"Having fun right in front of me, Ellie." Nuri pouted as Ellie swam in the new pool with the river python she called little snake. Ever since Aila released the snake from its collar, it has been attached to Aila like a mother and child.

When she returned to the manor, she dropped the snake off at an ancient spring to mature. Since then, she's excavated an underground aqueduct that the python could travel. She also made a large pool where Ellie could channel the elements, and little snake decided to join her regularly. Soon, the small python became affectionate with Ellie, and looked at her as though she were a sister. Aila didn't think much of it, but lately, little snake had been overly affectionate, and attempted to mate.

Ellie didn't want to push the python away, though the mating process was unsuccessful, it didn't stop the python from being protective, or affectionate.

"Little Snake." Ellie murmured, and soon, the python slipped into the pool and wrapped around her. When Nuri sat down, Ellie conversed with the python. "I'll absorb, little snake, but watch over my sister. She's going to work with the wood, and I don't want a foolish beast to come and bother her. Master would be really upset if it did." The python nodded intelligently, and while Ellie absorbed the pure water element, it gently hugged her while keeping its attention turned outward.

'Nuri, the timbers are going to be for catwalks, and towers. Make planks from the regular sized timbers, and smooth them out. That should provide a lot of life elements for you to absorb. Don't ignore the life in the air either.' Aila mind whispered.

'Okay, Master. When will you start the outer walls?'

'I'll begin the inner walls soon. It will be a two fold build. Inner walls to house the temple. Outer walls to house the people from Underground Black.' Nuri frowned slightly.

'Temple, Master? What about the manor?' Nuri whispered back. She felt an intrusion, then an image of the manor appeared within her mind. The manor began to change, and looked stronger. It took on a more ornate appearance. She swept her consciousness into the building, and she began to see something.

'Master, are you a god?' Again, a strong intrusion within her mind rolled her eyes back into her head.

'I don't think so, my precious Nuri. This is to protect my people. The temple will either reinforce, or overwrite perception of us being overly nice.' Aila's voice hardened. 'I am sick of them. They keep poking, and I'm getting angry.'

Nuri's mind focused on the temple, and saw something different. On a raised dais, she saw an altar that appeared quite similar to the ones within their space, the one that anchored the core into their consciousness.

Aila stayed oddly silent about the altar, as though it was an afterthought, and something she didn't really add herself.

 

* * *

 

"Whose turn is it?" Shaala asked as she looked up the stairs. The radiating energy told them what was going on. Their Master rested, and passively absorbws the elements. This was a special time as she was completely still, but could enter their minds unconsciously.

"Nuri's and Nadya's." Elena said with a pout. "They are so lucky." Kaala nodded.

"I know, but they waited patiently." Nadya and Nuri both looked excited, but walked up the stairs as calmly as possible. It became a favored time as Aila could enter their minds, and they would be affectionate with her there. To Aila, it was more like a passionate dream, but to the others, it was quite real.

Laying on the bed, Aila had her eyes closed as exhaustion finally made her sleep.

"She only sleeps once every two or three days now, and it's getting further and further apart." Nuri said quietly.

They stripped off their clothes, as they knew Aila enjoyed skin to skin contact the most, and snuggled in. Like she once told them, they sandwiched her between them, their breasts became her pillows, while their soft bodies kept her warm.

The energy radiated out of their master as she channeled the abundant elements that only she could find. Though the abundance of elemental essence flowing towards her seemed to have increased again, there was enough to radiate into their bodies and supplement their own Ogyn, or Origin Energy.

As soon as they were comfortable, their eyes rolled back into their heads.

 

* * *

 

"Nadya, is that you?" Nuri asked. Their location seems to have changed from where it would normally be. Their moments of passion were usually carried out within their minds, but in a place important to them, their Master's bed.

"Yeah, but where are we?" She also looked around her. "This doesn't feel like the manor." Nuri nodded.

"This looks like the place she just showed me. Where is Master?" She grew a bit upset. "She was right between us!" Both Nuri and Nadya grew frantic, then felt a surge of warmth enter their mind.

"She's here." Nuri said as she blushed. She also felt the powerful surge of energy.

"Let's-let's look around." Nadya stuttered.

The stone was exquisite. The pavers beneath their feet were square, had some small etching in the surface, and laid in a pattern. Their eyes were drawn to the next room.

"Torches?" Nadya asked, a little bit confused. They used candles, and post mounted lanterns.

"No, I think...braziers. I saw this once. They are made for light, and heat." Nuri said and walked into the massive hall. In the middle was a raised platform. Two figures walked around the platform, while in the center, was an altar. The head of the altar was similar to the one in their own spiritual sea.

They walked closer, and heard a soft sigh.

'Are you ready, little one?' One of the figures asked. She wore all black.

'I'm ready.' A slightly plump, but busty woman said, who was on the altar. She was tied down, but her hands grasped the ropes that bound her. Both the one in white, and the one in black, held a dagger.

'Have a good hold, little one. The Master waits for you.' The woman grasped the ropes firmly.

'I'm ready to go to our Master. Send me to her, please.' Her pleading tone encouraged the woman in white to smile. The one in black smiled down at her.

'Master waits for you. We shall send you to her now.' Both took their daggers, placed them against the skin around her ribs, and as they were about to push the blades in, the scenery changed.

It was a battlefield. The broken bodies of soldiers were everywhere. Trees were embedded in the walls as though they were hurled with great force. Large boulders had already smashed a large portion of a familiar town's walls.

"Here they come! Get ready! For the Prime Minister!" A large army sat inside the walls that smoked, but instead of courage, all she could see was fear.

Nuri turned and paled as she noticed the reason why. Dark panthers, pythons much larger then little snake, and gigantic bears from across the mountain, ran through them and towards the town.

"Master!" Nadya turned as Nuri cried out. Behind the beasts was their Master, surrounded by deadly black energy that crackled with lightning. Each step left the ground charred, while her eyes were spheres of molten metal. Nadya took her hand.

'It's a vision, Nuri.' Nadya's touch calmed her, as they watched their beloved Master pass by without a look, or a glance.

"My precious AVA! I left you alone, but you wouldn't stop coming for her! Now suffer the consequences!" Their Master was enraged. "I've had to send her on ahead of me! You've stolen her from me!" Lightning flashed in the sky, while an eruption happened in the center of town.

Their Master was intent on complete obliteration, with no intention to spare the inhabitants of the town, or the rebels.

A pair of hands landed on their shoulders, which made them turn. A woman in white smiled softly at them.

'This is a possible future, and not one you're meant to see.' The one in white smiled softly at Nuri, and Nadya. 'Ah, such soft warm affection for our Master. How I wish it were aimed at me as well.' Nuri blushed.

'Ava is still alive, young ones. Now go back.' She blew gently, and their scenery changed again.

'Did you have to send them back, sister?' Ivadra sighed sadly.

'Your mother is not yet here, sister. Master hasn't gathered her yet. Nadya is meant for Ava, even though she won't be able to hold her for long.' Alara sighed sadly.

'This is a possible future, sister. The temple is the solution. So she doesn't destroy everything.' Ivadra embraced her sister. 'Master doesn't yet realize how powerful she is, and she keeps getting stronger and stronger.'

'I had hoped I could keep her.' Alara had grown a little closer to Ava since she came to Underground Black.

'It's not time for that, sister. We'll see her again. As to Nuri, she will be your mother, and your rest. I wonder who will be mine?' Ivadra pursed her lips. Alara sighed.

'No matter what, the result will be the same in the end. If Ava dies, Master will take her out of this world.' Alara didn't like that idea as it would not only take Ava far away from her, and her Master, but it would make Aila bitter and angry.

'True.' Ivadra said quietly. Alara watched as her Master raged and leveled Aros before she moved on to the Capital.

'If she doesn't die in this war, or become the trigger to the war, Master will open the Temple, she will build a Haven, and come up with this solution. That they even saw the temple shows it is already a reality. When it is our time, our Master will take us to Haven, where we can live in peace, as her daughters.' Alara felt comforted by her sister's words.

'And her lovers.' Alara smiled a little.

Lovers of a god. There was no doubt in their minds about who Aila was, even if she didn't know it herself.

For right now, the future held a wonderful promise, along with a lot of chaos.