They both woke up feeling awkward, she had been nuzzled into his chest, with her hand resting in a certain holy sword and he was holding her butt with his right hand. She was started because she had awoken just a bit earlier than John and noticed a certain body part of his ended up in her hand and was very happy with the attention and to be as close to each other as they had been thought out the night.
His obviousness was astounding as when he woke up, he didn't notice his, not so little friend acting up, nor his accidental firmer grasp on her butt. He spoke in his tired state, "How did you sleep last night babe". He thought he was still dreaming, a dream he had especially frequent from his time spent in solitude in the depths of the dungeon with no human contact.
He even leaned in and kissed her very passionately on her soft, red lips. She felt embarrassed and realized he probably wasn't fully awake, but she enjoyed the moment while she could before his normal meal self returned and began pleading for forgiveness.
They remained intwined In this very pg 13 passion, until John finally felt something was off with his dream. Everything felt too real, and the beautiful woman next to him wasn't a random celebrity. Rather it was his goddess, his embarrassment exploded as he separated himself from her and hit the floor on his hands and knees.
"My goddess, please forgive for my insolent actions. Let me repent for my lustful transgressions"
[User has mastered the Dao of lust (Tier 2 rank novice), due to getting to opportunity to interact with a beautiful woman after many years of being a single loser, you have developed the inferno of lust, 3 out of the 7 aspects of the purgatory inferno mastered.]
'Damn system, you're not helping', he continued pressing his head on the floor before being pulled up onto the bed and landing directly across from the goddess, mere inches from the lips he had only previously been taking advantage of.
She sensed the change in his power. As it did an intensity exploded out of him and she could instantly determine what had happened. Making her self-esteem rise as she was the reason for him mastering of the Dao of lust on such a high level of the bat. It would easily make anyone happy, if with just one instance of romance between them he ended up mastering the very Dao.
She looked at him as if he was a zebra and she a prowling lioness. Her own lust radiated out and coated him in her intense desires. Even though he felt ashamed, a blush spread across his face. He tried once more to move, feeling that he didn't deserve to be the catalyst to such emotions in her.
He felt shocked and happy as he felt two slender, but extremely powerful legs lock into him. Holding him in place. She said to him in a slightly embarrassed tone, "I'm not ready for you to leave, promise you won't leave me". Her fear and heart break from the time her was tormented in the Primordial god chaos had broken not only her mentality, but also shattered her soul and destroyed her foundation.
A cute and nervous chuckle escaped her lips as she held him closer, as she whispered in his ear. "You aren't going anywhere my lovely little apostle", she lightly bit his ear and hugged him from the back. She sensed the hesitation in his heart and could sense tragic memories flowing into her through their connection.
"Let it all out, I won't leave you my dear apostle" She spoke softly and reached a part in his heart he didn't know was there. She held him from behind in a gentle embrace, one he was not used to. He could hold back his tears, all the abuse, despair and tragedy over the years flowed out of him in a cacophony of tears and sobs. He felt valued, recognized and loved; it was a strange feeling to have someone so magnanimous care for him. Especially since it was his goddess and the one woman, he felt such a deep connection to. After all the only female interactions he had were with his teachers, the girls bullying him with the help of the boys in his class, and random passerby's acting kind to him before discovering the blue satchel arose his shoulder marking him as an orphan. He was scorned for merely existing, and for once he realized how much the dungeon had changed his life for the better.
She saw the despair in his eyes, cursing those who made him feel this way. She had become extremely possessive of him with their connection growing closer. She lifted his chin and made him look at her. He saw the intense desire in her eyes, even though they had no idea what they were doing, they both recognized their own feelings.
They locked hands together as she decided to clear any confusion in the air between them. "My first and only apostle, John Ross, my appreciation and connection to you has left the boundaries of a simple transactional relationship of a constellation. I am glad for your forwardness, even if you weren't intentional with your actions. They have captured a part of my heart I have never felt before. I also can't deny that I enjoyed it, so there is nothing to apologize for". Her now nervous chuckle has disappeared as a seductive chuckle echoed out. With a wry smirk she leaned in, her lips just a breath away from his. "Now, why don't you show me more of that forwardness?"
John froze, his breath catching in his throat. Her words hung between them, trembling with the weight of emotion and unspoken longing. For a moment, all he could do was stare into her eyes—eyes that shimmered with divine light, but also with something achingly human.
He could still feel the faint warmth of her touch on his ear, the whisper of her breath. The world had gone quiet except for the rhythmic pounding of their hearts.
"I…" he began, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know how to be forward, my goddess. I've spent so long keeping people at a distance that I've forgotten what closeness even means."
She smiled softly, her expression gentling. "Then let us remember together."
Her tone wasn't teasing now. It was tender, almost fragile. The playful confidence she'd shown moments before slipped away, revealing the wounded soul beneath—the goddess who had suffered isolation and pain at the hands of primordial chaos itself.
John relaxed slightly, his shame giving way to empathy. "I never wanted to make you uncomfortable," he murmured. "When I woke up, I didn't even realize… it felt like a dream, one I didn't want to end."
"Then perhaps it was meant to be," she said. "Dreams are often the whispers of the soul, John. And yours speaks loudly."
Their eyes met again. For the first time, John noticed the faint lines of fatigue that still lingered around her divine face, the hints of strain that even her restored beauty couldn't fully hide.
"Your soul still aches," he said quietly. "Even now, after all the time recovering. The effects prison left deeper scars than I thought."
Her gaze faltered, and she nodded slowly. "The Primordial Chaos tore pieces from me—memories, power, fragments of my divinity. I am whole enough to stand, but my foundation remains fractured. It will take time… and perhaps, companionship."
John swallowed hard, his chest tightening. "Then I'll be that companion," he said without hesitation. "Not just as your apostle, but as someone who wants to see you whole again. No more isolation. No more suffering alone."
The goddess looked at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, a single tear slipped down her cheek—glowing faintly with golden light. "You speak as though you've known pain as I have."
He chuckled softly, though there was no joy in it. "I was an orphan, goddess. Pain and I were old friends before I even learned what comfort was. Maybe that's why I could feel how you were suffering so strongly when I touched your memories."
Her hand moved on its own, resting gently on his cheek. "No mortal should bear that kind of empathy. You have the heart of a god, John Ross… and perhaps that is why fate itself watches you."
The air shimmered faintly between them. He could feel their bond deepening—not as divine and mortal, but as two beings bound by loss and yearning.
"Tell me", She said softly, "what do you wish for, now that you stand on the edge of power and destiny?"
John thought for a moment, eyes lowering. "Peace," he said finally. "And a place where I'm not just surviving but living. A home that isn't just a roof over my head, but a reason to stay."
Her lips curved into a sad smile. "Then let this cabin be our home, at least for now. Until your destiny calls you again."
"I'd like that," he said.
They sat together in silence for a while, the faint hum of mana from the surrounding forest filling the air. The vibrant light of mana crystal's filtering through the window frame painted soft patterns on her skin, making her seem almost human—almost reachable.
After a long pause, she spoke again, her voice quieter. "John… when you mastered the Dao of Wrath, the Dao of pride and now Lust—did you feel it? The change in your soul?"
He nodded slowly. "Each Dao feels like a fire that burns away something inside me… and replaces it with something else. Something stronger and sharper as if it's preparing me for a fate I dare now imagine. It's frightening but comforting, it feels like my existence is advancing toward a path at the pinnacle with each one."
"As it should," she replied. "The Infernos are dangerous paths. They aren't something even most gods dare to think of mastering, with each one your power is bound to rise. But they fundamental mark your existence, promise me you won't lose yourself to them."
"I promise," he said immediately. "If I ever start to fall, remind me who I am."
"I will, and you must promise that If I ever falter, or fall. That you'll lift me up to your level, that we won't break apart." She said as a small tear dripped from her eye, he could sense the struggles and the sorrow hidden behind those eyes. They both saw the other in a way elevated from their previous situation, their happiness felt as though it would not run dry as long as they were side by side.
Their hands found each other again, fingers intertwining. The silence between them was no longer awkward—it was warm, alive, full of understanding.
Finally, she leaned back slightly, a faint blush returning to her cheeks. "Now, my apostle," she said, teasing softly again, "perhaps we should start our morning properly. Breakfast, rather than… flustered apologies."
John smiled sheepishly. "That sounds wise, my goddess."
As he began moving toward the door, she caught his arm and with a sightly fluster expression said, "I'd much prefer you call me by something other than just goddess, you are more than my servant. You are the reason I'm alive, and the reason my heart beats fast. You are mine and I am yours, let us experience something new to both of us."
He pulled her into his arms speaking softly into her ear, "You're right my lady, may this lowly man have the honor of calling you Tessa."
She felt a deep happiness rise in her as she pulled him close, "You're not a lowly man, you're my man. I love it though, let me call you John my dear apostle"
He turned around and bent down slightly, lifting her chin and locking her lips into a tight kiss. "It's a promise then"
They then headed to the kitchen, hand in hand he headed toward his wood-burning stove, stoked the fire and added another log. She watched him with quiet amusement and growing affection. The gentle domesticity of the moment contrasted so sharply with their earlier chaos that she almost laughed. For the first time in countless eons, the goddess of Verdant Terrestra felt something she hadn't known since her ascension—contentment.
And as John moved about the small cabin, humming softly to himself, she thought, Perhaps the threads of fate wove us together not by accident, but by design.