Grace wasn’t sure what face to make when Liam entered their cave, greatsword on his shoulder, most of his body covered in blood, and the explanation that followed didn’t help.
"The Demoness told me to use this," Liam explained, removing his mask, his confusion still fresh. "Then, she told me to go to her quarters tonight."
As always, Grace had her unified jade in hand, engaging in mental conversations. Yet, she stood up and stored it at the brief explanation, her eyes growing scary.
Liam didn’t really understand the why of what followed and didn’t feel too inclined to ask. Those thoughts left his mind soon enough, alongside his ability to keep track of time.
When thoughts got the chance to return, Liam was in the small pool, resting his elbows on its edge, out of breath, a naked beauty clinging to his neck to lie on his chest, going back and forth with it.
’How many times was that?’ Liam wondered, experiencing a physical limit for the first time in his life.
Liam felt properly drained, meaning Grace had to be even worse off, and looking down at her confirmed it. Her eyes were closed, barely supporting herself, wet strands glued to her face.
The grip on Liam’s neck grew weaker by the second, so he wrapped his arm around Grace’s waist, pulling her up a bit.
Grace moaned under her breath, the safety of that hold making her abandon Liam’s neck to caress his chest. Yet, she seemed too tired even for that, her hand soon going still.
"You ruined me," Grace whispered, her eyes still closed.
"You didn’t give me much of a choice," Liam pointed out, definitely pleased, but still confused about the intense intimacy. That usually wasn’t how it went, nor did he enjoy seeing Grace so battered.
"At least," Grace chuckled weakly, peeking at something below the clear waters, "If the Demoness wants my handsome Master, he won’t have the stamina for it."
’Oh,’ Liam exclaimed in his mind, the picture becoming clear once he followed Grace’s gaze. For once, his manhood was waving a white flag.
Truth be told, Liam’s mind had never gone there. It wasn’t even a shortcoming of his. He couldn’t conceive a mighty leafing expert harboring primal desires toward a rooting expert, but her words had definitely hinted at that possibility.
Also, obviously, if a leafing expert wanted to have her way with Liam, there was little he could do. He wouldn’t comply, but he wasn’t sure he could actually oppose it.
"Liam," Grace called, mustering some strength so that she could wrap her arms around Liam’s torso. "I don’t care what... Just come back to me."
At those words, Liam felt angry.
Grace wanted to cuddle, but found herself lifted before Liam’s feral face. He pressed her to him with one hand, the other going on her cheek.
"I won’t let anything happen," Liam hissed in human words. "Even if she is a leafing expert."
Grace couldn’t mask her feelings from Liam anymore, and there was a precedent. What she had said fell into her stance on Dominic’s slaps. It was the smart choice, but Liam hated seeing her demeaning herself, especially since he knew how much it hurt her.
Making Grace happy was Liam’s job. He wanted to remove the very notion of those thoughts from her brain so that she could always and only be his clingy little girl.
If a leafing expert had to die to achieve that, so be it.
Sadly, Grace had said so because she knew the kind of man Liam was. As much as she would hate it, a leafing expert was truly beyond them, and she would rather suffer for a while than lose Liam forever.
It was a basic trade. Since loss was unavoidable, Grace would choose the lesser of two evils.
Yet, the hiss and feral face told Grace that it was too late, and Liam even insisted.
"I fell for a greedy woman," Liam stated, pulling Grace’s face closer. "So be greedy."
Grace wasn’t sure Liam realized what that meant when he had a lover, but her reason made way at those words.
"Is my beloved authorizing me to train him until he reacts solely to me?" Grace teased, closing her eyes, placing her forehead on Liam’s, forcing her arms to go around his neck.
"I expect nothing less from you," Liam praised, adding a brief kiss as a reward.
"I truly, truly love you," Grace whispered sweetly.
Grace gave the kiss this time but froze when something poked her from below. She was happy to be so desired, but she couldn’t help but feel some despair at what that meant.
"Sorry," Liam coughed, pulling back his head to show a guilty smile. Still, greed was indeed a powerful fuel.
"Anything you can give," Grace said, a dangerous glint in her eyes, "It belongs to me."
When the night came, a foundation expert escorted Liam through the underground maze, but she kept her distance, too afraid even to attempt tempting him.
Liam felt on a warpath, both in appearance and presence. The huge greatsword rested on his shoulder, and his emotionless mask perfectly paired the heaviness of his ominous existence, like famished dark depths ready to swallow it all.
Eventually, the two arrived at the destination. It was a surprisingly small cave, its entrance open. The Demoness was at its bottom, snoring loudly on an armchair, tens of empty jugs around it, her wrapped sword lying next to her, the stench of wine filling the air.
Liam crossed the cave’s edge, and the wall closed behind him, snapping the Demoness awake. She grunted, a hand going under her robe to scratch her chest, the other bringing the jug she was still holding to her mouth, only to throw it away when she discovered it was empty.
Liam barely heard the jug shattering on the rocky wall. All the boundlessness was there. An existence so beyond the world that it could only be described as the world itself was right there, acting like the worst drunkard he had ever seen.
"What are you doing there?" The Demoness scoffed, not even looking at Liam, beckoning to him closer while searching for full jugs around her. "Kowtow already."
"Senior Demoness?" Liam asked, blinking behind the mask.
Liam didn’t actually feel anything, but most of the clutter shattered, and cracks opened on his mask. Its pieces fell, revealing his face by the time the Demoness picked up another jug and started drinking. She had somehow only destroyed the empty ones.
"No disciple of mine will hide their face," The Demoness declared. "The only mercy we give the Heavens is faces to curse."
Despite all the tension, a wave of relief washed over Liam. Luckily, there had been a misunderstanding. He only had a less worse problem to deal with.
"Senior Demoness, you want me to be your disciple?" Liam double-checked.
"Want?" The Demoness’ voice grew more violent as she glared at Liam, freezing him completely, rendering him unable to breathe. "Boy, I have forgotten how to make requests."
The Demoness stood up, tilting the jug over her, wine pouring into and over her mouth as she approached Liam. She threw it away as soon as it was empty, wiping herself with her bare arm.
"I only take," The Demoness declared, her abyss-like eyes feeling even harder to look up close, only for a frown to afflict them.
Liam didn’t know when it happened, but the Demoness was holding his chin, tilting his head left and right, and he was powerless to oppose it.
"Have we met somewhere?" The Demoness asked. "Are you the ghost of someone I killed?"
"Do ghosts exist?" Liam couldn’t help but ask.
The Demoness stopped at that question, tilting her head in thought, letting Liam go.
"I have seen plenty of strange things," The Demoness admitted, still going through her memories. "And I have killed plenty of people. It would be about time one came back to life for revenge."
Despite the strange twist the meeting had taken, Liam didn’t forget the main order of business. A leafing expert as a Master would be a priceless boon, both in terms of protection and what Liam might learn, but he wasn’t at liberty to accept.
"Senior Demoness, you honor me," Liam exclaimed, lowering his head, cupping his fist oddly due to the giant greatsword he was still holding. "However, I have already vowed my life to a Master."
That was something Liam couldn’t and wouldn’t give up. The great Horace Rauret had made him the man that he was. He had laid the foundation for everything he had come to achieve, and he had yet to repay that immense debt.
The entirety of Liam’s heavy presence conveyed that unbending seriousness. It was core to his very existence.
Still, the Demoness wasn’t impressed. She threw a glance at the greatsword pointing at the ceiling, noticing how Liam could casually bow despite wielding it with one hand.
"What does that have to do with me?" The Demoness asked, her question sounding like a statement.
Liam peeked up, finding a grin shining in his vision, his mind shaking at the frenzied feeling it radiated, triggering a background hiss.
"Do you know how many rooting experts can lift this without techniques?" The Demoness voiced a short, vulgar cry, wrapping her hand around the huge blade.
The greatsword grew heavier in Liam’s hand. The Demoness pressed it down, gradually increasing her strength. Soon, it became impossible to keep it up with one arm, but Liam instinctively added a second hand to its handle.
Liam’s muscles bulged. His veins started to pop. His neck and back tensed to no end, sweat beginning to fill his forehead in front of the immense physical strain.
Nevertheless, Liam’s arms eventually gave in. The greatsword hit the floor violently, cracking it, becoming a diagonal barrier that separated him from the Demoness.
However, the frenzy in the Demoness’ grin skyrocketed when she saw that Liam’s hands were still on the handle. Even under pressure, his grip hadn’t faltered.
Everything shook. An earthquake took over the cave, creating cracks everywhere, pebbles and soil falling from the ceiling and over the walls. The Demoness’ sole excitement was too much for the world to bear.
"I knew it when I first saw you throw that boy across the stage," The Demoness exclaimed. "I’ve been killing time among battle cages for almost a century, but I never thought they would deliver such a gem."
And for the first time in a long while, Liam heard the hiss in his mind gain human words. ’My greatest ally, our lives intertwine once more.’
Liam couldn’t think about those words since he found the Demoness’ big hand on his head, and his mind went dark.