Liam walked over to the bed where Rem lay sleeping. The room was quiet, the only sound the soft rise and fall of her breathing.
He stopped at the edge of the mattress and looked down at her small face. His eyes widened.
There it was, clear as day in the system window hovering above her: the Aeon that had chosen her. Poseidon.
The same one who had killed the original god and stolen his name like it was nothing.
Liam rubbed his jaw, thinking back to his past life.
In the old game, Poseidon’s chosen one had been some middle-aged guy, a tanky warrior type who used that field healing ability to keep whole raid groups alive.
It let him heal every ally within ten meters just by burning their own mana. It sounded OP even back then, especially if you stacked a bunch of mana stones on them.
One person could pump out endless heals without breaking a sweat. But now it was Rem. A kid. Did saving her and her family really change who the Aeon picked?
The thought made his stomach twist a little. Things were already different here. He shook his head and leaned closer to check her face.
She looked pale. Too pale. Dark veins showed faintly under her skin, the kind that meant mana erosion.
The extra power from the Aeon was sitting in her veins like poison, eating away at her from the inside. Liam knew he had to pull it out before it got worse.
He opened his system panel with a quick thought. The blue screen popped up in front of him, scrolling through the long list of skills he had unlocked.
He tapped and swiped until he found it:
Mana Cleaning. The description was simple, host sucks overdose mana out of a person and heals them in the process. Price: 300 SP. Liam stared at the number. Three hundred skill points.
That was a huge chunk. He could buy a lot of other useful stuff with that. His finger hovered over the buy button.
He glanced sideways at Vanessa and Olivia standing by the bed. Their faces were tight with worry, eyes fixed on Rem like she might slip away any second.
Liam let out a long breath. "I can always get those points back," he muttered under his breath.
"Not a human life. Plus... I like Rem a lot." He reached out and rubbed the girl’s forehead gently. "This small brat," he added with a half-smile, the words soft so only he could hear.
He bought the skill. The points drained away, but he didn’t let himself think about it. He pressed his palm to Rem’s forehead and activated Mana Cleaning.
Right away he felt it, a hot stream of liquid-like energy flowing out of her and into him. It burned a little going through his arm, but he held steady.
The heat kept moving, pulling the bad mana out of her veins and soaking it up inside his own body where it could burn off harmlessly.
It only took a minute. When the flow stopped, Rem’s face relaxed.
The dark veins faded. Color came back to her cheeks, and her breathing turned deep and even like she was just taking a normal nap now.
Vanessa rushed forward. She dropped to her knees beside the bed and pulled Rem into a tight hug, kissing the girl’s forehead over and over.
Tears shone in her eyes. She looked up at Liam, voice shaky. "I’m in your eternal debt."
Liam rubbed the back of his head, feeling awkward under her stare. "It’s alright," he said. "Really. She’s fine now."
Vanessa stayed quiet for a second, still holding Rem. Guilt washed over her face. She hadn’t helped Liam nearly enough with the original favor he’d asked for.
And now she remembered how dangerous the city had become, worse than the wilderness in some ways.
She had to keep all her daughters safe by herself from the hands of those evil Awakeners who prowled the streets. No one else was going to do it for her.
She bit her lip and let her gaze slide over to the other young women standing near Liam. They were all beautiful, sure.
But then she looked at their chests and hips, comparing. A smug little thought crossed her mind. Yep. I will win.
Her eyes moved to Liam’s face. He really was handsome. This might be her only real chance.
After today, meeting him again without a good excuse would be hard. She stood up from the bed.
Then gave Rem one more soft kiss on the forehead, then reached out and took Liam’s arm. "I need to talk with you," she said.
She pulled him out of the room and down the short hallway to her own bedroom. The moment they stepped inside, she shut the door and turned the lock with a quiet click.
Liam turned around, confused. "Wait, what, "
Before he could finish, Vanessa stepped in close and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was sudden and warm.
Liam pulled back just enough to speak. "Wait, what’s wrong?"
She looked him straight in the eyes. "I’m a lonely woman with two daughters," she said, voice low but steady. "I need someone like you to protect me. Someone strong."
She took his hands and placed them right on her ass. A small smile curved her mouth. "I know you’ve been checking me out secretly the whole time. You really like asses, huh?"
Liam felt a rush of heat climb up his neck. All kinds of emotions hit him at once, surprise, want, nervousness. He remembered what she had just asked and his face went red. "Uhh... yeah. Honestly, I like them."
Vanessa’s smile grew brighter. "Wonderful. Then for saving Rem... how about I let you feel it?"
Liam swallowed. "Okay. Get on the bed."
She did exactly that. She climbed onto the mattress and lay on her belly, hips raised so her huge ass faced him. Liam gulped. It was the biggest he had ever seen, all firm muscle and no extra fat, just pure, soft meat.
He stepped closer and slowly lifted the hem of her dress. The fabric slid up, revealing her underwear.
He leaned in and pressed his face against it, taking a long, slow breath. The scent hit him, sweet and fresh, like strawberries. He let out a sigh. "This is the best smell I’ve ever sniffed."
Vanessa giggled at the feeling of his hot breath through the thin cloth. "Don’t worry," she said, "I’m not running anywhere."
Liam hooked his fingers in the waistband of her underwear and pulled it down. He gulped again at the sight of her bare ass right in front of him.
He placed his tongue on her skin and started licking in slow circles, tasting the warm flesh. Then he pushed his tongue forward, sliding it right into the tight pink ring of her asshole.
He licked obsessively, lost in the moment. Vanessa laughed softly above him, the sound light and pleased.
After a while he sucked hard on the soft skin, then released it with a wet pop. The spot turned a deep red.
Vanessa reached back and tugged his arm. She giggled again. "This is enough. I need to go back to the girls and check on Rem more."
Liam felt a sharp spike of frustration, but she gave him a warm look. "It’s okay," she said. "There will be a lot of other chances. We can do more later."
He nodded, still breathing a little fast. Vanessa stood up from the bed right there in front of him and pulled her underwear and dress back into place.
Then she walked out of the room, hips swaying with every step.
Liam smacked his lips. The taste of her ass still lingered on his tongue, and strangely it was sweet, like strawberries.
He followed her out.
Vanessa insisted that Liam and the girls stay for lunch. She cooked a big spread of meat, and Liam ate until his stomach felt full and happy.
The food was good, hot and savory, and everyone sat around the table talking quietly.
When the plates were finally cleared, it was time to leave.
Liam and the girls said their goodbyes and stepped out of Vanessa’s house.
They had more important things to ask Director Elena about.
They walked the short distance to Ark Academy and stopped right outside the director’s office door. A heavy voice came from inside. "Enter."
Liam felt a twist in his gut. Something told him things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
—
A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update the Chapters! This one is a long, special Chapter just for you.
I would upload a lot of Chapters the next day, so stay tuned, my dear readers. And if you have thoughts about the novel, please feel free to share them.
All in all I hope you have a great day my dear readers!