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Abaddon stared hard at both the paper in front of him, and the woman presenting it.
Try as he might've, he couldn't really understand what Erica was thinking, nor why she had suddenly shown up here with questions on the brain.
But seeing as how she seemed to be serious, he realized she must have noticed something fishy about his motives.
Most people in the world would have simply considered Abaddon's reputation alone and immediately started preparing for war.
But for some reason Erica was giving him the benefit of the doubt.
It was odd, especially considering the fact that she didn't know him well enough to make assumptions like this.
He became more and more curious about how the phoenix could have arrived at this conclusion.
"Zheng... take us to my backyard." Abaddon decided.
The oni closed his eyes and started shifting the space around them, moving through the shadows within the city to spit the two rulers out in the specified location.
Erica surveyed her new surroundings with a curious eye, just as she heard deep, threatening growls coming from behind her.
Turning around, she found two creatures that were polar opposites of each other, one majestic one horrifying.
She instinctively channeled her rainbow colored flames into her hands and prepared to defend herself, without even bothering to ask questions.
"Entei, Bagheera. If you see me standing here unconcerned then obviously this guest isn't for eating, is she?" Abaddon said sleepily.
The two creatures lost their threatening demeanors and instead made small whimpering noises, as if they were upset they weren't being delivered lunch.
"Don't give me that look. You think I don't know the triplets are feeding you an extra breakfast and dinner everyday?"
The creatures flinched and looked at each other as if they were trying to figure out which of them snitched.
Eventually the two of them walked off, growling and arguing amongst themselves about who should go hunting for food.
"What... are those things?" Erica asked slowly.
"Pets. Aren't they cute?"
Erica couldn't tell if Abaddon was being sarcastic or not but given the fact that there was no smile on his face she figured that he probably wasn't.
"You are such an odd man..."
The dragon shrugged as if he really couldn't see what made him so out of the ordinary.
He sat down on a nearby picnic table in the yard and gestured for the phoenix queen to sit down opposite him.
Once she obliged, a silence fell between the two of them as they stared at each other without either of them knowing where to begin.
"Your tune seems to have changed since the last time we met." Abaddon finally said. "I truly wonder why that is."
Erica clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, as she spat out the humiliating words.
"I have spoken to Darius about his experiences during the war... As annoying as it is, it seems I cannot defeat you. And I will not waste the lives of my people trying.
But I want to know... why are you doing this? What reason is there for all of this conquest and bloodshed?" She asked painfully.
Abaddon leaned froward and brought his face closer to the phoenix queen. "Erica... can I trust you?"
"W-What?"
"You asked me why I needed your lands and I don't mind telling you, but I do not know you. I need to know if you are the kind of person who can keep a secret."
For some reason, this conversation was starting to make Erica slightly uncomfortable, but she nodded in understanding nonetheless.
"Alright then... Don't pull away."
"W-What are you talking about?"
Abaddon suddenly reached across the table and lifted up Erica's chin so that she was staring directly into his eyes.
'Glimpse of Oblivion.'
Only a moment passed by in the outside world, but for Erica it was much longer.
He didn't show her everything, but he did reveal the mystery behind his identity, ability to read evolution conditions, and his race against the Abyss.
Erica wasn't exactly certain what Abaddon's reasoning for wanting her lands would be.
But this... this was utterly outside any of her expectations.
When the two of them came back to the real world, Erica realized that Abaddon was still holding onto her chin, and she jerked away out of instinct.
But as soon as she'd done it, strangely enough she wished that she hadn't.
Abaddon wasn't particularly offended by her gesture, as he figured it must have been uncomfortable for her to be touched by a stranger.
'..?'
Abaddon suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him from the house and looked up to find the source.
Unfortunately, all he caught sight of was a curtain being drawn closed and a familiar tail running off into the house.
"All of that... it is truly not a falsehood?" Erica asked shakily.
Abaddon returned his focus back to her and nodded while analyzing her every reaction.
"You... can see evolution conditions... Where the hell were you three thousand years ago when I needed information about my own?"
The dragon rolled his eyes as Erica inadvertently stepped on a landmine.
This was the reason why news of his ability to receive conditions never left Luxuria.
He didn't want to use his ability to help everyone in the world, he just wanted to use it to better his family and his people.
He could only imagine the headache that he would have to endure if the world ever found out.
Erica noticed the tension in his jaw and realized that her joke may have been in poor taste.
Upon thinking about it for a moment, she realized that Abaddon kept practically none of his powers or relationships a secret, so for him to hold onto this one must not have been a light decision.
Hell, now she understood why he hadn't told Darius.
The old fool would've gotten drunk and started rambling off the truth to anyone who might've heard it.
"Apologies...My jest seems to have made you uncomfortable."
"No, think nothing of it."
The two of them fell into a long silence before Erica realized that she had another question.
"My daughters... how long have they known?"
"I told them the full truth just before they left for my mother's castle in Antares. Like you, they were surprised but they had already begun to question my background after spending so much time here, so they did not ask many questions."
Erica allowed his words to sink in as she thought about her two daughters and the tearful departure that they shared.
"My daughters... why are you so kind to them?"
"They are gentle people. My children have chosen them to be their brides all on their own, but they are exactly the kind of women that I would have chosen for them.
I can tell that you've raised them with a lot of love. They're the spitting image of you, in body and spirit. Even though I haven't known them long, I'm proud to call them my family."
Erica felt like his words had been fired directly into her heart and she felt a largely forgotten emotion bubble up."You have quite a way with words."
"...Pardon?"
Abaddon quickly tried to disperse any building atmosphere before something unnecessary was said.
"I was simply expressing my thoughts. Nothing more or less."
"I see... never mind then.
Erica noticed that he was purposely trying to act clueless but she wasn't exactly sure why.
She pulled out the deed to Renanin from her back pocket and placed it on the table before sliding it over to Abaddon.
"I hope that you can overcome the trials you have in front of you. I'll be leaving my lands in your care, dragon."
"They will only be under my name and protection, Erica. They will still be under your care as they have always been."
Abaddon took the documents, but he didn't sign them just yet.
His evolutions tended to be rather explosive, and Eris and Valerie had worked hard in the backyard to make it nice and homey.
He didn't want to destroy their hard work and have them scold him for it.
'Although, they are quite sexy when they are upset...Maybe I will sign this now after all.'
"So, do you have any conditions for me?" Erica suddenly asked.
Abaddon tilted his head in confusion from her unexpected inquiry.
"No, just make up with your daughters as soon as possible. They were truly hurting when they left."
"I will, I plan to go find them first thing tomorrow but... Is there nothing else you want from me?"
Abaddon would be a fool not to get the gist of what she was getting at, but he wasn't excited in the slightest.
"What happened to the woman who claimed she had no interest in giving me her heart or her body?"
Erica fell silent as her gaze became firmly locked on the wooden table between them.
She couldn't exactly say what it was that changed her mind.
Abaddon was more than handsome, but she was not typically a woman who could be swayed by flesh.
Perhaps it was his story, and his determination not to be separated from his family even if it meant that he had to bathe in the blood of millions.
But the gentle and warm manner in which he referred to her daughters was undoubtedly a factor.
"I cannot say for sure, but you are the first man that I am not utterly repulsed by in quite a long time. I wish to learn more about you."
No matter how many beautiful women confessed to him, Abaddon never felt particularly moved.
Erica wasn't really an exception to that pattern.
"You're free to get to know me if you like, but you will only make things harder on yourself if you do. I'm not going to marry you."
Erica showed no visible traces of surprise at Abaddon's rejection, but her eyes semed to burn a bit more intensely than before.
A man who valued loyalty above all else was certainly a requirement for her, and she became even more determined to have him.
"I've never had a man reject me before... It has only reaffirmed my intrigue in you even more."
"Try not to overstep. Just because I told Claire and Jasmine that we wouldn't kill you doesn't mean that my wives won't change their minds if you're behaving inappropriately."
"You could always persuade them not to attack me."
For the first time, Erica saw Abaddon show a smile full of pointed teeth as his eyes became slightly drunken.
It was as if he was suddenly intoxicated from memories alone.
"Why would I do that? They are never more passionate than when they are trying to reaffirm that I belong to them, and them alone."
"...You're insane."
"And you fancy me, so what does that say about you?"
"...I've changed my mind, I don't like you anymore."
"Thank the gods."
Erica laughed for some reason, and Abaddon wasn't sure what she found funny.
He just hoped that she had put away whatever unnecessary interest she was developing in him.
-
In the Euphrates training hall, the scene inside was rather chilly and chaotic.
Mira had covered every surface in the hall with thick and chilly ice, creating her own winter wonderland.
In the center of the battle ground, the young princess had an improvised polearm with her two daggers embedded in each end.
Judging by the mad smile on her face, she was having the time of her life while being tested.
Surrounding her were three warriors, all of whom showed varying degree of injuries that were slowly healing.
"Hey, why have you guys stopped attacking?! Don't be pussies, let me keep showing Miss Kanami what I can do!"
On the wall furthest from Mira, her mothers were invisible to everyone other than the eight of them as they huddled together.
When Mira's mothers heard her mouth, they silently glanced at Valerie and Seras who were coincidentally right beside her.
Lillian: 'You two are horrible influences on our daughter.'
Valerie: 'I-I can't help it if she picks up on the things I say!'
Seras: 'Neither can I if she has inherited my love of battle!'
The remaining six wives merely shook their heads as they continued to watch their daughter's performance.
Her potty mouth aside, Mira's performance was... exceptional.
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