Thursday, August 1st, 2045
Essra Space City, Red Desert, Luxaria, Netheria.
A small but futuristic town, which had been built in the last few years, proudly sparkled under the sunlight in this Desert which was famous for its reddish sand.
Keith had never been here before. It was the first time he had stepped inside the Space City that his mother had built here, and he was very impressed by what he saw.
Of course, building such a city would have taken a lot more time and effort had he not helped her search for the finest engineers in the world, and Amelia had helped with the designs as well.
It was truly a marvel for the modern world, and it was not a surprise that this place was already counted amongst the modern wonders of the world even though it was still not finished.
"Welcome to Essra, Master Demiliore." A few men in black suits stepped forward and bowed to him when he exited the car, and he politely nodded to them before entering the Spiral Tower which was the main office building of the Essra Space City, as well as the residence of his mother.
Though he had never been here before, everyone was already aware of his identity and recognised him, and most people who worked inside the Tower had connections with the Underworld and knew about his status as a Mortal God as well.
Whilst he was gone on his Military Duty, his mother was not just focused on building this city, but she had built her own network in the Underworld through the City of Sin to maximise the profits and gather power under her hands.
Of course, she was only linked to the Underworld on the business front and did not dig deeper into muddy waters, which would have proven detrimental to their businesses in Netheria.
However, she now held a lot more power in her hands than most people realised, and it was one of the reasons why Keith considered her the most dangerous person in his family.
"Keith!" As soon as the door of the lift opened on the 96th floor, a melodious voice called out to him, and Celine, who was wearing a tracksuit, came running into his arms.
"Hey." He chuckled and planted a kiss on her head, hugging her back with just as much enthusiasm, not minding the sweat on her body.
She had obviously been training, and by the light bruises on her arms and the back of her soft hands, it was clear that she was training in fighting.
"I missed you!" She told him, refusing to let go.
"I missed you too." He gently said, stroking her back. "And I can see that you have been working very hard."
His words elated her and she finally let him go before looking at him with a bright smile.
"I have improved a lot!" She declared. "Venessa and Sibyl have been training me and Ginara every day."
"Is that so?" He smiled as he looked into her eyes.
He had guessed her intentions when she had decided to follow his mother here, and now it was all clear.
Celine then happily greeted Minami, Iseul, and Yingying, and then urged the four of them to follow her as she gave them a tour around the place.
"You guys wait here. I will go take a shower!" She left them inside the living room and then ran off to her room.
Venessa was presiding over a meeting right now, which was why they had not met her and Sibyl, and Ginara was in her room, taking a shower after her training session.
The 96th Floor was the Guest Floor, the 97th was where the Gym and the Training Room were, and the 98th was where Celine and Ginara had their rooms.
Venessa lived on the topmost, 99th Floor of the Tower, and with only four of them occupying these four floors, there was just too much space.
Kiara too had a room on the 98th Floor, where she stayed for more than a year while he was gone, and Minami shared it with her.
His beautiful maid excused herself to her room to get changed and freshen up, and Iseul went together with her to find herself a room and take a better look at the place.
"Master." A sweet voice called out to him, and he raised his head to look at the beautiful girl with wavy brown hair and blue eyes who was bowing to him.
"Ginara." He smiled at her and watched her stand straight back at her. "Come here." He said, and she walked over to him without any hesitation and did not even feel troubled when he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Ginara blushed when she felt him plant a kiss right on her neck, and the touch of his lips sent tremors throughout her body.
He had never kissed her before like that, and as shy as she was, it just felt too good.
She was glad that she decided to take a shower as it allowed her to feel a little more confident about herself, and had she been sweaty, she would have been very conscious about it right now.
"The peak of Great Profound Realm." He smiled a little. "Impressive."
It was quite astonishing for any normal person how much she had improved in a little over three months. But he was not too surprised as he was aware of her potential.
Her potential was the reason why he had not hesitated in acquiring her.
"Thank you." She meekly said, feeling quite happy in her heart that she had not let him down, but she felt a little worried when he pulled up her sleeves and looked at her arms that had light bruises on them.
"Mother has not been going easy on you, has she?" He smiled.
"Mother is very good to me." She immediately shook her head. "She treats me very well and cares for me."
"Is that so?" He smiled and asked. "And you call her 'Mother'?"
"She has allowed me to call her Mother." Ginara blushed and lowered her head.
Keith was not too surprised, after all, Kiara and Minami called her mother too when they were alone. Almost everyone in the family called her Mother.
"It's fine." He planted another kiss on her head and then urged her to sit on the couch by her side. "Focus." He instructed, and understanding what he meant, Ginara sat cross-legged on the couch to meditate and then braced herself for the pain.
Her expression contorted a little when he started breaking the muscles in her body, but she had already been through it a lot of times before, and immediately started utilising the One-Fold Heart Pulse Recovery Art to heal her body.
"Help me too!" Celine, who had taken a quick shower excitedly said when she witnessed Ginara meditating on the couch.
"Since when did you become a Cultivation freak?" He amusedly asked.
"I don't want to lag behind everyone." She seriously said and then sat cross-legged on the couch, closing her eyes.
"Of course." Keith inwardly whispered as he saw how much his mother had influenced her, and then chuckled before fulfilling Celine's request.
A short while later, Keith heard the lift on the 96th floor open and two people walk out of it.
His mother chose to take the stairs rather than the lift to reach the 98th Floor, and her steps were not unhurried in the least.
When she entered the living room, a sweet smile crept on her lips, and then she walked straight into his arms before pulling him down to her by his collar and stealing a kiss from his lips.
"I love you." Those were her first words, and as always, the possessiveness in her voice brought a smile to his lips.
"I love you too." He kissed her forehead before hugging her tightly. "And what have you done to these innocent ladies?" He playfully asked, which prompted her to smirk.
"They want to become stronger." She replied before she let him go. And Keith helplessly shook his head before smiling at his mother's Shadow and pulling her in his arms.
"It's good to see you again, Sibyl." He whispered after he sipped her lips and the silver-haired lady smiled and helped him set his collar.
She was never a lady of words, and some might have found it awkward when trying to converse with her, but Keith was used to her silence.
"We are not leaving for Sameran today, right?" Venessa asked as she smiled at him.
"No. We can stay here for a week." He smiled back at her, and then she nodded to him before making a call to someone. "I will show you around after lunch."
"Fine with me." He nodded to her and then sat down with her as she chatted with him, asking what he had been busy with for the last three months.
When Celine opened her eyes, she could not suppress her smile as she found Keith sleeping with his head resting in Vanessa's lap. And her dear friend was lovingly running her fingers through his hair, looking at him with such fondness that it could melt anyone's heart.
"Let's lock him up with us for a few months." The grey-eyed lady mischievously proposed, and Venessa smiled at her words.
"I just might." She playfully replied and then leaned in to plant a kiss on her son's forehead.
"Mother." Minami entered the room and greeted her with a respectful bow, and Venessa gently looked at her.
"Prepare his favourites. Take Gina with you."
"Yes." Minami happily nodded to her, and Ginara, who had just opened her eyes, immediately stood up to listen to her Mistress' command.
"I will help." Celine decided to let Venessa have some alone time with Keith, and she dragged Yingying and Sibyl out of the living room with her.
On their way out, they came across Iseul, who was returning after taking a quick tour around the place, and Celine grabbed her too and took her with them to the kitchen where all of them prepared lunch together.
"So, where were you guys?" She curiously asked Yingying.
"Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Italia, Ireland, and Iceland," Yingying told her what she wanted to know, and everyone smiled as the grey-eyed lady pouted.
"You had so much fun!" She complained as those were some of the places she wanted to visit too."
"We did." Minami nodded to her, and then told her about some of the fun times that they had, not going into details or speaking about anything that should not be revealed.
And Venessa, who was sitting on the couch in the living room, heard their conversations very clearly.
Thursday, August 1st, 2045
Essra Space City, Red Desert, Luxaria, Netheria.
A small but futuristic town, which had been built in the last few years, proudly sparkled under the sunlight in this Desert which was famous for its reddish sand.
Keith had never been here before. It was the first time he had stepped inside the Space City that his mother had built here, and he was very impressed by what he saw.
Of course, building such a city would have taken a lot more time and effort had he not helped her search for the finest engineers in the world, and Amelia had helped with the designs as well.
It was truly a marvel for the modern world, and it was not a surprise that this place was already counted amongst the modern wonders of the world even though it was still not finished.
"Welcome to Essra, Master Demiliore." A few men in black suits stepped forward and bowed to him when he exited the car, and he politely nodded to them before entering the Spiral Tower which was the main office building of the Essra Space City, as well as the residence of his mother.
Though he had never been here before, everyone was already aware of his identity and recognised him, and most people who worked inside the Tower had connections with the Underworld and knew about his status as a Mortal God as well.
Whilst he was gone on his Military Duty, his mother was not just focused on building this city, but she had built her own network in the Underworld through the City of Sin to maximise the profits and gather power under her hands.
Of course, she was only linked to the Underworld on the business front and did not dig deeper into muddy waters, which would have proven detrimental to their businesses in Netheria.
However, she now held a lot more power in her hands than most people realised, and it was one of the reasons why Keith considered her the most dangerous person in his family.
"Keith!" As soon as the door of the lift opened on the 96th floor, a melodious voice called out to him, and Celine, who was wearing a tracksuit, came running into his arms.
"Hey." He chuckled and planted a kiss on her head, hugging her back with just as much enthusiasm, not minding the sweat on her body.
She had obviously been training, and by the light bruises on her arms and the back of her soft hands, it was clear that she was training in fighting.
"I missed you!" She told him, refusing to let go.
"I missed you too." He gently said, stroking her back. "And I can see that you have been working very hard."
His words elated her and she finally let him go before looking at him with a bright smile.
"I have improved a lot!" She declared. "Venessa and Sibyl have been training me and Ginara every day."
"Is that so?" He smiled as he looked into her eyes.
He had guessed her intentions when she had decided to follow his mother here, and now it was all clear.
Celine then happily greeted Minami, Iseul, and Yingying, and then urged the four of them to follow her as she gave them a tour around the place.
"You guys wait here. I will go take a shower!" She left them inside the living room and then ran off to her room.
Venessa was presiding over a meeting right now, which was why they had not met her and Sibyl, and Ginara was in her room, taking a shower after her training session.
The 96th Floor was the Guest Floor, the 97th was where the Gym and the Training Room were, and the 98th was where Celine and Ginara had their rooms.
Venessa lived on the topmost, 99th Floor of the Tower, and with only four of them occupying these four floors, there was just too much space.
Kiara too had a room on the 98th Floor, where she stayed for more than a year while he was gone, and Minami shared it with her.
His beautiful maid excused herself to her room to get changed and freshen up, and Iseul went together with her to find herself a room and take a better look at the place.
"Master." A sweet voice called out to him, and he raised his head to look at the beautiful girl with wavy brown hair and blue eyes who was bowing to him.
"Ginara." He smiled at her and watched her stand straight back at her. "Come here." He said, and she walked over to him without any hesitation and did not even feel troubled when he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Ginara blushed when she felt him plant a kiss right on her neck, and the touch of his lips sent tremors throughout her body.
He had never kissed her before like that, and as shy as she was, it just felt too good.
She was glad that she decided to take a shower as it allowed her to feel a little more confident about herself, and had she been sweaty, she would have been very conscious about it right now.
"The peak of Great Profound Realm." He smiled a little. "Impressive."
It was quite astonishing for any normal person how much she had improved in a little over three months. But he was not too surprised as he was aware of her potential.
Her potential was the reason why he had not hesitated in acquiring her.
"Thank you." She meekly said, feeling quite happy in her heart that she had not let him down, but she felt a little worried when he pulled up her sleeves and looked at her arms that had light bruises on them.
"Mother has not been going easy on you, has she?" He smiled.
"Mother is very good to me." She immediately shook her head. "She treats me very well and cares for me."
"Is that so?" He smiled and asked. "And you call her 'Mother'?"
"She has allowed me to call her Mother." Ginara blushed and lowered her head.
Keith was not too surprised, after all, Kiara and Minami called her mother too when they were alone. Almost everyone in the family called her Mother.
"It's fine." He planted another kiss on her head and then urged her to sit on the couch by her side. "Focus." He instructed, and understanding what he meant, Ginara sat cross-legged on the couch to meditate and then braced herself for the pain.
Her expression contorted a little when he started breaking the muscles in her body, but she had already been through it a lot of times before, and immediately started utilising the One-Fold Heart Pulse Recovery Art to heal her body.
"Help me too!" Celine, who had taken a quick shower excitedly said when she witnessed Ginara meditating on the couch.
"Since when did you become a Cultivation freak?" He amusedly asked.
"I don't want to lag behind everyone." She seriously said and then sat cross-legged on the couch, closing her eyes.
"Of course." Keith inwardly whispered as he saw how much his mother had influenced her, and then chuckled before fulfilling Celine's request.
A short while later, Keith heard the lift on the 96th floor open and two people walk out of it.
His mother chose to take the stairs rather than the lift to reach the 98th Floor, and her steps were not unhurried in the least.
When she entered the living room, a sweet smile crept on her lips, and then she walked straight into his arms before pulling him down to her by his collar and stealing a kiss from his lips.
"I love you." Those were her first words, and as always, the possessiveness in her voice brought a smile to his lips.
"I love you too." He kissed her forehead before hugging her tightly. "And what have you done to these innocent ladies?" He playfully asked, which prompted her to smirk.
"They want to become stronger." She replied before she let him go. And Keith helplessly shook his head before smiling at his mother's Shadow and pulling her in his arms.
"It's good to see you again, Sibyl." He whispered after he sipped her lips and the silver-haired lady smiled and helped him set his collar.
She was never a lady of words, and some might have found it awkward when trying to converse with her, but Keith was used to her silence.
"We are not leaving for Sameran today, right?" Venessa asked as she smiled at him.
"No. We can stay here for a week." He smiled back at her, and then she nodded to him before making a call to someone. "I will show you around after lunch."
"Fine with me." He nodded to her and then sat down with her as she chatted with him, asking what he had been busy with for the last three months.
When Celine opened her eyes, she could not suppress her smile as she found Keith sleeping with his head resting in Vanessa's lap. And her dear friend was lovingly running her fingers through his hair, looking at him with such fondness that it could melt anyone's heart.
"Let's lock him up with us for a few months." The grey-eyed lady mischievously proposed, and Venessa smiled at her words.
"I just might." She playfully replied and then leaned in to plant a kiss on her son's forehead.
"Mother." Minami entered the room and greeted her with a respectful bow, and Venessa gently looked at her.
"Prepare his favourites. Take Gina with you."
"Yes." Minami happily nodded to her, and Ginara, who had just opened her eyes, immediately stood up to listen to her Mistress' command.
"I will help." Celine decided to let Venessa have some alone time with Keith, and she dragged Yingying and Sibyl out of the living room with her.
On their way out, they came across Iseul, who was returning after taking a quick tour around the place, and Celine grabbed her too and took her with them to the kitchen where all of them prepared lunch together.
"So, where were you guys?" She curiously asked Yingying.
"Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Italia, Ireland, and Iceland," Yingying told her what she wanted to know, and everyone smiled as the grey-eyed lady pouted.
"You had so much fun!" She complained as those were some of the places she wanted to visit too."
"We did." Minami nodded to her, and then told her about some of the fun times that they had, not going into details or speaking about anything that should not be revealed.
And Venessa, who was sitting on the couch in the living room, heard their conversations very clearly.
