After eating and drinking their fill, Ouxi sprawled out on the beach in a… well, not quite a "stick" shape, more like a full "X."
Her golden eyes gazed up at the sky, which was already tinged red by the setting sun. Out of nowhere, she muttered,
"I miss Mom and Dad. Been thinking about them since dinner."
Obei, who had been wondering where they'd sleep that night, froze for a second. The air grew heavy and quiet.
"Sigh~"
"Me too. We vanished so suddenly—they must be worried sick. I just hope nothing happens to them."
"With our eldest and second brothers around, there shouldn't be much to worry about.
They're both attentive and filial, and the eldest's son—their grandson—is with them all the time. They'll be fine."
Rha, who had just finished burning the leftover scraps of food, could sense the gloomy mood and tried to comfort them.
"Let's hope so.
Mom and Dad just retired, and we went and pulled something like this. I just hope they don't go searching the whole world for us.
Their health isn't what it used to be, either."
Silence fell again.
Then Ouxi suddenly blurted out, half-jokingly,
"Hey, if one day we do make it back, how are we supposed to explain what happened?
We can't just go, 'Mom! Dad! Remember how you always wanted a daughter?
Well, surprise! Your son's turned into three girls now! How's that? Impressive? Shocking? Happy?'"
It was hard to tell if she was doing it on purpose, but in the midst of the heavy air, her words were so ridiculous they almost sounded refreshing.
"If you say it like that, they'll probably have a heart attack.
Might as well tell them, 'Mom, Dad, we're your three daughters-in-law now! See? Your son's really something!'"
Obei actually chuckled and went along with the nonsense.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense, you two."
Rha couldn't help but smile faintly at their banter before speaking softly:
"Whatever the case, we're not getting back anytime soon. What matters now is that we live well.
Even if we're in another world, Mom and Dad would still want their sons to stay healthy and happy."
Though she didn't show it, among the three, Rha—the one who seemed the most detached—was actually the one most worried about their parents.
If you set aside the influence of Holactie the Creator of Light's power on her personality, her newfound maturity—and her tone and habits when dealing with Ouxi and Obei—were, in truth, subconscious imitations of her parents.
Even before Ouxi had suggested that Rha take on the role of "eldest sister," from the moment she first saw the two of them unconscious on the ground, Rha had instinctively placed herself in the position of protector and caretaker.
That was why she naturally spoke to them the way her parents used to speak to her.
Ouxi and Obei, realizing how much Rha missed their parents, had deliberately tried to steer the conversation to something lighter—and, judging by the look on Rha's face, it seemed to be working.
"Oh, right—speaking of another world, I've got something to show you. Maybe this thing's our ticket home."
After tidying up the last of the burnt food waste, Rha suddenly remembered the Millennium Puzzle.
"Something to do with getting home? Quick, show us!"
The moment Ouxi heard that, she rolled over and scrambled toward Rha on all fours.
Obei dusted the sand off her clothes and joined them, curiosity piqued.
Seeing their eager faces, Rha didn't bother keeping them in suspense. She materialized the Millennium Puzzle right in front of them.
"Remember that thing we were wearing around our necks when we crossed over? This might be the key to getting back."
"The Millennium Puzzle?!"
Ouxi and Obei recognized the upside-down pyramid at once.
"Right! It was glowing when we got transported! And there weren't even any light-up components inside that thing."
Ouxi recalled the scene vividly.
"I always thought it was weird—it doesn't feel like plastic, but it's not as heavy as metal either. And that golden sheen doesn't look like paint."
"So, big sis, what's up with it? Don't tell me there's a Pharaoh's spirit sealed inside too?"
Obei turned the puzzle over and over, inspecting every side.
"Inside it, there's a kind of 'Mind Room' that belongs to us. And besides that—there are… many worlds."
Rha said it calmly, though the words themselves were anything but.
"Worlds?!"
They completely ignored the first part—'Mind Room'—because that one word, "worlds," completely shattered anything they'd imagined.
"Mm… to be precise, this puzzle connects to many different worlds." Rha corrected herself after a moment's thought.
But that detail didn't matter. What mattered was—if this puzzle connected to other worlds, then…
Ouxi and Obei both had the same thought flash through their minds:
"Maybe we can use the Millennium Puzzle to connect to our original world—and go home."
Rha, though she shared the same hope, kept her tone measured.
"At this point, it's only a possibility. We don't know if it's actually doable."
"Well~ as long as there's hope, that's good enough. Where there's a will, there's a way!
But before that, Sis Rha, show us what those other worlds look like!
Are there blue Avantis flying on birds in the sky like in the movies?"
Ouxi clenched her little fists, eyes sparkling with childlike excitement.
"That's Avatar, not Avanti—Avanti's the one who rides a donkey."
Obei sighed, but her eyes stayed fixed on the golden puzzle.
"The world I glimpsed before was one of Duel Spirits—filled with fairy-like creatures.
I suspect the other worlds connected to it are also part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! multiverse."
Rha, unfazed by the banter, simply described what she had seen during those fleeting seconds.
"A world of Duel Spirits?! Fairy beasts?!"
For any card geek, that was far more enticing than blue aliens on flying birds.
"Come on, come on! Let me see!" Ouxi pressed her face right up against the puzzle, earning a disgusted look from Obei.
"To enter those Spirit Worlds, you need to use divine power in combination with spiritual energy to pierce the barriers between worlds. It takes a tremendous amount of energy—beyond what you two have right now."
Rha splashed them with a dose of reality.
"But you can take a look at what our 'Mind Room' looks like."
According to her calculations, without invoking Holactie the Creator of Light's divine power, even the Winged Dragon of Ra's strength alone would need dozens of times her current divine energy to open a rift between worlds.
In other words, not until this body matured—and she could fully wield the power of a God—would it even be possible.
"Then let's at least give it a shot!"
Ouxi closed her eyes, pressing her forehead to the puzzle and concentrating hard. But before long, she peeked one eye open.
"Uh, Sis Rha… how do you actually get in?"
"Focus your mind on the 'Eye' at the top of the puzzle—like telekinesis on TV.
Channel your consciousness into it.
Our souls now possess strong spiritual energy; you should be able to do it easily." Rha explained patiently.
"Telekinesis, huh? So theoretically, we could bend spoons with our minds now too?" Ouxi's attention had already drifted off-topic again.
"Theoretically, yes. In practice, I use that same method to control the shape of my flames."
"Whoa! Really?! Then let me try again!"
Eyes shut tight, Ouxi furrowed her brow, visibly straining.
Meanwhile, Obei was staring intently at a crab poking its head out of the sand, apparently trying her own mental powers on it.
The crab: "..."
"Whoa! I'm in! There are so many doors!" Ouxi suddenly shouted excitedly.
Obei stopped her silent battle with the crab and looked down at Ouxi, who was pressing the puzzle to her chest.
Honestly, if it weren't for fear of interrupting something important, she'd have pushed Ouxi off already.
"See that white door? That's our 'Mind Room.' Try to open it," Rha guided gently.
"Mm… I'm trying, but it won't budge! The handle feels so heavy!"
Outside, Ouxi's face flushed red, her body trembling as she strained with all her might.
Rha frowned slightly at that.
Once again—it was the same as before. When she had opened it, the door had moved easily. But Ouxi couldn't.
Ouxi was able to enter, so the puzzle has accepted her. Then why can't she open her own Mind Room?
Could it be related to Holactie the Creator of Light again?
While Rha pondered, Obei spoke up,
"Big sis, let me try too."
"Alright. Let's do it together."
Rha placed her hand on the puzzle as well. Instantly, her consciousness sank into it—Obei's followed close behind.
"Oh, you're both here! Quick, give me a hand—it's about to open!"
Ouxi beamed when she saw them, waving them over. Obei stepped forward and pressed her hand to the door.
"Hee-yah!"
Finally—with their combined effort—the white door slowly creaked open.
"Whoa~ It's so big! So white! This feels just like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber!
If we trained here for a year or two, wouldn't we become invincible?"
Ouxi rushed into the space beyond the white door, wide-eyed with excitement, and right away started throwing imaginary punches into the air.
"Is this space infinite?"
Obei followed right after her. She crouched down and brushed her hand across the ground—it felt strange, nothing like anything she could compare it to.
"Unfortunately, the flow of time here seems to be the same as outside. We can't do any Dragon Ball-style training.
As for the space, I haven't explored far enough to know.
Also, remember—our consciousness is inside here, but our bodies outside are completely defenseless. We have to be careful."
Rha had specifically tested that earlier: while it was fine standing outside the door, once inside this Mind Room, all senses of the physical world were at once severed.
Here, one truly couldn't divide one's attention.
"Eh~ Then what's this place good for? A chatroom?"
Hearing Rha's explanation, Ouxi's excitement quickly cooled.
"It can serve as a mobile storage space. I tested it—I can wrap inanimate objects in divine power and bring them inside."
"So it's basically like a storage ring in those fantasy novels! That's actually pretty great."
Ouxi's imagination right away jumped to all those standard-issue cultivation novel items.
"It might have more functions later—we'll find out in time. For now, let's leave. We can't just leave our bodies unguarded outside."
"Eh? We're not gonna peek into the other rooms?" Ouxi still wanted to see the other worlds.
"You can't enter them yet."
With that, Rha's figure faded away, her consciousness returning to the real world.
She didn't feel safe leaving their bodies unattended for long.
Still, Ouxi, being Ouxi, dragged Obei to push at some of the black doors anyway. Of course—they didn't budge an inch.
"Phew~ Hey, Sis Rha, how did you even manage to open one of those black doors before? It's like they're welded shut."
Back in the real world, Ouxi sat down heavily, panting hard.
Trying to open a door inside the Millennium Puzzle was nothing like doing so outside. In essence, it required one's spirit to connect to another world.
Even if the door didn't open, the process alone demanded enormous mental strength.
That's why even Ouxi, whose divine body theoretically shouldn't get tired, was completely exhausted.
"I only managed to open a small crack by channeling all of my divine power to dispel the black mist.
To push it open completely—you two won't be able to do that anytime soon."
"Huff~ We have to use divine power too? And what is that gross, sticky-looking black mist anyway?"
"My guess—it's a kind of seal.
It looks ominous, but it's not actually aggressive. It just acts as a barrier."
Rha recalled the moment she had touched it—it had felt like thick glue, clinging tightly to the door and refusing to let go.
"Fortunately, divine power can counter and dispel it."
"Divine power, huh… But why, Sis Rha, are you so good at using it, while we can't even get ours to respond?"
After their rampage earlier that day, the divine power in both Ouxi and Obei's bodies had recoiled like frightened cats—no matter how they called for it, there wasn't even a flicker of response.
"That, I'm not sure. The divine power in my body feels like it's part of me—using it comes as naturally as breathing."
"Ugh, so unfair! Don't tell me… Sis Rha, you're actually a genius!?"
Ouxi puffed her cheeks in mock jealousy, then couldn't resist turning to tease Obei:
"Heh~ Looks like a certain blue-haired fake genius's cover is blown~"
"Hmph↑↓ I haven't sunk so low that I'd be mocked by someone with the intelligence of a six-year-old."
"Who are you calling six?! You're shorter than me, you pint-sized gremlin!"
"You—!"
"Alright, alright. Your daily quarrel quota is officially over."
Rha clapped her hands gently, smiling like a kindergarten teacher breaking up a fight between toddlers.
"Back to divine power—let's set aside the Millennium Puzzle for now. What's important is to draw out your inner power.
This world is unknown. We don't know what dangers might be waiting for us. While it's still safe, we should prepare ourselves."
It had been nearly a full day since they arrived, and they still knew nothing about this world—not even whether its inhabitants were friendly.
Even on Earth, three lost, defenseless little girls would have been in serious danger in the wrong place.
"Got it, Teacher Rha~"
When it came to mastering powers, Ouxi at once perked up again.
She'd been dying to learn that fire control trick Rha had used earlier.
After all—they'd transmigrated! No little brother, no going back… if she didn't unlock some kind of superpower, what was the point?
"But big sis, what exactly do we do?"
Obei still remembered their power surge that morning. Even though neither of them had been hurt, they'd passed out for hours afterward.
"I've been thinking about that. Maybe this morning's attempt was too rough and sudden.
It was your first time—your bodies probably weren't ready.
So this time, we'll go step by step—first, you need to get used to the feeling of divine power flowing inside you."
Rha's idea was simple: right now, the divine power in Ouxi and Obei's bodies was like a sealed lake. Forcing it open would only cause a flood.
But if she carved out channels first—letting the energy flow gently through them—then the power could circulate safely.
"Give me your hands. The Three Divine Beasts have different domains, but divine energy itself shouldn't differ much. I'll be careful this time."
Hearing her words, the two obediently placed their small hands in hers. Despite the morning's failure, they trusted Rha completely.
Rha's slightly larger hands cupped theirs softly. A faint, gentle warmth began to flow from her palms into their bodies. As she expected—there was no rejection this time.
"Mmm~ so warm… gurgle gurgle~"
"Yeah… like sunlight."
Ouxi and Obei's faces relaxed, blissful—like two kittens basking in the sun.
Rha was patient. The divine power flowed through their bodies, looping again and again. Each circuit carried away a faint trace of their own dormant energy.
Little by little, the golden divine power of Rha faded…
and in its place, crimson and deep blue-black lights began to shimmer from within Ouxi and Obei's bodies—
their own divine powers awakening at last.
(End of this chapter)
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