The fight against the Honkai is a race against time. I woke up in this world in 2012. The Honkai is set to have its decisive battle in 2017. Five short years was all we had.
I neglected a lot of things in this process. The burdens others bore had to be set aside, all for the fight for the greater good. The sacrifice we made for humanity is no small matter. The wounds remain hidden, but it exists.
Seele's burdens presented themselves in full view.
There was not enough time for me to think. My body acted almost instantly, lifting Seele like a cat. I maintained a tight hold over her armpits as I placed her on the bedside.
A pair of eyes as deep as the ocean's color contained hints of being lost. Everything came into my sight. Be it the pair of perky flesh mounds, the perfectly flat abdomen with not a single trace of fat, the deep ravines that turned her assets more lethal, the fragile waist that embodied the golden proportions…
I have seen them all. However, I felt like a monk with no desires. I pulled the folded blanket and wrapped it on her.
I lost any mood to joke around.
"Let's talk."
"Hu…m."
*****
Seele's mind became chaotic.
'I… I did not consider him. I only cared about myself. This shouldn't be it…'
The seven hundred years of longing pushed her to do things beyond the norm. Her emotions, so strong and overwhelming, could not be stopped by any societal standards.
A small mishap—misunderstanding—escalated into something bigger.
'What should I do..?'
Her entire life experience flashed in her mind. She locked onto a tradition uniquely available in the Far East. It is a way of expressing the sincerest apology at the expense of one's dignity. It is an apology doubling as humiliation.
Thinking she could 'make up' for her mistakes, Seele did not hesitate to pull it off.
Unexpectedly…
Shi Tian carried her to the bedside and had her covered. The sequence of events left her stunned, if not speechless.
'Did he forgive me already?'
'Is he angry?'
'Will he reject my apology?'
…
All sorts of bizarre thoughts were generated by her overthinking mind.
"I… did not think much of what happened last time."
That was until Shi Tian began his extremely clear explanation.
"It is a minor inconvenience. You did nothing wrong." He said. "It is fine to make mistakes. I won't hate you for that. So… there is no need to apologize."
"Ah..?"
As if afraid he would leave any misunderstandings, he further added:
"A good relationship requires mutual effort. We'll work together and discover new things. Again, it is alright to make mistakes. Aren't they still a part of our memories?"
"..."
Seele's blank expression turned into a flustered one.
'I…'
She was afraid of causing dissatisfaction. Seele immediately thought of the bad endings—an instinctive move left as a shadow of her countless time loops.
Back then, she resigned to the greater power. Believing the simulated world is false, she did nothing but accept each ending. What Seele could not accept, however, is a bad ending caused by her actions.
This led to her mental state going to the extremes. It remained untouched up until now.
It is but one of the side effects of her seven hundred years of life experience.
'Fifth level Tao Heart… No, it's not that.'
Shi Tian's internal thoughts, no matter how calm he may be outwardly, were turned into a mess.
'The fifth level emphasizes the understanding of self. The self-actualization of a person. It does not guarantee freedom from mental afflictions…'
Immortal cultivators are beings who do not conform to mortal social norms. What the Tao Heart affirms was their dedication to go further the path of Dao. Anything else is a side effect—be it killing people, enjoying others' suffering, or in Seele's case, becoming heavily in love with a person.
'She is determined to stay with me… forever.'
Only now did Shi Tian track down Seele's most genuine thoughts. He looked at the girl who bore the semblances of the Sea. Flashes of relief, embarrassment, and desires flared up inside her ocean-like eyes.
"You didn't like it?"
"Huh?"
"That play…"
"..."
Shi Tian froze.
Memories emerged from his mind. There was a time Kiana did it. Dogeza is a play that satisfies one's vanity in exchange for dignity. He did not enjoy it as much as Kiana expected, which led to it being shelved.
Shi Tian is someone who could not bear to see his lovers in distress, much less in pain. Since Kiana did not have that hobby, that memory was left to be a memory.
Silence remained between the two.
For Seele, tension reached its climax. Her heart could not stop beating strongly. Anxiousness added to the mix. Along with it were desires.
'He loves me so much…'
'Love…'
Unbeknownst to her, both her legs started rubbing against each other. It did not take long for something to occur.
Seele, on the peak of her embarrassment, let out a startled yelp. She instinctively grasped her lower body. Her legs touched each other as they shook tirelessly.
A gentle sea breeze scent swept towards his nose. It was mellow and sweet like honey. The blanket surrounding her as well as the mattress she sat on was turned wet.
Shi Tian was more than familiar with it.
A strange yet suggestive atmosphere permeated between the two.
Seele could no longer speak properly. She expressed everything she wanted through her eyes.
'Love…'
'I want it.'
'I want it.'
'I want it.'
…
She barely made out a few words.
"Teach me…"
It served as the opening shot.
Seele's blanket drifted back to the mattress, revealing her pure and flawless body.
*****
On the distant Moon, Veliona was awakened.
There are quite a few people who chose to live on the Moon. They did not take up any affairs on Earth—on the Wushi Dao Sect.
"It's happening…"
A mix of anticipation, excitement, and worry filled her heart. She felt Seele's emotional changes in real time. Most importantly, she did not cut off the shared senses between them.
Seele's desires exploded at that moment; and so did Veliona's.
Her hands gradually made their way to her waist. Her remaining hand went straight to her lips. Their shared sensation made it feel as if Veliona was in Seele's place.
"She's so brave…"
Her breathing soon turned unsteady.
*****
A/N: Bonus chapter (1/2)
PS: My younger brother drew me a sketch of Shi Tian. Don't mind me sharing it here :>