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Year 16 AL, Idée Fixe

"...This move is just an extension of the basics I taught you before, so it should be simple for you to pull off." Alice explained. Luka nodded, holding Angel Halo steadily in his hands as his traveling partner spoke to him.

The sky was nearly black overhead, and the lightning had grown more aggressive. Despite the less-than-agreeable conditions, the Lamia had insisted that she teach the boy another technique before they turned in for the night.

The fire from his cooking was still lit, its flame's soft crackling filled the air as Alice continued her small lecture. "It is a simple thrust, much like you've used before, but much more effective with the proper amount of Magic used alongside it." The lavender-skinned Lamia nodded at the tree they were using as a target. On it, was a scratched-in "X", courtesy of Alice. Luka gave a nod of his own, "Alright, I'm ready, Alice!" The boy called out, stealing his stance as he faced the tree.

Alice slithered through the grass to get closer, "Good, this one is known as the Blood Fissure Thunder Thrust."

CRAAAACKK

Luka jerked at the loud burst of lightning above, the thunder seemingly shaking the ground itself. Luka wildly jerked his head towards Alice, his eyes going wide both at the name of the attack and the explosion coming from the storm above. "The... The Wh-Wh-What Thrust!?" He exclaimed in question.

"The Blood Fissure Thunder Thrust." Alice answered simply. Luka lowered Angel Halo to his waist, "Why does it have such an awful name, too!?" He asked in horror.

Alice looked at him with displeasure, "What else would you name a move used to gut your opponents?" She asked, before quickly adding, "On second thought, don't answer that. After hearing your terrible replacements for Demon Decapitation, I don't want to know what else you have in that weird mind of yours."

Luka, not too happy about the move's name or Alice's decrying of his ability to name things, let his arms now drop to his sides. "Well, can I not at least shorten it to Thunder Thrust, please? At least that doesn't make me sound like some bloodthirsty maniac!" Alice gave a great big huff at Luka's objection but relented.

"Ugh, fine, if it really makes that much of a difference to you. But don't blame me if it doesn't work as well because you didn't want to say the proper name." Alice criticized, folding her arms over each other haughtily. Luka readied his stance once more as he whispered, "I think I'd rather it be that way, instead of having to say such an unheroic thing."

Luka readied his stance once more, planting his feet firmly in the green grass below. He breathed in deeply, feeling the wet breeze blow lightly through his hair, casting erring strays of his long locks across his face. The young Hero started to pool his Magic together, the flow of his aura being much smoother thanks to Micaela's help. Luka breathed out, holding Angel Halo tight in his gloved hands as he readied his attack...

...Unfortunately, he held on to it a bit too tightly.

"Thunder Thr-"

"AH!~" Angel Halo gasped out.

Luka fumbled midsentence, his concentration becoming ruined by the inappropriate moan. He was only barely getting the rest of "Thrust" out of his mouth before he shot forward with great speed, his sword aimed towards the tree! Alice's golden eyes went wide as Luka practically flew forward, Angel Halo stabbing deep into the bark and halfway embedding right into the "X" drawn on the tree.

The attack landed successfully, but Luka did not.

Alice watched as Luka let out a quick scream and flew past his sword to roughly bounce off the main trunk. The short boy spun around after colliding with it, letting out another yell that was quickly cut off by his head bashing roughly against the ground. A horrid-sounding wet thwack resounded out as the boy fell into an unconscious heap on the grass below.

"Oh... shit." Alice remarked, looking down at the now knocked-out Luka. Slowly, she slithered over to his limp body, giving him a once-over. His eyes were closed shut, and a thin cut ran parallel to his left eyebrow. The Lamia shook her head and turned her gaze to the tree to see that Angel Halo was still lodged in its trunk. 'Maybe trees aren't the best for target practice.' Alice thought, slowly reaching over with her tail and yanking the sword from the hole it had been stuck in.

Alice glanced down at Luka again, shuddering involuntarily upon noticing the open gash cutting across his forehead. The blood flowed slowly from his temple and down the side of his pale face like a fountain.

Just like it had after his fight with Granberia.

Alice felt the familiar feeling of intense discomfort anytime Luka had any serious encounter with a Monster. However, this time, it came from the mere sight of him lying limp and bloodied on the ground.

CRRACK

The Monster Lord forced away the strange wave of distress and nausea as the storm above came alive once more with another crash of lightning. She felt the small rain droplets begin to hit her skin, as she dragged the unconscious Hero towards his tent with her tail...

...A couple hours later into the night, the young Hero Luka was fast asleep inside of his tent. He laid on his futon somewhat haphazardly, his body sprawled around underneath his blankets. The storm outside was well underway now, the rain falling steadily as the wind had begun to worsen.

CRRAA-ACK

Luka was quickly forced out of his dreamless slumber by the sound of a particularly intense burst of thunder crackling overhead. The boy jolted and sat up but immediately regretted the movement as a wave of acute pain struck him in his forehead, the sensation causing him to cringe and lay his head back gently on his pillow.

"Owww... that smarts..." He hissed, rubbing the offended area with his hand.

As Luka attempted to quell his startlingly powerful headache, the young Hero realized that he wasn't exactly sure how he even got in his tent. The last thing his weary mind remembered was when Alice was showing him a new sword technique. However, the memories started to come to him as he shook off the cobwebs from his knock-out.

'Oh yeah, I was practicing Thunder Thrust...' The image of a tree hurtling towards Luka before his entire World went sideways entered his mind, strengthening his headache. '...Ah, yes. I ate dirt after smashing into a tree. Fantastic.' He thought bluntly, the embarrassing failure now coming to the forefront of his mind.

Luka doubled his efforts to alleviate his growing pain by lightly massaging his temples, though the action only helped so much. His pale-blue eyes idly looked around his tent, though it was so dark that he could only make out the sizable mountain of blankets that seemed to surround him on all sides. 'Did I really pack that many, I swear I only had two?' He thought to himself.

As Luka sat there, contemplating his current situation, he became aware of the chorus of little pitter-pattering on the roof and walls of his tent. For a moment, the noise confused him until he realized that it was rain. 'That makes sense. Whether or not it would rain was more of a matter of when rather than if, considering how those clouds looked...' Luka thought as he let out a loud sigh.

"Oi, keep it down over there. I'm trying to sleep." Alice hissed from somewhere in the darkness of his tent.

"Oh, sorry Alice." Luka whispered back automatically, his tired and hurting head not fully picking up the fact that his traveling partner was laying inside the tent with him.

'...Wait. Alice?' He thought as he sat up, before another vicious bolt of lightning surged outside.

CRRAAACK

The bright flash of the discharge lit up his tent for a split-second, illuminating the inside of Luka's tent. Despite the light being very brief Luka was able to very clearly see why he had thought he had more bedcovering than usual.

He wasn't surrounded by blankets, he was surrounded by Alice. The entire length of her red tail completely encircled the boy, bits and pieces of her red-scaled limb poking out from under the covers. Alice's main body was at the other side of the small tent, bunched up a little way past his feet.

The light faded, leaving the two in darkness once more. Rattled by the discovery, Luka shakily called put to his traveling partner. "U-Umm, what a-a-are you doing in here, Alice?" Luka asked, his nerves flaring at the unexpected closeness.

"Trying to sleep, what do you think?" She replied, her golden eyes glowing fairly with tired annoyance at the other end of the tent. The purple-haired boy paused at her answer as he reflexively pulled his blanketing up to cover himself, despite the fact that he was fully clothed. "W-W-Well, I just wa-was wondering why you were..." He fidgeted again, feeling her tail twitch beside him. "...In here." He finished.

He felt Alice sit up, and her golden eyes faced him again. "Do you think I'd prefer to get drenched sleeping out there?" Alice asked, another crack of lightening appearing to inadvertently help emphasize her point.

CRAA-CRAAACCK

Luka flinched, "Ah, yes, I see your point."

The Lamia huffed at his words and continued to complain, "Not that this is much better. Why is your tent so small for?" The young Hero grabbed at his hair some as he stuttered out an answer. "It-It's the one my parents got for me when I was younger and..." His face became hot with embarrassment, "...Erm, I never really grew much since then, so I figured I'd never need to get a bigger one."

Alice seemed to give his answer thought, as the tent went quiet for a minute. The torrent of rain seemed to pick up, the barrage pelting down louder now as the storm outside seemed to swell. Luka shivered, the inside if the tent feeling colder now. The purple-haired boy pulled up his blanket more as Alice asked him a rather unexpected question, "You never expected to share it with anyone on your travels?"

Luka became silent, his face becoming a bit melancholy. "I didn't really figure I would, no. There's never been anyone that close to me in my life either than my parents so..." He stopped, the thought of his overall loneliness bringing his spirits down. "...I-I always thought I'd only ever need room for me."

The tent became quiet once more, neither of the occupants having much else to say at Luka's confession. Alice's faintly glowing eyes faded from sight, and for a moment he wondered if he divulged too much. From her perspective, it probably seemed a tad bit pathetic to say such a thing to someone he didn't really know that well...

...However, what he didn't know, was how familiar his loneliness sounded to his lavender-skinned traveling partner.

"Well, since I'm traveling with you, it would do you good to invest in a larger tent. Having to bend myself in such a way is making my back sore." Alice said while squirming around beneath the blanketing. Luka frowned, not realizing that the Lamia would be in pain due to his smaller-than-average tent. He bit his lip as his tired brained worked to think of a solution.

One did come to his mind, although he instantly felt deterred to suggest it, as it would be rather... physical for him to do.

Luka fiddled with his fingers for a while as the rain poured on above, the mental battle in his mind waging on whether he should really do such a thing or not. The boy's throat went dry, and he eventually found the power to muscle out the words he was looking for. "...If your back is hurting that bad, I..." He nearly choked on his words when Alice's golden eyes revealed themselves in the dark, their questioning gaze striking him to his core. He pushed on, "...I could... h-help you. With that."

Luke could almost feel the sudden shift in the air upon his utterance of those words and he almost regretted having said it as Alice asked, "Help me how?" He felt his heart quiver, his mind yelling at him for throwing himself in a such a precarious position. But even as he mentally questioned himself, he gave his answer.

"I can massage your back."

Now, even with the rain roaring outside and the thunder rumbling up above, the tent felt deathly silent. Luka gulped, his throat now feeling very dry. Alice's gaze bore into him through the dark, like golden candles in the night. "Are you serious?" She asked, halfway baffled and halfway actually curious by his offer.

The young Hero looked away as his heart pounded away in his chest, "Y-You've helped me with a lot of stuff s-so far, and so I-I just thought that, if you were fine with it, I could help you t-too." He looked up, seeing Alice's now unreadable golden eyes still staring straight at him. He shook again, though this time not from the cold.

Luka felt his nerves betray his words, an anxious laugh escaping his lips. "Ah-ha-haa, u-uh I guess that sounds a bit silly, doesn't it? Sorry, I-"

"Actually..." Luka froze as he heard Alice's body rise amongst the covers, her scales sliding along the smooth fabric. "...I don't think that's a bad idea at all. But now that you've gotten my interest, you better be able to back up your offer." He wasn't quite sure if that was a threat or not, but he certainly felt fearful as Alice approached.

The Lamia's body drew nearer, a very sudden reminder of how intimate their setting currently was. 'Maybe this wasn't the best idea...' Luka thought, pulling his legs up to his body to let his traveling partner get closer. The boy watched as the Lamia's golden eyes disappeared from view, presumedly because she had turned away from him. As if to prove this to him, another bright flash of lightning lit up the inside of his tent.

CRRAAAAAACK

As the thunder blasted in the storm above, the purple-haired Prophet gazed upon his traveling partner's back. In all honesty, he should've been used to the sight by now. After all, her clothing didn't lend itself to much discretion in the first place. However, here in this environment, in this atmosphere, the sight felt so much more intimate.

The bright white of the lightning vanished, but the sight of Alice sitting mere centimeters from his lap did not. The image was practically burned into his eyes, every detail of her body memorized by his brain. "Well? Don't waste my time, I'm already tired enough as it is so you'd better be quick about this." Luka gulped, slowly raising his hands up to remove the gloves that he had forgotten that he was still wearing.

Luka's arms trembled as he reached out to Alice. His heartbeat thudded fiercely in his chest, the sound of the ba-bumps nearly drowning out the rain outside. 'Just focus on the task at hand, Luka. All this is, is you helping her with her back pain. Nothing more, nothing less...'

Oh, how Luka wished that he could feel more convinced by his own thoughts.

THe purple-haired boy's hands were nearing massaging-distance, the heat from her body now becoming tangible to him. Or, was that his own heat? He wasn't so sure. 'Don't think about body heat, Luka. Keep your focus!' He berated himself as his bare hands found Alice's shoulders. Perhaps his tiring mind was imagining things, but he could've sworn that he heard a gasp come from her. But with the rain pelting the tent still, it was hard to tell.

Slowly, Luka started to move his fingers, gently kneading her traps. He wasn't all too surprised by how soft her skin felt, but it was catching him off guard all the same. The boy cleared his throat, trying in desperation to quell his growing attraction. 'Just don't think about how flawless her skin is, yeah, simple enough...' He kept his fingers on top of her traps and moved his thumbs lower to point into her upper shoulders.

Slowly, he dug his thumbs into the space between her shoulder blades and her spine. Luka twitched when he heard a soft, almost inaudible humming come from Alice's lips. "Hmmm, you're actually not half bad..." She whispered, the slight edge that tone had before now gone. "Th-Th-Thank you." Luka stuttered out, his voice just as low.

Luka started sliding his hands down lower, all the while realizing that he had never actually asked Alice which part of her back was hurting. After all, her shoulders may not have even been hurt at all. 'Well, better to be thorough, I suppose.' Luka's hands fell further, landing on the smooth fabric of Alice's black top. He went a bit underneath this, causing Alice to jolt as he tentatively placing his fingers on her sides whilst using his thumbs to press into her flesh.

Upon hearing another, more throaty, hum come from Alice, Luka realized something concerning.

All the while Luka had been doing this, a certain type of warmth had been building inside of him. He had tried to simply ignore it at first, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to force down. 'Oh, why now, of all times why do I have to feel this now!? Why must I be this weak-willed?' The young Hero lamented in his mind. It was just a massage, only a massage. That's that, he shouldn't be so stirred by something like this.

And yet, he felt the flames being stoked either way, and they weren't coming down anytime soon.

"Go lower." Alice commanded.

Luka was much too quick to abide; He felt his body spasm as his hands traveled further down her body, softly raking the lavender skin of his traveling partner. His eyes widened in the dark as he realized that his hands were on her hips now. 'This it too far, much too far.' He thought but continued, nonetheless. He pressed and rubbed into Alice's lower back with his thumbs, the Monster's body slowly rocking back and forth in tandem with his movements.

The voice in the back of Luka's head yelled at him to stop, to make up some excuse or pretend to fall asleep, something to keep him away from the edge. The purple-haired boy felt himself slipping, something more urgent stirring in his lower half. The fire of arousal was licking at his mind, and he need to douse it out now.

"O-Okay!" Luka exclaimed, quickly removing his hands from Alice's back. "I-I-Is your back f-feeling better now?" He asked almost too forcibly. His white-haired traveling partner remained silent and still as Luka sat back with hands raised. Outside the tent, the rain poured on, pummeling the sides of Luka's poor tent. The young Hero's heart must've been close to bursting and dropping him dead, as the pulsing very nearly hurt his chest.

"Hmmm..." Alice hummed for the third time, but this time with a more thoughtful air. "...I suppose so, yes. That actually helped me quite a bit."

Luka nearly gave out a sigh of relief, but held it in. The last thing he wanted to do was give anymore indication to his bothered state than he probably already had. Although it was in vain, for Alice was more than aware. "Although, I have to ask..." The purple-haired boy jerked from her tone, something a bit more suggestive coming out in her voice. "...Are you planning on going to sleep, with that?" His eyebrows furrowed at her statement, not so sure about what she meant, until...

...He felt himself twitch.

Luka's pale blue eyes widened to almost comical size, his breath catching in his throat so awfully that he nearly choked. The boy looked down despite the fact that he could hardly see anything in the darkness. But the one thing he knew without having to see anything was the fact that his pants had become very tight.

"O-Oh dear..." He croaked, scooting away from Alice in a hurry. He watched as her golden eyes pierced through the darkness, looking to him with great interest now. "...I-" He began, but the Lamia stopped him quickly.

"Don't start apologizing like that, it's just sad. Like before, it's just a natural reaction, correct?" He words were in a form of a question, but she left him no room to argue otherwise. "Therefore, you have no reason to be sorry for it." Luka didn't even get a moment of reprieve before Alice slid closer. "However, you'll have a very difficult time trying to sleep with that, won't you?" Luka squirmed in place, unable to answer. He knew that he needed to argue against it, to maintain his innocence in the name of his Goddess...

...But...

"I think... I-I'll be... alright..." Luka whispered lamely, his tone not at all convincing. Alice drew even closer, and, just like that morning in Harpy Village, he felt Alice's hand on his thigh. Luka nearly moaned just from the touch, his body feeling as though it had been shocked. Her voice was low and thick with temptation. "Are you sure?"

He wanted to say yes, he was sure. He wanted to say that he'd be fine, that his arousal would surely fade and that he'd go back to sleep with no problem. He wanted to say that what happened in Harpy Village was the last time, that he wouldn't be doing stuff like that anymore...

...But the need, was becoming much stronger than the want.

"I d-don't know Alice... I really sh-shouldn't..." Again, another weak argument that lacked any certainty. Even as he said it, he was leaning back, unknowingly moving into place as Alice leaned in closer. He was already caught, without even knowing it. Alice seemed to pick up on this, her hand slowly sliding up towards his affliction. She could sense his resistance crumbling.

"I'll make it quick..." Alice breathed, "...I promise."

Luka shuddered at her voice's sultriness, the sound tickling at his ears. The storm continued to rage outside, but it was nothing compared to the one inside his mind. The arguments he had created against doing this were long gone, having been beaten away with the littlest effort on Alice's part.

Eventually, shamefully, Luka gave in to her once again.

"...O-Okay..." He felt her lightly push him down, a force to which he gave no resistance to once again, just like before. He lay there in the dark, the only light being the dim glow of Alice's golden eyes. She was already fast at work, having already unzipped his pants.

Luka closed his eyes, the act only dimming his sight by so much since his tent was already dark enough at this point. He felt the Lamia below release his member from its prison, the cold air washing over the heated shaft. He felt embarrassed and vulnerable, but neither of the two feelings could even hope to quell his overpowering excitement.

"Haa-aah!" Luka moaned out, feeling something wet encase his erection. The boy's pale blue eyes flew open, a horrible realization striking him. Unlike last time, Alice had not bothered promising to only use her hand, apparently taking it upon herself to use her mouth right from the start.

Luka fought to keep his mouth closed, his moaning be barely inhibited by the action. Even with their surely being no one around to hear him if he did, his dignity - despite being slowly being whittled away by the maw of Alice - urged him to keep himself silent at the very least. So, instead of letting out the perverse grunts of pleasure, he grasped the bedsheets around him with a death grip.

Each roll of her tongue shot more waves of ecstasy throughout him, from his tired mind down to his curling toes, every nerve of his body was feeling it. Luka couldn't deny it, it felt better than anything else he ever had felt. Luka glanced down to his waist in perverse curiosity, not entirely knowing what to expect due to the near pitch-blackness of the tent. What he certainly hadn't expected was for Alice's golden eyes to be shining through the dark, her gaze locked on him.

Luka shuddered at the sight of her eyes bobbing up and down in the darkness, the only visual evidence to her fellatioing. Her eyes never left his for that moment, the lust-clouded haze on them surprising him somewhat. Luka knew that he was enjoying this, but did she enjoy it too?

The purple-haired boy wasn't sure; after all, that could be his own mind seeing things that weren't there on account of his own lust combining with his sudden feeling of exhaustion.

Indeed, every detail of the movement her lips made while sliding up and down his member was bringing him closer to the edge. Likewise, the stimulating warmth of her mouth surrounding his shaft only helped to wear away his resistance. He noticed that the air of the tent was becoming unbearably humid, the heat causing a layer of clammy sweat coat his forehead.

Alice began to suck harder, the action sending with another pang of severe pleasure and exhaustion through Luka, forcing him to let his head fall down onto his pillow. He didn't know if it was from the overall travels of his day, his accident with the tree, or Alice's increasingly successful efforts of bringing him to the brink, but Luka felt as though he was about to pass out.

'She really could do anything she wanted to me right now, couldn't she?' Luka thought morbidly as he became aware of just how weak he was to this. Even with his hands harshly grasping his blankets, the rest of his body was in sore condition. The young Hero's legs were limp and twitching, his waist could only manage to move along with Alice's rhythm, and the only movement coming from his chest were the ragged breathing of his lungs.

Even if he wanted to stop this, he couldn't. Alice had him trapped...

...And oddly enough, it didn't bother him.

"Aaa-aaahh~" Luka moaned out, much to his own intense embarrassment. Despite it no longer being a worry in his pleasure-hazed mind, he noticed how the rain outside seemed to roar even louder than before somehow. The crescendo of rain played on and on, its efforts still crashing harmlessly on the walls of his apparently sturdy tent. It was fitting, considering that the storm inside of himself was nearing its apex.

Luka became confused, as he started to feel a vibration emanating around his erection. It was strange, almost as if...

'Is Alice... humming?' Luka wondered in surprise. In once last gasp of energy, he fought to raise his head for long last look. It was a struggle to do so, but he was able to finally glance down to her. However, he saw nothing. Her golden eyes were gone. In his stupor, he couldn't make the connection of why her eyes disappeared, but then, a particularly long lightning strike gave him his answer.

CCCRAAAAA-CRRAAAAAACCKK

There, illuminated by the wicked white light of the storm's power surging, he saw her. Alice was currently in the middle of completely engulfing his member inside her mouth, a loud and wet sucking sound coming from the friction. The sight caused his blush to worsen, but that wasn't the most interesting part to was, was the fact that her own face was flushed red, her eyes closed in an expression of what seemed to be pure bliss. That was when Luka realized that Alice hadn't been humming...

...She was moaning.

The light faded, the tent becoming drenched in darkness once again. Before he could even process the observation, he was struck with the fierce and now familar need for release. The purple-haired boy's body strained and stretched on it's own, his head hitting the pillow once again as his heartbeat pulsed throughout his whole body.

Luka's knuckles hurt from the intensity of which he gripped the blankets, Alice's bobbing and sucking increasing all the while, until he had no way of holding back any longer.

"Ah-aaa-ah-ahh..." He started, prying one of his hands off the sheets to cover his mouth out of embarrassment. However, the act only helped so much as he finally climaxed. "...Aa-haa-...AHHH!~" Luka moaned out one last time, his seed jetting out into Alice's awaiting and hungry mouth.

Luka could only lay there and fade into an exhausted sleep, all of his strength now sapped away by Alice's domineering sexual expertise. He was only half-aware of the fact that the Lamia was still working away at him, cleaning off his member in order to swallow up every last precious drop he had to give as the boy went unconscious for the second time...

Well past midnight, in the dark underbelly of Heaven, a lone lab coat-wearing Fallen Angel by the name of Promestein stood still in the large "room" that she begrudgingly called home. Standing before her was the large silver table on which the Scientist Angel conducted most of her research. Promestein took a deep breath, closing her ruby-red eyes as she did.

It wasn't often that the Fallen Angel allowed herself "break time", as she usually was steadfast in her research. However, considering that Black Alice was gone on one of her trips to Earth and Eden hadn't come around to bother her in a while, Promestein figured that now was a better time than never.

The only problem she had now was the fact that she had nothing to do during her self-given she stood there, just contemplating what people did in their spare time.

Read?

She already did enough of that.

Write?

Same thing.

Drink?

Not scientifically viable.

Smoke?

"Hmmm..." Promestein let out a low hum, the self-made suggestion giving her pause. Without even meaning to, the idea sent her into a fit of mulling about the nature of Humans.

'Without fire, Humans could never light a cigarette to smoke. However, could anything other than Humanity create such a thing in the first place?' The Fallen Angel began to lose herself in this train of thought as she looked off into the nothingness of the cave-like expanse she took residence in. 'To think, so many advanced and wonderful things have been created by Humans, even when they have so little to work with. The gift of fire alone led them to create so much. To think, how much more they could be if given the right tools, the proper resources?'

Truly, Humanity was the only creation of the Universe that Promestein genuinely could look to with awe. Their place on Earth is so unstable, and yet, they still are able to accomplish so much despite this.

Comparatively, they were so much weaker than Monsters and Angels. If it weren't for the struggle for power between the two sides, Humans would undoubtedly become slaves to either one by now. Looking at it objectively, one could even argue that they're only a couple steps away from being such due to the current climate of the World.

Either Humans submit to Monsters or they submit to Ilias. No matter which, they become subservient to some type of "Higher Power", whether they want to or not. Yet, even with such a precarious position, they are stronger than what one might think. After all, even if they are weak when compared to their contemporaries, they are arguably more important than either.

After all, That's why the Earth is in the spot it's in right now. Monsters want Humans to continue existing, and Ilias wants Humans in order to have a reason to exist. 'Ironically, despite their inherent weakness, Humans have so much more influence than the other two races. If only they could realize this...'

Promestein felt a wave of indignation run through her. '...No, no "if only's". They will realize this. They will because I can guide them to being greater; I have done so once before and I will do it again.' That was Promestein's station in life now, her true goal. The Fallen Angel was steadfast in her belief that Humans were the key to unlocking the Truth of the Universe, the meaning of life itself.

Not the "truths" that Ilias had Eden write down in her pathetic book, these "Wisdoms" of Ilias's were only as enlightening as the fire that should be used to burn them. Ilias only wanted Humans around so that they could worship her and reaffirm her own lies about being a Goddess.

As for Monsters, the majority of their population was without hope. So many of them cared for nothing more than their primitive urges, their carnal desires. Ones like her fellow Seeker of Truth, La Croix, were the exceptions to the rule and there were not very many exceptions out there. Yet even then, Promestein had yet to find any other like-minded Monsters despite her search for fellow Truth Seekers.

And so, this naturally meant that Humans were the only ones truly capable of finding the Truth of Life. They were the only ones capable of instinctually seeking out such a thing, anyway. People like La Croix and herself were anomalies to their own people, freaks who went against the expected grain. In Promestein's opinion, the majority of their races could never understand and so, they were in the way.

That's why Promestein needed everything to fall right into place, that's why she needed to find like-minded individuals, and that's why she needed to further her own goals in any way possible. Even when sacrifices needed to be made in order to do so. 'No, we cannot let anything stand in our way. I and my fellow Seekers of Truth must keep pushing forward. All we need now to keep steadfast in our progress.'

Promestein glanced down to her table of research, various sheets of mathematics, chemistry, and alchemy spread around in a haphazard and scattered pile that only the Fallen Angel could make sense of. 'And progress we shall have. I will make sure of that. Then, once I am done, this World will no longer live under the gluttonous perversion of Monsters or the arrogant dogma of Ilias. No, instead it-'

"Prrrrromestein!~"

The ruby-haired Angel felt her righteous thoughts immediately deflate at the grating cry of her "partner," Black Alice. Promestein's long and disheveled ruby hair swayed gently as she shook her head. She kept her haze away from the Former Monster Lord as she approached from behind.

"Yes, Alice?" Promestein pointedly asked, begrudgingly knowing that anytime Black Alice came to her in such a manner, it usually was a matter of great interest. The Former Monster Lord behind her cackled, obviously noticing Promestein's vexation. The Fallen Angel heard her partner skip closer, the clacking of her shoes echoing throughout the room.

"Don't be like that, Promestein! At least face me when I have more news to tell you." The scientist slowly started revolving as she responded, "Whatever it is, better be..." The Fallen Angel froze, her words becoming stuck as she looked over to Black Alice.

The Eighth Monster Lord in question was wearing a very peculiar outfit. Instead of her usual baby-blue dress and white apron, the woman had on a bright green dress that was tightened up to her body by way of the bright orange sash wrapped around her waist. Matching the sash were the orange gloves on her hands and the flowing cape falling from her neck, the height of the cape's collar coming up to her face.

Atop the smiling Monster's head, in place of her usual baby-blue bow, was a large black witch hat that had a green sash wrapped around the hat. Altogether, Black Alice's attire was a dramatic shift from what the Fallen Angel was used to seeing.

Finally, the ruby-haired scientist found her voice.

"...What the Hell are you wearing?" Promestein asked in bewilderment, a rare bout of blunt profanity coming out in response to Black Alice's attire.

Black Alice's smile fell, a small pout now showing on her face. "Aww, not a fan? I think I look rather fetching in this." Promestein scoffed at the Monster's comment, "There is nothing you could fetch while wearing something like that." Black Alice's face grew mocking as well as she walked up to the silver table beside Promestein.

"You are certainly one to talk, considering that dingy coat you wear. How long, exactly, has it been since that thing has actually been white?" The Former Monster Lord scooted some of Promestein's work to the side, making room to hop up and sit on the edge of the table, crossing her legs as she did. The ruby-haired scientist glared at the act but said nothing as Black Alice continued.

"Either way, I still think it looks good." Black Alice sighed, a look of disappointment coming to her face. "Although it is a bit tighter than I remember. I suppose that when a couple hundred years go by, things might not fit as well as they used to... Or..." Black Alice smirked as she adjusted the chest area in a very unladylike manner, "...Perhaps I've just gotten bigger. What do you think, Promestein?"

The scientist Angel watched the display with disgust. "I think nothing of it, Alice." Promestein snapped as she pocketed her hands in her coat. She gave her partner a pointed stare, "Now, what exactly is it this time? Or have you simply come back here to give me a headache?"

Black Alice waved Promestein off with an orange-gloved hand. "Oh not at all, my friend. But I do have some more interesting news. News about our little slice of Heaven on Earth." The Fallen Angel mulled over the terminology, before realizing who Black Alice was talking about. "You mean Luka?"

The ancient Monster clapped her gloved hands together, "Yep!" She then scooted off the side of the table, scattering some of the sheets of paper, much to Promestein's ire. Black Alice approached the Fallen Angel with a raised hand, "On my little trip down memory lane, I found myself in the quaint town of Iliasburg. You want to know what I found?"

The Eighth Monster Lord paused, waiting for Promestein to pause. When the Fallen Angel gave her nothing more but a half-lidded stare of impatience, Black Alice continued. "Well, other than a quick road-side snack..." The carmine-eyed Monster chuckled to herself, remembering her devouring of a certain disguised Angel of Love with glee. However, this glee quickly faded into something more reserved and somber.

"...I found that our purple-haired Prophet of Ilias is traveling with the current Monster Lord herself. Alipheese Fateburn the Sixthteenth."

Promestein took the information with a blank face at first, her brain working to digest this. 'The Nephilim is traveling with the Monster Lord? But why?' Even someone as knowledgeable as Promestein did not know much about the current Monster Lord besides rumors, but otherwise, the scientist Angel did not have that much to go off of.

Her ruby-red gaze searched her partner's face, before realizing exactly what this implied. Black Alice smiled, but the gleam in her carmine eyes betrayed the gesture. "It is funny, no? How history repeats itself in such interesting ways." The Former Monster Lord whispered, the words seeming to barely hiss through her tight lips. Suddenly, the air felt even more dense than it usually did.

Promestein stood still, her gaze locked with Black Alice's. The Fallen Angel was somewhat versed in her partner's peculiar history, though only through what she had heard from when Black Alice and Eden bickered, which usually led to interesting details slipping out. It wasn't much, but Promestein was aware that when Black Alice was the Monster Lord she had disguised herself as a Human and traveled with Heinrich Hein, Ilias's First Hero.

That, and there was a very strong indication that there was... something more... going on between them. Something that, evidently, did not hold up in the end when they reached the Monster Lord's Castle. Whyever that may have been, Promestein did not know.

"It would seem that way..." Promestein commented, though her reply was only really meant to fill the now tense atmosphere. "...So that means that two of our major targets are on the move together now." The Fallen Angel mused out loud.

Black Alice concurred, "Yes, and that means we'll have an easier time keeping those particular "ducks" of ours in a row." Promestein squinted at the former Monster Lord, "How exactly do we plan on doing that? By following them around all day?" To that, Black Alice just laughed.

"Oh-ho-no, I don't have time for that. However, I do have an idea for it. It's a bit of a reach, I'll admit, but I do have a hunch about this Luka boy..." Black Alice said, partways to herself. Promestein leveled a questioning look at her partner. "What do you mean?"

Black Alice grabbed at the brim of her witch hat, pulling it over her own gaze for a moment. A quiet fit of snickering wracking her body as she kept her gaze averted. "...Hmm-Hmm-Hmm... Nothing for you to worry about, my friend. You focus on the logical side, I'll handle the abstract side. Stick to what we know best, right?"

Promestein watched as Black Alice continued to laugh to herself before she finally cut the former Monster Lord off. "Before you leave to your own devices, I need something from you. I require another blood sample." The green-dress-wearing Monster huffed at Promestein, her usual immature attitude coming out once more.

"Again, really? You know that the same thing happens every time. But if you insist, just know that I only let you do this because you are my friend, Promestein~" The Fallen Angel said nothing to Black Alice's comment, instead opting to take out a sizable syringe from her lab coat.

Promestein said nothing as she moved to the Former Monster Lord's side and started inserting the needle. Black Alice had no reaction to the sensation, standing completely still as the Fallen Angel took the umpteenth blood sample from the Monster.

The ancient seaweed that Black Alice was able to find for Promestein was sufficient enough, but the closer they could get to the first Monster Lord's DNA as they could, the Eighth Monster Lord herself, one would think that Black Alice's DNA would be the closest match to Alipheese the First's blood that one could get. However, Promestein was running into a very odd problem with Black Alice's blood...

...It was always tainted with a sizable amount of Human DNA...

A little bit more training and a lot more "bonding time" between our two protagonists. Adding in the tent scene came somewhat on a whim, but I think that I ended up being satisfied on how it went. I omitted a lot of the original stuff, simply because I don't figure that it would make sense for this Luka to start talking about Heinrich all of the sudden. At least not now.

That, and I'd like to think that this Luka would be aware of how in poor-taste telling such a story to a Monster would be, and so he wouldn't even consider doing such a thing. So things like Heinrich, his battle with the Eighth Monster Lord, the Slaughter of Remina, those things will be touched upon at a later date.

Speaking of the Eighth Monster Lord, I hope the little tidbit with Black Alice and Promestein was an interesting enough detail. One could probably already see what I'm trying to imply there, but just in case I won't say much about it. Other than the fact that it has to do with how Ilias "saved" Black Alice. Which, since how this is never really explained - yet - in the games, my explanation will probably be very non canon-compliant.

Wink wink, nudge nudge.

espioll: Good catch, the Fanfic you are thinking of is A Hero's Work is Never Finished and I'm actually glad that someone noticed this. Fun fact, that fanfic was the first I ever read for MGQ, and I read it back around 2015-16 when it was first published. I wasn't even writing back then, as I was actually still in middle school. So my version of Ilias is a bit of an homage to that, as that story always stuck with me despite the fact it never really got far.

As for Doppel, I'm torn between either making up a completely different name for her, or just using one of the four Laberinth of Chaos's names.

Lona is the first Dark Elf Luka fought before getting to Enrika, which is the same one he met in Enrika when he was very young. She has been following Luka since he left Enrika and is coincidentally the answer to your question about others joinging the "party", as you will see in the next chapter...

Deadinside378: But of course, I don't want to overload my readers with too much craziness.

Guest: Thank you very much, I hope that you continue reading!

Guest: I can definitely try to up the pace, but just know that this is going to ge a lengthy story either way.

Guest: I'm well aware of Valkyrie's "real name". However, in this fanfic, she won't be using it until later on (in a similar manner to how Cupid uses Cupi as a "disguise name"). Also, for Jeremiad, there will only be one Valkyrie, just like there's only one Cupid.

As a side note, the reason why some Monsters get a name and some do not, is purely because some of them will introduce themselves to Luka and others won't. That's part of why I have Luka's journal entries, because they help to keep track of this. I'm sorry if this is confusing, but that is the way I intend to write this.