There was only a single flaw in the plan that I had told Kalista, and that was that I needed another who could manipulate souls. Renae was one of the only people I knew that even had the proper Affinity, however, not only did she have no experience, both her Affinity and Wisdom were average, making her a poor choice. The person I really had in mind was Ellie, but despite the fact that both she and the prince were staying at the estate, I found it hard to approach her. We hadn't parted on the best of terms, so I was reluctant to go and see her, in spite of the constant nagging of my inner thoughts that told me she didn't happen to just somehow come to Phoenicia just as my welcome home party had been scheduled. I didn't have much choice other than to ignore my anxiety about it and go and see her however. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door of the guest room Ellie was staying in. I could hear the sound of scrambling around before the door cracked open and Ellie stuck her flustered face through. "Sorry, I was-" Her speech stopped as she saw that I was standing there. While I didn't know what she had been doing, she was keeping the entirety of her body obscured. "Hey." I said, trying to think of how to broach the subject of what had brought me here. "I've got a favor to ask, or an exchange if you'd prefer." Ellie's eyes narrowed, the dark chocolatey skin of her brow furrowing as she glanced side to side before opening the door a bit wider and pulling me in, the door shutting behind her quickly. While the curtains were shut the sunlight that was streaming through them was plenty to illuminate the room, which had become a mess since I had seen it last. Ellie wasn't the kind of person who was too lazy to clean up, which meant that she had another reason for having not done so recently. However, as I turned around to confront Ellie about what was going on, I found myself speechless as I saw her standing with her back against the door wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. However, what really caught my eye was the charred looking patch of flesh near her stomach. Unlike the smooth chocolatey brown that her skin usually was, this patch was completely black and seemed as if it would break into ash if one were to grasp it. "What happened?" I asked in a whisper after a moment of simply staring. Ellie was silent, her eyes averted and downcast as she avoided my gaze. "My time is coming to an end." she said eventually, her voice soft as she finally looked at me. "Shadow Elves are born from hatred and other negative emotions, so it's only natural that when one relinquishes their hate that they die. The simmering embers of anger and hatred I've been stubbornly holding onto for all these years finally died out." I could vaguely recall Ellie telling me something about how Shadow Elves came to be, but I had never really reflected on it since Ellie was the only Shadow Elf I had ever gotten to know. As I processed her words I realized that it was probably my fault she was going to die. Her hatred had likely been against an unknown entity that had taken the Vell of the past from her, and I had confirmed that not only was I similar to her Vell, I was technically her reincarnation. It occurred to me that she had likely been so harsh against me that day so many years ago, likely because she was afraid that she would let go of her hatred and begin to die, just as she had been reunited with the reincarnation of her past love. I found myself unable to break the silence as both me and Ellie just looked at each other, before she finally moved and walked up to me. Unlike when we had last parted ways, I was now the taller between the two of us, and she was forced to reach slightly upwards as her arms draped around my shoulders. "I didn't want to hurt you in the same way I was hurt." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But it turns out I'm much weaker than I thought. If I'm to end my days I'd rather it be with you."
I gently wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her close, before suddenly lifting her up and tossing her onto the bed. "You're an idiot." I said bluntly as I slowly removed my clothing and crawled on the bed. "I turned my step-mother into a Dhampir so that we could be together, did you not think I could do the same for you?" Ellie shook lightly. I could tell she had thought of the possibility, but for whatever reason she had simply chosen to ignore it. "My existence is already fixed." she said, her voice unsteady as my hand began caressing its way up her leg. "I'm not malleable like a human, nor is there any kind of possibility that I could evolve like you."
I chuckled slightly at her misconception as my hands began to pull the shorts she was wearing off. "While I don't know exactly how my power works, if I can bring an Arachne back from the brink of death, give a corporeal form to a Banshee, evolve a creature that hosts part of a God, and resurrect the ancient race of Light Elves, I doubt a little thing like being a Shadow Elf will stop me." I said piecemeal as mouth worked on both speaking and kissing its way up her inner thigh. Ellie's body shuddered as I neared her crotch, just as a white crest began to manifest, her hands weakly resisting my advance, by pushing against my head. I paused just short of her slick folds, by breath teasing her as our eyes met. There was a mixture of fear and desire in Ellie's eyes as she looked at me, her breath somewhat shallow. Smiling, I lifted myself up and laid next to her, our faces just barely apart. "Even if it doesn't work, what is to fear, just think of it as a parting gift." I said, my hand reaching out and brushing her colorless white hair away from her face. There was a moment of only the sounds of our breath as Ellie hesitated, before finally nodding her head. "I'll tru-" She began only for her to be cut off as my mouth overlapped hers, my hand wriggling down her body as a light moan escaped her mouth as one of my fingers invaded the damp warmth of her body. Being careful to avoid the charred-like section of her body, I rolled over and placed myself above her. Ellie had a confused look on her face as she glanced at me, only for her to flinch slightly as my semi-stiff member revealed itself and touched her skin, laying on her crotch. "Wha-" she began, only for me to seal her mouth with another kiss. I had already made sure that Ellie was prepared, even if she didn't think she was. I had spent a significant amount of time practicing to prevent me from discharging eggs, though I was unsure if it was a side effect or something else, but doing so caused me to release a similar substance as Steria did. Something that was basically semen in all but actual function, as far as I had ever been able to tell. While our tongues were interlocked I guided my tip to her entrance, rubbing against it slowly to ensure that she was sufficiently self-lubricated. My member produced a lubricant as well, but it was always better to err on the side of caution when sticking things into a bodily orifice. Feeling that everything was set, I plunged in, Ellie's body clamping around me tightly. I had only just inserted, yet Ellie's back arched as her body shuddered, an orgasm rocking her body, drowning her in pleasure. Not giving her time to rest I pushed my hips forth and sank all the way into her body, as our mouths separated and Ellie screamed a curse as pleasure relentlessly battered her body. While Ellie appeared to want to be the one in control, I knew that she secretly liked being subdued and fucked roughly, and if for some unknown reason, she couldn't be corrupted, I was going to damn well make sure that her body remembered this night until the end.