Monster Girl Menagerie – Celestial Archive

There's a strange harmony in the elements of nature—even those that cause chaos and destruction blend together to form a beautiful tapestry. That was exactly my thought as I gazed upon the crimson sparks that lit up my vision—a mesmerizing unity.

I felt the undulations in the mana surrounding me and the pull of its current as it was drawn toward the center—into the spiraling mass of flames.

Amara, Tania, and Pyra worked to compress the portal, doing something that would no doubt cause a massive uproar should the knowledge become public. I was witnessing an act that I had never thought was possible, and perhaps my notion was shared by the rest of the world.

Or maybe not?

I chuckled and shook my head, pushing the thought aside. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn just how ignorant I was of the larger affairs. Maybe what I thought was impossible was merely a false belief, spread among the masses to keep them from discovering the truth.

Like an Ifrit.

Pyra's existence troubled me immensely, especially regarding what it could mean for my origin. Recalling Amara's words only deepened my confusion until I found myself tapping my foot anxiously.

I was roused from my thoughts by the fading intensity until the flames sputtered out of existence, leaving the world in darkness. Only Pyra burned like a torch in the void, illuminating a portion of the vegetation around her. I realized I might never get used to her flaming figure.

"It's gone," I voiced, unable to keep the astonishment from seeping into words. "Are they like... trapped forever?"

Amara shrugged and said, "If they aren't dead, or even if they somehow manage to survive, this will ensure they meet their end one way or another."

"In short," Pyra said with a chuckle, "they are cooked."

I managed to not cringe at her words, but my tolerance wasn't shared by the vampire, who shot the Ifrit a stinky glance. Even Tania appeared to be snickering while covering her mouth.

"Alright, let's not waste any more time and be on our way." I didn't wait for my words to sink in before turning around and starting to walk.

"Hey, wait up," Pyra exclaimed as she rushed toward me. I gave her a quizzical look and briefly glanced back to find Amara and Tania trailing us from some distance.

"Well," I winked, urging her to speak.

"Okay, here’s the thing," she said quietly. "I’ve said it before, and I’ll make it clear now: I don’t care about my past—not as much as the Vamp and the Dwarf do. Look, the point is, I’m more than willing to enter a three-way, four-way, or whatever way your relationship turns into in the future. I only have two requests. One, don’t order me to do something I don’t want to. And two, don’t send me back to wherever I was before."

I nodded, waiting for her to finish before saying, "I can promise you that I will never send you back or order you around. And you don't have to force yourself into a relationship with me if you don't want to."

"Nah, it's alright," Pyra said, shaking her head. "I heard from Amara about the whole Favorability meter thingy, but I don’t care. It’s sort of inevitable at this point."

"And that doesn’t bother you?"

"Not at all," she replied with a chuckle. "If anything, I find myself oddly curious."

I regarded the amber-eyed woman for a moment, wondering if she was joking. With a smile tugging at her lips and mirth in her eyes, she was hard to read. Thankfully, I didn’t have to.

Favorability: 21%

I pursed my lips, though a light smile graced my features.

"Thanks for the help," I said suddenly, catching the Ifrit by surprise.

"For what?" she asked.

"This," I gestured up front."For illuminating our path."

Pyra shrugged. "It's nothing much." Then, her smile widened as she glanced back briefly. "I guess I just have a glowing personality."

Despite the distance between our two groups, I could almost feel the physical weight of Amara’s glare. I sighed, shaking my head. For some reason, Pyra seemed to relish getting the vampire all worked up.

"If you two could hurry up, we’d be able to wrap this up by midnight," Amara said, rushing forward. "Besides, we have things to do—things that require all our focus and attention." She said the last part while glaring at me.

Tania awkwardly shuffled forward until she fell in line beside us. I offered her a soft smile and wrapped her hand in mine.

"What's up with her?" Pyra asked, frowning.

"I think she's just anxious," I answered, staring at Amara's back.

"Ah," she said, "this is about your heart, right?"

I nodded.

"I didn’t get the full recount. Care to share?"

"Sure."

I didn’t keep anything from Pyra, answering her every question. Considering she was an alchemist, I wondered if she might be able to find a solution to the problem. I shouldn’t have been concerned.

"So, what do you think?" I probed, sending her a wink.

"Well," Pyra drawled, "I think I might have a solution to your problem."

"Really?" I pressed, skeptical.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "Look, the problem with your heart isn’t just the lack of compatibility but also your strength."

I listened intently to her spiel, faintly nodding along to her words. Apparently, the Dragon Heart was so powerful that instead of conforming to my body, it was trying to mold my body to its will—not that the organ was sentient or anything. In simple terms, if I had been an S-Rank hunter, I would’ve easily accommodated the Dragon Heart without unnecessary complications.

Unfortunately, I was weak.

"So, what's the solution?" I asked hopefully. I hadn’t noticed Amara slowing down until she was only a couple of feet away from us.

"Simple. You need two things," Pyra answered, holding up two fingers. "One, you need more levels. D-Rank won't do—you have to be at least C-Rank. Two, we need to create an Elixir to help you digest your gains."

Before I could respond—or even open my mouth—Amara had already spoken up. "The first is easily accomplished, but what do you mean by the Elixir? What kind of elixir is it?"

I shifted my attention to the vampire, noting the frown etched on her face. There was a hint of worry she couldn’t quite conceal, and it warmed my heart. A light squeeze on my hand reminded me that I wasn’t alone in this. I had a family.

Pyra flashed a smile at us, glancing between me and Amara. "Red Moon."