Veela

Gentle. This experience was completely different from his previous entry into the divine realm. During the demigod promotion ceremony, although Yaxiu's soul had been shattered by Hell into the most ethereal stream of information before entering the divine realm, it was precisely because he bore the weight of Hell that his soul had maintained an "anchor" in reality, preventing him from assimilating completely into the divine realm. Now, however, without Hell pressing down on him, Yaxiu was like a child breaking free from his parents' grasp, lost in a dazzling, multicolored torrent. As he merged body and soul into the divine realm, drifting across an ocean of infinite colors, he was not drawn to the truths within arm's reach. Instead, for the first time, he discovered that the world was so gentle. Lives that continuously slipped away had never truly perished; civilizations that rose, fell, and withered were always spiraling upward. The world was indeed changing every single moment, yet the lives of all living things were equally boundless. The cycle of life and death was merely the natural rhythm of reincarnation; we never truly lost anything, but were forever receiving. The heavenly melody hummed by mountains and rivers, the radiant hues cast by the sun and moon—to hear them was to make them our voice; to behold them was to make them our color. These inexhaustible treasures were the greatest gifts the world bestowed upon us. Yaxiu forgot himself and let go of everything, assimilating into one with the divine realm. All is one, and one is all. His consciousness transcended those trivial cages of self, nations, and life and death, soaring above the pinnacle of the world to gaze down upon the destiny of all creation. The blurry colors that had previously been difficult to distinguish were now plainly visible. He saw five pillars piercing through time and space—four massive and solid as bedrock, one illusory, frail, and slender. He saw the seventh layer of the Void Realm, where star-rivers cascaded like waterfalls and countless stars shone in concert. He saw a colossal serpent with eight wings upon its back coiled around the world, devouring the six layers of Hell. He was an existence transcending all things, the color painted by God over all creation. The red pillar, blue pillar, green pillar, and pink pillar seemed to notice his presence, extending an invitation for him to attend their grand feast. Devoid of joy or sorrow, insensible and unfeeling, he found that in this radiant and wondrous world, a seat had long been prepared for him. A seat named "Observer of the End." Suddenly, the fifth illusory, iridescent pillar gently shook the divine realm, jolting Yaxiu down from the seat. But quickly, the other four pillars steadied the divine realm and stretched forth several ribbons brimming with vitality, inviting Yaxiu to take his seat once more. Yet, as a haughty, cold scoff reverberated through the divine realm, a beam of starlight plummeted from the seventh layer of the Void Realm, severing the ribbons extended by the four pillars. The four pillars instantly restrained all their light and sound, obediently behaving like proper pillars. Yet the disappearance of the pillars' lure did not improve Yaxiu's situation. He was still drifting slowly toward his seat. This was the expectation of the divine realm, and his fated coronation. "Yaxiu." His slumbering self trembled faintly. "Yaxiu," Sword Princess's voice rang beside his ear. "Don't leave me." Like a drowning man in his death throes, Yaxiu forcibly wrenched his sense of self from the gentle ocean of the divine realm, fighting desperately to keep his foolish, vulgar self from being permeated by noble, pure divinity, reconnecting with his riddled soul body. But as long as he opened his eyes and saw those colors brimming with life, his consciousness couldn't help being drawn back in... How could an ant resist becoming a dragon? How could a lowly creature like him reject grand authority? He coughed out a gagging cry and collapsed to his knees, his soul body splitting open with thousands of cracks, looking as though it might shatter completely at any moment. Even squeezing his eyes shut could not prevent the brilliant colors from boring into his eyeballs. In desperation, his fingers reached for his eyes, attempting to destroy his senses to sever the divine realm's pull— "Useless!" Dead Frenzy grabbed his wrists and said rapidly, "Your sense of touch has already reached the divine realm; even if you gouge out your eyes, you'll still see it! It's likely the influence of the supreme void wings—your inspiration is high enough to perceive the truths of the divine realm, but truth has weight! Your soul is too weak, so instead of truth being drawn to you, you were drawn by truth, causing you to plunge into the divine realm! "The only way now is for you to actively lower your inspiration, using foolish fantasies to cover the real world. Only that will stop you from plunging into the divine realm! "Focus your mind, steady your breathing, listen closely to my voice, and surrender your heart to me." Yaxiu felt Dead Frenzy help him up, his hand held tightly in hers. As an icy chill spread from her hand into his, Dead Frenzy's voice quietly resonated in his mind: "You are walking across the snow carrying a sword... The snow is very, very thick, sinking up to your calves with every step. The wind is freezing cold, blowing against your face until your lips feel like they're about to crack." "Snow..." "The morning mist is thick, and distant mountains roll across the horizon. Beside you is a river; most of its surface is frozen and piled with snow, with only a narrow stretch near the bank still flowing ceaselessly." "Mountains and river..." "The woods beside you are draped in rime. Today's sunlight is bright and gentle, shining down on the frost until it looks like cherry blossoms in full bloom. A fawn darts through the forest, leaving only a trace of wind without showing its true form. Carrying your sword through this world, you suddenly grow tired and stumble, your legs sinking into the snow as you kneel... Feel the ground. Isn't the snow freezing and soft?" With eyes closed, Yaxiu reached out and touched the ground. His left hand sank instantly into thick accumulation of snow, and the biting cold made him shudder slightly. "Now, I'll help you up," Dead Frenzy said, lowering his hand. "You can open your eyes." Yaxiu slowly opened his eyes. The gust of cold wind against his face instantly cleared his head. Before him was no longer the luminous display of Nevernight, nor the bizarre and fantastical divine realm, but a sunlit northern landscape—snowy plains and an icy river, snow-capped rolling peaks, and trees veiled in hazy rime. Breathing a long sigh of relief, he smiled wryly. "I thought I wouldn't make it back." Dead Frenzy shook off his hand and pulled a cigarette from her pack. The moment she placed it between her lips, Yaxiu ignited a flame at his fingertips to light it for her. She took a drag and said, "You should be fine now. As long as you remember that your Fantasy Hell is a snow realm, you won't see the divine realm again. "Originally, only sorcerers who have seen through the Void Realm's truth could directly see the divine realm, yet an idiot like you managed to see it just from having overly high inspiration... Making you smarter might be difficult, but surely becoming a bit stupider isn't beyond you? If this happens again, just imagine you're a Lalafell wandering through a snowy land. Don't make me rescue you every single time—it's annoying." "All right," Yaxiu agreed amiably. Turning to look at the magnificent snowscape before him, he asked, "Why snow, though? Is there something special about it?" Dead Frenzy turned her head away, cigarette between her fingers, and said calmly, "Nothing special. To resolve the trouble as quickly as possible, I used mind induction to fix the world, overlapping my fantasy world with yours." Yaxiu paused, re-examining the scenery before him. "Your fantasy world is a snow realm? Why? I thought you'd be more like Sonia, probably imagining a bustling place like Jialesi." Dead Frenzy glanced at him, looking down in silence for a moment before saying, "Before reaching Sanctuary, I spent a long time in the north of the Starry Kingdom." "So you fell in love with the scenery there?" "Maybe," Dead Frenzy replied quietly. "Back then, I had killed someone and barely managed to escape Jialesi. Penniless, wanted nationwide, with nothing left to my name except a sword, trudging across the snow on a long journey... Yet at that time, I felt an unprecedented relief, without a shred of regret for my impulsiveness. Society, morality, social class—I had always been bound by shackles everywhere, but once I broke free of them, I realized there were no chains at all. I thought I would feel dread, that I would feel fear, but there was nothing. All I experienced was unrestrained freedom... And so, I remembered this snowscape." "Huh? Is the backstory actually that heartwarming?" Yaxiu blinked. "I thought it was just because the snow was pretty. I never expected you had such a tortuous emotional journey." Dead Frenzy narrowed her eyes at him and stomped hard on his foot, saying faintly, "You have two minutes left before you have to scram back. If you love snow so much, go find somewhere to roll around in it and stop bothering me." "I've been charmed by your description," Yaxiu said with a laugh. "When I have time, I'll go check out the north of the Starry Kingdom." "With Sonia?" "Of course," Yaxiu replied. "You can come along too. Can't you peek at what I'm doing in reality? When I go experience the snow country's scenery, you can revisit your old stomping grounds as well." "Don't make it sound like I'm some pervert peeping on you," Dead Frenzy glared at him fiercely. "I only check in once in a while to see if you're in danger. But every single time I looked over the past two months—yes, every single time—you were taking without restraint like a Veela! How could I not know?!" Yaxiu gave an awkward laugh. "That's just bad timing on your part. You happened to hit our reward time every single time..." Dead Frenzy raised her hand, and Yaxiu dodged on pure reflex. Both irritated and amused, she blew out a smoke ring and looked toward the drifting snow in the distance. "Remember not to make Sonia angry." "Got it." "Do divine might training with her." "Mm-hmm." "Kill Vichy." "Hey, hey, hey..." Seeing that time was almost up, Yaxiu said, "Let me have a drag." Dead Frenzy glanced at him and passed the cigarette over. But Yaxiu didn't take the cigarette. Instead, he caught her hand, leaned in, and kissed her on the cheek. "That counts as a taste too, you know," Yaxiu said, letting go and stepping back with his hands raised in surrender, grinning. "Thanks for saving me." Dead Frenzy's lips twitched slightly. Part of her wanted to lose her temper and beat him black and blue, but she didn't want him to think she cared that much, leaving a conflicted, complicated expression on her face. "So this is how you repay kindness?" "I just felt like you seemed a bit lonely," Yaxiu waved with a laugh. "See you next time, Dead Frenzy." The moment the words left his mouth, Yaxiu's figure vanished from Hell, leaving only two sets of footprints in the snow. Dead Frenzy leaned against a tree, the cigarette held between her lips, yet for a long time she did not take a single drag. "...Veela."