A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 413: Chapter 374

"I am well." She was healing her hand, and it was barely noticeable, but there was damage.

"I hurt you." I frowned. "I\'m sorry, I lost control, I don\'t know what happened, and I accidentally –"

"Dear." She spoke softly. A word I\'ve never heard come from her mouth before, it made my ramblings come to a screeching halt.

"....you\'ve never called me that before."

"You turn into a blushing girl the moment I say a single word." She chuckled, placing a hand on my cheek. "Have you calmed down?"

"Yeah..."

"That\'s good." She smiled warmly. "Now, fix your expression. Did you intentionally wish to harm me?"

"No." I quickly shook my head.

"Then do you think this Scáthach is someone who can be significantly harmed by your accidental actions?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I\'m sorry." I whispered.

"Come here." She held her arms open, I accepted the hug and she pulled me into her bosom. "You are forgiven."

I felt something strange as I nestled between her boobs. A sensation I can honestly say I\'d never felt before. "Are you rubbing my horns?"

"Yes." Was her simple and blunt reply.

"Oh."

"Do you dislike it?"

"I don\'t know, I\'m still trying to comprehend their existence and it\'s making me confused." I confessed.

"Yet your hand still grabs my rear."

My hand was in fact, squeezing her butt. "Yes."

[Take me out, I think I know what\'s going on.]

"Hang on, Ddraig wants to come out." I relayed.

"Does the Dragon know why you changed?" Scáthach inquired, separating me from her chest.

The Gauntlet Appeared on my had. "[Hello again.]"

"Greetings, Dragon." Scáthach spoke with a small amount of politeness to her tone, one reserved for those she seemingly respected. "What wisdom do you have?"

The jewel on the Gauntlet lit up again as Ddraig began to speak. "[Well, he looks a lot like his ancestors.]"

"Like a cliché \'demon\' described in most Church texts?" I asked a little skeptically.

"[Where do you think those \'cliché\' texts originated from?]" Ddraig responded. "[The original Satans were called \'Demons\' for a reason.]"

"Really? I thought it was more of a terminology thing, or a title of respect in my birth world. Was there actually a difference?"

"[I don\'t know all the details, I didn\'t exactly fly in the same circles as that lot, but I know a thing or two. And I\'ve met them before, a long time ago. They tried getting me to join them or some other crap, I didn\'t really care at the time. But I met Lilith, the original Lucifer and those original \'Demons\' that they call the Satans.]"

"You know, I feel like I probably should have looked into my own history before this point. But please go on, I want to know why I suddenly have a tail and –" I felt a shiver go up my spine, I looked down at Scáthach\'s hand, grabbing my tail.

She met my eyes and there was the faintest little blush on her cheeks that quickly disappeared. "It is cute." She said rather quietly in her defense once I glared.

"[The originals were like you. Don\'t know how it happened now that I think about it. Lilith was originally human – I\'m sure you know the legends and all that crap. Lucifer as well, he was originally anAngel. But at some point they turned all demonic and what-not. Wings, Horns, Tails, blah blah. A lot like you as I said.]"

"What changed? Because I\'m fairly sure Venelana doesn\'t have a tail, as the only other Devil I\'ve thoroughly inspected."

"[Yeah, as you noticed after banging your Grandma.]" Ddraig snorted. "[Devils pretty much only inherited wings as a \'physical trait\' more or less. The other Demons besides Lucifer – Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Leviathan, they inherited much more. And I can take a guess or two at the reason this didn\'t trickle down anymore. Basically, the original Demons were only a little bit weaker than that Fallen Brat.]"

"And that suddenly makes a huge amount of sense. Devils back then being the stupidly evil villains depicted in most literature, I\'m sure Lucifer couldn\'t stand the idea of anyone able to usurp his \'throne\' so they intentionally stymied how much was \'passed down\' when Lilith created the next generation of Devils, yeah?"

They wanted a strong army to wage war, but not too strong. Seeing how the other Satans were just little under him must have hurt his Pride.

"[It\'s funny considering that the current generation would wipe the floor with the old guard. Hell, the weakest of the current Satans could handle the entirety of the old Satans bar Lucifer and most likely win.]" Ddraig laughed. "[If the brat wasn\'t so stupid and paranoid, he might have won the war.]"

"Isn\'t that a terrifying thought?" I muttered.

"[Actually, now that I think about it, he had a son that was born stronger than him. I vaguely remember something about Lucifer throwing a tantrum at the news and there being a big incident or something when he found out.]"

"The mystery of his new appearance is solved. However, the question on how it has occurred still remains." Scáthach commented, her hands inspecting my horns without holding back.

"That...is an interesting question." I ignored her touching. I grabbed at her and she never complained, I didn\'t mind if she was touching my \'new\' body parts. "The Hogyoku was shifting one type of energy into another without any noticeable problems. But when it came to my Demonic Energy, it did more."

"I believe the answer is a simple one, my student." Her fingers were running along the tip of my tail and it felt really weird, but not....bad. "It simply could do more so it did."

"If you keep touching me, I\'m going to touch you back."

She chuckled, grabbing my hand and putting it on her own breast. "This Scáthach\'s body is already assailed by you every day, such a threat is meaningless."

A fair trade.

"Have you figured it out?" She asked.

"Yeah, I realized as soon as you said something. The Hogyoku was breaking down the boundaries between my types of energy, but when it got to my Demonic side, it simply had the ability to go further. My Magical Energy, there is nothing to reach into. Same with my Aura, and the same with my Reiryoku. They are at their most basic without disrupting their actual purpose. Whereas my Demonic Energy came from my Ancestry, something I have just barely tapped into due to the nature of my birth. There was room for the Hogyoku to break down further into my bloodline to pull out the hidden potential there that I normally couldn\'t reach."

It basically made me similar to my progenitors because the \'concept\' was hidden within my genetics.

Scáthach hummed, nodding to my explanation. "What are the benefits?"

"Uh, the physical benefits are not worth really mentioning. But my Demonic Energy feels like it\'s overflowing." I held my hands up, letting my Bloodline Power to come out. My hands alighted with my Destruction, the intensity and quantity was on a whole other level. "If I could compare to a bucket of water before, I feel like a small pool now."

"Hmm, similar to Venelana still, but there is room for improvement."

"Well, I doubt even with this I\'m going to compare to someone who\'s developed their Demonic Energy for centuries. But I should catch up relatively quickly with some training." I dismissed my Destruction. "And I can bring out a significant amount without the need for a catalyst."

"The benefits of your sword should be amplified then."

"Good point." I agreed.

"Come, we shall return you to your original state." She beckoned me to sit down again. "I am aware your Demonic side brings you uneasiness, I will assist you."

I worked on using the Hogyoku to run in the opposite direction, letting my Demonic Energy shift back to Magical Energy. I could feel Scáthach too, her gentle hand working alongside me to facilitate the change. It was more difficult as this apparently brought a physical change along with it. But with some effort on both our ends, I felt the Demonic features rescind. However, there was a side effect that seemed obvious in hindsight.

My actual \'pool\' of Demonic Energy still remained just as large as it was when I became more Demonic. Unfortunately, in this state, my Demonic Power itself was still miniscule in practice. In that it would take forever to refill this \'pool\' and the amount I could bring to bear would be significantly less. And I was fairly sure I couldn\'t bring the degree of Destruction out that I could a moment ago.

I felt the top of my head and my horns were now gone. And my tail, thankfully. I didn\'t know how to feel about that. it was.....odd. "Back to normal."

"Do you feel better?" Scáthach\'s arms wrapped me up from the back, her head sitting on my shoulder.

"You always make me feel better." I tilted my own head to meet her eyes, giving her a smile. "You\'re the best."

"Yes I am." She quirked a little smug smile of her own. "You may lavish me with your due praise, my student."

"My beautiful and wonderful Scáthach."

"Hmm, you can do better."

"The amazing and breathtakingly beautiful Scáthach. The unparalleled Witch, the greatest Teacher ever, only slightly sadistic – "

She pinched my cheek, cutely puffing up. "You are asking for a swift beating, my student."

Seeing her in a mood like this was something that never ceased to warm my heart. Her cold exterior melted and I could see the warm and kind woman she was underneath. "You\'re always here for me. Any time I have trouble or I need help, you\'re here for me and I feel like I can rely on you for anything. You\'re one of the brightest lights in my life. You\'re my rock, and I can\'t see myself living without you by my side."

One of those very rare times, I watched her genuinely turn a rosy red. The confident and stoic Scáthach looked shy and bashful at my confession.

"Foolish student." She lowered her head, burying it into the crook of my neck. "You say such words to me, yet I have already given you my body and my heart. What left do I have yet to give but my womb to bear your children?" Her hands tightened around me and there was a faint trembling. "Speak to me the same words you have given to the Goddess and the Knight."

"I love you."

"And I will love you until you grow tired of this Scáthach."

"Which is never." I gently took her hand.

"[Don\'t mind the Dragon, just sitting here watching.]"

"Thanks Ddraig, ruining the moment." Stupid Dragon. I admittedly had forgotten I still had the Boosted Gear out and on my arm.

She chuckled, kissing my cheek. "Come, we are here with a purpose. Call back your Demonic Nature and we will practice with it. There are monsters to slay and I think it will be beneficial for you to indulge with your Demonic side."

"Alright, let me try to call back on it." I touched on the Hogyoku again, letting my Demonic Energy roar to life. I felt the same \'transformation\' occur, but it was much less aggressive this time. I know that it worked because a certain someone was holding my tail again. "Is it really that interesting?" I looked at her.

"If such a change occurred in myself or your other lovers, would you not be just as fascinated?" She retorted.

"You....raise a fair point."

"Yes." She let go, standing up. "It is time to deal with these creatures."

I dismissed the Boosted Gear and rolled my neck and back, stretching what I felt were some new muscles due to my Tail swinging back and forth. "I\'ve never had this much of my Power of Destruction available before." I admired how it engulfed my hands with ease. "Let\'s see what I can do with it."

"I will allow you to take the lead." She stated, spear already in hand and a quick stab on her part saw to all my Talismans pierced, destroying the barrier.

"How kind of you." I rolled my eyes, hand snaking through the air as I caught one of those Chills trying to phase into this part of the building through the wall. My Destructive Lightning crackled, and it made a strange noise while being utterly destroyed.

"Is this the creature that frightened you so, my student?" Scáthach held her spear up pointing at an Apathy that stumbled down the hallway. "Shall I deal with it? You can close your eyes if you need to."

"Hilarious." I said dryly, flexing my Power of Destruction. I was here to test things, so test I would. I allowed my Demonic Energy to pour out, bringing my bloodline power to life around me hands.

I moved with a burst of Shunpo, arriving in front of the Grimm that would probably give me nightmares later. Gathering my Destruction in my right hand, I swung it downwards from above. Inch by inch, the Grimm was utterly disintegrated as my palm fell down before touching the floor, sending waves outward in all directions. The Hallway in the immediate area was eaten away on contact, shaking the whole facility before I mentally dispersed my power.

"Well that was certainly something." I looked at my hand, a little in shock. That was significantly more powerful than I had originally thought.

There were more sounds coming further within the facility. I could see red glowing eyes appearing in the dozens not far down the black corridor.

I reached out my hand and called my Sword of Destruction. The Sword that had been nurturing my Demonic Power and Destruction all this time. It was a catalyst that I attuned myself to and even now, it still worked for that purpose.

My Destruction that I channel expanded several folds. I nearly lost control of myself at the sudden power that enveloped my sword.

I looked down at it and had an idea.

Raising my sword up, I swung it downwards, focusing on keeping the shape that I wanted.

A blade arced forward, slicing through everything in its path. The Apathys that were in the path of my attack were utterly annihilated. The remnants that were simply sliced apart were then eaten away and consumed by the ensuing Destruction that was left in the wake of my attack.

The ceiling and the ground were also gouged out and once more the whole place shook violently.

"I will be upset if you bring this building down on us." Scáthach lightly chided me, her finger tapped my cheek.

"I\'ll keep that in mind." I couldn\'t help but feel a growing grin tugging at the corners of my lips.

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "You say that but I can see the battle lust in your eyes. Have a go at it my student. But don\'t be consumed by it."

I didn\'t need to be told twice.

I shot down the hallway, swinging my sword at any Grimm that was still nearby, or any pieces of them that remained.

My movement didn\'t stop as I slid into another room, a much larger one with much more equipment about. There were computers, and large test tubed housing other types of Grimm that seemed to be in the process of being Mutated.

There were, of course, other Grimm walking about. I noticed the Nightmares I had been told about, the parasitic Grimm that hung near the ceiling. My Sword of Destruction flashed through the air, carrying my Bloodline with it, handled them with ease.

My own claw-like hands swiped through the air, gouging out parts of the facility in the process and cleaved through Grimm in a matter of moments. My Destructive Lightning went rampant, and I had no thought to reel myself in.

I was letting loose and it felt good.

I stopped generally thinking and just went on auto pilot. I allowed myself to enjoy the slaughter and it felt satisfying in a way I was not accustomed to. How many rooms did I tear through? I lost count after the fourth.

There were plenty of other Grimm, the \'normal\' kinds that tried to stop me, but they were all just calf\'s to the slaughter.

Really, I only came back to my senses once a roar resounded, shaking the whole underground facility. And I walked towards the source of it, a massive creature barreled through a wall, claws and fangs fully on display, along with many green, mutated, protrusions on it. I could see why they called it a Sphinx, a serpent tail, a feline body, and feathered wings. Even if the face wasn\'t particularly humanoid.

Roman had told me about Sphinx Grimm, but I don\'t think they were supposed to be this big.

"I would feel bad if I didn\'t let you have some fun." I tilted my head back to Scáthach who was behind me. She had been silently following me the entire time. "Do you want the big guy?"

A bloodthirsty grin formed on her face, one that I can only assume was similar to the one I had previously. "Oh my dear student, you do know how to win this Scáthach\'s affection."

Seeing her tear into it with a laugh of pure glee was honestly one of the most attractive things I\'ve ever seen in my life.

Did this count as a Date?

@***@

A/N

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