Iris smiled again.
She couldn't stop smiling ever since Damien came to her soul space.
It was something even she herself couldn't fathom.
'Was I always this easy?'
To think she'd cave so easily! Even she didn't expect how quickly her thoughts shifted from hesitation to acceptance.
'No, it's not that.'
This was entirely Damien's fault.
Her interest in him began during their first meeting. He was the first person to ever look directly into her eyes and remain unaffected, which naturally drew her to him.
When they were together in the Severed World, while the persona she created disallowed them from interacting much, Iris saw him with his wives and saw how he acted regularly as well.
Strangely, instead of the fact that he was a man with many wives repulsing her, the care he had for them despite their number and the fact that he was always putting them above himself drew her towards him even more.
Iris, in the end, was a person born within nonconventional standards. It wasn't strange at all in Grand Heavens Boundary for a man to have multiple wives. Even common farmers would gather two or three wives so they could sire a larger number of descendants.
How did it go from there?
Iris was always secretly watching Damien for her own plans, but the attraction she held towards him wasn't excluded because she had other motives.
Seeing his diligence, seeing his willingness to suffer alone so everyone else could live, seeing his confidence and determination to tackle the impossible as if the word held no meaning to him…
It all culminated into an emotion she didn't quite have the ability to describe.
And that's when they met on the Ancient Battlefield.
Here, the boundary of status between them was completely gone. For over a year, they interacted as equals and gradually became closer.
The feelings in her heart gained weight, and as the feelings in his grew, they refused to hide themselves.
An opportunity like this was never something she expected.
But she also knew how abominable her ability to express herself was.
If it wasn't a chance like this, when would she ever be able to tell him how she felt?
When would she ever get a chance to carve a place for herself in his heart?
"I'm willing…"
She muttered, barely discernibly, before Damien could even finish his explanation.
"H-huh?"
Damien made a strange exclamation in response.
"Did I hear that right?"
He genuinely couldn't believe his ears.
But through all her shyness and embarrassment, Iris shakily nodded her head.
"I'm willing…to do…'that'..."
Damien's eyes widened into saucers.
"You mean…"
How could he not understand?
Rather, he knew Iris had some special feelings for him long ago, but it took him a while to accept it.
Disregarding her position, which made it unbelievable in its own right, Damien hadn't thought about romance in a very long time.
He was content with what he had.
Or at least…he thought he was.
But the answer he gave Orion, the decision to leave it to fate, made it clear he was not.
Somehow, Iris had snuck her way into his heart as well, and he wasn't someone to run from his feelings anymore.
If it was anyone, this woman was the best. Whether it be character, talent, compatibility, or anything else, he couldn't think of anyone who'd connected with him like Iris.
There were many "what ifs" from the past, but none of them could ever become real. None of them were ever like this.
So…
If she wasn't hesitating, why should he?
Damien reached over the table, his face just inches away from hers.
He stared deep into her eyes and asked one more time.
"Are you certain? Once we do this, I'll never let you escape."
Iris smiled, closing the gap between them with ease.
"I'm the one who should be saying that to you, playboy."
In the peace of the sunlit garden, hidden in Iris' soul space where only the two of them existed, their lips connected.
And though neither of them knew it, their bodies in the outside world followed their actions.
Damien guided her naturally. He kissed down her neck, slowly easing her into the mood, taking into consideration the fact that this was her first experience.
The minutes flew by as Iris experienced a heaven like no other. With bliss filling her body, shame did the same.
She couldn't believe the sounds she was making, but to Damien's ears, those moans were a grace of the supreme, the most beautiful sound to ever grace his ears.
Clothes became nothing more than boundaries that were no longer necessary. As they bared themselves to each other, Damien couldn't help but marvel at the perfection of Iris' body.
From her breasts to her waist and everything in between, from the beautifully curved valley to the thighs that protected it, and everything else…
"You're…perfect."
He said it breathlessly.
Iris turned her head to the side in shame.
She could say the same about him, but she was afraid her mind would explode the second she did.
The only sounds she could make were hums and moans as Damien explored her body. With the passing of minutes, her arousal grew, and she could no longer wait.
The moment came.
The moment of their connection, in body and in soul.
Iris' mind entered another dimension. The ecstasy that followed the pain was something even greater than she could ever imagine, and that was taking into account everything that had happened thus far.
She had a feeling.
In her mind, she realized it well.
From this point forward, she would never be able to extricate herself from his warmth.
And that…
'...that is the best feeling in the world.'
***
Unbeknownst to the two lovers sharing their bliss in a hidden place of peace, a commotion began in the outside world.
As their connection grew, and as the [Void Daughter] title began to manifest in Iris' body, her soul changed immensely.
The pieces that vanished into nonexistence were forcefully pulled back into reality, and as they came together to form a whole, Iris' very soul went through an unbelievable transformation.
It was an act against reality.
With this move, Damien completely went against Heaven's will.
And naturally, it raged at his insolence.
Terrifying lightning that could incinerate Divinities with ease manifested in the sky above the Ancient Battlefield. Divine Beasts created from the elements writhed in the air, furiously attempting to reach the fateful pair and obliterate their existence.
However, they were all blocked by a barrier that even the Heavens couldn't penetrate.
Standing above the secluded cave, calmly drifting in the sky like a willow, was one man.
'Mother's reflection and Orion's descendant…'
That figure smiled.
'It seems This One has begun to understand, child.'
His eyes no longer gazed at some point unknown, but at the sky above, where his enemy lie.
'The future you spoke of, that beautiful picture you painted…'
Until Damien and Iris finished their business, he would stand guard. Not just because of their identities, and not just because of their relationship, but because of his own will.
'...This One also wishes to see it. Not as a muddled amalgamation, but in its true form.'
For that, he would follow the man who would one day become his Father.
Under his protection, Damien and Iris enjoyed their peace.
And quicker than anyone could imagine, 6 months flew by.
