When Ulfar ended his last call, a sunbeam smile spread over his face. In contrast, Cekt's lips had set into a grotesque grimace, his expression looking more constipated than ever.
"Marvelous, truly marvelous..." The Wendok's face twitched ominously for a moment, but the Beskyrian had yet to realize the thread of his life hung by a spider's silk.
Compared to him, Jake, Lucia, and Hade had already put some distance between themselves and the playboy king, wanting nothing to do with their comrade's reckless crimes.
It turned out that Cekt had kept his word: each call lasted no more than 3 seconds. It was a strict rule at first glance, but none of them dared object considering the cost per second of a long-distance call.
Implicitly, anyone with a shred of common sense and etiquette would read between the lines, understanding the real limit was to not abuse the generosity of the old Wendok. Apparently, and they just learned it today, Ulfar was a literal kind of guy.
He took the offer at face value, ignoring the unspoken condition: you can make as many three-second calls as you want, as long as it's not the same person, and it's someone you genuinely care about.
The outcome was 57 calls, far more than Jake and his companions would've dared to imagine. By the time he ended the last call, their jaws had long since hit the floor. 2
As they grew more and more convinced that Cekt was about to explode, he suddenly displayed a wicked grin, rubbing his hands together like a merchant about to secure a great deal. Turning to the still daydreaming Beskyrian, the alien cackled sinisterly in his throat and said, "You're lucky, aren't you? Come with me!"
Before Ulfar could respond, Cekt whooshed past him, and when he thought he'd gotten away, a clawed hand gripped his hair, yanking him mercilessly backward. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the distance, dragged by the angry gremlin.
Agape, Jake and the others could only gawk, wondering what in the hell had just happened. As Jake pondered what to do next, a telepathic message from his master echoed urgently in his mind.
"You can now activate the Nexus's time distortion, but first, you must sign up for your Fifth Ordeal either through a Red Cube or the Mirror World. As an Oracle Knight, I'll leave it up to you. But do it fast, so your companions can sign up with you."
With his master and Ulfar gone, Jake didn't hesitate and immediately explained to Lucia and Hade what he planned to do. With Xi's assistance, figuring out how to sign up for his Fifth Ordeal in the Mirror World posed no problem. Since Lucia and Hade didn't have access, he also had Xi sign them up in the same group as him, with their consent.
"Well, this is more straightforward than I thought." Jake rejoiced as he finished his registration in a few clicks. Compared to Earth's bureaucracy which had given him administrative phobia, it was almost relaxing.
After that, as he was preparing to leave his friends to return to the Nexus, Lucia held him back, gripping his sleeve with a sad expression on her face. Seeing her bite her lip and blush slightly, as if holding back from saying something, Jake guessed what was bothering her. Lifting her chin gently with two fingers to force her to meet his gaze, he whispered in a smooth voice, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise. You're free to try and kill me in any way you want. I'll take it all, in a bed or elsewhere. If you want to act on your threat now, I can delay my training for a few hours..."
Not expecting Jake to be so bold, the proud Princess Myrmidia turned scarlet, realizing that Hade was still present. In contrast, the mature Fluid Grandmaster cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and strolled away casually, whistling, "Just pretend I'm not here."
Unfazed, Jake was 70% serious. If Lucia truly wanted to take their relationship further, he wouldn't back down.
[Hehe, you should have done more research about the customs of the noble families of the Myrmid Empire.] Xi suddenly commented in a teasing tone, her amused voice echoing in his head.
Jake, wondering what she was talking about, understood in an instant as he saw Lucia avoid his gaze, her face flushed and flustered, her body trembling with embarrassment and anxiety.
'Ah, she's a virgin.'
He had suspected this due to the Myrmidians' customs, but he had forgotten seeing her so bold and proactive in their relationship. Because of her outgoing, flirty, and competitive nature, refusing no challenge, he had come to believe she was comfortable with sex, but it was the complete opposite.
Lucia was indeed not shy, but the thought of losing her chastity was an event in her life she greatly valued. As a princess of an archaic empire, her purity was pledged to her betrothed on their wedding day.
Her perspectives had radically shifted upon entering the Mirror Universe, but it wasn't as easy to dismantle deep-seated preconceptions that had been ingrained since childhood. Jake was no exception, despite considering himself remarkably adaptable.
Lucia might possess the forthright and ribald banter of a soldier, having spent time in a ludus teeming with sweat-drenched, rough-hewn gladiators, but deep down, she was still rather innocent.
Upon seeing her fists tighten until her knuckles blanched in an effort to suppress her burgeoning internal panic, Jake's desire to joke her further evaporated. Without any warning, he drew her into his arms, tenderly stroking her golden silken hair.
"I was just kidding. There's no rush. Let's take our time," Jake reassured her in a soothing tone.
"Hmm." All tension drained from Lucia's body, and she closed her eyes to savor the placating scent of her man.
As they stood entwined, oblivious to the world, Jake suddenly felt a wet pressure against his neck. Lowering his eyes, he found, wordlessly, that Lucia had attempted a lethal bite aimed at his carotid artery.
Instead, he'd only acquired a shy hickey that was already fading. Caught in the act, the culprit realized what had transpired and tried to escape, wiping her lips. But Jake tightened his embrace, holding her in place. Looking her straight in the eyes, he earnestly repeated, "I've told you before, you can try to kill me as often as you want. This first attempt puts the score at 1-0 in my favor. Train hard and never give up." Jake chuckled, flashing his most obnoxious grin.
Embarrassed but also feeling somewhat less guilty, Lucia pouted endearingly, displaying a feminine vulnerability he never thought he'd see in a warrior as outgoing and brawling as her. Softly poking his chest with her small fist, she buried her face against his torso and whispered, "And you have to keep winning. This victory... I don't want it."
Jake shuddered at her last words, realizing from the force of her embrace how unnatural it was for a Myrmidian princess like her to utter such a thing. It was perhaps nearly as unnatural as reversing the flow of one's own blood.
Following this, Jake returned with Lucia to the Dungeon Digestor and activated the temporal distortion. As promised, they flirted together for the next twelve hours, exchanging stories about their respective pasts between kisses.
Of course, exploring each other's mouth and body took up most of this time, and by the end of this impromptu date, despite Lucia's psychological resistances, Jake proudly managed to reach second base. In the heat of the moment, as amorous as she was, she still tried to kill him a few dozen times, either by biting off his tongue, gouging his eyes, or trying to strangle him.
Needless to say, none of her murder attempts worked. His tongue was indestructible, and she even cracked a few teeth. His eyes were like two polished diamond orbs that no nail polish could scratch, and even if she did manage to strangle him, he didn't need oxygen to stay alive.
During this time, Jake learned quite a bit about his girlfriend's early years and was surprised to learn that her upbringing hadn't been as golden as he'd imagined for a princess of an empire. She never knew her real father, her mother had suddenly become inexplicably cold, and in retrospect, it was evident that she was already under the influence of a Brain-Eater then.
Her only ray of sunshine was her sister Livia, but she, too, had died along with everyone else when the Digestors were prematurely exposed and launched their offensive. As for the other benevolent people she had met later, like Cassius, or Khazus, all had perished except for Gerulf and Jake. That's why she clung to him so much.
When the twelve hours ended, Jake escorted her to the surface, and they shared a lingering kiss one last time. Lucia was surprisingly attached during their farewell. She didn't know why, but despite seeing each other again in less than 24 hours, she felt an unexplainable separation anxiety.
In contrast, Jake, who was about to train in seclusion for a year and a half, was utterly serene, feeling invigorated. It was a difference in perspective created by their respective outlooks on the future. He was confident, while she was more doubtful than ever.
Unfortunately, apart from training harder and regaining her self-esteem through self-transcendence, there were no shortcuts. To become the strong and serene Lucia she once was, she would first need to conquer her own Corruption.
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