In the frozen lands of the apocalypse zones, a woman with a blue ponytail stomped away in anger. Her face flushed from heightened emotions made the sub-freezing temperatures seem warm. The cold winds battered her skin and red armor yet they did nothing to her blazing heart.
"Just what am I doing?" unsure what she wanted to see or where she wanted to go Raylene continued her aimless walk. However, not even a second later she felt a familiar caliber signature, the one she adored the most.
Ashamed of her behavior the princess of Valorious started to run away from him. Of course, Hiro was having none of it and chased after her. Due to their powerful bodies as system users, the pair felt neither the temperature nor the rough terrain.
With Aura enveloping their bodies and organs they felt comfortable similar to how one would on a warm day. Raylene smiled as she ran, the butcher had significantly higher stats. If Hiro wanted, she could not even get two meters away before he would be able to subdue her.
The gap between them meant her husband was playing with her. And while she was initially in a bad mood. Being alone with him made her smile. Taking up his challenge, the woman moved her body at a faster pace than before.
As an STR system user, even with high stats in AGI, Raylene lacked the ability to enter the Spirit Realm, so her top speed would seem pathetic to true AGI system users.
Even so, there lay a simple joy in exerting effort to move your body. The more Raylene ran, the lighter she felt. Forgetting everything else, she ran to her heart's content. Her movements messed up the snow as she passed. Her body started to heat up due to air resistance, yet the woman only continued to increase in speed.
Feeling the presence of her darling, Raylene let loose and blazed a trail in the apocalypse zones. Luckily due to them hunting everything around here, she did not encounter any monsters. As the surroundings blurred she continued to run, that was until she failed to avoid a steep cliff.
When her feet left the ground, a few seconds after she fell another body grabbed her waist and placed her body in a bridal carry. As if expecting it Raylene nuzzled her face into her man's chest. Hiro on the other hand created mana footholds as they traversed the skies.
"Lene, why did you not even try to avoid the cliff? You should have seen it miles before coming close. I almost had a heart attack when you ran over it."
The woman sheepishly smile as she answered. "I don't have to darling. I knew you would catch me if I ever did fall."
Happy at the blind trust of his wife Hiro shared a loving kiss with her. "Darling, regarding the subs. if you don't want me to I won't." As she heard the announcement of Hiro, Raylene's heart felt filled to the brim with love.
The man didn't even try to explain, her opinion mattered most to him. Unable to stop herself she asked in curiosity. "Really? Even if my sisters want you to?" Before the butcher could answer the couple eventually landed back on the ground. Hiro give his woman a peck on her lips as he replied.????????????????????????????????.????????????
"Yes, even if both of them wanted me to, so long as you didn't I won't." Even though it was a lie Lene felt immensely pleased with her husband's answer. While she could not have her man's entire heart, for this moment only she mattered. And that was enough.
The woman rested her head on Hiro's chest once more; listening to his powerful heartbeat, its continuous rhythm calmed her down. She then whispered in a small voice. "Darling, I know you already learned some of my past from the binding, but would you like to hear my story?"
Hiro nodded as he took a seat on a nearby log and placed Lene on his lap. His right arm embraced her waist while the left supported her legs. Even with her heavy armor to Hiro, she felt light as a feather. Raylene, who wanted to feel her man's touch unequipped her armor leaving her in a simple shirt and pants.
"Darling, as you already know I am a princess of the Valorious Empire. I was the fifth princess and my father was Nero Valorious. I am unsure how many generations my father was from Emperor Dius but I am told I carry his blood in my veins.
"Even though I was his daughter, I rarely got to see him. My mother died giving birth to me so he probably hates me. Father was often out fighting, whether for defense, to rescue, or subjugate. People would often tell me that I should be proud of being his daughter.
"I had nine other brothers and sisters from the two other wives my father had. Naturally, the ones borne from the same mother stuck together. They seldom paid any attention to me. Thus even in my family I only spent my time with maids and bodyguards."I think you should take a look at
The butcher listened to the story of his wife as she reminisced about the past. From the binding, the fall from grace of his darling was a fate not many can shoulder. Knowing there would be more he remained silent.
"Nero Valorious was both a bad husband and a bad father. However, as a warrior, none could match him. His chivalry and righteousness won him many vassals. Under his rule, the empire gained strength while being peaceful. Unfortunately, everything changed when the blightsoul arrived.
"You already saw what blight soul did. My former appearance is what all those infected looked like afterwards. You become extremely thin, everything you eat or drink you will puke. While your skin is still normal the longer the effects the more your complexion would turn purple.
"When your insides become too weak, you will die as they collapse. Those that pass become blight walkers and infect other people. If your mind breaks before your body does you become a deranged infected.
"This disease could not be healed completely. Healing spells only delay the body from dying. But the pain as your body slowly gets weaker is excruciating."
Raylene then looked at her pristine and beautiful hand as she reminisced about the purple skin she had for a long while. "Up until now I still don't know why I did not die, and while it did hurt, the pain I endured was tolerable.
"I got by drinking potions to extend my life. Normally people who get infected with blightsoul die in two weeks or go insane in two months. I lasted for two years."
Unsure how to cheer her up, Hiro hugged his woman in an effort to ease the pain from her memories. Raylene appreciated the gesture and gave her husband a short but passionate kiss. She then took Hiro's hand in hers and intertwined their fingers.
"I am okay darling if suffering all that is what led me to you. I will do so again in a heartbeat. I regret nothing."
Raylene then looked towards the sky as she continued her tale. "While I did manage to get to this point, many did not. Father due to his overwhelming power had the leeway to be righteous. He normally subdued without killing, was merciful even to his enemies, and believed in the redemption of sinners.
The woman then made a bittersweet smile as she continued. "Unfortunately, he also made the same approach to those infected with Blightsoul. He bled the empire's coffers dry in saving as many as he could. He waited the absolute last minute before taking down infected."
"This allowed them to swell up in number, many praised Father's humanity and kindness. But it was just not sustainable. When the tipping point arrived. One of my brothers hid the fact that he already was infected.
"When his mind broke, he destroyed the quarantine areas murdering people as he did so. The ones he killed turned into blight walkers. As my father's instructions were to subdue, his knights tried to follow such a rule which only exacerbated the problem.
"My father was out when it happened. As he trusted my older brothers to maintain the situation as he left. By the time he returned, my two mothers, all my siblings, and I were infected.
"Some of the knights and the majority of those in the quarantine area's already perished and turned into blight walkers. The wave of undead unleashed on those still alive turned glory city into hell.
"Long story short, the city fell, and I was forced to escape by my father and my escorts. Up until we separated I always wondered how my father felt. Did he regret not spending time with us? Did he regret not culling the infected earlier?
"In his adherence to honor and defending the weak, he doomed the entire city to its death. If he knew better would he have changed his mind?"
Raylene then buried herself into Hiro's chest like a small animal looking for shelter. "I sometimes fear making the same mistake. What if by telling you to follow my advice, I doom our family to death? Is my sense of Chivalry more important than our lives? If we fail to survive due to my insistence is that something I can bear?"
