"Superconductive Wave—Thunder Cannon!"
With Ouxi's excited shout, a thumb-thick golden lightning bolt burst out of her mouth, zigzagging wildly across the sand. The blast sent a shower of sand flying, leaving both her and Obei covered in dust and grit.
As for Rha—before any of the debris could reach her, it was stopped midair by an invisible barrier: a simple application of her spiritual power outside the body.
"Cough, cough—you red-haired idiot…"
"Ah ah ah~ Stop, stop! Rha-sis said we've already used up today's argument time! You can't scold me anymore! Right, Rha-sis?"
Knowing she was in the wrong, Ouxi right away hid her small body behind Rha, hugging her waist and peeking her head out from behind.
"Tch."
"It seems you've managed to gain basic control over your inner power. Well done."
Rha smiled softly, brushing the dust from Ouxi's hair.
"Hehe~ Nah, it's all thanks to you, Rha-sis."
Whether it was because Rha's touch felt too gentle or something else, Ouxi—for once—was actually modest.
Obei looked on, a little envious, but too shy to step forward herself. That kind of childlike affection was something she still found embarrassing to show.
"Since you're so energetic, Ouxi, go into the forest and cut some thin branches and vines.
It's getting dark—we'll need a shelter for the night."
Rha patted Ouxi lightly on the head as she said it, signaling for her to let go.
Ouxi understood. Though she was reluctant, she obediently released Rha, gave a mock salute, and dashed toward the forest like a little soldier.
"Roger! Mission accepted!"
"Big sis, are we building a tent?" Obei asked, watching Ouxi's bouncing silhouette disappear into the trees.
"That's right. I remember that guy from TV—'Mr. Grylls,' I think—taught how to do it once.
Even if our bodies can't catch cold anymore, it's still good to have something over our heads. Help me clear a spot over there."
"'Mr. Grylls'…"
It took Obei a few seconds to realize who Rha meant.
"Big sis, I feel like… compared to me and Ouxi, your personality and habits have changed the most from before."
"Maybe. But our souls all came from him—that's something that will never change."
Rha clearly didn't want to dwell on the topic. She brushed it off lightly:
"If I seem different from him, maybe it's because I inherited a side of him even he didn't know existed."
"Besides, the moment our soul split into three, we were no longer him. What's done is done—there's no point in dwelling on it."
"Sigh~ fine. Sometimes I really envy that airheaded Ouxi…"
Obei gave up on trying to untangle Rha's philosophical riddles and focused back on the task.
At the forest's edge, the two of them cleared out a space big enough for three. Then, Rha conjured flames and carefully heated the ground until it was dry and firm.
"Alright, now we just wait for Ouxi to come back."
After a few moments, Rha pressed a hand against the ground to test it. The texture was just right—hard and dry, but not brittle.
Watching her big sister handle fire so deftly, Obei suddenly thought of something.
"Big sis, our clothes… you made them with divine power too, right? So why not just make a tent out of it?"
"Oh? You noticed."
Rha dusted off her hands—though, unsurprisingly, no dust had stuck—and replied,
"Unfortunately, divine power is still just a form of energy. It can't create something out of nothing.
The clothes you're wearing are actually made of the light and heat from my flames—they're a visual illusion. They feel warm, but they don't physically exist.
If you don't believe me, try lifting your skirt—you'll find your hand goes right through."
Obei tried it. Sure enough—her fingers touched her own thigh directly through the skirt.
"It's true! I can't believe I didn't notice until now!"
The sensation of her fingers brushing her own skin made her realize—what she'd been "wearing" wasn't fabric at all. She couldn't help but mentally scold herself for being so oblivious.
"W-wait a sec! But I remember when you came back from the forest earlier, you were carrying food in your skirt! I didn't imagine that, did I?"
"Oh, you remember that? You're right—I did." Rha's tone turned playfully teasing for once.
"Then… how?"
"The answer—energy density," Rha said plainly.
"Divine power, when you break it down, is just a kind of energy particle. When compressed past a certain threshold, it changes states—just like how oxygen becomes liquid at 5.2 atmospheres of pressure."
As she spoke, she gently pinched the edge of her own skirt, which rippled softly, its silky texture gleaming faintly in the firelight.
"By condensing divine power to that level, I can turn energy into matter—and with a bit of spiritual shaping, it maintains a solid form. That's how I made these clothes capable of holding food.
As for yours… sorry. You'll have to make your own once you learn the technique. For now, I can only give you the illusion of warmth and appearance."
Rha wasn't lying. She'd love to make them real clothes too—but like liquid oxygen reverting to gas when conditions change, divine power released from her body naturally returned to its base state over time.
Fortunately, she still had partial control over those detached energies. It was like performing embroidery with fire—difficult, but doable.
Of course, it wasn't nearly as fluid as controlling the power inside her own body.
Like the difference between moving your arm directly—or piloting a robot arm with a joystick.
"…"
Hearing her explanation, Obei was left speechless.
Having already learned to sense her own inner energy, she could fully grasp what Rha had just described—and how terrifyingly precise that control had to be.
That level of finesse, and the mental endurance required to maintain it, was simply unimaginable for her current self.
"Th-that's… kinda overkill, don't you think?"
"Maybe. But I have my reasons."
Rha's gaze softened, lowering as though she were looking at something far away—something unseen.
"Remember what I said before? Opening the other worlds within the Millennium Puzzle takes immense divine and spiritual power. This is part of my training—to prepare for that.
Who knows? Maybe one of those worlds will lead back to where we came from."
"I… I see."
Obei didn't know how to respond.
Of course. Rha really was on another level—her mind already looking far into the future.
Looks, composure, effort, talent, intellect, foresight—she's basically a perfect superhuman! Ouxi, where are you?! Only with you around can I feel normal again!
And just like that—after only a few minutes apart—our little Obei already started missing her airheaded second sister.
Such a wonderful sisterly bond~
Meanwhile, in the forest…
"Hm? Obei? …Nah, must've imagined it."
In the midst of searching for wood, Ouxi suddenly felt a strange twinge, but after a moment's hesitation, she shrugged it off and continued.
"Seriously, why are all these trees so thick?"
After searching for a while, she realized the thinnest tree she could find was still five times her own width.
Helpless, she turned to the next best option—bamboo.
"Rha-sis only said thin wood, not tree wood. Bamboo counts, right? Sorry, Brother Bamboo, blame your tree neighbors for being too beefy."
She leapt up, grabbed some vines from the canopy, and with two quick blasts of her "Thunder Cannon," downed a few stalks of bamboo.
(For the record: bamboo, being technically a grass, was not amused.)
"Oi~ I'm back, Rha-sis! By the way, this skirt you made is amazing—it didn't get caught on anything the whole way here!"
Apparently, Ouxi still hadn't realized that her "clothes" were basically body paint made of light.
"Good. Let's build the tent now. Tonight, we'll spend our first night in this new world together."
"Haha~ When you say it like that, I'm actually kinda excited!"
"Not bad at all, this night sky~"
After helping finish the tent, Ouxi sat down on the sand nearby, one hand propping herself up behind her, the other resting lazily on her knee as she gazed up at the glittering heavens.
"The starry river is splendid indeed."
Obei sat right beside her, knees hugged to her chest.
"And only one moon in the sky," Rha added casually from behind them, where she was adjusting the inside of the tent.
"Rha-sis! Don't just say creepy stuff like that out of nowhere! I don't wanna end up on Terra—either one of them!"
Ouxi shivered, her tone suddenly serious.
"Speaking of which, we haven't, uh, peed all day, right? I kinda wanted to try what it feels like to use a girl's body to go to the bathroom."
Obei went speechless at the redhead's trademark leap in logic.
"I swear, your brain's just full of weird junk. If you wanna try, then go ahead—but make sure you go far away."
"Eh, never mind. You saying that killed my curiosity."
"You know, I think something's wrong with me mentally. I still think of myself as a guy, but when I look at you and Rha-sis—two absolute cuties—I don't feel a thing."
"?!"
"Rha-sis and I look like we're eight or nine years old! What kind of 'interest' are you expecting to have?! Anyone with that kind of thought should be taken out and shot!
If you're not into girls anymore, fine, go be gay or whatever—but don't drag me into your weirdness, you pervert!"
Utterly flustered by Ouxi's wild words, Obei fired back like a machine gun and promptly fled into the tent.
"With… a man…"
Ouxi's mind right away flooded with flashes of Runaway Family, Mercurian Man, and Song of Filial Righteousness—popular dramas from their old world—before she started shaking her head like a wet husky.
"Nope nope nope nope—absolutely not!"
"Ugh, so I can't like men, and I don't feel anything for women… oh no, don't tell me I'm gonna awaken some kind of weird Indian-style kink later?!
Rha-sis! Quick! Use your boundless cosmic wisdom and save me!"
"My advice," Rha said calmly without even turning around, "is to just go to sleep. Maybe someday you'll meet someone whose charm transcends gender itself.
After all, gender has never been a prerequisite for love."
"Whoa~ Didn't expect you to be that open-minded, Rha-sis! I always pegged you as a hardcore heterosexual!"
"It doesn't matter to me," Rha replied evenly. "As long as it doesn't interfere with my life, I respect and bless all orientations—including yours.
Now sleep."
With that, she lay down and closed her eyes.
"But I can't sleep~ This body feels way too full of energy! Feels like I could stay up forever and be fine.
Wait—are we gonna turn into some kind of ultimate lifeform that doesn't need food, sleep, or bathrooms? Huh. Sounds kinda convenient, actually."
"Shut up and stand guard outside if you can't sleep," Obei muttered as she lay down next to Rha.
Rha said nothing. She was already drifting.
Though her divine body didn't tire in the human sense, she'd overexerted herself exploring the Millennium Puzzle, kept their divine garments stable, and spent half the day answering the twins' endless nonsense. Even she was feeling the strain.
For now, even though her body didn't need rest, lying still in the quiet was still a kind of comfort—like snacking when you're not hungry, simply because it feels nice.
As her consciousness faded, her awareness sank inward—back into the gentle light of her spirit.
And unexpectedly, Rha began to dream.
The night was utterly dark.
Countless colorful orbs—like floating soap bubbles—drifted aimlessly through the endless air.
In her dream, Rha had become a small bird, fluttering desperately among those bubbles, as if searching for something.
She felt tired—so tired. The bubbles seemed infinite, no matter how many she passed.
She felt lost—the darkness of night swallowed all sense of direction.
She felt cold—the chill in the air threatened to freeze her wings still.
She felt lonely—her heartbeat was the only sound in all existence.
Is the dawn… not here yet?
That was her only thought.
...
"Rha-sis! Big sis! Wake up, breakfast's ready!"
Two childish voices roused her from slumber.
When she opened her eyes, two adorable faces filled her vision—behind them, a rising golden sun spilling light across the horizon.
"Sorry, I slept a little longer than I meant to," Rha said softly, smiling with genuine warmth.
"Ah—so dazzling! That smile! Is this the fabled 'Beauty Burst Attack of One Million Horsepower'?! Retreat, Obei, retreat!"
Ouxi shielded her eyes with her arms, stumbling backward dramatically.
"?"
Rha blinked in mild confusion at Ouxi's antics, then turned to Obei instead.
"Indeed… beauty to topple nations. Truly a peerless visage," Obei murmured, cheeks pink as she looked away. For once, she and Ouxi were in perfect agreement.
Deciding to skip over that entire topic, Rha instead asked, "So, you two made breakfast? I'm curious to see what you came up with."
"Yep! Get ready to be amazed, Rha-sis!"
Ouxi dashed out of the tent and quickly returned, proudly holding a stone pot.
"Ta-dah! Behold—the one and only Ouxi Special: Rainbow Mystic Cloud Soup!"
She lifted the lid dramatically. A golden beam shot into the sky—
…Okay, no, there was no beam. Just a very ordinary mushroom-and-egg soup.
Well, not entirely ordinary—the mushrooms were all different colors, practically dazzling in their array.
Rha: "…"
"Don't make that face yet, Rha-sis! Think about it—now that we've got divine constitutions that make us immune to poison, aren't you curious how all these wild mushrooms taste?"
And honestly, Rha was a little curious.
In her past life, "You Ling" had been a big mushroom lover—hotpot nights always featured an absurd spread of fungi.
"Alright then, I'll give it a try."
Using a bamboo spoon, she scooped up a bit, blew gently, and tasted it.
After a moment, she set the spoon down, smiled faintly, and asked, "Did either of you taste it before serving?"
"Nope. But it smelled great, didn't it?"
Seeing that Rha didn't grimace or choke, Ouxi relaxed at once.
"I wanted you to have the first taste! Obei tried to sneak one, but I wouldn't let her!" she added proudly.
"I tried to stop her," Obei sighed beside her.
"I know. Good work, Obei."
Rha turned back to Ouxi. "Since you're my sister, it's fine. But remember—next time you cook for someone, always taste it yourself first. Understood?"
"Eh? Don't tell me it tastes bad? No way! I calculated everything perfectly!"
"Calculated?" Obei asked dryly. "Using what?"
"My imagination!"
A beat.
"…A rich imagination," Ouxi added proudly.
...
"By the way, where did you get this pot?" Rha asked, changing the subject. The stone pot clearly had hand-carved markings on its sides.
"Oh, there's some ancient ruins south of the forest. Found it there.
Bleh—ugh!"
She'd finally tried a spoonful of her own soup… and right away spat it out.
"Even a genius like me can't succeed on the first try, huh? The heavens are too cruel~ Obei, you wanna try it?"
"The ruins were pretty damaged though," Obei ignored her, continuing, "otherwise we could've stayed there instead of sleeping out here."
"If there's one ruin, there may be more," Rha mused. "Once we finish eating, take me there. I'd like to see it myself."
And with that, she calmly resumed drinking the colorful soup.
"Rha-sis, it's awful, you don't have to—let me throw it out!" Ouxi pleaded, reaching for the pot.
"It's fine. You made it yourself, and it's your first attempt. As your sister, it's only right I finish it.
And honestly, it doesn't taste bad, exactly… just a bit strange."
Spoon by spoon, Rha serenely finished the entire pot, wiped her lips with a wisp of flame, and smiled.
Leaving behind one teary-eyed Ouxi washing dishes at the seaside, full of admiration and guilt all at once.
...
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