious that he will need a feast. I will gladly fix it for him."

The witches started to argue about what to feed me. It was embarrassing, and it was making me even hungrier. Still, I'd have to ignore my hunger for now. I needed to concentrate on my fight. Cereza calmed down from her laughing fit, and was back to business. I charged right at her, blood sword in hand. She parried all of my attacks. I jumped in the air and started to spin to increase my momentum and power. When I tried to strike her, she was able to easily deflect my attack. To say that I was outmatched might be an understatement. She then rushed toward me. I was able to put up my guard by placing the blade in front of me, but it proved useless. When her staff was about to strike my sword, she made her hair return to it's former, limp form. It slid over the blade. Once the strand was over the blade, she reverted the hair back into a staff in that split second. It smashed into my chest, cracking a few ribs. The attack sent me flying to the wall of her barrier. It hurt like hell.

I looked up at her, watching her twirl around her staff with a playful smile. She was having fun, and she could still keep going strong. I, on the other hand, was reaching my limits. I needed to end this fight now. I had my blood return to my body and closed the wound. Getting up, I concentrated all of my power into my right hand. It started to glow as brightly as it did when I fought Angelica. No. It was shining brighter. This was going to be my last spell. It helped me beat Angelica, so maybe it could beat Cereza. She seemed impressed. When it was fully charged, I ran at her. When I was close enough, I pulled back my fist. As the fist was about to pass my head, she spoke. "That's enough." I stopped my fist. It hadn't even left the vicinity of my face. The rushed stopped caused a shock-wave that blew Cereza's hair. She looked at me, smiling. "Congratulations, Adelram. You are now an accepted member of the Umbra Clan."

I was so confused. "But... but I didn't beat you. I never even got you to fight seriously." She giggled. "Did I say you absolutely needed to beat one of us? I just said you needed to emerge victorious. I also remembered saying that your opponent was allowed to admit defeat. I've seen quite enough of your power, and I approve. So, I've had my fill of our duel. Congratulations, Warlock Adelram Umbra." With that, her barrier was gone. When it left, all of my powers returned to me. My clothes were back, and my swords returned to their original dimensions. When that happened, I looked at the still bound and gagged Sharn. I tried to use my own magic to release her. I envisioned the tree releasing her, and snapped my fingers. It worked. Before she could fall unceremoniously, I used gravity magic to gently lower her to the ground. Cereza was impressed. "Hm. Quick learner." Sharn glared at Cereza as she walked to my side.

"Congrats, kid!"

"Welcome to the family!"

"Does this mean we can't make love with him yet?"

"Maybe. Depends on what the guy wants."

"He's an Umbra. He'll still probably want to continue his little trip."

"Aw. I was looking forward to being a mother."

"You and me both, sister."

I was blushing from their conversation, while Cereza just giggled. She then summoned the grimoire. "The book is now yours." I walked over to the book. I was able to open it. No shock this time. It was odd. The book wasn't written in any known language, but I could still read it. One of the spells caught my attention. Land of the Eternal Full Moon. So that's why the Southern Plains were like this. It was because of the Dark Lord. So he was powerful enough to manipulate reality itself. Amazing. To think there was a sorcerer with that much power at his fingertips.

As much as I was enjoying the book, there was one problem. Unlike with the rest of the artifacts, I was shown no memories. I was given no clue to the Dark Lord. I... had nothing. This was my last clue. As I placed the book in it's own dimension, I smashed the podium it was originally on. "DAMMIT!" Sharn spoke before anyone else. "Adelram, what's wrong?" I looked at Sharn. I sighed before I answered her. "I wasn't shown anything. I have nowhere else to go. This book was my last clue, and I was given nothing. I have all of the artifacts, I have the book, and I've met all three of the living Dark Generals. I... I've reached the end. I've got nowhere else to go."

"Well, why don't you just ask the other three?" We both looked at Cereza. I looked at her with tired eyes, while Sharn's eyes was actually calling her an idiot. "Madame Cereza, it's kind of hard to ask a corpse about the Dark Lord."

"Well, then bring them back to life." My eyes went wide. I asked her what she meant by that. She responded by pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out an exasperated sigh before laughing, like I had just asked a question to the most simple question in the world. "You're an Umbra, boy. Did you forget what I've told you? We can resurrect the dead. That book of yours even has a resurrection spell that you can use. Why do you think Death hates us so much?"

I had forgotten that. I still had a chance. I can still learn more about the Dark Lord, and meet three of the most legendary warriors the world has ever known. I bowed before Cereza, and thanked her for all her help. She smiled as she walked toward me. "You're quite welcome, Adelram. And remember..." She cupped my face in her hands, and brought her face down to mine at eye level. "You are a member of the Umbra clan. You will always have a home here." With that, she kissed me... on the lips. I could even feel her tongue exploring my mouth. I could hear Sharn babbling, but my head was getting fuzzy. When she parted from me, there was a trail of saliva. I looked at her with shocked eyes. That was my... second kiss. There was irony in that, since my first kiss was also stolen. The only exception was that I was the thief, and the victim was... Angelica.

One day at the academy, I saw Angelica being harassed by a group of boys. They were asking her to be their lover. The boys were handsome, but they were all known playboys. One of them already had a girlfriend. Another had multiple secret lovers. That one even bragged about it. There was no way I would allow such filth to associate with Angelica. I walked over toward the group, and told them that Angelica was already mine. They didn't believe me. I was apparently infamous for turning down every confession I was ever given. People thought I would never be in a relationship with anyone other than combat and academics. They demanded proof that I was in love with Angelica. I gave them just that. I gently turned Angelica towards me, and kissed her. It caught her by surprise, but it seemed to shock the playboys even more. I made it authentic by exploring the insides of her mouth. I knew that the playboys were able to see our tongues fight for dominance. During the intimate act, I glared at the boys. They finally relented and walked away. When I couldn't sense them anymore, I stopped kissing her. The plan was mostly successful. The only problem was that I had inadvertently drained Angelica of all her strength. She fell limply in my arms, face as red as an apple with swirling eyes. After that, she would always blush around me and avert her eyes. She never ignored me, but she still acted love-struck. It was actually really cute, though it only lasted for a month. However, our bond seemed to strengthen. We even spent more time than usual after that.

W-w-w-why was I thinking about that time!? Why did the memory of my first kiss appear?! I could still feel Ram's tongue dominating my own!

"Is somethin' the matter, Master Angelica?"

"N-no! Nothing is wrong, Master Grant! Though, I can't help but feel the need to not only be the first to punch Ram, but also slap him enough to make his cheeks look like a baboon's behind!"

"Uh, o-okay. I see no problem with that."

"Thank you, Master Grant!" Wait until I get my hands on you! RAM, YOU IDIOT!

Sharn started to drag me away from the village, after she gave me one of her famous punches. The last thing I saw was the witches waving goodbye. Eventually, we had left the village, and Sharn gave me permission to walk.

As we walked, I brought out the book and started to read out of it. While I was studying, Sharn spoke. "Adelram, What did she mean?"

"Hm?"

"When she said you... abandoned your mother."

I was afraid she would ask that. I don't like talking about myself, let alone my past. Still, Sharn was my partner. She had a right to know. "My mother gave birth to me when she was sixteen. She was a kind and loving woman, always putting my best interest before her own. Still, I was able to see that she was struggling. The teenage years is no time to be a mother. When I had reached the age of four, I thought it would be best if I had left. I thought it would out less of a burden on her."

"You left your mother at four years of age?"

"Yes, though I was more than capable of fending for myself. Eventually, I had enrolled into the academy and was already participating in missions. When I had received my first payment, I sent about half of that amount to my mother. That was a mistake on my part, since she was able to send me a letter. She told me how sorry she was that she wasn't able to give me a better life, and how she wishes for another chance. It was a heartbreaking letter. As I sent more money to her, she sent just as many letters. However, they were telling me how proud she was of me. How she was proud of what I had become. Eventually, the letters stopped coming. I still sent her money, but I had stopped expecting any letters all together. I thought she had every right to deny me something like that. I have no regrets. At least I know that she's living a happy life."

"Well, what of your father? What about him?"

"I honestly don't know."

"What?"

"I've never met the man. In fact, my own mother doesn't even remember who he was. Well, it isn't important. If I abandoned my mother out of love, I'd probably abandon him out of spite. He has absolutely no importance in my life, whatsoever. Besides, I had an amazing father figure in the Steel Paladin."

Sharn just stared at me, probably unsure of what to say. "I've heard of parents abandoning children, but I've never heard of a child abandoning their parents. You really are an interestingly strange man, Adelram."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess I am." The past is nothing more than that. The past. All that mattered was the here and now, and I now had a new goal: the resurrection of the deceased Dark Generals. And we were approaching the last known location one of them.

The battleground were he met his end. The battleground of where the youngest of the Dark Generals died.

The current resting place... of Brauner Erebus.

A/N: That's right. The generals are coming back from the dead. Let's see how they are. Oh, and here's something we haven't had in a damned long time. An alternate ending. I like to envision my story in the form of a game. Cereza would be an unwinnable boss, but there would be a point system with a time limit. Certain actions would give you more points, while others would deduct them. Remember when Adelram stopped his law and punch? That scored major points. This alternate ending would be the scenario of when you don't score enough points to pass after time runs out. Warning: Lemon. Fetish elements.

"That's enough." Unfortunately, I had built too much momentum. I couldn't stop my punch. Cereza ended up catching the punch... with one hand. It didn't even cause her to flinch. She released a disappointed sigh. "I'm sorry, Adelram. You haven't reached our level yet. As such, you now belong to us." With that, she and the rest of the clan snapped their fingers. The last thing I saw was a blinding light.

When I woke up, I was in an empty room. I tried to move, but I soon learned that I was shackled to the wall. "Oh, you're awake." Madame Cereza emerged from the darkness. Her eyes had a lustful gleam to them. "I know you're an honorable man, but you can never be too careful. Now then, you belong to the Umbra witches, my dear. We will treat you well, and eventually train you to become a true Umbra. However, for now, we can do as we please with your body." She then discarded her clothes, revealing a flawless body. Fair skin, ample and large bosom, seductively long legs, and curves in all the right places. I couldn't tell if I was looking at a witch or a goddess. "As I've told you before, the village is lacking in children, and we all want to become mothers. It's only fitting that the Head becomes the first to bear a child. Don't worry, I'll make sure you enjoy yourself as well."

She reached down and grabbed my nearly developed erection. I just now realized that I was in the nude. Cereza didn't waste any time. She immediately placed my erection into her mouth. It was so warm and moist. Her tongue was completely encircling my member, covering it with her saliva. It felt so good, that I climaxed before I even realized it. "Mm, what a delicious flavor." She then wrapped my still stiff penis with her breasts. So soft. She started a piston motion. The softness and friction was incredible. It caused me to climax as quickly as her mouth did. "Oh, my; it seems that I've been marked. I really shouldn't be wasting something so valuable, but you seem to be enjoying yourself." I was panting like a dog. I looked at her with lazy, yet lustful eyes. "Don't worry, my dear, we're far from finished."

She turned her back towards me, and positioned my erection at her entrance. She decided to tease me first. She rubbed me against her folds. I could feel the warmth, softness, and moisture. It was driving me mad. Finally, in a quick motion, she stabbed me into her. It was so quick, that it brought a moan of pleasure from both of us. She was so tight and hot. It felt amazing. She smiled at me before she started to move. It was slow at first, until she started to hasten. During the act, she swung her leg over my head, and was now positioned in front of me. Her height made so I was staring directly at her breasts. They were jiggling as she continued to straddle me. I finally allowed my lust to take over. With my hands bound to the wall, I couldn't grab her, but I still had my mouth. I started to suck on her breasts. That got a moan of pleasure from her. "Oh, you naughty child. Oh, well. You might as well enjoy it while you can. Once the child is born, you'll be off limits. At least until the child outgrows the need for my milk."

It continued like this for quite a while. Then, she hastened greatly, trying to make me ejaculate faster. I was reaching my limit, and she knew it. "Release it, Adelram! Plant your seed! Impregnate me! Make me a mother!" I complied. We both released a moan of satisfied pleasure. I could feel my seed flowing into her. When I was finished, she got off of my now limp member. She turned to me, a look of satisfaction on her face. Before she left, she kissed me. Her lips were so soft.

She kept her word. I was well feed and well hydrated. The witches gave me delicious food and different juices from a variety of fruits. I'm pretty sure they just keep me chained up as some kind of fetish. Though, they still used me as a sex slave. Eventually, all thirteen of the witches were now pregnant. That was when my training as a warlock began.

The training at the academy might as well have been a quiet stroll through the country. The training was hellishly difficult. They taught me spells that I never even knew existed, and showed me all kinds of different possibilities, literally. A spell that was taught to me allowed me to see into different timelines. How my life would have been different from it is now.

I saw a timeline of me losing to Angelica, and another of me losing to Sharn. They were both interesting, but the one that caught my eye the most... was the timeline where I was never born, basically the current timeline the Umbras had created. I was impressed by what Angelica had become.

She was a badass. Absolutely merciless. Well, maybe not that far. She was still kind, but she was strict. She completely obliterated Trevor, and easily became the Golden Paladin. She was an incredible leader, and brought about such amazing developments. She didn't resemble her kind and happy self that I grew up with. She was strict, enjoyed combat, and had a no-nonsense attitude. In short, she was just like me. If I had never been born, Angelica would have been exactly like me. Interesting.

I would have watched more, but Cereza canceled the spell, saying I was wasting valuable training time. Eventually, I had finished my training, and had become a full fledged Umbra. I was now officially the first Umbra warlock. Just in time, too.

My children started being born. I was surprised to see that a lot of the witches gave birth to sons. Cereza was the most surprising. She gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl. They were all naturally gifted sorcerers. When they were of age, their training began. They excelled in nearly all categories of their training. Still, some of the kids were a bit stubborn. One of them, a little tomboy, told me she was bored with magic training. She wanted to do something else, so I taught her how to fight. She loved it. Hell, to this day, she would always ask me for a round of sparring. I eventually taught my oldest son how to fight just so she would leave me alone. He became her goal after his tenth consecutive win.

That batch of children wasn't the last. Apparently, their mothers became addicted to sex. When ever they gave birth, they'd find the first chance they could to have me pleasure them. Cereza was one of the most demanding. Eventually, our small village grew into a town of witches and warlocks. Thanks to our magic, life was simple. We had plenty of food, water, and resources because of it. The Umbra Clan lived a happy and peaceful life. True, we were attacked by Death and Carmilla once or twice, but we always sent them running with their tails between their legs.

This was my life now, and I was happy. Besides, I can always see how my life could have been with my magic. Great way to entertain myself. I can even see into other worlds. You know you've seen everything when you see a human willingly marry a demon out of pure love. Life is good.

A/N: Well, there's the alternate ending. You guys know the drill: if you think you can make a better alt. ending, then go for it. I think it's okay. I basically gave Adelram a harem, but who cares? The Umbra witches own him in this AE, not the other way around. At least he got some pretty awesome kids in the process. He has a little tomboy, for crying out loud! . . . . Anyone else jealous that Adelram can see into different timelines? I've always wanted to be able to do that, just so I could see what life would have been like if I had never been born, or if I hadn't done the things I regret doing. I WANT THAT SPELL!