The divination state dissipated like bubbles. My mind returned to reality. The three divination coins, a late fourth grade artifact, is returned to my storage ring. I began absorbing the spiritual qi in the surroundings, filling up my emptied-out reserves inside my golden core.
Divination is a handy tool that dictates danger and fortune before it happens. It is one of the few fourth level professions that I have. I wanted to use it to see Sirin's future—to see whether she would actually change for the better or remain as bad as she was.
I did not expect to see her being affectionate with me.
"Fu…"
"What's wrong?"
Kiana stood up from her squat and asked.
"It's nothing. I looked at Sirin's future. It's all good news."
"Is that all?"
"..."
I chose not to hide the future I saw. Kiana's ears perked up as I revealed my findings.
"..."
"..."
She could no longer hold back her surprise.
"I knew she would be like that!"
Her wronged expression did not end there.
"When she stole your first tongue kiss, I had a hunch things would end in that way…"
Kiana ended up locking me in a tight hug. Her wronged look did not elicit pity, but desires.
The last time we roleplayed like this, her cuteness caused me to go at it harder.
"This won't work. Let's continue practicing!"
The dual cultivation addict began to pull me deeper into the abyss once again…
*****
The feeling of drowning assaulted Sirin's senses. She herself does not know how it felt to "drown", only that it would feel like this had she ever swam once.
Her thoughts remained sluggish. She could not form proper thoughts. Her mind was frozen in this state.
That was until she saw a blinding light. Her fingertips touched it.
"Ah..?"
She woke up in an unfamiliar ceiling. The bright light emitted by a pair of lanterns illuminated the entire room.
"I…"
The memories prior to her slumber returned.
Sirin resolved herself for death. She no longer wanted to live. Her life had lost meaning, all the more so when her "other self" is now living the life she ever dreamed of.
Resolution, envy, relief…
Her mind paused to that split second she acted based on her impulse. The softness of his lips, the taste of his mouth…
"..."
It took her a long while to snap out of her daze. She breathed out her increasing complex feelings as she scanned her surroundings.
She is inside a somewhat empty room. There is only a bed, a cabinet, and a small bedside table.
"These clothes…"
Sirin wore nothing underneath the oversized black t-shirt. Her pants, a black pajama, are longer than her. It was as if it came from someone bigger than her.
She looked around and found a pair of cotton slippers available. She placed them on her feet and left the room.
The complex layout of the palace stunned her.
'I can't feel it.'
Sirin accepted the loss of her Herrscher Authority. The only thing that mattered now is finding where she was—and what happened to her.
After walking through a series of corridors, she came across the twins. One of them has long black hair, seemingly left unkempt after the lack of hair accessories. The other one retained her shoulder-length black hair, sporting a neat look that contrasted the other.
"And I thought I would be a sword…"
"...The Immortal Master's power exceeds anything else."
The one with long hair looked solemn while the one with short hair looked more carefree.
They were talking when they came across Sirin.
Two pairs of eyes looked at her.
"There's another one?" The 'dark' Xuanyuan spoke. "Where did he fish you out?"
"...It's none of your business."
"Tsk."
Sirin's reply left her speechless. Ji Xuanyuan came between them and smoothed things over.
"I apologize for her behavior." She bowed while cupping her fist. "Are you also looking for the Immortal? You can come with us."
Despite the lack of context, Sirin had a hunch as to who the Immortal was.
'It's him. But why..?'
She stood still, caught in her increasingly complex emotions. She understood that Shi Tian saved her in some way.
That was exactly the reason why she grew more confused. She felt his murderous intent when she faced him. He loved Kiana so much he wanted to remove Sirin inside her.
That was what she thought.
Sirin could not bring herself to hate him to the death. He loves her other self, and by extension, a part of Sirin.
It is why she wanted to disappear in the first place. She wanted her other self to attain happiness, even if it cost her the excruciating revenge she wanted to exact on Otto. She could trust Shi Tian with Kiana's life. That is enough.
Sirin absent-mindedly followed the lead of the two Xuanyuans. Though bewildered, the two did not ask anything further.
Soon, they came across the dining area. It is the room with the most sign of life. The other rooms felt unnaturally clean—a result of the continued use of the cleansing spell.
As for why…
It is self-explanatory.
"You'll end up eating them all."
"Why? It tastes so good. I never expected a bear's meat to taste good!"
Voices came from another room connected to the dining area. Kiana swung the door open, allowing Shi Tian and his dozens of floating plates to pass through. Her clothes looked rustled and unkempt, but her strange cleanliness and otherworldly aura made others ignore it.
The three newcomers watched in bewilderment as assortments of meat dishes were placed on the table.
Shi Tian looked at them and met their gaze.
"I am sure you have a lot of questions. I will answer them as we eat."
The first one to sit down was the dark Xuanyuan. Following her is the slightly embarrassed Ji Xuanyuan.
One has manners, the other does not. It did not matter to Shi Tian. Kiana's lack of manners and her tomboy-ish attitude is the norm. It won't matter if there is another dark Xuanyuan with her.
The only one left standing was Sirin. She stared blankly towards Kiana, to which the latter reciprocated.
One look was all it took to see Kiana's attitude.
'She…'
For a while, Sirin's head hung low.