The room was a vast, silent expanse of polished white marble and vertical pillars of crimson obsidian that stretched toward the high ceiling like frozen streaks of a god's blood. The stark white walls were illuminated by the clean, neutral glow of white Aether-lamps, which cast sharp, surgical shadows across the plush, blood-red rug covering the center of the floor like a fresh wound on a pristine canvas.
In one corner, a sunken lounge area filled with wine-colored cushions sat near a floor-to-ceiling training mirror that reflected the room's moody, high-contrast aesthetic. Beside the arched windows, a circular white table held various chess boards, the pieces catching the light like tiny, silent soldiers waiting for a command. It was a chamber that felt expensive and meticulously designed, yet it was clearly the den of someone who prioritized the selfish indulgence of comfort over the stiff, suffocating weight of royal tradition.
"Careful, Vionette Crimvane, careful." Vionette's whisper was a dim breath in the stillness. "Don't even scratch it. My hands are not that strong, so it won't... right?"
On the far side of the chamber, she was perched on a white, fur-topped luxurious stool in front of her ivory vanity. Leaning toward the silver-rimmed mirror, she moved with uncharacteristic gentleness, her crimson eyes focused entirely on her reflection. With a soft, metallic clink, she finally unhooked the earring Noa had given her.
"Finally!" A breath of relief escaped her. "Let's see… there's no scratch, right?"
She held the piece for a moment, letting the light dance across its deep red facets—a tiny, captured star of Aether. She carefully placed it on a small velvet tray, isolating it from the rest of her expensive mess of jewelry. Then—
Knock-knock.
The sound echoed through the room, but it didn't come from the heavy oak door. It came from the window. Vionette turned, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a dark silhouette standing casually on the ledge outside.
[A Match Made in Hell]
She could identify that silhouette just by looking. Yet, just to ensure it wasn't some clever mimic, she flicked her skill on for a heartbeat. Satisfied it was truly him, she cut the connection and walked toward the window, unlatching it to let the cool night breeze rush inside, stirring the heavy crimson curtains like the wings of a waking bird.
"Blackie? What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, looking at Noa as he stood there in the moonlight.
She stared at him for several seconds, waiting for him to either get inside or offer a witty reply, but silence was the only answer.
Noa was frozen, his eyes raking over her.
Holy shit! Noa thought, his mind momentarily short-circuiting at the sight of her. My lover can't be this hot.
Vionette was wearing a fitted, black ribbed crop top that clung to her curves like a second skin and tight black dolphin shorts with white trim. She was barefoot, her toes curling slightly against the cold marble. These kinds of clothes were impossible to find in the local markets, but she had made very specific orders to Nymira, even going so far as to instruct her to spread the fashion throughout Crimvane to normalize her own tastes.
"Stop staring and get in here," she said, her voice dropping into a playful lilt. She wasn't angry; in fact, a knowing, triumphant smile was spreading across her face. "The guards will think an assassin is here to kidnap me or something."
"Cough—yes. Long story short, those three rascals are fighting for 'leader of babysitting'," Noa said, finally finding his voice as he hopped over the sill with practiced ease.
He didn't even head for the lounge; he walked straight toward her bed and threw himself onto the covers.
"So I came here to sleep."
"Why the heck did you come without a shirt though?" Closing the window, Vionette turned around, but her eyes betrayed her.
She wasn't looking at his face; her gaze was glued to the rhythmic rise and fall of his sculpted abs.
His body looks as good as ever~ she thought, her crimson eyes softening into a hazy, appreciative glow. System, save a photo of this in your memory.
[Effective path detected: User's mind is capable enough to remember every frame. Saving inside the essence fragment is not necessary.]
Just do it goddammit! It's better to see in other ways than memory too! She shouted inside her mind.
[Understood! Saving...]
"C'mon Vio, you don't have any right to say that while looking at me like that." Noa's voice was a low rumble of amusement.
He sat down on her bed, his bare skin stark against the white sheets. His Aether had naturally repelled the dust from his journey, leaving his skin clean and radiating a faint, internal heat. He planted his feet on the mattress, a knee pointed up, with one arm draped over it while the other supported his weight as he leaned back. The calculated position made his well-built chest and the sharp lines of his abs look even more defined under the Aether-lamps.
Vionette walked back toward her vanity, picking up a thin, black elastic band. She held it between her teeth, her lips curving around the material, while both hands reached back to gather the white, shining river of her hair. The pose forced her shoulders back, making her refined body look even more astonishing as it stretched the ribbed fabric of her top tight and pulled the dolphin shorts even higher on her hips.
"Stay like that for a few more hours," Noa said, his voice straining. He felt like his nose was about to start bleeding from the sheer visual overload.
"Rhesgly? Hould I fohse fone mhore fur lu?" She said, her words muffled and tangled by the elastic band, a sharp, knowing smirk forming on her face.
With a few practiced movements, she twisted her hair into a messy, textured bun. She walked toward her bed—or rather, toward her Noa—with her usual, heart-stopping rhythm. As Noa watched, she crawled onto the bed and settled onto his lap, her legs straddling his hips as she faced him directly.
"I said, 'really? Should I pose some more for you?'" She placed her hand flat against his abs, her skin cool against his heat.
"If you can, I am more than pleased."
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Her scent—a mix of expensive soaps and something uniquely her—washed over him like a wave.
Slowly, Vionette, perched slightly higher than him because of her position on his lap, leaned her face closer, looking down at his lips with a gaze that could melt lead. Her arms wound around his neck, her fingers tangling in the dark hair at the nape of his head. As the space between them vanished, she closed her eyes, surrendering to the pull.
"Mmm~"
As their lips met in a deep, hungry kiss, Noa pulled her closer, his hands pressing into the small of her back. She didn't resist, melting into him as his muscular chest pressed against the soft curves of her own. There was only the warmth of the bed and the rhythmic thrum of two hearts beating in sync.
"Haaaah~"
Finally, after a long, breathless minute, they parted.
Noa crawled backward toward the headboard, sinking into the plush of the oversized pillows. He leaned back, his right hand dropping to the side of the bed. Vionette followed him, but she didn't reach for her own pillow. Instead, as if knowing his intent, she settled her head onto his right hand, turning her face toward him.
"Your mouth is sweet~" She licked her lips, a playful glint in her eyes, before dropping her right leg over his body and resting her hand over his heart. "Blackie, I checked if there was any hidden events or conditions, but there wasn't any."
"Seems we're not as lucky as Lucien then?" He placed a hand on top of her head, his fingers stroking her hair. "So we can just evolve the others normally, right?"
The reason Vionette had tried to evolve Noa's skills in the heat of their recent battle was specifically for this; they were hunting for secret paths, those rare, hidden conditions that changed the very nature of a skill.
System, give me all the skills of the two of us.
To her command, a holographic window flickered into existence above them, showing their skills. The soft blue glow added a cool overlay to the dark, moody room, illuminating their faces.
"Look now, Noa," she said, placing a playful hand over his lips to keep him from interrupting. "Now, who has more skills?"
Chop!
"Hey…"
Noa playfully bit her finger, his teeth grazing her skin as a teasing grin broke across his face.
"It doesn't matter now. The competition is already over."
"Anyways," she said, ignoring his antics and turning her focus back to the blue light of the system. "We have Accumulation Points from you defeating a higher lifeform's will, Viselle joining us, and some leftovers from your sacrificed skills."
"I don't want Aura Blade nor Presence Override evolved, leaving only Blink." He looked at the list floating in the air. "Evolve Blink using the points."
[Accumulation Points for Blink evolution is not sufficient. Would you like to obtain new skills instead?]
"So how many skills can we get, system?" Rolling her body fully onto Noa's, Vionette asked, her chin resting on his chest as she talked to the system behind her head.
[A Rare-class skill and a Unique-class skill are possible to obtain.]
"Is it random?" Noa asked, watching as Vionette rolled over his body like a restless cat, eventually settling on his left side. "Like, can't we just choose, bro?"
[It is random.]
"Hey system, from now on, divide those Accumulation Points by a number of quantity and display it as numbers," Vionette commanded.
[Understood! Processing...]
[Accumulation Points: 348.479]
[The general required number of Accumulation Points to obtain a Rare-class skill is approximately 70.231, while a Unique-class skill typically requires around 196.532. Please note that these values may vary depending on the skill.]
"Hey fuckass system, we can get three, not two!" Noa shouted, his brows shooting up as he watched the system calculate wrong.
"Noa, you dummy dummy," Vionette rolled back onto his body, facing downward so her chin rested on his chest again. "Our skills are somewhat special, so give it some slack."
[Correct.]
"Aha… ok then. Just get on with it already."
Noa wasn't really focused on the system anymore. He was looking down at the way the soft curve of her chest pressed against his own, her weight a comfortable, familiar pressure.
[Proceeding...]
[User Noa Ravel has acquired Reserve (Rare); User Vionette Crimvane has acquired Vacant Eye (Unique)]
[Accumulation Points remaining: 22.609]
"Give the details of them," Noa said, his hand reaching up to scratch Vionette's chin as if she were a pampered housecat.
[Reserve: Allows the user to store and retrieve non-living objects in a unique space, ignoring weight. The items inside remain safe and unchanged over time. Objects extending a certain size cannot be stored.]
[Vacant Eye: Allows the user to observe locations they have previously perceived. Within its field of view, weaknesses and inconsistencies become apparent, and illusions or false appearances collapse.]
[Both skills are sharable through A Match Made in Hell.]
"Mmm… pretty useful, I must say." Vionette spoke, shifting back to her position resting on Noa's right arm. "By the way system, how many points do we need to evolve Crown of Accumulation?"
[Evolution points are not countable.]
"Ok then, let's refrain from using Accumulation Points until we can evolve Crown of Accumulation from now on."
"Vio, what are we going to do now? Are we going somewhere else again?" Noa asked, turning his head to look at her.
"Not really, we just have to chill here for a bit." She wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him closer until there was no air between them. "Though, there seems to be a new academy ceremony in Gergrain, so we might get invited."
"Gergrain? What a weird name that is. Where is that?"
"It's to our south, a few kingdoms away."
"…an academy, huh?" He asked, his hand dropping to her hip in a casual, possessive gesture. "We're going if we do get invited, right?"
"Yes, we will." She playfully placed a hand on his forehead. "Just sleep for now. It'll be a problem for later. And I want a hug too." The last sentence came out in a quick, quiet rush.
Grab.
Noa didn't hesitate, pulling her into a tight embrace as the Aether-lamps finally flickered out, leaving them in the warm, silent dark of the castle.
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[Illustrations]