God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Emotions are strange, complex chemical responses to stimulus...

A reaction to the outside world, in short.

A means for the soul to relay its condition and state of being.

In a way, an exchange of emotions is a way for two souls to communicate.

In they are intertwined, the feeling becomes heightened and the sensations supernatural.

However, for two souls to partake in this exchange of emotions, the body has to express them.

For most, this was the difficult part. Expressing emotions was hard because it meant baring the deepest, darkest parts of one's self to another.

Truly, a frightening thing.

In this moment...

A moment of passion and heated emotions, Cain finally realized why people became driven by their desires.

His senses were heightened thanks to his perception stat being so high. So in order not to be overwhelmed by them, he had to tone it down a bit.

Still, that didn't mean it was any less of an experience. If anything, it was just as colorful as before. Only he was not on the edge of losing his mind anytime he touched the soft, supple skin beneath him.

Like two serpents in the rain, their bodies coiled around one another, moving with a profound rhythm that could only be found in the throes of passion.

With ever thrust forward, a sweet sound filled his ears, causing Cain to move faster and stroke deeper.

Every once in a while, a swelling feeling would overwhelm him.

This was the time where he felt the most pleasure.

Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, he would always lose himself in these endless depths.

Over and over again.

For hours on end.

Finally, the flames subsided, leaving only embers radiating warmth.

His gaze fixed on the tent's ceiling, Cain, for the first time in a long while, felt his mind truly empty.

Empty and devoid of thoughts.

Like a deep, bottomless abyss.

A soft moan reached his ears and he felt the person snuggled up to him stir.

Her small arms held on tightly to him.

He couldn't help but smile wryly.

'This feeling is rather strange...'

To be embraced in such a manner was not something he was very used to.

Still...

'The warmth is nice.'

Although it had been both their first times, they had gone on for hours.

He glanced down at his body.

For some odd reason, his injuries had fully disappeared at one point in time despite the strenuous activities.

It was certainly strange.

Instead of pain, his entire body was warm, filling him with a comfortable feeling.

As such, he was completely invigorated.

On the opposite, Roselle had been completely drained.

Her breathing was light and she had fallen asleep.

Even if he left now, he doubted she would notice. But why would he want to leave?

He chuckled softly. He rarely got down time there days. He couldn't help but think this would be the best way to use it.

He gently closed his eyes.

Silence...

Cain's ears twitched.

His eyes suddenly snapped open. In them, there was a look of suppressed panic.

'Crap!'

He thought about what to do for a moment, then acted fast.

First, he separated himself from the sleeping fair beauty beside him. Then he quickly threw on his clothes before stepping out of the tent.

The outside world was darker than it had been for a while.

The light of the crimson moon hanging overhead was dampened by a few grey clouds, drenching the land in only a bit of scattered moonlight.

The wind was chilly, borderline freezing, even.

Quickly closing the tent flap, Cain came face to face with the second beauty of the night.

Only, this one didn't have fair skin.

Not was she human.

Ignis raised a brow,

"You... what are you hiding?" She said with a frown, turning her gaze to look behind him.

Seeing her dark, expression of suspicion directed at him, Cain chuckled nervously,

"Nothing. Nothing. What's up?"

Ignis raised a brow,

"Now I know something is up. You used that spell of yours to hide your tent, so I assumed you were doing something noisy. Don't tell me you have a woman in there..."

She seemed oddly agitated when she mentioned that.

Cain sucked in a deep breath and relaxed his tense shoulders,

"I rarely hear you joke around. But really... what do you need?"

Since they were connected by the bonds of the [Body and Soul] Contract, he could faintly sense sense her presence within a certain distance, same with all his other contracted beasts and vice versa.

That was why he had sensed her before she had arrived.

If not, things would have been bad.

"I don't need anything particularly. I just wanted to have a little chat. But if you are busy..."

Cain shook his head,

"No, I'm not busy at all. So, what did you want to discuss."

Ignis raised a brow and crossed her arms,

"It's already been almost a day since the last battle. What do you plan on doing now?"

Cain's expression turned serious.

A battle had ended, yes. But the war had just began.

"Although our situation is a bit dire, I think we all can afford some rest. Pushing people to their limit can have significant drawbacks eventually." He said with a frown.

"So we'll rest for now. And then what?"

Cain raised his head and stared right into her eyes,

"Next, it will be a whittling down. A game of chicken. Whoever lasts the longest wins."

Ignis grimaced,

"Last the longest? But drawing things out doesn't benefit us at all."

Cain shook his head,

"No, not exactly."

Ignis frowned, "Not exactly?"

Cain explained,

"Right now, I've been thinking about something. A means to end this all once and for all. But to get it in motion, we need time. Floki and Luke are going back to reinforce Lukas on that end. It will be easier that way."

Ignis pursed her lips, her brows knitting together,

"I see. But if that's the case, then what will happen here?"

Cain smiled,

"What happened a day ago was the initial confrontation. But it also made the Devils understand one thing; they aren't powerful enough to bring us to our knees in a single melee bout. Or several of them, even. Perhaps in the future we might be crushed. But for now, it is impossible. So..."

Seeing her eager stare fixed on him, Cain cleared his throat and revealed his observation,

"They will most likely try to whittle us down."

Ignis' eyes widened,

"You mean..."

Cain nodded,

"This is the first time those types of Devils are appearing. It was a test run, from the look of things. My guess is the next time they appear, things will be more serious."

Ignis huffed,

"So then, what do we do? We don't have any sort of defenses ready to stop something like that on a large scale."

Cain shrugged,

"Don't worry about it. I have something that will help."

Technically, it was in production. But that was practically the same thing.

A strange smile appeared on his lips,

"Once the defenses are set, we will be able to return the firepower in equal measure. And there you have it. The first one to go down loses everything."

Ignis fell silent.

"Do you think we can pull it off?"

Cain raised a brow. He paused for a moment then put on a teasing smile,

"You know, you seem awfully concerned for not being human. Do you really care for us that much?"

Ignis' skin turned darker.

'That's what happens when she's embarrassed, right?'

After being with acquainted with her for so long, he had noticed one or two peculiar things about this creature that was neither human nor beast.

"Shut up! You think I give a damn what happens to you stupid humans?!" She said with a cold snort.

Cain chuckled,

"Sure. Sure. Of course you don't."

Then he raised a brow,

"So, is that all you came to say to me?"

He doubted that was all.

Ignis suddenly averted her eyes,

"How are you feeling? I heard you were done in pretty badly. I could feel it too."

Cain raised a brow, "Is that so..."

He paused for a moment,

"I'm alright now, as you can see."

Ignis' eyes scanned all over his body,

"I can't believe it. Most humans are physically inept, with bodies significantly weaker than an average beast. But you... You have the vitality of a Dragon."

Her eyes settled on something and her skin flushed even darker as she muttered softly,

"And the virility of one too..."

Cain nearly choked,

'This... What are you even saying?'

He sighed.

Just as he was about to say something, his heart suddenly stopped.

He watched as Ignis' eyes widened in shock. Then her gaze became blank as they settled onto him.

He suddenly had a terrible feeling.

He turned around slowly.

There, standing right behind him, eyes wide open like a deer caught in headlights, wearing close to nothing, Roselle stood, her beautiful skin radiant in the darkness.

He turned back to Ignis with an ugly expression on his face.

"Wait— This is not what it seems..."

"Drop dead." She muttered, then turned around and began walking away.

Somehow, Cain felt he had messed up greatly.