Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
June 19, 2008 - Serena's POV.
I stepped through the portal and almost sighed with relief at the feeling of being home as I finally entered my mansion in the underworld. Relief coursed through my body and the tension finally left me as I gazed into the mansion's main hall.
Ten days had passed since I had freed Song So Mi from the FIA. Oh, it was fun spying on NUSA and the FIA and watching them run around like headless chickens trying to find So Mi. So Mi, now known as Minji, had settled into her job like a fish in water. She had joined Lucy, and the two of them worked together on the new Network, Lucy teaching her everything she needed to know.
So Mi had cried with relief when her body was purged of the Black Wall's influence, and now she was enjoying her newfound freedom. She did her job, but she was also seen taking walks around the city, and even had plans to travel to other countries. That was good. Let her enjoy her freedom; as long as she did her job, she could do whatever she wanted.
Yorinobu and I had finished negotiating with all the major countries and corporations, much faster than I expected. Really, everyone was desperate to prevent us from launching another attack on the scale of the one we used against Arasaka, so a lot of paperwork and trivial matters were expedited.
After that, I let Yorinobu handle all the rest of the work, almost as the sole person in charge. GLaDOS would still be overseeing things, and for the final major decisions, Yorinobu would contact me to make the decision, but in addition to that, he was running the whole circus.
And now I was in the underworld. I breathed a sigh of relief with a smile as I entered my mansion.
It had been about 2 months since I started the mission. It had been August 20th when we arrived in Night City, and now it was October 17th in that world. I had turned back halfway because of the whole thing in Orario, but still, it was a really long two months away from the mansion.
I mean, a long time for me, in this world, was barely a little over four days. Which was good all things considered; if I'd disappeared for two months, that would have been a huge problem.
Even so, I could feel the weariness in my bones. I smiled lightly as I entered the mansion.
"Sera!" Enid yelled, slamming open a door as she rushed towards me. I instinctively grabbed her and hugged her tightly.
"Enid." I said lovingly as I hugged her, not even complaining about the hug.
"My scent disappeared from your body once again," Enid said with a pout as she rubbed her face in the crook of my neck. I shuddered slightly with pleasure at the contact, but I refrained from tearing off her clothes, only chuckling as I stroked her head.
"It was three weeks for me," I said apologetically. Enid just sighed, staying in my embrace for a few seconds before pulling away. She took two steps back before smiling broadly.
"Welcome home!" Enid said with a huge smile. I smiled gently.
"I'm back," I said easily. Before I could even think of an idea, I had previously scanned Enid when we met for the dance, and I had been able to acquire the Quileute shapeshifter template.
So I just let it happen and- oh, the world stopped.
It wasn't even a metaphor; everything ceased to matter. Everything around me vanished, even my magic, and the stars that were always present beneath my skin seemed to extinguish and disappear momentarily. I could only see Enid, only her.
Something inside me seemed to silently fall into place, as if a missing piece that I didn't even know was missing had just found its place.
"What-Is this?" Enid's voice was confused, then she gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, almost in shock. "Did you... Just imprint on me? How?" Enid asked, confused, but there was a hint of enchantment in her voice. I almost wanted to moan. I could feel that primal instinct when I heard her voice, when I heard her breathe, that I knew that as long as that sound existed, I would be there.
Even so, her voice brought me back to reality. I blinked once more, forgetting that I had just imprinted on Enid, and lunged toward her. Enid squealed in surprise as I transformed into a wolf mid-transformation. The change was almost organic, like my Animagus form, yet very different at the same time.
Turning into a raven in my Animagus form, I could feel the magic involved, as the magic slowly changed my body to fit the shape of a bird, but here, it was so natural, the wolf was practically a part of me; they seemed like two sides of the same coin, no, even that would be wrong.
They were like those holographic cards, which changed their image depending on the angle from which you looked at them; they were the same face, superimposed and existing at the same time, the only thing that changed was which one it decided to show at that moment.
I pushed Enid to the ground and fell on top of her. Enid's eyes were wide open in complete shock. I looked into her eyes; my wolf was enormous, completely black except for my starry eyes. I growled softly above Enid's face before stopping, sticking out my tongue, and starting to lick her face.
Enid shrieked.
"Sera!!" Enid squealed in surprise as she licked her cheek while she began to laugh joyfully, not even making an effort to cover herself, before she began to smile widely.
In the blink of an eye, Enid transformed into a colorful, blond wolf, barely shorter than me. She emerged from beneath me and began gazing at me, deeply aroused, like an overexcited puppy. She paced around me, her tail wagging with delight. I could even feel the exhilaration emanating from Enid.
Enid got tired of watching and lunged at me in her wolf form. I let her drag me along; we both fell to the ground and started spinning around while we played together. Enid began to happily lick my snout.
We only stopped when the door opened again. I turned to look and felt the same sensation as before. No, this was different.
Oh, this felt like a blow, a huge impact, an invisible punch to the chest that left me breathless as I stared at Ravel. That punch expanded from my chest throughout my entire body, like a hot wave coursing through my bones; I could almost feel something inside me rearranging itself piece by piece.
"Enid, I told you there was no need to run—" Ravel said, entering the living room before stopping and looking at us. "Huh? Who is—Sera?!" Ravel squealed in surprise as she stared at me. I pulled away from Enid, straightened up, and got into a pounce position to prepare to run. Ravel paled. "No! Don't you dare! You know I don't like wolf saliva on—Sera!!" Ravel shrieked as I started running in her direction.
I lunged towards Ravel before transforming back halfway there. I hugged Ravel as she squealed, then stopped. She looked at me and pouted.
"You're mean." Ravel grumbled, puffing out her cheeks, but she hugged me back. "Welcome back," Ravel said, kissing my cheek as she pulled away. I smiled, leaned in, and lightly kissed her lips before stepping back.
"I'm back," I said with a smile. "And the others?" I asked softly as I pulled away from her. I could feel Aria wrapping me in clothes once more. I turned around and saw Enid starting to get dressed again, still with a huge smile on her face.
It was hard to tear my gaze away from her, in fact, from both of them. Really, what the hell. Had I been imprinted on both of them?! How the hell did that work?! I was sure it was The Company's fault; the label must be acting on me and my connection to them.
Enid had immediately imprinted on me thanks to the seal; it shouldn't be unusual for it to work the other way around, but I certainly hadn't expected it. I took a deep breath and tried to focus. I was sure I could free myself from this feeling if I removed the Quileute Shapeshifter template, but my instincts refused to cooperate, so I kept it on for the time being.
"Lucius and Narcissa are entertaining Rebecca, Lucy, and Freya. We were with them, but Enid sensed you arriving at the mansion and ran out. I followed her to prevent them from being distracted," Ravel said easily.
"I'm sorry," Enid said, not really sounding like she was apologizing, as she wrapped her arm around mine. Ravel sighed and grabbed my other arm.
"Come on, they were waiting for your return. You stayed in Night City longer than they expected," Ravel said as she started walking.
"Yes, I had to give some final orders for Yorinobu and So Mi. GLaDOS will stay there part-time, coming in from time to time to prepare her enrichment center beneath the mansion." I said easily. Ravel nodded.
"Well, I suppose you're going to build your technology in this world. Do you plan to implement it in Pentagram City?" Ravel asked professionally, as if preparing for such an eventuality. I hummed.
"Perhaps there's no reason not to. I have no problem with it. Much of Aperture's technology is selling quite well in the Cyberpunk world, so she's experimenting with it."
"We need to figure out how to integrate it into magic. I mean, technology exists, as you know, things like the internet, it works with a combination of traditional technology and magic, something we can easily imitate, all things considered."
"So it shouldn't cost us too much; the only thing we'd have to decide is what level of technology we want to reveal. We can introduce it slowly, or go straight to the end without any worries."
"Partially revealing GLaDOS's existence or physiology would help make that level of technology seem less strange, so... yeah," I said, shrugging. "We'd just have to be careful. Many demons might not think much about technology, but the more essential and present it is in their lives, the more attention it will start to attract." I hummed.
"Yes, I see the problem, especially if we keep the technology only in our city," Ravel said, frowning.
"Oh, I hadn't planned on keeping it only in the city," I said, shrugging. "We won't be creating any weapons, just... things that help people. Thanks to Freya and Dian Cecht's book, along with GLaDOS's expertise, we're more than capable of creating magical implants and cyberware," I hummed.
"Um... I don't want to get involved, but am I already capable of healing the missing limbs?" Enid said, confused. Both Ravel and I sighed. Enid puffed out her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, it's nothing bad, we were just thinking about the obvious," I said apologetically to Enid. "You're still a person, yes, you can regenerate any wound, but you can't live in the hospital. Even if you did, you wouldn't be enough to satisfy everyone."
"And I'm not just talking about the underworld; different races could use the implants. Once created, it's easier to place an implant." I said gently to Enid. Enid frowned slightly as she made a face.
"I guess you're right," Enid said, pouting. I chuckled slightly.
"Don't worry, you're truly irreplaceable, but I really prefer that you don't spend all your time in the hospital when you can spend it with me." I said to Enid, purring. Enid opened her eyes slightly before blushing.
"Oh, shut up, you'd probably spend that time making potions," Enid said, slightly embarrassed. I chuckled.
Finally, we entered the living room, and my gaze immediately fell on Lucy and Rebecca, and I felt the effects of Imprinting on two more people.
Rebecca felt like a fire, one that ignites everything I am, as if every cell in my body woke up at the same time. It was all too intense, while Lucy was a sweet vertigo, making me feel lighter and heavier at the same time, as if I were falling and flying at the same time.
I forcefully suppressed the effect of both impressions while biting my tongue hard.
I glanced at the others and almost sighed in relief. Freya wasn't sealed and hadn't made any impression, while Lucius and Narcissa were sealed as familiars, not mates.
That was a complete relief.
"Finally, you're here!" Rebecca exclaimed happily, and I nodded.
"I had things to take care of, and also to restore the normal speed of that world. Right now, time passes 1:1 in both worlds." I informed them both, and they simply nodded. Then I turned my gaze to Narcissa and Lucius. "Hello, both of you, it's been a long time." I said with a small smile.
"You called me a couple of hours ago to ask about your world conquest." Lucius mocked. I rolled my eyes.
"Don't be pedantic, you know what I mean." I said curtly, and Lucius laughed as he stood up.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, my dear," Lucius said, extending his hand playfully. I just huffed, ignored his hand, and hugged him tightly. Lucius seemed surprised; I was, too.
That… I hadn't planned on hugging him. I… I suppose the Quileute template also affected other instincts more than I thought; the need for touch and affection was something I wasn't used to doing for myself. It was a surprise, but not a bad one.
"I'm really glad to see you, Lucius," I said with a smile as he pulled away. Lucius looked surprised and just nodded. I chuckled before hugging Narcissa, who was equally bewildered. "Hello to you, too, Cissy," I said cheerfully.
"You're... lively." Narcissa said, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged.
"Being free after several weeks of paperwork and endless meetings makes me happy," I said cheerfully. Narcissa just snorted.
"I'm sure you're waiting to get back to experimenting in your lab," Narcissa mocked.
"Yes," I said, chin held high. There was no reason to lie. I'd been able to experience some things during my time in Cyberpunk, but definitely not in the depth I wanted. Being away from my lab for almost two months made me shudder.
"Excuse me." I heard Riveria's voice as she entered the room. I turned to look at her and felt it again.
I had lived thousands of seconds in my life, each instant different, but only one mattered—this one. The instant my eyes met hers, something inside me awoke, as if I had been walking in the wrong direction, and suddenly the whole world spun around to put me in front of her.
I closed my eyes slightly.
"Riveria, it's a pleasure to see you again." I said to Riveria, calming myself down, and approached her with a smile. Riveria smiled back and extended her hand, which I gently took, as the privileged person I was.
Riveria blushed slightly before leaning in and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. I smiled broadly at her. Riveria blushed even more, cleared her throat, and looked at the others.
"Hello everyone, it's been a while... or well, for me, I suppose." Riveria said softly. Everyone returned the greeting, but I barely noticed it; no, I simply couldn't hear them.
I stopped rigidly. There was only one thing I could hear; I had heard it before I felt her presence. A heartbeat, not mine, another one. Something inside my chest changed completely; my heart changed its rhythm, began to follow the new beat, as if it had always been this way, and I was only now remembering. And I recognized that heartbeat; it was Bella's heartbeat I was hearing.
"I'm back!" I shuddered at the sound of Bella's voice. Really? I could practically feel every cliché hitting me hard. The world stopped, gravity shifted, a fire broke out, sweet vertigo, a moment that changes everything, and finally, the heartbeats?
Each one of them almost seemed like a bad cliché, but I couldn't stop my heart from pounding or my legs from barely resisting and trembling.
"Bella," I said with a suppressed sigh as I turned around. Bella's gaze met mine, and she stared at me undisguisedly, her eyes darkening with desire. Without hesitation, she conjured a seat behind me and pushed me in.
She sat on my lap and began kissing me. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I started kissing her back. I almost cried when she pulled away. I could feel her lips gently kissing my neck, right on the pulse point, before she bit me.
I shuddered as her fangs tore through my skin and she began to drink my blood. I didn't care in the slightest. Bella drank my blood as if it were the most delicious ambrosia in the universe. I just hugged her and held her tight.
I don't know how long we were like that, her drinking my blood while I regenerated it just as quickly. She finally pulled away when she was completely satisfied. I could hear her sigh with pleasure; she licked the blood on my neck before looking me straight in the eyes.
Her lips had my own blood on them, a thin trickle running down the corner. Bella just smiled seductively at me before kissing my lips. I could taste the iron in my own blood.
"Thank you, my future wife, you were delicious, even more than usual." Bella said, not even making any effort to get up, she just snuggled into my lap.
"You're welcome," I said, wiping the blood from my lips. I finally glanced at the others who had stopped to stare at us. Lucius and Narcissa just rolled their eyes, looking almost bored. Ravel seemed used to it by this point, though I could feel a pang of jealousy watching Bella curl up on top of me. Enid nearly squealed with delight. Becca just had a wide grin on her face, and Lucy and Riveria were looking more curious than anything else.
Freya had a strained smile, though barely; most of the animosity she felt towards Bella had vanished, but she still felt slightly uncomfortable around her.
"So, what happened again in Orario?" I asked curiously. Bella snorted.
"Nothing interesting. I gave the grimoire to Cranel as you wanted; he got his Firebolt magic, and everything went according to plan. He formed a group with Liliruca Arde and Welf Crozzo. That whole thing in Rivira was resolved, and now the Hestia Familia is preparing for the war game against the Apollo Familia." Bella said succinctly, and I blinked a few times.
That's... I really scaled up fast. Which shouldn't surprise me; everything happens way too quickly in Danmachi. Most of what happened there happened in less than a year, which was ridiculous, since Bell reached level 5 in that time.
"Oh... I also got my Title from the Denatus. White Princess." Bella announced as if it weren't important, my eyes widening.
"Congratulations? That's... pretty normal?" I asked, genuinely curious. Bella just snorted.
"The other options were so bad they almost made Miach cry. Loki was the one who intervened. Apparently, now that she's the strongest goddess in Orario, there aren't many people who want to cross her," Bella said mockingly. I chuckled.
"I see, then, that Hestia and her family are so well prepared?" I asked curiously. Bella shrugged, and I just looked at Riveria with a tired smile.
"Well, actually, Cranel reached level 2 as expected. Even without Freya's interference, he was able to fight to achieve the necessary high-quality Excelia even before the Denatus. He shouldn't have any problem defeating the Apollo Familia. I believe he's training with Ryuu Lion," Riveria said easily. "We didn't have any problems. There were some conflicts with the Kali Familia when we went to Melen, but it was easily resolved."
"The most important thing would be everyone's reaction to the disappearance of the Freya family. Most people think it's a joke or some hidden tactic Freya is planning. Most of the gods want to start a search for Freya and bring her back to Orario, but obviously that's not going to happen."
"And then the executives of her family continue to stay in Folkvangr and act on their own, but they're perfectly fine, although they do come to ask for information about Freya." Riveria said easily, the last part, while looking at Freya, who just smiled gently as she nodded at the information.
"I see... that's good," she said with a sigh.
"You should return time in that world to normal," Bella said, her voice muffled against my chest. I looked at her curiously.
"Oh? Should I?" I asked curiously, then looked at Riveria. She nodded.
"Yes, it will be difficult to stay in this world or any other if time passes faster in Orario," Riveria said, agreeing. I nodded.
"I'll see what I can do. The mission isn't complete yet, but I should be able to turn back time 1:1," I said easily.
"Okay," Bella said easily. After that, I took my time to catch up with everyone else and then rest.