PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

579 Chapter 579 Dark Blood

“Are you sure about this, Desmond?” Claire’s emerald green eyes looked at Desmond with concern.

Desmond had to turn his attention away from the vial of blood to look at Claire. “When did our life become so complex?” Desmond couldn’t help but think as he looked at Claire, this girl he had cared for since he was a child.

Desmond couldn’t help but find the situation somewhat ironic. Back then, Desmond felt that the hunter’s book was a godsend, something that would change his destiny, allowing him to protect Claire in this chaotic world.

Now, just over a year later, Desmond and, by extension, Claire had been exposed to a much vaster and more dangerous world because of the hunter’s book. However, Desmond did not regret it; he knew his life would not be the same without the book.

Given everything that had happened since then, there was a real possibility that Desmond and Claire would die in one of the mutated beast invasions that had occurred.

Without the hunter’s book, Desmond would never have become the mighty warrior he is now. Desmond would never have met and saved Cecilia, Sasha, or Revna, and his life would be completely different.

But now, the book had become a source of concern and caution for Desmond. Desmond needs to become stronger, accompanied by a growing sense of crisis and a strong feeling of revulsion at the association.

This last incident where Desmond nearly lost his life had to be linked to the association one way or another. Someone would have to beat Desmond to death with a brick for him to believe otherwise.

Unfortunately, Desmond was forced to continue using the association to become stronger. He had no choice; the earth could never feed his growth, not in the same way that the resources of more advanced and energy-rich worlds would.

.....

Now, at least, Desmond had something that even the association could not analyze or predict: a strange lineage that had fallen into his lap by the machinations of a Celestial. Desmond was still suspicious of Katya’s intentions in concocting all of this, especially in doing things so indirectly. Yet, he was sure of one thing; the archangel of balance was trusted.

But, going back to the original question, Desmond had an answer: Yes, he had to do this. To gain the power he wanted, to protect what was precious to him. That which was valuable... Desmond thought fondly of the girls around him.

When had he gotten so lucky? Desmond didn’t know. Somehow, it all happened without much effort on his part. Sure, Desmond had to fight tooth and nail to protect both Sasha and Cecilia in their respective worlds, but that was a bit different.

Desmond didn’t think he had put much effort into making both girls fall in love with him; it all happened very naturally. Since then, their relationship with him only grew stronger and closer; that was especially the case with Sasha, with whom he had already shared a bed.

In Cecilia’s case, things were quite different. Cecilia had been through a lot. The death of her best friend, Nana, was both a sensitive and complex subject for her, especially with the way it was mixed with the issue of love.

Desmond was also not blind enough not to notice the small changes in Cecilia and how she was becoming closer to him. Still, Desmond had decided to take things easy with her.

There was no need to rush or anything like that. All relationships were different, but it wouldn’t hurt to give its own rhythm to Desmond’s relationship with Cecilia.

It was hard enough to develop a relationship, to begin with, let alone the four relationships Desmond was developing.

The fourth relationship was, of course, Revna, Desmond’s self-proclaimed servant and personal assistant. In Revna’s case, things were complicated in a different way. Revna’s obsession and emotional instability made her throw herself at Desmond with open arms, eager for love and attention no matter what guise she presented to herself.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Revna would become Desmond’s sex toy if he asked her to. And precisely, that thought of hers made Desmond reluctant to move too fast with her. As tempting as the prospect was, Desmond knew that the relationship would not be healthy or fair for Revna.

Desmond had focused his efforts on making Revna feel like part of the family, someone loved and valued, not a tool it had to serve his Master. But while those efforts were paying off, Desmond felt that she would continue to call him Master with a degree of devotion and stubbornness.

Whatever the case, Desmond valued the life he had too much. He didn’t want to be subject to anyone’s whims just because he was weak. Desmond understood the irony of wanting to harness a power placed in his hands through Katya’s machinations. Yet, he couldn’t afford to be picky on this point.

However, Desmond also understood Claire’s concerns and why she was reluctant for him to embark on this new journey by discarding his humanity. There were too many risks; only the initial price was already his humanity. One could imagine what awaited him.

Besides, Desmond had just returned, and his return was not particularly glorious, one would have to add. It was to be expected that Claire would be unwilling to see him go again, Desmond so understood her concerns, but he still had to take this path.

“I have to do it, Claire, to pay off my debt to Myrilla and ensure a better future for us.” Desmond finally answered, but his eyes were not only on Claire but on all the girls in the room.

Desmond added. “It’s not just about that, Claire. I can’t explain why, but I have a feeling that our life will never be calm and normal. I need power, power beyond what I can acquire in this world. I’m ready to give up my humanity, but I’m not ready to give up this world yet.”

Claire and Revna looked at Desmond in disbelief; his words were too significant, especially that last part. However, they understood it was just as Desmond said. This world could not feed their growth, but the threats outside this world would not care.

Desmond let Claire and Revna process that thought for a few seconds, and he didn’t find it strange that the rest of the girls weren’t surprised. Since Desmond had met Cecilia, Kyuru, and Sasha in other worlds, and they had come with him to his world, the notion of leaving their home world was not so foreign to them.

Seeing that Claire and Revna snapped out of their thoughts, Desmond continued. “Unfortunately, staying in this world comes with its own set of drawbacks and responsibilities. In just a few weeks, I will have to be back on duty in the military, participating in this ridiculous war with our neighboring country. I need to use the time I have on hand to take advantage of this opportunity. Clearly, I would rather stay here to rest and enjoy the company of all of you, but there would be time for that later.”

Claire had to bite her lip to keep from responding. Claire was a burden even now, she knew that, and it hurt, but if she now insisted on keeping Desmond here, then she would be even worse than a burden. Enduring her helplessness, Claire nodded, giving Desmond a smile.

How could Desmond not see past Claire’s fake smile? Desmond had practically raised the girl. He knew her more than he knew himself. Being well aware of the unfairness and sadness of the situation, Desmond did not aggravate Claire’s delicate feelings with empty words of comfort. Instead, he opted for a more practical approach.

Not caring that the rest of the girls were watching so closely, Desmond leaned down to take Claire’s lips. Desmond was sure he would never tire of the girl now in his arms. He loves that soft, sweet taste accompanied by a touch of warmth and wetness. A simple and calm kiss filled with her most tender emotions was all Desmond needed from her. It made him feel whole and gave him courage; he hoped the same would apply to her.

Desmond ignored the flushed faces of Sasha and Cecilia, one of whom was even emitting small amounts of steam. Desmond broke away from Claire, lovingly caressing the girl’s face as he brushed a couple of strands of her brown hair away, tucking it behind her ear.

“I’ll have to settle for that. Otherwise, I won’t want to leave.” Desmond commented with a playful smile, but his voice was quite sincere.

Desmond got up from the sofa, not willing to let anyone try to stop him, he had made a decision, and it was time for him to take action. Taking the vial of blood in one hand, Desmond turned and, without warning, leaned in to kiss the still-flushed Sasha. Savoring that ever-present raspberry flavor on the girl’s lips, Desmond commented. “A little extra never hurts.”

To Cecilia’s terror, Desmond approached her with the same calm and affectionate expression with which he had kissed the now almost mesmerized Claire and Sasha. Desmond chuckled inwardly at the panic so painfully visible on Cecilia’s face. To Cecilia’s surprise, Desmond only lightly stroked the cascade of golden hair that fell to the side of her face. “I promise we’ll spend some time together when I get back.”

With that, Desmond withdrew, leaving Cecilia frozen in her place, confused but blushing. Only she knew if she was relieved or disappointed that Desmond didn’t kiss her, maybe a bit of both.

Desmond would have said goodbye to Revna, but the girl had already slipped into her shadow, so he let her be. Though mentally unstable in some ways, Revna had great resilience for other things. So Desmond decided it would be a good idea to have her by his side while he underwent the bloodline change. Given the proceedings’ violent and... well, bloody nature, Desmond thought it prudent for someone to be present.

Desmond had a strange feeling about the blood in the vial. It was some kind of vague feeling. He felt something more than a strong affinity for the energy that passively emanated from the vial of blood... he felt a trace of darkness.