CHAPTER 15: ONE SECOND TOO LONG... AGAIN

After an entire day of walking, our steps finally brought us to the end of the pass. The wind whipped our faces, carrying the acrid smell of sun-baked stone and the wood of distant forests. And then... it appeared.

Between two gigantic mountains, like petrified jaws, stretched a wall of stone that seemed to claw at the sky. A fortress. No... a scar of war, erected centuries ago to contain horror. Jagged towers, dark banners snapping in the wind, runes carved directly into the rock that pulsed with a reddish glow like veins ready to burst. The setting sun set the stones ablaze in a light of orange and blood, giving the whole place the look of a sacrificial altar.

I froze, throat dry. This wasn’t a simple wall. It was a promise: here, the world ended. Beyond, there was only the abyss.

Hikari stepped closer to me, lips parted. Her chest rose quickly beneath the fabric of her too-tight kimono, her tips clearly pressing against the silk. She whispered, breathless, like a child before a miracle:

— "It’s... immense..."

Her voice was still trembling in my ear when Miyu burst out with a sharp laugh. She set a hand on her hip, deliberately making her oversized breasts bounce out of her ill-fitted neckline. The stylized flames of her garment seemed to dance across her moist skin.

— "Tch... yeah, that wall’s huge. But after what we saw in the dungeon... I know a demon like Azrakan could cross it anyway. This fortress might reassure the soldiers... but for them, it’s just scenery."

She threw a defiant look at the mountains, as if daring a dragon to burst from the rock and test her on the spot.

Reina, for her part, remained marble-still. Straight, sceptre in hand, arms crossed under her firm breasts. Yet I saw her eyes betray her icy mask for a second. They slid over the runes, the height of the towers, and a brief flicker of respect passed through them.

And then Ayame. Always her, standing tall like a priestess on the threshold of a temple. Her cream kimono whipped in the wind, and with every movement, her round hips and full thighs shaped themselves beneath the cloth. She tightened her obi slowly, and her swollen breasts surged out a little more, catching my gaze despite myself. Yet she lifted her eyes toward the wall, solemn, her expression grave.

A cry split the silence:

— "Halt!"

On the crest of the wall, silhouettes in black armor glared down at us, bows drawn, lances pointed. The guard’s voice rang out, harsh, metallic:

— "State your identity at once!"

My breath caught, but Ayame stepped forward, arms spread, her kimono whipping like a banner. Her brown eyes gleamed with natural authority, and her chest, rising with the effort, seemed for an instant to hypnotize even the soldiers themselves.

— "We are the Heroes!" she declared in a firm, clear voice. "Open for us, I beg you. We need aid."

A brutal silence fell. Even the wind seemed to still. Up there, the guards exchanged glances, frozen. Then one turned, vanishing into the shadow of the tower. From their stiff postures, it was clear they weren’t used to hearing that word—heroes.

I tightened my grip on my lance, heart pounding.

After a few minutes, a metallic crash echoed along the wall. Heavy, ordered steps vibrated through the stone, and a silhouette advanced atop the monumental gate. The man loomed over the valley like a statue of war. His black armor, ringed with silver, caught the dying light. A cape emblazoned with a blood-red crest snapped in the wind, its fringes fraying like flames. His helmet, crowned with stylized horns, gave him the look of a ram poised to charge.

His voice rolled over us like thunder:

— "You arrive alone, so near the border... explain yourselves."

My gut clenched. The wall, the officer, the archers trained on us... everything screamed that a single wrong word would see us riddled with arrows.

I wanted to speak, but Ayame set her hand on my arm. Her jasmine scent struck me at once, violent, out of place in this warlike setting. She stepped forward, kimono snapping against her thighs, her generous hips shaping with every movement.

Her voice rose, firm and clear:

— "We are the Heroes summoned. We were sent on a mission nearby, into a dungeon, to raise our levels. We survived it, but..."

She drew a breath, her brown eyes locked on the silhouette atop the wall.

— "...all the others fell. Only five of us remain."

Her tone did not waver. She spoke neither of the eye I had lost nor of Oblivion. She went on, upright like a priestess before the gods’ tribunal, recounting the waves of goblins, the corrupted giant, Azrakan’s appearance. Her words flowed with icy precision, but I saw sweat trace a line along her neck.

A heavy silence answered her. Then, the officer raised his hand, and the archers lowered their bows. The gates groaned, opening slowly in the clatter of chains.

The man descended. His boots struck the stone, flanked by two soldiers in heavy armor. Up close, his presence crushed everything. Broad shoulders, square jaw, eyes of steel blue that pierced like blades. He removed his helmet, revealing hair almost white-blond, tied in a strict queue.

He stopped before us. His aura was such that even Miyu, usually arrogant, bit her lip instead of swaggering.

— "I am Commander Albrecht von Duskfall," he said in a deep voice. "One of the seven masters of this fortress."

His eyes swept over us one by one. When his gaze settled on me, it lingered a fraction longer on my empty eye. I could feel the burn of silent judgment. Hikari, at my side, tensed and clutched her sceptre to her chest as if she wanted to defend me without words. Her breasts pressed tighter against her ivory kimono, an obscene detail I couldn’t help noticing despite the tension.

Albrecht continued, impassive:

— "Forgive my insistent questions, but here, we stand on the border of hell. Every mistake costs lives. We cannot let just anyone through without certainty."

His lips tightened a moment, then he inclined his head, stiff but solemn.

— "In any case... welcome to the Fortress of Duskfall."

The wind rose, snapping his red cape and lifting the pale strands of his hair. The gates opened wider behind him, revealing the fortress interior — a hive of soldiers, blazing forges, and torches that cast golden light into the twilight’s shadow.

I swallowed. We were finally on the other side.

The heavy gates shut behind us in a crash of chains. The fortress swallowed us whole, reeking of iron, sweat, and burnt wood. Albrecht strode forward, boots ringing against stone, motioning for us to follow.

— "Here, the main courtyard." His voice rumbled, deep, steady. "The soldiers train day and night."

Before our eyes, dozens of men struck wooden dummies with lances, others loosed arrows that hissed into targets with military regularity. Shouts of exertion mingled with the sharp orders of instructors.

Hikari raised a hand to her mouth, eyes wide on the volleys of arrows splitting the air.

— "But... they’re training as if they were at war every second..."

Albrecht inclined his head slightly.

— "Because they are. At any moment, the hordes may surge."

Miyu scoffed, her katana resting carelessly on her shoulder.

— "Heh... look at them. They wear themselves out, striking, shooting... when a demon like Azrakan only had to whisper two words to break a man who’d trained all his life."

Her voice cracked like provocation, but I knew that smirk. It wasn’t arrogance. It was a fucking scar. Her eyes blazed, not with joy, but with repressed fear. She clung to that smile because otherwise... she’d scream.

I stayed silent, but my gut twisted. Azrakan. Even here, surrounded by colossal walls, torches, and soldiers, his shadow still loomed over us. And Miyu, behind her bravado, bore its burn like an invisible brand.

— "Come," Albrecht cut in.

We passed beneath an archway into a blazing gallery. The heat of the forges slammed into us at once. Hammers fell in rhythm, glowing steel spattering sparks across the sweat-slick faces of smiths.

— "The arsenals," Albrecht said. "Here, we produce and repair without cease. Weapons, armor, arrowheads... war devours faster than we create."

Unfaltering, he continued on.

We entered the great hall next. Vast maps covered the walls, studded with nails and colored ribbons. Messengers darted across, black feathers fluttering with each beat of the ravens trapped in cages.

— "This is our HQ." Albrecht pointed to a map of the continent. "Every enemy movement is recorded here. The ravens transmit directly to the capital."

Reina stepped closer, eyes on the borders. Her fingers tightened on her sceptre against her chest, accentuating the swell of her kimono.

— "You’ve placed markers even in the Eastern mountains... So the elves are cooperating?"

— "In their own way." The commander said no more, his steely gaze resting on her a moment longer, as if measuring. And yes, among us all, Reina was the sharpest, always catching the smallest detail.

Hikari, meanwhile, stayed back, pale.

— "All those red points... are those... destroyed villages?"

Albrecht’s silence was answer enough.

Without pause, he led us through a wide door into a crowded hall.

The cafeteria. Long wooden tables stretched like plowed fields. Slumped soldiers laughed as they devoured steaming bowls. The heavy smell of stew filled the air, mingled with sweat and beer. Nervous, loud laughter seemed to try and smother something darker: fear.

Ayame crossed the room calmly. Her chest rose heavily beneath her kimono stained with dried blood, and several soldiers’ heads turned, cheeks reddening from more than drink. She ignored them, dignified, but my stomach twisted.

At last, we reached a stark building, all gray stone, several stories high. The air was cold, the windows filtering in a pallid light.

Albrecht halted at the door.

— "Here are your quarters." His voice was sharp again. "Only two rooms remain: one double and one triple."

I clenched my jaw.

Hikari jumped, cheeks flushed with sudden fever.

— "Th-then... I can go with Nii-san..."

Miyu burst out laughing, fixing her mocking eyes on her.

— "Of course... what a surprise."

Heat rose in my own cheeks, but Ayame cut in with a firm, grave voice:

— "No. I’ll take the room with him."

I froze. My heart thundered like a drum. She... she understood? She knew?

Her brown eyes held mine a second. I read nothing there but a cold authority that left me disarmed.

Albrecht ended it, his voice snapping like a final order:

— "Settle in. I’ll send a raven to the capital. Until then, you are safe within these walls. Move about as you wish, but tomorrow at dawn, you will attend the council. That’s a rule at HQ."

He turned, red cape snapping in the air, and vanished down the corridors.

I stood there, breath short. With Ayame... really?

The door creaked shut behind us. The room was bare: two narrow beds separated by a small desk, a massive wardrobe, and a single window opening onto the wall and the mountains blazing with sunset. No carpet, no ornament. The gray stone oozed cold, and the silence weighed like an anvil.

We set our things down without a word. Leather scraped against wood, my tense fingers lingering on Aurelia’s shaft as if it alone kept me standing.

Ayame turned to me. Her brown eyes glimmered in the dimness, grave but gentle.

— "Thank you for being here, Kaito. You held on for us."

I looked up at her, surprised at the sincerity in her voice.

— "You too... without you, we wouldn’t have made it. It’s hard for everyone."

A smile brushed her lips. She lowered her head a moment, scratching her cheek as if embarrassed to show the slightest weakness. Then, softer, hesitant:

— "Actually... maybe you didn’t notice. People... are wary of you. Because of your eye. It frightens them. It would be better if you... generated an eyepatch."

Her words hit me like a hammer. I stayed mute. Since losing that half of myself, I had never thought of what it looked like to others. No mirror, no time to reflect. To me, it was just another scar. But through her eyes... it was a void. A deformity.

My gut knotted. Yet, at the same instant, another image surged. The village that had accepted me despite it. The little girl who had called me hero, smiling through tears. And above all... Hikari. Her warmth on me, her breathless lips, her desire, despite the hole in my face. My body reacted at once. My pants strained painfully, betraying my mind.

Ayame narrowed her eyes, noticing my turmoil.

— "...Kaito? Are you okay?"

— "Y-yeah, nothing." My voice shook.

She mistook it for sadness. So she stepped forward. Slowly, maternally, she embraced me and pulled my head against her. My cheeks sank into her enormous breasts, heavy and burning beneath the silk. Her kimono slipped loose in the movement, and my skin brushed hers, separated only by a glimpse of white lace. Her nipples stood hard, grazing my face with every breath.

My breath faltered. Jasmine’s scent engulfed me, her warmth smothered me.

Her voice vibrated above me, grave and tender:

— "Thank you, Kaito... for making that sacrifice. I know you carry so much. Between Genesis and... Oblivion. You’re the one who’s suffered most since the start. Thank you. And... sorry for piling so much on your shoulders."

She gently lifted my head, her fingers stroking my cheek. Her lips neared, hesitant, then pressed, brief and burning, to the corner of my mouth. Not quite a kiss. Not quite a motherly embrace either.

My face flamed red. My heart pounded so hard I thought she’d hear it.

— "Ah... yes... the eyepatch..." I stammered, seeking escape.

I reached out. Golden light flared, and a simple black band materialized. I moved to take it, but Ayame set her hand on mine.

— "Let me."

She tied the cloth behind my head with a clumsy tenderness. Her fingers slid through my hair, tugged too hard on the knot, then rested on my nape.

— "Wait..." she murmured when I tried to turn away. "Let me see."

I stood still, breathless. Her brown gaze traced my face, caressing each feature with an intensity that made me blush. Then she smiled, soft, sincere:

— "You’re beautiful like this. Truly."

Her eyes dropped, unwillingly. A pause. Her smile froze.

She had seen. The erection already swelling my kimono, straining the fabric into an indecent bulge.

Her lips parted, a hot breath spilling out. Her cheeks reddened, but instead of looking away, her gaze stayed fixed on the stiff shape throbbing beneath the damp cloth.

I choked. My cock hammered painfully, every heartbeat threatening to burst it free of the fabric.

Ayame bit her lip. Her kimono top had already slipped open when she’d leaned over me, revealing the white lace barely containing her erect nipples. In the burning silence, I felt her breath quicken. Her enormous chest rose right before me, almost within reach of my hands.

Her gaze flickered between my face and the bulge in my pants. For a fraction of a second, I felt she would reach out, touch, yield.

One second too long. Fuck, one second too long. Again.

Then Ayame inhaled deeply. She snapped her kimono shut with a sharp gesture, straightening as if nothing had happened. Her tone changed, grave, firm, almost maternal:

— "Let’s go visit the fortress."

I jolted. She had cut the ground out from under me, crushing in one motion everything that had just flared between us.

I followed her, mute, heart pounding.

What the fuck just happened...

We stepped out into the icy hallway, side by side, as if nothing had existed. But my blood still hammered against my bandage, against my aching cock, screaming the truth neither of us had dared to face.