Refreshing and uplifting, Ishtar's voice was like the touch of an angel, clearing doubts and calming fears in even the most restless hearts. Just hearing it made you want to protect her for a lifetime, making Nagini unable to understand how Odoacer found the heart to trick his daughter into signing a pact with the Antigod of Malice.
But as Nagini pulled out a notebook, writing down the tips on how to please her Mithras dearest, "Is that so? Didn't know I was that cheap. Maybe I should up my standards to make it tougher on you girls." A bass-like voice echoed, followed by a pair of long and built arms that wrapped around Ishtar's waist.
The newcomer caught her by surprise—yet without turning back, Ishtar recognized him instantly. For no matter how many transformations and evolutions he went through, she could never mistake his scent for another.
Her heart melted at once, eyes turning moist as she reclined on his chest, letting her lavender hair brush against his chin. "Hello, Morning Star...I missed you," Ishtar said, her voice breaking as her words laced with a rush of warm and earnest emotions.
Mithras didn't answer. More specifically, he couldn't. For the first time in a while, the youth couldn't find words that'd do justice to his feelings. So instead, he let his heart do the talking, gently rubbing his face against Ishtar's cheek. For a moment, they stood there, electric currents coursing their veins as they held onto one another, relishing the moment like a pair of bonding swans.
Mesmerized by the scene, Nagini waved her hand, motioning for the audience of servants to scurry away. They obeyed without delay, they too realizing that their presence wasn't required.
Here, Mithras pulled back, and with gentle pressure, made Ishtar turn to face him—the two maintaining eye contact as their lips curled up and their eyes sparkled like fireworks. "There it is, so pure yet hypnotic—the reflection of perfection.
Even if I one day become the sun of myriad lives, my light will never measure up to yours, and I will protect your shine...for as long as I breathe," Mithras said, and with a soft tug, pulled Ishtar towards him, taking her lips in a slow, tender, and passionate kiss.
'The bloodline of Vritra has passion in its veins. When they hate, vengeance becomes an obsession. And when they love, it is with matchless devotion.' Mithras once saw these words in the system and felt them a bit excessive. But now experiencing it for himself, the hybrid had to acknowledge the truth in them.
There was no need for the Sensory Secret, no need for Pyrogasmic Genesis. A simple and straightforward connection was all it took to set their souls on fire. Their hearts meshing to perfection—symbiotic through and through.
[Ding! Ding! Ding!]
[A Bond of Steel and Iron has been formed!]
"What is there to regret?"
The moment next, the bracelet flew into the distance, breaking into dust.
---
As this played out, Mithras broke the kiss, yet still held Ishtar tight in his arms.
"Ahh, stop! Too lovey-dovey! I can't stand it...unless you add me. Otherwise stop, you are giving me a Cassandra moment, and it's not good for my heart!" After half an hour of standing there like a statue, Nagini finally had enough, breaking the silence—and making Mithras burst into laughter while Ishtar's cheeks flushed like melting iron.
"Should have said that from the start. I love me a snakegirl who knows what she wants," Mithras said, pulling Nagini by the waist, and holding the two beauties in his arms.
Not prepared for that spontaneous response, Nagini too turned red, cradling in Mithras' arms like a child in a pool of candied fruits. But when the nagaraja's pulse returned to its usual beat, Mithras stole a kiss, then another one, turning poor Nagini's heartrate into a chaotic mess.
"Mithras..." she whispered in a soft and mellow tone. There was no need to rush and press for more. Sweeter things would come next. But for now, Mithras just wanted to enjoy this moment—engraving it in his brain.
Meanwhile, as the three got absorbed in the moment, an androgynous Astalon youth stumbled on the scene, tears dropping from his eyes as he watched from a distance. If not Arian, who else?
His father's house, his mother's house, his mother, his heart, name and love. Mithras had taken everything, leaving him with nothing but grief, emptiness, and regrets.
The realization that he'd lost everything settled, and to Arian's shock, his body started breaking down, scattering into particles of green light. The Green Emperor Seal returned to the system, storing the energies Arian had accumulated so far, and adding them to Mithras.
The very name, Arian di Astalon...vanished subsequently, his identity erased just like Crown Prince Lysander before him. As for why, or how...well, it is one of those things that only the Lord can answer—an eternal mystery.