The phantasmal chained door in front of me had opened and a teenaged girl with a blurred face and waist length raven-black hair which hid half her body stood in the gap.

As before, I couldn't see her face, but after a second, there was a shimmer and I could see large, brilliant, silver eyes. I also had a powerful feeling that she was much more beautiful than even Soea.

But I felt a soft touch on my mind before I felt this, so it may have been influenced by her.

She laughed, and then made a throwing motion towards me.

Reacting instinctively, I caught the objects that flew through the air towards me so quickly that even my dynamic vision couldn't keep up.

My fingers curled around a couple of strangely shaped solid objects, and I looked down at them. Clutched in my hand was an oddly shaped gem and a crimson marble.

"When you bring the Angel back, give the marble to Soea. You will understand when the time comes." The girl looked at me, her head tilted a little and I had the strange sensation of 'knowing' that she was smiling happily.

Then, without any sign or warning, she vanished.

The door was shut, the chains and Seals still in place, it was as though it had never been open. But I could no longer feel the almost imperceptible signs of life or even an aura from behind the door.

I placed the marble into my Spatial Storage, but when I tried to do the same with the gem, it didn't work.

Before I could spend time trying to figure it out, let alone puzzle over the vanishing girl, I felt a surge of warmth from the gem in my right hand.

I suddenly felt an odd sense of acceptance from the crystalline gem, I will refer to it as the crystal, and its aura seemed to melt into nothing.

Alongside a searing pain, the crystal glowed with a brilliant crimson light and burned into my skin, before disappearing. Within a few seconds, the agonizing pain faded and the crystal reappeared, implanted in the back of my hand.

At first, I felt worried, but soon the crystal stopped glowing altogether, it almost seemed to be sleeping. Usually it isn't a good sign when something sealed behind Runes that powerful binds with your body.

With everything I could do in this tower done, I walked out of the room and started back up the stairs.

It was now time to grab my new minion, and then leave the capital.

When I arrived back in the room at the top of the tower, I jumped out of the window and flew away.

I aimed back towards the castle, and since I wasn't flying with Soea, I could fly at my top speed.

Reaching the roof of the castle, I slammed on the brakes and landed solidly next to Anna, flaring my wings and flapping a little to stop, causing a rapid and powerful windstorm.

Anna twitched in response, looking up with a gasp.

"Well, it's time to go." I spoke quietly as I reached down and helped her to her feet and wrapped my arms around her slim waist.

She instinctively struggled for less than a second, before recognizing her unconscious actions and settling back in my arms.

It seems that she hadn't ever flown before, without the use of a plane, which makes sense, since she had only arrived a day and a bit ago.

She looked down and stiffened in fear.

After a few seconds to get control, she tore her gaze away from the ground, looking up into my eyes.

As her eyes met mine, a look of comfort and relief covered her face.

Calming down, she looked back down, shuddering slightly as she saw the buildings far below us, which we were flying very rapidly over.

I was hugging her tightly against me while we flew.

She was soft.

The way her body molded to mine, and the way her soft butt pressed against me, was slightly distracting. My brain took unconscious action and began to imagine that it was Soea pressed against me, without meaning to, and it made it much worse.

Anna muttered something that was lost in the wind, and blushed so brightly that even the skin on the back of her neck almost matched her blood coloured hair.

Forcing my mind off my cargo, I watched the army that was now marching below us, well, for the few seconds before I overshot them by a massive distance.

They were much slower than me, since my flight speed was supersonic, I actually had to use Runes to protect Anna.

Suddenly, I felt my connection to Soea activate from her side.

<My Lord, an army is marching from the capital and on its way the castle>

It seems that Soea had noticed the army's rapid advance, her first thought was to notify me.

I couldn't keep the warmth that I felt for her, the affection, and slight amusement, out of the psychic message as I replied to her.

<I know, I am on my way back and I just flew over them>

Soea didn't sound worried, she seemed to just be checking in with me, and she was getting much better at using our link.

She sent a mental image to me, of her nodding with a loving smile.

<Stay at the castle, my minion, wait for me to arrive>

<Yes, my Lord>

Soea may have heard the worry in my voice, she consented instantly, but I could hear a very slight amusement. Since she was new to psychic links, she didn't shield well, and I could feel her confidence in her ability to beat the Human army.

When she heard my words, I felt an almost overwhelming wave of affection flow through her, obviously directed to me, but I had the feeling that she didn't mean for me to feel it.

I continued my flight back home, and after a short time, I could finally see it again.

There were no torches on the walls, though the King Salamander's chrysalis glowed with a deep crimson light, functioning almost like a beacon.

The red evening dress which Soea wore made her stand out, back lit in crimson, surrounded by the deep darkness of night.

She was like a wife standing on the porch at night and waiting for her husband to return home.

A lonely silhouette in a deep crimson dress standing on an empty rampart in the deep night, her hair fluttering in the wind as she awaited the return of her beloved, she projected a beautiful figure.

Her eyes were staring into the clear sky, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

I felt a warmth run through me as I saw her, quietly waiting for me.

"Wow!" Anna muttered in my arms.

Even from the couple hundred meters distance, I could see Soea's eyes light up as she saw me, her wings twitched and fluttered slightly as she fought the urge to fly up and meet me. She was obeying my order to stay at the castle and to wait.

There was a slight worry hiding behind the deep joy in her eyes, she was worried for me.

She missed me.

When she saw Anna in my arms, she tilted her head in confusion.

Unconsciously smiling, I landed next to her.

"Welcome home, my Lord," Soea spoke quietly, she looked like all she wanted was to run towards me, but she stood still and stared at me, into my eyes.

"Thank you, Soea."

I gently released Anna and walked over to my waiting companion.

Reaching forwards, I grasped her slim shoulders.

With a gentle pull, she fell into my embrace.

Her familiar scent filled my nose as her soft body melded to mine, I could feel her warmth and her heartbeat.

I could also feel a strange sense of happiness and comfort.

Carefully entangling my hand in her warm hair, I pulled her forwards, and she didn't resist.

Her lips touched mine.

As our kiss deepened, Soea let out a noise and pulled herself closer to me, enthusiastically returning it, she acted as though she missed my taste, almost as though she was trying to devour me.

I hadn't been away from her for very long.

After a few minutes, Anna quietly cleared her throat, while was standing a small distance away, drew me back.

With a feeling of slight regret, I pulled back from Soea.

She was gasping slightly and one of her hands raised up as she gently stroked the side of my face.

"My Lord," She only said two words, but they seemed to contain almost infinite feelings.

I quickly stepped back a little and cleared my throat.

"Soea, this in my new minion, and your new companion, Anna," As I spoke, I looked over at Anna.

She was blushing deeply and partially covering her face for some reason, which was really strange because she had seen her best friend and brother do more than this before.

"Ahem... Nice to meet you Soea." Anna spoke first, her eyes had met Soea, and she looked away first.

Still seemingly embarrassed.

Soea smiled, in a friendly way.

Luckily, there was no competitiveness in their interaction, which is what I had been expecting.

It usually happened when attractive girls met, but this time was slightly different.

Soea extended her hand, shaking Anna's.

"Nice to meet you, serve my Lord well."

Anna looked slightly confused at Soea's words and looked at me.

She seemed to be thinking something, I had the suspicion that it was something strange, but she quickly nodded and smiled, "I shall."

"My lord," Soea turned towards me as I retracted my wings, "How did you do that? Please teach this one?" She smiled slightly as she asked.

Of course I wouldn't deny her something so simple, so I explained about the subconscious ability that seemed to be built into the winged races, and how I activated it.

As she had done when she learned how to cast her Thrall spell, Soea concentrated for a few seconds. With a soft rustle and a flash of crimson flames, her wings disappeared and her dress rearranged itself to remove the holes that the now vacant wings had emerged from.

"Well done," I complimented her as I stroked her soft hair.

Ahh, I had missed this feeling.

Soea smiled happily, making a soft noise and nuzzling against my hand.

"Whoa..." Anna muttered quietly from beside me.

I have no idea why she said that.

"Come on then, let's have a good sleep, I don't think the enemy army will arrive any time before tomorrow afternoon at the earliest." I spoke as I removed my hand from Soea's head, to which she made a small dissatisfied noise.

Grabbing Anna, I walked to the edge of the battlements and stepped off.

It was only a ten meter drop, so I didn't need to take my wings out.

Holding Anna in a princess carry, protecting her from the impact with the stone ground.

Soea grinned and stepped off almost instantly after me.

Anna screamed quietly, much to Soea's amusement, and I found myself smiling as well.

After we hit the ground, I let Anna down and gently set her on her feet.

"Follow me," I gestured to her as I turned and lead the way back towards the throne room.

"Oh, yeah. By the way, my name is now Aresh, I forgot to tell you before. Though I used to have another name, before I was summoned, but I was cursed so I can no longer associate that name with myself, in any way." I laughed quietly as I finally remembered to tell her my name.

"Nice to finally know your name," I saw Anna grin at me from the corner of my eye, from where she was walking beside me, on the opposite side to Soea, "But what do you mean when you said that you can't associate the name with yourself?"

"Well, the ceremony is known as 'Revocation of Names', and I got my Master to use it on me, so I could never use my name. In having the ceremony cast on me, I became a Nameless. When your name is revoked, it is erased from reality when it is associated with you. If someone else has the same name, and you reference them with it, you can use the name, but if anyone thinks of you when they say the name, it won't work. My name was ****"

When I tried to say my old name, all that came out was a strange anti-noise that made Anna's ears bleed, and Soea flinched.

"So those that become Nameless take a nickname. My nickname 'Aresh', which comes from an online game I played before being summoned."

Anna nodded to me, one of her hands coming up and wiping blood from her ears with her fingertips.

By that time, we had arrived at the door to the throne room, so we finished the conversation.

Anna seemed slightly surprised when we entered the throne room.

Upon entering the room I walked straight over to my bed and flopped down, Soea knelt at the end of the bed and crawled up to my side, I still found it odd, but she seemed to like it, so I didn't stop her.

And I got the chance to look down her dress, so I wouldn't complain.

"Is there anywhere in particular that you want me to lay?" Anna asked with a small smile as she stood by the door.

Soea had already curled up next to me with a happy face.

She looked up at me for a second before grinning, then she turned to Anna, "Join us over here."

Anna looked between Soea and I, seemingly embarrassed.

I was confused as to why she said this, but I saw no reason to object, since with Anna here, Soea and I wouldn't get up to much anyway... Unfortunately.

Anna blushed slightly, slowly walking over.

She stepped onto the bed and lay down next to Soea, placing her between Anna and me.

Soea grinned mischievously and pushed herself up, with no effort, she slithered over me and lay on my other side. Her soft body rubbed against me as she slid over me, causing a reaction from me, and a squeak from Anna who was rolled over by Soea's movement, and ended up pressed tightly against my side where Soea had been before.

It was almost as though Soea was trying to set me up with Anna as well, or so I joked to myself. It was more likely that she was just having fun with her new companion, who even I thought seemed to have a crush on me. Of course, that was just the suspension-bridge effect, because I had saved her from the terror of Arre.

"Uhh, sorry," Anna muttered embarrassedly as she pressed against me, though strangely, she didn't back away.

Her eyes met Soea's over my body, seemingly communicating in some odd nonverbal way.

"It's fine, let's go to sleep." I smiled reassuringly at her, before shutting my eyes.

Of course, I didn't actually need the sleep, but it helped defuse the situation a little.

When I shut my eyes and fell asleep, I didn't dream, like usual.

The feeling was like my consciousness was simply cut off.

I did like the fact that I never dreamed unless I was badly injured, or my mind was in incredible chaos.

Or if a powerful being wanted to contact me.