On the way to the coastal Territory, we stopped in to see the Mirror Beehive. It was quite the spectacle, hundreds of dog-sized bees with shiny wings that reflected the light brilliantly, likely giving them their name, darting about i clouds, drawing strange pollens aars from the bizarre vegetation of the Boundary. Their hive was a t structure that covered several low-rise fts, the buildings covered in yellow, reflective materials.

  The Queen of the hive had received us, and we were surprised to discover that it could unicate with limited telepathy, although the monotone droning that apa was a bit headache-indug. Still, we had a productive versation, reaffirming the desire of the bees to remain part of my Territory. They were grateful that a lot of their predators, such as the monstrous spiders that dwelt nearby, had been eradicated by Shaeraggo and his forces, so they were now free to expand the Hive somewhat, and perhaps even found new ones. In exge, they would defend the Territory and even send soldier bees when needed, and while they were not terribly fearsome, they were fast and could fly, so would definitely have uses. They would also increase the honey and royal jelly produ for tribute.

  The girls weren’t particurly keen oing the Bees, other than Shaeu, who was curious about the strange Yokai, but the destination pleased them more, the southern tip of our Territory, where the nd gave way to the sparkling azure waters of the Boundary version of Sagami Bay. Gleaming geysers e water element boiled prettily from the seas, casting rainbows of light as the spray fell down like raiher Spires stood tall and proud, drawing this in, funnelling it to the Elemental Silo, and Defensive Empts sat watg the shore, occasionally firing a bolt into the distariking down the foolish predators that brushed up against the Territory barrier.

  “Pretty.” Eri remarked. As part of her training, she had forced her body to work on route, staggering on unsteady legs, so our pace was slower than I would have liked. On our run here I had been w Ether Healing and Chirurgery, Shaeu to to untahe quivering, mutatihat was her chakra work, but other than make it temporarily more fortable for Eri, we had achieved little tangible success.

  “Yes, I have to hand it to you Aki, you’ve done good work here.” Shiro agreed. Shaeu and Hyath puffed out their chests in pride, as if they were being praised as well. Which I guess isirely untrue. After all, they’ve been instrumental iing Duke Myrcoxriath, which really bolstered our Territory with his bounty. “Havihe tre of your Territory with the Trees and all those Buildings, and now here too, I’m shocked. This isn’t everything, right? You have mines and all sorts… I’m jealous.”

  “Well, I expect your Territory is pretty oo. Is it around the Uy? You did say that your allies were helping support your Territory, and I’m sure Tan knows how to develop one properly?”

  Tan spoke up, agreeing with me. “Yes, ut much effort in strengthening the Territory. Taking it by force would be maly unwise.” Her single gring red eye, the expression on Shiro’s face a warning one, made me chuckle.

  “Don’t worry. Why would I attack the Territory of Shiro, my adorable fiancée?” I said. “So, is yours Rank 3 as well?”

  “No.” Tan shook Shiro’s head for her, her silvery hair shimmering with ruby fmes casg gently. “solidation is more important. We did not wish to leave her Territory undefended for so long, especially with allies of such a… unique… nature. Daizen and Arisu were not to be trusted, to say nothing of that half-spiritual mohe Raven Knight.”

  Half spiritual? Iing. Before I could ask about that, Shiro protested. “Look, Arisu is fine! Sure, she’s… well, an angry person, but she’s beerayed a lot in the past, therefore she won’t betray unless we do! Daizen… ugh, I didn’t want him to die. But things happen, don’t they?” Her gaze softened as she looked at me. “Sometimes we ’t save everyone, right Aki? I don’t have a hero plex like you, so I’m not as cut up about it. Well, you know me.” She muttered, self-depregly. “I be pretty cold to those I don’t care about. And while they were all my allies, I only really liked Arisu and Suzu. Bunta isn’t so bad, I suppose, but… he’s such a little coward, it be a bit trying watg him cower all the time.” She let out a long sigh. “Sorry for the interruption Tan, but I don’t want Aki thinking everyone is a potential traitor!”

  “If I may tian sighed. “You took quite the risk strengthening your Territory to this extent. I assume you have found the difficulties of expanding further? Ordinarily, there would be little need for haste, as it takes many years, decades, for the Boundary to thin enough for true dao find a world, barring perhaps the odd fortunate wanderer. I do not believe that to be the case this time, from what we have been told.” She paused. “I also do not believe it is due to my unorthodox as here, lodging myself within the princess here. So do not bme me!”

  Bme you, huh? “Well, even if it was your fault, we’ll have to live with the sequences anyway. You’ll just have to make it up to us with your support. Yeah, no kidding, my Territory was almost destroyed by Kondou Kazuo, the bastard. Luckily we won out, and it’s as you see. But I’ll not take such a risk again. Besides, the resources required to reach Rank 4, and the time, are truly mind-blowing. Though Rank 4 is necessary, because then we swallow the ey of Tokyo and possibly even reach Mount Fuji…” That’s assuming it expands to a hundred kilometres, as I expect.

  “Such a goal is admirable, but challenging. The resources in the Boundary are not plentiful.” Tan observed. “We have made the most of what we could, and our Territory is well-defended, but most are rather feeble still. Well, it has been but a short while since we desded, so it is only to be expected.”

  “That’s true. To be ho, most of our expansion was fuelled by destroying a stroerritory in the lower Astral.” I admitted. “Most of the ether went to quickly strug what you see here. It might seem wasteful, but over time we’ll recoup the costs. Time is the only thing we ’t make more of, after all.”

  Tan paused at that, before nodding. “Yes, you are wise. Time is the ohing equal to all. Well, I shall rest. No doubt you have much of this training to do.”

  “Just a minute.” I grinned, and seeing it, Shiro’s face twisted into an expression of wariness. I’m not sure whether that’s Tan or Shiro. “Don’t go running off, Tan. I want you to support Shiro. After all, it’s going to be a bit brutal. But worth it in the end, I promise!”

  “Damn, Aki. Were you always this scary?” Shiro muttered, only for Shaeu to answer.

  “Of course-course. When Akio sets his mind to something, he will not-not stop until he sees it done.” Her grin was broad. “So there is no-no point ireat. Accept your fate, and prepare to learn, no matter the struggle!”

  ********

  Yes, I definitely owe Ren-san a bit more respect. This is damn hard… Admittedly, I was trying to do multiple tasks at once, using Split Thoughts, which scaled the difficulty signifitly, but then I had the stats and skills Ren-san didn’t, so perhaps it was parable after all. With my field of vision widened by aether, the headache from such a feat long since faded, I focused simultaneously on the mirror in my hand, p my darkness element, my Shisu, into it, while simultaneously pulling out and drawing into my throat chakra the darkness element Hyath and Eri were flowing in.

  “This… is very painful.” Shiro said, tears in her eyes, occupying another part of my vision and sciousness. “Aki, you brute! When I tell everyone you get your kicks from t beautiful young girls like me, you’ll burn with shame!”

  “Young?” I ughed, and even as she attacked one of the many rge multi-legged fish creatures that crawled out of the shining turquoise seas like it rehistoric times, her fmes burning them to ash, she had time to retort angrily, iween her gasps and moans of pain, which were disturbingly erotic. I’m sure she’s doing that on purpose to punish me…

  “Yes, oh damn, this hurts…” she let out a moaning sob. “Tan, take a little more of my, ugh, senses. Please.” With that she took a long shuddering breath, more fmes casg, steam r into the sky as the beasts cooked, though there seemed to be o them. “Of course I’m young! Youhan you, Aki, you cradle robber!”

  “Cradle robber?” I chuckled, part of my attention also on Eri, whose face was also twisted in pain, her arms sprouting fungal blooms, flesh crag and blood spilling, silver and red marred by bck sludge. “You’re no child, right Eri?”

  “I think…” she gasped, silvery sweat beading on her forehead, as she focused on p darkness energy into the mirror. She was simultaneously trying to direct her aether within her body to fight the damage the weakened spores Hyath had called upon were doing, a doubly-difficult task as her chakra work was a mess, and struggled to respond to her efforts in ways she was used to. “… she’s talking about someone else.”

  Hinata huh? I get it, even so, it reminds me of my sis and her jokes when I first returo Nishimorioka. Seeing I looked a touhappy, Shiro pouted, looking down, and I felt bad as she apologised.

  “Sorry Aki. I’m n to be a bitch, but… seriously, this is torment! It’s no wonder… ouch, shit!” she swore, as a sudden rippling of her flesh gave way to fronds and tendrils of mould around her many scars. “… how are you … putting up with this?” she asked Eri, though she didn’t fet to cast more fmes into the mob of endless sea-creatures. Shaeu was helping to thin the hordes too, since she had no aptitude for darkness eleme, her turn would e ter.

  “Willpower.” Eri grinned weakly, a little darkness energy shining azure in her eyes. Her heavy axe y beside her, as her arms weren’t capable of wielding it properly at the moment, even here. As a fish-creature flopped onto the shore near her, it split in two, Shaeu’s wind bdes lethally effective against the numerous, but rgely weak, foes the sea disged.

  This definitely isn’t bad ether. Eae doesn’t give too much ether, but the sea is full of prey, just as I suspected. Occasionally a powerful aquatic beast would surge through the shining waters to attack, but Shaeu and Hyath had no trouble defeating them or beating them back. Though it would likely be a different story if we were ier, not on the shore.

  “Well, looks like you’ve reached level twenty-o least.” I observed, a few mier, as the wave of creatures were buro ash by Shiro’s fmes. “Having Lovers’ Link at Rank 2 is a useful power-up. It’s a damn shame you aren’t actually the didate though, so you don’t seem to have the ck of level cap. You must definitely feel strohough.”

  “I do.” Shiro gasped, gd to be able to take a break, leaving the remaining threats to Shaeu and Hyath. Slumping down, she trated to heal her arm, where the fungus was slowly, agonisingly dev her flesh. Blood was trig from her lips where she had bit down in her agony, even Tan sharing a good part of her senses not enough to diminish it to a tolerable level. “I definitely feel stronger and faster, but I’m still just pathetically weak unless I use Divine Possession. But if I do that right now… ugh, that bloody Raven!” she cursed him, somewhat unfairly, for leading to her injuries.

  “Here.” I could see the spread of the spores digging into her flesh and also her chakra work, the spores a variant on the ones Hyath had used to harm the Kijo Matriarch when she shed her flesh. “Let me have a go.” I split my sciousness once more, trig aether in, not te, but tthen Shiro’s own efforts, guiding her body to respond to the invaders. stantly suffering and healing damage with aether was rapidly increasing her proficy with Ether Healing, and she was even starting to seher through her silver cord back to her Material body, an important step. “Looks like you’ve almost got it. Keep at it, it won’t be in vain!” I promised.

  “Hyath knooows, it is not impossible.” She giggled, her nature energy causing the great fronds of seaweed that drifted iides to grow, f into razor-sharp bdes that dyed the sea red with blood as they sughtered fish, amphibians and other deformed creatures that swam close. “Pain… pain is sad. I remember great pain, always ooorments. The Dark Maidens…” her face fell, remembering. “… I dooo not like to think of them. They are endlessly cruel… whips, pliers, pincers, files, hammers, saws, boooiling oil and more…” she twitched, perhaps remembering when such things were used on her. “Ooother torments too, of the heart, the soooul.”

  At her words, Shiro, Eri and even Shaeu had pitying looks on their faces, Eri and Shiro momentarily fetting her own pains. On seeing their sympathetic appearance Hyath looked down, clearly touched and embarrassed by their care. “That is the past. Hyath is happy nooow, here with Akio and the mistresses. I have mooore new friends to serve, every day!” she giggled, and found herself shocked as Shiro pulled her into an embrace with her good arm, dark eyes actually damp with tears.

  “Damn, Aki, she’s such a cutie. I get it, your hero plex would never allow a girl like this to suffer alone! Don’t worry…” she said to Hyath. “If aries to bully you anymore, we’ll beat them up.” Her smile turned wicked. “Or well, we’ll ask Aki to!”

  “You wouldn’t o ask.” I said dryly. “Nobody gets to hurt my girls.”

  “Check out Aki, being smooth again!” Shiro grinned. “Ugh, this still hurts, but you’re right, Hyath. I’ve been in pain a lot of my life. Beihy is just a dream to me. So… I ehis too. I want a reward though!”

  “A reward, huh? Sure, that sounds fair. Eri, you have ooo. Hyath, you’ve already succeeded, so name what you want.”

  “This hardly seems fair-fair.” Shaeu pouted. “After all, I have already long mastered Ether Healing, have I not-not?”

  “Well, for you… we’ll think of aask. I do have a few ideas.” I grinned, and she looked a little nervous. Maybe it’s finally time for Shaeu to get over her fears and try for earth element, or perhaps…

  As we bantered and trained, I found myself immersed in verting the darkness energy to my own, funnelling it bato the mirror. I had little aptitude for darkness, so the task was difficult, but as I maniputed the blue energies, dyeing them with my own, the Shisu, I began to uand the darkness better. Small fragments of emotion could be found within what Hyath and Eri had bequeathed the mirror, nothing so real as thoughts, merely sensations, usually ones of heighteions such as jealousy, fear, anger… but there was also love, longing, cherishing and more. As I absorbed these, verting them to Shisu, the mirror shinning with deep azure and silver light, I felt my ability to manipute and handle darkness growing slightly. It’s still feeble, but in time, I’m sure I’ll master it, just like wind, fire, earth or water, elements much easier to uand.

  “All right then.” I said, my reserves of darkness dry, the energies the mirror tained now all Shisu. Turning the carved frame, the mirror shimmered, now ready to accept light element. “Eri, Hyath, Shaeu, fill it up!” I grinned.

  ********

  “You’ve got it!” I praised Shiro, as she y with her head in my p, face wet with tears. “Rank 2, good job!” Stroking her silvery hair, I smiled. The mirror was on the ground beside me, fully charged with all the light and darkness energies we had. We o recharge our chakras, then do it another few times. Then the girls try and learn their respective mutated elements like Aiko did.

  “It was bloody hard!” Shiro whined, quite unlike her usual demeanour, as she curled up on me like a wayward kitten. The gap between this and how she normally acted was very cute. “I feel the differehough. My scars, they are tingling. It’s a bit maddening, I feel itchy all over.”

  “Well, I help with that.” I grinned, reag down and starting to scratch the scars on her cheeks.

  “Yeah, that’s the spot, that’s… hey!” she flushed pink, embarrassed. “Don’t just suddenly start doing that Aki! My heart wasn’t prepared!”

  We all ughed at that, causio squirm, ashamed. “Seriously, thanks Aki. You’ve worked hard for me. For all of us.”

  “Hardly. This is thanks to your own efforts.” I dehat. “All I’ve done is use my Eye to guide you, offer some pointers, a bit of Chirurgery here and there. If you all didn’t have the will to see it through, we wouldn’t have got anywhere.”

  “I call bullshit.” Shiro tilted her head, her one bck eye looking up into my grey orbs. “Sure, we had to suffer, and damn, suffering doesn’t even cover half of it.” She grimaced, remembering, her gaze going tood arm, whiow had , white flesh around the fissures and cracks that scarred her, the fungal spores purged, their damage repaired. “You weren’t kidding when you said it would be training from hell.”

  “Just try-try reag the sixth Rank.” Shaeu chortled, knowing that agony was behind her, at least. “It was as if I was being devoured whole-whole by a swarm of fiery ants.”

  “Ugh, show-off.” Shiro protested. “Well, I’m going to be forced to try, aren’t I?” She let out a long, bitter sigh. “Sure, I feel the aether flowing through my body, but it’s nowhere near strong enough to heal my scars, and it ’t regrow a missing eye, right?”

  “I’m afraid not.” I bent down and kissed her on the forehead soothingly, causio freeze up for a moment.

  “Damn it all Aki, stop that! You’re not Hayato, to be putting out such smooth moves!” she protested, red-faced.

  “Just getting started early on that reward.” I smiled, happy to have this sweet moment with Shiro, though I could see Eri looking jealous. Shiro could too, so she shifted a little, so her head was only on one of my thighs. Seeing that, Eri hesitated, only for Shiro to scold her.

  “Don’t be shy, I didn’t take you for that sort. It’s obvious you want to, I’m not an idiot. I have an eye, you know!”

  “Fine. You win!” Eri muttered, lying down, using my for a pillow, her dark hair casg over my p. As Eri and Shiro looked at each other, their faces close enough for their breaths to be felt on each other’s faces, Eri giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” Shiro asked.

  “Just… this is somehow even more embarrassing than I thought. After all, we barely know each other, and here we are, using Akio’s p as a pillow. I never would have expected this.”

  “Well, from what I see, looks like you’re the needy one.” Shiro told her. “Those two seem secure in the knowledge that they are loved and have his attention whehey want, so they don’t seem too bothered by him giving me a lot of attention. You though… well, I suppose I should give you credit for holding back, but the look on your face, Eri…” she ughed, amused.

  “Really?” Eri said. “Was it that bad? I… I’m trying not to be jealous.”

  “That’s the problem. I get it though. You should be hoo think the same way as this geous princess.” Shiro pressed her. “Trying. Those two don’t have to try, they just accept things as they are, as they have to be. Those two noble girls I met seemed the same way, uned and sure of their own worth, that Aki will like them. I don’t know about the other ohough, I’ve not met her.”

  “Hinata’s… well, she likes to spend time with Akio, doing business and making pns. But I don’t think she’s that possessive.” Eri admitted. “So you are just saying it’s me who is no good?” she pouted.

  “Don’t be so dowed. Aki will get upset unless you smile.” Shiro chided. “You’ve known him lohan me, you should know that. Besides, I said it, I’m the same way. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been in love before, but I want him to look at me all the time. Well, except for these…” she touched her scarred face bitterly.

  “You do look a bit of a fright.” Eri giggled.

  “Oh thanks. Well, look at you with these!” she reached out and grabbed Eri’s cat ears, causio yelp from the sensation.

  “Hey, quit that!” Eri pined, batting her away.

  “Damn, I get why guys like cat girls now. so soft…” Shiro said, her voice bright. “Look, Eri, we o learn from the others. I see you’ve made an effort, and I’m genuinely grateful that you weled me warmly. If our situations were reversed and I was first, well, I’m not so sure this princess could have been so magnanimous. I’ve always been the ype. It es from not being able to do muyself, I suppose. But Aki… he’s got it hard. He’s carrying a lot of weight, and it’s only going to get heavier. So I think… when he’s with us, he shouldn’t have to worry about our moods, or keeping us happy. We o make our oiness, from being with Aki. And not just Aki. With each other. After all…” she turned, looking at Shaeu and Hyath. “We are all in this together nht? Sisters?”

  “Well said indeed.” Shaeu agreed. “Eri, you have been most gracious to me and the others, and I ot-not thank you enough. tio be our friend and sister, and happiness will e.”

  “That’s harder and more painful than learniher Healing, sometimes.” Eri muttered. “But I know, I do. It’s just… I’m not stupid. You aren’t the st, Shiro.”

  “Of course not. One is monogamy, two a threesome, three a harem. Four is the floodgates opening…” Shiro said. “I get that Aki is at least trying…” her grin was wry as she repeated the earlier word. “… to hold back. But when it es down to it, there’ll be others. I mean, that guy from Isekai Smartphone had nine. e to think of it, that guy had a load of princesses as his wives as well. There you go, Aki. Two more. Unless you are shooting for the guy from Eighth Son? He had… ugh, too many!”

  “Look, I’m not pnning on…” I began, only for Eri to shush me.

  “Listen to Shiro, all right? I am. I think… you’re pretty smart, aren’t you, Shiro?”

  “Of course. This princess is a genius!” she said proudly. “After all, didn’t I get Ether Healing to Rank 2 in a mere blink of an eye?”

  “Well, Hyath mahat as well.” Eri teased her. “Besides, mine is Rank 3 now!”

  “Yeah, but you had a head start!” Shiro pouted, though I could tell she was teasing Eri. “Getting the first Rank is way harder than the sed or third!”

  “True!” Eri ughed, and as Shaeu joined in the banter, I looked up at the sky, silver lighting rag through the prismati-light of the Boundary. Well, we’re still waiting on Shaeraggo to return with news on Primal Forest. The girls are getting exhausted from the pain of learniher Healing, so we should probably try something else… hmm, how about that? As soon as the idea struck me, it seemed a good one. With a smile, I pulled Eri and Shiro up, ign their groans of disappoi. I’m feeling a little disappointed myself. It was rather nice having them on my p. No, there’s time for fun ter. Noork. “Well, I’ve tortured you all enough for now. How about we do this instead…?” it's going to be tough, but I think it'll be worth it...