Bahamut didn’t know how it happened. One moment, he was chilling in the stream; the next moment, Alana was on him, blushing profusely.

"Master... Kiss me~" she had said.

...

Bahamut had just finished training. He had trained his technique, the sword, and element usage. The memories had helped him a lot, and he was now getting the hang of using his elements, especially the water element. The system was also helping him alongside, giving him tips on how to use them despite his memories.

He had decided to train the water element first, and sometimes, a bit of the earth element. He had decided to do that to gain a solid foundation before he focused on volatile elements like fire and wind, and then light and darkness. Well, for darkness, he didn’t have any problem because of his connection with Alana. It was a strange thing, but he was getting the use of it. Because of his link with Alana, anything he learnt relating to darkness would be known automatically by her and vice versa. So all the spells, all the usages of the darkness element that Alana had trained were ingrained into Bahamut.

He could use it as perfectly as she did. This brought up an idea... What if he formed contracts with beasts or people with the same elements as his? He didn’t know if Alana’s own was special or not, but if that was how contracts worked, then he wouldn’t need to train any element. He just needed to tame and contract a beast, or find someone willing to form a contract with him, maybe his girls, and he wouldn’t need to train his elements. He could focus on other things like his chimera traits, his sword training (which wasn’t really training, considering he had memories of that too), and his concept. He was practically barging his way through things.

He had lived 100 lives, each with different experiences. Experiences that weren’t lost to time, but kept safe, all for this. He needn’t worry about learning how to use a weapon from scratch. All he needed to do was access his memories of the said weapon. The only problem was willpower, and even that wasn’t a big deal. His willpower was one of the attributes of his that increased at a quick pace. Every single day was a challenge for him. Pain, love, stress, exhaustion... and he still kept pushing through. That was what was increasing his willpower.

After the intense training section, which left him numb and sore all over, he took off his clothes, leaving only his underwear, and dropped into the stream. The cool water soothed his body, helping with the pain and soreness, and making him relax. In no time, he was dozing and was almost at the edge of falling deeply asleep when a sudden weight fell on him. He opened his eyes to see a black-haired beauty with cow horns in only underwear that covered her chest and private parts, lying with her head on his chest and a very red face that seemed to be blowing smoke.

"A-Alana?" Bahamut muttered in confusion.

"Master... Kiss me~"

Bahamut’s breath caught in his throat as Alana’s plea lingered between them, her voice a fragile whisper laced with the earthy scent of the stream’s mist and the faint, smoky undertone of her darkness affinity that always seemed to cling to her skin like a lover’s breath. The water swirled lazily around their waists, cool tendrils caressing his bare chest where her cheek pressed, her cow horns resting lightly against his shoulder, their curved tips warmed by the sun filtering through the canopy overhead. Her body trembled atop his, slender yet curvaceous, the damp fabric of her underwear molding to her full breasts and the soft swell of her hips, every subtle shift sending ripples across the surface that lapped at his sides with a soothing, rhythmic hush.

"Alana?" he repeated, confusion threading through his voice like vines overtaking stone, his hands instinctively rising to steady her waist. The soreness from training faded under the sudden heat of her proximity, replaced by a puzzled warmth blooming in his chest. What’s brought this on? Her eyes... they’re wide with something fierce, something new. Her gaze locked onto his, cheeks burning with a blush that spread like wildfire down her neck, her black hair dripping cool droplets onto his skin, each one tracing a tingling path along his collarbone.

She didn’t give him time to question further. With a shaky inhale that pressed her chest more firmly against him, the soft give of her breasts yielding to his harder frame, Alana leaned in, her lips brushing his in the barest hint of contact at first. It was her first kiss, clumsy and born of impatience, her mouth hovering for a heartbeat as fear knotted her insides, making her fingers clutch at his shoulders with a white-knuckled grip. The texture of her lips was petal-soft, slightly chapped from the day’s exertions, tasting of fresh stream water and the subtle sweetness of her breath. Then, driven by that impatient spark, she closed the distance fully, pressing forward with a tentative firmness that grazed her teeth against his lower lip.

Bahamut’s mind blanked, a rush of surprise flooding him like the stream’s sudden current. ’Her... kissing me? The shadow at my side, the one bound by contract, seeking this? ’ 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

But the hesitation lasted only a moment. As her lips moved against his, scared, insistent, pouring out unspoken longing, something primal and tender uncoiled within him. Inhibitions crumbled, swept away by the romantic pull of her vulnerability, the way her body fit so perfectly against his in the water’s embrace. His arms wrapped around her fully, one hand splaying across the small of her back to draw her closer, the other threading into her wet hair, cradling the base of her skull where her horns emerged smooth and warm.

He reciprocated with a depth that surprised even him, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, his lips parting hers gently to coax her tongue forward. She gasped softly into his mouth, a sound like wind through shadowed leaves, her impatience making her chase the contact even as fear made her tremble, her heart hammering against his chest in frantic Morse code. The kiss unfolded slowly, romantically, their breaths mingling in hot puffs that contrasted the stream’s chill, the faint salt of sweat on her skin mixing with the clean mineral tang of the water. His tongue met hers tentatively at first, then with growing assurance, sliding alongside in a languid exploration that drew a muffled whimper from her throat, vibrating through him like a shared secret.

’Gods, her taste... innocent fire wrapped in darkness. She’s scared, but she wants this, wants me.’

Bahamut’s thoughts swirled with affection, his instincts softening into something profoundly human, romantic in its intensity. He held her steady as she grew bolder, her hands roaming from his shoulders to cup his face, thumbs stroking his jawline with trembling adoration. The water buoyed them, allowing her to shift closer without strain, her thighs bracketing his hips underwater, the subtle friction of fabric-clad warmth against him stirring a deep ache he kept leashed, focusing instead on the kiss, the wet, sucking sounds of their lips parting and meeting, the way her breath hitched every time he nipped her lower lip lightly, soothing it with a sweep of his tongue.

Alana’s fear ebbed with each passing second, melting into a hazy bliss under his reciprocation. "Master’s kissing me back... his mouth so sure, so warm. My first, and it’s perfect... scary, but I can’t stop."

Her impatience showed in the way she pressed harder, sucking gently on his upper lip before diving back in, tongues tangling with newfound rhythm. The stream’s gentle current tugged at their entwined forms, pebbles shifting softly beneath them, while distant birdsong wove through the leaves like an approving melody. She broke away once, just long enough to gasp against his mouth, "Master... I-I’ve wanted this," her voice breathy and raw, eyes shimmering with unshed tears of overwhelmed emotion before she claimed him again, softer now, more romantic, lips brushing in feather-light pecks that built back to deeper presses.

Bahamut smiled into the kiss, a low hum of contentment rumbling from his chest, vibrations traveling through her body and drawing a shiver from her. He pulled back fractionally, forehead resting against hers, noses brushing in an Eskimo kiss that felt achingly intimate amid the water’s murmur.

"Alana," he murmured, voice husky with emotion, one hand tracing lazy circles on her back through the wet fabric, feeling the knobs of her spine and the dimples above her ass. "You’re trembling. Here, like this." He shifted them carefully, rolling so she lay partially atop him again, his back supported by the stream’s gradual slope, water cradling her weight as he held her close. Their legs tangled underwater, calves brushing with silken slides, the cool flow teasing sensitive skin without urgency.