A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik chuckled at her question, knowing full well what she was trying to do. And he was going to let her. "Well, perhaps it's time I tell you girls a little more about myself. I'll do it while we walk, though; it shouldn't be long now before we reach Frostvik."

They started walking, and Erik told them about growing up in Frostvik. He explained how he knew Astrid and that he really should have treated her better. He talked about his kind father, his boisterous mother, his friendly uncle Viljar, and, of course, Edda, his childhood crush.

He finished by explaining how he and Edda had just begun to explore the possibility of a real relationship when she betrayed the village and chased him through the woods. He didn't mention Söl just yet, though.

"Coincidentally, that was the same time that the awakening happened, which I managed to leverage into an escape. I haven't been back here since then." he finished with a shrug.

The girls had different reactions. Emily narrowed her eyes, "That Edda sounds like a real snake. Think she's still around somewhere?"

Meanwhile, Emma clung to Erik's front like a koala despite the fact that Erik continued to walk, "I would never betray you, Sir!"

Erik smiled at both of them, first responding to Emma as he caressed her head, "I know you wouldn't, Emma." Which was, again, not entirely true. He was maybe 99% sure she wouldn't betray him.

He turned to Emily. "I doubt she's still around here somewhere, as neither the Enclave nor Dominion seems very fond of humans, but I have a clue as to where she might be. We'll be heading there after we're done here."

Then, to both of them, "Anyway, don't be too sad on my account. Yeah, that day was terrible, but the seven years since then have been pretty good to me, unlike for the two of you."

Continuing to cling to him, Emma headbutted Erik's chest while pouting, "It's not a contest, Sir."

She turned to the glassy-eyed Astrid walking next to them, "I'm sure it's nice to meet a friend from back then who's still alive, right? Well… sort off. Will she be alright? I don't know much about vampires, let alone ghouls."

Erik patted her head, "Don't worry, she should be fine. In fact, you'll be able to help me save her."

Emma's eyes lit up immediately as she heard she would be able to help Erik with something. "Really?! I'll do anything for you, Sir!"

Immediately, Emily rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Have a little shame, sis."

Meanwhile, Erik grinned at the girl still clinging to his body, "Oh? Anything, huh? Well, I suppose I have some things in mind. Especially when you cling to my body like that."

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Emma's face went red at the implication of Erik's words, but she didn't let go. "O- Okay…"

Seeing the combination of innocent lust and embarrassment on Emma's face made Erik excited, something that clearly showed on his face. In a quick movement, he grabbed Emma by the neck and pulled her up to his face, where he quickly began to suck on her lips.

Emma was surprised but had long lost any resistance to Erik and quickly gave in. She clung harder to Erik's body as she became lost in their kiss, his delicious taste quickly making her forget about the world around her.

Next to them, Emily stomped on the ground, "Do you have to do that right next to me?!"

After a few more moments, Erik broke his kiss with Emma, causing the girl to quickly lose strength in her arms. Luckily, Erik caught her, and she now sat on his powerful right arm.

He turned to Emily with a smirk and used his left arm to pull her closer, "Jealous?"

Now mere centimetres from his face, Emily had to gulp as her eyes were inexplicably pulled to Erik's lips, which were just recently locked in a battle with Emma's. "N- No?" she mumbled unconvincingly as she remembered his taste.

"So that means you don't want a kiss?" he teased, his mouth now millimetres away as his warm breath tickled her skin.

Emily began panting as her gaze went from Erik's teasing amber eyes to his mouth. Finally, Emily didn't feel like resisting any longer. She closed whatever gap remained between them and assaulted his mouth, causing her to moan and tremble as her body was assaulted with pleasure.

Erik responded by wrapping his free hand around her and pulling her against his body. By now, they had stopped moving, and under ghoul Astrid's glassy stare, Erik continued to hug, grope and kiss both sisters, forcing them to also taste each other.

This lasted a few minutes before they finally continued walking.

Erik wore a satisfied grin as he smacked his lips and enjoyed the taste these two girls left behind. Aside from having been pleasurable, he could also feel some of his apprehension melt away.

He didn't really think he would feel like this when the day of his return rolled around, not after seven years. He was a different man now, powerful and assertive, yet he couldn't avoid some of the scars left behind by his past.

Meanwhile, Emma and Emily suddenly looked remarkably similar, as they both had red faces and embarrassed looks while doing everything they could to avoid eye contact.

A few hours later, they emerged from the Taiga forest. Erik's pace slowed until he stood motionless before the edge of one of the many cliffs in the mountainous region where they found themselves.

This cliff had been a witness to his life's most devastating moment - the cruel eradication of his roots. This was where he first felt the prick of Edda's betrayal and where he woke up, only to find his life had turned upside down.

He gazed at the forest's edge they had just come from, where he had once begun his flight from Edda and her hunters, his heart a battleground of emotions. As they walked through the taiga earlier, he attempted to spot his path that night but recognised nothing.

Unsurprising, perhaps, as he had other things to focus on back then rather than think about exactly where he was going.

Erik's heart was a complex mix of emotions. He wasn't scared or anxious about what he might find, but it felt a little unreal. He had spent seven years on Söl, putting the past behind him, expecting not to see Earth for a long time, if ever.

Yet, here he was anyway, and while those seven years on Söl, together with Elora, had been a balm, the scars remained, hidden but unforgettable. The rush of despair, fury, and an acute sense of loss emerged again from the depths of his memory.

As Elora materialised before him in her larger form, still dwarfed by Erik's stature, she lifted herself on her wings to meet his gaze. Her hands, delicate yet firm, cradled his face, her smile a beacon in the emotional storm. In her eyes, he found not just solace but a reflection of the strength he had forged in their years together.

As Erik looked into Elora's smiling face, those feelings weren't so hard to bear now. He wasn't alone. And considering the bond that existed between the two of them, he likely never would be again.

They kissed, and it was as a seal over the wounds of the past, a reassurance of their intertwined future. "Thank you," he murmured, a genuine smile breaking through his chaotic thoughts.

Behind him, Emily looked a little uneasy. She simply wasn't sure what she felt as she looked at the display of affection between Erik and Elora, but it felt disturbingly similar to jealousy.

Emma, on the other hand, just smiled happily and genuinely.

After Erik and Elora separated, she turned into her smaller form. She sat down on his shoulder, ready to be a physical presence of comfort. "Come, show me where you grew up," she said.

Erik grinned to slightly alleviate the mood, "Haven't you seen everything in my memories already?"

To which the fairy giggled, "Yeah, but it's not the same thing."

Her green eyes took on a darker and more intense shade. "I've experienced every memory, every pain, every joy in your past. But now, I want to feel it with my own two hands and see it with my own two eyes. I want to walk where you walked and sleep where you slept."

Erik smiled a little. He didn't see this side of Elora often, but he always knew it was there, simmering under the surface, and couldn't deny he kind of liked it.

Despite her usual playful and caring attitude towards Erik, there was also an aspect of obsession with her love for him.

It wasn't entirely unexpected, perhaps, considering that Erik was basically the answer to not just one but two of her greatest desires from the moment she was born.

He was the partner she had always wanted to rule side by side with, who possessed the first, and so far only, body she had encountered that could be infused with various powerful bloodlines through her unique ability.

In the beginning of his life on Söl, this obsession created the greatest obstacle in what eventually became their love story, as Elora cared more about grooming him to be her partner and using him as an experiment than the man himself.