“Grea, you know I already accept all of you. It’s an honor to be the one you consider worthy of your love.” Pecking her cheek, he unhurriedly put the necklace on and let it hang off his neck. “I will make sure it’s always with me. One way or another. I won’t let it get damaged or lost ever. I swear, you don’t need to be afraid to love anymore. I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens.”

  “Thanks…” she whispered with a charming smile. “Maybe it’s time for me to finally grow up a little again…”

  “We are who we are. Our past shapes us into what we become. Don’t try to forcefully change back into who you were a long time ago.” Asterios pulled her even closer, brushed over her back gently, and slipped a playful squeeze to her sensitive tail. “Besides, I would miss your crass humor. It’s what I’ve always known.”

  She snickered lightly and grinned at him. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been a prude. I’m a demon in the end. But, I stand by what I said. Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without your support. And your love.”

  They shared a brief moment before she placed a chaste peck on his forehead and slowly slipped away. The girls quickly stepped closer to assist Grea and she accepted their help with a gentle smile. They all knew how weakened her emotional side could make her.

  Silvia brought her gift next, sitting down by Ast’s side like a noble lady should. Her present was no bigger than a palm and Asterios accepted it with gratitude, tenderly unwrapping the ginger fabric.

  “I think I’m beginning to see the pattern here.” He smirked at the princess lightly while holding on to the small, reflective oval with a patterned wooden edge. “This wouldn’t happen to be the very same mirror which we…?”

  She smiled at him warmly. “It would. I managed to save a piece of it before it was thrown out. But, that’s not all. Infuse some of your mana into it.”

  Curious, Asterios did as instructed. His eyes widened as a very peculiar picture was cast into his view. Inside the small mirror, a single frame of an image he remembered clearly was captured perfectly. It was the passionate moment he’d shared with the fiery princess while coupled with her in front of the dresser.

  Save for one detail.

  The perspective showed them from the other side of the mirror as if it were a window to the world. He could clearly see Silvia's palms pressing into the surface from within, the point of their sensual connection with him behind her, and the pure bliss on their faces as they both reached the peak of their pleasure, adorned by the charming sparks of Silvia’s flaming hair.

  The picture faded as quickly as it appeared and he glanced up at his red-haired lover. Silvia’s cheeks were tinged with a trace of rosiness as she smiled at him softly.

  “We have a magician at the castle who can read the memories of mirrors. I managed to save only this single moment since the surface was broken to pieces by the servants. It was the most powerful picture reflected by the mirror during its life and became embedded in its core,” she explained calmly. “Of course, as long as you don’t share your mana with it, it will remain a normal mirror.”

  “That’s quite a dangerous gift, my lady.” He chuckled lightly. “I’ll need to be very careful with it.”

  They shared a quick kiss and everyone turned to the last person in the room. It was then that Asterios noticed the massive package Bryn was holding by her side, which was almost as tall as her. The girls had to help her place it on the bed in front of him as Asterios stared at the mysterious box in awe.

  “Okay, it’s definitely going to be a tie. I can already tell there is nothing I could come up with from my past that would be this big.” He smirked at his winged lover. “This thing is as big as a door. Is that what it is?”

  Bryn blushed a bit and shook her head. “No, Master. It’s actually not that big, but it’s been secured like this to avoid getting any scratches on the surface. Let me help you unpack it.”

  They opened the long box, which turned out to be a massive suitcase filled with clean rags and cushions, and a powerful sheen of precious gold greeted them. Inside, lay two batches of metal plates which undoubtedly followed the shape of wings.

  “This is a set of wing armor which covers the upper edges with decorative plates. In the past, it’s been worn by the highest-standing members of our race during official gatherings and important meetings. It’s a symbol of status, respect, honor, and leadership,” she explained. “It would be my greatest pleasure if you accepted these, even if you don’t intend to ever wear them in public.”

  “Of course, I will accept, Bryn. And I will definitely wear them with pride. Whenever we actually will be able to publicly show my wings, if that’s alright with you.” Asterios made a respectful bow towards the Valkyrie. “But… Is this really all? This design seems especially… radiant. I don’t feel like this was commissioned exactly for me.”

  Bryn glanced away sheepishly. “Well… It might have belonged to the first Sky Queen in the past, so…”

  He snorted and shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to wear them in your realm either, right?”

  “No, most likely not. At least for a little while.” She smiled timidly.

  “I’ll treasure these anyway. And I promise to wear them for you whenever you wish to witness their greatness.” He winked at her. “And maybe, you can sometimes try them out too. I have a feeling that they would look perfect on you.”

  Blushing heavily now, Bryn hastily retreated from the bed and rejoined the girls. Asterios sighed softly and looked at all the gifts he’d received. It was a grand haul of invaluable relics and items. It was more than obvious how much effort and thought the ladies had put into preparing these.

  “Once again, thank you all for your incredible gifts. Just the beautiful cake was more than enough, but I’ve been showered with something unimaginable. You’ve set the bar really high and I can only hope to match it during your birthdays.” He smiled at them as he met each person’s eyes.

  They all chuckled together and closed in to wrap him up in a big group hug. After a cordial moment, they got up and moved the gifts and boxes off the bed, not forgetting about the glorious draconic cake. Even as Asterios dressed up, Tina remained in her quite revealing outfit, shooting him shy glances, but clearly intended to follow through with her punishment to the very end, which he certainly admired. Just like a few other things.

  ~Now, as regretful I am to interrupt this precious morning of yours, I’m afraid your presence is being requested, Master,~ Umbra chimed in just as they finished everything, materializing his raven shape on his shoulder. ~The underground lair construction team requires some advice.~

  “Right. I can’t laze around all day just because it’s my birthday, can I?” Asterios chuckled. “Let’s get to it.”

  “Let’s jump in, girls and birthday boy.” Grea summoned her gate with a smirk.

  As Asterios turned towards it, Umbra glanced back and the ladies showed him a thumbs up, following after the duo shortly.

  The first phase of their plan was a success.

  Now onto phases two and three.

  Chapter 22

  The Beginning of Surprises

  Walking through the gate, Asterios carried no expectations, but they were still greatly exceeded. For about half a day's worth of work, the underground lair was really coming incredibly close to its counterpart from the elven lands. The one most striking difference was most likely only the lack of the artificial sun and moon that should be illuminating the whole cavern. The walls were still just walls too, not yet hidden behind a cozy illusion.

  Yet, everything else was pretty much finished. The previously empty space had been filled with thoughtfully placed trees, bushes, hedges, paths, and all other kinds of floral designs or decorations. It felt just like Althea’s previous lair, but not to the tiniest detail. And that was good since they weren’t aiming to simply recreate it one-to-one.

  Althea was beginning a new chapter in her long life. Having something familiar by her side would help keep the warm memories fresh, but it was a good idea to introduce some gentle change too, which would symbolize her change. A mix of both approaches, one could say.

  Hearing steps behind his back, Asterios glanced over his shoulder and watched the girls join him. They had slipped out of their ceremonial robes already and returned to their usual attire and gear, which was much easier to go around in while working and taking care of other things. Besides, he did not doubt that it was not the last time he would get to see them in those charming dresses.

  Meeting his gaze, Tina flushed a little and lowered her face shyly while looking up at him. Asterios raised a brow at his blue-haired girlfriend and she made a few quick glances around. Still smiling at him adorably, she grasped the front of her skirt and lifted it gingerly. Reaching far enough, she brought an invigorating image to Ast’s eyes, flashing him the cute red ribbon still being the only thing functioning as her underwear. After noticing that he had noticed, she hastily covered herself and blushed even deeper, looking away.

  She really had to wear it for the entire day.

  Soon, everyone’s attention was brought to more pressing matters as Radir, Suanori, and the elf duo arrived in front of them. Cynthia stepped forward with a big smile.

  “What do you think? Will it do?” She gestured around, spreading her arms wide.

  “With a little bit more here and there, it will be perfect.” He nodded appreciatively. “You didn’t have to rush it so much, though.”

  “Oh, we haven’t. Things just flowed. And still flow,” Suanori answered with a light chuckle. “Save for the formations on the walls. Those are taking quite some time due to their complexity.”

  “Having some issues, old man? Getting out of touch already?” Grea grinned at her father and he smirked back at her.

  “Come here and let’s see who is losing their touch. I would be surprised to see you remember even half of the shit after scoring yourself that handsome boyfriend of yours,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Are you implying that I’ve been slacking off on my responsibilities?” She mirrored the motion and squinted at him.

  “I bet you are working hard on your responsibilities multiple times a week.” Radir snickered. “Just perhaps not the ones you should be.”

  “That’s it! I’m going to show you why exactly your generation is already obsolete!” Grea huffed and stomped his way, stopping by Ast’s side to place a peck on his cheek. “Don’t wait on me, love. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  She grabbed her father by the scruff of his neck and led the man away as they started chatting quite vehemently. Asterios could only shake his head at their interactions. He turned back to the rest of the team after his eccentric mate disappeared from their sight.

  “Need any help here?” He glanced at the remaining trio.

  “I could use some. It gets much easier to work on the terrain with the support of your mana,” Suanori responded. “We’ll be done faster that way. And I’m pretty sure Imadil and Cynthia could use some of your energy too.”

  “We are constructing an artifact that shall transfer real sunlight and moonlight depending on the time of the day, sending it here to illuminate this cavern,” Cynthia chimed in. “It's quite an ambitious project that’s a bit out of our area of expertise, but it should be doable. You might have to refill the part embedded into the ceiling once in a while, though.”

  “Sounds good. Just let me know what to do.” He smiled and glanced at his mates.

  “We’ll leave you to your work, then. It’s going to progress much quicker and smoother without any… distractions.” Tina chuckled quietly as her charming cheeks colored a bit.

  He smirked at her as a few giggles joined them and followed the trio as the ladies left through their own gates. Suanori pulled him right into their work and his thoughts focused solely on finishing Althea’s lair as soon as possible and in the best way they could achieve it. A good day of honest effort was always met with a satisfying evening of rest. Which, as he’d assumed, would be even more entertaining than usual with the girls definitely planning something more for the night of his birthday.

  Time flew rather fast and a few hours passed quickly. It was a good moment to take a break for lunch as they’d made some great progress. The formations in the walls weren’t yet fully done, but the magical contraption was mounted in the ceiling. Imadil and Cynthia had to get back to the surface to continue with the next part, which required them to set up panels that would absorb sunlight and moonlight.

  Before he could open a portal to one of the girls, though, Asterios watched Umbra materialize himself out of the shadows right in front of him. The towering, misty form of the Lord of Darkness met his curious gaze.

  ~It is time,~ Umbra declared.

  “Why do I feel like you don’t mean lunch?” Asterios chuckled.

  ~Please, come with me, Master,~ his summon continued.

  “Uh oh. Lead the way, then.” He shrugged mentally and let the darkness consume him.

  In a flash, the shadows receded and revealed the new surroundings. Asterios was a bit confused as he recognized one of the gates in the newly built defensive wall, most likely the southern one if he remembered correctly. But, his confusion was quickly replaced with surprise as he noticed the decorations adorning the fortifications and the town behind them.

  Plenty of crimson cloth hung over everything, creating long rows of arches made with expensive-looking materials. Some shield-shaped tapestries joined them here and there, also of the same color, albeit slightly darker. On those tapestries, he could make out the embroidered shape of a True Dragon captured mid-flight from overhead. It was all black and menacing. Above it, near the very top of the ornamental shield, a curved, wide crown of whitish silver gleamed in the sunlight. Depending on the angle it was looked at, it shimmered with all colors of the rainbow.

  A giggle reached his ears and brought him out of his brief stupor. Glancing back, he saw his six beautiful mates approaching him dressed in those brilliant robes once more. With how much Miria was beaming at him, he had no doubt she was the source of that cute giggle from earlier.

  “I told you Master would like them.” She prodded Bryn with her elbow.

  “You are acting like they were your idea and design.” Selene chuckled daintily.

  “Wasn’t I the one who insisted on the Dragon?” The panthergirl pouted at the fox lady.

  “Like that element could have been missed in the first place, kitty girl.” Grea snickered. “Now, cease the useless banter, we have work to do, ladies.”

  As they stopped in front of him, smiling warmly, Asterios roamed his gaze over their gorgeous faces. “What are those exactly?”

  “You’ll learn in due time.” Silvia stepped forward and took his hand into hers, pressing a loving kiss onto his lips.

  “They are celebratory decorations, what else?” Tina let out a soft giggle as she took his other hand and also briefly joined their mouths together.

  “Please, tell me you didn’t hang these all around the town.” He stared between the two of them with an astonished expression.

  “I don’t think Master likes us lying, so we won’t!” Miria grinned cheerfully, proud of her answer.

  He sighed lightly and let his two bodyguards lead him past the gate, with the others following around them. “So, how far did you go with this?”

  “Eh, not that far. We kept everything inside the walls. Ulyssen was really against throwing all this cloth over the forest.” Grea huffed as if the man had personally wronged her somehow. “But we made sure the town is super nice for you.”

  His question wasn’t exactly answered but Asterios decided not to try prodding the girls for more information any further. They were clearly intent on keeping him in the dark with deflective and playful answers.

  As they walked, he decided to alter his clothing a little bit to match their official theme. He kept the dark crimson cloak on but swapped his upper garments for a scarlet shirt and black vest with the draconic buttons he’d used during the gala he attended with Silvia and the others in the past.

  All in all, he looked formal enough while retaining some of his somewhat fierce style. And the girls certainly approved.

  The further they moved, the more decorations were attached to various windows, balconies, and house walls, or even hung right over their heads, connecting both sides of the street. Besides fabrics and cloths, plenty of flowers fitting the red and black palette could be spotted at every angle. Draconic motifs and themes dominated the ornaments, though he could spot some quite characteristic details that referred to Summoning Magic and spiritual energy itself.

  While the streets weren’t completely empty, the people they passed could be counted on the fingers of one or two hands. Asterios had never seen Glimmervale so dead, so devoid of the usual bustling activity. He couldn’t decide if he was thrilled or scared to learn the reason behind that.

  Soon enough, they arrived at the edge of the main square. At that very moment, Asterios stopped to gawk at the impossible number of people that filled the place to the very brim. Most likely everyone currently present in Glimmervale was gathered here. Lots of laughter and loud chatting filled the air alongside pleasant and lively music played by a traveling band of minstrels. Though, one of them was the centerpiece of the entire show, with the rest of the group playing a more supporting role.

  But, before he could examine the unusually charismatic woman majestically playing her intricate violin while surrounded by floating smudges of various shades, something smashed lightly into his back and he found Miria’s ecstatic face right over his shoulder.

  “Welcome to your birthday party, Master!” She nuzzled her cheek into his, purring lovingly straight into his ear. “You must be starving after sharing so much of your mana with Suanori and the others. Let’s grab you something to eat before the news about your arrival spreads to everyone and it turns into complete chaos!”