20 Chapter 20. The Ethereal Spiri

Yuliah's limp body slid down his arms, and Ryas tightened his grip around her. Shaking her, "Yuliah..." he called, but only her head wobbled back and forth. Pressing his face against her chest a steady but faint thump came from inside her body. He sighed, and with one free hand removed his clothes until all that remained were an undershirt. Approaching the spring and with one last pull, the shirt that hung from his broad shoulders dropped to the ground, It exposed his muscular backside and the defined muscles that outline his taut body. On his back inked in a fiery crimson, were two majestic birds, with their wings spread ready to take flight — the emblem of all Royal Geneoshi Males, who possessed the Ethereal Spirit.

Ryas wade into the cold spring with Yuliah, the water numbing his skin, and immediately the heat drains from both their bodies. He held her slightly above the water's surface, waiting for the temperature in her body to drop. When her lips turned a blueish purple, and her body jerked one last time. He released the Ethereal Spirit, and a violet glow burst from his body. The water began to churn and ripple breaking the still surface, and the cold spring turned hot, hot enough that her pale skin flushed. With his free hand Ryas placed it over her body and the Ethereal Spirit split itself from him, and slowly crept onto Yuliah, dissolving into her. Ryas observed her, wondering what had driven him to take this much of a risk, but seeing her face beaten, and twice it's average size, his throat seemed to close in on itself, and he hoped that what he did would work. Suddenly she jerked roughly and lifted above the water's surface, causing him to stumble back. He froze, as her body bent back stiff, then thrashed around. Quickly he reached for Yuliah pulling her into an embrace and rereleased the Ethereal Spirit; it erupted like a smoldering flame engulfing them both. His eyes took on the violet of the Ethereal Spirit, and he tried sensing for the energy force within Yuliah's body, but she continued to shake and thrash around while he desperately held onto her. Unable to concentrate and link to the energy force, the Ethereal Spirit retracts. "Fuck!" Ryas tried again but still no success. It wasn't until his fourth attempt that he finally found it. It must have hidden within her blood. With his Ethereal Spirit, he linked himself to the life force inside of Yuliah, but the moment his consciousness touched her blood, his mind fell into complete darkness, and he found himself alone surrounded by the Universe.

In the stillness of the dark, all the noise and distractions drowned out. The vastness and pull of the Universe stretched beyond his grasp. "Ryasss!" It called to him. He spun around to see who it was, but there was no one. "Ryas!" From right beside him. Twisting his head around there was no one. "RYAS!!" This time right inside of him, awakening his Ethereal Spirit, it melded him with the infinite power of the Cosmos. Together both forces surged through his body turning his eyes a dark lavender, and he felt stronger than before. All that he desired at that moment became real. His old world restored to its glory. The Cities were thriving and his Royal family alive again. The Dark Ethereal Spirit, the Nomens, and the vile creatures from the Ethereal Forest were all dead. Also, the world of Man was gone, and with it Zehan, the whole Southern Kingdom, and all the humans that grew on him, Yuliah included. He lived through multiple lives, past and future worlds, around and around endlessly, never-ending, until he couldn't bear it anymore, "STOP!" Ryas try to separate himself from the power of the Cosmos, but it had linked with his Ethereal Spirit, and the more he struggled, the more it held on. Until finally he managed to delink himself from Yuliah's blood. Gasping for air, Ryas shut it out from his mind, afraid to let it in again.

Suddenly he was in the spring again looking down at Yuliah, and the thick scabs on her face peeled back disappearing into the air, the punctures underneath closed up, and the dried blood turned wet, running off her cheeks. The dark bruises faded, revealing her soft rosy cheeks and small but plump lips. There were few things Ryas considered beautiful in this world now, and Yuliah became one. From the moment he lifted her veil to now he had changed. Pulling her towards him, he stole for the first time when he pressed his lips against hers and tasted the sweetness of her mouth.