William and Cathy talked about many things. But, most of them were about the present. The Virtuous Lady of Hope listened to the Half-Elf's worries, so that he could unload the uneasiness in his heart. When everything was done, the two went to take a bath together so that he could cool himself and relax. "Feeling better?" Cathy asked as she wrapped her arms around William's neck. "A lot better," William replied. "Thank you, Cathy." Whenever he was with Cathy, William found a sort of peace that was hard to describe. Perhaps it was because of her Divinity that represented Hope, the Half-Elf could instinctively feel that even though the future was filled with hardships, a chance still existed. "Mmm," Cathy pressed her lips over William's as the latter wrapped his arms around her body. She had already said that she wouldn't make love to him because she respected Priscilla's, Vesta's, and Pearl's wishes, but that didn't mean that she would not kiss him. Unlike William's passionate kisses with his wife, Lilith, or the soft and gentle kisses he shared with Chiffon, Cathy's kiss was like the kiss of first love. It was a very difficult feeling to explain. Having so many women, William had kissed all of them, and yet, when he kissed Cathy, it tasted so sweet, as if it was his first time kissing a girl. A few minutes later, Cathy raised her body, and pressed the Half-Elf's face to her chest. "It is going to be a while before we see each other, so make sure to drink until you're satisfied," Cathy said softly. "Tomorrow, you and the others will return to Hestia, and ask for Maple's and Cinnamon's help to go to the top floor of the Tower of Babylon. Only take Celeste with you, or you won't get to see the God of Familiars. Perhaps he holds the key to be able to complete your soul, so you will be whole once again." "How long till I see you again?" William inquired. "Patience, My Love," Cathy replied as she gently patted William's head. "Just as the sun will give way to the night, and the seasons change, we will reunite when the time is right. Until then, keep me close in your heart, always." William kissed Cathy's right breast, which was as white as cream, and aching for his love. After that, he sank his fangs into those tender hills and drank slowly, savoring each drop. Deep inside Cathy's Sea of Consciousness, all the ladies writhed because of the profound pleasure that washed over their bodies. Erinys, Anh, Haleth, were already accustomed to this sensation, but it still made them unable to prevent the soft sighs of pleasure that escaped their lips. The ones that were affected the most were Priscilla, Amelia, Pearl, and Vesta, most of whom had never had the opportunity of having their blood drunk by the Half-Elf. Back then, William had sunk his fangs into Pearl after he fought her, when she failed to kidnap Charmaine from him. But, this incident had only happened once. The Elf had already forgotten how that feeling almost drove her crazy in the past, and now, she was reliving the same experience, making her unable to tell which direction was left or right. Time seemed to move painfully slow, as William drank Cathy's blood, while the latter brushed his hair, urging him to drink to his fill. He had thought about it in the past, but out of all the ladies he had drunk blood from so far, Cathy's was the best tasting of them all. Also, her blood supply seemed endless. No matter how much William had drank back in the Deadlands, the mischievous lady was still lively, despite having drank several liters of her blood non-stop. As William enjoyed the sweetness that Cathy brought him, her humming, which resembled a lullaby, reached his ears, making him feel sleepy, like a baby who had finished eating his meal. —-------- Sunlight peeked inside the room, and touched the cheek of the Half-Elf who was currently lying in bed, making him slowly open his eyes. He couldn't remember how he ended up in the bedroom. All that he could recall was the time when he was in the bathtub with Cathy, and the latter was humming him a lullaby. But, no matter how sleepy William was, it all went away when he saw the scene that he found himself in. Vesta was hugging his head like a pillow, as she slept above him. Priscilla was sleeping on his left side, and resting her head on his chest, while her arm rested on his waist. Amelia's head was resting on his abdomen, and her soft sleeper breaths was fanning the little guy who was standing tall and proud, ready to rumble at any given time as long as William wished it. Pearl slept on his right side, hugging his arm, which was pressed against her voluptuous breasts. But, that was not all. William's hand was buried between her thighs, touching her… It was the formula for trouble, and the Half-Elf's heart sank, knowing that this was a veeeeeeery elaborate setup to give him a wonderful start to his day. Haleth, Erinys, and Anh, were all sleeping properly on the other side of the bed, with the two ladies hugging Erinys in the middle, as if she was something precious. 'Sh*t,' William thought. He could already tell that the mischievous lady of Hope was the one that had set him up, giving him one last prank before leaving. The red-headed teenager wouldn't have minded if the ones holding him were his lovers. However, the ones who were by his side were the ladies who weren't part of his harem, and one of them even wanted him dead in the past. Left with no choice, the Half-Elf consulted the one person that wouldn't betray him. 'Optimus. Do you have a way to…' < Will, don't raise flags. You already know what happens when you ask such a thing. > As if proving him right, Pearl's eyelashes fluttered before slowly opening. She gazed sleepily at William who was looking back at her with a calm expression on his face. Since he was already riding the tiger's back, he decided to go all the way. As the famous saying goes. "People die when they are killed." (A/N: All credits go to Shirou.) "... What?" Pearl's eyes widened in shock when she noticed what she was hugging, and where William's hand was touching. "I know that you won't believe me, but I still have to say it," William said with the most gentlemanly smile he could give. "Last night was amazing." That was the last thing that William said before the entire bed shook, and the sleeping ladies by his side were awakened due to Pearl's earth-shattering scream.