To remain unnoticed in a world brought under the control of Zandar One Kuwubara, the Genius Society number one, was no less than that of a miracle. Yet it was precisely the intertwining power of Paths and immortal cultivation that made it possible.
The forgotten cycle tasked with its ‘uprising’ possessed the corresponding power. Shi Tian’s gifts weren’t limited to their original strength. These were more than enough to deal with most problems, and that included Zandar discovering their existence.
They were rather fortunate to not have faced such difficulties… until now.
Cling-!
Within the towering hall made of black metal, small bells chimed. Cerydra and Hysilens stared at the large door opening from the other side. Faint white light seeped out of it. Moments later, a girl stepped out of it. Her long pink hair swayed, following her footsteps. She immediately greeted the two with a smile.
“It’s been a long time~”
“Hum.”
Cerydra gave her an affirmative nod. By this point, she had known most about this pink-haired girl—Cyrene. She, just like them, was a Demigod. A Demigod of Time, in fact. Had Shi Tian not taken her place in the forgotten cycle, she would have fulfilled her ‘destiny’, dying by the Flame Reaver’s sword to restart the next cycle.
As such, her existence was extremely heavy. Cyrene had to stay inside her former cage, that is, her “tomb”, to hide her presence during these cycles. Cerydra viewed her as a nuclear weapon, their last resort, that is.
“The Professor told me what happened. I checked on it myself, but…” Her lips pursed, a trace of helplessness appearing on her ethereal blue-pink irises. “They found it out.”
“They?”
Cerydra’s eyebrows raised in intrigue. She thought of Anaxa’s words, and then her conjectures. It seemed to her that the visitors did not have a strong malicious intent towards them. She could be too sure, however, which was why she sought Cyrene’s help.
“Yes. There are two of them. They interfered with my attempts to recall the past.”
Cyrene looked at the duo, thoughts flickering within her eyes. Ultimately, she said what was on her mind.
“Their appearances were veiled with an unknown power, but they… they feel like you two.”
The two fell silent. Cerydra was weighing Cyrene’s words while Hysilens was visibly startled.
‘If they were trying to cause trouble, they should have already done so. They could disguise themselves as us. Dismantling our plans would be easier had they sabotaged a part of it.’
She immediately removed the notion of them being irreconcilable enemies. What came next confused Cerydra more.
If they weren’t their enemies, what were they? Allies? Or simple bystanders?
But them donning Cerydra’s and Hysilens’ appearances contradict the latter possibility. Thus, it brought her to a conclusion even she found shocking.
‘They are us.’
In her mind, a large chessboard with an alternating black-white, eight-by-eight rows and columns, emerged. The face on the other side seemed blurred, but the more Cerydra thought about it, the more it felt like her style!
In a snap, she came back to reality.
“No need to think more about it. They are asking for a meeting, and they rejected Cyrene.” She explained before looking up at Hysilens. “They are looking for us. So, we will give them what they want.”
The Imperator drifted closer to the truth.
*****
The first thing that greeted my eyes wasn’t the ceiling, but Theresa’s milky-white cleavage. Her addicting scent reminded me of roses. The boundless softness buried my face, and honestly, I did not want to move away from it.
Both of her arms wrapped around the back of my head, nesting my face on her chest. Unlike before, we are on a large bed—on my villa’s bed. It happened when we were on our fifth interlude. Theresa felt very guilty about Himeko, and so did I.
Even if I am confident with All Creation’s power to erase all traces, it still felt inappropriate, more so when my mind cleared up. The things I failed to consider at that time all sprang up at once.
In the end, after I fixed Theresa’s dress, I cleaned Himeko’s house upside-down, going as far as to remove the traces left on time and karma itself. It is the most thorough clean-up, that even if the power of future projections were factored in, they won’t be able to dig it up.
Theresa’s enthusiasm did not die down, instead becoming stronger than before. She had no more restraints inside my house. From the bathroom, kitchen, living room… even the entrance wasn’t spared at all.
To it all, I could only say that the Kaslanas’ genetics are something else…
“Hm…”
I looked up at Theresa's face. I thought she would wake up, but her mind showed no fluctuations. She is still fast asleep. It is completely understandable. Our dual cultivation session lasted several months. With our compatibility at an extremely-high level, it became more ‘taxing’.
Most importantly, the dual high-grade Tao Bodies within me had completed most of their fusion. The process I thought would last several decades got cut down to a few months. Consequently, it cost me all of Theresa’s special yin qi. Still, I don’t regret any of it. The fusion had reached a vital point—a cusp of breakthrough. I am merely suppressing it now, not allowing this event to disturb her sleep.
Thoughts after thoughts drifted in my mind as my face rested comfortably on her bosom. I could no longer muster the will to sleep, especially now that I have fully recovered. Sleep equated meditation with our masteries of cultivation techniques.
I didn’t know when Theresa woke up. When I looked back at her, I saw her eyes staring right at me. Her sleepiness disappeared in a flash. She gave me a smile as her right hand patted my head. Words left her mouth as smoothly, which was unimaginable for someone who used to blush over the slightest of things.
“There you go. Are you satisfied, my good boy?”
It was my turn to feel embarrassed. I answered honestly, still.
“...Yes.”
Theresa seemed really happy when she heard it. The two of us remained in this position. Our roles had long reversed.
It was no longer me that spoiled her, but her that spoiled me…