Chapter 48 48: Trial Of The Heart [1]



Raven awoke to find himself in a sea of darkness, the distant Gate of awakening crumbling into black rubble; its purple energy faded entirely as the final vapours of its power poured into his ethereal body before it burned away in a burst of blackness that engulfed him and sent him spinning across the void.

He could feel something happening inside of himself but couldn't tell what it was; there was nothing but silence and darkness ahead of him for what seemed like an eternity before something happened within his

A colossal black gate stood before him, 9 empty bars with one still gradually filling with a thick pink liquid, no longer a mist, but a soft creamy fluid like a strawberry milkshake.

'Why is it still increasing...?' He thought for a moment before closing his eyes, trying to see the outside world, only to feel a warm, slippery sensation enveloping his lower body as another load of hot cream shot into the flooded pink tip of Lilith, now stained white, with gooey, white slime oozing out. 

Before he could control his body, he was snapped back into reality, noticing that his hands were pulling on her breasts and his sharp fangs biting into her neck as she let out sensual moans with her ass in the air, no longer the flirty but shy slum girl but a manticore woman, seducing her mate.

"This Gate, is it the second? What was it again... The Gate of the heart.... does it mean my physical heart.... or."

"Yo, Alice~ did you miss mommy's training so bad?"

'Eh? No, It can't be!' This husky but feminine voice... 

Raven felt a screaming from his soul; like a young boy, his black shadow began to sprint towards the light, his body different from Lilith; instead of forming blossoms, he was like a whirlwind, his body the storm itself as lightning crackled at his feet, taking more than a dozen steps in the blink of an eye, ignoring the pain in his muscles and body, the rapid beating of his heart.

"It's Mom! Mom's calling me!" Raven's voice sounded light and childish as his view seemed to shrink, the world of darkness suddenly becoming a strange garden, countless training dummies and wooden weapons on the dirt, while a beautiful woman with dark brown skin, her body filled with perfect muscles that seemed to throb and tense naturally with her each movement, before she turned around.

"My cute little Alice, for the first time, you rushed to practise? Come here~ let Mommy give you a hug and kiss! Fufu~ see darling, he loves me so much!" 

"Tsk... don't be kissing my cute wife! Little bastard, he'd still suck on your tits if you made milk!" The bitter black-haired male is sitting in the corner with a handsome face looking into his newspaper.

"Eh~ don't call my cute Alice a little bastard... look at how pretty his face is! I bet we'll have so many daughter's to take care of in the future! Fufu~"

Raven's small body lept into her arms; he felt strange, like the feelings inside his heart were dragged out, tears and snot were running down his face, while his mother's muscular but soft arms grasped him tightly.

"Che~ darling, didn't you drink enough of my milk too? Even though it was for my cute Alice!"

The sound of his father looking from the top of his newspaper entered Raven's eyes; seeing this scene once again now, he understood it was a little awkward, but his father's blushing face, despite constantly arguing over his mother, Raven loved his father just as much, seeing him alive and well, the feelings began to pour out.

"Ah... ah... t-thank you, Mom, for being so kind to me..." Raven grabbed Mor'Grana's shoulders as another burst of tears streamed from his eyes while he hugged her tight. She pulled back just enough so her lips could touch his forehead gently.

"Hush... hush... baby, why do you cry so much? Mommy isn't going anyway....right?" She said with a warm smile as her eyes fixed on him; he could feel something profound within that caused him to feel at ease before her gentle smile became crooked as she put her palm over his face.

"Don't think I'll let you out of training because you are crying! Hahaha, Alice, today you will learn how to use my axe! I will teach you the best skill when surrounded!" His mother's confident voice sounded as she laughed out loud.

"Oi oi! Don't teach him to be a muscle head! My cute Alice will be a stealthy and smart fighter!" Raven's father shouted, standing up; his height, only 5ft 7 inches tall compared to his mother, who was 6ft 4 inches, was almost comical.

"Hahaha... fine then, since you insist! You can have your way for today!" Mor'Grana teased as she stood up and laughed while holding Raven by one arm.

His mother stretched out with all her might, grasping a mighty black axe, different from the training axe he used before; it was over 2 metres tall and thicker than his arms. 

"Listen here, Alistair, the best thing to do when surrounded."

"Best thing?"

"Surrounded?"

His young voice sounded no longer crying but sniffling.

"IS SPIN LIKE A WHIRLWIND!"

His distant father began to dash towards him, his legs like mist, and his mother was like a storm, her muscles tightening as she twisted her body twice before rapidly spinning like a spinning top.

The image became blurry, his body spinning as he saw the funny picture of his father's tiny daggers deflecting her rabid attack, his eyes desperately trying to save the cute half-orc with cute almond skin, but he suddenly noticed.

Raven wasn't crying; he wasn't scared... there was a wild glint in his young eyes, and he was squealing and howling in delight.

"Ahhh~ so cute! Just like his fucking mother! Ahahahahah!" Raven's father laughed out loud; his face looked proud, those eyes locking with Raven, who was trapped inside his body. 

Suddenly the world stopped. 

"Son, are you well?" A hoarse but beautiful voice... the memories of his father were something Raven loved and idolised, his deep, magnetic voice based on his father's as a child.

"Is it hard since we left you?" 

'Eh?"

"Did you marry that cute elf girl?"

His father's questions were about things that happened after they died. Was this some test!? Raven felt his heart gouged out; was this the meaning of the gateway of the heart? Raven's eyes tried to look away; his mind and spirit didn't want to accept the death of his parents the most; those images were not a mourning shrine like Lilith and Philis thought.

To Raven, it was never to forget their faces should they come back, one day entering the door as if nothing happened; it was like someone could see through him ultimately, their eyes tearing away all his defences.

"Don't look away... I'm sorry it's not your mother..."

His father's voice was lower, a little lonely as he spoke those words. As if he, too, wished she was here, despite being a phantom of his heart, Raven began to feel the presence of his father fading as if he would vanish any moment.

"Dad!"

"DAD, DON'T LEAVE AGAIN!" Raven's voice echoed through the darkness, with his voice a massive burst of power and wind, filled with lightning as the entire world began to reform.

Instantly after, he forced himself to shout, watching the figure of his father leave; even if he knew it was an illusion, he couldn't do it. Forget the 12 gates of bliss; forget becoming an S-class adventurer if he couldn't say goodbye to his father! 

He didn't want this power!

Now, they both stood opposite each other, the father of his memories, with short black hair, a handsome face, sharp blue eyes and his assassin-type outfit, the most iconic look Raven remembered him by. At the same time, Raven wore his business suit, with his bulking muscles and mother's axe in his right hand.

His father was too realistic; his chest moved as he took in oxygen; the sound of his powerful heartbeat in Raven's ears, the sound of the wood below them creaking if he moved.

"Haha.... you look like a male version of your mother... but..." 

"But what...?"

"You've got my eyes and style Hahahaha!"

"Don't joke around... what are you... why are you in my father's figure...!"

Raven was lost between anger at the fact something, or someone was taking his father's figure, speaking like him, acting like him.