Chapter 343 343 A Mysterious Smile

"Crystal, what's going on in that clever mind of yours?" he questioned, a playful tone underscoring his curiosity.

With a mysterious smile, Crystal responded, "Oh, just a little experiment of my own. Don't you worry." Her voice held a teasing note, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the situation.

Seizing the moment, she continued, "But if you ever need someone to test more elixirs on, you know where to find me." The playful glint in her eye hinted at a deeper, unspoken connection between her and Nexus, leaving him both amused and intrigued.

Nexus chuckled, "Well, Crystal, you've got the spirit of an adventurer. Just be careful with those experiments of yours." His response carried a mixture of amusement and genuine concern for his loyal companion.

As Crystal departed with the remaining elixirs, she couldn't resist a parting shot, "Oh, I'll be careful. You can count on that." The air of mystery surrounding Crystal's actions lingered, adding a touch of suspense to the otherwise tranquil garden scene. Nexus, left alone with a handful of unanswered questions, shook his head with a bemused smile.

Nora observed the exchange between Nexus and Crystal, her curiosity piqued. She couldn't shake the feeling that their relationship went beyond the typical dynamic of master and maid. Perplexed, she turned to Nexus, her eyes questioning.

"Nexus, are you sure Crystal is just your maid? They seem so close," Nora remarked, her curiosity evident in her tone.

Nexus chuckled at Nora's observation. "Crystal is a bit of an enigma, isn't she? But trust me, compared to some other characters in this realm, she's as normal as it gets," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Nora raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Weirdos? What do you mean?" she inquired, eager to delve into the intricacies of the relationships within the Russell family.

Nexus grinned, deciding to keep it light. "Oh, you seemed to be oblivious to the outside world, you'll meet them soon enough. Just be prepared for a colorful cast of characters," he teased, leaving Nora with a sense of anticipation for the adventures that lay ahead.

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A short while later, after a long day of work- after spending hours and hours in the forge, Nexus finally hauled himself out of his work clothes and dove right into bed. From his limbs to his ankles, and right up to his shoulders- slight aches slithered through.

In the dark room, his chest heaved- and collapsed back with a satisfactory sigh. Fatigue burned through his bones.

Aloud- to no one in particular, he declared in a satisfactory tone;

"Well, today was certainly productive. . ."

Before his mind could begin to feast on his success, his slid across the feathered pillow- jerking his skull towards the western window, and focusing his eyes on the landscape outside.

Through the parted drapes,he could see the low hanging moon. It was barely at its zenith- barely a few clicks away from the center of the black sky. All around it, like a halo of twinkling dots- a fistful of stars shone in the background, fighting fruitlessly to outshine the gibbous moon.

Nexus' throat bobbed in the dark.

". . .I'm guessing there's still a couple hours away till midnight. . .with any luck, I might actually get some beauty sleep tonight and be up before dawn. . ."

Laying on his sides, his jaw tautened- and his teeth chattered as he fought back a yawn.

"Damn I'm tired. . ."

His left arm shot upwards, and his right arm followed closely- rising over his head in a muscled stretch. Rolling in the sheets- he stretched his body over and over again like a lazy panther.

'At least. . .' he muttered to himself; '. . .I get to sleep properly. . .'

As the moonlight streaked in through the adjacent windows and landed on the freshly laundered white sheets, Nexus' eyes dropped lower and lower. He sank into the white silky pillows- and drew up the duvet up to his chest.

In a moment, his eyelids became heavier than metal- and he happily closed them- not realizing that sleep was the last thing he was getting that night.

Eventually, his breaths began to slow- as did his blood pressure. However, just as the god of sleep spread its wings of slumber over him, suddenly, through the slit opening at the bottom of the door, a single silhouette appeared like a single black flame.

Normally, Nexus' eyes would have flipped open- three times faster than the speed of sound.

But the inviting pleasure of slumber had him bound in tight chains. In the dark, half naked, laying on his back- and sprawled across the bed like a crocodile, all the muscles on his torso were virtually relaxed. He was asleep.

But the intruder was not.

Outside the door, the looming outline danced on its feet for a few moments- as if unsure of how to proceed.

Then suddenly, the sound of his turning door handle creaked into the stillness of the dark. Slowly, like the melancholic tune of a tragic play, the quiet creaking echoed in ominous notes- followed rapidly by the predictable wheezing of the wooden door being pushed open.

From the opening door, strips of orange light poured in- a gift from the burning torches in the hallway. Suddenly, a crown of long black hair bobbed through the open slit. On her whitened face, her two eyes glistened like cold diamonds.

Folds of flesh creased across her forehead as she tore her gaze right into the room. At once, even in the dark, her eyes found Nexus' sleeping form, and a slight moan curled up her slender throat.

A familiar scent- thick as a fog- seeped into the room, even before the figure set its foot into the room. Nexus stirred in his sleep- grunting unconsciously as fragrance of scented oils bombarded his nose. It was a scent he had slept with- bathed with, and ate with.

If he had been awake, his mind and his eyes would have screamed a single name;

'CRYSTAL.'

Sure enough, with the light filtering through the door behind her, her slender shoulders followed her head. Then came the bulge of her voluptuous chest, then her curvy hips- and finally, her slender calves.

Like a ghost creeping in to hunt, the succubus' delicious form slipped into the room.

With her left palm, she softly pushed the door behind her- shutting it and cutting out the orange lights from the cackling flames in the hallway. From her feet, to her knees, and the bottom half of her laps, the succubus was naked.

The pink nightgown was strapless. It clung to her heavy round breasts- flowing freely with each jiggle of her body.

Without a word, she glided towards Nexus- noiselessly slithering across the lush carpet. At the foot of his bed, basking fully in the silvery rays of the pale moonlight, she hovered over him- looking every inch like a visiting angel.

In the bed, Nexus' chest rose and fell peacefully. Both his arms were rested on his torso- clasped together like a mummified Egyptian Pharoah. His long hair was spilled across the pillow.

A raging silence- thick as a fog, reigned in those few moments.n.-o/-v()e/-L)-b/-1).n

While a peaceful look covered Nexus' face, Crystal's face was the complete opposite.