Vacation

"Vacation" Too fast. Yaxiu would believe he had been within Vichy's expectations all along; with her false affection and counter-domination (or so she liked to think), his falling for her was only a matter of time. But not now. Neither Vichy nor Yaxiu was unprepared for a long war. Both intended to make the other their own possession, yet both knew perfectly well that the other would never submit. Perhaps one day Vichy would tire of this playacting; perhaps Yaxiu would suddenly realize that one more or one fewer lover made no difference to him. And then this relationship of theirs—one they could only touch each other in by standing on tiptoe and stretching out their hands—would naturally recede to its original distance... the distance at which they faced each other with blades drawn. Two lines that should have run in opposite directions had, by some twist of fate, become tangled together and walked the same road; parting was their inevitability. But if they truly could keep walking on, if Vichy truly could never break free of the Ruby Chains, then she could only go on enduring in shame, waiting for a chance to betray Yaxiu, ready at any moment to take a vicious revenge on him... and if that chance never came, then Vichy could only stay reluctantly at his side. Yaxiu would trust her—but only at the very last of the last, at the end of the ending, at the far end of a long journey. By then she might even have a few children; after all, Yaxiu kept insisting motherhood could change her. But Vichy knew it was entirely impossible. Yaxiu's wits often dropped below those of a six-year-old, and she never felt a flicker of maternal feeling toward him either—only plenty of fury hot enough to burn through her belly. So that was why Vichy sensed something was off. For their twisted relationship, woven from chains and hatred, trust was the ultimate reward Vichy should never receive—far more so than being handed all at once the knowledge essence needed to raise her to sixth-tier Hell Wings. It was like feeding a cat and pouring so much kibble into the bowl that it overflows and scatters all over the floor, without ever stopping. If it weren't Yaxiu, even the Spectre Prophet would have suspected this might be her last meal. Sonia and the others didn't quite understand the tangled form Yaxiu and Vichy's romance took, but if Vichy said so, it couldn't be groundless. They appeared to be holding Vichy, yet all of them stared at Yaxiu, waiting for his answer. "To think it came out this soon..." Yaxiu scratched his head and said helplessly, "I didn't want to say it now, but since I can't keep it hidden any longer... are you ready? There's still time to turn back. Knowing too much won't make you happy." The operators exchanged glances. Vichy said irritably, "Say it if you're going to say it, but could you look up at me while you do? Your eyes are practically buried in my chest." "Oh, really?" Yaxiu kept his gaze fixed dead ahead on the soft valley inches from his face, sinking right in. "I hurt my neck in Hell, so I can't lift my head for now—" "Are you getting cockier by the day?" Sonia, looking thoroughly annoyed, jabbed two fingers straight at his eyes. Yaxiu howled in pain—my eyes! Just as everyone was about to return to their seats and continue the discussion, he suddenly spread his void wings, gathering the operators close, and stretched out both arms to embrace them all. "Our next goal is to cut our way through Heaven and contend for Supremacy." Yaxiu looked at the four faces before him, each enough to steal a soul away, and said softly, "Our enemy is the greatest sorcerer of all time, standing at the summit of sorcerer civilization. There's no room for maneuver between her and me. I don't covet the Throne of Heaven, but apart from surrendering and letting myself be taken, my only road is to shatter the starry sky hanging over our heads. Are you ready to go to your deaths with me?" Vichy laughed lightly. "You really don't covet the Throne of Heaven? Then Master, why not yield it to me to sit on? I'll rule this world obediently." Weise tilted her head and smiled. "I do love the lazy, empty look you usually wear, like a hollow vessel that makes one ache to fill it. But when you're full of ambition, you're like a Lalafell baring its teeth—just as cute, just as heart-stirring." "If it weren't for you, I'd be a third-year at Sword Flower University by now, a senior admired by all the juniors, maybe even with a title like student council president..." Sonia bit her lip lightly, her gaze shifting, full of allure. "You stripped me of my right to a peaceful life. You owe me." "Once we win, you'll repay me with the rest of your life." Diya had been following everyone's words closely; when her turn came, she blinked and squeezed out, "Me too!" Yaxiu was deeply moved. "You are my true void wings!" Sonia grabbed the back of his neck and tried to haul him up. "So how long are you going to keep your face buried in our chests?" "Let me nuzzle just a bit more!" A few seconds later, the operators returned to their seats. Yaxiu lay flattened on the table; Sonia bit her straw, half angry and half amused; Vichy pursed her lips; Weise adjusted her glasses, her eyes full of laughter; and Diya looked down at her own elegant, tasteful curves, then at the others' flashy, surging ones, and sank into thought. "Because we're going with you to challenge the Supreme of Sorcery, you're giving me a taste of freedom?" Vichy said flatly. "What good does that do? The last good meal of a condemned prisoner? You'd be better off thinking about what other ways we have to get stronger." "Strength is essential, but rest is just as indispensable." Yaxiu stretched. "Lately we've all been too tense, too worn out. You've been studying sorcery almost every day—just watching from the side makes my heart ache—" Sonia's mouth twitched. "Then don't just watch!" Yaxiu forced the subject back on track. "Anyway, now that They have resolved the Hell crisis, one fewer sword hangs over our heads. Even if only to celebrate, we ought to take a holiday." "There's no rush in challenging the Supreme of Sorcery. She won't come down to the mortal world to find us any time soon. We actually have a great, great deal of time. For these two months, I want you to set sorcery aside and properly enjoy life—soak up some sun, look at the scenery." Vichy picked up her water glass and said impatiently, "Don't be so boring—studying sorcery is my life—" "If I catch you working on purpose, I'll punish you by making you write me a love letter every day longer than a six-inch scroll, and no two may overlap by more than fifteen percent. And this punishment won't end even after we defeat Fanxing someday." Yaxiu raised an eyebrow. "When that day comes, I'll have your love letters framed and hung all over the house, so everyone who knows the Spectre Prophet gets to see them." Vichy spat out a mouthful of water and stared at Yaxiu in horror, having never imagined he could be brewing such a vicious punishment in his head. "It's just writing love letters, Vichy, don't be scared!" Diya egged her on. "Never bow to the forces of darkness and evil!" "If we secretly work too, is the punishment also writing love letters?" Weise asked with interest. "I think six inches might not be enough." "In any case, I want to spend every day from now on with you." Yaxiu spread his hands. "This holiday isn't just for you—it's for me too... I'm a little tired, honestly." "Ever since Shattered Lake, I've been chased by death, chased by fate, chased by my mission... apart from the odd stolen moment, I've never once set my worries down and had a real rest. I'm like a spinning top whirling from one stage to the next." "You all have plenty of faith in me, but I don't have much myself." Yaxiu smiled bitterly. "That's why I want two months off. If we really do meet the end, at least we'll have had a stretch of carefree days before it." "Without even two months' leave, we'd just be running flat out with fate at our heels, until we're forced into the arena for a fight to the death. But if we can properly enjoy life before that final battle, then we walk into the arena with our heads high, carrying our hopes for better things." Vichy: "What's the difference?" "I think there's a world of difference." Yaxiu blinked. "A world of difference." "I want to go to the beach with Papa!" Diya's eyes shone. "I want to play games, play board games, set off fireworks... there are so, so many things I want to do!" "Could you show a little awareness that you're a demigod sorcerer..." Vichy's mouth twitched. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've had a holiday in over a decade either," Weise said suddenly. "Those days I spent all alone in the darkness of Senluo certainly don't count as a vacation." "Yaxiu, have we only ever gone on one date?" Sonia propped her chin on her hand, thinking. "You've never even had a meal alone with me." Vichy looked around at everyone, turned her head away, and muttered, "Suit yourselves... I just don't want to write love letters." But she still couldn't resist one jab: "Still, you can keep an eye on us during the day, but how would you see us secretly studying sorcery at night? Demigods don't need sleep anyway." Yaxiu blinked, his lips moving slightly, but he said nothing—only his expression turned subtle. Vichy froze, then seemed to remember something and obediently shut her mouth. Diya swayed back and forth, full of anticipation; Weise's eyes curved as she watched Yaxiu with a smile; and Sonia, drinking her orange juice, suddenly kicked Yaxiu hard in the shin and glared at him ferociously. "Then it's settled: two months of rest, then we give everything to prepare to cut our way through Heaven." Yaxiu rubbed his shin. "We'll discuss the details of the trip later. The beach sounds great—it's summer now, so let's go spend a few days there!" "You just want to see us in swimsuits," Weise said with a laugh. "How shallow," Yaxiu said with righteous indignation. "I also want to see you all dripping wet!"