Hello, dear readers! Here's your weekly chapter!
The first case of my new detective story is available on youtube, along with the first chapter being available on patre0n if you're interested. it's a story following a detective and a new police officer who partner together to resolve crimes committed or linked to extraordinary beings. The setting is a 1920 style parallel world.
Do check the first case of 'Everlight City's Extraordinary Investigations' : https://youtu.be/BKCr9mg4OeQ
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Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Sofia Petrov.
An extremely common Russian name, but its significance for Liya was extraordinary, especially after Demian had shared with the three of them stories about his previous life.
Indeed, Sofia Petrov was THE Sofia, the woman Demian had sacrificed his life to save, having led him to be reincarnated into this world, along with all his powers.
And the Sofia in question was actually Adeliya's previous life identity.
That realization brought mixed feelings to her heart, alongside a few questions.
'Only an idiot would think it's a coincidence... But then, I lived around three more decades after Damian lost his life, so how is it possible? And why did that Entity do it? Is it because I never remarried after what happened...?'
Indeed, after Damian Knight sacrificed his life to save her and her daughter's lives, Sofia had stayed single for the rest of her life, though it was not for lack of suitors.
After all, although not as beautiful as her current self, she had still been considered pretty back then.
Coupled with her gentle personality, it was no wonder that many men were interested in her.
However, with her romantic history, whether it was her first abusive husband, which made it hard for her to trust other men, or the handsome Damian who died to save her, which made it almost impossible for other men to surpass his devotion, it stopped her from having any other romantic relationship.
Knowing that, the fact that she had died of a heart attack in her sixties was pretty telling.
With a wry smile on her face, Liya pondered.
'Well, seems like we were destined to be together. If not in one life, then in another... Or at least, someone wants us to be together...'
As her eyelids fluttered open, she found Demian's incredibly attractive face wearing a thoughtful expression as he seemed to experiment with his newfound strength.
Seeing the man she had fallen for throughout two lives, a hint of warmth filled Liya's gaze, prompting a thought to appear in her mind.
'Then again, it's not as if I mind the helping hand.'
As she was lost in her thought, she heard Brynhild's mutters, the words and tone she used making her freeze briefly before a wry thought traversed her mind.
'So, Viktoria has also been reborn as my daughter and is now Demian's lover... I don't know if I should be pissed or happy for her.'
Shaking her head slightly, she decided to just let it go, as even without knowing about their past lives, the young woman was still her daughter in this life, and she had long accepted the idea of sharing a man with her.
Thus, the news changed little for them, at most shedding light on some past events.
However, there was still something that made her curious.
'Since Bryn and I awakened our past lives' memories, what about Sera? I'll ask her once our breakthroughs finish.'
Once the heart breakthrough ended, the four people's bloodline elevation accelerated.
Another month passed, with the Mikhailovs women finally awakening from the wave of transformation they had just experienced.
Seeing the three open their eyes, Demian's lips corner rose into a warm smile as he asked.
"How do you three feel?"
Although he had many questions to ask them, especially about Bryn's previous words, he reined in his curiosity, opting to focus on more urgent matters.
The three women stretched their bodies slightly, noting how, with only a light exertion, the First Void Layer they were in was on the verge of shattering.
While the three were acclimating to the sudden strength increase, Demian observed each of their bodies.
Interestingly, their appearances had not changed much.
A barely perceptible alteration in the skin color, a slight increase in one muscle length, the nose's position lowering by a fraction, etc.
Every change seemed inconsequential, barely perceptible and different for each woman.
However, the combination brought their beauty to a level beyond what had already seemed perfect previously.
Even their Auras gained a depth that was not present before, their Immortal Quality growing much stronger.
Aside from their appearances, strength and talent, even their lifespan had grown beyond what their cultivation level should provide, similar to those of similar-Rank Spirit Beasts.
Humans had shorter lifespans than Beasts, but that was only true for Mortals.
However, if one possessed an Immortal Bloodline, no matter the concentration, then the lifspan shackles would start to break, granting those heaven-blessed cultivators benefits beyond what Mortals could normally aspire to.
Honestly, Demian had long lost the fear of possible lifespan depletion.
Now, his goal went beyond a mere limited lifespan and sought Immortality, which should grant all four of them endless time to explore the universe and grow stronger while they were at it.
Of course, whether true immortality really existed, or if it were simply a case of living so long that it was considered immortality, he did not know.
But even if it was the latter, as long as they kept growing stronger, their lifespan was bound to increase alongside it.
At that moment, a mischievous voice interrupted his daydreaming, prompting him to cock his brow in surprise.
"Lad, what's going on in that pretty head of yours?"
Looking at the playful expression on his elven lover, Demian caught a different glint in her gaze, pushing him to respond.
"I was wondering what happened to all three of you during your breakthroughs."
Despite a strange change in Sera's way of speaking and a slight change in the way she looked at him, the Soul Bond they shared did not show any abnormality.
Now, that did not mean nothing happened, but that nothing external, such as possession, happened.
Still, something clearly DID happen, or she would not act that way.
Indeed, the woman's following words confirmed his hunch.
"It's just that I awakened my previous life's memories and my previous identity was a bit... Special."
Feeling curious, the young man replied teasingly.
"You've got my attention. Were you a succubus, or maybe a female dragon? I've read somewhere that dragons are extremely lustful..."
Before he could say anything else, Sera knocked on his forehead with her knuckles, her expression exasperated as she retorted.
"You really don't know how to talk to a woman, do you? And for your information, I was a Peak Transcendent Shadow Void Elf... And I was unmarried..."
Although her embarrassed expression made him want to tease her, he refrained and instead commented.
"No wonder it only took you a moment to master your strength after your breakthrough."
Hearing his words, the young woman replied proudly.
"If I couldn't even master Void Seed strength, what kind of transcendent would I be?"
Her proud expression swiftly vanished as she added.
"Though I've got to say, my current strength could easily crush my previous self at the same level. Your Perks are really broken."
Nodding his head, Demian remarked.
"They are. But I'm curious. Since you'd reached the Peak Transcendent Level back then, your foundation shouldn't have been much weaker than your current one, right?"
Shaking her head slightly, a wry smile appeared on her face as she replied.
"You don't understand. Mortal Worlds are for Mortals, and immortal Realms are for immortals. It's impossible for a Mortal World to create anything 'Immortal'. Even those so-called Immortal-Grade talents are born because of external objects. It could be a hint of Immortal Energy finding its way to a Random Mortal World, or it could be an immortal leaving some kind of artefact there, whose Aura would affect the surroundings. There are many possibilities, but none come from the Mortal World itself."
Gesturing toward herself and the other two women, she added.
"Take us three, for example. The Shadow Void Elf is a Mortal branch of the Space-Time Elven race. Bryn's Golden Jade Giant race is also a Mortal branch of the Immortal Titan Race. As for Mom's Carmine Race, her race is descended from the Immortal Blood Race. Technically, even the Elementary Human Race degenerated from the High Human Race."
Her explanation brought a pensive expression to his face before he commented.
"If we all have Immortals as ancestors, then why is it so difficult to reach the immortal level? And why is everyone's talent so low?"
Cocking her brow, Sera retorted.
"You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? Even at my Peak, I'd only met a few Immortals, but compared to them, I was as weak as an insect they could crush with a single thought. All of what I told you comes from some of my Bloodline memories and some old jade scrolls my clan possessed back then."
Shaking her head slightly, she added in a pensive tone.
"Of course, my clan had some guesses, with the most likely being that the environment was incapable of supporting Immortal races, leading to some talent degeneration. Another possibility is that an extremely powerful Immortal chose to exile and curse a number of Immortal race members, robbing them of their innate talents. But all that is just speculation, and I have no way to find out the truth."
On the side, Liya and Bryn, while attempting to master their own strength, were silently listening to the young woman's explanation.
As those last few words left Sera's lips, Liya asked.
"Since you've awakened your past life's memories, how should we call you now?"
Hearing her mother's words tinted with a hint of concern, Sera broke into a few giggles before responding firmly, a reassuring grin hanging on her lips.
"My previous identity was Syllia Shaynore. She is my past, but not my present. In this life, I am Seraphine Mikhailov, Adeliya Mikhailov's daughter and Brynhild Mikhailov's sister. Right, and my husband is called Demian Mikhailov. The rest is best left in the past, Mom."
Her words brought a smile to the other three's faces, with Demian gently embracing her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder as he stated.
"No matter what your past is, you're my woman, now and forever."
His loving embrace brought a surge of warmth to Sera's heart as she exclaimed inwardly.
'Even if it took me two lives to find the right man, it was truly worth it.'
Turning his gaze toward Liya's and Bryn's direction, Demian remarked.
"That goes for the two of you. No matter what memories you've awakened, the two of you are mine, and I'll never let you go."
Chuckling at his words, Liya crossed her arms and replied jokingly.
"As if I'd let you if you tried."
Her movement broke the First Void Layer, but no one present cared, as the wave of Void Energy crashing wildly against their bodies did as much damage to them as a gentle caress.
With a small grin on her face, Bryn remarked.
"I agree with Mom. I've finally found you, and I'm not about to lose you again."
The strange words puzzled Seraphine, though both Demian and Adeliya could guess the implication behind them.
In a soft tone, Demian questioned.
"Love, was your previous life's identity Viktoria Petrov?"
Bryn's small smile grew slightly larger as she nodded and explained.
"When I broke through to the Lotus Blooming level, I felt a barrier break inside my head, and all the memories from my past life appeared in my mind. I also remember that day..."
Her smile disappeared with those words, leaving only a conflicted expression.
Shaking his head slightly, Demian replied with some reassuring words.
"Everything's in the past. What matters is that we've all been reborn... By the way, could you tell me what happened after I... Died...?"
Before she could answer him, she was interrupted by Liya's exaggerated cough, after which Liya declared, a hint of embarrassment tainting her expression.
"Actually, I also awakened my previous life's memories. And... Well, my name was Sofia Petrov..."
As soon as those words left her lips, everyone else froze, with Seraphine's expression turning astonished.
A few seconds later, the female dark elf broke the silence with her exclamation.
"Wait a second, you two! Are you telling me that you two were Dem's previous life's crush? The ones he died to save?"
Her question brought Demian and Brynhild's minds back to the present, with the latter shaking her head as she corrected.
"I was Mom's daughter back then, not Dem's crush. I mean, the day he died I was only 7 years old."
Tilting her head while wearing a knowing look on her face, Sera retorted while grinning.
"Weren't you the one who said 'I finally found you' with a loving look on your face? Are you telling me you had no feelings for him back then?"
After snorting in annoyance, Bryn replied while crossing her arms and guiltily avoiding her eyes.
"You and your perverted mind. I only saw him as my potential dad back then. Nothing more."
A few meters away, Liya's grin seemed to imply that her daughter's words were not exactly truthful, something that Sera was quick to pick up on as she asked.
"Mom, is she telling the truth?"
Seeing the pleading look on her oldest daughter's face, Liya felt a bit torn, though she still said.
"Sweetie, there's no need to hide it anymore. Whether it's your sister, me or you, our previous lives are done and gone. It's not as if anyone will judge you."
Hearing her words, Bryn let out a resigned sigh before turning toward Demian and Seraphine, though she found it hard to hold their curious gazes as she explained.
"It's just that I saw you as my dad back then, and as I grew up, my feelings progressively changed toward... Romance, I guess... Anyway, I was young and impressionable, and what you did for us made it hard for me to forget you."
After turning her head to the side to avoid their inquisitive eyes, she added.
"I got married in my thirties and had two children. Honestly, the reason I chose that man was that both his personality and looks were similar to you."
Letting out a small sigh, Seraphine was uncharacteristically comforting as she said.
"Well, a daughter will often marry a man like her father, and a son will marry a woman like his mother. There's nothing shameful about that. It's just more reassuring to choose what's known over what's different, even if it's not always the healthiest choice."
Hearing Sera's words, the embarrassment on Bryn's face turned into gratitude as she looked at her sister and remarked.
"No matter what, Mom's right. I'm not Viktoria anymore, so it doesn't matter anymore."
Seeing her daughter accepting her past brought a feeling of relief to Liya's heart, reminding her of her own past struggles.
As a few memories traversed her mind, Liya flew to Demian, grabbed his face and stated.
"You know, after the stunt you pulled that day, I spent the rest of my life single, so you better take responsibility."
After letting out a few chuckles, he replied with a grin on his lips.
"I'll take whatever responsibility you want me to. After all, we've got an endless time ahead of us, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to make it up to you, Love."
Hearing his words, Liya floated slightly higher and gave him a light peck on his lips, after which she retorted.
"You better, young man. I've got so many things to make up for, starting with our wedding."
Nodding his head, Demian replied confidently.
"Once we go back to Bright Star Island, we might as well get married, since we've gone beyond the Core Formation requirement we've had planned before. What do you think?"
The three agreed instantly, though Liya added.
"Since we're about to get married, what about your father?"
The question stunned him into speechlessness for a second before he replied hesitantly.
"I...I don't know... How about we go home first, and we'll talk about it then?"
Seeing that her question unsettled him, she did not insist and responded.
"Sure, darling."
Having decided to leave, Seraphine declared.
"Before we go back, we need to find that secret realm."
Having put the matter of his father aside, Demian commented.
"Right, Greogorov and the rest are still stuck there. But the thing is, the realm is long gone. Do you have any method to find it?"
Indeed, although secret realms are all linked to the Surface Void Layer, they could still move through the Void Sea, making it hard to pinpoint their position unless one coincidentally found it.
After all, Earth was huge, beyond his previous life's native planet by an uncountable number of times, and the Void Sea's shallow Void Layers matched that size.
Fortunately, Seraphine's previous identity had many ways to find that realm, even though many of them were currently unusable due to her low cultivation.
With a nod of her head, she replied with an 'I do' before closing her eyes for a brief moment.
Then, her Soul Qi, Mana and Blood Qi entwining together, the resulting powerful energy materialising in front of her in the form of a strange Runic Shape that made the other three dizzy by just looking at it for a brief moment.
Indeed, despite being incapable of mobilizing the Elemental Laws she comprehended in her previous life, she was still able to insert a thread of understanding in her Spell, boosting the efficacy of any Spell, Skill or technique she used.
In other words, she had now become the top combat power in their team, and until the others mastered their own Elemental Laws, they would always lag behind her.
After all, having stood at the Peak of the Mortal World, coupled with having access to Demian's Perks, if she could not even accomplish that much, then it was better to peacefully stay at home until she broke through to the Immortal level.
As time passed, the impossibly complex rune became progressively more material until it suddenly erupted with Qi fluctuations that awed Demian and the other two girls, even with their current impressive strength.
Seeing the Void vortex form in front of them, Demian felt a bit complicated.
'So that's a reincarnated Transcendent, huh?'
Although he guessed as much, it was now even clearer to him that his mischievous lover's strength had now surpassed his by who knew how much.
'At first, it was Bryn, and now it's Sera. Why are all my women so much more talented than I am? What's next? Liya suddenly gaining some kind of Immortal Empress' memories?'
Well, with his luck, it would not be so far-fetched.
Then again, his grumbling was purely him being childish, while in truth, he was actually happy for them.
After all, the stronger his women were, the safer they would be and, frankly, the prouder he became.
Indeed, each of his wives was at the peak of beauty and talent in this world, so how could he not be proud?
While the young man was daydreaming, the Void vortex finally stabilized, appearing as a tunnel leading to an unknown location, with its interior so stable that even Core Formation cultivators could pass through without risking injuries, let alone being obliterated.
Letting out a tired sigh, her face having turned paler than usual, Sera muttered exasperatedly.
"Damn, making that Void tunnel was so much easier when I was at my peak."
Shaking her head slightly, she then looked toward the others and explained.
"This tunnel will lead us directly to the secret realm. It's not as stable as it could be, but that's the limit of what I can do with my current strength."
Grabbing her hand, Demian asked with concern.
"Do you need to rest a bit? You look drained."
With a reassuring smile, the woman replied.
"No need. It's just because using a hint of Elemental Law in my spell was a bit too forceful at my level. But with my Immortal Physique and your Perk, I'll recover quickly. In the meantime, let's go find that realm, shall we?"
Although feeling a bit doubtful, Demian was aware that the woman was much more experienced than he was, so he chose to follow her suggestion and, along with the three women, entered the Void tunnel, their bodies being naturally propelled toward the other end of the channel.
Expecting the journey to last a few hours at the very least, Demian, Liya and Bryn were all surprised when barely over a minute later they noticed a round opening marking the end of the tunnel.
A moment later, the group of four passed through an energy membrane and found themselves in front of a massive Void Bubble containing the previous secret realm.
In a tone filled with awe, Liya commented.
"That was quick!"
Demian and Bryn nodded, with the latter remarking.
"Is your spell something we can learn? I can picture so many situations where it could be useful."
Shaking her head, Sera replied while wearing a wry expression on her face.
"No. Well, not yet, at least. To be honest, only Transcendent should be able to use it, and it's only by leveraging both my Space Elf Immortal Grade bloodline and my previous life Law comprehension that I was barely able to use it. Even then, the result is extremely crude, and it almost completely drained me."
With a disappointed expression, Bryn muttered.
"What a shame!"
Of course, the young woman did not dwell on it for very long, as it was only a matter of time before they broke through to the transcendent rank, and by then she would be able to master that level of spell.
In the meantime, it would be better to deal with more urgent matters.
Turning toward the massive secret realm, Bryn asked hesitantly.
"So... What do we do now?"
As she uttered that question, she, along with Liya and Demian, looked toward Serapphine, who burst into a few giggles before replying in an exaggeratedly exasperated tone.
"Why do I always have to do everything?"
Hearing her joking words, the others rolled their eyes in sync before Demian retorted in an amused tone.
"Professional work needs to be left to professionals."
With a mischievous grin, the dark elf commented.
"Well, since you put it that way, I guess I've got to step up, or you'd be too disappointed."
Turning her gaze toward the realm, she took a deep breath before explaining, her tone turning more serious.
"There are three options. The first is simply to let the realm naturally reform its Void Channel. That should take a few more months, from what I can sense. The second option is to use a spell to accelerate the Void channel's reformation. With my current strength, the time taken should be reduced to a few days, or at most a week or two. As for the third option..."
She suddenly stopped talking as if something was bothering her.
Sensing her hesitation, Demian asked.
"Is it a dangerous option?"
Indeed, from the way she presented things, Demian guessed that the third option should be more efficient but also more dangerous, maybe even forcing her to incur serious injuries.
However, the truth was completely unexpected for the other three, all of them feeling speechless when they heard her following words.
"Not really. It's just that it might take one or even several years to accomplish. I... I want to refine the secret realm into a Realm bead."
With confusion filling her voice, Liya asked.
"We're not exactly pressed for time, so as long as it's not dangerous, I don't mind waiting for that little time. What about you two?"
Seeing the other two agreeing with her, the oldest redhead added.
"Speaking of which, what's the use of a Realm Bead?"
Hearing the question, Sera's purple irises flashed with a mysterious light as she answered, her tone reminiscing.
"The Immortal Space-Time Elf race has a secret technique capable of refining secret realms into Realm beads. Normally, it's used by those who have no chance of breaking through to the Transcendent Level. By merging it into your Void Sapling, it makes it much easier to break through to Tier 6. Of course, there are downsides, but Dem's Perk should be able to resolve them."
Seeing the lost looks on the other faces, the young elf felt amused, prompting her to explain.
"It's normal you don't understand since it's something related to the Tier 6 Rank. To sum it up simply, Rank 6 is when you must comprehend Elemental Laws while turning your Void Sapling into an Inner Realm. Doing it on your own is extremely demanding on one's talent and resources. But if you integrate an already formed secret realm, it reduces the difficulty by a lot. Aside from that, it also massively increases your cultivation speed ."
Tilting her head, she added.
"The downsides are your potential becoming limited and your strength being lower compared to those at the same level. After all, the realm wasn't created by you, so it can't fit you perfectly."
Her explanation brought frowns to the other's face, with Bryn questioning.
"If it limits your potential, why do you want to do it, sis? It's not as if our cultivation speed isn't already ridiculously fast. If you really want to cultivate faster, it'd be better for Dem to find another woman to bond with. At least, it won't limit our potential."
As those words left Bryn's lips, Demian suddenly felt two pairs of malicious gazes directed at him, bringing a wry smile to his face.
Lifting his hands in a defensive gesture, he affirmed.
"I'm purely innocent here. Innocent until proven guilty, remember?"
Two snorting sounds from the distrustful crowd and a few giggles from the mischievous accuser later, Sera explained her reasoning.
"Actually, if it wasn't for Demian's Perk, I wouldn't risk it. But if I'm right, by merging the realm into my Void Seed, the Perk should be able to sync it completely with my body. In other words, I'd get all the advantages of that technique without the inconveniences."
Shaking her head, Bryn retorted.
"But what if you're wrong? It feels like an unnecessary risk."
With a knowing smile on her face, Sera replied.
"You're only thinking that way because you've been spoiled by Dem's Perks. Cultivation isn't the sort of peaceful and risk-free path anyone can take. Instead, it's by taking risks smartly that one can advance, break through and even transcend. In some way, talent only gets you so far. After a certain level, the talent between each individual doesn't differ much and courage and luck become essential to go further."
Shaking her head, she added.
"Of course, Dem's Perks should be able to bring us to the Immortal level. But what if they can't bring us beyond that? Should we just stop and be content by simply becoming Immortals? I don't know about you, but as long as I see the possibility of progress, and as long as it's not a sure-death situation, I'll go for it."
Gesturing toward the realm, she continued.
"As for now, I'm pretty confident it will work, but even if it doesn't, I'll just stop the merging technique. At most, my foundation will be slightly damaged, but it's nothing that can't be fixed."
Gazing into her sister's eyes, Bryn felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity, though the slight tug from the Soul Bond made her realize that the woman in front of her was still her little sister.
'With those memories, we've all changed somewhat. But, as she said earlier, Mom is still Mom, Sis is still Sis. Just like Dem back then.'
Feeling somehow better, the redhead nodded and said.
"Fine. Just be careful."
As if she were able to read her mind, a warm smile graced Sera's purple lips as she replied.
"I always am."
Having convinced the other three, she then turned toward the realm and explained.
"During the refinement, I won't be able to move, so one of you will have to stay by my side to guard me. As for those inside the realm, you don't have to worry. Although they'll have to stay inside the realm until the refinement is over, they won't be affected in any other way."
After cracking her neck, the young woman exclaimed.
"Let's start, then."