C48: Ambition

"But now... We have a choice. We have a future to look forward to. I am here to guide you to it."

Upon hearing this, Alan raised his head. "A future? Does it matter now... My life's miserable, and even in this life... I'm powerless —"

"SHHH! Dummy! Don't give me that!? You have a bright future! You're the king! You're destined!" Liana tried to encourage him, but Alan looked away.

"I'm king? Are you serious? Look at this..." Alan raised his hand and wished to show her his destiny.

From his arm, the words appeared.

[Survivor] It read.

However, Liana did not get relieved upon hearing his words. She was always like that. If she wanted him to do something, she would make him do it no matter what the cost.

"HMPH! Either you do it, or... Or! AHHH!!!" She yelled out. She didn't even have anything to do to convince him.

Hit him? Slap him? Nothing...

Upon seeing her sorrowful expression, and hearing her scream, Alan felt utterly sad.

"Haha... Here, I'll slap me." Alan chuckled, slapping his own face.

Upon seeing this, Liana chuckled too.

"Aw... You're the same person, I met a few hundred years ago, you know. Deep inside. I've been meddling with your thoughts for all this long, and finally... I can understand you better." She chuckled.

"Oh? Can you, now!? Haha..." Alan stood up, gobbling. "I wish I could share my embrace with you, my princess."

"Right back at you, my prince." Liana winked at him, getting back to her feet too.

Both of them stood face to face with each other, on the flowing water. Their bodies were so close, but they couldn't even touch each other.

However, their love for each other remained in their hearts.

"So... What is this ambition you speak of, love? However... I do not have enough mana to oppose the chosen ones. I know what you're trying to say, Liana. You're trying to make me king again."

He was right. There was no he could be a king like this. He wasn't even a chosen one. (A person who had been destined for the place of Monarch... One with the destiny to become king)

Alan looked down at the water, at his reflection. Even though Liana looked the same, he wasn't.

"No... Alan. Battle of the Monarchs is some cheap crap for you. Finding a path is hard. And the villain here is someone who had been plotting this for years, someone close to us... Very close, although I do not know who."

Alan instantly started to wonder about this. 'Close to us?'

Come to think of it... He did have many people close to him, even though all of them grew apart from him after Liana's death.

"And... What about my powers? I am powerless... I am useless." Alan said, shrugging.

Liana raised her eyebrow upon hearing this. "Oh, are you? Are you helpless... Don't you have comrades out there, who already have feelings for you? Don't you have infinite soul power, enough to perform such a powerful slash, even though it's only once? So, tell me... Lu. Are you really, powerless?"

Alan narrowed his eyes. "Even if I got them... They won't let me become king." Just when Alan said this, it reminded me of the moment when he first made love to Winry.

'The only hope for us elves... She said. But... Does she wants me to become the king?' Alan asked himself. 'Does Elijah wants me to become king...?'

"Shh! I'm not finished yet, dum dum!" Liana shushed him.

"I... Have a new power for you. A new power that can awaken a new you, or the old you... I don't know. It may hurt, seeing you make love to all of those girls throughout those years, but... it feels like nothing now!" She chuckled.

Alan felt hurt upon hearing this. "I –"

"Nope... I know. It's embarrassing... But honestly, you're too good in bed no matter who the woman was... HMPH! They don't deserve you as I do!" She winked at him, and this made Alan feel ashamed.

'Goddamn pain.' He thought.

"Also, what is this new power?"

"Oh... Almost forgot. It is a very, very, very rare power. But I didn't expect anything less from my most overpowered babe in the whole world. And I mean, not just on the battlefield... But on the bed too, hehe."

Alan gave off an annoyed expression. "Seriously... Something had changed within the time you were stuck in my head —" Alan paused.

'Oh. No wonder she was messed up! It's my head!'

"Hmm? You know, Lu. I can hear your thoughts too. A trait of this real bad curse," she chuckled. "Now now... Let's go to the power. The power you will inherit is called, 'Heart Stealer.' And when you inherit this power..." she breathed before blurting it out.

"... You will be able to steal a heart from any girl who even has the slightest liking to you. But... Not by your sheer will. The power will only take effect when both of your feelings are conjured. The slightest feeling would make her fall for you and also, connect to you. With the shared feelings, your desires become hers. There are many effects but... You have an idea, right?"

Alan winced upon hearing this. "Uhh... You want me to catch a thousand girls and make a powerful army out of them?"

Liana smiled at him bitterly, as if saying sorry for him.

Sigh... Alan sighed, shaking his head. However, he did not like to refuse his wife's request for him. He wanted to do something she wanted... One last time at least.

However, loving another few hundred girls was just out of the question when his wife is gazing at everything he does from within him.

"And hurt you a thousand more times? Make you cry? Make you —"

"SHUSH! Idiot!! You do not get to decide that... Fate led me here, and the world needs you to do this right now! I won't let you go back... I'll make you do this no matter what!? I'm willing to sacrifice anything for you! I — I'm gonna show the world how much I love you!!"

Alan was speechless upon hearing this. But, he did not expect anything less from his first love.

Alan looked into her eyes and smiled. "At the end of the day... I just have to say, I love you too."

Tears fell from her like the falls of Riverria. She looked beautiful even when she cried. Alan wanted to embrace her but he had no chance to do that.

"Thank you, my love. I always loved you, Lu... You knew that! Hmph! And... I want you to save this kingdom, no matter what the cost. So, please... Do this... For me."

Alan closed his eyes, and after hearing those words, he can only remember the time when she asked him that one thing.

***

"If you want my love, you'll have to do anything I want... So, will you?" Young Liana asked from him, leaning against an enormous white pillar near the castle steps.

"Oh? Of course."

The princess smirked upon hearing this.

Then, she turned to Lucas and winked. "First, you'll have to catch me. Then, kiss me, all over my body... Slide your lips down my breasts, fill my cups with your hardened hands... Then, finally, push me down, strip me the way I want you to, and make love to me..."

Lucas's jaw dropped upon hearing this. A low class like him?? Making love to the princess??

"But I'm a... Low-class man? How can I –"

"Shush! If you can't follow my orders... I'll behead you, darling... And I'll only give you 5 more seconds to make up your mind."

"Wha..." Gobbling in fear, Lucas looked around to see if anyone was there.

Liana winked at him, and slowly stepped away to the door of the castle, raising her hand and gesturing him to come towards her with a finger.

"Jeez... I'm gonna lose my job, princess!"

Even then... Even if Lucas was just a poor knight in the King's Vanity, the princess loved him, made him fall in love with her, and gave him the chance to become king.

Alan still loved her, just like back then when he was Lucas. Well... Why not do anything she wants then? She only desired what was good for him... So why not follow her selfish request once more?

Shaking his head, he looked into her eyes. "I'll do this, my love. For you..."

Liana raised her eyebrow at him and said, "HMPH! You better!"

Alan chuckled.

"Well... You have to do one more thing... We need 15 souls. You only got a few last time when you defeated that river ghost, so do get souls to break this domain and get me out... Only then will our power be activated."

"Sure thing, ma'am," Alan said, amusingly.

"Hmph... Good."

Suddenly, a voice boomed in the utterly white domain.

"Wake up, Alan... We're in Horne. Get up!" It was Winry's voice, booming through the domain.

"Mmm... The Shadow Phoenix is calling, I'll see you in the real world next time... Please Alan, do gain 15 souls as soon as you can. I want to look at your new body from the outside."

Chuckling, Alan said, "Jeez, woman. You need some recovery. My mind is no place for a woman."

"Oh? Hmph! Mine was worse," she winked, snapping her fingers. As she faded away, she told him one more thing, "By the way, Winry is cute and sexy... I like her."

'Eh?'

The whole domain disappeared and instantly, Alan opened his eyes in the real world once more.