Cereza arched her back slightly as he kissed her chest. "You will never be those things to me." She breathed heavily.

Kye smiled, the went back up to her lips and kissed her passionately, moving his hands down a bit lower till he was at her upper thighs. "You honor me with your words......precious Cereza..........."

Cereza smiled, placing her hand on Kye's cheek. "I am yours, my dear Kye. No one else's. I'll hold your heart as close to mine until it is one with my own."

Kye smiled, "You're too good for me, you know that!" He kissed the hand she had on his cheek, then gave the side of her face a long, loving lick, something he hadn't thought he'd do.

Cereza moaned softly as if she were trying to purr. "My dear, sweet Kye," she whispered; "my heart and body have been aching for you since the moment I saw you. I do not think they can wait much longer."

Kye tilted his head, "I see, so you're ready?" He gave her cheek another loving lick.

Cereza nodded her head. "Yes." She replied, biting her lower lip. "I'm ready."

Kye gave kissed her deeply, "Good, because I don't think I could hold back any longer......" After two hours of embracing, the bedroom was a mess, with clothes littering it, and Kye panting on the bed with Cereza on top of him, "That was......amazing......." He was completely out of breathe.

Cereza collapsed onto Kye, resting her head on his chest, panting heavily. "It was better than amazing." She breathed in reply.

Kye held her hand and kisses it, "Truly......I.....I love you Cereza.....I hope you know that.........I love you....and everything about you......" As he said this, he reached over the side of the bed, and reached into his coat pocket. Upon doing so, he took a small black box from it, and held it close to Cereza. "I have a gift for you."

Cereza smiled softly, staring into Kye's eyes as he said he loved her. "I love you too, Kye. I've never said that to anyone, and I honestly never thought I would, until I met you." As Kye held the small box, her ears moved forward. "What is it?" She asked.

Mawthrough looked back at Friend.
"If that's her answer, then I'm all for hearing what this alternative is so we can have a child."

Friend sighed.
"You're not going to like it..."

"Why not?"

"Well, the main problem is that your bloodlines, when mixed, will produce something that will evolve to become the new Constant, the center of the universe."

That had Mawthrough reeling, but Friend wasn't done.

"The only way for you two to have a child, and I retain existence, is if your child's bloodline is overshadowed by another's. I would need to produce offspring in order to cement my position as the father of the next Constant, who would then allow me to survive as part of a genetic bonding."

"Alright then," said Mawthrough warily.
"And this concerns us... how?"

Now came the crunch.

"In order for my child to become the next in line to the Constant instead of yours..."
Friend closed his eyes.
"Mine would have to be born first. From the same mother as yours."

Mawthrough understood what Friend was saying in the same amount of time it takes a hummingbird to beat it's wings and reacted accordingly.

He punched Friend very hard in the face.
"Never! She is mine. I would never allow you to..."

To Mawthrough's astonishment, Friend simply ignored the punch and looked at Chastity.
"Somehow I doubt you're up for this plan..."

Kye smiled, "I'm glad to hear that, and well.......among my kind.....matching rings are customary........for the couple that is.....and so I thought you would at least enjoy the one I've made for you........." He opens the box, to reveal an obsidian ring, with a ember stone within, carved in the shape of a wolf head, a design that must have taken years of skill to be able to craft. There were two within the box.

Mercy separated the Lifeblade once again, and sent out two spheres of light into the world, one combining with Reap's Scythe, and the other combining with Durial's Amethyst blade. Looking to her daughter, she spoke, "I must return to the heavens soon my daughter, is there anything else you need before I go?"

serenity thought for a moment
"not that i can think of a the moment mother, thank you for all your help."
she thought for a moment
"hoe do i get ahold of you if i need you"


chastity pulled her legs up to her chest hugging them
"is there an alternatative?"
she looked over at maw then back at friend
"there has to be another way, and why does it have to be me, what makes me different from others?"

Mercy smiled, taking ahold of her daughters hand, then led her hand to the pendent which Occidio had given her. "Just hold this close to your heart.....and think of me, I will know you need me.....my daughter......" She looked to Grey, "Protect my daughter.......and raise as many loving children as you can!" She gave him a stern, but non-serious look as she did.

Grey nodded, "I promise, forever and always.....though we'll just start with one child..........."

Friend sighed again - although this was a sigh of defeat, rather than exasperation.

Then he gently lowered Mawthrough's hand from his face.

"It's basic mathematics. If one add one is two, and you add him equals the new Constant, then you plus me would result in a superior specimen, or one plus two equaling three if you prefer."

Mawthrough growled slightly.

"And in regard to there being another way, there are billions of other ways. The only problem is, they involve my death, no matter what happens. The universe is cruel like that, I'm afraid. So, in actuality, there are three possible courses of action. Well, technically four."

"And those are?"

"You two have a child and kill me. You allow me to father a child with her - though that's not really an option. You don't have a child - although, knowing you, you would both do it anyway. Which leads me to the fourth and only remaining acceptable option on my list."

Friend walked over to the bed, Mawthrough matching his pace.

"And that is?"

Friend looked up at Mawthrough through tired eyes.

"I ensure you can never father a child with this woman."

And before Mawthrough even had a chance to reply, they were standing in the middle of Inferno's mansion.
Inferno and Kiadred looked up in alarm.

And Friend casually put his arm through Mawthrough's stomach in the same amount of time it took to breathe.

Mawthrough screamed in pain and dropped to the ground, howling...

Ezekiel, who was aiding in the reconstruction of the heavens, felt a great deal of distress from his brother Inferno, and opened up a link between the two of them, "Brother, is something array?"

chastity jumped up on the bed blasting a ball of fire at friend
"STOP...LEAVE HIM ALONE, DONT HURT HIM PLEASE, DONT DO IT"
she looked down at the ground and sighed
"fine ill do it, i do what you ask, just dont take that away from him.... from us"
she looked up at maw with tears in her eyes hoping he wouldnt get upset with her. she was doing it for him, for the both of them so they could have child together. she looked up at friend
"if i do this, what will happen to us? to me and maw, will this make me a potential target for carrying a child of such importance?

serenity took the pendant and held it close
"thank you mother and visit us anytime i want to see you as much as we can"

Mercy began to fade back into the heavens, but before she did, she hugged her daughter one last time. As she vanished, Grey picked up Livia, and walked over to Serenity. "Shall we go home my love?"

Inferno and Kiadred barely had a second to react.
Kiadred had no idea what was happening with Chastity and Friend - all she could see was her son on the floor, bleeding heavily. She hurtled to his side, cradling him.

Her son's eyes had closed, barely breathing, although his every muscle was tensing, forcing the blood out faster, trying to force himself to get up.
"Don't... don't get up, you idiot... you're in no state to move..."

Inferno on the other hand was perfectly aware of what Friend had asked.
And to hear Chastity acquiesce was more than he was ever prepared to take.

The entire mansion exploded in a snarling great typhoon of flame, wiping out everything for a few kilometers in every direction. The blast could be heard for miles.
Inferno stood, a broadsword twice as large as he was clenched in his fists, his entire being shaking with rage, angrier than he had ever been since his creation. He brought the broadsword up and slammed it down on Friend as hard as he could.

The sword's edge hit the crown of Friend's head - and stayed there. It shook slightly, but it seemed unable to even scorch the hair.
Friend looked across at Inferno, smiling brightly, though not maliciously.

"Inferno, don't be upset. She's being reasonable. Protecting those she cares for. Being logical about this whole thing. I'm impressed with your daughter, truly."

Unsurprisingly, he'd ignored Chastity's fireball, and now turned to her, her father's blade still trembling on his forehead.
"Nonsense. The child wouldn't even mean much to most people, and those that would attempt to harm it would have to go through me first. You should be fine. And as for Mawthrough, don't worry either - I can't kill anyone. At the very most, he'll be comatose for a while - though with his kind's healing powers, especially after what I walked in on, he'll be sufficiently charged to wake up in a short while."

Inferno had had enough.
"SHUT!! UP!!!" he roared - and he reached behind him.

Out of a portal came a blade. It was not an angelic blade, or a demonic blade. It did not glow with the power of the lifeblade, or indeed shimmer with any kind of power. But it seemed - old. Very old. The steel was pitted, the hilt rusty. And yet, it seemed to cut the very air behind it, and as Inferno grasped the hilt, the existence around the blade rippled slightly.

Friend looked at the blade, then moved closer to Chastity.
"Don't make threats you can't follow up on, Inferno. I'm not weakened, and at this range, you know I'd take her with me."

Inferno snarled, but released the blade, letting it fall away.
Kiadred stared at him.
"You can kill him?! DO IT!"

But Inferno shook his head, angrily, and Friend turned to Chastity.
"Come, Chastity. I will not hurt you. I promise you that."

He looked at the unconscious Mawthrough.
"Maybe, before we go, you might tell him something that might discourage him from attacking me? For his own safety, and it's clear he means the world to you, so if you don't mind..."

Inferno sensed Ezekiel's portal, and growled out "Brother, tell Minerva, Grey Mystic, and his wife that they need to get over here RIGHT DAMN NOW! Or I swear I will go and get them myself and I WILL NOT HAVE MERCY!"

Friend reached out to Chastity.
"Some last words, then away we go..."

Grey developed an intense headache at this time, as the message was sent out. He placed Livia into his wife's arms, and sighed, "No rest for the wicked eh?" A moment later, he dropped into Inferno's mansion, fully restored, as Minerva and Ezekiel landed. Looking to Ezekiel, he said, "Sorry, I'm not bringing Serenity into this mess, but I brought someone just as effective." A moment later, his twin sister dropped through the portal, her arm now healed.

Zigera shouted, "What the fuck's going on here!"

Deus suddenly stiffened up for a moment before relaxing again. He turned his head and looked Alexis in the eyes,
"Can you feel that?"

Alexis nodded,
"I noticed it a while ago but didn't think it was worth troubling ourselves over..."

Deus shook his head,
"Normally yes... But there are people I know there too...",
Deus bit his lip slightly and lowered himself,
"Can you take me there?"

Alexis nodded,
"Just us... Or everyone?",
she lowered her voice slightly.

"Everyone".

Alexis nodded again and sat down, she began to murmur in an ancient language. A golden glow began to form around her, it spread quickly consuming the whole island. There was a bright flash.

-------------------------

The sky exploded into white and yellow, it overwhelmed and blocked out the light that descended onto the burning mansion. As it faded the world turned black as the shadow of Ellundril looming overhead...

serenity took livia and started heading back too their home
"hopefully you father wont be too long"



chastity kneeled down to maw and kissed him on the forehead
"im so sorry.... im doing this for you, for us, please dont be mad or upset with me, i said i would do anything to be with you, and i meant every word i said"
she kissed him on the lips
"please forgive me"
she looked up at her father
"please take care of him and im sorry"
she looked down and made her way over to friend not looking at him or anyone else, she remained silent

Livia nods, hugging her mother tightly.

Grey looked to Friend, "What's going on here?" His words were backed up with power.