A Few days had passed since Lucka spent her day off and started to attend Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), as Tseng recommended. Attending therapy again after her short-age remission felt somewhat nostalgic. They helped her manage her wayward emotion and keep the mood on the right track. In her experience, it was always better to take care of the distress as soon as possible. Her mentality was not in a pleasing stage, but it could be worst.

That said, she was ready to talk to Genesis.

Lucka knocked on his office door three times. After he let her in, she offered him an awkward, small smile. "Um. Hi."

Genesis looked up from his computer. He raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, hey, Lucka. Is there something I can help you with?" he said while walking Lucka to sit on one of the armchairs.

Lucka sat acrross him. "It's an important matter."

"Okay. What's this about?" He asked as he crossed his legs.

Lucka tried not to swallow and looked him in the eyes. "It's about your wound."

Genesis tensed. "I'm listening."

Lucka took a deep breath. How could she say it without hurting Genesis? She said, "It's not healing, right? Although the wound is superficial, the mako energy seeping through it stopped it from recovering."

Genesis nod briefly. He asked, "How do you know about this?"

"It's from the future". Lucka took another deep breath. Her voice sounded smaller than before. "You'll degrade."

"Degrade?"

"Degradation is a term given to the slow deterioration of the body as a result of having the incomplete powers of ... " Lucka trailed off. How did she tell him it was Jenova?

"Of?"

Lucka bit her inner cheeks. "SOLDIER strength." She said.

The room went quiet.

"How is it incomplete?"

Lucka shook her head. "Ugh. Sorry, in my humble knowledge, I don't know about the details."

A sharp inhale came from Genesis's direction. He said, "Is there any way to stop it?"

Lucka licked her lips. Her expression grew serious. "Yes... there is a way. By being infused with the lifestream. But I'm afraid I can't tell you how to do it too."

Genesis gave her a deep frown. "Then why are you even telling me this?"

"I'm telling you in advance so you will feel less betrayed later."

"What do you mean? Betrayed? by who?" He asked, shaken.

Lucka felt something awful would happen. But she said it anyway, "Listen, Genesis. Your inhuman SOLDIER power is a result of project G experiment conducted by professor Hollander powered by Shinra—"

"Are you telling me Shinra will betray me?!" Genesis erupted. "Don't you understand how heavy the implication of your word is?"

Lucka jolted from her seat. How appalled she was hearing her harsh tone. "Genesis, please calm down," she said, raising her hands. "I'm telling the thr—

"Enough. Please get out!" Genesis yelled and pointed at the door.

Lucka, hurt, cast him a bitter look. "I'm just trying to help. You didn't need to be that mean," she stood and walked to the door.

Genesis seems caught on her distress gesture. He held her hand to stop her. "Lucka, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just too much for me to hear right now."

Lucka glanced at her hand to his eyes. "We will talk again when you're ready," she said, releasing his hand and getting out of his office room.

Ryuu rolled on his back and felt something soft and warm nuzzle his bare chest. As he opened his eyes, he found a pair of green eyes staring at him.

Chione grinned as she greeted him, "Heya, sleepy head!"

Ryuu smiled back and patted her head. "Yeah," he said and embraced her.

Chione winced and whined, "Ryuu. It still hurts."

"Ah, sorry," he said, "turns around. Let me see it."

Chione laid on her stomach to show her back. Ryuu traced the purplish bruises from her waist to her thighs with his fingertips. "I'll apply the ointment again," he said as he opened the drawer on the nightstand and applied it.

"You know, I thought I'd be dead for sure! It was so scary last night. I even have a dream about it. You have always been the ultimate Dom, but the aura you gave off was incredible. I don't know if you didn't hold back and stuck to my limits, or I'm begging for my life. I might already lose some meat!" Chione babbled out.

Ryuu smiled. Chione was always this extra to express her feelings. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes, it wasn't. But Ryuu finally understood why Lucka was so brokenhearted when Chione left. She was like a walking battery. Her energy can charge up people around her. Not to mention that excessive power also came in handy in bed.

"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time," Ryuu said and gave a peck on her cheek.

"Good," she said as she popped up on her side and watched him get out of the bed. "How are you feeling? Are you leaving now?"

Ryuu sighed and went to the bathroom. Last night's nightmare still haunted him, but he said nothing more. He didn't want to ruin their afternoon.

Chione followed and hugged him from behind while he turned the warm shower water on. He said, "You can stay here. Lucka won't come back soon."

"But I want to go with you," she said and buried her face between his burly shoulder blades.

He ran his finger along with his wet hair. "No. You can't. Euriale will go berserk if she sees you."

Chione let out an exaggerated sigh. "That rotten-hag should move one. My family line doesn't have any involvement."

Ryuu released her small hand that circled him and turned around. He brushed off the wet strands from Chione's face and said, "She doesn't care. Whether it was the pure blood of Perseus's descendants or not. Just like me."

Chione looked up at him with flashy eyes. "I'm sorry, Ryuu. You don't deserve this. If only I'm stronger, we can solve everything faster."

Ryuu shook his head. He said, "I can't lose you. Stay with me. We need enough power to end this war."

Chione gave him a nod with a sweet smile. "Now. We still have enough time. My dear Ryuu will face the evil deity. Don't you think you need to loosen up?" she said.

Ryuu raised both of his eyebrows when he saw Chione kneel and touch his lower part. "Well. My girl is so considerate," he said as he caressed her head.

Ryuu should know better. If Chione gave him head, that didn't mean they would stop there. Even though he was in a better mood, his stamina wore off because yesterday, they were also doing playtime all night. After he closed the car door and walked to the temple's ruin, he almost tripped on the stairs. Seriously, he sighed.

Ryuu placed the small cage on the altar and watched the baby bird for a while. What a poor guy.

"What a cutie," said a voice.

Ryuu turned his head to the voice's source and found the empty room now occupied by the distinct deity's aura. She really appeared whenever she wanted, whether he was ready or not. He put his hand on his chest, trying to calm down his shaky heart. "You… Why are you always…" he soughed, "never mind."

Euriale gave him an amused smile. Like she knew how to make fun of him all the time. She opened the cage and put the golden Chicobo on her palm. "Great. It's the healthy one. I can't wait to bring you to the Olympus," she said with a smug smile while her eyes glued to the little guy.

Ryuu stepped back and said, "I'll take my leave,"

"Where's the white mouse?" She asked and put the Chicobo on her shoulder.

His eyes followed her movement. It looked silly. "She's back to Gaia," Ryuu answered nonchalantly. Without asking who she meant by white mouse, it must be Lucka. Ryuu just witnessed that Euriale liked to give her a weird pet name randomly.

"Hasn't she gotten pregnant yet with that silver-haired man?" She casually asked while sitting on the altar.

Ryuu was boggled. He asked with a grimace, "Pardon? She's only eighteen," he said, "and they're not into that kind of relationship."

Euriale smirked. "Are you sure? Circe is an enchantress, after all. The Goddess roots must be thick," she hummed and murmured, "It's already mating season, though. I suppose I need to wait longer to see the baby dragon."

"Baby dra…" Ryuu, still astonished, didn't miss it. He asked, "What? What do you mean by that?"

Euriale gave him that look, and he thought she wouldn't answer his question for free.

Her lips lifted with a smile like a blooming bud. She said, "What can you give as an offering for the answer?"

See?

Ryuu stared back with his eyes constricted hard. He knew Euriale was one intelligent deity. She must already know where Lucka was, yet she still asked him. She did that on purpose. Great, let's just hit two birds with one stone. He'd been waiting for this moment anyway. And Euriale was openly asking him at this very moment first so he might take the opportunity. "My blood," he said, "Let's make a contract."

Euriale let out a shot of hysterical laughter. Her body suddenly hovered over the ground with dark smoke around her. There's chill ran down his crest once she said, "As expected from the descendant of the wicked King of the sea," she said, "you really are fearless. The answer isn't even beneficial for you. But you willingly sold your kind for her." she snickered. "Ah. It'll be so much fun. Then, come here, little dragon."

Ryuu frowned. She also gave him a nickname. He stepped closer and stopped right in front of her.

Euriale reached out and caressed the side of his cheek. "Such vile blood, what a waste for this pretty face," she said, "you'll be a great slave if your breed isn't that revolting."

Ryuu put on a sour face. "If you abhor me that much, just start already," he said.

Euriale smirked as she opened her palms and withdrew two shining things. A black trophy adorned with a gold snake ornament appeared. And a sharp, gold dagger on top of her other palms. She placed them on the altar and said, "Once we made the contract, there's no way of turning back."

"I know," Ryuu said. He took the dagger and faced the blade to his left palm. He had already made up his mind. Now or never. Euriale couldn't directly touch their kind, but with his blood, it was possible. To his advantage, borrowing the deity's power and using her hatred toward his family would make it easier to get rid of his lowlife relatives. And by the end of the chaos, he would stand alone as the head of the Hara clan. He couldn't wait to crush their ancestor's pride.

I'll make them pay what they'd done to us.

Ryuu cut the flesh and watched the fresh blood fill up the trophy. After the cup was full enough, he touched the dragon tattoo on his wrist and unsealed his mana to cast a healing spell to close the wound.

Euriale, still hovering, took the trophy and drew an ancient sigil around them with the blood. She read some ancient spells and started the contract procession.

The characters raised from the ground glowed up and bound the two. After Ryuu felt the connection established between them, he said, "Now answer my question, Euriale. What's with the baby dragon?"

"Well, well. It'll be cheesy if I say it was fate. It'll be more interesting if it's conveyed as 'a fruitful manipulation'," she said, smirking. "That Jenova, the alien bitch's true child, will become a mate for Ladon's descendant. Once a dragon meets its destined, imprinted mate, it'll be everlasting. With whoever they are. A girl, a boy?" Euriale said with amusement. "It just happened that Lucka, the last one, can do reproduction. Thus the ravenous Heracles should work hard."

"How's that possible?"

The corner of Euriale's lips curled into a mischievous smile. She told him, "Listen carefully, little dragon. There's this interesting, somewhat secret story, buried behind other secrets amongst the God and Goddesses," she said, "you might've known Jenova as a nomadic creature. Once she successfully destroyed one planet, she'd find another to be her next target. But when she arrived on Earth, she took on the Olympians' wrath, of course. And do you know what she did before fleeing to Gaia?"

Ryuu wrinkled his eyebrows. Why would Euriale tell a story with gossipy manners? He sighed and said, "No. I don't."

"She did something fishy to Ladon!"

Ryuu raised one of his thick eyebrows. He said, "What? Did they make a contract or something?"

"Well, who knows," Euriale said and shrugged, "What I know is, Jenova could flee after acquiring half of Ladon's spiritual energy with her. Either she got it from seducing or just deceiving him. And perhaps, because of the lack of power, Ladon died at the hand of Heracles."

"But that doesn't explain why they're related, Euriale," Ryuu said with exasperation.

"That's it! That's why it's called a secret!" she laughed to the extent it annoyed him so much. She continued, "No deity knows the details yet. But besides possessing Ladon's energy, she also had the seed of the Golden Apple. What do you think? Just what kind of relationship they had to the point he should help Jenova's child and give the heirloom to his last descendant to carry along that duty?"

Ryuu sighed. The information didn't help much. But he decided to move on. "I have another concern. You said Lucka would know the reason for her restored magic once she can complete it from the Hesperides. Then, how to complete it? Her parents were the ones who sealed it. I didn't even know the reason why they did that. Would completing it bring harm to her?"

"Three questions," she said, counting with her slender fingers all of the questions he asked, "for three heads and one additional head because you asked me instead of the Hesperides,"

"Suit yourself. You can take whoever you want," Ryuu said.

Euriale's smirk widened. "Of course, it would," she said, "If it's complete, then it'll become a threat to Heracles' descendants. As I said before, it just happened the last Circe is a girl. Heracles want to cut the chain before another descendant is born."

Ryuu cast a ferocious gaze. He growled, "So that's why her parents lived in covert and sealed lucka's power away."

"Yes, it was such a foolish and selfish action. In the end, Lucka's power still threaten Heracles's descendant existence."

"And since it's already turned this way. How to complete her power and withstand the Heracles' force?"

"Four questions," Eruriale said merrily.

Ryuu shook his head. "The decision is yours. I don't care whoever you want to kill this time," he said, "answer me, Euriale."

Euriale smirk. "It's easy. By acquiring half of Ladon power that resided in Jenova's child through exalted energy transfer and in-depth intimacy."

Ryuu was confused. "In-depth intimacy?"

"It's the same approach as you do with that blond child," Euriale said with profound contempt.

Ryuu's eyes widened. "Getting know each other and... "

"Coitus."

Damn.