Under Rei Ao's invisible "existential pressure" from a higher dimension, the two incarnations of the Counter Force had already lost their clear consciousness and any ability to resist.
Alaya and Gaia had fallen into a hazy, puppet-like state, letting him do as he pleased.
Rei Ao's expression didn't change.
It was as if he'd expected this all along.
Then, at that moment—
Tiamat, who had been standing quietly by the bed like the most loyal guard and executioner, suddenly moved.
She no longer spared a glance for Alaya and Gaia.
Instead, she said to Rei Ao, "I also…"
Rei Ao's body paused for a moment. He was clearly a little surprised.
He turned his head to look at Tiamat, who was resting her cheek against the side of his neck.
The first thing that filled his vision was her pair of indigo eyes.
She wanted to prove that the meaning of her existence was more than just a corrected creation or a weapon.
After his initial surprise, a genuine smile slowly bloomed on Rei Ao's face, carrying a hint of approval.
That smile washed away the faint indifference and mockery that had been in his gaze before, replacing it with a vivid interest.
"Is that so?"
Rei Ao's voice sank slightly, with a trace of encouragement and anticipation.
Tiamat didn't speak.
She just nodded more firmly.
Those indigo eyes never left his.
Rei Ao's smile deepened.
He lifted a finger and gently hooked her smooth chin, bringing her gaze level with his.
"In that case…"
Rei Ao's voice carried a magnetic quality that brooked no refusal,
like a king issuing the final trial to his champion.
"…as you wish, Tiamat."
"Use your full strength."
His eyes were deep, as if they could see straight through to the depths of her soul.
"Use everything you possess—your life, your divinity, your power to create and to destroy."
"Show me just what kind of spectacle you can present for me."
As his words fell, Alaya and Gaia remained in their dazed state.
And in the center of the room, the goddess of creation and Rei Ao locked eyes.
In Tiamat's indigo pupils, Rei Ao's smiling face was clearly reflected.
What churned within them was resolve, burning passion, and a surging tide that might not have ever risen so clearly in all the countless ages she had existed—a wave that truly belonged to her own self.
…
The passage of time inside this luxurious space, forcibly shaped and cut off from the rules of the outside world, felt hazy and indistinct.
Warm light seemed to spill down unchanging and eternal.
The air was filled with a scent that mixed a strange, subtle fragrance with something more primal.
After a long while—perhaps several hours, perhaps even longer—
the two slender, graceful bodies that had been limp from their muddled consciousness trembled faintly.
Alaya's long, silvery-white lashes fluttered lightly like butterfly wings as they slowly lifted.
Those purple eyes of hers, once deep and cold, as if holding within them the birth and death of countless human images—
now looked like amethysts rinsed clean with water, clear and bright.
But in their depths flowed a light utterly different from before: dependent, intoxicated, almost dazzled.
She blinked.
Her gaze sharpened quickly from its initial confusion.
Then, almost on instinct, she began searching.
Her eyes landed on the figure beside her.
Rei Ao was half-reclining against a pile of soft velvet cushions, posture relaxed.
His black hair was slightly tousled.
There was a kind of lazy, satisfied languor on his face.
His chest rose and fell gently with his calm breathing.
The instant she saw Rei Ao—
a dazzling brilliance erupted in Alaya's newly reborn purple eyes.
It was a light that mixed reassurance, longing, and a nearly greedy attachment.
She didn't even stop to wonder why she felt this way.
Nor did she try to recall what had happened before.
Her body moved ahead of her thoughts.
"Mm…"
With a soft whimper like a kitten's mewl,
Alaya shifted and crawled toward him on hands and knees.
She pressed her still-shivering body tightly against his.
She buried her face into the hollow of his neck.
Her small nose drew in a deep breath, as if she wanted to take in that unique scent from him—
a scent that blended an indescribably overwhelming sense of existence, warm vitality, and a hint of something so deep it made her very soul tremble—
and seize it all, branding it into the core of her being.
Her arms wrapped around Rei Ao, holding him tightly, as if he would vanish the moment she let go.
At almost the same time,
Gaia on the other side slowly woke as well.
Her emerald eyes opened.
Gone was the ancient, indifferent weight of the planet's will.
In its place was a newborn clarity, with a faint, easily overlooked hint of shy sweetness.
Her green hair fanned out behind her like fresh, newly grown vines.
Her first reaction on waking was exactly the same as Alaya's.
She turned her head.
She saw Rei Ao.
Her emerald gaze lit up in an instant.
She wasn't as frantic as Alaya, but her movements were just as resolute.
She turned onto her side and nestled her graceful body into the crook of Rei Ao's other arm.
Her cheek rested against his shoulder.
One hand gently came to rest on his chest, feeling that steady, powerful heartbeat.
Her other hand unconsciously caught a strand of his black hair and twined it around her fingertip.
She, too, was breathing deeply,
greedily drawing in that scent on Rei Ao's body that made her feel utterly safe and filled with yearning.
~~~
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