“Can you really blame her?” Tia laughed lightly. “This place is brimming with so much draconic authority that the first thought one has is to submit unconditionally. It’s only thanks to the fact that you care for us so strongly that we aren’t affected more by it. Though sometimes I feel a slight urge to listen to its demands.”

  “Of course, you do.” Asterios puffed out a deep breath, aware of the way the Dryad’s supple hips were moving back and forth atop him.

  Diving towards the ground, he decided to bring them to the black one since it ended up being closer. Plus, he interacted with it much less in general. Flying through the opening from above, he slowed down their descent with his wings as the dark lava receded and revealed an ominous platform with a fierce throne. As the ladies slid off him, he transformed back.

  “To think that a thing of such beauty belongs to the most vicious race in the universe,” Althea whispered in wonder. “The commanding presence it emanates is no joke. I’m glad I can feel the slightest relationship with it.”

  “I guess I can’t exactly feel the same way because I’m its owner,” Asterios thought out loud, coming closer to brush against the onyx stone. “I wonder if anything will happen when you sit down on it instead of me.”

  “I can’t,” she immediately replied, making him glance back at the pair.

  “Why?” He frowned lightly.

  “I simply… can’t,” Althea repeated, staring intensely at the monument of his power. “It’s like my very existence rejects the idea. When I think about it, my body doesn’t follow. Instead, it wants to do something like this.”

  Both she and Tia slowly approached him and rested their palms on his chest, peering deep into his eyes. Observing his precious mates closely, he let them push him back without much force or intent, like they never intended for it to be more than a faint suggestion, and properly sat down on the throne.

  The women he respected and loved kissed his cheeks at the same time and lowered themselves to one knee before him. Their faces were directed up to meet his gaze falling upon them from above. As they all stared at each other in such a position, it suddenly felt right. But, at the same time, it seemed wrong, and Asterios knew it was his human principles speaking up.

  Yet, the three of them shared something.

  A connection.

  Between him, them, and something else.

  He didn’t need to consult their bond to know that they were aware of it too.

  Opening himself fully to the bubbling sensation, he straightened his back.

  “Tia, can what we have previously done be conducted only inside your Tree?” Asterios asked with an authoritative tone.

  The Dryad before him lowered her head dutifully. “No, My Lord. Any place will do with enough preparation.”

  A pang of worry surfaced in his heart at acting so commanding, but his sharp eyes caught on the shadow of a smile on his mate’s exquisite lips before her gorgeous visage faced the ground.

  She wasn’t disappointed. Quite the opposite.

  Turning to his other lover, he met his wise mentor’s anticipating gaze. “Althea, are you willing to work alongside your sister for the sake of growing my might?”

  She followed suit. “It will be my pleasure to assist your growth, My Lord.”

  This time, he caught the tiniest hint of a shiver from the female Lesser Dragon, but recalling what Althea’s true desire was, he allowed himself to smile proudly at such a reaction.

  “Very well. I am delighted by your unwavering devotion. You bring honor to my family and our name,” Asterios announced with dignity. “Now, rise, my beloved. We have a lot to arrange if we are to properly utilize this opportunity.”

  He didn’t need to say anything more as the understanding passed between them naturally, and the ladies immediately got to work. Making a quick cut on his wrist with a transformed claw, he extended it to the side and let his blood drip onto the floor. Althea and Tia dipped their fingers in it and began drawing a complex but familiar array together while Asterios watched their every move, falling deep in thought and focusing on that connection.

  Splitting the energy from the spiritual cluster between the two of them?

  Yes, he could definitely do that.

  But why, when he could simply take it all for himself and therefore make his whole peerage stronger, as he was the one they drew their power from?

  In the end, light existed to be consumed by darkness.

  And he was sitting atop a primordial source of it, just waiting to be unleashed.

  His smile grew more fierce as he witnessed his plan gradually unfolding at the hands of his capable mates.

  There would be nothing left behind when they were done.

  Chapter 22

  The First Advent of True Darkness

  In a few minutes, a layer of bloody formations and arrays covered the area around the throne, creating one big circle. Right at the front lay the most complex cluster, extending slightly forward from Ast’s sitting position. The two women were just finishing the sections inside which they sat, already positioned in the correct places to start the ritual. After the last stroke was finished, they both turned to Asterios and he nodded at them approvingly.

  “You have done well,” he said calmly and stood up, unhurriedly approaching them. “Do you understand your roles and tasks?”

  Althea and Tia remained on their knees until he gestured at them to rise. They followed his order quickly, peering deep into his black eyes.

  “Yes, My Lord,” the ladies answered as one.

  “I shall use my vessel to funnel the sun’s energy into this place just like it was done before,” the Dryad added. “My task is to control its flow and prevent any of it from escaping your grasp.”

  “I shall absorb that energy and store it within myself to ensure that she can continue her technique uninterrupted and without having to worry about overflowing her soul,” the Lesser Dragon explained too. “My task is then to transfer all this spiritual power right to you, My Lord, and aid you in its absorption.”

  “Very well.” Asterios nodded regally. “I shall trust in you. This is going to leave me exposed to external influence, serving as a trial of your loyalty. After I assimilate enough of this mana, I’m going to start the real ritual and consume every bit of it, using the two of you as an extension of my will and might. It will undoubtedly cause you pain—”

  “We will bear everything for your sake, My Lord,” the ladies once more spoke in unison, interrupting him before he was fully done.

  A vicious smirk appeared on his face. They dared to cut him off. Through their intense gazes, he could infer that they felt not the faintest shred of remorse. Just as the females he’d chosen should.

  Stepping closer, Asterios gently slid his palms over their cheeks. “And I will for you. Now, let us begin the ceremony. As soon as I show you my gratitude and acknowledgment.”

  They watched him with anticipation, and he slowly brought Althea’s lips to his, joining them in a passionate kiss. The Dragon lady savored his affection and answered with equal devotion, allowing his tongue to chase after hers like a tender but assertive lover. A whole minute passed before he slowly withdrew, continuing to caress her cheek with his thumb.

  Without wasting any time, Asterios turned to Tia, and the beautiful Dryad offered him her lips right away. She showed a more proactive side, trying to impress his inner Dragon with her courage and confidence. It made him sneer respectfully as they fought much rougher than he had with Althea. It ended with numerous wounds over their scratched mouths, which healed up in an instant.

  Taking a deep breath, he looked at both of them. “I’m proud to call myself your mate.”

  Charming smiles adorned their elegant faces, and the duo skipped their heads courteously. In the next moment, Althea’s clothes dematerialized once more, and Tia’s modest vines retreated from her skin. As they stood naked in front of him, Asterios removed his garments too. They exchanged one last glance and went to work.

  The women sat down inside their parts of the formation, positioned with their backs set against each other before the throne. Asterios returned to sit on the ominous slab of condensed darkness. They all closed their eyes and synchronized their thoughts.

  With a quiet thrum, the crimson pathways lit up. Tia slowly began siphoning the natural mana, her figure starting to glow with a golden radiance. Bit by bit, she gathered more and more of it before Althea reached out and established a bridge between them. She too shone gently as the energy flooded into her core. Noticing that it was much less chaotic, she strived to further purify it before handing it to her beloved mate.

  Soon after the ladies filled up with the remnant power of the fake sun, Asterios accepted the flow from his wise mentor, directing it briefly into his third source. Establishing a stable and controlled connection, he warned his companions that the real thing was going to start. Spreading his aura, he threw it at the onyx throne beneath his body.

  He had already communed with it in the past, shortly after learning about their true purpose. The lineages had explored his potential and deemed him worthy. Both the crimson and the onyx bloodlines had stopped limiting his growth and stood open before him, even convinced to work together and make him the strongest.

  But, this would be the first time Asterios was going to give something back, enhancing either of the bloodlines instead of simply drawing upon them. And he had chosen his onyx ancestry first because while its might was comparable to that of his crimson inheritance, it clearly lacked the blood-related connection. It wasn’t until his visit to the Nethernight realm that it stepped more forward from its withdrawn position, while it should have always been equal to its counterpart.

  So, accepting its guidance on what to do, he plunged into his onyx Dragon’s Heart, letting it fill him up. The throne responded immediately, and the blood used for the formation changed from red to black, starting to move. Slowly at first, the patterns slithered over the floor and the dark slab until they all moved onto Ast’s skin. With the last of them present, he switched the destination of the golden energy from his third source to his dark Heart.

  A groan escaped his lips as spiritual shadows surged out of his very existence and latched onto his mates, evoking stifled screams of pain from both of them. They didn’t let those cries distract him for long and tensed considerably, further muffling them out. It hurt, but it was nothing in the face of growth. And both of them knew well that what they were experiencing could not hold a candle to what their feline sister-mate had forced herself through.

  With his power locked on the ladies, Asterios sent it through the stream of spiritual energy Tia was funneling into herself, launching the darkness outside. It rushed eagerly toward the source of the bright mana, ravenously consuming everything on its path. The desire to devour the last of it stimulated its very purpose.

  In their deep focus and commendable effort, Asterios, Althea, and Tia couldn’t see or feel the intense tremors that took over the dark volcano. Its onyx lava bubbled at the edges of the throne chamber, exploding higher and higher. It seemed eager to erupt, switching from its usually dormant mood into one full of emotion.

  But those weren’t the only changes…

  ※ ※ ※

  “Who wants to bet how much quicker Althea will finish absorbing the cluster than I did?” Miria asked with a cheeky grin while sitting upside down and swaying from side to side.

  “With her and Tia in one place, it might actually take Asterios much longer to wrap up all the rituals.” Tina chuckled at her, a tinge of rosiness decorating her soft cheeks.

  “They should take as much time as they need,” Silvia chimed in as the calm voice of reason. “We shouldn’t rush them, no matter if they are working hard or working hard.”

  Selene hid her ladylike smile behind her slender hand. “Even our sweet princess is starting to get corrupted, oh no~”

  The girls laughed in amusement while the fiery lady let out a delicate snort. They knew very well she’d never been pure. Not with how much she relished the physical love their man showered her with. And the places they had shared such moments couldn’t ever be called proper. Just thinking about the mirror made her feel tingly inside.

  As Silvia was going to respond to her sister-mate’s tease, the facility experienced a light shiver. Their heads snapped towards the opening just as the first specks of golden light escaped through it. In a flash, literally, a pillar of blinding radiance shot outside, partially striking a section of the white structure while the rest of it continued racing towards the bottom of the chasm, slipping through the gaps between the corridors and chambers.

  “Uh oh.” Tina showed a worried smile. “I think we should have covered that hole after Asterios and Althea jumped in.”

  As if on cue, numerous unrecognizable noises reached their ears from every angle.

  “The entities living in the crater are not happy with this invasion of their darkness,” Umbra reported. “Brace for an assault.”

  Everyone got ready for battle in a blink, entering their transformations and bringing forth their usual techniques. It was too late for regrets, all they could do was protect Asterios and Althea as the pair conducted whatever it was that the duo or trio conducted in his Ancestral Plane.

  At least he most likely wasn’t aware of their situation, so he wouldn’t feel guilty about spending time with his current partners.

  “I can’t turn too big here, so I will guard the hole!” Miria announced, her humanoid figure exploding in crimson flames.

  Selene tried placing a barrier atop it, but the flow of spiritual energy was too immense and interfered with her techniques. Instead, she brought forth her great katana and focused on supporting her feline friend. They smiled at each other fiercely and condensed their mana for the upcoming action.

  The first monster reared its ugly head from the side, quickly beheaded by Tina’s scythe. It was long and sharp like that of some sea bird. Soon after, more of them squeezed into the view, and Silvia released two scorching streams of amber shade from her hands, incinerating everything hiding between the facility’s components.

  For a while, the situation was completely under their control. Miria and Selene rarely had to step forward and kill something themselves. Then, the number and variety of enraged beasts increased as those from further away joined the fray. Everyone was engaged in their own battle as dark entities fell in droves.

  Their individual strength was a joke compared to Ast’s mates, but the quantity of enemy forces and the limited fighting space were beginning to become troublesome. Due to being located somewhere in the middle of the complex, the ladies had to keep an eye on multiple gaps and narrow passages between the chambers, through which a sneaky beast could easily slip into their formation.

  “I’m starting to get bored having to fight off a limitless swarm every time we make some progress,” Miria complained with a vicious growl at her current opponent. “And I sure do love fighting.”

  “You knew what you were getting into when you volunteered for this expedition.” Selene snickered and sent a cyan arc of spiritual energy to clear the path in front of them. “We are not here to have fun but to help our dear friend.”

  “Don’t worry, Miria.” Tina showed up next to them while floating through the air. “We’ll have lots of fun adventures in the Rubytongs’ lands.”

  She was gone in the next moment, shooting out crackling lightning from her palms.

  “I’m sorry that you find my homeworld dull.” Umbra chuckled deeply, helping out wherever he needed to. “I agree that diversity isn’t the strongest of its tourism points.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that!” The panthergirl let out an apologetic whine, evoking some more laughs from her companions.

  Then, the facility lurched, throwing them all off balance. Thankfully, they hadn’t cut off the vine yet, knowing that without Althea, they would need something else to replace it, so no one fell into the gaps in the floor. They exchanged confused glances as the structure continued trembling and their eyes locked on the hole.

  “Are they don—” Silvia’s question was interrupted by an even stronger wobble, but that wasn’t what surprised them the most.

  The radiance suddenly disappeared as if snuffed out. They had noticed it growing somewhat weaker, but it should have taken a while longer for their friends to finish up. But the light was gone, and in its place, the deepest, darkest black shadow seeped into the outside world, even stronger than anything in the realm. A second later, it surged through the hole with tremendous power.

  Like an eruption of thick smoke, it dropped onto everyone, giving the girls enough time only to cover their eyes. But they quickly realized that this darkness didn’t hurt them. Instead, as it licked at their frames, it felt kind of… tender. Like the touch of an affectionate lover.

  For everyone else, though, it was death incarnate. The light-and-joy-devouring power latched onto every creature and consumed them completely, their screeches and shrieks of agony filling the air. It seemed to swallow everything on its path, and even the facility’s golden circuits disappeared from their grooves as it passed over them. The dark power gobbled up the entire sacred sanctuary.

  Then, cracks began showing up on its surface. Bigger and longer fissures spread around like a web of destruction, leaking more of the ominous shadow from within. Expecting what was coming next, Selene pulled everyone closer and raised a multi-layered barrier around them just in time with a massive explosion that blew the cluster’s vault to oblivion.

  A chorus of yelps escaped the ladies as they were sent hurtling into the chasm. Before they stopped due to the pressure pushing them upwards, they witnessed the source of the earlier explosion, their eyes widening in shock and awe.

  In the place of the main chamber was now the figure of a True Dragon, which they inherently knew was Asterios. But, while his body was black as they might have expected, it was not covered in scales. Instead, his frame was made of the same seeping darkness that had attacked the light and the monsters, currently flowing back into him. That darkness behaved like violent fire, creating an image of a winged onyx flaming beast. Similar to Umbra’s, Ast’s eyes were misty spots too, but of a pure white shade instead.