ตอน 61: Motivating Threats
Chapter 61. Motivating Threats
Harry flew in through the tower window, a pained expression painted over his face.
The death of Illiniya had shaken him to his core, making him second-guess his decision and forcing him to ask the same questions again and again. Was he right in granting her suicidal request? Should he have tried to change her mind instead? Should he have tried pulling her from the depths of despair and hatred? Should he have given her a reason to live again?
But the quest was marked as complete. Did that mean there was no way to save her? Did that mean she was destined to die here all alone after so much suffering and loneliness? Should he even trust his gamer system for moral decisions? This wasn't the first time it had suggested him to do questionable things. Then again, the system had merely approved of his judgement, it never told him to stab her in the chest.
Was his choice to end her life the correct option? He couldn't say. While he felt he did the right thing, he didn't know if it was the right thing.
Iris was quick to close the distance between them. And he welcomed her warm embrace, perching his chin over her shoulder and breathing in her soothing scent. She squeezed him reassuringly. And it worked, causing him to relax and let go of the complicated questions.
What was done was done; there was no use scrutinising it over and over.
As her daughter consoled Harry, Lily stepped beside him and gently rubbed his back, frowning at his downcast mood.
This quest completely caught them off guard, turning their world upside down. They came here to save the last living elf, thinking she needed their help and assuming that she was trapped here for the amusement of some villain.
They had expected a powerful foe who would try to kill them, who would be their biggest obstacle.
What they hadn't expected was that the last elf not being some damsel in distress. She was never in need of saving. Far from it, she was an experienced killer who'd tried to murder Daphne, her own blood, her own family. She herself was the villain here. Then again, if what she had said about her 'husband' Klaus Atros was true, then her misplaced hatred was unsurprising.
"What happened? Where is she?" Daphne spoke up, moving towards them, her voice hoarse and barely audible.
Harry froze at the desperate look in her eyes, hating being the bearer of bad news.
"She requested that I take her life. She's dead," he replied honestly, pulling away from his sister and approaching her.
Daphne sucked in a sharp breath, her watery eyes widening. Her lips quivered, and she bit her lip, trying not to cry. But as he wrapped his arms around her, she lost the battle and wept for the death of her last remaining ancestor. She sobbed for the wretched woman who looked like her mother and who shattered her blissful ignorance and cursed her with bitter truth.
She wished she could write off her accusations as mere lies. But the hatred and the pain inside Illiniya Greengrass were real and almost tangible. The weight of her anger had been suffocating, almost leaving her breathless.
Against her will, she was forced to witness the glorious picture of her noble ancestors ripped into pieces. For someone like her, who took great pride in her name and the deeds of her forefathers, it was a massive blow to her identity and to her conscience. It made her face the ugly truth and cast off the pretty illusion. It smacked her in the face and woke her from her delusions.
Would she even survive this truth? Would she ever be able to use the name Greengrass without breaking into tears?
She didn't know.
It was true, wasn't it? That history was written by victors?
The very man she worshipped as a hero of his era, the one who she admired the most, the one who started the Greengrass line after going on a grand voyage, turned out to be just another cruel barbarian who didn't care for the cost of his desires. She wondered what else was fabricated by the biased historians to show themselves as chivalrous heroes when, in reality, they were anything but that. Were the heroes really heroes? Were the villains really villains? Was the truth really truth?
"Let's go back," Harry said softly, caressing her head.
And she mutely nodded, her turbulent thoughts coming to an abrupt halt.
First, he teleported his mum home. Then the trio went back to the second Room in Hogwarts.
As Harry began saying something, trying to muster up comforting words, she placed a light kiss on his lips, effectively stopping him. "Don't worry. I'm fine. I just need some time alone to reflect on what happened."
With that said, she moved away from him and hurried out of the Room, seeking the comfort and solitude of her bed. Though she knew her suggestion wouldn't be heeded, Harry was going to worry nonetheless. But for the moment, she couldn't do anything more to reassure him. As her sorrow tried to drown her in its overpowering melancholy and as the cracks began forming on the dam holding in her emotions, she wasn't able to spare him any more thoughts.
"She'll be fine. We'll be there for her when she's done loathing herself." Iris squeezed his shoulder, staring solemnly at the door.
Harry pressed his lips in a thin line. "I wish she didn't have to go through this."
"It's a necessary process, however much we hate it. Daphne needs to let go of her pride and accept that the people she revered were slavers and abusers. She needs to accept that she's not special because she was born into the Greengrass family. It's something we can't help her with."
"I know. I just wish it hadn't come to this."
Iris took him to the sofa and made him sit beside her before pulling his head against her, cradling his face against her chest, and fondly combing his hair. "Sometimes people need to suffer to evolve. You should know that."
Harry was unable to counter that, having himself gone through many sufferings to become what he had become. While his twin's death was the darkest moment in his life, it had made him open his eyes and stop treating life as a game. He had grown considerably more mature and serious after that. So yes, he knew suffering was sometimes required to progress forward. But Daphne had suffered enough in his eyes; he couldn't help trying to coddle her and spare her this misery. That was why he hadn't revealed the true identities of those mindless monsters to her, not wanting to see her break any more.
Knowing that she needed something to distract him, Iris said, "You got the 'World Jumper' Perk, didn't you? When are you planning to visit the alternate world to meet the other Daphne and Tracey? Because when you do, I want to accompany you. I need to thank them for taking care of you in my absence."
Harry's sad smile turned fond at the mention of his friends, the two women who had acted as his elder sisters and offered him sanctuary in a foreign place. But his smile disappeared slowly. "It'll take time. Currently, I can jump to other worlds, but it would be random. I won't be able to control where I go until I'm level 10,000. I'll have to wait a couple of more years before I can use it properly and reunite with them."
"That's annoying."
"It is." He sighed, closing his eyes and resting his cheek on her bosom. Her breasts were soft and pillowy, and he could almost hear her heartbeats. So he pressed his ear further against her left breast and counted the rhythmic thumpings, the unimportant task consuming all his attention.
Usually, he would already be in the process of taking off her clothes and touching her entrancing body. But at the moment, all he desired was to get pampered by his twin and forget about his grim affairs.
Iris didn't disappoint, and she ran her fingers through his hair while holding him close.
~xXxXx~
The days following that could only be described as awkward and tense.
Daphne hadn't gotten out of her blue funk and remained morose, worrying her friends. Especially Astoria and Tracey. The latter at least knew the reason, but Astoria didn't even know that and was left to guess what happened to make her sister so sad and quiet. And while Daphne had never been the talkative one of the group, her silence had never been so cheerless before.
Harry tried to talk to Daphne many times, but she always pushed him away, saying she needed some time alone.
Astoria was seeing all these, and her anger kept on mounting. Though instead of exploding like she usually did, she suppressed it, not wanting to fight her and adding more concern to her plate when she was already so down.
But Harry knew that she would erupt any day. And he could only hope it wouldn't be too bad when it happened.
Presently, he focused on the task at hand.
Eos' breathy moan sure enough halted his line of thought.
The bed squeaked beneath them as she slammed down on his mast and moistened it with her release. Her trembling form did funny things to her large, round tits, which he was currently holding, his thumbs digging into her areolas.
This was their last session. And she was taking full advantage of it. She had already climaxed three times in the last hour but showed no sign of fatigue. It seemed she was going to squeeze every ounce of pleasure from this. And since it was night, she had more than enough time to enjoy this arrangement to the fullest.
Harry wouldn't be able to have sex with his twin tonight, which left an oddly disconcerting feeling since he couldn't remember not sleeping together since they returned to Hogwarts. It was a happy ritual that he wanted to continue for all eternity. He didn't think the feel of her warm body clinging to him while they slept would ever get stale. Alas, due to his obligation and the deal he had made, he'd have to spend his night here.
He should probably stop thinking about his sister when Eos was trying to push him over the edge.
Dragging his hands down from her breasts and clutching her waist, he spurted inside her and coloured her walls white, spilling the entirety of his semen into her.
She smirked down at him, grinding her crotch against his for a few more seconds, squeezing in every last drop before tumbling off to the side face-first. Scooting closer, she cuddled into his side, kissing his cheek and throwing her arm over his chest.
"What're you thinking? I noticed you were gone for a minute. And that's rude when a beautiful woman is bouncing on your cock."
"Beautiful woman? I don't see any beautiful women here."
He let out a shocked laugh as she tickled his side. "Hey! No tickling!"
"That's what you get for calling me ugly." Her dark eyes gleamed in amusement as he suddenly grabbed her hands and got on top of her, pinning them over her head. She didn't fight and allowed him to restrain her, shaking her chest alluringly.
"Let's hear my favourite song." He grinned, distracting her by lightly smacking her sensitive nether lips, not wanting to explain the drama with Daphne.
She flinched and groaned out his name, and it only got louder when he penetrated her once again. Leaning down, he captured her lips between his and kissed her roughly while kneading her boobs with his other hand.
Eos noticed that he didn't answer her question but didn't call him out, understanding that he didn't want to talk about it. And she wasn't a pushy woman who wanted to know every gossip.
It was telling that she didn't get surprised when he stopped kissing her and clamped his mouth on her teat instead. And soon enough, he was gulping down her milk and simultaneously pounding her pussy with his cock. That had been weird the first time, but it had gotten progressively sexier.
She had realised that something was wrong with Harry when his biggest kink was drinking older women's milk while fucking them. She gathered that it was some psychological problem or something. Maybe his mother hadn't breastfed him enough when he was a child, and he had developed this quirk as a result. That could be a viable reason. Or maybe there was no real reason for this madness, and he was just a deviant. She couldn't know.
Though she wanted to know if he was fucking his mother too, along with his sister and aunt? Because that would be so hot. Having sex with your own mother, penetrating the same womb where you were made while feeding on her tits at the same time, mixing maternal love with unbridled lust, broke so many taboos that she couldn't find anything spicier.
Maybe she would let her son—if she ever had one—fuck her too. The image of a beautiful teenage boy railing into her while chanting 'mum' was too much, and she gushed out, trembling from head to toe, showering his dick with her release, her body writhing and squirming from sensation overload.
He shot her an amused look, surprised at how quickly she came. "It hasn't been even a minute."
Instead of answering, she demanded, "Call me mum while fucking me."
"What?"
"Don't ask questions. Just call me mum! And start moving your hips!"
He was expectedly taken aback by her frantic voice, but he conceded. "Okay, mum."
She groaned in bliss and shuddered in anticipation.
Not wanting to disappoint her, he resumed his thrusting and moaned 'mum' every now and then. It was definitely weird, but he didn't think he had any right to judge when he himself was so twisted. And well, he wouldn't lie; banging her while calling her 'mum' made the sex hotter and more fulfilling.
~xXxXx~
A couple hours later, the two were lying on their sides, satiated for the moment and admiring each other's bodies.
She made an appreciative moan as he caressed her jaw and rubbed her cherry-red lips with his thumb, examining how something could be so eye-catching. It wasn't just her perfectly curvy body that was arresting; even her lips seemed perfect to look at and touch. Honestly, every inch of her body was perfected to a T.
He kind of felt proud for having lasted so long before jumping into bed with her. And even then, it was more to respect the deal they made than to indulge in her body. But now that he thought about it carefully, he wouldn't mind having her in his harem and indulge in sex whenever he wanted.
"I've got a proposition for you," Harry said, cupping the side of her face and planting a rough kiss on her mouth.
Her lips slightly parted, and a whine escaped her as he craned his head away before she could start snogging him. She shoved him onto his back and climbed on top of him, trailing a wet trail down his stomach as her vulva dragged down until it buried his semi-hard cock underneath it.
His eyes burned with lust, the heat and the moisture of her labia causing him to harden instantly.
"Tell me what it is." She lay atop him, her face buried in the crook of his neck, as she used her mouth to leave markings on his skin. He winced a little when her teeth dug in a little too deep.
Ignoring the pleasurable sting, he combed her hair, not minding that he was sunken under her weight. The way her round breasts were flattened against his chest and the way his erection throbbed beneath her crotch were enough compensation. "Since this is the last session and we've realised that we're smitten with each other's bodies, I was wondering if you'd be up for a different arrangement."
She stilled at the offer to continue this and sat up, her mouth curving up as he accidentally slid inside her. Taking a moment to swallow him whole, she placed her palms on his muscled chest and clenched around his girth to show her enthusiasm at the offer. "What will it entail?"
"Nothing complex," he grunted, the pleasant wet heat of her inner walls distracting him too much. "You'll just have to stop sleeping with others and become mine. If you do that, I'll promise to cherish and protect you."
She froze once again and frowned at him. "That sounds awfully like you want to court me."
He shook his head. "Nothing like that. I don't love you. Not yet. It's just a deal to make me more comfortable about sleeping with you."
She smiled softly, knowing that he was basically telling her that he might fall in love with her in the future if she became exclusively his. "You should know me better by now. Even absolute pleasure is not more important than freedom for me. This deal of yours will tie me to you. And it's not a viable option for me considering my plans."
Harry wasn't really surprised by her rejection, having known her deep fear of entrapment. But he had hoped she might have grown out of it. Apparently not. "Oh? What are these plans?"
A giddy smile took over her face, and she resumed moving, grinding her bottom against his groin instead of bouncing on it like she did before. "I want to explore the other side of the world. Usually, I'd start with Europe and move towards the Americas. But since Tom already did that and left me with his memories, I want to do something different. I'll start with the African continent before moving to Asia. The ancient Chinese and Indian civilizations must have left quite a treasure trove of knowledge behind them. I want to unravel the secrets of the past. And I really need a hobby other than sex if I want to enjoy my eternal life."
He grabbed hold of her plump arse and dug in his fingers, dissatisfied by the lack of movement. But instead of sawing into her with long, fluid thrusts, he paid attention to her words. And the revelation of her eternal life was not something he hadn't seen coming. Her body was made by the Creator, after all. She'd only die if someone killed her. She was immune to the ravages of time and disease.
"When are you going away?"
"After the conclusion of this year. Now you see why I can't tie myself to anyone? I'm never going to settle down and grow old. My long life will be an adventure, with various friends joining and leaving randomly. And unless you abandon your family and join me in this whimsical journey, I can't promise to be yours," She said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek fondly.
He didn't say anything for a while, just enjoying the heat and tightness of her insides as she began jumping up and down, finally freeing him from the torture of slow grinding.
He wanted to wish her luck, but his last quest weighed heavily on his mind.
QUEST:
– Kill Voldemort.
REWARD:
– 10,000 XP
– Perk [?]
~xXxXx~
A week later, Harry was taken aback by the appearance of a smiling Daphne. Up until now, her mood had gotten worse and worse. She had even snapped at others a couple of times. So consider him shocked when her mood did a 180.
They were sitting at the Gryffindor table for breakfast when she made her way towards them. He wasn't the only one taken aback by her small, carefree smile. It had been a while since any of them had seen her lips stretched like that.
"Good morning," she greeted him with a kiss after plopping on his side.
"Good morning," he said dubiously. Though Tracey wasn't letting this breakthrough change her routine. She kissed him too, not wanting to lag behind before taking the seat beside Daphne, not daring to ask Iris to scoot away so she could sit with Harry.
She knew they were already annoying Iris with these public displays of affection, which she couldn't afford to partake in. Asking her to move away from him would start a war, and neither Daphne nor Tracey had any doubt who'd come out on top if that happened. The two were also grateful that Astoria wasn't being as clingy anymore and allowed them to take 'her' seat.
"Looking chipper, Daphne. Did the problem you were facing finally go away?" asked Hermione, feeling relieved that there wasn't any awkwardness in the group anymore. These past days had been increasingly trying, as she felt they were walking on eggshells whenever Daphne was around.
"Yes. Astoria and Tracey helped me tackle it," she answered warmly, making Astoria puff her chest.
"She was being an idiot. I kicked some sense into her." The youngest Greengrass nodded sagely, getting a head pat from Iris.
"If I recall correctly, you were crying that you wanted your big sister back. I don't think any kicking was involved." Tracey mused out loud, her lips quirking up.
Although she was thankful to the little brat. It was surprising how much influence Astoria held over her older sister. Daphne wouldn't have come around if not for the little tyke's desperate tears.
"You promised you wouldn't tell!"
They laughed as the younger girl tried and failed to look cool.
Harry simply enjoyed the cheerful atmosphere, squeezing Daphne's hand under the table. Glad that she was back to normal.
That night, he fell asleep with Iris cuddling against him. He was the big spoon and had his arms wrapped around her. A beautiful, content smile was etched over his sleeping face, but it wouldn't remain there for long.
~xXxXx~
I was standing in a circular chamber. Ahead of me lay a throne set upon a pedestal, and behind me were seven large mirrors that reflected nothing.
The confusion lasted only for a second before I realised I was in a dream. It wasn't the first time my [Dreamer] Perk plucked me from my peaceful sleep and left me stranded in glimpses of the past or future. So I didn't panic, having gotten somewhat used to it.
Knowing where to go, I strolled towards the throne, where a black-haired man sat patiently. His emerald eyes shone when his gaze fell on me. "Junior, nice to see you're doing well."
I frowned at him and stopped before the steps leading up to the throne. This sudden meeting didn't bode well for me. I could only hope it wouldn't be too bad.
There was only one throne up there, but I knew a second one would be added when I ascended to godhood. Shaking off those thoughts of grandeur, I spoke up carefully. "Why did you summon me?"
The green-eyed man leaned back on his throne, resting his head on his steepled fingers. "I just wanted to inform you of something."
"About what?"
"That the deadline has changed. Now, instead of the end of your fifth year, you've got to kill Voldemort by the end of your third year. Meaning, this year. You have only a couple of months to complete your last quest," Creator said indifferently.
I resisted the urge to scowl. "Why the sudden change?"
"Because you've proven yourself better than I'd hoped. And the old deadline would just enable you to slack off and make excuses for not finishing the quest sooner. Deadlines are great motivators. But when they are too far in the future, people become lazy and inefficient."
"But that's not fair. I worked hard, and this free time is my reward. You can't just snatch it away on a whim," I complained half-heartedly, already resigning myself to losing the argument.
Creator flashed me a mirthless smirk. "It's an unfair world, kid. If I can save you and your family from becoming entertainment in some Death Eater's sex dungeon on a whim, then I can also take your privileges on a whim. Kill Voldemort by the end of your academic year, or I'll kill your family on a whim, as I'd promised. I might even have fun with them before taking their lives on a whim."
I repressed my rage and didn't summon my Black Sword, knowing I was hilariously weak before the all-powerful God. "Are the threats really necessary?"
He chuckled at the question. "Just like deadlines, threats are a good source of motivation too."
"So those were just empty words? You wouldn't hurt Iris and my mum, would you?" I asked. I mean, how could he do that when he had his own mother and sister? Wouldn't it be impossible for him to hurt my family when they had the same faces and voices as his dead ones?
He scratched his chin before shrugging. "Do you really want to test that? Just kill Voldemort and proceed forward to the next step in your goal to become my equal. Why worry needlessly if I'll torture your family or not, unless you're planning to fail?"
"I am not. I'll become your equal."
"Good. Any questions before I send you back?"
I wetted my lips and met his impassive gaze. "Hypothetically speaking, what if I want to give up my gamer system but not lose what I've gained by now? Like, what if I want to remain a level 1000 Death Knight with all the Perks and the Skills but lose the ability to grow any stronger?"
Well, that had been running through my mind a lot. I thought I was powerful enough by now. There wasn't really any need to become stronger if I didn't want to become a God. With my current strength, I was unarguably the most powerful mage on the planet. This recent idea to abandon my system had taken root because the thought of hurting Eos to proceed further didn't sit right with me. She had become my friend, and I'd stopped seeing her as Voldemort and viewed her as a different person. Would I be able to kill her when needed? But since she was innocent, did I even need to murder her?
Creator grinned at the inquiry about giving up and said, "Not hypothetically speaking, I'll first kill your sister before going after everyone you love. Once they're all dead, I'll shove your soul into a gamer system and give it to some other Harry Potter. So, you wouldn't even reunite in the afterlife."
"Again with the threats? Seriously, you should learn how to make friends."
"But the threats did motivate you, didn't they? So I consider the tactic successful."
"Fine. I'll do something before the end of the year."
"Good. Now sleep."
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