Ares had been placed on the floor while Bellona ran the bath. He was paying her back for countless headbutts by nudging her leg with his head, which he''d regained minimal control over, like an annoying pet.


    "Will you cut that out?! I will drown you in this bath!"


    "You would be so cruel!? I''m showing affection here!"


    Hmph


    Bellona snorted as she checked the water temperature but didn''t move her leg. "Alright, looks good. Tell me what you think." Bellona splashed Ares'' face with hot water, snickering as he yelped.


    "Hell no! Are you trying to burn me alive?!... Did you use your magic on it?! Oi! That''s cheating!"


    "Yeah, so is having multiple women in your life!"


    Splash


    Bellona had heard from Enyo that Ares wasn''t particularly fond of being labelled a cheater so she threw the term out here to mess with him. He looked shocked that the old accusation had reared its ugly head, "I will not tolerate this baseless slander! It is not cheating if you are aware of, and accept, one another! If I am a cheater, then that makes you a homewrecker!"


    "Yeah yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night."


    "You do." Ares kissed Bellona''s leg and winked at her. "Hugging you is very comfortable, you know? Are you sure you weren''t a pillow in your last life?"


    "Tsk, good things were finally coming out of your mouth and you just had to ruin it with that snarky comment at the end. Whatever, I''ll drag some politeness out of you yet."


    "Hm? How so? I''ll warn you, many have tried! Many have failed!"


    "I am not many people. I am your wife and you will obey me!"


    "Pfffft. No." Ares laughed defiantly in the face of Bellona, daring her to do her worst! It''s not like either of them were taking this conversation seriously, Ares obviously was not ever going to ''obey'' Bellona, that was ridiculous. Still, they were having fun so messing around and having dumb conversations like this was fine. At the end of the day, in this household, it was Ares > Enyo > Bellona in terms of who was able to put their foot down the hardest. Ares was head of the harem and he had appropriate say over any and all matters, it''s just that he never felt a need to take anything insignificant seriously. If he really cared about his wives jokingly pushing him around he would have put a stop to it long ago but they were harmless and not actually treating him like a pet even if they acted otherwise. The smacks, which thankfully hadn''t happened in a while (excluding Enyo''s recent one), were an excellent example of that as it was more akin to being slapped by a paper fan. It made a lot of noise, and looked real, but Ares felt basically nothing whenever they did it and that was intentional. They controlled their output to make sure they weren''t actually hurting him and Ares would never have been ok with that anyway. Only Bellona''s random punching spree had ever been acceptable and that was because he trusted Enyo when she said to just let her do it. It ended up being for the better and Blo Blo had apologised to him since so it was fine as far as Ares was concerned. He didn''t even really feel the punches anyway because, real though they were, the main intent behind them was flooring him and not causing him harm. His pride was more damaged than his body, if anything at all. Point being, it was Ares'' decision to ''allow'' the ''attitude'' that his wives were constantly demonstrating because it just made life more fun for everyone involved when they all acted like a bunch of fools. Yes he could strictly regiment everything if he really wanted to, Enyo and Bellona wouldn''t really raise a fuss, but it''s just not the sort of environment he wanted in his home. It was simply better when everyone was expressing themselves however they wanted to without fear of Ares being a spoilsport and cracking down on it. This house would not be half as lively if Ares had Enyo and Blo Blo stay their hands and mouths all the time. Besides, it''s not like he did anyway. The mouthiest person in this whole house was Ares!... Or maybe Leo, actually. He was also definitely a worthy contender for the champion position.


    "Yeah, well, right now you don''t have a choice. If I say get in the bath, you will get in even if I have to throw you in."


    "Good point. Before that happens, though, can you take my clothes off? I don''t want to have to put them out to dry after." Bellona leant down and started removing various articles of clothing from Ares as he continued the conversation. "By the way, the direction changing magic. Where did you get the idea for that?"


    "Oh that? I''ve been thinking about the limitations of my magic lately... Or more like the limitations I''ve imposed on it for no real reason other than that I think the heights I imagine shouldn''t be accomplishable. There''s a lot of stuff I just never thought to try because it sounds ridiculous, like I shouldn''t be able to do it. Or rather nobody should. I love my magic but I still treat it like it''s ordinary even if I know it isn''t and can go so much further than standard aspects. Unique aspects are always a slight cut above the rest and I need to get deeper into that line of thinking and really push my magic."


    Bellona had fully stripped Ares and picked him up. Originally she''d been planning on chucking him into the bath but she was preoccupied with explaining her thoughts and it ended up slipping her mind entirely.


    "Like, I know it''s kinda crazy, but what if I created a reflective barrier around my skin? A barrier of measurement manipulation magic that doubled the distance between me and anything that touched it. Wouldn''t that just make me completely invincible as long as I had the mana to keep it running? I thought about it when I was a kid, because I liked imagining a future where my magic could be that cool, but as I grew up I tempered my expectations a lot. Everything I got out of my aspect was above and beyond what others expected of it and I was satisfied with that... But why should I be? Why can''t I make myself invincible as long as I have mana like I originally dreamed of? If I work hard enough, there''s zero reason why not. But even invincibility is still basic compared to some other things I''ve been thinking about trying... Stuff that I know I can''t do yet. Stuff I would need to become a Goddess in order to actually manage to pull off. I mean, Gods and Goddesses are basically the arbiters of what they represent. Their definitions and laws are what the rest of us tend to live by as they can directly influence such matters and change the way we understand them. It would take effort but I imagine the fire God, Ignizz, wherever he is right now, could come up with a cold fire if he put in the effort, right? Rules mean nothing to these people and so, logically, the rules holding me back could be shattered if I make it that far. Who decides how measurements work, exactly? Who chooses which unit of measurement to use for which object? Who creates new units of measurements whenever they''re deemed necessary? If I were a Goddess I could directly involve myself in the answer to all these questions and make some of my wilder dreams come true.


    I can envision a me that is stronger than even some fundamentals if I''m truly ever able to stretch my magic as far as I want to. I told you I wanted to get stronger and become someone remembered in the history books so I revisited some of those childish ideas and the direction change magic was a result of that. It was a silly little experiment that changed my perspective of the use cases of my magic and revitalised some of those old expectations I had for myself. Everything in this world can be measured in some way or another and I need to fully explore all of it as well as go on to create my own unique approach to handling these things. I need to undergo apotheosis and in order to do that I need to train and improve. Sitting around and waiting for cultivation resources to fall out of the sky, or out of you as was the case with the fine grind, is silly and defeatist. I''m still a once in a lifetime cultivator! Remembering that when I''m around you and Enyo can be hard though. I shouldn''t be comparing myself, I should be putting my nose to the grind and working hard so that I can compare myself. I was getting angsty sitting around and not doing anything for the last couple of weeks and it finally got to me, leading to all of this. I''ve been a bit more active with my magic practice while you were in the cultivation room but I''m still only getting started."


    Ares was placed carefully in the bath during Bellona''s long talk and had quietly and intently listened to her ramblings. "I''m glad to hear it. You can talk to me about this kinda stuff, you know? Whenever I''m not busy I like to chat with you and catch up with what you''ve been doing, including cultivation stuff like this."


    "I know. I just wanted to wait until I tried it all out first. No point getting anyone''s hopes up, mine especially, only for it all to fall flat. It''s not like I told Enyo any of this or anything, you aren''t being left out. That''s just how I like to do things... Although I guess sharing things with you in the early stages could be fine too. It''s just that my ideas aren''t usually anything concrete near the beginning of their life cycle, just vague suggestions."


    "It''s up to you. If you feel comfortable sharing then by all means. If not, I''ll wait until you''re further along in whatever schemes you''re hatching."


    "Bah. Schemes? You make me sound like some kind of evil witch."


    "Well... I mean... If the heel fits then... GLUBAUGHGLUGLUB." No, Ares did not have a stroke midway though the conversation, Bellona simply dunked his head under the water. A few seconds later, after the message had sunk into his brain properly, Bellona raised him up and leant over him with a fierce glare.


    "Where''s the money, Lebowski?!"


    "Lebowski? Who the hell is Lebows... GLUBAUGHLUBGLUG"


    "Watch more films, dork!" Bellona raised Ares back up again after some small wish fulfilment with a radiant smile on her face. Ares was a strong cultivator and could stay under the water for an hour if he wanted to so this all was mostly just a bit uncomfortable for him. Besides, he was going to have to get wet anyway at some point in order to get clean so bitching about this was pointless!


    Pew


    Ares spat a little bullet of water at Bellona who wasn''t able to dodge in time and was splattered on the face. She gave Ares a narrow gaze and pouted but went back to normal shortly after. Ares wanted to know a bit more about Bellona so he extended the whole film conversation a bit. "I didn''t have you pegged as a cinephile. You must be bored out of your skull down in Sheryashka, then?"


    Bellona flopped onto the side of the bath, folded her arms on the rim, and leaned her chin on her arms with a weary look. Her hand, draped over the edge and poking the bath, ran trails through the water as she sighed to no one in particular. "No kidding. I used to watch films all the time. There was even this big movie place on my home planet. Mostly showed detective and superhero films though, although you probably could have guessed that. I have a pretty big collection of DVDs, video tapes, and CDs with all the stuff I watched growing up. It''s old fashioned, and now everything is typically digital, but it brings back memories. I brought some with me down to Sheryashka, so I could watch some in my spare time, but it was pointless ''cos I didn''t realise how tech deprived this domain truly was. Seriously?! What''s up with this place!? Is everyone a luddite?! I haven''t seen a single TV or computer since I arrived! All my films are just sitting in my spatial ring for nothing... I''ve been so bored! All the new shows and films I''ve been missing... Ah whatever, at least there''ll be a backlog for when we all get to Vraizon. The starlights are really prolific and produce most of the entertainment with their abundant actors and scriptwriters so I''m sure there''ll be some good stuff available."


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "That makes sense. I''m not even remotely surprised the starlights are all in on the entertainment front."


    "All in doesn''t even begin to cut it. They''re the culture capital of all the lower domains, basically. Everything you can think of. Musicals, films, poetry, art galleries. And even some of the weirder and seedier stuff like makeup for corpses and pornography. They get really into the strangest of things but, at the very least, they''ve thankfully never combined those last two... As far as I know anyway. But man do I wish we had a TV in this house, would make the days go by quicker when there''s nothing else to do... Ah, the good ol'' days when I played pong with Pele on the TV. She was damn good at it, you know?" Bellona started washing Ares'' head and hair as she reminisced.


    "Pele was the undisputed champion of pong for years... Until Enyo gave it a go and beat Pele on her first try. I think that was when it first sunk in to both me and Pele how special our sis'' was... Over a silly game of pong. Ha, but we were kids so it makes sense our standards were so low, I guess. You wouldn''t have pictured it though. Enyo, uptight shield master with a permanent frown. Also the Goddess of pong! It kinda saddens me remembering it, though, because I think Enyo was actually happy during those few matches she played with us. Major eventually found out and forbade her from playing ''stupid games'' so... Yeah, no more games with Enyo after that. It soured things for me and Pele too so we also stopped playing games because we didn''t want Enyo to sit around, cleaning her already spick and span weapons and armour repeatedly while she watched us in envy. We were considerate and I think she appreciated it. It might have sounded like a small thing but small moments like that were why we all managed to keep getting along and not turn on one another despite the different directions we were headed in. I''m proud of it. Enyo could have become a very bitter and hateful person, I think, but I choose to believe me and Pele did out part in preventing that...


    I''m getting side-tracked. I was gonna say it''s a shame because games started getting really good around the time I stopped playing them. That was mostly a result of that simulated planet popping up, advancing the technology in Vraizon massively overnight. Still a strange story that one. Apparently that planet used to just be a giant, desolate ball of ice that was home to a bunch of frost liches. Supposedly all but one of them are gone now for some reason and the last one is hella pissed his home planet devolved into some kind of twisted game for the masses. He''s been trying, fruitlessly, to reclaim his land... It''s a sad state of affairs for him, though, ''cos he''s just treated like a grumpy old man. Some of the visitors even think he''s nothing more than an evil NPC, a simulated final boss. Anyway, I kinda wanna visit that planet one day. Maybe play some games with Enyo and Pele once more. Of course I would play with them here but this domain really has nothing in the way of tech, huh?"


    Ares managed to just about shake his head before giving an explanation of why. "Unfortunately no. A lot of the tech advancements in this country happened in Neo Gear Land and they were quite insular until a while back. They never shared anything but welcomed any inventors to come reside in their country and contribute as long as they never left. If you were a creative type who wanted to make something then Neo Gear had all the best tools and opportunities so why would you ever try your luck elsewhere? It was monopolistic for sure, and created a cycle wherein Neo Gear kept improving while everyone else was left behind in the dirt, so eventually the C.O stepped in. The process of spreading the tech is a slow one and, rather than doing it gradually, the C.O wants everything to be distributed equally and simultaneously. You get some people, like the Neo Vikings, who go to Neo Gear and take back what they can for their small communities but most people have to wait for mass distribution. The C.O could have given TVs to one country, and then another, and then another, etc... But choosing the order would be hard. Someone would always complain about being second, let alone about being last. Deciding which order to do things in gradually would be a logistics nightmare so, currently, they''re creating an unthinkable number of pieces of tech of various kinds like toasters, TVs, automatic lights, and other such things we don''t currently have throughout Sheryashka. When the number is sufficient, they''ll all be handed over at the same time to every country in this domain. It''ll be an overnight industrial revolution of a momentous scale and the prevalence of machinery will become immediately noticeable, drastically changing the nature of this domain form the ground up."


    "Damn, really? I''d never heard anything about that?" Bellona hadn''t been in Sheryashka as long as Ares but a piece of news like that should have surely spread around.


    "That''s because it''s mostly a secret right now. Only people in positions of power know about it and leaders of major cities are clued in. Hans, being a pretty notable cultivator, knows a guy who knows a guy. The information came from Hans and he says it''s 100% reliable so I''d trust it with my life. There is a slight hiccup, however, what with the current state of Neo Gear... It makes mass production a nightmare when the country is basically in the middle of a cold war. Plus, the C.O is technically fuelling it and giving the war legs by indirectly funding it. In order for the mass production to go ahead, Neo Gear needed to be paid and... Let''s just say a lot of that money is going into other projects. A lot of the C.O''s negative reputation stems from this as the citizens of Neo Gear are vaguely aware the war is being funded by them for one reason or another even if they don''t know the specifics. It''s a pretty big misunderstanding but it''s also somewhat accurate. The whole situation is really messy so when all that tech will actually make it to the outside world is anybody''s guess though, if I were to hazard one, not anytime soon. We''ll probably be long gone and in Vraizon before it happens, at which point it wouldn''t really matter anyway because Vraizon already has an abundance of tech."


    "I look forward to it, ascending to Vraizon I mean. We can have movie nights and relax together with some good food. Don''t worry, I won''t spoil anything we end up watching together! I''m excited, actually. I get to show you so many classics." Bellona seemed genuinely expectant and had high hopes so Ares would be sure to make it happen. It wasn''t the kind of thing that would be difficult so there was no reason not to help Bellona get what she wanted. Besides, Ares was down to watch some films and eat some popcorn with Blo Blo. Maybe even watch some with Enyo and Appa too. Just a quaint family night in with something to do.


    Bellona finished cleaning Ares'' upper half and her soapy hands caressed his waist before venturing further down. She eventually reached the main attraction and flicked it with a scoff. "Does it need to be that big?"


    "Yes." Bellona had barely finished her sentence but Ares wasn''t having any of it! This woman wanted to use her magic and shrink it! He could see her inner prankster, bursting at the seams in an attempt to break free!


    "Honestly... How does Enyo even fit that thing inside of her? I don''t think I could take all of that if I tried... Although maybe with magic it wouldn''t be impossible."


    Ares gave a wry smile and chuckled sheepishly. "Well, Enyo''s Enyo. It''s probably better not to ask otherwise you''re going to be in for a long conversation. Enyo gets really into sex talk. As for the question you asked... I imagine it has something to do with her pleasure pillar affinity, allowing her to take all of me inside her. I''ve noticed lately that she can make herself more bumpy inside, softer, warmer, colder, etcetera. She has unusually high amounts of control over her body and has even become flexible beyond what words can describe. She''s making it incredibly hard to last any meaningful length of time... Every time I get used to her new tricks she has another one right up her sleeve. It''s like I''m being tormented by a succubus. Hopefully my revenant regeneration will aid me in dealing with her somewhat. Right now she keeps restoring my energy with magic and, hey, I need all the help I can get, I''ll admit it. I can''t keep up with the Goddess of the pleasure pillar, hell no I can''t... But it is a little embarrassing. I get my payback every now and then when I''m really in the mood but I''ve been getting toyed with a lot lately. The worst part is I can''t even put that damn sexy minx in her place because she''d just enjoy it and want more!"


    "Pft, I''ve never heard a man getting laid with such a beautiful woman complain so much. It''s a good thing the Red Sun citizens can''t hear you otherwise they''d be lining up outside the sect with pitchforks. ''I''m having too much intercourse with my drop dead gorgeous Goddess of pleasure wife who''s beauty is literally transcendental''. I imagine a sentence like that would go over so well with any guy with a pulse. Don''t even get me started on the whole two wives thing either."


    "I am a lucky man, I would never deny it. That doesn''t mean I can''t still occasionally be greedy, though. I have Enyo, sure, but I also want you."


    "... I can tell." Bellona had wrapped her hand around Ares'' junk and it was waking up to say hello right now. "I''m a little nervous about taking this thing inside me though..."


    "If it makes you feel any better, I''m not even remotely nervous about putting it in you."


    "Oh ha ha."


    "You could always ask Enyo for more memories. She finally created the memory art, right? She mentioned it briefly to me earlier. It could be a good way to get used to the thought of it even if the feeling is inaccessible to you until the real deal."


    "That might work. After the tournament, we''re headed to the Grecian Lands so I can take a peek at Enyo''s stockpile there and mentally prepare myself."


    "Though I think you being antsy about this is incredibly cute, shouldn''t you be more concerned with Enyo? In the near future she is going to pounce on you. The amount of restraint she''s shown is pretty impressive, actually, but I don''t know how long she can hold back. There''s a non-zero chance she actually wants you more than I do. I would expect her to be unrelentingly aggressive in the Grecian Lands and I really don''t think you''ll be able to avoid it."


    "... Probably. I still see it as a bit weird but I know it should happen. With how close we already are, and will continue to be, it would be far stranger to not do it. Plus if you''re a relative anyway then that ship has kinda sailed already and it''s not something I should be fussing over when it comes to Enyo. I have no more reasons left to deny her so I guess we''ll be getting intimate and, well, she doesn''t have as much patience as you. She won''t force me to but the pressure of doing it with her will be far greater, I imagine. She doesn''t want me running away from the responsibilities that come with being part of the harem and getting used to our changing relationship is one of them. I''m already in the room with you two but she wants me directly involved and step one of that is getting used to Enyo. Step two is you. Then step three is both at the same time. It feels like she''s putting me through a gauntlet... I get it though and I''ve accepted my fate already. I''ve even been trying to be a bit more proactive on that front myself so, yeah, it''s just a matter of time."


    Ares have a cocky grin. "Just remember, no matter how big and long Enyo''s fingers are, I''m bigger."


    "What''s this weirdly competitive vibe I''m getting?!" Bellona looked down at Ares'' rod between her fingers and shrugged. "Although you are absolutely correct... To think this stupid pole is the only thing standing, and I do mean standing, between me and becoming a revenant... I wonder how pure my bloodline will be? I mean I''m a child of the patriarch after all. Maybe I even got a hint of that draconic bloodline too? But I''m a half breed... Will I have any mutations? There''s so many possibilities and I really wanna know..."


    "We''ll find out soon enough and I''m looking forward to it... Although Enyo might actually be looking forward to it the most. I think she''s not-so-secretly hoping you can gain the ability to become a furry... Quite frankly, I have no words or thoughts on this matter. Godspeed." Ares gave Bellona a salute and wished her the best of luck.


    "Gee, thanks."


    "No problem... Now, how about, as a reward, you start moving your wrists a bit? Your soft fingers have been getting me excited for some time and I''m really horny right now. I''ve been thinking about that one time we had some fun a while back, and I want more, but I want us to both be wide awake this time. I want to look you in the eyes and kiss you."


    "No."


    "Eh?" Ares was taken aback. This was not what was agreed upon! Was she going back on her word?! Had he been conned!?


    "Ha, don''t look so disappointed, I''ll still fiddle around with you but there''s something I want in return!"


    "... Ok... I''m listening..." Ares was cautiously optimistic.


    "Compliments. The more the better. If you can come up with insults and jabs on the fly then you can do this too! I know I''m a bit more rough and ready than Enyo, and can be a bit of a tomboy at times, but that doesn''t mean I don''t like being praised. Looks, smarts, personality. Any of it. All of it. Compliment it. My effort will be proportionate to yours. I''ll rinse if you don''t repeat! Get cracking and I''ll get whacking!"


    ...


    Ares was very aware that whacking was slang for masturbation... But he was also deeply concerned she was going to seriously mistreat his mole here!