Chapter 12: The Determination to Ask

The sky covered by a dense gray fog made it difficult to identify how much time had passed. But the girl running through the forest was certain that at least a few hours had gone by and night was soon approaching.

The vegetation in the forest surrounding the village consisted mainly of tall and dense pine trees. Low shrubs and bushes were visible, but the presence of rodent animals was rare.

At the top of the trees that didn't seem to bear fruit, several birds hid from the cold of the night. The moonlight refracted upon contact with the fog, subtly expanding in all directions.

"I think we should be far enough," the silver-haired girl breathed heavily.

Upon reaching a small cave formed by the difference in height between the two terrains, she sat against a wall and collapsed. For a moment, she expected to be met with the rigidity of a hard, cold stone floor, but her new black cloak extended and covered her buttocks and thighs. It was warm and comfortable, perhaps even more so than her own bed.

"I feel like I'll be saying this many times from now on. Thank you, Nia." Lily expressed her gratitude as she placed her hand over her heart.

The metamorph Gardenia, affectionately called Nia by Lily, wriggled with joy at Lily's words of appreciation.

(Don't worry, I'll always take care of you!) While subtly smiling at her companion's confident response, Lily's heterochromatic eyes studied the back of the small cave, no more than three meters wide.

"I'm glad we didn't encounter any monsters. I think the warning about them being sighted in the forest outskirts was a lie from those men to prevent us from leaving the village," Lily reflected on her conversation with the man whose name she had already erased from her mind.

(As we traveled, I looked for the presence of monsters, but I found nothing. You can rest easy.) Nia reassured Lily.

Lily was ready to give in to sleep, but she began to laugh subtly.

(Is something wrong?) Nia was surprised by Lily's sudden laughter.

"No, it's nothing. It's just that... I can finally hear your voice. I'm as happy as when I discovered that you could understand me, Nia."

Lying on the cloak that remained unstained even on the sandy stone floor, Lily spoke softly.

(I'm happy too.), the metamorph's voice was serene, as if stating the obvious, yet something she had wanted to ask for a long time appeared in her mind. The question filled her with apprehension and fear, but she truly desired to ask it.

(Lily... why did you save me?) The surprise on Lily's face was evident, her eyebrows arching at the question.

She didn't answer immediately. Lily could sense the courage Nia had to muster to ask. The girl needed to respond with the same determination.

"When I saw you floating in the river, I can't say that I initially thought of saving you." Lily's response was within Nia's expectations; she understood the cycle of hatred between humans and monsters. Just as monsters sought to kill humans, humans also killed monsters. "However..." Lily's voice trailed off.

Both of Lily's hands overlapped on her chest, feeling the beat of her heart.

"... You seemed... sad. It was as if your whole world had changed and you had escaped in panic. Drifting in that bloody river, when I brought you to my home... I saw myself in you." She struggled to contain the tears that began to flow. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to put it into words..."

Seeing oneself in a monster and saving them because of it. In the view of any sane person in the world, it would be something done by someone insane. If she were to tell anyone, the least unfavorable reaction she might receive would be the person laughing as if what she said were a joke.

Lily feared Nia's reaction. From the beginning, she had only placed in the metamorph's life a representation of her own reality. The whim to save Nia might have been a way to imagine herself if she had fled her situation. Received enough help to not fear and mistrust people. Fear of being betrayed, fear of being abused, fear of being exploited.

The silence of the voice in her mind frightened Lily greatly. The sweet voice that had naturally appeared within her in the past few hours ceased, even the beating of her heart was so low that she thought she had been abandoned. But before Lily realized it, her left hand was wiping away her tears. It wasn't her who was doing that.

(Thank you for being honest with me.) The gentle hand caressed the girl's cheek. It was her own hand, but she could feel Nia's presence so strongly within her that she couldn't contain her tears anymore.

It wasn't just her; both girls cried as they felt each other's warmth. Intense joy resonated between them.

"I love you, Nia. I will love you forever."

(I love you too, Lily.)

She wished she could kiss Nia, but for now, the warmth that filled her body was enough. Closing her heavy eyelids, Lily was welcomed by the sweet comfort of sleep as her hair was stroked by her beloved girl.

---

Several hours passed as the moonlight was replaced by sunlight. Due to the mist, the surroundings only turned into a grayish-blue, but it was enough to know that another day had begun.

As Nia didn't need to sleep, she spent the night analyzing if there was anything wrong with Lily. Her mind worked on the knowledge she had gained of the human body and began to adjust more and more to fulfill all the needs perfectly.

Upon finishing the work in the finest detail, Nia sighed internally with satisfaction. Now that she had finished, she could spend time just watching her beautiful beloved sleep comfortably.

Nia had never had eyes from the beginning, so her entire body served as a sensor. Now, as this body was diluted throughout Lily's body, she had a 360° vision protecting all angles of the girl. Of course, this allowed her to fully observe her beloved.

Lily's skin color always reminded her of shades of ivory; perhaps because she hadn't received direct sunlight for many years, she didn't acquire a very healthy tone. However, she now had slight pinkish tones reminiscent of pearls.

After being infused with Nia's dark mana, even the smallest wrinkles and imperfections were removed. It was not an exaggeration to say that her beauty had been multiplied infinitely. Her slender face breathed softly, her tranquility reflecting the confidence she had in Nia, and that filled her with joy.

Lowering her vision to the center of her chest, the clothes that were previously soaked in blood have now been wiped clean. During the night, Nia dissolved all her clothes and created new ones in the same color and style. She was excited to discover other types of clothes Lily could wear.

However, a strange heat formed inside Nia as she observed Lily's chest, more specifically, her large breasts.

It was a strange sensation that she had been feeling for some time. Whenever she was with Lily she felt good, but when she started looking at Lily's body, a strange heat would often form in her mind. Her gaze wandered to the two mounds of flesh that formed Lily's breasts. The spikes were hard and since they were rubbed against the clothing made from Nia's own body, shivers started to go through Nia's mind.

Perhaps because she got excited, she woke Lily up, and as the girl's eyes slowly opened something happened.

(Good morning, Lil-!?) Before she could even speak her length to the girl, she was interrupted by the girl's movement.

“Nhm…”

Lily started to make strange sounds when she was still lying down. She placed her right hand on her right breast and began to squeeze it. Her slender fingers reached her hardened nipple through her clothes and pulled it over her clothes.

Because she was sharing her senses with Lily, even Nia felt the bolt of pleasure that coursed through her body and melted her mind.

(L-Lily!? What are you doing?)

Her response went unanswered. Lily sat up and lifted her shirt over her chest, revealing her breasts. Nia had seen them before, but her now sweaty breasts seemed such a forbidden sight that it made her twitch. Soon her movement quickly returned, now using both hands.

Nia was frozen, not knowing what to do; her mind only had a vague idea of what was happening.

“Mhm...Ah...Nia” The girl's voice finally called her name. “My body is so sensitive... Ah! So hot... My fingers... won't stop!”

Whenever Lily's sweet moans reached Nia's mind, she could feel her body melting more and more. Lily's breathing was labored as she continued to squeeze her breasts, bringing jolts of unimaginable pleasure to the minds of both girls.

(Lily...! Ah...! What... should I do?) Her melting mind couldn't tell her how to react.

“Touch me, Nia! Cover me completely and make me yours!”