The main chamber of the dungeon was a living sanctuary, its walls draped in twisted vines that had grown over the course of a century beneath the faint glow of luminous flowers dotting the floor like shards of a shattered sky. The air hung heavy, thick with the earthy scent of moss and the intoxicating sweetness of plants that had blossomed under Sebastián's tireless hands—a man whose skin still held the smoothness of youth, as if time had chosen to pause for him. A crimson orb floated at the center, humming with a low, steady pulse that echoed through the walls, while the golden cocoon, woven from pulsing black vines, stood motionless on its pedestal—a silent throne that had cradled Aurora for a hundred years. The dungeon itself had kept him alive, his devotion to the cocoon forging an unseen bond that tethered him to his queen's existence, a subtle magic that had halted his aging while she slept.
Sebastián knelt near the cocoon, his hands dusted with soil as he pruned a glowing flower with a precision honed over a century of practice. His tousled brown hair fell over warm eyes that shone with the patience of someone who had found his place in this garden—Aurora's garden. He wore a worn tunic, stained green from years of brushing against the plants, and a light sword hung at his hip, a gift from Kaili after decades of training that had sharpened his skill—not a master, but a swordsman swift enough to dodge and strike with a finesse born of effort rather than innate talent. Beside him, a shallow bowl of water caught the orb's light, and he murmured, as he had every night for a hundred years, words meant only for the cocoon to hear.
"I came up with a new story yesterday," he said, his soft voice breaking the stillness as he watered the base of the cocoon with a care that bordered on reverence. "A knight lost in a forest of stars… I think you'd like it, Aurora." His lips curved into a shy smile, his fingers brushing the golden vines as if he could feel her through them. "You always liked stories—or at least, I hope you did, after all this time talking to myself."
A whisper of membranous wings sliced through the air, and Kaili emerged from the shadows of the second floor, her towering figure silhouetted against the dim glow of luminescent mushrooms. Her purple skin shimmered with an intensity undimmed by the years, golden, silver, and red runes pulsing like living veins across a body that radiated power and a sensuality that stole the breath—full breasts, wide hips, a presence that charged the air with an almost tangible electricity. Her six wings—black, purple, and scarlet—unfurled for a moment, casting iridescent glimmers that danced across the underground lake before folding back with a rustle that grazed Sebastián's skin like an unseen touch. Her sharp, gem-studded horns gleamed faintly, and her eyes—dark pools flecked with red sparks—fixed on him with a blend of mockery and something that, after a century, had softened into playful tolerance.
"A hundred years, and your stories are still as lousy as your aim," Kaili growled, her voice echoing with a sarcastic edge that had lost its harshest bite over time—a game they both understood after a century together. She approached with a sway that accentuated the curves of her black armor, molded to her like liquid obsidian, and her left wing brushed his shoulder with a deliberate tease that made him stiffen, a shiver racing up his spine like a memory of days long past.
He laughed awkwardly, his hands pausing on the flower as he glanced at her sidelong, his pulse quickening as it always did when she toyed with him—a flicker of the days when, after a decade of isolation, his desire had driven him to spy on her bathing in the second floor's lake. He could still see it—the water clinging to her curves, runes glowing like liquid fire beneath the surface—and how she'd caught him, her wings slashing the air as she hurled him against a stalagmite in a beating that left bruises for weeks. But he hadn't given up—each time he tried, she punished him with a fury that broke bones, until, over the years, Kaili stopped hitting him and let him watch with a cruel smile. "Keep looking, little pervert," she'd said once, decades ago, and since then, her baths had become a silent ritual he never abandoned, his attraction to her a flame that a century hadn't snuffed out.
"They're not that bad," he replied, his voice wavering with a mix of humor and nerves as he pulled his gaze away from her curves—those shapes that still tempted him. "And my aim's gotten better—at least you don't cut me every time we spar anymore."
Kaili laughed, a low, melodic sound that echoed through the chamber like a taunt wrapped in velvet. "That's because I stopped trying, gardener," she growled, leaning in until her breath grazed his ear, warm and laced with an intensity that forced him to swallow hard. "A hundred years, and you still look at me like you did that day by the lake—you're hopeless, but at least your plants don't stink as much as your stories." Her runes flared with a red glow, and her wing slid along his back in a caress that left him trembling, his skin prickling beneath the worn fabric of his tunic.
Before he could muster a retort, a faint tremor rippled through the walls, a shudder that made the vines creak and the luminous flowers flare with a brightness that sliced through the air like a silent bolt of lightning. Sebastián looked up, his heart pounding with a blend of awe and an anticipation that left him dizzy, while Kaili straightened, her wings unfurling with a rustle that echoed like restrained thunder. "She's awakening," she murmured, her voice thick with a rare solemnity, a glint of pride and reverence flickering in her dark eyes. "My queen… at last."
The golden cocoon began to glow with a warm, almost celestial light, a radiance that flooded the chamber like a sunrise trapped deep within the earth. Tiny cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, releasing bursts of energy that danced along the walls, painting the vines with hues of gold and crimson that pulsed in time with the orb. Sebastián rose to his feet, his hands shaking as a wave of nausea washed over him—a hundred years had passed since Aurora entered hibernation, and though he'd known this moment would come, he wasn't ready for what he was about to see. Kaili stepped back, her towering form still as a statue carved from chaos, her gaze locked on the cocoon with an intensity that stole the breath.
With a final burst of light that bathed the room in brilliance, the cocoon split open slowly, its vines unraveling like wilted petals that drifted to the floor with a soft crunch. And there, at its heart, Aurora emerged—a sight that drove the air from Sebastián's lungs in a gasp he couldn't hold back. Her skin, once faintly greenish, was now pure and white as starlit porcelain, glistening beneath the green slime that coated her like a newly hatched butterfly, sliding down her form in viscous threads that shimmered with every motion. She had grown, her figure rising to a height that blended elegance and majesty—full, provocative breasts that curved enticingly, wide hips that swayed like a silent challenge, rounded buttocks sculpted to tempt. Her green hair, longer and more vibrant, cascaded to her waist like a living river, shifting with a life of its own that caught the orb's light in emerald glints. Her small, translucent wings quivered faintly, glowing with reflections that seemed to snare entire constellations, and her amber eyes—deep, piercing, swirling with galaxies—locked onto him with a gaze that forced him to swallow hard, his pulse racing as if every curve of her body whispered his name.
The green slime trickled over her skin, tracing every contour—from the valley between her breasts to the sensual sweep of her hips—a liquid veil that made her naked form even more overwhelming, a temptation that stole his breath and left him trembling with a mix of desire and awe that consumed him. Kaili, ever watchful, caught his reaction and crossed her arms, a cruel smile tugging at her lips as her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Quite a sight, isn't she, little spy?" she growled, her voice dripping with mockery and a satisfaction she didn't bother to hide, her wing brushing the air near him in a tease that sent another shiver through him. "My queen's grown beyond what that clumsy mind of yours could ever dream."
Sebastián didn't answer—he couldn't. His eyes were glued to Aurora, his thoughts tangled between the fire surging through him at the sight of her bare body and the hollow ache he'd carried for a century without her. Not a single night in those hundred years had he abandoned her niche—every day, he'd spoken to the cocoon, weaving tales of knights and dragons, confessing his frustrations over Kaili's beatings, his fear of never seeing her again. And now, beholding her like this—naked, powerful, her form a provocation that made him swallow hard—he couldn't hold back any longer. Ignoring the slime coating her skin, he rushed forward, his boots slipping on the wet floor as he wrapped her in an embrace born of desperation he hadn't known he held. The slime smeared onto him, sticky and warm against his tunic, but he didn't care—his body pressed against hers, his arms encircling her as his breath shook against her shoulder, the heat of her skin and the desire burning within him colliding with the relief of having her back.
Aurora met him with a warmth that unraveled him, her arms slipping around him with a tenderness that stood in stark contrast to her majestic presence. "I heard you every night, Sebastián," she whispered, her clear, melodic voice resonating like a song that enveloped him, quoting one of his tales with a shy smile that pierced him through. "I know about the knight and his green dragon—you told me that so long ago." Her amber eyes gleamed with affection, anchoring him, and he felt his heart falter, his desire for her voluptuous form—those full breasts, those curved hips—melting into a love that had grown over a century of absence.
Kaili laughed from the shadows, a sound that sliced through the air like a teasing blade wrapped in velvet. "How sweet… and how messy," she growled, her tone laced with mockery as she stepped closer, her wing grazing his arm with a touch that sent shivers racing through him once more. "A hundred years waiting, and now you're smearing yourself for her—you're a sentimental wreck, gardener." Her runes flared with a golden glow, but there was a genuine pride in her gaze as she looked at Aurora, a silent reverence in her stance.
Sebastián pulled away from Aurora clumsily, the slime clinging to his tunic in sticky strands that sent him stumbling back a step—a faltering move that drew another laugh from Kaili. "I… sorry," he stammered, his voice quaking as he fumbled for something to cover her, his pulse still hammering from the sight of her bare form. Recalling the Codex Florae Arcanum Kaili had given him decades ago, he darted to the garden, his hands swift and precise—honed by a century of practice with plants and blade—weaving a dress from broad leaves of the second floor, sturdy stems of glowing grass, and blue flowers that released a sweet, fresh scent. He lined the inside with soft moss, his fingers trembling as he finished, and held it out to Aurora with a nervous smile that barely hid the desire coursing through him. "I hope you like it," he whispered, his voice a thread snapping under the weight of her gaze.
Aurora took it with curiosity, her fingers brushing his with a warmth that sent a tremor through him, and slipped it on with a motion that let the slime slide down her curves one last time—a sight that left him breathless, his eyes caught on how the dress hugged her form. "Thank you, Sebastián," she said, her clear, melodic voice startling them both, a shy smile crossing her face as she met his gaze with those amber eyes that seemed to hold entire worlds. "I can feel so many new things… my mind's awake for the first time."
"You can talk!" Sebastián exclaimed, his eyes widening as he stumbled back, his foot catching on a root in a clumsy lurch that sparked another laugh from Kaili, her wing teasing him with a brush that left him quivering.
"Of course she can, you dolt," Kaili growled, leaning toward him with a cruel grin, her warm breath grazing his cheek as her eyes glinted with amusement. "She's my queen—she's grown beyond what that gardener's head of yours can grasp." Her tone was sharp, but a reverence lingered in her look toward Aurora, an unspoken acknowledgment of her power.
Aurora laughed softly, a sound that rang like bells through the chamber, and reached out a hand to a white flower Sebastián had tended with care—one of the many he'd nurtured over his century of waiting. With a touch, the plant surged to life, its stems thickening like young branches, its petals unfurling into a massive bloom that radiated warm light and a heady scent that filled the room. Then, with a flick of her other hand, she wove an illusion across the ceiling—the luminous flowers shifted, glowing brighter to mimic shooting stars streaking through a night sky. Sebastián watched, mouth agape, his awe mingling with the desire still coursing through him, while Kaili tilted her head with a pride she didn't bother to conceal.
"Unbelievable," Sebastián whispered, his voice shaky as he gazed at Aurora—her sensual figure beneath the dress, her power flooding the chamber—feeling an admiration that grounded him beyond the fire her body ignited within him.
The day drew to a close with the three of them seated at the chamber's heart, surrounded by plants that had burst into bloom under Aurora's touch—a ring of radiant flowers casting a warm glow across their faces. The air was cozy, filled with the sweet scent of blossoms and moss as a quiet settled over them. Kaili, her smile betraying a flicker of amusement, eyed Sebastián, her gaze tracing the green slime still streaking his tunic—a sticky memento of his embrace with Aurora. "You're a mess," she growled, her voice low and teasing as her wing brushed his arm in a touch that sent a shiver through him. "A hundred years, and you still get filthy like a kid."
Sebastián laughed, his face flushing as he glanced at the slime coating him, then at Kaili—her provocative curves beneath the armor, her cruel smile tempting him as always. "I couldn't leave her alone," he said, his voice quivering with a mix of humor and desire as he stood, his hands still tacky with slime. And before Kaili could fire back, he took a quick step toward her, catching her off guard as he wrapped her in a clumsy hug, the green slime smearing across her armor and wings with a wet plop that echoed through the chamber.
"What are you doing, you idiot!" Kaili yelped, her wings flaring with a snap as she tried to pull free, her voice sharp but threaded with a laugh she couldn't stifle. The slime clung to her purple skin, dripping down her runes in glistening streaks as she growled, her hands shoving him with a force that sent him reeling back. "You're insane, gardener!"
Sebastián hit the ground with a dull thud, slime splattering around him as he laughed breathlessly, his eyes gleaming with mischief and desire as he looked up at Kaili—her armor now streaked with green, her mock fury only making her more alluring. Aurora laughed too, her voice ringing like a melody through the chamber, and knelt beside him, her smile melting him as she took his hand. Kaili snarled, wiping a strand of slime from her wing with an exaggerated flourish, but her lips twitched into a grin that betrayed her amusement.
"A hundred years with you, and you're still a disaster," Kaili muttered, her voice low and laced with a tease that stirred him once more as Aurora's warm grip steadied him. The chamber rang with their laughter, a warm echo marking the start of something new—a living garden, a reborn queen, and a bond that neither time nor slime could break.