FicWad

Even though Matier and Dante had told her it wasn't her fault, she still knew it was. Arius' creation or not, she was still the Protector. Matier had chosen her and given her the responsibility.

It had been her duty to protect the sacred Arcana, to keep them from falling into the hands of villainous sorcerers like Arius, who had tried to steal their power in order to become a god.

Only the gods had the right to the power of the gods, it would drive any human mad who tried to steal it. Arius had been driven mad by that power over the years as he became more and more like a god. Like a demon, as Dante called them.

Dante was a god, Matier said he could claim to not be a god if he wanted to. He still deserved worship, for saving their island as his father had.

The Despair Embodied (she was not worthy to speak its name) was normally a kind god, protecting the island of Vie du Marli against the volcanos that would otherwise have ravaged it. It was thanks to him the island could be home to those who had fled the persecution of those who still worshipped the good gods after what Mundus had done.

However, centuries ago it had been so angered by a sorcerer daring to take the Arcana, which it and three other gods had given to the people of the island, and use them to steal his power he had vowed to destroy the island for betraying its gift.

The great Sword God Sparda had fought him for the island and defeated him, so the island had been spared his wrath.

But there was a difference between the lack of damnation and being blessed.

The Arcana began to glow at the chanting rose, and she checked that all her weapons were in place. She would have to fight to prove herself worthy, as Matier had done.

Even though she was not worthy, being a creation of Arius instead of one with the blood of the Gods, this was still her sacred duty, to appease Despair's wrath and win its favor again.

Matier's arms were flung up into the heavens and the portal opened, red and gold in the sky. Despair's sacred colors of fire.

Matier walked over to her and nodded to her. "It is time, my dear." She was smiling happily.

"I only hope I will be found worthy and do what you did centuries ago to serve the great God and win its favor."

"You will. You're my daughter. You're bright, and so strong for your age. Not to mention beautiful." Matier patted her on the shoulder. "We'll hold the portal open as long as you need."

"I should hurry."

"Give me a hug first, and don't be so worried!" Lucia bent to hug her. "That's better. You were so stiff while Sparda's son was here! So worried about giving the proper impression. You should have more confidence in yourself, my child. I hope that the God's favor will at last show you that you are worthy."

"Matier..." Lucia squeezed her again. "I will not fail you."

"I know you won't. Now don't be silly. You're acting like you're going to your death! Why, I'd love to be young again for this."

Lucia nodded and jumped up into the sky, through the portal into Despair's domain in the realm of the Gods.

A huge space, like where she had fought the Noctpteran. She looked around. She would have to fight Argosax the Chaos first to win the right to enter the presence of the Great Despair. Dante had described it as...

Something like the huge mass that was rising out of the ground. She started throwing daggers.

So many high servants! It was a good thing she could position herself to face only one of them at once! She threw her daggers and spent a lot of time dodging. She was sure Dante had destroyed it in only a fraction of the time it was taking her, he was so much stronger. Was Despair watching? Was the weakness of the one who was supposed to be the Protector of the Gods displeasing him further?

She would have to fight her hardest!

She always had to remain calm when she fought. Now that she had seen her 'sisters' she understood what Arius had done to make them killing machines. She was so grateful to Matier for raising her to be human enough to cry. Dante said she wasn't just a thing, a wretched creation. Dante would know. She trusted in the gods.

She hoped, oh she hoped, that they would be able to save the ones they had captured. The emptiness in their eyes... she hated Arius, for trying to make her into just one of those things. She was Lucia, not X!

No, she wasn't Lucia! She was the Protector of Vie du Marli! She would fulfill Matier's faith in her!

Her wings spread and she soared out of the reach of Jokatglum's tentacle. The heart she held gave her power as she threw her daggers in a deadly rain of light. Surely this would be strong enough to win favor! The Gods valued strength.

Finally, the strange hawk-monster fell, and the mass heaved as she watched. A strange flower rose from the center, and within the bud was what only could be Despair!

She knelt to her God, trying to maintain a stern warrior's visage, but she could not help but blush.

Her eyes were downcast, but she heard it land five yards in front of her and walk forward. She could feel the heat radiating off of the fire-god.

He face must be so red now, from the heat and from embarrassment. She wasn't worthy!

Arius had created her sisters to be succubi as well as fighters, worthy mates for the god he planned to be, but she was a reject! She had only a little knowledge of... such things. She had always covered her ears when Matier tried to tell her, and hid her face when the fertility rites went on.

She wouldn't be able to please the God! It would be so disappointed with her performance it would not bestow its favor on the people of Vie du Marli! She would fail in her duty as a Protector!

It stopped six feet away and a bright tentacle reached out to tilt up her chin. She tried to regain her composure as the God regarded her, but surely the God would know her heart. Surely Despair embodied would feel her despair.

She was only a thing, she wasn't truly of the blood of the gods, she was even less worthy than the humans Despair and the other gods had once mated with to produce Matier's tribe...

The tentacle wrapped around her and pulled her close to it. Her, currently. Human things like genders were as nothing to the Gods.

Warm. So warm it almost burned, but not an unpleasant heat. Such power. Radiating from it, a power like anything she had ever felt except for Dante. Matier and the others were only pale shadows.

Something sizzled. A tear?

Despair's tentacle brushed against her face, catching another. She kept her eyes downcast, which made them face the firm breasts she was pressed against, Despair so much taller than her. So much greater.

She resigned herself to being crushed. Matier had been found worthy, centuries ago. She would not be. She would be crushed, just like an unwanted toy...

Despair's tentacle arm reached under her top. She blushed, but didn't resist as it explored.

Warm, that same heat as the rest of Despair's body, and slick, leaving a trail of moisture against her skin. She squirmed at the invasion when it reached under her pants, but sternly told herself to let the god do what she wanted.

She peeked up at the massive horned head that gazed at her impassively with features more noble than any statue, yet delicate. A perfect balance of male and female.

Wings curled around her, she was caged in, but she didn't feel nervous. Her fate was in the hands of the God. Literally.

The tentacle became a blade, and her clothes were ripped from her, her weapons with them, in one stroke. The blade pressed against her back, but did not cut.

Instinctively, to get away from it she pressed up against Despair. The press of their bodies kept the fragments of her clothing between them.

She was pushed away, and felt another instant of despair: was this when she would be rejected? Was her naked form not pleasing enough? But the fabric slid to the ground when she backed away and then the wings pressed her close again.

Warm and slick, the wings pressed against her back so she was surrounded in it. She squirmed a little. The warmth relaxed her, almost drugged her. She wanted to snuggle closer.

She made a little growling noise and nuzzled her. Part of her wondered if there was any cat in the genetic devil's brew Arius had created her out of. Most of her concentrated on the sensations.

Part of her realized, oh yes. She was here to please the God, not to be pleased herself. So... she should do something.

Yes.

You couldn't really be raised in a pagan culture without knowing a few things, so... it would be easier if the God took male form. She nuzzled the God's chest and was rewarded with the wings stroking her back.

Breasts, breasts were sensitive. The God looked sort of human, so it should be the same, right? She nuzzled again and was rewarded with a pleased growl.

The arm became a tentacle again and started to wrap around her legs as she reached her hands up to touch them. Um... maybe, with her mouth? Another pleased sound.

Yes! She had done something right!

The god laughed, but not unkindly. She blushed and hid her face against her chest.

The tentacle pressed against her thighs and slid in between Despair's legs and her own. Was it going to... touch her there?

She gasped. Her hips tried to draw back, but were pressed in by the wings.

Soon, though, she was trying to press forward, the slick wetness of Despair joined by her own juices. She made little gasping noises, mouth open and staring up at Despair, who looked down on her in benediction.

She should be... doing something, but it was... she licked the breasts and, prompted by some instinct, started to suck.

Did it always feel this good to human women? She felt like an embodiment of lust, body rubbing up against Despair, the top of her right hip being pushed against the join of her God's legs. Had Arius designed her to crave it this much?

Her arms wrapped around Despair to gain more leverage for her hips. She could feel her inhuman nature rising, little cries sounding as her body sang, lips vibrating around what would have been a nipple.

One of Despair's arms stroked her red hair, a talon removing the tie that kept it in place, as the other, transformed, made her sound her hymn of worship.

Worship. The priestess was supposed to serve the god, not the other way around!

She felt herself be tugged downwards, mouth losing contact with the breast and trailing downwards until she knelt before her God.

Oh. She had seen this in a corridor once.

She bent herself to the task in front of her, tongue imitating the tentacle. She hoped her inexperience was compensated for by her enthusiasm. Her God was so kind, blessing her like this! She moaned as her head was pressed firmly against the God.

Her legs were bound but her hands pressed against the God's back, moving slightly as she was moved slightly, mouth guided to better serve the God.

Oh! Her legs spread wide and she shivered. Oh!

The hand on the back of her head released her long enough for her to scream!

The God's hand stroked soft feathers.

She'd devil triggered? She'd devil triggered. Being so close to the God, and what the God had just done to her had called to the demon in her. The demon wanted to serve the God. She wanted more.

The God's wings brushed against her own as she looked up. Oh.

She couldn't blush like this. The God wasn't female anymore. She bet they weren't all that big, human males. Of course the God was superior.

The God's arms helped her up as her wings spread. She beat them once to rise up high enough, arms and legs wrapping around. She could do this. She would make a sacrifice of her virginity to the God.

The God's wings spread and they flew up, her own beating in time. She chirped, and tried to slide herself down without clawing the God with her talons. She did not want to anger him.

One massive hand pulled her against him while the other guided him into her. She felt herself stretch, and it felt amazing. She felt a quick pain, but it was nothing.

Even more than before when she, he, had touched her with the tentacle. Was it because she was a demon now? She felt like a demon of lust, her wings beating fiercely in time with his thrusts.

So strong, so hard! She was screeching and clawing, wanting more, more!

No wonder Matier had wanted to do this again! The God's blessing... she would never feel this good again! She was singing, every inch of her was singing, divine power was surging through her as the God claimed her as his own, as she was accepted by the highest authority as a worthy servant, a worthy Protector.

The God was speeding up. Was that even possible? It felt like there was not even a millisecond between thrusts, no time to recover.

She screamed again, the passion exhausting her but this time there was not even an instant to recover, the pleasure extended by the persistent thrusts and then she felt it rising again!

And again! She wasn't coming out of Devil Trigger, the energy expended to stay in this form was building up too quickly, she felt stronger and more energized, more alive than she ever had been, but it was too much!

She was so slick, and how had a human ever survived this? She felt if she had been as delicate as they were she would have been ripped apart by this, a glory too fierce to bear!

Too much, too much, but she didn't ever want it to stop, she didn't even have the right to ask it to stop. Would she die like this?

She almost wanted to. What would be worth living for, after knowing this? Oh!

The God's body was burning now, if she didn't heal so fast he would be scorching her. So hot and big inside her, touching her everywhere, filling her everywhere when she'd never realized she'd been this empty.

She screamed! Too hot! Too much! Burning inside her, a fierce stream as he came!

She called out her triumph when she realized. She had done it! The God had been pleased by her sacrifice! His last few thrusts sent her over the edge again, and he released her.

Her wings spread to stop her fall as she panted. Was it over? The God in all his glory, now her glory, flew over to her. A him again, a her, flickering between them, divine in either form.

She tried to fly up to it, wings beating, but she was so tired... she fell, devil trigger exhausted and mind blanking out, the last thing she knew the warmth of two saving arms.

She shifted in the soft sheets. She felt strange, but good.

Completely relaxed, body humming with vitality. She stretched, yawned, blinked open her eyes. Why did she think it was strange she was in her room?

Oh, yes, she had been in the realm of the Gods, done her duty, and then she had fallen asleep. Had Matier come to take her home? Where was Matier? She felt a little hurt. The day after Arius had been defeated she had woken to find Matier sitting beside her bed, watching over her as she slept.

Where was she now?

And what was that racket?

Steel drums sounding and bells, explosions that had to be firecrackers... was there some celebration going on?

Lucia blushed. Matier had told her this would be a private ritual! Did the whole island know she had... She felt terribly hurt. Of course, this ritual was important to the island, so she couldn't object to Matier reassuring the populace that Despair favored its people again, but...

She threw on her clothes and went into the town.

People weren't staring at her. They were whooping and dancing around. A young Guardian grabbed her by the hand. "Did you see the God?!"

"What?"

"Lord Despair! Last night, he flew around the island! It has shown its face to us again, we are its people again!" She whooped. "The Son of Sparda must have convinced him! We're all going to the Cathedral to give thanks!"

"Where is Matier?"

"Already at the Cathedral speaking to the worshippers! You should hurry, you're the Protector, you have to be there!"

"I will hurry." Lucia nodded. What was she going to wear? Her outfit had been shredded.

"I hate being worshipped. And why would anyone think I convinced a devil to come out of the Underworld? What were you thinking, opening a portal? If it'd still been pissed off with you, it would have set off the volcanoes," Dante was pointing out to Matier when she arrived.

Matier smiled. "We trust in our Gods. You came back, just as your Father did, Despair has forgiven its people. All is as it was when I was a girl." She turned to Lucia. "Come and stand with us, my dear. The people should give thanks to their Protector."