Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

Asura remained alone after Lucia vanished into the shadows. His gaze was still watching the area where she last appeared, and he looked solemnly at her. The moment he turned away, a beautiful face appeared. "Still trying hard to make everyone happy, I see. That's my Asura, fufu." Helliana's golden eyes glistened as she stepped closer, wrapping her arm around his.

"Helia? Your body is so warm and smells amazing. Did you just bathe?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, damn pervert~ how about you come and find out?" Her alluring voice teased him, and she disappeared again into the darkness. A soft laugh echoed from the shadows, and Asura turned to face the opposite direction, where she reappeared, swaying her single black wing with a delicate flutter.

"Don't mind if I do." Asura's figure vanished, appearing behind Helliana as he grasped her by the waist and pulled her close. His face brushed along her wing, and the faint scent of shampoo and berries flowed into his nose while she quivered. "Ah... don't. It's embarrassing." Her voice was sweet as she responded, her cheeks glowing red.

"But you smell so nice. Let me brush your wing, just for a bit..." Asura became entranced. Her scent was a mixture of fresh berries and wildflowers, the aroma tickling his nostrils. The smell was enough to drive him mad while releasing a soft groan.

"O...okay... but only for a bit, alright?" Her voice trembled a little as she agreed, her face a bright cherry red.

"Only a bit. I promise." Asura could feel the smoothness of her wing as his fingers caressed the dark feathers, a pleased sigh escaping Helliana's lips. The normally strict and intelligent Helliana vanished, now replaced with the cute and lovely Helia that Asura remembered, while his fingers delicately plucked and tended to her lovely raven feathers.

Asura continued to groom the soft feathers and stroked the base of her wing while enjoying the beautiful scent flowing into his nostrils. His body relaxed while indulging in the pleasant moment before he started planting kisses at the base of her wing, listening to Helia's sighs while his hands rubbed along her sides.

"I would love to stay like this with you forever," she whispered, her voice nostalgic and painful to hear. It reminded him of their separation and the moment she sacrificed herself to save him.

Asura felt a heaviness in his heart, and he could not speak when tears streamed from his eyes. He knew he would meet her again, but that day, he felt a pain like nothing before, and he was still not ready to accept the sight of her vanishing.

Helia's face appeared, her golden eyes filled with tears. " It's okay, Asura. I am here, and it's okay..."

"I'm sorry... I'm not strong enough... not yet.."

"It's okay to be weak. I will always love you, no matter what."

"I love you too, Helia. No matter what happens, I will love you and never let you go again. Even if I must lose or suffer to protect you, I refuse to see you vanish again." Asura felt her hand wrap around his, her soft cheeks pressing against his neck while she embraced him with her arms.

"You are already strong. Your ability to love, accept, and continue to smile is a strength far greater than you may know, my beloved." Helliana smiled while her lips touched his and kissed him with a slow but passionate atmosphere, her nose taking a deep breath while sucking on his lower lip. Her body pressed against his, her long raven hair flowing through the air as she held him tight.

"Helia... I love you." Asura's eyes closed. He enveloped himself in the feeling of her warmth, scent and how she made him feel confident and complete. Though he loved all his women, no one could deny how much Helliana endured for him, through so much suffering and pain, just to help him stand where he was now.

"Who are you?" A soft but well-spoken and nostalgic voice sounded in Asura's ear. He felt nothing different because he was sure it was Helliana. So he hugged her tighter, stroking her back and hips while enjoying her scent, which became stronger and more intoxicating. "Ah...?? What!?" The soft voice let out a cute sigh when his hand reached her rump, squeezing it slightly as he always did.

'See, the same reaction... it's her.'

However, Asura felt her struggle and pull back, noticing that her hips were larger than the Helliana he knew and her chest a little smaller. That's when he opened his eyes and observed where they were.

A strange bedroom with beautiful white and golden walls, a large canopy bed with black and silver sheets and black curtains, and a beautiful white wing fluttered from the back of the woman opposite him. Her eyes were silver, with beautiful white hair and a pale complexion, yet a beauty that made Asura's chest throb.

'A white-winged Helliana?' Asura thought while looking at her. She wore a cute white nightgown, which showed a cute pair of small feet peeking from underneath the fabric covering her red face and soft expression only.

"Um, excuse me... but who are you?" Her voice was melodic and familiar, while Asura recognised the voice and felt a sense of confusion.

"I am Asura."

The moment he spoke his name, her body trembled and released an aura greater than anyone Asura had ever felt. Its gentle white aura coating him with a sense of security and power.

"No... it's impossible... you're... no.. you can't be him."

"What's wrong? I'm Asura. Have you heard of me?" Asura watched her pale expression, her eyes shifting from confusion to embarrassment before she appeared before him in a flash. "Show me your wings!" Her lovely face differed from the usual Helliana's mature beauty; she looked to be around his age instead of a little older.

Her slim figure was in excellent condition and shape, causing Asura's body to tremble with desire and his eyes to stare at her until he noticed her blushing red face.

"Uh, excuse me," Asura said before he manifested his black and white wings, which had a beautiful lustre.

Her eyes widened, darting from each wing before she looked up at him with wet eyes. Her height was slightly shorter than his.

However, her aggression vanished, replaced with only an aura of affection and delight. "You are him, right? The same Asura I have loved for so long." Her face brightened when she smiled, and Asura felt the aura radiating from her body. It was not like the Helliana he knew, and he became interested in her white wing. "I see you in my dreams, fighting a snake, a stupid prince, and some old man."

'S-She knows everything. Does she watch me while dreaming?'

"Is that so? And why do you know me?" Asura did not know what was going on, so he wanted to know if she was an enemy.

"My name is... They didn't give me one, but I know you call me Helia in the dreams—I stayed with you on your shoulder and watched you fight, struggle and grow stronger, wanting to protect you, but I can't help you in my dreams!"

Her words shocked him. He couldn't quite understand why this white-winged Helia could see the lives of him and Helliana when she slept; it felt strange, but then he wondered if the black-winged Helliana could see this girl's life when she also went to sleep.

"You mentioned someone giving you a name. Is that so? Do you know where you are and how you came to be?" Asura needed to know more about her and if she knew anything that would help him in the future.

"I don't know, but this is my room; there is nothing outside, only a void, and the moment I wake up, I'm here, alone, with practice being my daily task."

'How lonely must this girl be!'

However, before he could continue speaking, his surroundings distorted between the dark night of the hinterlands and the white walls of this girl's room. The two alternated as he felt both Helliana's hugging his body tightly.

Asura noticed the one in the hinterlands slept against his chest while the lovely Helia's eyes filled with tears.

"Don't go... please, I don't want you to leave me." Helia's words were enough to cause Asura to feel a heaviness in his chest. "It's okay. I'll always be with you... remember our promise, okay?" He gently placed his forehead against hers with a smile while reaching to place a single pair of black and white feathers in her hand.

"These feathers will not break or fade. It's a sign I was here with you."

The white-winged Helia looked at the shimmering wings, closing her hand as she looked at Asura with a conflicted look. However, she still nodded and hugged him one last time, the small racing heart in her chest echoing in Asura's ears. "I will wait for you... always."

"I swear to keep our promise." Asura's body felt light, vanishing into the shadows before the young Helia's room faded into nothingness, leaving her alone with only the pair of wings that glowed gently in her hands.

She stood alone for several minutes before her lips curled into a distorted smile. "I met him... he gave me part of himself~ he will come see me again." Helia's lips opened before she ate the two feathers, watching the feathers slowly vanish within her mouth. She looked euphoric as her gaze swept over the bedroom."I wonder if he will like how I look in this. Fufu~"

**

Asura's body felt stiff and sore as he re-entered the dark forest. His eyes were dry and heavy, as if he hadn't slept for days, and his mind felt foggy. The surrounding noise of the Hinterlands was enough to jolt him awake before he felt a soft and warm body pressing against his chest, with Helliana's lovely scent drifting into his nostrils.

"Mmm, your scent is different again, Asura," Helliana said with a lovely sigh, hugging him tightly as she woke up from her light nap. Asura watched her fluttering eyelashes, unable to understand what had really just happened.

'Was it because she fell asleep in my arms?'

He didn't know if he had met the other Helia for real or if it was just a dream until his right-hand clenched shut, feeling a soft, silky sensation. "Hmm?" Only to find a beautiful white feather inside his hand, with a sleek and velvet texture.

"What's this?" Helliana's eyes narrowed, her vision blurry before she leaned into Asura's chest, watching the small object in his palm. "Ah, whose feather is that!?" Helliana's soft body began squirming against his, and Asura's body felt the impact of Helliana's smooth body as her voice contained a trace of jealousy.

'Wait, why is she jealous?'

"Do you think it belongs to another woman?"

"Nn! I might have to beat up whoever it is. Their scent is copying mine!"

The fact that Helliana didn't recognise the feather as hers caused Asura to remain confused and unsure about that strange world and the white-winged Helia.