CHAPTER 204: HAS THE DREAM REALLY END?!

"Ahhh...

"Damnit... What the hell is she doing?"

Adam muttered, pressing his fingers against his temple like he was trying to steady his own thoughts.

Echidna crossed her arms, her gaze cool and unreadable as she tilted her head at him.

"A pity, I really wanted to talk to you more... But it would seem that we have run out of time."

She said, a slight smirk curving her lips.

"I can feel it, you’re waking up...

"Yeah.....

He exhaled slowly.

"I can feel, and see Nyx crawling under my bedsheets."

There was no shame in his tone, just tired and confused clarity.

"Through lidded eyes, I can see the guess room ceiling again... It is dark. The air is cold... And the sound of the AC’s humming. Loud tapping, and hard breeze, yeah it’s definitely raining in the human world as well. But she is there. Nyx...why are you getting into my bed, and this late at night."

He said plainly, narrating it more to himself than to her.

Echidna watched him in silence for a beat before a teasing smile spread across her face, lustful, but not crass.

"Fufufu... I do adore that girl."

She murmured.

"She is nothing like Minerva. Bold, shameless, and willing."

She said as she slithered closer, just enough that her presence lingered in the space between them.

"But Adam... you still hesitate. You still deny what is right in front of you."

Her voice softened, not seductive, nor demanding, but coaxing this time around.

"Remember what I told you. If you want to reach your full potential... you have to change yourself."

She leaned in, whispering like a devil on his shoulder.

"For the sake of strength... if not love... test the waters of your own body."

Adam let out a quiet sigh at these words.

He could feel it, the slow unraveling of his being in this world. His form was beginning to fade, the dreamscape losing its grip on him, piece by piece.

Still, he turned toward Echidna. She stood there with both of four arms folded, her expression unreadable as ever.

But he had to voice one more thing before leaving this place.

"...You said you had something for me right?"

His voice low.

"But... as you can probably tell, I am waking up."

"Mhm."

She didn’t deny it.

"So... what now? Are you going to give it to me before I vanish completely?"

She clicked her tongue, a note of frustration slipping through the cracks of her cool exterior.

"Tch fine. I really wanted to explain this in more detail."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, like something wistful lurking in the corners of her smile.

"But oh well. Next time, perhaps... You manage to come here on your own, the second time should be even easier than your first."

Right after saying that, Echidna began lifting her upper right hand, as she snapped her fingers.

Moments after, a soft glint shimmered in the air, then, with no fanfare, a small green gem materialized in her palm. It was diamond-shaped, almost crystalline in form. It pulsed faintly with ancient power within it.

It looks exactly as Adam remembered it.

"Here."

She said, throwing it gently toward him.

"For now, just dip your hand in the lava. See how far it burns, that thing isn’t easy to use after all... When my husband had it, he almost self delete his entire mind with it."

The gem spun through the air, catching the light of the fading world, and landed in Adam’s hand just as his outline began to dissolve.

The moment the gem touched his hand, Adam looked back one last time.

His eyes met hers.

"Until next time... Chidna."

He said with snarky but flirty smile.

"C–Chidna?!"

Echidna blinked, momentarily stunned by the offhand nickname. Her composure cracked just a little, but before she could muster a retort or even tease him for it, he was gone.

The dream unraveled around her.

Silence fell.

She stood alone, the echo of his words still hanging in the air like an aftertaste.

Then, slowly, she brought a hand to her forehead, half-laughing, half-shaken.

"...That idiot."

A grin crept across her lips, curling with blatant amusement.

"I can’t wait for him to reach the Fourth Gate...

Her eyes lowered, a faint heat glowing behind them.

"Too bad he hasn’t reached there yet."

She murmured to herself.

"Given I can only be impregnated by something far stronger than me."

She placed a hand over her chest, over a heart that hadn’t stirred in centuries.

"Still... ’Chidna,’ huh? No one’s ever called me that before."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

RUMBLE!!!

BOOOOM!!!

The rain hadn’t let up all night.

It drummed steadily against the high-arched roof of the Hellsing estate, a low, rhythmic patter underscored by the occasional crack of thunder rolling across the hills. The flash of distant lightning briefly illuminated the ornate silhouette of the guest room, before plunging it back into soft darkness.

Adam lay on the oversized canopy bed, shirtless, the warmth of his skin swallowed by the cool air circulating through the room. Only the thin layer of silk sheets covered him from the waist down, clinging loosely to the curve of his hips.

The air conditioner hummed steadily in the background, blending with the rain in an oddly soothing harmony.

The guest room was lavish, but not in a gaudy way...Hellsing taste leaned more on the traditional side of things despite the modern fashion of this futuristic world.

Mahogany panels lined the walls, and heavy, dark green curtains were drawn across the tall windows, failing to entirely block out the flickering glow of the storm. A grand fireplace stood cold at the far end of the room, untouched, though its ornate carvings hinted at age it’s refine age. A single painting, a pale, red-eyed woman in a gothic dress, watched over the bed from the wall above.

Adam shifted under the sheets, his brows furrowing in sleep. His body rolled slightly to the side, tangled in the soft linens, muscles subtly twitching as if reacting to something unseen. A drop of sweat traced the line of his temple, despite the cold.

He was dreaming of course.

But at the same time the sound of his door slowly opening could be heard.

CREAKED!!...

The creak of the door was a faint as someone was intruding into Adam’s quarter, but it was left mostly unheard, nearly lost in the relentless patter of rain against the Hellsing family estate’s roof.

The storm...low rumble and the steady hum of the air conditioner wove a restless harmony, barely stirring Adam’s half-conscious mind awake. He was still straddling the line between the dreamscape where he and Echidna’s was speaking.

His body twitched under the silk sheets, a bead of sweat tracing his temple despite the room’s chill.

A figure emerged under the dim light of lightning from time to time that partially enter his room.

It was getting closer to him, as the figure slowly walked towards his bed.

A soft rustle followed, among many louder sounds of the night. The air shifted, carrying a faint scent of sweet black berries, and Jasmin off the approaching figure.

Looking closely, one would realize that this person was Nyx.

Her presence slunk into the room like a shadow, as she moves silently.

Lightning cracked outside, a jagged flash slipping through the heavy green curtains, illuminating her for a fleeting moment. She stood at the foot of the bed, her figure framed against the storm’s natrual glow.

The nightgown she wore was a scandal of black lace, sheer and clinging, barely qualifying as clothing. It hugged her curves, the plunging neckline dipping low to expose the swell of her breasts, the fabric so thin it revealed more than it concealed.

The hem stopped scandalously high, grazing the tops of her thighs, and beneath it, the delicate strap of a black thong peeked out, a bold contrast against her pale skin, and something that was the opposite of her full wear black dress that hides much beneath.

Her hair, dark as spilled ink, cascaded over her shoulders. And her eyes, sharp and gleaming, locked onto Adam with great intensity.

"Ok Nyx, Y-You made this far... I...I have to make my move tonight?!"

With that she leaned forward.

As moved closer, her barefoot steps silent as she raise her leg, and her hips swaying just enough to make the lace shift against her skin.

The bed dipped slightly as she reached it, her fingers grazing the edge of the silk sheets. She then lifted the sheet, slipping beneath it with a fluid motion, her body sliding alongside Adam’s.

The warmth of her skin cut through the cool air, her thigh brushing against his as the sheets settled over them both, cloaking them in a shared cocoon of pure softness.

Adam’s eyes fluttered open, and through lidded and heavy eyes he watch.

The guest room’s ornate ceiling swimming into focus, alongside two large jugs that hovered over him slightly.

At that same time Adam eye’s shot open, fully conscious as he felt something hard in his hands.

It was the mind stone, still he clutch it tightly as his golden eyes met her beautiful violet.

As she said, grabbing her by the waste.

"Am I still dreaming?! Hmmm... Still what’s the occasion Nyx, you do know it probably early in the morning."

He said to which Nyx, bite her lips and said nervously.

"I-I wanted to see you."