"Ares!"


    Slap


    "Ares wake up!"


    Slap Slap


    "We''re still on our date, wake up and keep spoiling me rotten!"


    Slap


    "HUH?!" Ares sprung to his feet and looked around in a hurry. "Enyo? ENYO!" Ares threw himself on Enyo and hugged her.


    Sniff


    "Enyo I had the worst nightmare. I dreamt I took off your panties and there was a chastity belt underneath! We lost the key!"


    Thwack


    "Idiot. Don''t joke about something awful like that. Besides, what good is your disintegration magic if it can''t even open up a chastity belt?!"


    Ares scratched his head in defeat. "Good point. You''re so clever. See, this is why I want to marry you!"


    By the scruff of his collar, Enyo picked up Ares and put him on his feet. "Yeah, well, I''m an expensive woman, look at all the stuff I bought!"


    Ares caught the spatial ring with the wares Enyo was interested in purchasing and took a peek inside. "JESUS CHRIST!" Ares stumbled in a bid to hold onto something as he very nearly fainted again when he saw the mountain of kink piled up in the ring. "ENYO?! I never had you pegged as a gold digger! All of my winnings from the bet are going to have to go into paying this back... Ah but, on closer look, some of this stuff is really good..." Ares was mostly talking about the clothing Enyo had picked out while he was unconscious, he was definitely not talking about the God damn whip hiding under the pile. The crazy woman had found one, and to make matters worse it was an artifact! Whoo boy, good luck future me.


    "Don''t worry about paying it back, I''ll do that and then some." Enyo just shook her head at Ares and turned to Bea. "Really, thank you for letting me take this stuff. I promise you won''t regret it. I''ll be back in a couple of weeks a boatload of stardust even if I have to sell my soul to my mother."


    "Ha, again, no worries. You''re always welcome. I''ll see you around. Take care and enjoy the rest of your date." Bea and Enyo hugged each other while saying their goodbyes.


    Ares was out of the loop but he decided not to ask. Whatever these two pervs were up to, he didn''t need to know. All he did know was that Bea was indirectly going to give him a lot of monetary and bedroom troubles. Not only was he going to have to make money to pay for Enyo''s fetishes, but he was also going to have to bear the brunt of them after! Not that he was really complaining, he was fine with pretty much everything he''d seen in the ring... Other than whip...


    Ares and Enyo left the shop together and made no effort to hide, much to the surprise of Ares. He had no idea why Enyo was suddenly ok with it, but in a way he was glad. She was being herself in public and being proud of it too. She''d made leaps and strides of progress recently but it seemed she no longer needed help of any kind.


    A few passing-by civilians did triple takes when they saw a woman like Enyo coming out of My Fair Lady. Those gawks quickly turned into glares of absolute animosity and hatred and were directed straight at Ares. Ares felt wronged! They had it all wrong! He hadn''t dragged her in there, she''d dragged him! With a defeated sigh, Ares just accepted the vitriol and ire of the people of Red Sun, at least they weren''t staring at Enyo. not that she seemed to give a toss anymore. The people looking at her may as well be inanimate objects as far as Enyo was concerned. The stares were really intense though, Ares was actually readying himself to fight because the people here had taken more umbrage with this situation than he thought they would.


    Once again, he felt his head fall into Enyo''s grasp as she dragged his lips to hers. Unlike last time in the sect, however, she went even further and started tonguing him in public. Such a brazen display froze the entire street. The citizens were digesting the fact that, actually, Ares was not the freak here. Rather, they weren''t digesting it, it was being shoved down their throats and they were gagging on it. When Enyo was satisfied, she licked her lips and eyed Ares like a wild tiger looking at fresh meat. Ares allowed himself to be dragged away as the rest of the street just watched wordlessly as the couple left. By the time Ares and Enyo were a couple of minutes away, people finally resumed going about their business, but not without feeling bitter. Truthfully, they hated Ares even more than they did before... The man just couldn''t catch a break. He was evil incarnate if he took advantage of Enyo, and he was Satan himself if he let Enyo take advantage of him. The way things were going, Ares was seriously going to have to fight a war or two for Enyo at some point. Then again, with his destruction magic, wars were where Ares would shine the most. Grim cessation would basically give him unlimited mana against cannon fodder which would allow him to just keep casting arts like Perish Wheel over and over again. Ares technically became stronger the more people he was fighting against. Well he was a nuisance regardless, that much couldn''t be denied.


    Enyo had dragged Ares to a park and thrown him onto a bench. She sat on his lap, picked up his arms and put them around her waist. She curled up like a kitten in his arms and leaned on his chest, enjoying this tranquil moment while Ares was blinking repeatedly in attempt to discern reality from dreams. Ares even pinched himself but, sure enough, he was still cuddling Enyo in public. If he went back in time and told himself even a month ago that this would be happening, the other Ares probably would have cast a Grand Annihilation at him for falsely getting his hopes up. He wasn''t happy because he got to show Enyo off or anything selfish like that, he just wanted to be natural with Enyo anywhere and at any time. Everything that had happened in the last five minutes would have been impossible if Enyo was still wearing the armour and that was what bugged Ares. Enyo not being able to do what she wanted bothered Ares more than it had Enyo. Ares kissed Enyo''s forehead and stroked her hair as pigeons flew from tree to tree above them. Ares and Enyo both chuckled as the birds went about their business; this situation was ironic considering the combination art they had come up with for the tournament during training.


    Ares and Enyo sat in silence for a while watching some ducks swim back and forth in their little pond. Enyo broke the silence first by making a request. "Ares, there''s somewhere specific I want to go today. There''s a conversation I''ve been meaning to have with you, but the right time for it never came up. After we visit the place I want to go to, and you''re shown what you need to see, I want to talk at length about it."


    "... Well now you''re worrying me. You make it sound like something serious... Can you ease my poor heart and tell me if should I be concerned?"


    "No, not at all. It''s just something I want you to accept. We can discuss it over dinner, so let''s get going, ok?"


    "Ha, sure. I hadn''t planned on being the tourist in my own home town today, but I am interested in whatever it is you want me to see. There''s no guarantee I''m going to accept whatever this thing is, but if it''s you asking I''ll make sure to give it plenty of thought."


    Sigh


    "I can''t tell you not to think about it, but I hope you''ll listen to what I have to say. We should be on our way, the place won''t be open forever. The owner has other important work to do... Or, well, he really should do anyway." With a stretch, Enyo disembarked from Ares lap and led him on a ten minute journey. At the end of it, Enyo was going down countless alleyways that even Ares hadn''t explored before. This territory was new to him so he just followed Enyo''s lead. There were a few thugs with a mean look in their eye but a flicked Echo from Ares solved all of these particular encounters before they became anything more than just a nuisance. A large amount of thugs in the north of Red Sun would mysteriously have immense pains in their stomachs on this day.


    With one last corner turned, Enyo and Ares wound up outside a purple tent in a dead end. Despite the location, the tent was relatively clean and remained undisturbed by the local ''rats''. The place wasn''t really shady per se, but its existence was certainly odd when taking into account how out of the way it was. Surely if someone wanted to conduct business of any kind, this would be the last place they''d choose to do it? And yet, here were two paying customers wiling to hand over their hard earned stardust... Maybe the person inside was a genius... Or maybe they were just a lucky fool... Or who knows, maybe they could even see the future. Enyo walked under the parapet and held aside the tent''s entrance for Ares to go in, after which she picked up a nearby sign and hung it up before heading in too. The sign read ''The teller is telling. Come back in five minutes."


    Inside the tent was a decently spacious room with one table, three seats, a radio on the corner of the table playing bashraf music, and a hooded individual who was dimly lit by a nearby candle occupying the one seat on the far side of the table. The candle seemed to be about 4/5ths burnt out, whether this was intentional or not considering the fortune teller''s next words were anyone''s guess.


    "When the candle has melted, your fortune will have been read and our time will be up. You will have everything you came here for, and I will have to ask you to leave." The teller leaned on the table with his hands clasped in front of him.


    Enyo brushed past Ares and took a seat opposite him. "Hello Yulo."


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Hello Enyo. Nice weather today, right?"


    …


    "Excuse me..." Ares was disappointed! A dark room in a dank alley with an unknown, powerful individual weaving fate behind the scenes. A gripping tale of intrigue involving a tense atmosphere as the crazy, hooded man''s rambling grew ever louder and the room grew ever more twisted... Where was it damnit?! Ares had been robbed! It was just the bloody sect master! What was he even doing here?! "... It''s nice to finally meet you... But shouldn''t you be running the sect? Or the tournament? Or... You know... Doing literally any work right about now?"


    Yulo just casually shrugged. "Nah, I go where I am needed. At this time of year, to raise my cultivation a bit, I do some oracle work with what little spare time I have. I find customers by using my magic and then go and wait for them along their ''destined path''. Setting up the tent takes a while though... Would much rather just be sleeping if I''m honest...."


    "Eh wait a minute... Enyo, you didn''t know he would be here?"


    Enyo shook her head in response. "If you want to find him at this time of year, you inevitably will if you just keep walking. He does all the hard work of figuring out where''ll you search for him. I came across him myself last year, before I left for the Grecian lands, because he''d been checking certain disciples'' fates in his spare time and he wanted to tell me mine. Back then I dismissed his words, believing there was no way I would ''change drastically and live an entirely new life''... Turns out he''s the real deal and not some two bit scammer. There''s an inescapable fate heading your way, and I want you to come to terms with it now. That''s why I brought you here to see it and have it confirmed without a shadow of a doubt. It will have more credibility than if I just told you on my own."


    "Erm, ok... Last I checked, Enyo, you weren''t a fortune teller yourself. How you know my fate with certainty I don''t know, but considering how well you know me I''ll take your word on that. Still, Yulo, shouldn''t you be helping with the tournament?"


    Yulo clicked his tongue. "Hell no. I don''t get along with the ''Cultivators'' Organisation'' at the best of times... Ah, don''t ask, I''ll explain it. The Cultivators Organisation is kinda like the Alchemy Organisation. They run combat events instead of alchemy ones while providing the rewards and overseeing everything. They pay Red Sun to use the Scorched Grounds, but everything else that happens, happens because they set it all up in the first place. All the officials and the advertisements and rewards come from them. Part of the reason they''re able to have a monopoly on this kind of industry is because a lot of their members are hella strong. That''s where my issue comes in, they want me to work for them but, like, I got enough work on my plate as is, thank you very much. Selfish bastards the lot of ''em... Anyway, as a form of payback, they''ve made our sect''s life difficult in the past. Nothing major, mind you, but it''s still annoying. We''ve got enough problems as is let alone the C.O breathing down our necks and acting like pesky flies whenever they smell shit hitting the fan. As an aside, they also band together to deal with any threats to the domain like overgrown mecha-dryads and whatnot, so they''re not exactly good-for-nothings, they''re just really persistent and annoying. That''s neither here nor there though, we should get this show on the road. I''ve got two other customers today and they''re both on opposite ends of the bloody city... Man, I wish I could cultivate in my sleep, it would be so much easier... Or go back to dual cultivating with my wives... I wonder how my wives are doing in Vraizon... been a while since I''ve seen ''em all. Actually, on that note, Ares, let me tell you something before we kick things off. I want you to be the next sect master. This is a wholly selfish request, but I just can''t do it anymore. I''m losing my damn mind here, you know? I used to be an intrepid cultivator, just like you are now. I explored this region and I know it like the back of my hand. My adventure in this domain should have been over years ago, but the sect is important to me so I couldn''t let it go down the drain. I was the next big name but people have already forgotten it and moved on because of all the time I''ve wasted. At the end of day, I really want to get back out there, see my wives again, and take the world by storm once more. I''m not abandoning the sect or anything, and I''ll still help out if ever I''m needed, but running it is a no-go. I''m sorry to put you in this position, but I have to ask you to do it because of your pillar. You can raise the sect out of its current quagmire, there is no better candidate. Can I ask you to do this?"


    "Ha, no need to ask, I was planning on it anyway."


    "Really? Don''t you want to grow as a cultivator? You know this position will stifle you, right? I''m being brutally honest, it will hinder you and waste your time as it did mine."


    "Not really. I have my means. Don''t worry about it too much for now though. I plan on sticking with the sect permanently, but I also plan on exploring other domains. How I''ll do that is a secret though. Hey, you can see the future right, you should already know! Or are you actually a scammer?!"


    "Pfft, mouthing off even to the sect master, you''re a real piece of work, you know that? Still, I can''t complain, I was like that too before becoming the sect master drained my soul out of my body. As for your question, I am a mere mortal. I cannot see that far into the future unless I specifically search for it and even then I don''t get an image or anything, just a roundabout message that tells me basically nothing. I did check whether you''d look after the sect properly, and the only thing I got back in return were the words ''inestimable growth.'' In other words, nothing I couldn''t already predict without my magic anyway. Your pillar will be the foundation of the sect''s success, that much I know for sure. Anyway, enough about that, the sooner I get these fortunes out of the way the sooner I can go back and sleep... Provided Rud doesn''t catch me anyway... By the way, can you stop angering him? I''m the one that has to put up with him every time and its damn tiring!"


    "Ah, thanks for covering for my ass. Rud would no doubt beat me left and right, black and blue if you didn''t stop him."


    "I''m not really covering for anything though, I don''t think you''ve done anything wrong... Other than blow up that one house for no apparent reason... but I can ignore that. Anyway, take a seat." Yulo gestured to last chair without a butt on it and Ares walked on over. Before he sat down, he looked at the radio on the table. It''s not that he didn''t appreciate the music setting the mood... He just really wasn''t much of a fan of this particular piece of music, plus he wanted to pay attention to the fortune in peace and quiet. Ares'' finger hovered over the off button. Yulo, knowing exactly what was about to happen, tried to prevent it. "Could you please not turn it off? I haven''t heard this one before but it''s just about to get to the good part..."


    Poke


    …


    Silence enveloped the dark room and Yulo just sighed in exasperation and tapped the table with his finger. Yulo was well aware of what kind of personalities revenants possessed and if he wanted to not lose his mind in the next domain when he finally ascended, this was just the kind of interaction he would have to get used too... "I understand now why it is you will come to be known as ''the golden gadfly''."


    "Me? A gadfly? Noooo, never!"


    "I''m just going to ignore you. Enyo, you want me to do a love reading for this man, correct?"


    Ares''s left eyebrow was raised as he looked at Enyo and saw her nod her head in confirmation. Love reading? Did she misunderstand the question? She does love reading... No, don''t be stupid Ares... What is she trying to tell me with this? If she''s just reassuring me we''re going to live happily ever after, I don''t need that... But she wouldn''t need to bring me here to assure me of it anyway... The hell is this? "Enyo?"


    "Trust me Ares." With a wink, Enyo went back to patiently awaiting the results.


    Ares was somewhat relieved by her nonchalance as she didn''t look worried about anything so this probably wouldn''t be negative, whatever it was. That was the main concern Ares had right now. If the reading was something negative, Ares would turn heaven and earth over to fix it. Thankfully it didn''t look like he''d have to do something stupid but, seriously, what was Enyo scheming? If it was a love reading, then it had to involve her and him specifically. Why would anyone else be relevant to this, after all?... No... Nonononono... Surely not? But I wouldn''t... And I know Enyo wouldn''t.... It can''t be... I wouldn''t tolerate Enyo playing around, and she wouldn''t tolerate me playing around either... No wait, that''s not even remotely true. Enyo''s too far gone to be deterred by something like that. Even if I cheated... Fuck I nearly threw up in my mouth even thinking of it... but still, even if I cheated, she''d forgive me... But I would never cheat... So it has to be with Enyo''s permission? But why? We''re happy together, we don''t need this. I don''t need or want this. Why is this even something Enyo wants to begin with? Why is she insistent I consider it? Better yet, if this fortune is accurate, doesn''t that mean it''s going to happen regardless of what I think? Does that mean she convinces me? Is there actually a valid reason for this? Bloody hell, no wonder she wanted me to come here, the fortune is complicating this more than it should. I just want to say no to this topic and be done with it, but it''s not going to be that simple is it? What card is Enyo going to play... Ares went through everything he possibly could in his head. If he could figure out how Enyo was going to try and convince him to have multiple partners, he could think of a rational counterargument ahead of time and worm his way out of this. He had Enyo and Appa. That was it. That should be it. Ares was never going to treat anyone else like he would Enyo. This was a stupid idea.


    "Everything. Limerence. Mate. Acceptance. Solace. Obsession. Ambivalence. Servitude. These nine shall be wed to you." Yulo muttered with his eyes closed.


    "NINE?!" Ares was losing his mind. If it had just been one or two, then maybe Enyo''s reason would be valid and hard to argue against, but nine?! She had nine reasons?! Ares doubted that, he really doubted that. Also, the bastard Yulo only listed eight... Things? Whatever those words were supposed to represent, there were clearly only eight of them. Was he fucking with him? Were Enyo and him playing a prank on him, because Ares didn''t find it funny.


    "These words are what they see in you, how they feel about you, or what they they view you as. As for why there are only eight, but you shall wed nine, I don''t know. I would hazard a guess and say it has something to do with ambivalence, maybe?"


    "Are you pulling my leg?!"


    "No, and you should just accept it and move on. It isn''t a big deal, take it from someone who''s been there and done that. There''s no real reason to oppose it anyway, it''s not like it will change any of your current relationships. It really is just adding a few more into the mix, I personally barely even noticed after the second."


    "I''ll keep that in mind." NOT! Ares stood up and shook his head. He needed to drag his silly wife to the restaurant and have a talk with her post-haste! "Thank you for your time." Ares left the tent and stood around while tapping his foot as Enyo said her goodbyes to Yulo. Ares waited for around five minutes before wondering what on earth Enyo was doing when she finally came out. Ares was grumpy so he spouted off with a snarky comment. "Took your sweet time. What were you doing? Asking him to check again and see if there was a tenth woman hidden away somewhere!?"


    Enyo just chuckled at Ares'' snide self. "Ha, no, I was asking him what my chances of successfully getting it into your thick skull that''s it''s going to happen are. 100% in case you were curious. Let''s shelve the conversation for now and have it properly when we sit down, I''m not debating this with you in a back alley somewhere. This is still a date, and I still expect good food! So lead the way, philanderer."


    ACK


    Ares almost keeled over as Enyo had dealt him a severe blow by levying that accusation. He was wounded! "Enyo please, please do not call me that."


    Enyo snickered evilly. "Ok, cheater."


    "THAT''S EVEN WORSE!"