Within her own Spirit Realm, Darha's brows were tightly knitted, her delicate body covered in a fine layer of sweat. Feeling the waves of sensation transmitting from the other side of the sensory resonance ritual, each wave stronger than the last, even as the current Enlightened One, Karma, Darha couldn't help but tremble entirely.
In truth, as early as when Syndra proposed the sensory resonance ritual, Darha had already prepared herself for the possibility that Syndra might use this opportunity to exact revenge on her. Although she herself had never harmed Syndra, as the Karma of this era, Darha believed she had a necessary responsibility to bear the consequences of the decisions made by the numerous Karmas of past generations.
This responsible attitude didn't stem from Darha overflowing with sympathy or an excessive sense of duty. It was simply because Karma served as the spiritual symbol of Ionia. Even if the past generations of Karma were not the same person in reality, to outsiders, Karma had always been a single entity. Under these circumstances, shouldering the responsibilities of past Karmas wasn't for her own sake, but to make the people realize that this was the decision of all past Karmas, the collective choice of all Ionia...
But she never expected...
Was it because of Faen? No... not because of Faen, but because Syndra had fallen in love with Faen.
Feeling the continuously growing romantic affection in her heart, a complex look appeared in Darha's eyes.
Usually, even if a sensory resonance ritual achieved sensory sharing, it wouldn't be this intense. But the problem was, the dark energy Syndra controlled and the power of Ionia flowing within Darha herself both belonged to the Spirit of Ionia. They shared the same root. Under these circumstances, the sensory resonance ritual for Darha was virtually indistinguishable from experiencing it personally.
But if it was purely just physical pleasure... she could still restrain herself.
Lying on her side in bed within her own Spirit Realm, Darha didn't have to worry about her figure being observed by others. Without Darha's permission, let alone ordinary people, even the past generations of Karma couldn't communicate or discuss anything with the current Darha. This was also one of the privileges of being the current Enlightened One. Although the past Enlightened Ones could offer advice to the current Karma through the remnants of the Spirit Realm, the final decision always rested solely with the current Enlightened One. Because the past Karmas were all avatars of the Spirit of Ionia, chosen by the Spirit to welcome a new era. The generations prior to this one could only offer advice.
Without having to worry about others discovering her predicament, Darha, lying on her side in bed, could indulge herself slightly, just as a young girl.
However, today's state was noticeably different from before. Or rather, after holding back for so long, had Syndra finally begun?
Darha had only just recovered slightly when she felt another intense wave of impact surge through her. And this time was different from any time before. If previously, Darha could slightly relieve her mental pressure through masturbation, now, with Syndra's long-suppressed cravings finally released... almost instantly, Darha, lying in bed, uncontrollably curled up into a ball.
What would be a charming blush on an ordinary person formed a rich, wine-like luster on Darha's brown skin. Her mature, dignified face bore an unbearable expression of shame and arousal. She bit her silver teeth lightly for a long time, but the craving within her body showed no sign of fading. No matter how she fingered herself, the emptiness inside always left Darha feeling unable to find release.
Suddenly, struck by a moment of clarity, Darha pursed her lips and called out softly, "...Faen..."
Although she merely spoke the man's name simply, Darha could feel her body noticeably relax by quite a bit. But while the physical pressure lessened, Darha's mental pressure didn't ease in the slightest. In fact, quite the opposite: she felt a deep, profound sense of shame.
To Darha, Faen wasn't exactly a stranger, but he absolutely wasn't someone she was close to either. To be precise, for Darha, Faen probably just viewed her as a like-minded comrade, right? After all, Faen also wanted to bring change to Ionia, to make the people of Ionia realize the positive aspects of strife, rather than harboring baseless rejection and disgust toward the existence of fighting spirit and darkness as they did in the past. To treat them objectively and rationally, thereby better facing the coming new era.
But what about herself?
She indeed viewed Faen as a like-minded friend. Of course, beyond that, in Darha's eyes, Faen was the only one—even the singular one—who could hold a special place in her heart. The reason wasn't complicated: because Faen was the only one who understood that, apart from being the Enlightened One, Karma, she was also a person named "Darha."
This might not sound like much, but to Darha, it was incredibly precious. To ordinary Ionians, the Enlightened One represented holiness and absolute correctness. To the sages of Ionia, the Enlightened One represented responsibility, tradition, and the mandate that things should not change. To foreign enemies, she represented a shortcut to destroying Ionia...
Under these circumstances, simply not deifying or symbolizing her, but treating her as a human being—knowing that she too had her own depressions, frustrations, and that she too needed help—was something incredibly precious to Darha.
Although she hadn't stated it explicitly, Darha clearly already viewed Faen as her only true friend, rather than a so-called colleague within the Temple of the Long-Standing.
But who would have thought that before Faen even said anything, on her end, her feelings had already begun to rot and mutate...
The pleasure transmitting from her body made Darha unable to control herself, while the psychological alienation of her friend left Darha feeling tormented. But undeniably, when she spoke his name aloud—even if only for herself to hear—Darha felt herself relax immensely. Even her mental sense of immorality eased significantly as her physical craving subsided.
But this relaxation didn't last long before Darha felt something and lowered her head, trembling slightly.
Her eyes rolled back slightly. This continuous pleasure lasted for nearly thirty seconds. And when Darha snapped back to reality, she pulled her hand out from between her legs and stared at the sticky wetness covering it. If it were just these honey juices, it would be fine. The problem was...
Did her body just... ovulate?