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Cooled Passions Chapter 61: Resolve
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 06:48:54 +0000 UTCChapter 61: Resolve
I leaned against the wall, staring across the hallway at the closed door. Shiro had left with Ranni and Melina to the Rating Game Coliseum, While CC had taken Selene to go patrol our warehouses, seeing as Kasane was preoccupied at the moment. Of course, that was the reasoning she gave, but I got the feeling that she was also doing so In an attempt to avoid being alone with me. Something else I would have to deal with soon, my Queen having avoided private moments with me ever since being called out on her poorly hidden feelings by Ranni.
I sighed, also mentally marking down that I needed to meet with Yasaka again soon to warn her about the Old Satan Faction and the Khaos Brigade, seeing as we were interrupted before I could do so last time. Thankfully, I likely had time after the attack by Loki. Such a brazen assault on a Noble Devil would be exactly the sort of thing that they and their supporters would be jumping all over, regardless of their personal feelings about me.
Politics is all about opportunity, after all. No Devil worth their salt would ever let a crisis go to waste.
Those were thoughts for later however, as I had to ensure that one of my Bishops was doing okay. After all, she was present when Loki attempted his idiocy, being brought deep into his illusions and not realising that the God had taken off with Shiro, who she was meant to be protecting. She had managed to do well in the aftermath of the fight itself, helping us move the godly corpse back to the manor after Ranni ate his soul, or whatever the hell she did, but afterwards she had retreated to her room and only spoken to Kasane.
That was another thing I had to deal with, I realised with a quiet groan. Ranni eating the very essence of the god, something I could see with my Geass, was something that needed to be addressed. Did she take over his domain? Was she now connected to the Norse Pantheon? Would my holding of the Sword as she did her action have any effects on me? Many questions and as always, few answers.
“Are… Are you okay?” A small, timid voice called out from a corner to the hallway I was standing in, causing me to snap my head over to catch a glimpse of quickly pulled back blonde hair.
Still, I recognized the voice, “Valerie, is that you?”
Shifting uncomfortably, fidgeting with the long white sweater she was wearing, she walked out from the corner she was hiding behind, “Sorry. I was thinking the Manor is very quiet and wanted to find out why and well… you seemed like you were upset.”
“Why are you apologizing?” I asked, smiling gently at her, “You did nothing wrong. In fact I’m glad to see you leaving the room and exploring some more.”
“Oh, well, that’s good?” She sputtered out, the last part coming out as a question, “But are you okay?”
Her cherry eyes stared with naked concern at me as she asked, causing me to shrug and lean back against the wall more heavily, “Shiro was attacked by a God. Naomi was with her when it happened, but he managed to take her before She could do anything about it.”
“Oh no!” She breathed, hands coming up to cover her mouth, “Is Shiro alright?!”
“Yes, she managed to raise the alarm and call me to help her in time. I killed the god responsible, with some help from Ranni.” I responded, causing Valerie to slump with relief.
“Oh thank goodness. I’m so happy that Mistress Ranni was there to help you with that.” She turned to the door I was facing, concern once again resurfacing, “Is Naomi hurt? Is that why you are so worried?”
“Not physically. But the God used illusions and she didn’t notice until it was almost too late. I think she blames herself for not doing more.” I explained, causing the little Dhampir’s eyes to crease in confusion.
“But Gods are really strong, right? I can believe you could kill one, but most people would be helpless against them.” She spoke, her faith in me coming as a bit of a surprise, one that I let pass unremarked.
“True. But logic rarely, if ever, factors into how we fell at times. That’s why I want to speak to her, after Kasane is satisfied that she’s up for it.” My voice was soft, my words causing her to nod.
“I see. I’m so sorry for Naomi, I wish I could help her feel better…” Valerie wrapped her arms around herself, looking down at the floor, “I feel a bit useless, to tell you the truth. You are fighting such powerful enemies and I am not able to help at all…”
I frowned at her words, my mind returning to half-remembered snippets about what her power was capable of. I know part of it is what allowed the Khaos idiots to open up Trihexa’s prison, but there was another aspect that allowed her to ‘modify’ things, at a conceptual level. Admittedly, it was a tempting power, the ability to completely remove my weaknesses or gain abilities not native to Devils, but the cost was rather high.
Valerie’s Sacred Gear impacted her sanity, the ‘whispers’ that even now my Lock was preventing from intruding on her thoughts getting worse and worse as she used it. By the time Trihexa was freed in a bid to end the world, she was basically comatose, able to breathe but not much else.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care, as callous as that made me sound. Killing someone else in order to guarantee my own survival? Easily done, hardly even a consideration. But something about the whole situation rubbed me up the wrong way, the idea of slowly breaking someone while forcing them to use a caustic, ill-fitting power until their very mind was reduced to shreds… That seemed needlessly sadistic for something I was not even sure would help me too much in the long run.
I would still do it should it become necessary to protect my family or myself, of course. But to do something that cruel on the off chance of making myself stronger was an easy way to lose myself. Where did it end? Would I launch an attack on the Heavenly Court to steal their secrets of Cultivation? Would I kill Yasaka and harvest her for parts to perform rituals to empower myself with her connection to the ley lines of the world?
No.
I was too Prideful for that.
As strange as it seemed, seeing as how dangerous this world was, mere survival was not the most important thing to me. After all, what was the point in surviving if I abandoned all connections, everything that made me myself, in order to do so?
I would rather die as I am instead of living as a pale imitation, a base creature that would do anything merely to extend its wretched existence a few seconds longer.
Of course, my other Sins bubbled up at these thoughts, each with their own reasoning and motivations.
Greed, for those that I wanted to possess, the idea of breaking that which was Mine (or soon would be) was anathema to me.
Wrath, anger at the thought that I would have to stoop so low to succeed, that I would need to lean on such a crutch to live.
Lust, the delicate female form of the Dhampir inflaming such a feeling. Her mind broken from using the Graal would not be nearly so appealing, each fidget and blush bringing forth their own charm.
Gluttony, I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. My Family that I had gathered were the people I was to live the rest of my life with. If I sacrificed what made me who I am, the only thing tying them to me would be the shallow connection forged by Catharsis. Not at all satisfying.
Sloth, my own power should be enough for me. Chasing a million different sources of power, clawing and stealing every advantage I could get would certainly make me dangerous, but it would also be a lot of work to integrate each and every bit into one cohesive whole. Much easier to focus deeply on what I was already comfortable and knowledgeable about.
Envy.
Oh Envy.
This was the Sin I struggled the most with, it stinging at my primary Sin of Pride each and every time I did so. After all, to be envious of someone, you had to admit that they had something you didn’t. That they were, in some way, better than you.
And the Satans, the Gods, the others that stood at the top of this world… They stroked my Envy something fierce. All that power, all the political capitol, and they did nothing with it. I wanted what they had, the position at the top of my chosen people. I would be Prince, the task that Catharsis had given me fading in relation to my own desire for the title.
This world was rotting. Sick. It was held in a fake limbo, a faux paralysis ever since God had died. Nothing had moved, no major changes had occurred, all was exactly as it had been. Oh sure, within the Pantheons, changes had occurred, such as the Devil Civil War, but between the various Powers, the scales were kept in a false, disgusting balance.
My nature called to me, to conquer, to win.
Those positions at the top? They would be mine and I refused to lose myself to the fossils that currently inhabited them.
“Damocles?” A concerned voice snapped me out of my maelstrom of emotion, “Are you… alright?”
I realised I had been staring at her as my thoughts raged, the Dhampir shrinking in on herself at the attention. Blinking, I averted my gaze.
“Sorry Valerie. I got lost in thought for a moment there.” I kept my voice calm, but internally I was reeling.
What was that? I had been feeling a bit out of sorts ever since the fight with Loki, my Sins and instincts bubbling ever closer to the surface, but that was by far the most intense they had been. Resolving myself to keep a better handle on them, to watch my thoughts with much more care, I spoke to the blond haired girl.
“You were worried about not doing enough, Valerie? You shouldn’t. This isn’t your fight, you don’t owe a debt to us. You should just focus on yourself, you have been through a lot and have only just begun to recover.” I responded to her original statement, from what felt like forever ago.
“That’s not good enough.” The sudden firmness caught me off guard, “You saved me. I might have been scared at first, but you are really kind and gentle, letting you be hurt when I could stop it would be… I can’t imagine anything more terrible.”
“Valerie…” I was cut off by her continuing.
“I can’t hide away forever. I need to be brave to go meet Gaspar, right? If I am brave enough to do that, I am brave enough to help the one who saved me.” Her eyes locked with mine, “I want to join your Peerage.”
The last words came out in a rush, her sudden confidence leaving her as a blush swiftly overtook her features.
I raised an eyebrow at her, teasing, “My, such a bold request. Are you sure?”
“Yes… Um, well… Think it over?” Before I could reply, she whirled around and fled, disappearing around the corner she had come from.
Idly, I flipped the Stamp that magically appeared in my hand as I considered her proposal and watched her go. Breaking the girl's mind with her power was too far for me, but if she could use it safely… That was an entirely different prospect wasn’t it?
If only I had something that could protect minds handy…
Sensing movement from behind the door, the Stamp disappeared as if it had never existed as I turned just in time to greet Kasane as she opened the door to her sister’s room.
“She will see you now.” She spoke, agitation in her posture and tone.
“Kasane! No!” A petulant voice whined from behind her.
My Knight’s eyes hardened as she reiterated, “She will see you now.”
---XXX---
As I entered the room, I was greeted by a huddled up form, Naomi hugging her pillow to herself on her bed as she curled up into a corner. She crushed the cushion further into herself at the sound of my voice.
“Naomi. You do know that I’m not angry at you, right?” I spoke, receiving no reaction from the girl.
Kasane, who had closed the door behind me, sighed out, “You see? What did I tell you?”
There was no response for a few heartbeats, before she mumbled something into her pillow.
“I didn’t get that Naomi, you’ll have to speak up.” I prodded, provoking a huff as she lifted her head and looked at me over her shoulder.
“I should've seen it coming.” She said, her words sounding defeated.
My response was simple, “How?”
“What do you mean how?!” She snapped, releasing the pillow and whirling around to face me, “With my power!”
“I see.” I hummed, “I didn’t know your power was seeing through illusions.”
“Stop that.” She pouted, “I know what you’re doing.”
“Good, that means you are thinking it too.” I retorted, before sighing, “Loki is a trickster God, Naomi. His whole history, every myth about him, is him tricking, deceiving or getting one over on the best and brightest the world has to offer. If it wasn’t for Ranni, even I would be unable to see through his magic.”
“Still…” She chewed her lip, “I should have noticed that something was off. Shiro broke out of it.”
“Shiro is the smartest person on the planet.” I deadpanned, “You didn’t fail Naomi. As soon as you knew something was wrong, you ran toward danger to help Shiro. You did your best.”
She looked down, her eyes downcast.
“But your best wasn’t good enough, that’s what you are thinking right?” I asked, getting a small nod, “So change that.”
“Change it?’ She asked, confused as her gaze rose.
“Ranni is an illusion mistress. She was able to conjure mirages of great power, even before she was a Goddess. This event showed that there is a weakness in your foresight, that you can be tricked. To train that weakness out. Work with her so that this doesn’t happen ever again.” I was firm, causing her to open her mouth in surprise.
“You only fail when you give up.” Kasane spoke softly, walking up to my side.
“I don’t think you failed Naomi, but if you do, then make sure you don’t do it again.” I kneeled down, pulling her into a hug and whispering to her, “Besides, I need my maid back.”
She giggled, the sound turning wet at the end, “You asshole, how can you say that?”
“Easily. Even Valerie was missing you.” I grinned, pulling back, “Feeling better?”
“A bit. Thank you.” She smiled, tears in the corner of her eyes that she quickly rubbed away, taking a deep breath, “I will ask Ranni for help like you said. Thanks for talking sense into me. And… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me, Kasane is the one you should be worried abou…” My words were cut off by her dragging me back into the hug, kissing me as she did.
The contact lasted for a few brief moments, before she let me go, licking her lips, “I know. I’m looking forward to our next date.”
With that, she let me go, allowing me to retreat, casting a searching glance at Kasane, who was merely watching the interaction. Seeing my gaze, she merely raised an eyebrow at me, seeming to not care at all about what her sister had just done. It left me feeling somewhat off balance, the lust from Naomi’s actions still flowing through my system.
Taking a deep breath, I turned towards the door, “Well then, I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Opening the door, I paused as Kasane called me softly, “Damocles?”
Turning, I was surprised when she moulded herself to me, her hands going to my cheeks, gently guiding me into a deep kiss. Unlike the chaste one Naomi had given me, this one was deep and passionate, her mouth parting to allow her tongue to mingle with mine. The lust that I had suppressed came roaring back, washing away my carefully reinforced restraint.
Kissing her back, I took control of the interaction, easily corralling and dominating her tongue, beating back the muscle and chasing it back into her mouth, plundering the cavern and claiming it as my own. My hands traced her back, grabbing a handful of her ass and grinding her hard into me, causing her to let out a sultry gasp.
Taking advantage of the action, I disengaged and moved down, biting down on the soft flesh of her neck as sucking, causing Kasane to moan out at the sensation. Under my hand, her hips started rolling on their own, my other arm moving up, tracing the side of her torso and reaching towards her chest...
“Wow.” The exclamation brought me out of the pink haze that had descended on my thoughts, causing me to snap towards the source, Naomi’s wide blue eyes taking in the sight before her.
Slowly, with a wet popping sound, I detached my mouth from its perch and started to disentangle myself from her sister.
Said sister grabbed my hand with her own, leaning up to whisper in my ear, “We’ll finish this later.”
My lust pulsed at the words, but being more aware of it now, I was able to suppress it, “I’ll leave you to it then.”
Nodding, Kasane released my hand, “We have a lot to talk about.”
Sparing a glance at the quickly forming mark on her neck before turning and leaving the room, I wryly thought that she had a knack for understatement.
Comments
Einar Strandberg
The slow build of the sexual dynamic between the sisters and Damocles is very hot.
Kz3838
Thank you for the great chapter, Valerie taking the initiative to ask to be in Damocles' peerage was great and I really like how you described Damocles' sins and how they affect him. Stay safe out there and keep up the good work!
Batman 3.0
Thanks for the chapter
Deathknight134
"how we fell at times." --> "how we feel at times."
Zy Writings
Val tired of being in debt haha.
Orchamus
Damn, wonder what caused that deep introspection with Valerie😧 That said, useful for character growth moving forward now that he's acknowledged such feelings. Also yay!! Valerie being proactive!
