Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After discussing the matter at length, it was decided that, once she was willing to accept others, Arcueid would become Gaia's primary caretaker. They would also be using her Marble Phantasm in order to aid in Gaia's physical rehabilitation. As for her mental rehabilitation, that would require a concerted effort from everyone in the Ivory Castle, but, until she was ready to face a large number of people, Spenta would be asked to accompany her.

Though Illya had made a case for using her Marble Phantasm for Gaia's rehab, she quickly perished the thought when Vahn coaxed her by saying he would stay with her after everyone returned from the Yokai District. As a result, she started considering who she should invite along with them, chiefly focusing on members of the Menagerie and her own mother. If she could convince the right people, they could even turn it into an extended vacation, albeit one filled with indulgence, debauchery, and a fair amount of training...

Once everyone was on the same page, Vahn left it to them to inform the rest of the Inner Sanctum's residents. Gaia would become one of the Empire's greatest secrets, as, if her presence was known, it exponentially increased the danger to her, and, by proxy, the planet. Though almost nothing could outright kill Gaia, her death would mean the effective death of all Spirits, plants, animals, and even microbial life forms. Though it wouldn't be an instantaneous process, wind erosion and other factors would make the surface of the planet inhospitable to life, forcing its inhabitants to flee the fate they had wrought themselves.

It would be a mild inconvenience, but Vahn had already resolved himself to accompany Gaia in order to facilitate communication and meaningful interactions with others. The sooner she could open her heart to others, the happier she would become. This would also guarantee the success of his future plans, so, even if it took months, or, even years, he would help break Gaia out of her shell. Then, for the first time in her long existence, she would, hopefully, be able to experience what it was like to be free...

While his main and tertiary bodies were busy dealing with the emergence of Gaia, Vahn's second body was enjoying Semiramis' soft and supple thighs as she used a cotton swab to gingerly clean his ears. She was still wearing the same outfit from before, leaving her upper and lower body completely exposed, but, as that only made the experience more enjoyable, Vahn had a contented smile on his face as he split his focus on what was happening in Avalon.

Taking advantage of her Master's relaxed state, Semiramis set aside the cotton swab, gently stroking his hair with her right hand as she deftly pulled out a vial of pitch-black liquid. Then, with a curious smile on her face, she began to pour it into his ear canal. This caused a sudden and intense burning sensation in Vahn's ear, but, in spite of the pain, he just lightly chuckled, allowing the poison to fizzle out after momentarily perforating his eardrum.

Once the poison was inert, Vahn rolled so that he could see Semiramis' twin peaks, her glimmering golden eyes, and her slightly sadistic smile. As strange as it might seem, her attempting to suddenly poison him was the same as saying she was in the mood. It was impossible for her to be honest with her feelings, so, rather than vocalizing her desires, she would rather give him liberties after failing in her attempts. The more potent the poison used, the more eager she was for attention, a dangerous, yet strangely adorable, quirk...

With the edges of his smile curling up, Vahn held out his hand, eliciting a 'Hmm?' from Semiramis as she gingerly placed her own against his. She still had golden stakes running through her hand, but, with his ability to freely shape his body, Vahn was able to facilitate them. This made him one of the few people actually able to hold hands with Semiramis, but, more importantly, it was a method that allowed him to 'lock' her hand in place.

Despite knowing it was a trap, Semiramis willingly allowed Vahn to capture her hand. She also made no attempt to escape when pulled her body to the side, uttering a seductive, "Brute..." while lazing languidly against his firm body. She was actually in a pretty uncomfortable position, but, rather than make things easier for Vahn, she began tracing the stake in her free hand across his body, eliciting a sound similar to metal scraping across metal...

Semiramis only ever used the term 'brute' when she basically wanted him to do everything. This was a 'positive' outcome, but, as he knew she was trying to 'train' him, Vahn lightly rolled his eyes while she was fixated on his body. Her personality didn't allow her to be the one being manipulated, to the point she had invested several months just to create the 'illusion' that she was in control.

Whenever they were alone, most of the communication between Vahn and Semiramis was based on verbal cues and properly interpreting body language. These were things he was 'forced' to pay close attention to, as, depending on her mood, she would spontaneously 'forbid' him from doing more. It was a little frustrating at times, but, as it was a unique experience, Vahn didn't mind playing her little game. Rather, it made visiting her pretty enjoyable, as, unless he used his ability to read the Flow of Fate, it was like solving a complex puzzle, one that promised ample rewards if he was successful...

Following Semiramis' cue, Vahn freed her left hand before quickly adjusting her hips so that she was effectively straddling his face. He could see a very small amount of glistening moisture between her pale white thighs, accompanied by a slight smell of fruit. There was an approximately one-hundred percent chance she had applied some kind of poison, but, without minding that face, Vahn held her hips rather firmly before gingerly tracing his tongue around her sensitive bead.

Before proceeding any further herself, Semiramis sat back, shamelessly using Vahn's face as a seat in order to fix her long hair. Even if it wasn't exactly the case, she enjoyed the thought of being able to smother him, pretending her body wasn't quickly heating up as she 'casually' collected her massive volume of hair, binding it several metallic clamps. This was a long and arduous process, but, due to how much hair she had, it was necessary if she wanted to avoid getting it caught and entangled...

After nearly half an hour, Semiramis' complexion had become suffused with a ruddy and sensual glow. Her body was also covered in a very thin layer of sweat, causing her to glisten slightly in the low light of the room. As for Vahn, he had 'dutifully' paced himself so that she would be able to fix her hair without 'interruption'. This always made Semiramis feel like he was a loyal puppy, but, as their positions could reverse very quickly, she never dared to vocalize such thoughts.

With her hair neatly braided and bound, Semiramis breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately afterward, she felt a jolt run through her body as Vahn's tongue pressed into one of her most sensitive spots. It wasn't enough to make her immediately climax, but she had to bite her finger in order to suppress it. Then, before he could push her over the edge, she pulled her hips forward, quickly extricating herself from his assault. This left Vahn on the bed, looking like a man who had just been pulled from the sea as his face and hair were completely matted with love juices.

Semiramis knew better than to look directly at Vahn during moments like this, so, pretending she was unaffected by his tirelessly assault, she ran her fingers through her fringe bangs, saying, "You did well...I suppose a reward is in order, wouldn't you agree~?"

Due to her impassioned state, Semiramis' voice sounded even more seductive than normal. Instead of answering her, however, Vahn just let his dragon speak for itself, causing it to twitch 'impatiently' in response to her words. If he tried to make a verbal 'plea', she would just tease him at both of their expense. Thus, without saying a single word, he grabbed her hips, using his thumbs to separate her slightly swollen vulva, extending his tongue towards her palpitating entrance.

With another wave of pleasure flooding her body with endorphins, Semiramis released a sonorous, yet subdued, sigh. Then, with a gratified smile on her face, one she never allowed others to see, she brought her face closer to Vahn's member, running the tip of her golden stake across its length. She was always surprised by how large it was, but, as her body was somehow able to accommodate its full length, she also felt a strange sense of pride when seeing it up close...

Though she was tempted to tease her Master even longer, Semiramis knew he was very capable of 'denying' her release. Her body had already started to ache, the tingling sensation quickly becoming an unbearable itch. Thus, rather than meander about excessively, Semiramis lightly kissed the tip of Vahn's penis, her black lipstick leaving a small imprint on the glistening protrusion. This was another form of poison, but, rather than one intended to cause seizures or cardiac arrest, it was designed to increase blood flow to the penis, preventing it from flowing back.

Under 'normal' circumstances, Semiramis' poison was effectively a death sentence, as, after a few hours, the blood would begin to stagnate, causing it to rapidly turn gangrenous before ultimately 'falling off'. For this reason, it was called [Succubus' Kiss], allowing the victim to experience great pleasure prior to their death. Against Vahn, however, the poison had virtually no effect, causing his glans to briefly swell before returning to normal in less than a second.

Rather than be annoyed, Semiramis had become fond of Vahn's resilience against her poisons. In the past, it had troubled her a great deal, but, with long periods of time between each of their meetings, she had a lot of time to think. She knew Vahn treated her better than she actually deserved, so, while she could never admit it, Semiramis was very thankful to him. He accepted her selfishness without a single sign of perturbance, and, though she knew her efforts were futile, Semiramis appreciated the fact he at least pretended to be tamed by her...

As this thought crossed her mind, Semiramis used one hand to pull aside her bangs before grabbing the base of Vahn's penis with the tips of her fingers. The golden stake in her hand was inconvenient at times like this, but, if she tried her best, it wasn't really an issue. Vahn would never complain about her relatively inexperienced actions, giving her as much leeway as she needed to improve at her own pace. This was another thing she appreciated about his character, as, before meeting him, Semiramis had always felt men were selfish beings who thought more with their lower body than their brains...

Emboldened by her own thoughts, Semiramis began to tracer her tongue around the tip of Vahn's glans, her perpetually gloved hands awkwardly stimulating his length. It was always surprising how 'sweet' Vahn's bodily fluids were, but, as it was infinitely better than what most experienced women would expect, Semiramis felt a strange attraction to the startlingly hot meat rod. Thus, after licking the tip for a few seconds, she tried to mentally prepare herself before parting her lips and lowering her head...

Things with Semiramis always progressed very slowly, so, by the time things actually started to heat up, more than seven hours had passed back in Avalon. In that time, Gaia had made a decent amount of progress in controlling her body, reversing the flow of 'wings' that had erupted from her back. She even managed to reabsorb the vast majority, but, as if they were 'supposed' to be there, she still had three pairs, each wrapping around her body as if to protect it from harm.

Unlike normal wings, Gaia's were amorphous in quality, allowing them to smoothly curve around her body as if they were completely bereft of bones. As for the feathers themselves, they were smoother than even the softest downy feathers Vahn had ever experienced, sharing the same quality as Gaia's body itself. He, honestly, didn't know how he was able to keep ahold of her for so long as, from the moment she first appeared, Vahn felt like he was going to drop her. He even speculated that, if not for Gaia 'wanting' to be held, it would be completely impossible to hold onto her...

As she felt guilty about not being able to control her body properly, Gaia had a fretful look on her face, almost like a child that was admitting to her parent that she had done something wrong. This transition hadn't been missed by Vahn, so, before she could say anything, he held her a little tighter and said, "You did well. Those wings of yours are very cute, not something you should be ashamed of..."

Despite her Master's words, Gaia still felt guilty, causing her to lightly cling to his shirt as she softly stated, "Master is kind...I will continue doing my best..."

Now it was Vahn's turn to feel guilty, an apologetic smile on his face as he hugged her close and said, "I know you will...I believe in you, Gaia. Now, take as much time as you need...I'll be here with you..."

Though it was weak, a very small smile returned to Gaia's face as she leaned her head against her Master's chest and intoned a delicate 'Nn...'.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Room of Spirit and Time has nothing on Marble Phantasms','Relationships take on various forms...','You can do it, Gaia! Fight-o!')