They were finished.
Xifulin let go of her hands. Looking at the three women trapped in the mist illusion before her, she could only let out a helpless sigh.
Her "Return of Heart Blood" had already activated, but the miracle required the target's willingness to take effect. Yet they had no desire to leave the illusion, indulging themselves in dreams of what they could never attain, utterly failing to respond to her miracle.
Only now did Xifulin realize the terror of the Inverted-Color Staircase: it required sorcerers to entangle themselves in the mist to stop fading, but once too much mist clung to them, the sorcerer would sink deeply into an illusion constructed by their own mind. It was a trap—a deadly trap that people willingly walked into, yet could never escape.
What Freya wanted most, in truth, was for her love to be reciprocated. Not only did she deeply love Yaxiu, she also deeply loved everything she had sacrificed. Her love was morbid, absolute, yet it moved even herself.
Yet precisely because she was so fanatical, she remained completely unwavering.
Annan was entirely different from everyone else who liked Yaxiu. She was perhaps the least lovesick among them; though Yaxiu had made her heart flutter, that was the extent of it. If not for meeting Freya, if not for the Witch, she might not have kept thinking of Yaxiu at all. But precisely because so many people loved Yaxiu, she wanted him too.
She was a career woman who did not care whether she ever married. Though she complained every day about how much workload the Witch's departure from the country had dumped on her, secretly becoming the supreme ruler of Gospel actually gave her an addictive thrill. She was a wicked woman who loved power, loved pleasure, and harbored grand ambitions, yet at the same time she had a vulnerable side, longing for a harbor that could shield and shelter her.
Thus, Yaxiu was not only the choice that moved her heart, but also her best choice. The only sorcerers currently possessing the Supreme Tail Feathers were the Supreme Lord of Stars and Yaxiu. If she could become Yaxiu's partner, Annan would be just one step away from doing whatever she pleased.
Yet that did not mean Annan lacked loyalty. If anything, among all the women who loved Yaxiu, her loyalty was second only to Freya's. For love might spoil and decay, but an alliance of shared interests was rock-solid.
In the love war of Dream Heaven, Xifulin believed only three people would willingly embrace Yaxiu no matter what happened: the first was Freya, the second was Annan, and the third was a bystander who had not even joined the fray—that maid.
Xifulin could tell how utterly blinded by greed and desire that maid was on the inside; the look in her eyes when she stared at Yaxiu was practically that of someone wanting to swallow him alive. She was a more extreme version of Annan: Annan at least wanted to lean on Yaxiu, whereas she merely wanted to milk Yaxiu dry and keep him as a pet.
Tamashi, on the other hand, surprised Xifulin a little. She had thought the Black Crow still did not understand her own heart, not expecting the Black Crow had already realized her feelings toward Yaxiu were mingled with romantic affection between a man and a woman, beyond just competitive spirit and friendship.
However, the Black Crow was still green. Perhaps having never learned anything about romance, she could only fumble her way forward bit by bit, though her approach reeked of the Crow Cull style—violent, yet somewhat adorable.
Even though Xifulin could see right through their dreams, it did not help.
Out of sheer desperation, she could only resort to using miracles to directly harm them. Yet even covered in wounds, they failed to break free from the illusion, and even the injuries to their souls healed rapidly from the replenishment of color.
Replenishment of color?
Xifulin froze, only to discover that her own wounds had also healed silently, and the proportion of new color had quietly crossed 95%. By now, it was too late even if she wanted to cast "Return of Heart Blood" on herself.
Her thoughts slowed, her soul turned weightless, and her consciousness was slowly dragged into the mist illusion.
The little bat really should have run away long ago, but she simply could not bring herself to abandon them.
It was all Freya's fault for picking her up in the Knowledge Sea. Before that, Xifulin had long been accustomed to being alone. But after meeting the Veela, loneliness had grown increasingly unbearable to her, to the point that she had deliberately transferred Freya to her own hospital.
She had become the greatest anomaly among the Blood Saint clan—a bat who enjoyed being close to a Veela.
If Freya, Annan, and Tamashi all died here while she alone survived, returning to days of solitude, Xifulin would rather lose herself in the illusion with them.
If she fled, living for centuries or millennia until she turned cold-blooded, she would surely look back on her present self as childish. But Xifulin felt that her childish self... was the happiest.
So, in the end, it was all Yaxiu's fault.
If he had never appeared, the Veela would still be a Veela, the Purple Moth still a Purple Moth, the Black Crow still a Black Crow, and the little bat would have grown into a cold-blooded bat...
I wonder what my illusion will be...
Xifulin gave up resisting, letting her consciousness sink completely into the mist illusion.
Right at that moment, four threads surfaced upon their bodies. Xifulin's thread was the most ethereal yet clearly visible, while the threads of Freya, Annan, and Tamashi blazed with dazzling brilliance. The four threads pierced through the inverted-color world, connecting to the distant void.
As the threads were lightly plucked, slight changes rippled through their illusions.
*
In the waiting hall, Freya saw Yaxiu looking around. Just as she raised her hand, Yaxiu noticed her and sprinted over, sweeping her into a spin before pulling her into his embrace and kissing her forehead.
"I've already booked a restaurant." The Veela's body grew soft as she held onto Yaxiu tightly, refusing to let go. "Let's go eat!"
"No," Yaxiu smiled. "Let's take a bath first."
"Ah?!" Freya's face flushed crimson all the way to her ears in an instant. Lowering her head, she muttered shyly, "How did you know..."
*
In the Yisu Imperial Palace, Annan, who was finalizing planning details with the royal ministers, noticed the meeting connection suddenly cut off. She saw Yaxiu put down the sorcerer handbook in his hands and wave dismissively. "You may all withdraw."
The grand hall soon emptied, leaving only the two of them. Annan looked at Yaxiu in bewilderment. Yaxiu took her hand, led her down from the throne, and said, "Let's go take a bath."
"Hm?" Annan blinked, then let out a helpless sigh. "You really are something... Fine, let's go."
*
In the Thousand Wishes Kingdom of Heaven, Tamashi, who had been bullying Yaxiu until she was out of breath, felt her body go limp. Maintaining a joint lock was supposed to be effortless for her, yet her strength was rapidly draining, as if Yaxiu had poisoned her.
If this kept up, he would break free...
Yet Tamashi felt little displeasure. Whether she defeated Yaxiu or Yaxiu defeated her made no difference; she could always fight him again later. Only this time, she suddenly wanted to see what would happen if she refused to admit defeat...
"Shall we go take a bath?" Yaxiu suddenly suggested.
The Black Crow blinked. Given that both their outfits were soaked in sweat, the request seemed perfectly reasonable, so she released Yaxiu readily. "All right."
"Together, okay?" Yaxiu added.
Tamashi parted her lips, suddenly sensing a twinge of timidity in her heart, but she instantly conquered her weaker self—she absolutely could not chicken out in front of Yaxiu!
"No problem!"
Inside the Yearning Domain, Yaxiu, soaking in the bath, was somewhat bewildered, unable to grasp Rose's intentions.
"Help? How can I help?"
"It's simple."
Rose tugged on the threads of yearning. "Give every longing a home, and make good on every promise."
"To harvest the sweetest yearnings, your memories may grow hazy. Even so, feeler, you mustn't slack off. You must make their yearning..."
"...bloom as brilliantly as fireflies."
"Since you won't let me recruit other believers, you'll have to work hard yourself. I will make you... cooperate with them a little."
Amid the rising white steam of the bath, four distinct splashes echoed as bodies jumped into the water. Watching their silhouettes grow clearer, Yaxiu froze for a moment, then covered his face and let out a complicated sigh.
"You guys..." Wrapped in a bath towel, Freya stared blankly at the others.
"How should I put it?" Annan tilted her head, her two amethyst earrings swaying with the motion. "I don't seem that surprised?"
Tamashi could not speak at all. She covered her face with both hands, yet her gaze peered right through the gaps between her fingers, locked onto Yaxiu.
Yet the most bewildered was undoubtedly Xifulin.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What am I supposed to do next?
Could this possibly be my illusion? Was I this kind of person all along? Although I really did often fantasize about scenes like this and even thought about joining in, but-but-but...
Ugh!
Atop Ruby Mountain, the four female sorcerers stepped off the Inverted-Color Staircase and slumped onto the ground in exhaustion to rest.
They had no time to dwell on becoming the first sorcerers to discover the "Inverted-Color Secret Poison," nor did they feel much sentiment about ascending to Ruby Mountain, the holy land of sorcerers. Lost in their own thoughts, everyone fell into a collective silence.
Freya giggled foolishly in bliss, exuding a sweet aura all over, her pupils even shaped like hearts.
Annan leaned lazily against a boulder to rest, the corners of her lips curled up slightly as if relishing some aftertaste.
Tamashi huddled up with her arms wrapped around her knees, the blush on her face still lingering. Nibbling lightly on her thumb, her expression held not only shyness but also intense frustration, as though feeling she could have performed better just now.
Xifulin lay flat on the ground, feeling completely burned out.
"Xifulin~"
Freya's voice was filled with an indescribable sweetness. Pulling the little bat up, she beamed, "It's wonderful! We've become legendary sorcerers together!"
"Yeah," Xifulin mumbled weakly.
The Veela hugged the little bat, pressing cheek to cheek. "We'll be good sisters forever and ever!"
"...Please spare me from that."
Chapter 1030