Looking at Seraphine, who was sleeping peacefully, I couldn't help but sigh.
Although I could erase all her past memories and everything would return to normal—except for the fact that she now has a perfectly intact golden core instead of a mana one—I knew that decision had to be hers; the Seraphine of now, not the woman she once was.
After a few hours, Seraphine finally woke up, her cheeks flushed. From the softness in her eyes and the way she spoke upon waking, I knew her memories had been properly sealed; that didn't mean she didn't remember anything, but her life as a cultivator shouldn't dominate.
"Cassian?" a hoarse, slow voice came from her.
But when she noticed she was naked and in my arms, her already flushed face turned even redder, and she hid against my chest.
"Cassian…" this time she drew out his name. "Did we…? Ah!" Just saying it seemed to overwhelm her with embarrassment.
"What do you remember about what happened?" I asked calmly.
"Mmm…" She lifted her head from my chest and looked at me, still dangerously close. "A beast swallowed me; then I was walking inside it. It was huge, Cassian, and then…"
She frowned, as if struggling to remember.
"It feels like there are memories of mine, but I didn't live them—or at least not as a daughter of the Sterling family…" she murmured, her voice suddenly turning deeper and more anguished. "Fengyue. That name keeps repeating in my head."
Her eyes began to water.
"They killed them all, Cassian. I killed myself and then… What does this mean? Why does it hurt so much?"
"Sera, I blocked part of you. If I undo it, you'll change completely; your life here is insignificant compared to what you lived in your past life."
She looked at me, trying to process what I was saying. She clenched her fist tightly, then lowered her gaze, piecing together her own existence.
"You too? You remember your past life as well?" she asked, lifting her eyes to meet mine. "That's why you never cared about anything. What's the point of working so hard cultivating mana or aura when you can use qi?" Her last words came out with a hint of irony.
She paused for a moment. She didn't wait for me to answer; she had already assumed the truth. She placed her hand on my face, forcing me to look at her.
"She has a purpose, Cassian. I guess I understand now why I always wanted to be stronger. I knew Sylvia didn't care, and my parents, even though they always looked at Julius with more pride, simply ignored me; they didn't care whether I produced results or not, they'd just find another way to make me useful. But I always felt like I had to be stronger. Fengyue has an impossible enemy, and she is everything I ever dreamed of; I am everything I ever dreamed of. So don't seal her. I want to help her."
I looked at her in silence.
"Are you sure?" I asked just in case, though I could already see in her eyes that she wouldn't change her mind.
"I can't just ignore the cries of my little sister," she replied. "But… can you promise me something before you do it?"
When I gestured for her to continue, she did.
"I saw that you weren't very kind to her… I don't know why you change so much between her and me, but we'll be the same in the future, Cassian, so please be kind to me."
I didn't answer. Instead, I released the seal I had placed on her. I wasn't going to promise something I wasn't sure I could keep; there are very few people I feel comfortable making that kind of promise to.
And Seraphine, although I had always appreciated her friendship—or at least the mundane aspect of it—the truth now showed that I didn't really know her.
Reincarnation is quite common among cultivators, but recovering memories is not.
What I did, I'm not sure I can even call it like that; in the end, I didn't have to truly die to come into this body.
I simply changed the vessel of my soul, though it turned out to be quite similar to the one I had in the past.
In fact, I had already been holding back certain traits.
It's not like I want a thousand women throwing themselves at me just because of my face, although Siyin probably wouldn't say anything if I suddenly decided to open a harem of three thousand beauties. For some reason, she always likes to indulge me in those things, as long as her position isn't threatened.
But the women I met here… a shiver runs down my spine just thinking about certain obsessive ones.
The seal faded, and Fengyue's essence fully merged with Seraphine's. Her body trembled, assimilating not only the power but the full weight of her former identity.
I caught her before she could fall, covered her with clothes, and looked toward the place where the greatest number of living people were gathered.
"I suppose it's time to go back…" I murmured.
A presence there particularly caught my attention. When what happened to Seraphine occurred, I had forgotten about him, but it seems he managed to find a good opportunity within this place.
I thought Fengyue had something to do with the appearance of this place, but it seems I was wrong.
Carrying Seraphine in my arms, I headed toward them.
…
"Miss Fairy! There's good news."
Xingyue looked at the woman who had been accompanying her lately. Her blue eyes searched for an answer—something that would point her somewhere she could go to disappear from there at once and search for her master.
"Soon there will be a meeting among the superior races," the elven princess continued excitedly. "Elves, beastmen, vampires, dragons, and even the ominous demons will attend. Some superior human empires will be present as well! If your master is as you said, he will definitely be there!"
Xingyue frowned, maintaining her usual distant air.
"And when is that meeting?"
"Well, like I said, it's very soon. The rise in corruption has been putting pressure on all races; this kind of gathering hasn't been seen in millennia. Racism has increased dramatically because of it; now we're all more isolated and don't see each other as often, but that's going to change!"
The elven princess's enthusiasm was obvious. She explained that in a little over a year, the strongest of each race would gather to deal with the problem.
"Even if you don't know it, there are recent rumors that a main city of the mermaids was completely wiped out," she added, her tone turning somber. "Some Transcendents seem to think that corruption is the necessary path to go beyond; even some who reached the state of Gods are on their side."
These last words caused visible disgust in the princess before she regained her usual cheerfulness and asked with genuine curiosity:
"But anyway, we have you… Miss Fairy, are you a Goddess?"
"I won't be staying here long, Celestia. The moment I find my master, I'll leave with him."
This seemed to sadden the woman, who lowered her gaze and whispered softly:
"Mmm, I know."
Xingyue frowned as she processed what she had just heard. She wasn't truly worried about the danger of the "corruption" that so terrified the inhabitants of this world. However, one part of the information burned itself into her mind: "a little over a year."
"I don't know if I'll last that long…" Xingyue whispered to herself, completely ignoring Celestia's adoring gaze. "If I use the power of the stars, wouldn't Master recognize it? Maybe he'll see it and come find me."