Festering Desire

The landlady finally served the meals to the table, but there was something very suspicious. Why was Leo's portion so much larger than the other servings? And in a blink of an eye, the large sandwich on his plate completely disappeared without a trace. James knew from last time that the boy was a ferocious eater and he still found it amusing.

Before long, as if she anticipated his appetite, the landlady came over again with another plate of ultra-deluxe sized sandwich.

"Wait, we haven't ordered a second." James hurriedly said.

"He is obviously still hungry. Are you going to let a growing boy starve?" The landlady sternly lectured the man.

With the food once again vanishing within a flash and was immediately replaced with another, the agent was reminded of the great horror that still haunts his wallet to this day. Watching the plates stacking up, his hands trembled and cold sweats dripped down from his head.

"P-Please... have mercy... I am just a mere civil servant..." The words were muttered in inaudible volume; his per diem wasn't going to cover all that.

Suddenly, Leo took a pause to his unstoppable streak and looked towards his mother. Maria was staring back at him and hadn't touched her portion at all. The boy gave his order and was relieved to see the doll could eat normally without help... for the most part.

As a doll in recovery, it was inevitable that she was still a bit clumsy as several droplets of sauces fell down on her great bosom. Like the loving and responsible son he was, Leo had to pause every now and then to carefully and thoroughly wipe off the stain from her milky marshmallows. Unfortunately, the agent was already too heartbroken to enjoy the sight.

In the end, the landlady wasn't so mean as to charge the extra bill on the poor agent.

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On the edge of the forest and deep inside the inner keep of the estate, hidden within a certain altar inside the dark audience chamber, a figure behind the veil of the pedestal let out a deep sigh.

"Youngsters these days simply can't hold back. Now that you two have nullified the curse, that thing must have caught a whiff of something folly. There is no need to doubt its intelligence, it is now aware of our plans." The figure said in a solemn manner.

"We are sorry, madam! The young master was too incredible, our bodies couldn't resist!" The twins exclaimed in unison.

"Oh? Just how incredible? But to be able to tempt the two of you, he is indeed promising." The madam hoped the situation wouldn't hinder the plan.

"Young master's essence contains the purest form of life energy." - Yuria

"The concentration of Anima was even more refined and frightening than the vile curse." - Filia

"A single taste of his seeds could overwhelm our body and suppress the dark Anima." - Yuria

"The young master was so grossly incandescent, like a magnificent radiance. Our womanly instinct was begging him to deflower us." - Filia

"..." The figure was speechless; she watched the twins panting heavily with flushed red faces as they recalled the ecstatic moments of being thoroughly dominated by Leo.

"Fine...there is still time. We must organize the ritual immediately. A full moon will soon be upon us! ...but before that, we have an esteemed guest at the door." This was said before the knocking sounds were heard.

Quickly recovering their bearing in grace, the twins opened the door and were surprised to see Leo visiting the madam. After an enjoyable breakfast, the boy returned to the mansion and searched for the audience room under the guidance of Maria. The mother still remembered the ways around the inner keep.

"Grandmother, sorry for the abrupt visit, but I would like to know everything." The boy was told he could come see her anytime if he accepted the position.

She examined the resolute eyes on the boy, things were moving at a faster pace than she anticipated. There was a long silent pause before the shadow behind the veil began to speak.

"Very well... it was a story deliberately hidden by the monarch's aged past."

Many centuries ago in a forgotten history, a war erupted between two empires over a strategic position of the halfmoon aisle. Its natural harbor meant whoever captured the island was going to be advantageous on the sea. When one of the oppositions lost the battle, it was approached by a certain cult with the plan to unleash a demon through a dark ritual on the island, which will effectively nullify the advantage of enemy position.

There was not much known about the cult and they vanished without a trace when the ritual was successful. The existence of the demon spread a dark miasma terrorizing the sea, transforming all who engulfed within the mist into spawns of evil. At the same time, blight and disease ran rampant in both of the empires, leading to their inevitable collapse.

It was known as the black death that plagued the continent in the history book. The existence of the demon and much of the relevant event were not recorded down in any way, as if purposely erased from the annuals.

Until one day, a priestess of a small kingdom was sent on a pilgrimage to banish the foul creature. Not much was known about the battle between the two inhuman existences; but in the end, the priestess was able to separate the soul of the demon from its body and sealed them both on the island. In return, her blood was defiled by the demon which binded her to a curse.

"Her name was Miko, the ancestor of the Demilune family. She never explained the truth between her and the demon, even to her closest confidant. Hence, the curse that runs through our family bloodline remains a mystery and an unbreakable shackle."

Leo patiently listened to her monologue. From what he gathered, it was due to the curse, the lifespan of the family members was drastically reduced. The vile energy of the curse constantly corrupts them into madness, slowly nibbling away their soul, which could only be quenched by the demon's blood.

"The grimoire in your possession was found on the altar where the dark ritual was held. Miko was the closest one to completely decipher the black book. However, time was not on her side due to the curse..."

But she did leave behind much knowledge for her offspring. The runes embedded on the twin's body were a spell passed down by Miko to reinforce the sealings of the demon. And by utilizing the demon's blood, those who were born within the family were natural born Anima users and all awakened at a young age.

"Then, with great fortune, her legacy was picked up by Maria, your mother, who managed to contrive you to being; the only male heir to ever born within our cursed blood. Despite her other impressive feats over the curse and the demon, I dare to say that you are her greatest achievement." The figure ended the sermon with a melancholy chuckle.

The boy glanced towards his mother with curious eyes and carried on the conversation with questions to fill in between the gaps. The amount of information was making him slightly dizzy.

"Rest well for today, there is still much more to cover. Tomorrow, before dawn, you shall visit the shrine in preparation for the ritual. The head priestess shall reveal the rest to you."

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In a secret chamber near the harbor town, a small group four sat around the table. James, with his sunglasses covering his eyes and a Holmes hat above his head, appeared to be half asleep with his feet resting on the table.

"Boss, when is that special agent going to show up? It's almost past dinner time." The only lady in the group said.

"She will be here any minute, a quick briefing and I will set you all free for dinner." The agent spoke in a plain manner.

With four agents stationed in just a single island, it showed how much the government prioritized the island's secrets. The higher up must have known something that even attracted them; very much so that another top agent was coming to assist in the operation.

The door of the chamber was opened and a feminine figure with lecherous proportions entered the room. Seeing those heavy weight class assets comparable to the women on the island, the female agent felt an immense hostility from the newcomer.

"This place held up pretty well." The lady spoke in a discernible condescending tone.

The secret chamber was once a gathering point for the Shuzen family in their war against the Halfmoon. It appeared that the special agent had a questionable background.

"Now, all of you will be under my command. This is the written notice from the higher up."

She handed James a wrinkled paper.

"Not that I care what you all do. Just don't pull me back. The plan remained the same as discussed. Avoid the main estate and sneak into the back forest, what we seek is inside there."

The agent didn't even give a self-introduction before showing her voluptuous rear to the group as she exited the chamber.

"That is one pompous bitch." One of the men cursed out and the others nodded in agreement.

"The operation is in a few days. Just do your job and be ready."

Information had it that the island was related to a certain infamous cult like terrorist organization that always causing havoc around the world. They could have opted for a more diplomatic approach to find out the truth, but the higher ups were strangely adamant in subterfuge.

In all honesty, James did not want to attend or even lead this operation. But he was almost in retirement and this will be his last mission. Oh... was that a flag he just set for himself?