“Hold on a second. I’m almost done!” Zara called out from the other side of the bathroom door.

Having finished their breakfast, they walked around exploring the ship for a few hours before returning to their room, where Zara immediately closed herself off in the bathroom for a shower and a ‘surprise’.

Lying down on the bed exhausted, he smiled. I’m glad she’s having fun. We’ve got a whole week ahead of us, I want to plan something nice for her, to take her mind off work for a bit. She really shouldn’t have to be doing that, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do to stop it. Buddie’s just too strong.

Lost in his thoughts, his eyes trailed over at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Woah.

Standing there in the doorway, Zara was dressed in a black bikini set and a sheer skirt that flowed gently down her legs. Straps wrapped tightly around her chest, leaving Ed completely stunned.

“What do you think?” Twirling on the spot, the skirt lifted slightly into the air.

Ed gulped as his eyes trailed across her beautiful body. Maybe because he had been away from her for so long, or because she had become an angel, she seemed even more beautiful to him.

The black of the bikini contrasted with her flawless, pale skin. Every part of her was if she had been hand sculpted by God.

Unable to speak his mind, he settled for foolishly nodding.

Zara giggled at his reaction. “I thought you’d like it. I got it when we were getting breakfast. Thought it would be good for lounging around the pool in.”

“You look great.” He said, his brain slowly starting to function again.

‘Thanks, I got you something too. Get changed and let’s go relax for a bit.” She tossed something at his face before stepping out onto the deck.

Pulling it off his face, he saw that it was a pair of black swim trunks. Fair enough. Hopping off the bed, he went to the bathroom and got changed. Leaving his clothes in a pile next to hers, he joined her out on the deck.

“Damn! Lookin good.” Zara whistled loudly, openly sizing Ed up with no shame. She was far more confident than Ed was. Damn, his abs look amazing. What has he been doing down here?

Unknown to Ed, his body had started to fill out nicely over the course of his time in Hell. Where before he was tall and gangly, his muscles had now grown slightly. Not to the level of a bodybuilder, in fact, most of his muscles would be hidden under ordinary clothes. Instead, he was more toned, with a streamlined physique. Like a person who would go on runs or swim frequently. His stomach had firmed up, starting to form into proper washboard abs.

The awakening of their bloodlines had done wonders for their bodies.

Looking down at himself, he couldn’t help but somewhat agree with her. Guess I do look pretty decent in these. Maybe I should get her to pick out some more stuff for me to wear.

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Lying down on the sun lounge next to her, he felt a gentle breeze on his skin unlike what he would expect to feel up so high. It felt like he was chilling on the beach on a nice summer day. What kind of magic does this?

Looking over the railing, the city stretched out for as far as the eye could see.

“Just how big is this place?” Zara asked in wonder.

“I don’t know. And the city isn’t even the end. The Pride Circle stretches on even further beyond this. People say its endless.”

“That’s insane!” She said, enraptured by what he was saying.

“I don’t know if it’s true, but I know it’s massive. Way bigger than the other. Pride alone would probably be able to hold everyone from Earth, and to think there’s six more circles just like it. It’s astonishing.”

Rolling onto her side, she faced Ed. “You said Elaine is a princess, right? Those that mean her father is the king of Hell?”

“Basically. Her father is the sin of pride, and he’s the strongest of the seven deadly sins, so he’s basically the king.” Ed explained.

“What does he look like?” Zara asked curiously.

“Give me a second.” It’s probably a good idea for her to know what they all look like, just in case she tries to start a fight with them like she did with Invidia. Pulling out his phone, he pulled up Lord Superbia’s wiki page. Having been burned once before, he knew not to even touch the images section of the search engine. “Here we go.”

“Woah, he’s an angel?” She asked, shocked.

“Yeah. I’m not sure about the truth, but the stories of Lucifer had to come from somewhere. I think it’s very likely to be him.”

“That explains the weird feeling I was getting from Elaine.”

“Are you sure that wasn’t just because she’s hot?” Ed joked.

“Asshole.” Zara laughed and pushed him, sending him flying into the pool.

Fumbling for his phone, he shot his threads out and caught it just before it touched the water. I deserved that. Setting his phone back on the bed inside, he looked over to Zara who had taken off the long swim skirt and stared at him with a mischievous grin.

“Cannonball!” Zara launched herself into the sky using her superhuman strength, then plummeted down into the pool.

Oh no. Ed quickly dove under the water, swimming towards the furthest end of the pool, but he wasn’t fast enough.

SPLASH.

A wave formed, pushing Ed further away. Spinning out of control, he crashed into the wall. He pulled himself above water to the sound of Zara laughing. Two can play at that game.

Shooting his threads into the side of the pool, he pulled back and launched himself at her. Grabbing onto her and refusing to let go, the two went flying towards the other end of the pool, splashing water across the entire deck.

The two continued to play fight in the pool, splashing water at each other and sending each other flying across the pool.

“Let’s see who can stay under for the longest!” Zara eagerly suggested, thinking she had him beat.

“You’re on!” His competitive spirit soaring, Ed was confident that he could win.

Zara dove underwater, not even bothering to hold her breath.

What the fuck is she doing?

A golden glow started to suffuse from her. Forgoing the need to breathe, she chose instead to just out-heal the damage.

She’s insane.

Diving under the water, he turned his entire body into threads. No longer needing to breathe, he could stay underwater indefinitely.

Seeing this, Zara frowned between mouthfuls of water, and pushed herself back over the water. “Not... fair!” She sputtered, coughing up water.

Ed quickly reformed behind her, helping her to get the water out of her lungs. “Why would you do something like that?”

“I wanted to win.” She gasped for air.

Shaking his head, he gently rubbed her back. “Why don’t we try something else, okay?”

“Okay!” She perked up, a fire burning in her eyes. “Let’s race to the other end of the pool.”

Seeing her so excited, he lined up next to her. “Can I prepare myself?”

“Haha nope! 3, 2, 1, GO!”