Saga of Atlantis

Chapter 173 Flames [3]

[What do you plan to do now?]

Edda's voice echoed in my head as I sat on the mountain range at the center of the forest, the book from the labyrinth in my hand.

"What do you mean?" I replied, puzzled.

[I mean with this girl.]

At her words, my eyes instinctively moved downwards.

Grace lay with her head on my lap, sleeping peacefully.

Her blonde hair spilled across my legs, and her hands clutched onto one of my arms, holding it close.

"What about her?" I asked softly as I brushed her hair away from her face.

[You know she isn't in her right mind.]

"Hmm, are you talking about her mother?" I replied as I continued to read the book.

[Yeah, things will be hectic when she knows about them.]

Hmm...

Well, even if I want to, the truth about her mother will come into view someday.

When that happens, someone will die.

And well, I can't do anything about it other than make sure Grace doesn't get harmed because of it.

Enjoy new stories from empire

[What about Aeloria, then?]

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking up from the book.

[How are you going to handle her?]

"I can always kill her, you know," I replied nonchalantly as I flipped the page. "The only reason I'm not doing it is because she knows something more."

[You think so?]

"Yeah," I replied, glancing at Grace before resuming my reading.

Aeloria's behavior around me, the way she talks to me, trying her best not to make an enemy out of me, says a lot.

I mean, in the game, I was just a third-rate villain with a tad bit of potential which I wasted by simping for Angilina.

I shouldn't be that big of a threat to her, as I've hardly shown my powers to her or anyone else.

She shouldn't know about my space-time affinity, she shouldn't know about my connection as well.

Her wariness toward me only makes sense if she knows something about me that I can't think of right now.

"What a load of bullshit," I grumbled as I closed the book.

All the people around me feel like they're hiding something from me.

No matter who they are, if they are close to me, they probably have something to hide. Well, except Nadiya; at least she doesn't hide anything from me.

[Still, it's surprising that you like Grace.]

"...I think it's because of Eden's memories," I replied as I lightly patted Grace's head, causing her to purr like a cat at my touch.

"Eden, in his childhood, liked both Grace and Angilina," I continued with a sigh, leaning against the hard surface of the mountain wall.

[It's still affecting you?]

It has always affected me; all the memories I have of Eden have always influenced my decisions.

My love for my mother, my liking for Sarah, and my fondness for Grace—all are influenced by Eden's memories.

Even though there is still no trace of Eden's soul, his emotions are still there with me.

"Urgh."

I stopped patting Grace as a low whimper escaped her mouth.

Her eyes slowly opened, and she furrowed her brows.

"Eden," she whispered, meeting my gaze.

"Yeah," I replied softly, smiling at her.

Instead of replying, she hugged my hand, pulling me closer to her.

{Aphrodite's bloodline}

[Are you sure, Eden?]

'Yeah, just this once, let her be happy.'

{Emotion Sculpting.}

Using {Aphrodite's bloodline}, I gently influenced her emotions, increasing the level of joy she was experiencing in that moment.

With all the darkness around her, she deserves a little bit of happiness even if the method is wrong.

"I lost control," she whispered softly, her eyes closed.

"You did," I replied gently, running my hand through her hair.

"And we lost a whole day's worth of time," she continued, her voice tinged with regret, as she looked up at the sky where the stars were beginning to shine.

"We still have the rest of the day," I reassured her, continuing to stroke her hair.

She fell silent, and the only sounds that filled the darkness were those of small animals and insects.

"...My mother used to pat my head too," she whispered after a while, her eyes still closed.

"She did?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes," she replied softly, her voice full of nostalgia, "she would do anything I asked, like comb my hair, bathe with me, and talk to me whenever she had the time."

"Even though she must have been very busy," I remarked, recalling what little I knew about her mother.

"And she liked to spank your butt too," she added with a soft chuckle.

"Hahaha," I laughed awkwardly, scratching my head.

"Do you remember that time when you left me alone in a hide-and-seek game, and I cried because of it?" she said with a light smile on her face. "She made your butt cheeks red."

"Yeah, that was too much," I replied, looking away and avoiding her gaze. "I had to sleep on my stomach for a while because of it."

"Haha." And after a long while, I got to hear her laughter as she rolled around on my lap, her eyes fixed on me. "You cried back then."

"And you cried while looking at me crying," I rebuked, and for the first time, she smiled mischievously.

"Your mother made me apply the ointment there," she replied with a light smile. "And I stopped crying because of embarrassment."

"I fell asleep that time, so I don't remember much," I replied as I patted her head. "All I remember was that you avoided me for a few days after that."

"Yeah, Lady Stephanie told my mother that one day my son would return the favor to your daughter, and I got afraid..." Her words trailed off at the end as she looked at me awkwardly.

"....."

"Is it me or—"

"It's just you!" she interjected blushing furiously before I could complete my words.

"No, seriously, that sounds like—"

"Shut up!" Again, she interjected, getting up and using both her hands to cover my mouth.

I just looked at her silently as she continued to blush, her rosy cheeks looking quite cute in the dim starlight.

Gently, I removed her hand from my face as she looked at me in confusion.

Without saying a word, I brought my face close to hers.

For a moment, Grace looked at me blankly before she understood what I was doing.

As the gears of her brain turned again, her blush deepened.

But it didn't take her long to make up her mind. Taking deep breaths, she calmed herself.

Then, placing both her hands on the ground, she leaned towards me as well, closing her eyes.

Her hot breath brushed against my lips as my face was inches away from hers.

And without much delay, my lips touched her soft lips.

"Amph~" After a smooch, she tried to back away, but I didn't let her.

Instead, I leaned in, using both my hands to grab her waist and pull her closer.

"Amm`Ede~ ahh~." Her fastening breath and small moans became more fascinating as I continued to kiss her.

My hands weren't idle as I slowly lowered them while bringing her body closer to mine.

"Haah haah." After a while of passionate kissing, I leaned back, my hands still on her waist just inches away from her butt.

Once again, I looked at her, taking in her blushing face and ragged breath.

"Ede—."

Before she could say anything, I placed both my hands on the hem of her t-shirt, slowly lifting it up.

She looked at me hesitantly, but in the end, she didn't refuse.

"GRAAAAHHHH."

But just as I was about to take her t-shirt off, a monstrous roar echoed in the forest.