TBR CH67

Chapter 67: Willingly

It is easy for a god to obtain the love of a mortal.

The reverse is not true.

Tarksius altered the memories of everyone in the square. This was not difficult. The shells of humans could be easily shaped and transformed under the fingers of a god. Edwin closed his eyes, leaning against him in a daze. He walked down step by step from the high platform of the white tower. The Bishop’s room was very close.

Tar turned the doorknob. The wooden door slowly moved aside. The scene before him was like a frozen frame from a memory. Edwin had not changed anything. The Bishop was carefully placed on the bed by the god. Tar tidied up the bedding, then couldn’t resist getting in to hug the sleeping Edwin, so the sheets were also stained with his scent.

The god suppressed the urge to stay here and wait for Edwin to wake up. He had things to do before that.

The Bishop’s scepter had been brought back by the god. At this moment, it suddenly flickered for an instant, then dimmed. The power of Light in Edwin’s body receded like a tide. In his sleep, Edwin breathed restlessly and rapidly, until the god placed his palm on his forehead. Tarksius, in the name of a god, bestowed power upon him again.

The only human blessed by the divine power of the Dark God was not his believer.

Tar gently bent down and kissed the trembling eyelids of the sleeping human, whispering softly, “Wait for me to come back.”

The power the God of Light had bestowed upon his believers had been completely stripped away. Tarksius knew clearly that causing such a big commotion in the center of the Holy See of Light, even a deity who resided high above and did not concern himself with worldly affairs would take notice. Not because of Edwin; in the eyes of the God of Light, humans were not worth caring about. What He was truly wary of was the Dark God appearing in His domain.

The god with black hair and red eyes gently closed Edwin’s door, then turned around.

In that instant, he stepped into a domain that only gods could enter.

The voice of the God of Light was like distant thunder. He always liked to speak in this way, and believers always fell for it, but this kind of threat was clearly too frivolous to be used on another deity. Tarksius just carelessly curled his lips. “He is my person.”

The god’s voice was light, but it did not give a light feeling. A deep coldness and threat seemed to be hidden beneath this sentence. It was a power that even the Light had to retreat from. “You can try. You, the god who thinks himself noble, you will only find that you cannot even touch his finger.”

The God of Light was the most primordial god. Unlike Tarksius, he was born with divinity, born from the Light, and had a large number of believers. He was like the most exquisite sculpture, but without any emotional aura. From the bottom of his bones, he felt that gods and other creatures were worlds apart. The only thing in this world that could make him wary was the Dark God.

He stood still in front of Tarksius. “Why does he have to stay in the Holy See?”

The God of Light had never thought He would be helpless against a human, but humans were just fragile creatures. Making an enemy of the Dark God for a human was not a worthwhile deal, especially since the power of darkness was growing in places He couldn’t see. He now had a very bad premonition that perhaps one day, Tarksius would completely cover his light. “If you like him, take him away. You can give this human all the glory you want.”

The Great Archbishop of the Holy See was a complete traitor, a person who defied Him and did not respect the divine, and had even colluded with the Dark God. This made the God of Light feel anger fill his heart. He had never stepped down from the divine altar, never suffered a blow. By giving such conditions, the deity considered himself to have slightly lowered his noble head, showing a concession.

However, the Dark God paid no heed to the god’s face. His blood-like eyes were bright, shining with a strange light. “Because that is the position he deserves. The position of Pope should have belonged to him. This is beyond doubt. I will make all his wishes come true. He will personally grasp all that he deserves in his hands. But you can rest assured—”

The God of Light took a step back.

The god’s emotionless eyes were suddenly filled with something akin to shock. “Wait a minute,” he asked in horror. “You shared your power with that human? You have a believer? How could your strength suddenly reach such a terrifying level?”

“You don’t need to worry,” however, Tarksius only finished his unfinished words. “After that, he will switch to a better goal, a better, more fitting glory.”

The Dark God originally had a pair of eyes that reminded one of boundless blood, but at this moment they had brightened, like a sparkling jewel. He would always curl his lips when he mentioned the human. The God of Light stared at him. For the first time, he felt that in this world, he was no longer a supreme and omnipotent god. For the first time, he felt such a direct threat and challenge.

“Tarksius—” he repeated the name, almost gritting his teeth.

However, the Dark God, as if suddenly remembering something, turned to look at him. His black hair cut sharply through the air, like a blade and a spider’s web. Even his hair exuded a dangerous malice.

“By the way,” he mentioned casually, “I heard you have a very favored human recently? It is said to be a pure, innocent, devout believer, with a face and virtues sufficient to make the God of Light fall for him.”

He was talking about Noah. Thinking of the peerlessly beautiful, completely obedient youth, the god’s expression softened considerably. Of course, only such a human was worthy of his attention among a group of ants. Noah had been occupying his thoughts more and more recently for some reason. The god had considered making him his partner, but this matter was still under consideration.

However, Noah’s devout love for the god was beyond doubt. That must be the highest point of human love for a god.

“So…” the Dark God observed the change in his eyes with interest. “If you are still unwilling to compromise, I have thought of a fair method. After all, you know, if we really were to fight on earth, the one who would suffer heavy losses would only be the Light.”

Tarksius finished explaining the rules, and a look of complacency slowly spread across the God of Light’s face. He seemed to think his enemy had finally revealed a flaw, too trusting of his own judgment. In this domain, he had the greatest advantage and knew how to make a judgment. He did not think he would lose.

Naturally, he agreed.

Thus, the bet between gods was established in secret.

The god wears a ruby hair tie.

Tarksius stroked the sparkling ruby and the soft silk. It had been tied on him by human hands before it was taken off. On a god, black hair was originally a symbol of darkness and sharpness, but as he gathered it with the hair tie, it became a little softer. Including himself, the god sat in his usual place, not proclaiming himself a god in front of his lover.

Tar gently bit his lip. His beautiful, agate-like pupils were both soft and apprehensive.

He looked at Edwin with that cautious gaze. The Bishop warned himself in his heart that the one sitting opposite him was a god with enough power to destroy the world, but it was no use. This appearance just made his heart soften to an irreparable degree.

A clever demon is best at bewitching the heart of a human.

Edwin took a deep breath, restraining the trembling of his fingertips. His mind was now clear, like a sharp blade that could easily cut through sizzling butter. He had to ask questions. He had spent half a day just to barely maintain the clarity of his thoughts, including the god’s name and the reality of the situation. Then he began to sort through his memories, little by little noticing the greater, more terrifying qualities of the demon behind the sweet daily life.

A god.

“So,” Edwin slowly uttered the god’s name, “…the Dark God, Tarksius.”

The Bishop had originally wanted to take a step back, not because he wanted to distance himself, but just so he wouldn’t be so distracted by the demon’s good behavior. But he found he was still reluctant. Edwin couldn’t take his eyes off him. Tar was the pinnacle of all his desires, irrefutably.

The question was whether all this was a god’s joke. Humans were so small before a god. Tar… Edwin clutched the rose in his hand, as if clutching the only reality. Tar, Tar, the one he loved so deeply, had he ever really existed in this world?

Yet he could not control himself, so sadly realizing: even if everything was false, he might still yearn for the false salvation as if it were real.

He had basically no bottom line for Tar.

In front of a god, a human wanted to appear not so fragile. But the demon was good at seeing his true emotions through the smoke in his light gray eyes. The human who loved him dearly was staring at him at this moment, as if craving and as if uneasy, desperately wanting to prove something, unable to suppress the desire to embrace and the joy of having him back, yet welded to the spot by the huge status gap and the fear of “not being able to possess.”

“Can I still call you Tar?” he murmured, as if the words were just a ghost floating from his mouth.

But the god told him, in an unquestionable way. He stood up from the chair. The god’s appearance overlapped with the demon’s for an instant, then the smoke dissipated. Tar stood before him, the little demon with pomegranate-red eyes and soft, black hair.

Edwin subconsciously reached out his arms, then realized he was reaching out to a god. He stiffened a little, hesitating whether he should withdraw his greedy hand, to cover up his possessiveness towards the god.

The Bishop’s hand swayed unnaturally.

Take it slow, the demon suppressed his desire to embrace, his attitude good. Don’t startle him. I have to wait for him to be willing. So he just reached out and placed his hand on Edwin’s. The Bishop’s hands were always cold, and the Dark God’s were actually the same, but Tar was very warm. The demon’s voice was hoarse like dark honey. “My real name is Tar,” he said. “It always has been. I must first declare that I love you, and then I will tell you everything. Edwin, are you willing to listen to my story?”

The Bishop held his breath and nodded.

…It is a god’s story, he thought.

However, the demon shook his hand, curling his lips. “It’s a story of a particularly good human who broke a bottle and saved the lonely demon inside.”

Edwin first heard the story he already knew.

This was not irrelevant. The demon told him that all this had undoubtedly happened. He had really wandered on this continent like a free traveler, while constantly fleeing. The honey mead was real. Those gentle evening glows and murderous mornings were all real. He had sat on the Dragon’s Ridge watching the meteors streak by and had indeed made a wish.

“What wish?” Edwin couldn’t help but ask, and Tar shook his head. It had been too long, he couldn’t remember clearly. The demon secretly scratched the back of Edwin’s covered hand with his fingertips, all sorts of messy little movements. While listening to the story of a free soul, Edwin indulged him, only raising his light gray eyes to glance at him with a hint of reproach, urging him to continue.

“It’s been too long,” Tar shook his head, smiling. “It was probably a few thousand years ago. Edwin, I was just about to tell you.”

Time was spoken of so lightly by the demon, as if a few thousand years and a few minutes were just as easy to measure. But the Bishop knew that time was far from as light as it sounded. It was heavy. Even a god, when mentioning it, carried an almost imperceptible weariness and loneliness. The god was very close to him. The evening’s setting sun had already faded. What shone in through the window now was moonlight. Under the moonlight, the two’s shadows overlapped. The shadow floated on Tar’s face as he narrated the story. His eyes were downcast.

This is terrible. Edwin’s little finger trembled slightly. He had to suppress the urge to turn his hand over and grip Tar’s, because Tar looked very lonely when he spoke of time.

The god sensed the faint tingling in his palm. He paused and began to tell Edwin the stories he had not heard.

The world a thousand years ago was the same as a thousand years later. Before the Holy See was rebuilt, there were also huge, solemn buildings and an orderly system. But in it, people’s greed and desire for profit had not changed at all. Like lifting a scab, Tar narrated his life story, the epic love and terrible ending, and the unwelcome gift this failed marriage had brought to his parents.

“That’s me,” Tar said, raising his eyes to smile at the Bishop, looking completely unconcerned. “So I began to flee. My father and mother both wanted to capture me. Being hunted by two major forces at the same time was indeed very troublesome—but, I think I did pretty well.”

He did do very well. No one had expected him to last so long, as cunning as a fox, as agile as a cheetah. He moved stealthily in taverns and deserted ruins, accustomed to dealing with all sorts of characters, but was very cautious not to give his heart to anyone. He liked the free life, occasionally even liking the stimulating feeling of fleeing. The young demon had thought about how it would end, but he didn’t care at all. At that time, he naively thought that even death could be considered a part of freedom.

Freedom. Edwin chewed over this word again in his mind. For some reason, he now felt a strange sourness and bitterness. Tar pressed his hand, as if holding down a butterfly’s wings to prevent it from flying away. His eyes shone. “My dear Bishop,” he said, as if seeing through his thoughts. “Not including love. I haven’t liked anyone else. No, none of that. You are the first person I’ve liked.”

Speaking of freedom, one naturally had to mention love. Edwin finally realized that he had indeed been worried. Tar looked like the type many people would like.

But, being confessed to so directly was also too defenseless. Edwin knew Tar wanted to reassure him, but for some reason, he felt the part where their hands touched was not just warm, but scorching hot. He remembered the question in the tavern that the demon had chosen to answer by drinking, but now he was telling him the answer resolutely and frankly.

“Tar…” he murmured, then suddenly stopped, as if not knowing what to say. His light gray pupils had a hint of pleading color, not knowing whether to respond to his confession or to continue listening to him.

The demon curled his lips and shook his head, continuing from where he had left off. “Even so, I was finally caught by the Holy See first. My mother, who was the Saintess at the time, wrote me a letter. At that time, I couldn’t help but be swayed. If I could have been completely without expectation, perhaps it would have been more pathetic.”

Edwin nodded. The Bishop was listening very seriously. The moonlight shone on him through the window. Tar was in the shadows, while Edwin was illuminated by the moonlight. His outline was like it was traced with a silver thread. The resonating emotions in his eyes as he looked at him were like the demon’s most secret feelings from the past, which he could empathize with one by one.

Tar’s situation at that time was very bad. The demon was locked in a cell. The cell at that time was just like now, with bright holy candles lit twenty-four hours a day. Even if he curled up his body, the uncomfortable feeling would completely penetrate every inch of his skin.

The demon began to think about his end, although it seemed the end was only death. But he still pinned his hopes on the contract he had hastily left in the Holy See’s library. If he were optimistic, maybe he would be summoned in just a few days. Actually, death was not so terrible for him, but if he had the choice, he still wanted to see more of this world with those eyes.

He had not expected that the Holy See would finally discover his potential and find a way to use it.

He had not expected that in the end, he couldn’t even die, only be trapped by the boundless light in a bottle, or be dying in the flames of a terrifying demon god.

Tar told Edwin this past, his voice soft and slow, not showing too much emotion. At the very beginning, the demon tried to count the days in the bottle, and soon he found that it was all in vain. He began to imagine someone would break the bottle and save him. At that time, he was crazy with a desire to get out, so much so that he began to imagine that scene again and again. He told Edwin that he had imagined countless times who would find the contract夹in the nameless pages of a book in the library, until he finally felt that perhaps this book had long been lost in the vast traces of history, nowhere to be found.

“I found it…?” Edwin said softly, still a little uncertain.

The demon raised his eyes. That pair of translucent eyes, like rich wine, reflected his figure. In the narrative just now, he had temporarily shed his emotions, pursing his lips. But now he slightly curled his lips, with a breathtaking beauty and indulgence. “It was the one you found.”

“But it was still too late.” Edwin only had to think a little to know the time didn’t add up. He suddenly felt an indescribable pain spread to his heart. “If only it had been earlier, maybe I would have been in time…”

—In time to bring you out.

He so desperately hoped for it.

Because the demon had suffered too much, was too lonely. Edwin knew he hadn’t figured out the whole truth yet, such as how Tar had become the god before him now. But just thinking that the Tar he held dear in his heart had been in despair time and time again for countless years with an expectation that was never answered, that those pomegranate-red eyes had dimmed little by little at that time, he felt an incomparable heartache.

Edwin’s fingers twitched again. But this time, he couldn’t completely suppress his emotions. He opened his fingers. Tar cast a surprised look, but the Bishop firmly and without hesitation intertwined his fingers, holding Tar’s hand tightly.

“I’m sorry.”

His gaze said this, and the demon suddenly showed a certain expression, as if he wanted to curl his lips nonchalantly, but also had the urge to cry. He cherishedly and gently shook his fingers, enjoying the slight friction with Edwin’s fingers. “Don’t apologize,” Tar’s voice was a little hoarse. “Edwin, you found me in the end. Not early and not late. I’m not sad anymore… You see, I was right after all. The person who found the summoning book ultimately saved me.”

Edwin’s gaze was a little confused. He hadn’t figured out why the demon was saying this, as if you were seriously thanking someone, but he was still annoyed about not being able to help you earlier. Tar suddenly let out a small laugh, but more than that was the impulse to tell him everything, to tell him his feelings, to tell him how he had saved himself, starting from the soul.

They still had time…

Tar leaned in. Edwin was stunned, not reacting immediately. The demon kissed his lips. The kiss was fleeting. A few seconds later, Tar licked his lips and sat back.

Holding hands was not enough. Edwin pursed his lips. It was still as sweet as he remembered. He now wanted to hug the demon. He suppressed his impulse and began a new round of endurance.

And Tar began to tell the Bishop the story of what happened later.

The life of the Dark God was as bone-chilling as eternally unmelted ice and snow. The only events worth recounting were soaked in damp blood. Tar held nothing back. He told Edwin about his life in great detail, then about the black book, the world invaded by the Child of Destiny, and the attack he launched after learning the truth.

The Holy Son was attacked by the dark forces on the distant border, so he hurriedly and wretchedly returned to the Holy See. The noble forces used this as a pretext to attack the young Bishop and discovered the secret of his bloodline that he had hidden for many years. The gears of fate thus began to turn, bringing a demon who had long been dead to Edwin’s side. This was a complete miracle.

A miracle is like a rain. But rain does not fall on just one person.

A miracle fell on Tar. He suddenly no longer resented his powerless self. The demon from a thousand years ago had nothing. No one had listened to his story. But a thousand years later, a human chose to love him. All the stories were suddenly filled with color again. The ghost was resurrected in the body of the god.

The god indulged the Bishop time and time again.

The ghost who had returned to the mortal world realized he was not yet willing to leave. Not only had he let Edwin see the colors of the world, but Edwin had also reminded him of everything he had once loved, bright, beautiful things. Being able to talk about all this with the Bishop actually made him happy. Pulling Edwin out of the mire bit by bit, firmly sticking the soon-to-be-shattered him together with kisses and hugs, was as if he himself could also be redeemed, even if he had not waited for it.

Then the final deadline came.

The god chose to withdraw when necessary. The ghost who had long been dead inexplicably made a decision for the god, put away the ruby hair tie, walked out of Edwin’s room, not wanting to give him any restraints.

Even though he knew he would be killed again, this time, no one would ever find him again.

Until Edwin walked up the white tower.

“Until you walked up the white tower,” Tar said softly. It was not until then that he understood that the soul of the demon Tar had not been willing for a single second, had not been redeemed for a single second. It had been trapped in the shattered golden bottle of the past, until the Bishop thoroughly crushed the remnants of the golden bottle in the bright Holy Light, and the daylight shone on him once again.

“I love you,” he looked into Edwin’s eyes, repeating firmly and slowly. “I want you to get everything you want, to realize all your wishes. I want to give you everything. I found that my wish is the same as yours. I want you to stay, to stay by my side forever, and I also want you to never forget me…”

He felt no shame in saying these words, but Edwin felt his ears were burning.

To be loved so firmly and frankly by Tar was such an incredible feeling, as if the whole world were melting around him. Tar… Edwin held the name gently between his lips and teeth. His light gray eyes reflected the figure before him, a god. He was born a madman who chased ambition. At this moment, he suddenly had an incredible hope. The desire was like a bird with wings, far from the ground, flying high to an unimaginable place.

Just as he, a half-succubus mixed-blood, coveted the highest seat of humanity, he was about to ascend to the highest position of humanity. Then, coveting a god, perhaps could not be considered too great a sin.

And the god, who clearly had the power to destroy heaven and earth, sat obediently before him, wearing the gift a human had given him, like a mark.

He was clearly also a little apprehensive. Even a god would be uneasy in front of his lover, cautiously awaiting Edwin’s response. His soft black hair grew to his shoulders, tied up by a sparkling ruby. He spoke gentle and sweet words. “I’m sorry for deceiving you. It won’t happen again. I will absolutely not tell half a lie in front of you.”

Edwin closed his eyes for a moment to relieve the dizziness in the face of all this. He would always be helpless against Tar’s coquetry, let alone when he was swearing so seriously in front of him. But something still needed to be done. Humans were also much more cunning than gods imagined, never satisfied with what they had.

“Don’t leave, don’t forget…” Edwin repeated the god’s wish in a low voice. He asked Tar, deliberately making things difficult, “But the god lied to me. What if I’m angry with you?”

The god’s beautiful red eyes stared at him without blinking, as if he were the only person in his sight. “This is fine,” Tar said. “You can be angry with me.”

Edwin’s fingers moved, but this time he failed to suppress the urge to hug Tar.

The Bishop reached out his hand, and the demon, knowing his interest, came forward on his own. The hug was one where both were using force. The Bishop rested his head on the god’s shoulder. The god had a pleasant scent of roses; it was his rose. The hand he had on the god’s back searched upwards until it touched Tar’s soft, cool hair, and the ruby hair tie.

With a gentle pull, the hair tie was in the human’s hand.

Edwin sighed in a low voice, withdrew his hand, and released the embrace. His light gray eyes flickered as he looked at Tar and made a special request. “Show me what a god usually looks like.”

Tar tilted his head slightly, observing Edwin’s expression. The Bishop’s expression was calm at this time, but the demon knew that Edwin, when he was being troublesome, was much more troublesome than he looked. At this time, he had clearly thought of some secret idea. The Bishop was like a venomous snake. On his way up the stairs, many people had already fallen victim to his venom.

However, the god liked him this way.

Edwin once again stood before the god, sizing up the Dark God’s original appearance. If one were to ignore the gentle and indulgent gaze of the god at this time, Tarksius actually fit the description of a god very well: a slender body, abyss-like deep black long hair and crimson eyes. What was important was the god’s temperament. Having been in a high position for a long time, high above for too long, boundless divine power had soaked into his malicious and cold temperament. Edwin could guess that he probably looked at other living beings as if they were ants.

“Don’t move,” Edwin said, wrapping the hair tie around his hand, then knelt down on one knee.

The god could not lose him. Love makes one blind, willing to accept any conditions. Tar indeed did not move, pursed his lips, and let him do as he pleased. However, not moving made the god look more like a handsome statue. The Bishop had passed by the statue of the God of Light in the sanctuary countless times and had also insincerely knelt before the statue to express his piety. Because using Light required piety.

However, Tar did not demand piety from him.

And he was not a human who could be easily satisfied with what a god provided.

Edwin knelt on the ground, took the god’s hand—long knuckles, beautiful bones—and began to kiss from the god’s fingertips, at first like a devout believer worshipping a deity. He was completely in the manner of a great archbishop of the Holy See. Tar only then noticed that he hadn’t even changed out of his robe, which made the scene before him even more absurd and impactful.

He was really good at feigning faith.

The Bishop’s spine bent into a tense arc, his gray eyes gently closed. Faith is always blind, just like this.

He sighed in a low voice: “You are a god…”

Tar moved his fingers uneasily. Because the Bishop was a lover, not a believer.

Edwin’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and then a small patch of shadowy gray was revealed in his half-opened eyes. The gray could almost devour everything, like a constantly rotating storm, declaring that his ambition did not stop here.

He pressed down on the god’s arm. The hair tie on his wrist fell down. The pure black silk gently brushed against the back of the god’s hand, like a hazy, ambiguous kiss. Edwin commanded in a low voice, “Don’t move.”

“You are a god… but you are also my Tar.”

When Edwin said the word “my,” there was a soul-stirring certainty, as if there was nothing to doubt about a god being owned by a human.

Then the hair tie, like a snake, wrapped around the god’s arm, coiling and tightly binding his hands together. It was made of thin silk. It would only take a ten-thousandth of his strength to break free. The god did not use his power, and was thus easily bound, as if a human had truly captured a god and could dispose of him as he pleased.

This was not an offensive act a devout believer would do to a god.

Tar blinked, clearly at a loss about the current situation. “I won’t move. You can do whatever you want.”

But the god still said this, until Edwin bent down and pressed him down. The human pressed the god onto the soft bed, casting a sweet shadow on him, binding the god’s hands that could destroy heaven and earth with a hair tie. The pure black hair spread out on the bedding, stimulating waves of rose scent.

Edwin took a short breath, looking at the god at his mercy. The scene was too soul-stirring.

He knew how much he wanted to profane a god.

He also knew how seriously he cherished his god.

The Dark God’s robes were exquisite and beautiful, with a cold touch. But Tar was right. No matter what clothes, they were easier to undo than Edwin’s row of buttons. Edwin didn’t know if he had undone the god’s clothes in the correct steps, but the situation looked a little messy. This was not a big problem.

Soon he had also undone his own robe, the silver buttons, the falling black velvet fabric. Edwin was now using the Dark God’s power. This allowed him to better control his own bloodline. The succubus lineage had fermented and matured in his body. He was using it at this time, making himself like a heavy fruit.

Succubi were not a fragile species. On the contrary, their talent gave them a unique danger and charming allure.

The god still did not resist. Tar sucked in his breath lightly, letting the human touch his body. The mixed-blood demon’s tail swayed gently behind him. The god had to suppress the thought of reaching out to grab it. His black hair was messily spread on the bed, like a spider’s web to capture prey, but it was too soft, having no power in his lover’s hands.

Edwin gathered a handful of hair and bent down completely to kiss him. He knelt on the god, and the slight friction made the secret desires ferment little by little.

He had to be sure the god was his.

He sat down, biting his lip. But the situation was not too bad, within his control.

Tar’s hands and the soft silk rubbed against each other, unavoidably creating faint red marks. Even so, the god still did not break free from the restraint that was no match for him at all.

You can tie me up. That pair of pomegranate-red eyes said silently. Edwin could not resist such a gaze at all, just as he knew the god was only obedient and weak in front of him, yet he still couldn’t restrain his desire to possess and protect him.

“What price should I use to keep a god?”

The Bishop knew that humans could not offer a price. No creature in the world was certain to make a god stop for it. But Tar had come to his side wearing the ruby hair tie, curling his lips and telling him, no, nothing more was needed.

The contract had been made.

Only love could keep a god. The most powerful god was helpless before love.

Until Edwin was panting heavily, clearly having lost too much stamina. He slowly bent down, his moist breath on the side of Tar’s neck. Without looking, he straightened his fingers and gently untied the silk ribbon that bound the god. Now, the god could freely use his hands, after receiving the human’s permission. The ribbon was so light, so soft.

In that instant, he received a hug.

The god leaned over and embraced his treasure with his finally free arms, turning to the side to let Edwin sink into the soft bedding, enveloped by a deep scent of roses. The god’s eyes, in their suppression, had gradually darkened, now presenting a deep but constantly flowing dark red. He first kissed from Edwin’s forehead downwards, then continued downwards.

Until the end, both were satisfied. Tar finally branded the mark of a kiss between the Bishop’s lips and teeth again. Some people spend their whole lives unable to hear a single word from a god, while the god whispered in his lover’s ear, “I love you.”

The Bishop could never stand Tar whispering words of love in his ear like this.

Edwin’s eyes curved slightly, like a cat squinting when being petted. His smile was genuine, without a trace of falsehood. Tar had once said that Edwin looked very good when he smiled sincerely. This was that kind of joy.

He responded: “Of course, I love you too. Always have.”

Support me on Ko-fi