For the past week news of a great event had begun to circulate. The Little G.o.ddess was to be married!

This shocked and awed many. Even more stunning was the groom. Who else could be worthy of a G.o.ddess but another G.o.d? Yes. The Water Deity, Solaire!

This new, unknown Deity had appeared without warning, painting the Dry Lands with blood from the moment of his arrival. Yet for all that, he gifted many oases at the same time. Not only that but he also killed dozens of slavers who were pa.s.sing through the Dry Lands, liberating many poor souls and either returned them to their families or took them in himself.

He set up places of teaching for the young, provided a green, water-filled paradise for his followers, and personally went out to protect the land from ravenous monsters.

This was a Deity praised as a savior by thousands of people across all races within the Dry Lands. To the Aeil he was an unmatched warrior. To the beastkin he was a kind and understanding father-figure. To all, he was hope.

His methods were ruthless but his gifts were generous. This suited the Dry Lands" own idealogy perfectly.

Because of his fast-growing number of followers and his rapidly developing territory, combined with his immense popularity, the news of his marriage to the Little G.o.ddess was thought to be natural and an event that should be celebrated.

The chief of every Great Clan rushed to Ko city, as well as every other chief in the area. Lavish presents were hurriedly prepared.

It was a joyous occasion for all.

***

"We definitely shouldn"t let this go through, right, Papa?" Yesmina smiled at her father with tears in her eyes.

The greatly renowned leader of the Pareia, Brahm Shire. A tall mountain of a man with broad shoulders and scars all along his body from years of battle. The man could fight a Deathwing to a standstill. A person who stood at the peak of humankind, with few his equal.

This kind of man was currently feeling a pain greater than any his past wounds had brought. His precious little girl was crying, dammit!

"Mina…" He sighed. "It"s pointless. No matter how much you want him to yourself, it can"t be done. This is an important union for us all."

He was torn. When his daughter first told him about the young Damien, his abilities and his exploits, he didn"t have a hard time believing her at all. He had known the boy"s father and mother for several years now. And with his level of strength, he sensed that woman"s unusual nature at first glance.

She was like a wellspring of life, similar to the Little G.o.ddess.

Although he wasn"t certain what kind of existence she was, he knew she was a formidable woman with many powers under her command.

The fact that son of their"s shared her life-bringing abilities came as no surprise. Neither was the way he handled himself while here, either. He actually quite respected the boy"s ruthlessness.


Since he was one of the few who knew his origins thanks to his daughter he wasn"t as blinded as his brethren. Many of his kind thought the lad a Deity descended from the Heavenly realm. Though Brahm himself knew otherwise it was hard to not have a sense of...profound veneration for a person capable of producing what you most relied upon to survive.

He had the same sort of feeling for his mother when he"d met her long ago.

Except there was a reason to be wary of the boy. If his daughter was to be believed, he was accepted by the Mandate of Heaven. This was a legendary artifact in their culture belonging to a bygone era. It"s powers were great and mysterious and had been once used at the seat for the Chief of Chiefs, the mediator and guide for all clans. No one before now was able to unlock it"s past might, yet it had always been an important symbol.

Sadly it"d been lost to time ages ago and no one believed that old warrior when he claimed to have unearthed it.

Brahm knew it"s reappearance would cause a great change not just within the Dry Lands, but the world.

It was a delicate situation, this. The other Great Chiefs were desperate to solve the water shortage problem. They saw this union as a way to revitalize these barren lands. Meanwhile, from his daughter"s words, the Little G.o.ddess addresses the young Claybrook with utmost respect and even seems somewhat enamored by him in a strange way.

Once they"re wed he"ll have gained the fealty of every Great Clan and all clans under them. This, combined with the Mandate"s acceptance, will mean he would have absolute control over their fates.

Brahm knew the boy"s eccentric nature. There was no telling what he"d do with that much power. Thanks to his peculiar abilities he was called a G.o.d. He and the G.o.ddess will surely bring the Dry Lands to prosperity. The prophecies of the Wise Ones foretold as much. But would there be a cost as well?

He could only hope the kid didn"t end up being a tyrant. Because they needed both him and the G.o.ddess if they were to survive.

He only felt sad for his daughter. He knew she"d held a candle for this Damien kid for some time now. It was why he felt so divided. One one hand, his cute little girl"s heart was breaking. On the other, the land will die without this union.

Yesmina stared at her naked father testily. Actually, she was naked too. Mostly. They were in a sauna right now, scrubbing the dirt and grime from their bodies. Because water was so scarce these days even they had to be more conservative.

It was one of the reasons she liked to get out of the Dry Lands so often. They had so many more options for bathing. Not just showers and baths but all kinds of oils, shampoos and body wash.

It"s a bit hard to get used to these sort of things again after being at Damien"s base where he and the Little G.o.ddess created a lake in a day.

Yesmina grit her teeth as she thought about the blue-haired beauty."The Little G.o.ddess hasn"t even known him for a month!"

Yesmina was from a people who didn"t have a very strict rule when it came to relationships. To her Damien was a strong warrior venerated as a Deity by her own tribesmen. He completely had the right to multiple wives or concubines if he wanted.

That said, it was a little different for Damien. He belonged to everyone. He can"t be married to anyone, okay? It was against the rules! She felt for the sun-shaped hairpin she always wore.

As the founder of Day"s Dazzling Dawn, or the DDD, it was she who established the laws and regulations governing hiis fanbase. Before her, it was pure, utter chaos. A cutthroat compet.i.tion to earn his favor.

Ah, those times were truly terrible. But she put an end to the bribery. The plans to get him in a room and drug him. To the women who used to complain about their aching shoulders as an excuse to visit the youth"s then-famous Ma.s.sage Parlor.

Since her mother"s family were merchants who controlled a very sizeable company that transported goods all over the continent it wasn"t very hard to put pressure on a few n.o.ble Houses.

It"s how she was able to quickly put a stop to anyone who wanted to steal a match over everyone else.

Now everything was much more organized. Sisters were no longer in cold wars. Mothers and daughters stopped their shameless bickering. Instead they focused their energy on much more productive endeavors, like keeping outsiders in check and ensuring all stalkers were registered with the DDD.

They gathered intel for the whole. His likes, dislikes, his comings and goings. If it had to do with Damien, it was secretly noted down and distributed. He was always fun to read about, doing some kind of interesting thing or another.

In fact for several years his own mother had p.a.w.ned numerous items belonging to her son for promised shinies. From unpublished ma.n.u.scripts to used bathwater. Nothing was off the table.

Speaking of him bathing, there were also dozens of drawings showing him naked during his showers and baths, from his childhood days to recent years that the woman had put into circulation under the pen name "Lady Deepthroat".

Ah...but enough of that. Point is, he absolutely can"t marry! Or if he does marry, it had to be someone of AT LEAST Elder rank within the DDD. Some newbie is out of the question, even if she is the Little G.o.ddess.

What"s more annoying is she was even baptised by the Devil"s Left, something those in the DDD had only heard of in stories told by the mysterious masked member known as "Aloe" who"d disappeared a year ago. Yet that upstart, Bubbles-G.o.ddess, got to experience it first-hand?!

Was there no heavenly justice in the world?!

Yesmina was distraught. Their Damien was being cucked by an airheaded fish...ahem. G.o.ddess.

She never would have thought they"d get along THAT well. It was her mistake. She supposed not even a G.o.ddess was able to withstand that otherworldly glamour of his. That sparkling, blinding presence...

She sighed. She knew he wanted control over the tribes for something. But he already had the Mandate, wasn"t that enough? Surely this marriage was too much. An alliance or taking her in as a sister would do just as well. No need to get married.

Actually, wasn"t she just using him? Yesmina had heard the G.o.ddess wanted to do something that"d earn her the wrath of one of his other family members. And since he was apparently a Flood Dragon from his mother"s side--wasn"t THAT a surprise?--it"s safe to say that"s nothing good even for a "Deity."

That fish wants to take advantage of Damien"s good nature….uh, well, good might be a strong term...maybe easy-going is a bit more...hm….eh, whatever!

Regardless, Yesmina couldn"t stand such a thing!

Is there no one who can put a stop to this farce?

***

Vera watched quietly as her brother helped the Young Master into his robes.

"Looking spiffy, Young Master." Baz gave a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Bazman." Damien replied. "It"s stuffy as h.e.l.l." He went on. "My b.a.l.l.s are sticking to my G.o.dd.a.m.n leg."

"Young Master, I just had lunch. Can you not?" The boy said as he sucked on a piece of caramel Damien had made for the occasion.

"Like your b.a.l.l.s aren"t swimming in sweat either." He snorted.

"I"m fine." Baz insisted. "Plants can survive in any weather!" He boasted with his hands on his hips.

They heard a knock just then. Mother popped her head in. "Ooh, look at my handsome boy~!" She cooed excitedly. "Doesn"t he look yummy, M?"

Mary followed behind and gave Damien a glance. "I find that word a bit inappropriate, but the sentiment isn"t wrong. The Young Master does cut a fine figure." Her nose wrinkled, which Damien noticed.

"What? Should I take a shower?" He sniffed himself. "Hm." Maybe a bit ripe.

Mother laughed. "Oh don"t worry about that. Since you"re maturing, it can"t be helped. Speaking of, I"d like to talk with you in private. Mary, may we have the area?"

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The woman bowed. "As you wish, my Lady." She turned to her children. "Come." And disappeared.

Baz and Vera followed suit.

Did they have to leave the entire building or something just because Mother asked?

"What"s up?" He gave his mother a raised brow.

"Ah, well, since your body is growing I just thought I"d give you a bit of a heads up." Mother took a seat on the plush chair behind him. One leg was draped over the other in a pose that was somehow casually seductive. The high slit to her thin dress exposed a perfectly toned thigh.

"I a.s.sume you"ve already become aware of that kid"s feelings for you?" She asked.

"Which kid? There"s a lot of kids interested in this bro. Gonna have to be specific."

She frowned. "You know which." Mother stated. "You already rejected her, too."

He paused. "You aren"t, like, mad at that are you?" He knew she and Mary were good friends. And given the Repopulation Plan, he had to wonder if she didn"t intend for Vera to be a target for impregnation too.

She always had been good to Vee, now that he thought of it.

But the woman shook her head. "Of course not. That"s good. You shouldn"t be fooled, son." She smiled. " World Tree Spirits are naturally drawn to our bloodline. Take Mary, for example. She didn"t dislike you smell, dear. She was attracted to it."

Damien nodded. He saw no downside. "Yeah, and?"

"And you have to be careful. You might not have to be concerned about Mary, but Vera is just a sapling. She can be easily confused, you see. She may think she loves you, for instance, but that"s just the attraction she feels from your bloodline. It"s not real. I realize you feel sorry for her, but don"t. Do not make that mistake."

"Yeah, and?"

Muriel shrugged. "And at the end of the say, they"re dangerous. They are servile to our race, and indeed our Okeanos family especially, but they are not to be fully trusted. They can easily lose themselves and attempt to drain you of every last drop of blood in your body if you let down your guard."

Damien stared. "Yeah, and?"

The woman exploded. "DIdn"t you hear me? They"re DANGEROUS! Look, I"m not saying for you to DIStrust her, just for you to not get too close to her. Okay? Because as much as they are servants to us, they"re also our only natural enemy. Not to our race, no, but to our family in particular. What that girl feels isn"t love, son. It"s desire. To absorb, to grow. You can"t feel sorry for her. Remember, deep down all she wants is to suck you dry."

Damien considered for a moment. Then, "...So?" He went on. "I mean I don"t think you have the right to say what other people feel in the first place. Second, h.e.l.l if I care about being drained dry. You"re telling me there"s a whole bunch of Mary"s out there lookin" to give me the good succ? Heck, I don"t mind at all. In fact, sign me the f.u.c.k up. I"d say that"s a d.a.m.n fine way to go. Totally better than what I got last time around. As for Vera, she"s a good girl. Like, your tiny lizard brain cannot even BEGIN to comprehend how pure-hearted she is." He intoned. "I"m okay with giving her a bit of my blood if she asks nicely."

Mother"s cheeks puffed up. "Well...you might be okay with it, but I"m not! If you aren"t careful and she or Mary does something to you, don"t think I"ll just sit still and watch it happen." She pouted.

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes."By the way, where"s Father? That guy"s got the rings."

"Who cares about that! Can you please be more concerned about your life?"

"Life"s too short to be concerned about life." He responded wisely(?).

"We"re Dragons, though….our lives aren"t supposed to be short…"

Muriel felt pained. Her precious baby seemed determined to not care about his own well-being.

As a mother, how could she not be worried?

...Should she just lock him up in some bas.e.m.e.nt somewhere? The thought seemed more and more appealing recently.

***

Half an hour later.

There was a large veranda overlooking the city. The ceremony was held here with a hundred or so clan chiefs behind them. And to the bottom looking up were thousands who had gathered.

"Nervous?" Damien asked. Bubbles was fidgeting nonstop as they walked forward arm-in-arm.

"Nope." She said candidly. "I"m just thinking about Becks. The feeling of stealing a man she likes away from her....ah. It"s better than I thought! So this is what it"s like being a vixen!" Her cheeks were flushed. He couldn"t help but take a second look. She wore a white Saree with gold inlay that hugged her waist in a provocative manner. Her hair was pulled to the side to reveal a long, swan-like neck adorned with a necklace full of precious gems.

She had an almost ethereal feeling that was hard to describe. She was beautiful. Vibrant. So much so that even just a small smile was enough to leave you breathless.

He had to admit, the girl looked good enough to eat.

"Your tastes are really too heavy. d.a.m.n." He couldn"t believe the girl was getting her kicks imagining a scenario where she "stole" him from her own sister….and he hadn"t even met the chick.

"My greatest wish is to be a homewrecker." She grinned.

"Girl, you"re downright rotten. I like it."

"I wanna take a portrait of our first night together and send it to her." Her breath quickened.

"Okay, yeah….you do realize this marriage is fake, right?"

"I wanna accidentally leave the door unlocked so she can walk in and see us writhe against each other in a hot, sweaty embrace." He saw her giggling to herself quietly.

"...Uh…"

"When she"s asleep, I wanna sneak into her room and have s.e.x at the foot of her bed. Or maybe, while the two of us are sleeping together after a sisterly reunion, you sneak in by yourself and we have s.e.x right beside her."

Damien couldn"t believe his ears. "Holy f.u.c.k." He shook his head. " The h.e.l.l is wrong with you?"

She grabbed his arm. "We can"t do this."

"What?"

"Marry Becks instead."

He nearly coughed up blood.

This girl is rotten to the core!

Love it, love everything about it.

"I"m afraid Papa won"t be marrying anyone..." A new voice rang out.

Milly!?

Dolly then swooped down from above wearing her unmistakable bunny onesie, Milly in hand pulsating with red lightning. Everyone was shocked and stunned. They rose from their seats but were locked in place by the malevolent arcs of electricity.

"...except me!" Dolly proclaimed loudly. And ran over to kick Bubbles in the shin. "Bad fishy."

She gave a smug look as she watched Bubbles hop around in pain. He then saw her fumble with her pockets until she produced two rings obviously handmade from twigs and glue

The little girl put one on her finger, approached Damien, and quickly slipped the other over one of his own. It was a little tight and very abrasive.

A gentle smile set her face alight as she held his hand. "By the power invested in my by myself, I now p.r.o.nounce us husband and wife." She buried her head in his chest.

"Don"t worry, Day. We have a nice bas.e.m.e.nt all set up for you."

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