Things turned out to be easier than I thought. Hei Xuanyuan focused on eating just as much as Kiana. It was Ji Xuanyuan who asked many things.
"I am an immortal cultivator, yes, but not a True Immortal."
"True Immortal?"
Her irises trembled upon the mention of that name.
"The highest level of immortal cultivation. The pursuit of all living beings."
"True Immortal…"
I did not mind her daze and explained more about immortal cultivation. I could see it caught her interest—not just her, but also Hei Xuanyuan.
"There are nine realms before True Immortal. Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Void Refinement, Dao Integration, and Tribulation Transcendence. Each realm takes up more time to accomplish depending on your talent…"
As I spoke about talent, I could not help but recall the kids at the orphanage. Their spirit roots ranged from low to middle. A low grade spirit root can achieve the Purple Mansion Realm at the end of their lifetime, while a middle grade spirit root can achieve Nascent Soul at the same timespan.
The honkai world changes a lot of things. Aptitude, cultivation speed, opportunities…
Though its highest limits seem lower than that of the cultivation world, the level of support it gives to lower-leveled cultivators is insane enough.
"I can awaken your spirit roots now."
""..!""
The two Xuanyuans looked at me in-sync. I did not keep them hanging. I did the procedure for awakening spirit roots to the three of them—Sirin included.
Small bursts of spiritual qi fluctuations occurred inside the dining room.
Unsurprisingly, they all awakened high grade spirit roots. Ji Xuanyuan and Hei Xuanyuan both awakened the metal attribute. The duo originally held Natural Stigmatas, hence it came off as unsurprising. Sirin awakened the void attribute, the same as Kiana's.
This brings Earth's high grade spirit roots to twelve.
I am not surprised anymore. Anyone capable of housing the Cocoon's fragment (i.e., Herrscher Cores) warrants a strong cultivation talent.
"Can I touch your hand for a second?"
"Yes? Yes…"
I stood up from my seat and tested my conjecture one-by-one. I tried binding the two Xuanyuans as my partners.
It worked.
…
I won't even think about it anymore. This seemingly innocent ten element art hides its nature of being a dual cultivator's technique.
I walked beside Sirin. Her head continues to hang low. She did not touch the food around her, either. Her depressing aura could be felt tangibly.
I patted her shoulder with my finger. Her entire body jolted. Her wavy purple hair swayed as she hastily looked at me.
"Your hand."
"Ah. Uh…"
Our palms touched each other. Another connection was formed. It brought my partner count to eleven. I wasn't surprised by this, either.
After all, the future I saw is not baseless. I am reminded by it to consider my actions well if I wanted to lead Sirin out to the "good end".
Our contact did not last for long. Sirin is apprehensive of direct eye contact. She remained silent as she continued her silence.
Kiana looked at me. I knew what she wanted to do. She placed back her utensils on the table and stood up. She stopped right beside Sirin as I returned to my seat. Ji Xuanyuan looked somewhat restless upon seeing the chaotic atmosphere. Only Hei Xuanyuan ate without a care.
"Let's have a talk outside, shall we?"
"..."
Sirin did not respond to her words, but she followed Kiana outside.
Without the two, the oppressive atmosphere disappeared.
"How far have you learned of the Blade Mantra?" I asked.
"Eminence."
"That's good."
The inheritance of immortal cultivation thus began.
*****
Sirin was confused and conflicted.
She saw how Kiana pleaded for her another chance at life.
Her thinking grew more narrow. She became trapped in her preconceptions—that Kiana sought to remove Sirin's presence. That she disdained the danger she brought during Kiana's entire life.
The number of people she killed with Kiana's body alone are a dozen. The ones she killed during the Second Eruption's moon fragment drop numbered to forty million.
Sirin is an irredeemable sinner, one who committed crimes beyond the worst of what humanity ever did.
Thus her confusion came:
'Why would she do this?'
A part of her wanted to know the answer. Another part of her is reluctant to speak up, however. Sirin feels she does not deserve everything. Her disappearance bode well for everyone else.
But…
Sirin saw that warmth.
It all began with Cecilia. She showed Sirin what she needed the most. Unfortunately, she was far too gone at that time. Her hatred towards humanity and Otto Apocalypse blinded her sight.
Only when everything ended and she was 'revived' inside K-423 did her longing grow once more. What followed next was Siegfried's familial love. Then, the friendship Kiana forged along the way.
It went on and on until she met a special person: Shi Tian.
Sirin witnessed how they grew from friends to lovers. The two shared an inexplicable bond that couldn't be explained by mere logic. The one-way sense sharing came to bite Sirin back.
She discovered how Kiana's first kiss felt and tasted. It was figuratively and literally sweet, the kind she couldn't extricate herself from it. Her surging affection amplified it further, turning into a euphoric sensation that shook the depths of her soul.
For the first time, Sirin felt envious. It was fine with Cecilia. It was fine with Siegfried. It was fine with her friends. But for Shi Tian?
It isn't.
That incident became Sirin's breaking point. It was the one that pushed her willingness to disappear. It reminded her that she couldn't live that life no matter what she does. Her uselessness exacerbated when she could no longer exert power over her Herrscher Authority.
She can't do anything or get anything.
That sense of frustration overwhelmed everything else.
Now that she was pulled back from the pits of hell, only confusion remained in her somewhat sober mind.
The silence between Kiana and Sirin lasted for ten minutes. The latter did not notice they had already arrived at a mountain's summit.
Sirin gained enough courage to lift her head and meet Kiana's gaze. The very question she wanted to ask escaped from her lips.
"Why?"
"I saw your longing. To Mama, that old man, and to him."
"..."
"I could not look away from it. The truth."
She paused before continuing:
"You and me… we are two sides of the same coin."
*****
A/N: Bonus chapter will have to come tomorrow.