I awoke, alone and naked, in a large bed that I didn’t recognise. But it was strangely comforting. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows of a room I didn’t recognise. Flowers hung from the walls and ceiling of all different varieties, but lilies were predominant among them. They filled the room with a calming scent. Fresh and new yet nostalgic and familiar. Light reflected off of the myriad colours, filling the room with a colour and vibrancy I had never really experienced before. It was almost as though my eyes hadn’t been working properly until this day. It wasn’t overwhelming. It was exciting, yet comforting.

 

The floor was covered in the same red carpet that was on the floor of my room back in the manor. Even the crumbs were still in the same places relative to the bed, even though the room was a fair bit smaller than my bedroom. It should have been disorientating to see disparate elements brought together like this but it strangely made sense. Opposite the bed was what appeared to be some sort of screen. Similar to a theatre screen but much smaller. Still, its width was probably about the length of my arm span. If the device did indeed play movies, then the bed was perfectly positioned for laying in it and watching them. On my wooden bedside table, which looked charmingly hand made, sat some weird small black rectangle thing with buttons on it, made from a material I didn’t quite recognise. Plastic, I think? It was starting to be used in Zeerian manufacturing, but I hadn’t actually seen the material much in person before. It sort of looked strange to see something so artificial looking in a room that otherwise seemed so cosy and natural.

 

Oh, right. Zeer. It was gone now, and I couldn’t help but feel that I shouldered the blame. Except… I guess I didn’t care that much, for some reason. I was just in too good of a mood. Weirdly good. My head felt clear and refreshed. In fact I don’t think I had ever felt so lucid in my entire life. Whatever sort of sleep I had been experiencing, it had been the best sleep of my life.

 

I sat up, stretched, and got up out of bed, looking back at it. White, clean sheets, pink duvet and pillows. On the walls, above the bedside tables on each side of the bed, were two names. ‘Ayano’ on the side I had just woken up from. ‘Lilly’ on the other side. A pink heart constructed out of dried pink lilies hung above the middle of the bed on the wall. It was so romantic. So sweet.

 

Hanging on a peg on the wall nearby was what appeared to be a sort of nightie. Violet and somewhat see through. I remembered it. It was what she had picked out for me that first night we made love, even though I hadn’t actually put it on for her back then. But I didn’t put it on just yet, because next to it was a full length mirror. I saw my nude form in the mirror. I was the most perfect version of myself. Hairless, flawless skin, hair smooth and shining. I somehow felt more youthful. And then I noticed it. A difference so huge that I was surprised it wasn’t the first thing I realised when I woke up. But it felt so natural. So obvious and correct.

 

I had a vagina. The penis was gone.

 

I instinctively reached my hand down to touch it. Just the light stimulation from my fingers felt amazing. It felt correct. Tears were already forming on my face. I had it. I actually had it. My ideal body. It was mine. For the first time in my entire life, I didn’t feel like a fraud.

 

I must have stood there just looking at myself, lightly petting my pussy, exploring it and getting used to it, for so long. But eventually I began to hear something. Sizzling, enticing sizzling. Then I smelled it. Bacon. Egg. Garlic. Onion. My stomach rumbled as it craved breakfast.

 

I reluctantly tore myself away from the mirror and put on the nightie. I walked across the room to the door. It was made of light wood, the grains natural looking and beautiful. I placed my hand on the handle. Smooth and nice to the touch. The simple, mundane, tactical sensation of opening a door had never felt so good before, and it had never felt so meaningful. I entered a corridor. Opposite the room I had been in was an open door leading into a lovely looking bathroom that I didn’t want to take too long to examine, lest breakfast get cold. A short corridor lead to a flight of stairs going down. On the walls were pictures of me and Lilly and Hugo and Priscillia and Lizzy and Beth. But mostly me and Lilly. They were pictures of our time together that couldn’t possibly have been taken at the time by a camera. They were memories. But they looked real and tangible, they looked just as I remembered them. Pictures of the manor. Pictures of me and Lilly’s most meaningful meetings. As I walked through the corridor I noticed a lot of empty picture frames.

‘Memories yet to be made’, were the words written inside each of them. I ran my hands across the wall as I passed. I looked forward to making them.

 

The stairs creaked as I walked down them, but it wasn’t an annoying sound. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I found myself in a kitchen, which seemed to comprise the entirety of the ground floor. Lilly was wearing a yellow summer dress and a pink apron, her hair was tied up and in a cast iron pan she was frying the food I had smelled over an open flame. Toast was already sitting on the table. I think the bread was freshly made.

 

We didn’t say anything to each other as I went to take a seat at the table, positioning myself so that I could watch her work. She was so beautiful. Has she always been this gorgeous? She had always been pretty, but… *This* pretty? It wasn’t that anything about her body had changed. Same proportions, same face. But she had a different aura about her now.

“It smells amazing,” I eventually said, breaking the silence.

 

“I’m glad.”

 

She turned around. And I saw her eyes for the first time since arriving here. Devoid of that purple greed, her bright green eyes became the most beautiful thing I had ever witnessed. Words failed to describe them adequately. Soulful. Perfect. I was gazing into the eyes of love itself. Its personification. Its goddess. And they were fixed fully on me. My heart fluttered. It actually fluttered for the first time in years. Light feelings within my stomach, rising up, making me feel like I was floating.

 

Words failed me as she served breakfast onto each of our plates, leaning over to season each of our meals with salt and pepper. I took a bite. Very good. Crispy bacon. Runny egg yolk. Crunchy onion. And the freshly made, toasted bread was completely out of this world. Yolk and butter dribbled down my chin as I indulged in something so simple yet so delicious. It was beautiful.

 

Lilly poured a cup of tea out of an iron teapot. I swallowed my mouthful of food and had a sip. Hot and flavoursome. I think it was a green tea mixed with cherry blossoms. A Jishian spin to this otherwise very Selician meal.

 

I looked down at my plate. So much food. I was still hungry. I was going to finish it no matter what. But I couldn’t take another bite right now. My brain would turn to mush. I needed to speak to her. I slowly tilted my head upwards and maintained eye contact as I spoke.

 

“This is the most real and unreal thing I have ever experienced.”

 

“It’s very real, my love.”

 

“What… Did you do?”

 

She smiled. It looked a little sad, perhaps a little guilty, but it was a smile nonetheless. She took a sip of her tea before replying.

 

“I may have said this before bringing you here, but I’ll reiterate…Mana is the blueprint of reality. I thought my power was just to corrupt it, but… I have the power to do whatever I want with it. It’s just a matter of my own perspective and mentality. So I decided to be an angel instead of a demon. I was just able to spread that angelic power out and out and… Now… We’re in a new world of my making.”

 

“I see. And the old world?”

 

“Golden goo. All of it. We’re… Technically still in the old world. You might call this a simulation, but… That’s not exactly what’s happening. I don’t even fully get it myself. But. Whatever it is, I can promise you that all of this is real. This food is real. You’re real. Your body is real. Your feelings are real. Your memories are real. I’m real. Everything here is a constructed reality, but a real one nonetheless, made of the same stuff as the old world. That is to say, mana. It’s just… More malleable. I’m going to use this mana to propel the planet of Terrestia through space. Consume asteroids, planets, stars. Other life forms. Billions of years from now the entire universe will be nothing but golden goo. Pure mana. Every life form connected, sharing a perfect, frictionless reality, a shared dream. I’ll connect all of the most intelligent minds, get them to work together to figure out how to surpass the laws of reality. The big crunch, the heat death of the universe, whatever you want to call it. I’ll put an end to the end. Together, we’ll create a universe free from entropy. Eternal happiness for all.”

“... So you can change things however you want?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So… This happiness right now… These fluttering feelings, this… Love… This appreciation for your beauty, your cooking, the way you made this home, for everything about you, this adoration for you, it’s… Mine? Or did you make me this way?”

“I can’t change how you feel Ayano. I control mana, not souls and spirits. And as for the way your body affects you… It’s true, I can alter it. I’m sure you’ve seen your new genitalia. And since there’s no practical use for pain in this world, I decided to get rid of that, too. It’s only felt by the masochists who want it. But other than that I see no need to alter your body further, nor your brain chemistry when this environment will already supply you with all the joy you could ever want. You’ll supply your own happiness naturally, so I see no need to interfere with that. So… Yes, your feelings are your own. And…” She took a deep sigh, taking another sip of tea, “I wouldn’t change your feelings even if you wanted me to. There’s a um… Whole reality outside of this cottage. Everyone is out there, living their dreams. I tapped into their subconscious and built a reality for each and every individual that would suit their desires. Including this cottage. This building is as much your dream as it is mine. And… You can go visit each other’s dreams. It all exists in the same physical space, a completely coherent world, even if it does allow for places where environments seem to spread out infinitely. Everyone can choose to be an island or a part of a community, and no decision is irreversible.”

 

I took another bite of my food. Chewing it. Loving it. It didn’t just taste real, it tasted hyper real. Not better, per say, although it was some of the best food I had ever eaten, even if it wasn’t fancy. But it was more vivid. As though my senses had been heightened. I swallowed. I took a sip of tea. It was all quite a lot to take in, but somehow, I didn’t find my mind racing. I just nodded along. I had questions, but perhaps the full implications hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

 

“If you can’t control people… Surely many people will be unhappy with their circumstances? Some people will miss the old world?”

“... Some people woke up and they liked their lives enough, or their sense of reality was so important to them that they don’t even realise that reality has been reshaped. They’re living their lives as they were, none the wiser. Others are struggling a lot right now… In the um, well, in the sense that they crave struggle and challenge. I have people trying to survive in extreme environmental conditions. Martial artists and chess masters challenge opponents who outmatch them and stir a competitive spirit within them that could never be found in the old world. Just… Ayano, it just works, basically.”

 

It just works. Hmm. Looking around, so far I had to agree. But there was a nagging feeling in my chest. A sensation that was soon forgotten as I found myself taking another bite of Lilly’s breakfast. There was nothing but a calm silence between us as we ate our breakfasts. It wasn’t awkward. If what Lilly was saying was true, then… Then we had an eternity together. There would be time to talk as much as we wanted. These wonderful, quiet moments weren’t wasting any time at all.

 

“... I still… Find it difficult to believe that… You’re the same person who killed Hiljosky in cold blood. Who was acting so manically prior to doing all this.”

 

“... I didn’t enjoy acting that way. I didn’t really think it was a moral way to behave, or that it would win you over. I was just hurt, and lashing out. And I did those things before deciding upon this, because… Well, a small part of me wanted to believe that this wouldn’t have been necessary. But I needn’t have worried. I should have just done this in the first place. But I guess I just needed to prove to myself that… That this was the only option.”

 

“... I’m still upset that you haven’t been able to move on, Lilly. What you’ve done is reality reshaping. It’s cynical, it’s insane, it’s…”

 

“Wonderful, isn’t it?”

 

“... Yeah. From the moment I woke up, I’ve just felt… Amazing… And… You gave me a vagina too and…”

 

“The spirit can’t reach you in here, either. My golden body is too thick with mana, too powerful. You’ll be immortal here, and it can’t take your life force either. No more monthly pains.”

 

“... Well, if you gave me a womb, then… Maybe I’ll start having a different kind of monthly pain…”

 

“Ahh. Yeah, those aren’t pretty. Gloria never took care of my periods, you know? She just left me to bleed out all over my cage. Not great when I also bled Monstra blood. It led to more problems than a standard period.”

 

“Sounds awful…”

 

“It was. But hey. That will all be a distant memory soon enough… This is the first day on our journey into eternity, after all. Soon there will be an infinite expanse between the old world and this one. One day we’ll both forget how we even got here… Oh, but silly me, I was rambling. Regarding your monthly pains… I can make sure they don’t happen, or you can keep them. That’s the option I’m offering all women. Similar sort of deal for men deciding what they want to do about their baldness or whatever. In this world, the body is meant to spark joy, not serve as a limitation.”

 

“... I think I’d like to let them happen. Experience real womanhood. And…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Can we have children in this world?”

 

“Of course!”

 

“... Can I be…”

 

“Of course you can be the mother! In fact, I suggest we take turns. We can produce as many children as we like, and they’ll all grow up to be their own unique individuals, and they can choose to either stay with us or they could go wherever they like! Live their own dreams!”

 

Tears were running down my face. This world, it… It was so wrong, but it also felt so right…

 

“... How will we remain entertained for an eternity? Sex?”

 

“Yes, but there will be a whole lot more. So many things to do that sex will feel like an afterthought. We can visit all our old friends and many new people besides, and… Well, how about I just show you?”

 

“... Sure. But today, I’d like it to just be us… Oh… But does this world even have a concept of time?”

 

“Of course! I made sure that there’s a day and a night. I love the sun and the moon, after all. And yes, I’m happy for it to just be us today. Shall we get going?”

 

“Sure, but, breakfast, and I need to get changed…”

 

“It’ll still be hot when you get back. And nobody will come into the fields around our cottage without our permission. We can frolic around as naked or as clothed as we like!”

 

“A-Are you sure, it still feels a bit weird for a Princess to-”

 

“You’re not a Princess anymore. Or a Queen. You’re just… Ayano. My darling Ayano…”

 

“Oh… O-Okay…”

 

And so Lilly took my hand, warmth spreading through my body just from this simple touch, as she led me outside. As far as the eye could see, fields spread out all around us. Grains and grass and flowers and trees and crops, berry bushes and vines. All the beauty and bounty nature could ever offer us was right on our doorstep.

 

“These fields are infinite. We can wander them every day, pick a direction and find somewhere new… Walk for months or years or millenia, doing nothing but camping out under the stars, before we ever return to our cottage. Yet, just behind our cottage…”

 

She led me by the hand around back, leading me to an archway. It just seemed to be an archway from the direction we approached it, but when we peered around the other side… Magically, the other direction seemed to lead into a city, bustling with life.

 

“Is Selicia! Perfectly recreated. We can head through this archway at any time to visit Selicia, perfectly recreated exactly as it was… The rest of Terrestia is there, too! Except it’s even larger and more expansive! And there are so many other worlds to visit! Mostly imaginary ones right now, but soon we'll assimilate real ones too! We'll also be able to explore space! Once I’ve expanded enough, I’m hoping we can visit my home planet, Earth, where I came from before I wound up in my Monstra body here in Terrestia… Although Earth is pretty shitty, so I’d rather not decide to go there on a whim, to be honest. Actually, I hope we don’t find it for a long time…”

 

“How is Selicia doing without me?”

 

“Remember, Ayano, it’s a different Selicia. It doesn’t need nobles or a royal family! They’re all still there, of course, but they’re just regular people now. There’s no such thing as resource scarcity, so people are completely free to live their lives as they wish. There’s no sickness, either, so you can go visit your mother whenever you want. She’ll be in good spirits now that she isn’t ill and is living the life she wants! And, I’ll make it very clear- Selicia is different, but the people aren’t. The environment is different, but the people are all still real. A perfect environment is all somebody needs to live a perfect life. That’s my belief.”

 

“... I don’t entirely know if that’s true, Lilly. This is a lot to take in…”

 

“Well… We’ll have plenty of time to see which of us is correct, right? Oh oh! Come on, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do with you! Over here!”

 

Walking through the field, enjoying the dirt beneath my bare feet, Lilly led me over to another archway. And inside… Was a giant tropical resort. A waterpark, populated with tourists.

 

“We broke up in the winter, so I really wanted our reunion to have a summery feel to it! People from all across the world come here! Come on come on come on, let’s play! I modelled it after some water parks they had back on Earth!”

 

“O-Okay Lilly, but-”

 

But once more I was dragged inside before I had a chance to say much of anything. Dragged from the fields to this new space, I found that the sun was now beating down on me. I turned to my left to see the beach, the sea just behind it, people having fun and playing. In front of me was a water park, complete with swimming pools, little straw huts serving cocktails, water slides, flumes, wave machines and water rapids. It was a heaven of splashy fun. I’d never seen anything like it before.

 

“So? Look entertaining enough for you? Wanna play for a bit?”

 

“... Did you create this place just as a ploy to put me in a swimsuit?”

 

“Sure, but don’t deny that you’ve always wanted to see me in a swimsuit!” Lilly joked, sticking out her tongue playfully, “But you never did give into your lusts and take me to the beach, did you?”

 

“A beach outing would have taken too much time… I mean, it was pretty irresponsible for me to take you to Belfort that one time…”

 

“But it was fun, wasn’t it? And now we can have all the fun we want. Come on, let's get changed!”

 

And before I knew it, I was dragged into hours of fun.

 

~~~

 

The sun was setting by the time we had finally had enough. I had to admit, I had been sceptical at first, but it was a lot of fun to play in the water. We tried out every attraction, and now we were on the beach. Lilly had decided to wear a tasteful two-piece white bikini with a skirt, whereas I had chosen a red bikini. Lilly teased and said it looked sexy, but I only liked it because it looked nice and because it matched my eyes. Plus it was far from the skimpiest option available, if sexy was what I was going for..

 

Lilly was applying suntan lotion to my back as I laid down on a towel. It was nice, the way she massaged me. I can’t believe I had never asked for a massage from her back at the manor. She was an expert in rubbing that cream into my skin… I didn’t even mind that she was paying extra special attention to my ‘assets’, slipping underneath the bikini to touch and squeeze as much as she wanted.

 

“... Lilly, I…”

 

“Yeeeesss, Ayano?”

 

“I had a wonderful day today.”

 

“I know you did. Every day will be like this from now on… Actually, even better.”

 

“I was sceptical at first, but… You’ve actually done something… Unimaginable… Something wonderful…”

 

“Hey. Ayano. Time for me to massage your front…”

 

<3 <3 <3

 

I did as she asked, watching as she looked down at me with those loving, salacious eyes of hers. I melted under her gaze. I barely even noticed as she untied my bikini and began massaging my breasts, squeezing and kneading them so lovingly, as though it were just another part of the massage. Warm pleasure spread throughout my body. Something beyond sexual stimulation. It was like she was touching my soul.

 

“... You’re feeling it, aren’t you Ayano?”

 

“... Yes…”

 

“That’s how I always felt… When we were together… Did you feel it back then?”

 

“Not like this…”

 

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t live without this feeling. This feeling only you can give me.”

 

“... I don’t think… I don’t think I can live without this now, either… I didn’t think… That sex could feel this good…”

 

“The sex hasn’t even begun yet. This feeling… It’s just connection. It’s love.”

 

She traced her fingers down my stomach and down between my legs, her fingers sliding inside my pussy. My brand new, perfect, tight pussy. God. It felt so good to have something inside me there… And even though it was brand new to both of us, completely unexplored territory, Lilly knew exactly where to touch in the depths of my love tunnel.

 

“I love the way you touch me down there… Oh my god… Keep… Keep going Lilly…”

 

“I’m glad you like it, my love…”

 

“And…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“... I love the way you look at me. From now on, when… When we’re alone together… Never… Never take your eyes off of me…”

 

“I wouldn’t want to anyway.”

 

“F-Fuck… I’m so happy… I-I’m glad… I just… God, Lilly, what have you done to me…”

 

“You’re doing this to yourself.”

 

“L-Liar…”

 

“It’s the truth…”

 

“It can’t be…”

 

“We could have had this in the old world.”

 

“... I… Don’t think we could have done, so…”

 

“So?”

 

“So I’m glad… We’re in this world instead… I’m so sorry I doubted you…”

 

“Doubting was only natural, Ayano. Don’t worry about it too much.”

 

“Oh Lilly…”

 

I watched as Lilly angled our hips so that our pussies could meet. She raised my leg into the air caressing and kissing my thighs as she began to grind our hips together as our lower lips began to sloppily, lewdly kiss. Electricity and fire shot through my body, a passion so intense that I thought I might split apart, as though I were merely a cocoon and there was a fiery butterfly waiting to emerge. But it never did, the pleasure just kept building and building, burning hotter and hotter, becoming ever more incredible as we thrusted and twisted our hips together, both of us becoming a writhing, uncontrolled mass of ecstasy.

 

“I-I love you Lilly!”

 

“I love you Ayano!”

 

My vision turned gold as I reached climax.

 

We were finally living our happily ever after.