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Luka's Story-Paradox	By : Ditmag Category: +M through R > Monster Girl Quest Views: 2709 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Monster Girl Quest Paradox is the intellectual property of Tortorro Restistance. I make no money from this.

Chapter List
- 53
- 54
- 55
First thing in the morning, I teleported our core group to Goddard, under the orders of the actual boss of our group, Alice. I wasn’t sure why, although I was aware that it had something to do with this magical girl ceremony. I assumed it was probably yet another offshoot of this world’s greater levels of magic. One thing I did notice was that Alice and Ilias were both worried about the ceremony, but they wouldn’t explain other than to inform me that the Monster Lord had banned it, presumably Alice’s mother when she was still legitimately in power.
So why were we in Goddard? Because Alice believed that the current Magical Girl resided there. Once we arrived, Alice and Ilias confirmed it, stating that the magical “scent” was unmistakeable. I had to admit I was curious to find out what a Magical Girl was. As was Sonya.
“Do you think I could be a magical girl, Luka?” Sonya asked. “I know it’s supposed to be an evil ceremony and all, but it sounds like fun. I wonder if it would get me a lot more power to help you with?”
What we found when Alice traced her scent to a modest home in a working class neighborhood of the city, was actually quite adorable. She was a pretty young teen with pink hair and a small rod with a heart at the end of it. Her outfit was positively enchanting. Was she hiding some dark evil nature that concerned my two companions?
“I’m Magical Mari-Chan!” the Magical Girl said with as much enthusiasm as Juska had demonstrated in introducing herself as a superhero. “I’m a Magical Girl! Hey, do any of you want to be Magical Girls too? Now’s your big chance! The competition begins in a few days!”
“Don’t bullshit us!” Ilias yelled. “We know that the power of magical girls leads to the grudges of witches!”
“The Monster Lord has banned this ceremony!” Alice added. “Conduct it at your peril!”
“Okay, first off,” Mari-chan shot back, dropping the artificially cheery attitude. “I’m not a monster, and so I don’t give a flying…. FIG what the Monster Lord says! Second, what the heck do you know?! The grudges are already built up. If we don’t perform the ceremony, the power violently erupts! I just think your Monster Lord doesn’t want humans to have that power!”
Alice sighed. “She has a point,” she reluctantly conceded. “It’s a consequence of all the magic buildup in the world since the Great Disaster. But it’s still wrong! You’re taking all those grudges and giving them to some poor innocent girl who has no idea what she’s in for!”
“Such fantastic power comes with a price!” Mari-chan shrugged. “Magical girls just have to live with the grudges. I don’t regret my choice. But it does wear on us, which is why the torch must be passed.”
“Maybe Cassandra is the perfect choice, then,” I suggested. “She’s already got enough grudges to create dozens of Magical Girls.”
“The last thing this world needs is Cassandra with more power,” Alice retorted. “Okay, fine, where is the contest?”
“All magical girl candidates are to proceed to the toxic swamp in the east,” Mari-chan said, her enthusiasm returning. “Once there, it’s an all out battle royale! Last girl standing wins!”
“That makes no sense!” Sonya exclaimed. “A Magical Girl is selected based on physical prowess?!”
“Great,” Ilias said sarcastically. “Cassandra and Emily will probably be the strongest girls in the area. When did you say this contest was?”
“A few days from now!” Mari-chan said. “Three, to be precise. The contest begins at precisely noon on that day!”
“Hmmm….” Alice thought. “That gives us time to get you Salamander, Luka.”
“Wait, you’re going to have me use the elements to beat up little girls?!” I asked.
“Mainly Cassandra and Emily,” Ilias answered. “Alice and I can beat up the little girls.”
“Oh, that’s so much better!” Sonya responded.

Since we had just enough time, Alice gave me the luxury of lounging at the castle while she did the traveling again. As always, she went with protection, mainly monsters who could keep up with her, such as the harpies. Even Ilias volunteered, not minding flying nearly as much as she minded walking. She was apparently over the idea that there was anybody out to get her in particular, once she had figured out that she wasn’t even this world’s Ilias. Although she had been targeted by a few of our opponents, that had been more out of hatred for angels in general than Ilias in particular. No one was specifically hunting her. It also meant that she no longer saw my purpose as her protector, but an ally trying to save the world. What had gone unspoken is what would happen with Ilias once our mission was complete. I knew where I was going. But where would Ilias go? Back to her world? Did it still exist? And what had occurred while she was gone? I knew those questions had to be weighing on the little goddess, but she had no easy way to get answers except to leap into Tartarus Rifts with abandon until she found what she was looking for.
Alice estimated a little more than a day to get to the volcano and another day plus a few hours to get back. She drained me again for extra energy, which meant I slept through most of the trip to the volcano. I should have stayed in bed. When the Monster Lord is away, the monsters will play.
So that’s how I found myself sprinting through the halls like the Beatles in Hard Day’s Night, trying to escape my enthusiastic female fans. I could easily outrun most of them with my merely human speed, but I had to summon Sylph for that extra boost to stay ahead of the quicker ones and to dodge the reaching hands(or claws) of those who headed me off.
So why was I being chased? All I had to do was say no. There were no monsters in the castle that would dare rape me if I said firmly that I didn’t want it. I think I just didn’t want to reject anyone in particular. Or maybe I was just being stupid. You know how running from a dog is the surest way to get her to chase you? Many monsters also had that instinct. If it runs, it must be dinner. I had foolishly awakened the predatory instincts of some of the monsters, which meant that if they got too excited they might not hear me when I objected, or simply might not care. Not all of them chased me. The kitsunes knew better, and simply stared as I ran by, then quickly moved out of the way of stampeding monsters following behind me. Others weren’t predatory at all, and so wondered what the heck was going on. Was it some kind of game?
I quickly turned a corner, then another corner, hoping to lose my pursuers, ducking under an outreaching tentacle of something that I couldn’t identify and had no idea was even in the castle. Were monsters disobeying Alice’s orders about recruiting monsters without vetting or had she already been here before Alice laid down the law?
Unable to stop myself, I finally ran into someone I couldn’t get around. Aradia’s huge form blocked my path and I ran face first into her soft, pillowy breasts. She held me to keep me from falling back, looking at me questioningly.
“Why are you running?” Aradia asked. “Is some monster who disrespects the Monster Lord chasing you?”
“You might say that,” I said, looking behind me as the stampede turned the corner and saw that I was caught.
“Looks like you need to be taken to a safe place,” Aradia said with a grin. “Do I have your consent?”
“Yes!” I shouted, not liking the look on Matis’ face. I did not want to lose my head because Matis forgot the rules.
“Very well then,” Aradia said. “Remember that you asked for this.”
Turning me around, I felt magic take me somewhere else. That somewhere else was a dimension full of nothing but breasts.
“How is this possible?” I asked, as I floated on the ripples the breasts jiggling and propelling me forward and backward, to and for, as if passing me among them.
Aradia’s head emerged from between two of the enormous breasts, each as large as my own body.
“This is my special place,” Aradia explained. “It’s where I take my prey to be drained.”
“You were intending to prey on me all along?!” I asked indignantly.
“I was, but not necessarily today,” she laughed. “You can say no anytime you like. As long as you do not, I will continue to let you float on my sea of breasts for as long as you like. Simply say the word, and I’ll return you to the castle. Unfortunately, you’ll occupy the space where your pursuers are, and in the state they are in, I fear they’ll drain you dry.”
“I think I’ll stay here, then!” I replied. It did feel very nice, like the most comfortable beds I’d ever laid on. If I hadn’t also been rendered magically naked, causing my penis to keep rubbing against the breasts as they propelled me among them, I would have fallen asleep.
“You have to go back eventually,” Aradia laughed. “If you weren’t an ally, I would keep you hear for as long as you lived, as a permanent food source. But the world needs you, so I can only keep you for a short time. I have an idea, though, one that can be of benefit to both of us. I will make you useless to your pursuers by draining you completely dry myself. Then, when I redeposit you in the castle, they won’t be interested in you anymore.”
“But draining me that much,” I protested. “Isn’t that risky for me?”
“Not if I do it gently and take my time,” Aradia said, her head somehow always remaining within my sight no matter where I floated in the sea of breasts. “Aren’t you tired of all those quickies by greedy monsters who just want your semen as quickly as possible? I like to make a man truly enjoy it. All you have to do is say yes.”
“Yes!” I said eagerly. “Dry me out so the monsters won’t get me!”
“As you wish,” Aradia said, flashing me her beautiful smile. I liked larger girls, and Aradia was one of the lovelier I’d ever encountered, with her beautiful pink hair and lovely face. The breasts, well, those speak for themselves.
The random movements of her breast world became more focused. Instead of being gently tossed about in random directions, one breast remained under me, as others formed a gauntlet for me to pass through. As I passed through each pair of breasts, they squeezed together, causing my body to pass through them. I had to catch my breath as I emerged from the other side, then hold it again as I began to traverse the next pair. It was as gentle as promised. Several times I thought I might ejaculate as my erect penis was rubbed by the breasts as I passed in between them, but I would always emerge before finishing. I could hear Aradia’s light laughter as my moans grew louder through each pass.
“I could keep you on edge forever this way,” Aradia giggled. “Endure it a bit more. I will surprise you with a finishing blow.”
She took her time. For a solid ten minutes I continued to pass through pairs of breasts, each traversal taking about fifteen seconds, followed by five seconds of no stimulation in which I could breathe. I learned that I could still breathe a little if I turned my head the right way, preventing my nose from being smothered by breast flesh. My penis got more and more sensitive and excited as it passed through the gentle stimulation of her soft skin again and again, the stimulation always ending just before I climaxed. Far from being frustrated, I found it heavenly. I eagerly waited for each new pair to squeeze me in this endless world where the only things that existed were me, Aradia, and infinite copies of her breasts.
Without warning, the breast under me slowed down as I entered what seemed like the two hundredth pair or huge boobies. The breasts closed tightly, my penis caught between them and slowly but firmly moving through the flesh. With a muffled cry I exploded, seemingly endless spurts of semen staining them in a line as I continued to pass through. By the time I emerged from the last pair of breasts, I was spent. For the moment.
Aradia’s face greeted me on the other side. The breast that had been transporting me as if in a dream world rotated and desposited me between Aradia’s breasts. I could feel her soft breath as she spoke.
“Did you enjoy that?” she asked. “It looks like you did. Now I’m going to show you something even better. Just lie still and be comfortable.”
Aradia moved one of her nipples towards me. It opened up and sucked in my penis all the way, sucking and squeezing. At first I thought I was already coming again, but it was actually milk leaking out!
“Pardon my breast milk,” Aradia said. “It helps provide some extra lubrication. You can drink it if you like. I’ve been told humans find it delicious. Or just keep relaxing and enjoy being sucked dry.”
That’s exactly what I did, experiencing yet another thing I’d ever experienced before. The inside of her breast was even softer than the outside, yet a firmer fit since it was a confined space that actively sucked on me, trying to extract more semen, but always gentle, never hurried. The sensations kept on getting more and more wonderful as her magnificent nipple sucked, finally sending me over the edge, my own milk joining hers. Except mine didn’t leak out. It was sucked greedily into her stomach.
Then, it began all over again, this time switching me to her other breast, with a slightly different feeling inside. Again, she sucked slowly and gently, speaking softly to me as her breast did its wonderful work, my head resting comfortably between them.
She must have made me ejaculate a dozen times over the course of four to five hours. The monsters had to have given up and gone to find someone else to drain. That wasn’t the case, as it turned out. In her world of breasts, time didn’t pass. The monsters never even saw me vanish. I simply fell to the floor, surrounded by predatory monsters. Pochi sniffed me.
“He’s already in critical ecstasy!” Pochi said with alarm. “And I think… I think he’s drained! There’s no semen!”
“No semen!?” some of the monsters gasped.
“To the men’s wing!” Eva shouted. The hungry monsters stampeded in the other direction.
“Be gentle!” Sonya admonished them, finally coming to my rescue. “Luka, do you think you’ll be okay? I’d better follow them and make sure they don’t hurt any of the guys.”
“Erp…..” I responded.

Since I had been drained thoroughly, going into the volcano early was out of the question. I had to be at full strength. Needless to say, Alice was not pleased. She gathered up the monsters and read the riot act to them a second time, then scolded me for running instead of being firm with them. It was pretty stupid, in hindsight. But I was keenly aware of how much the monsters liked me and I didn’t want to upset them by acting as if I was rejecting them. By running, it had seemed like a game to them. I would not repeat that mistake.
So it was early evening by the time I felt one hundred percent. I agreed with Alice about not entering that volcano at anything other than my peak. I’d never entered that volcano and NOT been raped successfully, first by Granberia, then by Eden. Although I expected neither this time around, I knew that Salamander was a tough customer who brooked no weakness in anyone seeking her power. And the price of failing the fire spirit’s test was often death. She did not like to be disturbed by foolish adventurers thinking they deserved her power.
Before entering the volcano, we poured cold water on ourselves to try to stay cool longer inside. That had been Sonya’s idea. I wasn’t sure of the scientific accuracy of it, but it sounded good and Ilias and Alice didn’t object. So soaking wet, we went to the cave entrance that led to Salamander’s chambers. Alice, in the lead, ran smack into a barrier.
“This is bad,” Alice said. “Is this what happened to you last time?”
“I actually went into this volcano twice,” I answered. “The first time there was no barrier. You and I went into the volcano and we got Salamander to lend me her power. But the second time, there was a barrier. Eden was in there and wanted me to come in alone.”
“So this is probably a trap,” Alice noted.
“Probably,” I agreed. “But I doubt it’s Eden. Eden probably doesn’t even know I’m here.”
“Assuming she’s even on this world,” Ilias said. “Remember, heaven disappeared.”
“Yeah. So who did this?”
“Whoever did it, it’s either a trap for you, or a trap for us,” Alice said. “Luka, you can’t not go in, so all I can advise you to do is be on your guard and don’t hesitate to deal with any threat you face. This is powerful magic.”
“So what are the rest of us going to do?” Sonya asked. “Hide out in the pocket castle while Luka faces all the danger?!”
“That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Ilias said. “We can’t loiter here outside waiting for Luka. If the trap was meant not to snare Luka, but to get him away from us, being out here is the worst thing we can do. At least in the Pocket Castle, we can mobilize all the inhabitants to defend it, and hide if all else fails.”
Sonya hated it, but recognized the necessity. Not only would I need Salamander for our mission, the spirits were also apparenetly the most important part of keeping to the correct history. Getting Salamander might slow down chaosization enough for us to find more answers. Kissing me on the cheek, Sonya wished me luck and my companions reluctantly returned to the Pocket Castle.
As for myself, I easily passed through the barrier. I ruled out Eden as the cause of the barrier the second I stepped inside the volcano. Eden, who hated extreme heat as much as Ilias, had transformed the volcano into an environment more to her liking. There was no evidence of that in the volcano. The heat bore down on me, creating an instant handicap should I face danger. And I remembered that there was a dragon.
I knew my way around, even though I hadn’t been there in awhile, so found Salamander’s chamber easily enough. As before, the dragon guarded it. She looked at me appraisingly.
“Are you the hero Luka?” the dragon asked me.
“I am,” I said. “You were expecting me? Why the barrier?”
“I know nothing of any barrier. I have only been told to let you pass. My master is not very social, so she may have put up a barrier to keep any companions out.”
That did sound like Salamander, but despite my being a dunce when it came to magic, I knew that the barrier was not fire magic. As powerful as the spirits were, they were the most limited of magic users due to being the archetypes of the elements. There was no fire spell that Salamander couldn’t cast. If she’d wanted a barrier, it would have been a fire barrier. An energy barrier was not fire magic. There was someone else here.
Entering Salamander’s chamber, she greeted me warmly. Yes, I know, how else would the spirit of fire greet someone? What I mean is that she wasn’t her usual grumpy self. She didn’t hug me, but she did give me a broad smile.
“Welcome, Luka!” Salamander said enthusiastically in her gravelly voice. “So you made it this far. Not surprising for the hero who has the weight of the world on his shoulders!”
“Salamander, do you know him?” Undine asked. “Have you been having dreams?”
“I have,” the fire spirit confirmed.
“What, am I the only spirit who hasn’t dreamed about or felt she knew Luka?!” Sylph cried.
“It’s okay, Sylph,” I assured her. “It’s not a reflection on you or our relationship. In fact, since both times I got you first, I’ve spent more time with you in my heart than any other spirit. Whether or not someone from this world thinks they know me is pretty random as far as I can tell.”
“I can’t say I understand it myself,” Salamander said. “But you’ve already proved yourself to me. I fought several versions of you in my dreams. I was defeated every time. I don’t need to get beat up in real life to know that you’re worthy. So come on over and give me your wrist.”
As I approached, I asked Salamander if she knew what the barrier was about.
“I’m aware it’s up, but I don’t know who put it there,” she answered. “But I can guess why it’s there. Give me your wrist! We need to consummate this as quickly as possible!”
I did as Salamander ordered, and in a heartbeat she was in my… well, my heart.
“Yay!” Sylph cheered. “We’re all together again. Now we can kick anyone’s ass! It’ll be just like the good old days with Heinrich!”
I felt rumbling. Was the volcano about to erupt? No, I remember this. Oh, God, please no, I thought.
“It’s Granberia!” Salamander yelled. “Be on your guard, Luka! I’ve seen this too! Sometimes it ends well, sometimes it doesn’t!”
In my case, it had definitely not ended well. I began to feel jealous for the other Lukas who had made it out of the volcano, spine intact. Sure enough, just as it had happened in my original adventure, Granberia crashed through the ceiling into the chamber, sword already drawn.
Despite the danger she posed, I couldn’t help but to love her. While objectively she was the least pretty of the Heavenly Knights, when she was poised for battle, the fire in her eyes made her the loveliest to me. So many of our sparring sessions, and even one of our real fights, had ended in a passionate embrace. But this time the fire was different. She wasn’t here for the joy of battle. She was all business.
“So, you have received the power of fire,” Granberia said, appraising me coldly. “Salamander, I’m surprised at you.”
“Are you angry that I didn’t test him?” Salamander asked. “I have my reasons. He’s the only one who can save this world. I believe he’s worthy. But if you need him to prove to you that he’s worthy, I’m sure he’s up to the task. You are up to the task, right, Luka?”
“This is no test!” Granberia shouted. “I have been ordered to kill the hero, and that I intend to do! He is too much of a threat to be allowed to live!”
“Oh, come off it, Granberia!” I shot back. “You’re no killer. That’s all rumor! I know who you really are! And I think deep down, you know who I am. Tell me with a straight face that you don’t know about our connection!”
I was gambling. I knew that it was quite possible that Granberia wasn’t getting anything, as three of the spirits and two of the Knights had. But I had a hunch. Granberia had been too close to me. She HAD to have felt something when she saw me!
“I have only seen you once!” she shouted. “At the coliseum! You humiliated me there! But I have trained! I have learned spells specifically designed to counter your abilities! As much as I would love to cross swords with you in honorable battle, I have my orders.”
“Granberia,” I pleaded. “I know you’re not a killer. I know you love me, even if you don’t know why. Please, Granberia, don’t make me fight you right now. In fact, you should join me! Together, nothing can stop us!”
“Shut up!” Granberia yelled, swinging her sword at me savagely.
I was ready for her to attack at any time, so I blocked her initial strike with ease, but she kept coming, swinging harder and with more determination than I’d ever seen. Each blow made my arm vibrate painfully. I became convinced that she really intended to kill me. I had no choice but to fight back with everything I had.
That I did, summoning all but Undine, since I knew that within the flow I was never a match for Granberia. Granberia responded by using her fire expertise, her sword bursting into flame. She continued her brutal attack, but was pacing herself, knowing that I would not be able to keep the spirits up for long. The spirits were powerful, but they were a shortcut. Granberia could keep her fire powers up much longer than I could keep the spirits up, because the spirits were expending most of the energy on my behalf. And Sylph and Gnome especially tired quickly, being low on combat experience.
Using the short time I had to the best advantage, I counterattacked whenever I saw an opportunity, deep slashes appearing on Granberia’s body wherever she wasn’t wearing armor. Her natural scales were not a hindrance to Angel Halo, but her magical armor was impervious to its sealing magic. I was used to that, so focused my attacks on her limbs and the small areas of her body that weren’t protected. Against normal swords, her scales were unscratchable. Against Angel Halo, they took a beating.
It wasn’t enough. With a roar, Granberia came at me harder than ever once she sensed that Sylph and Gnome were tiring. I didn’t have to be able to read magic to know that she was commanding her great sword Ares to kill. Due to her determination, it didn’t seem as if my hits had weakened her at all. I had to hold out. Adrenaline could only take her so far. Eventually, she had to start giving into Angel Halo’s magic. I could see her energy leaking from the wounds. But she was so strong! I would have to hit her many more times to defeat her.
When I saw the footwork for Vaporizing Rebellion Sword, I reacted instinctively, blasting her with my power. As much as I loved her, I would never let her hit me with that, even at the risk of killing her. I needn’t have worried. Her first magical countermeasure was up, a crystal shield that shattered as it took the brunt of my blast, but didn’t knock her back in the slightest. It had interrupted her big move, at least. The battle raged on.
I was growing tired. I had never had Granberia’s endurance. I’d always beaten her with a “killing” blow in sparring sessions within the first thirty minutes, or I lost. She had gone five hours with Neris before she had tired, fighting Neris to a draw. I didn’t know how long I’d been fighting, but it felt like an hour. Granberia, on the other hand, could have battled most of the night. I took a chance. I tried Death Sword Chaos Star. I scored two hits but the rest were parried or dodged. I hit her with even more power. An even larger magical crystal shield materialized to take the impact.
This was the power of a Heavenly Knight determined to win. On paper, I was better than Granberia. Even if she could beat me at swordplay, which she usually did, my power was capable of obliterating her. But once she knew that, she developed countermeasures. No mere musclehead, Granberia was using her mind to defeat a more powerful opponent. If I didn’t do something she didn’t know about, I was doomed.
My only chance was Quadruple Giga, a technique I hadn’t used since our first battle. I’d never been good at it. I knew I had to get good quickly. I had to somehow put all the elements into my sword while fighting. It should have been impossible. But maybe if I had a little help. After all, I’d let them all rest for the last fifteen minutes while I fought to stay alive under Granberia’s onslaught.
“Guys!” I said in my mind. “Do you remember that technique you used to all do together with Heinrich? Quadruple Giga?”
“That’s a good idea!” Salamander exclaimed. “Do it!”
“That’s the thing,” I said, barely avoiding a Demon Skull Beheading attempt by Granberia. “I’m really bad at it. Only did it once in battle, and my opponent allowed me to set it up. I can’t do it unless you guys help. Is there any way that you four can put your power into my sword and keep it stable, while I do the fighting?”
“That’s not how it’s done!” Salamander replied. “But maybe…. If it’s your only chance to survive, and I think it is, we have to try! Sylph, do it! Infuse your power into Luka’s sword!”
“Here goes nothing!” Sylph yelled as I felt the power of wind enter Angel Halo. Granberia sensed it as well, giving one hundred and twenty percent effort to kill me. Somehow, no matter how hard she battled, she could always pour on a little extra.
Gnome said nothing as she went next. I was getting worried. Even though the spirits were doing it for me, the sword felt slightly unstable, making my technique less precise, which could be fatal. And there were still two more spirits to go.
Undine infused the power of water into my sword. Granberia figured out exactly what I was doing and began to use all the special sword techniques she knew that she could get off quickly. She hit me once, then again. Since I wasn’t the one having to concentrate on the Quadruple Giga technique, it didn’t stop it. I just had to hold out a little longer….
“Hurry, Salamander!” Sylph said. “I can’t…. hold it together!”
Gnome nodded her agreement, beads of sweat on her brow. Undine seemed untroubled, but she had only just placed her power into my sword. Salamander poured her fire into my sword. It was ready!
The timing couldn’t have been better. Granberia had made one last desperate attempt to stop me with a strike meant to cleave me in half. It was too wild to have a chance to hit me unless I was already out of it. I jumped back to avoid it, then raised my sword to hit her with my ultimate technique. She got her sword up easily to block it, but I knew it would do her no good. The impact would finish her, and best yet, it shouldn’t kill her. My sword came down.
Both of us had expected something spectacular. All that happened was my sword clanged harmlessly against hers. She looked at our crossed swords, as surprised as me.
“I’m so sorry, Luka!” Sylph cried. “I couldn’t hold on! I’m so weak! I’ve failed you!”
I wanted to say that it was okay, that she had done the best she could. But Granberia’s sword was already arcing towards me, and I had nothing left. It wasn’t even a special technique. She didn’t need one. A fearsome cut nearly disemboweled me. I landed on the ground, defeated, just like the previous time.
No, not just like last time. This time, she would kill me. Not for the first time, I faced imminent death at the hands of someone I loved. This was not a betrayal. I was now convinced that Granberia had no idea who I was. It wasn’t her fault. She was doing her duty. I forgave her. I waited for the finishing blow. I was face down, so I couldn’t see. Maybe that would be a mercy. She was an efficient swordswoman. She knew well enough how to kill, she just didn’t because she always willed her sword to not kill. Maybe I wouldn’t feel a thing.
I felt her sword impale me. I couldn’t even scream. Her great sword had punctured a lung. I was sure it had also obliterated my heart. How was I not dead? Oh, God, I thought. The sword is a reflection of her will. She’s conflicted. She can’t strike a killing blow.
Her next blow cleaved my skull. I should have been instantly killed, but I wasn’t. The pain was unbearable. I wanted to beg Granberia to stop, but I couldn’t speak. Could she turn me into hamburger and I could somehow still be conscious? The thought was terrifying. Just let me die! I pleaded silently to whoever would listen.
“Granberia, stop!” Salamander exclaimed, bursting out of me. The other three spirits quickly followed suit.
“Stand aside!” Granberia said huskily. I could hear the indecision in her. She was hating what she was doing to me.
“At least use another weapon, child!” Salamander urged. “That sword is a reflection of your will. You’re conflicted! You can strike him with that sword a thousand times and he won’t die, because deep down you don’t want to kill him! Use your knife!”
“Better yet, how about NOT killing him!?” Sylph cried.
“I can sense your turmoil,” Undine said. “You don’t want to do this.”
“Luka was right that you’re no killer, Granberia!” Salamander said. “How can you support a Mosnter Lord who doesn’t even know that about you! You never served her before! You’ve always served Alipheese the Sixteenth! She would never ask you to do this!”
Granberia hesitated. Either that, or she was reaching for her knife, I couldn’t tell which since I couldn’t see, or move to be able to see. Finally, she sighed.
“You’re right, old teacher,” she said. Was she crying? “I have done a horrible thing. I’ve been cruel in ways I never would have thought myself capable of. I am taking down the barrier as we speak. Get the hero help. He is at no risk of dying, despite his grievous wounds. Take him to his friends who can heal him and he will be fine, in time.”
“What will you do?” Salamander asked.
“I am going to confront Alipheese the Fifteenth and demand that she explain herself. None of this makes sense to me. If I do not like her explanation…. I don’t know what I’ll do. Now go! Can’t you see the boy is in pain!?”

Together, the spirits carried me out of there and back to the Pocket Castle. I still couldn’t see my own condition. I didn’t even get out of the foyer. Sonya and Ilias were already working on me, their voices not comforting in the slightest.
“Holy shit, his head is split open!” ilias cried. “How are his brains still in there!?”
“Forget his brains!” Sonya shouted. “This cut in his stomach should have his intestines spilling out! There’s no way he should have survived these wounds! I don’t even know where to start!”
“Do the heart cavity first!” Ilias instructed. “I’ll work on his head! And for my sake, give him something to put him out!”
“I’ve got him!” I heard Promestein say, then felt a needle pierce my arm. The pain finally ended and I fell blissfully into oblivion.
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Luka's Story-Paradox