Nupian held the Golden Book of Virtue and the Honest Quill. They softly shone. Their holy auras warmed her palms. She smiled as she caressed the two legendary artefacts.
"Do you want to listen to a story?" Nupian said. "Now that the first author has left, and his work is unfinished, we should finish the story, shouldn't we?"
The rest of the Monster Girls lowered their heads. None of them dared to speak up. They recognised Nupian, whose fame echoed throughout the Northern Continent. She was the plague that even the Monster Girls feared, for her eccentric behaviours and tales had caused many disasters.
The oppressive silence reigned as Nupian floated motionlessly. The sound of silence progressively grew louder, not from the outside but inside. It crawled under everyone's skin and grazed their flesh, pinching, pulling, ripping. If nothing disrupted this silence, it might really reign eternally.
"Lady Nupian, what would you like to show us?" Corane said. "If you want, we can go inside the Labyrinth of Love first. Undria and I will immediately prepare you a banquet. Your presence is a blessing for us."
Corane forced herself to smile as sweats tickled down along her neck. The crystal wings on her back shivered, looking fragile. Out of all Monster Girls presented, she had interacted with Nupian the longest; she knew how terrifying Nupian was.
The phantom wedding lingered in her mind, especially the bride, Sandoris. If she wasn't careful, Nupian might invite them all to join the wedding, not as guests but as the brides.
"I understand your worry, but do not fret," Nupian said. "Don't you think that the ending of the story isn't satisfactory? What if, instead of the Golden Cardinal's salvation, he failed to reach the Heavenly Kingdom? Isn't it perfect?"
Nupian turned to Undrila and blinked. Undrila took a step back, but Corane squeezed her hand, holding her in place. The two glanced at each other and nodded, then Undrila met Nupian's gaze.
"I find your version perfect, Lady Nupian. After all, it reflects the truth." Undrila lowered her head. "You are the arbitrator of life and death. Everything you said and did is the truth."
"I wish it were so." Nupian sighed. "Unfortunately, I lied. I'm not the arbitrator of life and death. That's the job of the Ancient Death God. I'm a mere imitation, a flawed character. I cannot even dictate my own Destiny."
Above her, the golden clouds dispersed. Sunlight peeked through the sky and landed on her body, glittering like the last ray of hope amidst the darkness. Below her, the forest swayed from the gentle breeze, rising and falling, like the rhythmic breathing of the slumbering Mother Nature.
For a moment, her heavy aura dissipated. Her eyes turned unfocused as she fell into a strange contemplation, her expression teary. She looked broken, but only for a moment. She quickly regained her cheerful demeanour.
"Let's not talk about despair and sorrow. We have just survived the Crusade." Nupian turned to the edge of the Sinking Dark Forest. The golden dome of purification flickered in and out of existence. Nupian narrowed her eyes. "When I enter the Sinking Dark Forest, I've found that the dome of purification is peculiar, unusually complex. I wanted to destroy it, but the world whispered to me, warning me."
"Is the dome of purification that dangerous?" Corane said.
"The danger isn't the dome, but its creators." Nupian shifted her gaze towards the depth of the Sinking Dark Forest. Surrounded by lush forest, Mount Purple Cloud stood towering, its peak reaching into the sky. "You don't have to worry much. The Sinking Dark Forest is one of the safest places for us Monster Girls."
"Does that mean the legend is true?"
"Lady Lilith is dead. Our existence is the proof of such."
"Then why do the Pure Races fear this place? Did Lady Lilith make an arrangement here? Or is there her inheritance treasure here?"
Nupian shook her head. "I only know that something is deterring the Pure Races from occupying this place, but I don't know who or why. It is better that way. The less I know, the safer I am."
Corane took a deep breath and stopped asking. Nupian's words were both a warning and advice. Even Nupian herself avoided prying into the forbidden knowledge. Corane would not do it, especially when doing so would put Undrila at risk.
Thinking about Undrila, Corane eyed her friend; her heart raced. Her body temperature subtly rose as her skin turned sensitive. The blood inside her veins gushed throughout her body, pumping joy everywhere. She stepped closer to Undrila until their skins touched. Corane shivered, but she still rubbed herself against Undrila.
It wasn’t like, but love.
She didn't know when it had started, but she realised that her feeling had evolved from mere friendship to kinship, then to something much more. This feeling had been slumbering inside her heart for a long time; she dared not confront it. The fear of rejection overcame her conviction.
It was when she was on the verge of death did she open her heart. With Nupian's encouragement, she took a step forward and accepted her feeling.
Now, she looked at the confused Undrila and smiled. Her eyes glittering, she leant onto Undrila, feeling the cold yet lovely scales.
"Corane, what are you doing?" Undrila said. "Your temperature is rising? Have you been forcing yourself all this while?"
"Undria, I've been forcing myself for a long time. I thought it was good for us two, but it seems that I've finally reached the limit."
"What? Why didn't you tell me!" Undrila placed her hands on Corane's cheeks and stared into her eyes. They were red and teary, as if in pain. "You know how much I'm worried about you? I've always—"
Corane tilted forwards and pressed her soft lips against Undrila's. She reached her hands around Undrila and hugged her tightly. Undrila shivered as her eyes widened, then relaxed. Her heart opened; a flood of emotions gushed out.
Their mouths remained connected for so long, though they did not move away nor use their tongues. Their hearts grew still, yet in their eyes, their feelings blossomed.
They had engaged in bodily pleasure many times before. Their knowledge in how to pleasure themselves and others had seeped into their bodies and souls. However, the climax of the past could not compare to a mere kiss of now. The carnal desire vanished as a new sensation permeated their bodies, merging them into one mind.
"Undria, I can't force myself to ignore this feeling anymore. This is my heart, laid open for you," Corane said. "Will you accept it?"
Undrila smiled and pressed her lips back onto Corane's. She tightened her embrace but still didn't move her tongue. Just kissing alone had overthrown the order inside her heart. She dared not do what she used to deem easy before.
"It is unfair. You gift your heart to me, so it is only natural that I gift mine to you." Undrila stared into Corane's blazing eyes. "You look so beautiful. I'm glad that this heart of mine will be inside yours."
"And mine inside yours, too."
While Undrila and Corane were having an intimate moment, the rest of the Monster Girls averted their gaze. It was not too uncommon for Monster Girls to fall in love, but each moment was still a rare spectacle. After all, most Monster Girls would not think too deeply. They pleasured themselves because it was their nature and desires.
Love, however, was different. It transcended carnality.
It was a promise.
"With a promise fulfiled, love now blossomed in your hearts forevermore," Nupian said as she wrote the words onto the Golden Book of Virtue. "A romantic ending, befitting the story indeed. Corane, Undrila, I bless your relationship. May you be of one body and soul."
The pure-white Corruption Power seeped out of Nupian and coated her body. It flowed around her, enveloping her delicate arms. In her hands, the Golden Book of Virtue and the Honest Quill shook. Their holy power struggled to escape from Nupian.
The milky stream surged around them, seeped into their material, and merged with them. The Golden Book of Virtue violently shivered, but Nupian gripped it tightly, locking it in her hand. As the Corruption Power corroded its resistance, the book's cover and pages gradually changed colour. Its pure aura morphed into a faint yet enchanting fragrance, its colour shifting towards misty white.
The Honest Quill cracked but failed to destroy itself. The white stream turned into white threads and sewed back the damage, covering the quill with pretty decoration, silky threads, and a big, snow-like heart.
Nupian lifted the corners of her mouth. The resistance from the two legendary artefacts had faded, their owner perished, their holiness corrupted. She had morphed their appearances according to her will, and now, they were hers.
"Corane, Undrila, you two are a perfect couple," Nupian said. "The distillation of your love has helped me create these two legendary artefacts. Though they are quite weak for someone like me, they have the potential to become true artefacts, something even my peers would yearn for."
The rest of the Monster Girls silently retreated. Because they knew the existence of such artefacts, Nupian might preemptively silence them. They wanted to escape, but the difference was too vast. Their lives were only hers to toy with.
"Corane, Undrila, what should be the names of these two artefacts?" Nupian stepped forwards and appeared in front of the two. "Their names are a significant part of their existences. Please choose carefully."
Corane thought for a moment and raised her head, squeezing Undrila's hand lightly.
"The book's colour is pale, muddled. It reminds me of the misty dawn where the chill lingered, the dews flowed." Corane smiled, eyeing Undrila. "I would name it Book of Mistful Beginning. Each page, like the obscure mist, details the future unseen, unknown, yet it also represents a new chance, a new beginning."
"Book of Mistful Beginning?" Nupian closed the book and caressed its surface. Its name, Mistful Beginning, carved itself into the cover and the spine. "It is a good name. Then, Undrila, what will the name of this quill be?"
Undrila looked at Corane and took a deep breath. The soft breeze chilled her scaled body, but the warmth from Corane expelled the discomfort out of her skin.
With Corane beside me, I'm satisfied.
"The quill is pure-white, sewed together by the white threads. It reminds me of us." Undrila blushed. "Can I name it the Intertwining Love Quill? The threads of love have sewed us together. Our hearts have become one, just like the snow-like heart on the quill."
Nupian looked at the Intertwining Love Quill and smiled. The sewing threads merged into the quill, mending the tiny cracks on it. It had become completed, forever inseparable.
"Both names have meanings and memories inside them." Nupian looked at the Book of Mistful Beginning and the Intertwining Love Quill. "As a witness of your precious moment, I should commemorate this event with some gifts. Take good care of them, for they have their home inside your hearts."
Nupian handed the book and the quill to Corane and Undrila respectively. She forcefully placed them in the two's hands and smiled. They wanted to refuse, but they could not go against that pair of joyous eyes. Nupian was so happy that she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
The rest of the Monster Girls looked at Corane and Undrila, their eyes reddening. The legendary artefacts were a rarity even for the Condensation Phase Monster Girls. When Nupian gave out the two legendary artefacts that could become true artefacts, the rest of the Monster Girls had to force themselves to keep calm.
Once Nupian officiated the confession, her wedding dress glowed. Her demeanour underwent a subtle transformation, solidifying more and more. Her air became more solid yet more ethereal; her presence became more dominant yet gentler.
"The more knots I tie, the closer I am." Nupian giggled. "Love is the true foundation of this reality."
As she was about to recite a love poem, Nupian blinked, her eyes contracting. She shifted her gaze.
Amidst the thick, lush forest, three inconspicuous Monster Girls walked out of the Labyrinth of Love. Though they had transformed their appearances into that of the Pure Races, the soft aura of the Corrupted Races permeated their souls.
Nupian wouldn't care much about ordinary Transformation Phase Monster Girls, but in the group of three, all of them were special.
One of them had a weak presence as if her existence was obscured from the world. Another had the air which invoked drowsiness and dream, a rare special ability. These two were Monster Girls with high potential, but they paled in comparison to the last Monster Girl.
That Monster Girl had no presence at all. The world could not reach her.
I think part of why this arc has felt so interminable is how much time is spent with secondary characters. Splitting the party always draws things out, especially when you effectively have three main characters, but the last run of chapters has barely focused on them.
Nupia is illustrative, I think. She's powerful in universe, but she crashed into the plot out of nowhere - we never even had a hint of her specific existence, as far as I can tell. Her *narrative weight* is low for how many words she's taken.
I'm 110 chapters deep in this because I'm invested in how *Iris* rises to greatness, overcomes challenges, and (hopefully) finds love and happiness. (Give the poor girl a break!)