Dual Realm Exchange System

Damian woke the following morning to the smell of food.

His eyes opened slowly beneath the canvas shelter, and for several seconds he simply remained there, enjoying the increasingly rare experience of waking up without something trying to kill him, summon him, interrogate him or drag his consciousness into another dimension.

Then he remembered where he was, deep within the hostile Moonveil Forest.

Damian sat up, stretched until several joints released satisfying pops and stepped outside.

The camp was already active.

Eunice crouched beside the fire preparing breakfast, her movements carrying the quiet familiarity of someone who had apparently become the unofficial mother of the Four Valkyries long before Damian ever met them.

Paulina had decided normal morning exercises were for cowards and currently balanced upside down several meters away, performing slow handstand presses while wearing light training clothes.

Her muscular body remained completely controlled despite the awkward posture, with a faint sheen of sweat running across taut brown skin as her powerful arms repeatedly lowered and raised her entire weight.

Damian watched for perhaps two seconds longer than strictly necessary.

He was only human, after all! Don’t put the blame on him!

Julia sat nearby maintaining her equipment, stringing her bow before carefully inspecting several arrows and the various tools she carried for field repairs.

Janet was nowhere to be seen, which was somewhat concerning.

Though, it was not enough for them to begin searching in a panic, because Janet disappearing from sight was arguably her natural state.

Still, it was enough for Damian to mentally note that he should check whether anything valuable remained inside the camp before leaving.

Who knew what that evil halfling had filched during the night?

”Morning.” Damian greeted casually.

”Good morning, Damian.” Eunice replied from the fire.

Paulina grunted something while upside down.

Julia glanced toward him. ”You slept late.”

”I fought a Legend yesterday. I think I earned an extra hour.” Damian retorted arrogantly, a smug smile on his face.

Julia opened her mouth, paused, then apparently decided there was no reasonable counterargument to that.

Victory!

Damian settled near the campfire while Eunice continued cooking, allowing himself a few minutes to organize the day ahead.

They needed to finish clearing this sector first, and afterward came the Dark Goblins.

Kellan would need to be brought in at the appropriate point, though Damian absolutely refused to toss the newly minted Level 7 Fighter into an uncontrolled melee merely because the boy wanted revenge.

The entire purpose of last night’s educational beating had been preventing precisely that sort of stupidity.

Then there were his unresolved notifications from and , Alfaro’s condition, the mystery surrounding Mirelle, his new administrative immunity, and the Wild Court that would almost certainly eventually notice Ravelhorn’s death.

Damian sighed tiredly.

What happened to normal adventuring?

Kill ten slimes, collect fifteen mushrooms, or save a cat from a tree.

Why did every side quest he accepted somehow become foreign policy?

His eyes moved toward Eunice, and she immediately looked away.

Damian frowned.

A few seconds later, Paulina completed another handstand press, turned her head slightly toward him while still upside down, then abruptly focused on the ground when she noticed him watching.

Damian’s frown deepened.

Julia was more subtle, but unfortunately for her, Damian possessed Divine Sense.

She inspected the same arrowhead three times while furtively glancing toward him whenever she believed his attention had shifted elsewhere.

”...Alright.”

All three women stiffened.

Damian folded his arms.

”What is going on?”

Eunice became extremely interested in stirring breakfast.

Paulina lowered herself from the handstand, flipped gracefully onto her feet and immediately began stretching.

Julia inspected the arrowhead for a fourth time.

Damian stared at them. ”Seriously?”

Nobody answered.

”You’ve all been staring at me since I woke up.”

”We have not.” Julia replied immediately.

Damian looked at her, and Julia looked away.

”Julia.” Damian called with a point look.

”...Maybe a little.” Julia admitted weakly.

Paulina coughed while Eunice finally stopped stirring and released a long breath.

It seemed whatever had been hanging between the three women since last night had finally reached the point where pretending otherwise was becoming childish.

”Damian... perhaps we should talk.” Eunice offered gently.

Damian raised an eyebrow, knowing that those words were never good.

Still, he nodded.

”Alright.”

Eunice removed the pot from the fire and sat opposite him.

For several seconds, the Priestess struggled to begin, and that alone surprised Damian.

Eunice was usually the most emotionally balanced member of the group.

Janet could be Janet, Julia could become prickly whenever embarrassed, and Paulina’s Beastwoman instincts occasionally took control of negotiations before diplomacy had even entered the room.

Eunice normally kept everyone stable.

Yet now, her fingers were clasped tightly together.

”My full name is Eunice Rastia.” She finally said.

Damian blinked, Paulina’s ears rose, and Julia slowly lowered the arrow in her hand.

Eunice continued before anyone interrupted. ”I am the fourth daughter of the current King of Rastia. I have two elder sisters, one elder brother and three younger siblings.”

Paulina’s mouth opened. ”What?!”

Julia stared at Eunice with equal disbelief.

They had traveled together for more than a year, fought together, and slept in the same camps.

Heck they had shared food, money, injuries and enough dangerous quests that each had probably seen the others half naked more times than anyone bothered counting.

And somehow their Priestess had neglected to mention she was an actual princess!

Eunice smiled apologetically. ”I left my family some years ago for reasons I’m not prepared to discuss yet. Nobody forced me into the Church, nor was joining an attempt to satisfy some political obligation. I was looking for meaning... and perhaps some solace. I found both there.”

Damian remained quiet as Eunice looked directly toward him.

”That is why I need to be honest with you now. My loyalty belongs first to my faith and the Church I pledged myself to, then to my family and kingdom. Anyone I allowed into my personal life would come after both, and in your particular case...”

Her voice became softer.

”I would also need to break my oath of celibacy.”

Paulina stopped looking shocked by the princess reveal long enough to become awkward while Julia lowered her gaze.

Eunice breathed slowly.

”I’m sorry, Damian. I have thought about this far more than you probably realize, but I cannot become your subordinate, your family... or your lover.”

Silence followed.

Damian stared at her for several seconds, then folded his arms and nodded.

”Alright, I understand.”

Eunice blinked.

”It’s completely understandable because those are your vows and your priorities. I honestly respect that.” Damian continued calmly.

That was it.

There was no visible heartbreak, dramatic attempt to convince her otherwise, nor demand that she reconsider.

Damian accepted the answer exactly as she gave it.

For some reason...

That hurt.

Eunice had truly agonized over this decision.

She had spent more nights than she wanted to admit questioning whether the oath she made years ago still represented the life she genuinely desired.

Damian was handsome, absurdly talented, unexpectedly caring beneath all the shamelessness and possessed the frightening quality of making impossible futures feel strangely reachable.

She had come this close!

This close!!

To throwing away the vow entirely.

Only discipline, faith, and the knowledge that a promise meant nothing if abandoned the moment keeping it became inconvenient had pulled her back.

Yet Damian simply nodded.

A childish little piece of Eunice wanted him to look disappointed... maybe even hurt.

Something, anything, proving that rejecting him cost him as much as it cost her.

Then shame followed immediately.

She had no right to demand pain from a man after telling him she could not be with him.

Eunice lowered her eyes.

Paulina was still processing the fact that their calm Priestess was apparently royalty, but Eunice’s confession seemed to loosen something inside the Wolf Beastwoman.

”If we’re saying things we’ve hidden... My full name is Paulina Lupin.” Paulina muttered as she sat down heavily.

Damian glanced toward her, making Paulina rub the back of her neck.

”My father is... well, he is Fenrir the Great.”

This time, both Eunice and Julia reacted.

”What?!” Eunice exclaimed.

Julia nearly dropped her bow. ”Fenrir of the Lupine Plains? That’s your father?!”

Paulina’s ears lowered as she nodded somewhat sheepishly.

Damian merely became mildly interested as he recognized the name immediately through his accumulated Valorian knowledge.

The Lupine Plains were a massive expanse of grasslands upon another of Valoria’s major continents, inhabited by numerous Beastfolk tribes, monster lineages and powerful clans.

It wasn’t technically a traditional kingdom or empire, but judging its strength by governmental structure would be idiotic.

Four legendary Hound Clans dominated the region.

Garmr of the Death Hounds.

Lycaon of the Blood Hounds.

Romulus of the Black Hounds.

And Fenrir of the Grey Hounds.

Four Legends leading four enormous wolf beastfolk clans.

Collectively, the Lupine Plains ranked comfortably above something like the comparatively young Rastia Kingdom.

Paulina sighed. ”Janet wasn’t lying before, I do have a promised mate. He’s my childhood friend, and the agreement was made by our families when we were young. I don’t hate him, but I hated the idea that everyone else had already decided who I would spend my life with.”

Her claws flexed against her knees.

”So I left! I wanted to become strong enough to decide my own fate before anyone dragged me back and told me what was expected.”

Damian nodded slowly, feeling that this sounded extremely Paulina.

The Beastwoman hesitated before continuing.

”I’ve met many males since leaving home, from humans to other Beastfolk, Elves and many others. Most were either boring, weak-minded or too frightened of my background and strength once they learned anything about me.”

Her amber eyes shifted toward Damian. ”You clearly aren’t.”

Damian’s eyebrow rose.

Paulina’s ears became slightly red.

”I wouldn’t say I’m head over heels or anything embarrassing like that!” She clarified quickly.

”But... I like your scent, I like your strength and especially the way you keep growing. You’re confident without pretending you’re already invincible, and when I look at you...”

Her tail moved once behind her.

”You feel like a male who will become a king one day. Hmm... not necessarily someone wearing a crown, but someone who dominates his era and forces the world to remember his name!”

Damian stared, speechless.

Okay, that was an extremely ’Beastwoman’-esque confession.

And frankly?

He liked it!

Paulina continued more quietly. ”So... I wouldn’t be unwilling to become your partner. But you’d need to deal with my father, my promised mate, and his father.”

Damian’s expression remained neutral.

Paulina swallowed.

”My promised mate should already be an Adept by now, as he was always slightly more talented than me. His father is Garmr.”

Damian’s eyebrow rose slightly.

”The Death Hound?”

Paulina nodded. ”The most dangerous of the Four Legends ruling the Lupine Plains.”

Silence.

Paulina’s tail gradually stopped moving as Damian said nothing for several seconds.

Her heart slowly sank.

Had that finally done it?

Fenrir alone was terrifying enough, but challenging an arranged union supported by Garmr meant placing himself against two of the strongest Beastfolk lineages on the continent.

Perhaps she had expected too much...?

Damian slowly stood and walked directly toward her.

Paulina looked up as Damian stood over her... then reached out to stroke one furry ear.

Paulina’s entire body jolted!

”KYAH?!”

She practically launched upright, face turning violently red as both hands flew toward her head.

”You... you scandalous scoundrel! Take my claws!”

Paulina swiped furiously, though her claws were not even extended.

Damian caught her wrists easily, pulled the startled Beastwoman forward and wrapped one arm around her waist before she could escape.

Then, he kissed her gently.

Paulina froze, her tail becoming perfectly rigid.

When Damian pulled away, his expression contained nothing except open happiness.

”You really thought that would scare me?” Damian asked with amusement.

”Your father, your promised mate and Garmr can be as troublesome as they like. If you’re willing to choose me despite all that, then I’ll rise to the challenge.” Damian declared sincerely.

Paulina stared in surprise, then her expression melted.

Her tail betrayed her immediately, beginning to wag so violently behind her that Julia wisely shifted her bow out of range.

Paulina wrapped both arms around Damian and hugged him tightly.

”You better mean that!”

”I do!”

Eunice turned away, unable to watch further.

It was not because she hated Paulina, far from it!

She loved the Wolf Beastwoman like a sister and was happy that Paulina had finally chosen something for herself.

But... that did not stop the sight from hurting.

Did Eunice regret her own decision?

She didn’t know.

And she refused to lie to herself by pretending she was absolutely certain simply because uncertainty felt embarrassing.

Julia wasn’t doing much better, something sharp twisting inside her chest while watching Paulina pressed happily against Damian.

Jealousy!

She recognized it immediately, and perhaps that was precisely what finally gave her enough courage.

”My name isn’t Julia!”

Everyone looked toward her.

Julia’s cheeks reddened.

”Well... it is. Sort of.”

Paulina blinked.

Julia inhaled deeply.

”My full name is Júlíavelythraenqelitharion.”

Damian, Paulina, and Eunice stared speechlessly.

The Elf’s expression hardened defensively.

”What?!”

Damian wisely said nothing.

Julia continued before anyone attempted pronunciation.

”My mother is Serenaolypurshelitharion, Queen of the Elves.”

This time Paulina actually jumped.

”WHAT?!”

Eunice looked genuinely stunned.

The Elven Kingdom existed on the neighboring continent and ranked among Valoria’s ten greatest recognized powers.

Unlike Rastia, it possessed deep history, enormous territory and the direct guardianship of Litharion, the Divine God of Elves.

More than fifty Legends existed among the numerous Elven sub-races beneath that enormous civilization.

And Serena, appointed Queen beneath Litharion’s authority, stood at its political center.

This meant that Julia’s backing was not merely impressive, it was fucking titanic!

Even Paulina’s lineage suddenly looked almost poor by comparison!

Julia lost some momentum beneath everyone’s staring, then her gaze moved toward Paulina still standing close to Damian.

That helped galvanize her once more.

”I...don’t have a promised mate.” Julia added.

Paulina, apparently having learned absolutely nothing about tact during this emotional morning, immediately asked, ”Then why do you always act like romance personally insulted your ancestors?”

Julia’s face fell.

Paulina’s ears flattened.

”...Oh.”

”My mother loved someone once, a Human Adventurer.” Julia said quietly.

Damian’s amusement disappeared as Julia continued in a low voice.

”That man is supposedly my father.”

Julia looked toward the forest.

”I’ve never met him. He left my mother to continue adventuring and growing stronger before I was old enough to remember anything.”

Paulina frowned. ”He abandoned you?”

Julia shook her head. ”Mother never calls it that. She has never hated him, never insulted him and still speaks about him fondly whenever his name comes up. She says he’ll return one day.”

That somehow made Julia look even sadder. ”I couldn’t understand it. How could someone claim to love another person, have a child with them, then disappear chasing power and adventure? And how could my mother simply wait?”

Her fingers tightened around the bow. ”So I left too.”

Eunice’s expression softened as Julia breathed in deeply.

”I became an Adventurer because I wanted to understand what could possibly be worth that.”

Julia smiled faintly and exhaled. ”The months I spent with the Valkyries became the happiest of my life.”

Her gaze slowly moved toward Damian.

”And then we found you.”

The courage she’d built began collapsing rapidly.

Julia’s face turned red.

”I... find that I... I... quite like you.”

Damian became completely still.

Julia looked anywhere except directly at him.

”I like that you’re handsome, obviously, and you’re usually calm even when everything becomes ridiculous. You’re thoughtful when it matters, and you care about people without making a performance out of it. You’re witty, adaptable and you don’t treat someone differently because they’re Human, Elf, Beastfolk or anything else.”

Her blush deepened.

”And...”

Julia’s voice lowered.

”I like when you tease me.”

Paulina’s eyebrows rose in surprise, while Eunice was stunned.

Julia pushed onward before courage failed.

”But... I’m afraid!”

That part came easier.

”I could already tell Paulina liked you, and Eunice too, no matter what she says.” Julia glanced toward the Priestess before quickly looking away.

”I knew there were feelings among all of us for you. We’re friends, so I didn’t want a man to become the reason that disappears.” Julia added with a sigh.

Then came the true fear that caused the young elven beauty great pain.

”And what if... what if... you’re like my father?” She asked in a weak voice.

Julia finally looked directly into Damian’s eyes. ”What if you become so obsessed with growing stronger, discovering new places and chasing whatever impossible thing comes next that your family becomes something you love from far away?”

Damian felt his heart tremble at that.

Out of all three women, Julia was the last person he expected this from.

Paulina’s attraction made sense because it was primal in its honesty.

She liked his strength, scent, confidence, growth and the potential she saw in him.

There was nothing shallow about that.

Nature itself worked through attraction, capability and instinct, and Beastfolk simply seemed less interested in pretending otherwise.

But Julia...

Julia actually liked him.

She adored not merely what he, Damian, might become, but rather who he was right now.

She liked his temperament, his humor, the way he treated others, how he spoke to her, and the connection built between them.

The woman who had distrusted him the most openly...

The woman Damian had barely considered pursuing because he assumed her answer would obviously be no...

Had somehow developed the strongest raw romantic feelings toward him.

And now that Damian knew?

He had absolutely no idea what to do with the weight of them.

Julia saw his silence, and her courage shattered.

”I-It’s fine!” She said quickly.

She began backpedaling rapidly. ”I wasn’t saying you have to choose me or anything. You have Paulina now, and I don’t want to pressure you. I can just... stay your friend, or whatever you’re comfortable with. I shouldn’t have said—”

Her voice grew more sad and on the verge of tears with every word.

Damian couldn’t listen any longer.

He stepped forward and pulled Julia gently into his embrace, pressing her against his chest.

The Elf froze in shock, especially when Damian rested one hand against the back of her head and slowly stroked her long hair.

”I’m probably not deserving of feelings like that yet, but I’ll rise to the occasion.” Damian promised softly.

Julia’s breath caught.

Damian continued. ”I won’t promise you I’ll stop seeking power, because that would be a lie. I have reasons I need to become stronger, and there are things I still have to accomplish.”

”What I can promise is that if you choose to build a life with me, I won’t treat you like something waiting at home while I live the real part of my life somewhere else.” Damian vowed with sincerity.

Julia’s eyes immediately filled with softness and watery tears.

Damian tightened his embrace. ”I’ll do my best to make sure you can live happily beside me for as long as forever allows.”

A tear escaped, then another.

Julia sniffled helplessly, buried her face into Damian’s chest and nodded.

”...Okay.”

Paulina practically bounced toward them, the Wolf Beastwoman placing one hand proudly on Julia’s back.

”You were brave, Pack Sister!”

Julia looked up with wet eyes.

”...Pack Sister?”

Paulina grinned while Damian’s eyebrows rose as the meaning entered his mind.

In Wolf Beastfolk terminology, ’Pack Sister’ was equivalent to the human race’s ’Sister Wife’.

Julia’s face immediately became scarlet as she deduced the meaning too.

She pushed away from Damian, hurriedly wiped her eyes and folded her arms.

”D-Don’t misunderstand! I merely decided you’re slightly less intolerable than most men, that’s all!”

Damian stared, then laughed.

He couldn’t help it.

Julia was unbelievably cute!

”Whatever you say, Julia.”

”Hmph!”

Eunice opened her mouth, then closed it.

Nobody noticed though, and for the first time since this conversation began, the Priestess felt completely separated from the other three.

The Four Valkyries had adventured together for slightly over a year.

They had entered Rosewood Town together, climbed through the Adventurer Guild together, going from Novice to Journeymen together.

They had shared meals, missions, injuries, jokes, arguments and countless nights exactly like this one.

Eunice had always been their nominal leader... but what would happen now?

Paulina and Julia had chosen Damian.

On the side, Janet already possessed her own increasingly strange connection to him and had somehow become an Adept through his involvement.

If Eunice said one thing and Damian said another tomorrow...

Who would Paulina and Julia follow?

The answer frightened her precisely because she wasn’t certain.

Worse, becoming Damian’s partners meant the two women would inevitably move deeper into his life.

They would learn secrets he currently kept even from friends and would gain access to the impossible methods that had already helped Janet become an Adept in a matter of seconds.

Paulina and Julia would grow quickly, becoming Adept and beyond faster than anyone could know.

And she, Eunice. she would remain exactly where she was.

How long could she realistically lead companions who eventually stood an entire Stage above her?

Or worse, two Stages?

...or even more?

The answer came with painful clarity.

She... couldn’t.

An old memory suddenly returned, of the elderly matron Agnes from the guild looking Damian up and down suspiciously on the very first morning they’d brought him into Rosewood Town.

[”That is how it begins. First, a handsome stranger needs assistance. Then, he starts smiling politely, acting helpless, and somehow convinces four sensible young women to finance his meals while he pursues his mysterious dreams.”]

Those were her exact words back then.

At the time, they had thought the older woman ridiculous, and Paulina had even commented that the older woman sounded oddly specific.

Then Agnes had looked at Damian’s blue eyes and practically accused him of being built to ruin innocent young women.

At the time, it had been funny.

Now...

Eunice looked toward Paulina, whose tail still wagged happily whenever she glanced at Damian.

Then toward Julia, whose face remained red despite desperately pretending nothing had happened.

Then toward Damian himself.

Barely more than a week, that was all it had taken.

Eunice lowered her head as a profound sadness settled over her heart.

The Four Valkyries of Grayfen had existed before Damian Baines, but perhaps they would not exist much longer after him.

Was this...

The end?