Zell spent quite some time speaking with this woman, learning more about the world of Asteria from her point of view.
"So most races here would rather submit to the demons that keep fighting?" He asked with a loud shout.
'How could that be so cowardly?'
He asked himself before slamming the table as it cracked, blood seeping from his broken hand, the shards of marble piercing his flesh like thick splinters.
"Zell!? Why are you so stupid!"
Colette quickly leaned over; her hands were soft and delicate as her silky fingers began to shimmer with blue light, the sensation was cold, but Zell found it delightful as it spread from his fingers to his hands, through his body.
"I'm sorry... So many people will die... have died already..."
Her body pressed against him, and both arms wrapped around his back; she was not as young as he was, and her impulsive nature was limited only to the desire to have children and one day see her mother again.
"Zell, do you think those who have experienced the hells that you have would keep fighting...?"
She pulled his face up with both palms around his cheeks, squishing them as she looked into his eyes, the strange blue orbs seeming to flow like the sea, as she gave him a peculiar feeling, like a mother looking at a child.
"They..."
"Shhhh!"
Colette placed a finger over his lips, silencing him with her beautiful face, leaning forward as their foreheads touched momentarily.
Zell was shocked and almost pulled away, but her powerful hands gripped him tightly and held him close.
A vivid image began to enter his mind.
It was a planet; there was a strange, pink mist that would kill all those who entered it... In that world, humans were weak and treated like cattle as they were forced to enter dungeons.
He thought it was a game, watching as a red-haired male fought desperately, abandoning his weak self, battle after battle, until he finally helped banish the mist one day.
They began to celebrate as if it was over. Now the world was there again; even Zell started feeling camaraderie and admiration for the male and his many female companions.
Beside him was a beautiful female with blue hair and skin; she looked 80% identical to this beautiful woman now holding his face, like sisters...
'What is this image?.. a memory? No... This isn't her's, then what is it.?'
The time passed in the image, it was like watching a video fast forward 20.0x speed or more, but his eyes and brain could process the events as if they were at a 1.0x rate.
Suddenly one day after the peace began to restore, a vast white light appeared in the sky, its radiance almost blinding even in this memory as suddenly meteors began to rain down on the earth from this light.
Once again, the entire planet was filled with despair and strife.
Zell watched as the woman who fought with the man with red hair, golden eyes and a phoenix-like appearance. He could feel the man's feelings as if they were his own.
The despair, pain and desperation almost gave up in the most bitter situation, yet the man didn't surrender or collapse; he looked at the various women around him.
His heart was as if grabbed by powerful hands as he gave them all one last loving embrace before a large group of young women, or girls, slowly rushed up.
'His daughters? They...where is he sending them?'
"Watch closely," Colette's voice sounded; it was cold, trembling as he felt a wet sensation dripping onto his cheeks, but his eyes were closed as if frozen shut.
He wanted to comfort her but was forced to watch as the man hugged each of the girls, a werewolf, a pair of vampire twins, and several succubi; all of them were young girls ranging from 6 years old in appearance to seeming to be around 15 years old.
Zell saw as the man bid farewell to them all, taking part of his flesh, power, and what seemed to be mana and to place it inside their chests.
His parting message. "With this, your dad will always be able to protect you in your most dire time of need." Before kissing them on their forehead, they suddenly turned into a black light, shooting into the sky and piercing through the golden light that shrouded the world.
'!!!'
Finally, two girls stepped forward, more mature than the others.
One was a red dragon; her eyes were fierce like garnets. She seemed a little stupid and a brute, but her beauty and allure were second to none.
A woman, like a demon, stood behind her, with tanned skin, two horns, yellow eyes, and fiery red hair.
Beside her was the beautiful woman from earlier, with light blue skin and soft blue eyes like the evening sea under the moonlight, wearing a white kimono like the eastern kingdoms.
The girl beside her was a little cold, her eyes blue but contained a brilliance similar to a gemstone; she stepped forward with dark blue hair and faintly blue skin.
A complete copy of the woman now holding his face, only a little more childish, as the man spoke more detailed words, giving them both the same gift, his face becoming paler as he did so, as he hugged the pair tightly, ready to send them away.
The blue and red light shot into the air, twirling around each other as the two were almost like twins, despite being born of different mothers.
One a passionate flame, the other a gentle and shooting spring.
Suddenly the light erupted, as hundreds... if not thousands of those accursed Angels began to descend upon the earth.
'This is... The Divines are invading the world!? Just like the demons!!' Zell's heart began to ache, the throbbing both his own and the man's as he was almost wholly synchronised to his thoughts and feelings.
He shot into the air, transforming into a mighty dragon-like being, his wings a mixture of red and black the man didn't attack but flew to protect the two lights of his daughters; the two mothers immediately stood beside him.
Three dragons, the last three of the supreme dragon race, stood enduring the onslaught of hundreds... no thousands of angels flames, holy light, the power almost blinded Zell, he was far too weak to take this level of encounter...
'Why!?'
'They were just living happily! Weren't the divines only acting to protect themselves?'
"Was I this much of a fool?"
Suddenly the image stopped, the two women beside the man slowly falling into his arms as their dragon transformation failed.
At the same time, he stood as if an unbreakable wall, his arms enveloping both women as only he continued moving.
Zell then realised he was now floating before the man.
'He feels familiar. Nostalgic...'
He tried to move and wake up, but now he couldn't feel any connection to the real world; it was like he was forced to dive fully into Astral Online. Zell wanted to turn around, looking at the divines; he could see a figure in the centre.
A male with blonde hair, his eyes light blue filled with arrogance and pride as his hands were behind his back, merely watching down at the red-haired man and women with scorn, but that wasn't what caused Zell to feel pain or shock.
It was the women beside him that caused his heart to stir.
One goddess with blonde hair, two curled drills and beautiful azure eyes, her short body was plump and cute. If she was shrunk to 30cm, he might call her "Veronica" and the other side...
She had long blue hair and beautiful eyes that alternated between golden and blue depending on how you looked at her.
The face almost charmed him when he was reborn, yet deep down, there was a feeling of dread and fear.
"Astra...."
"Veronica..."
"Then he is Tellurian!!"
Zell's body began to burn with a violent aura, but it was wrong... everything was bad... because it was not him who started blazing with purple flames.
Nor did his body become filled with his flaming mantle like usual.
"I see... So that's their names..." The cold voice sounded behind him before Zell felt a firm hand on his shoulder, prompting him to turn around.
The man was different.
He had long black hair, fiery red eyes, two demonic horns sprouting from his temples, black wings filled with demonic power, a second pair of red dragon wings, his left arm filled with red dragon scales and a strange claw that looked like a gauntlet.
'Eh?'
"You seem a little stunned, well... you've been good to my two wives, haha... My name is Vincent, Vincent Schwartz..."
Vincent lifted the red hand and snapped his fingers as the two women suddenly changed into a bright light and shot into the air, but the figures in the morning were not dragons... but transformed into a more bestial race... They were lynx!
The red dragon became a golden tabby cat.
The blue dragon became a silver tabby cat.
'That.....they!?'
Zell couldn't speak because he knew their form... He knew; his mind started understanding but was too terrified to talk. If these two were them! Then who is this man standing before him?
'Did I steal his wives!? Will he come to hunt me down?'
"Haa....."
"Am I this stupid in my next incarnation...?"
"Who is stealing my wives..."
The man's body began to burn with a brilliant flame, black, purple, blue, red, white and finally silver.
His wings also fluttered and burned with these flames; it was beautiful but horrifying for Zell, who thought he would die! The man's voice was husky, deep and cold.
But then...
A sudden deep laugh filled the world, a burst of crazed laughter causing him to feel confused as Vincent touched Zell's shoulders.
"You see..."
"How can I steal from myself?"
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