The Martial Unity

When Rui woke himself, he had almost forgotten about what had happened.

Then he remembered.

He found Amare sleeping by his side, her head resting on his chest as she dosed off soundly.

He had no idea how much time had passed, given that the cocoon they were in had closed off entirely from the outside world, illuminated only by the bioluminscence of the glowing flowers.

“Huff…” he heaved a deep breath, taking a good long look from Amare with affectionate eyes.

It turned out, it was rather easy for him to get along with her new self.

She was probably more in tune with him than she had been in the past where her motivations were completely divorced from his. There had been times when she couldn’t understand why he did what he did in the past.

Rui had been disillusioned by the changes at first, but as he himself got to know her, got to know her new side, he found himself even more attracted to her.

Among the things that has changed about her, one that he didn’t mind was the fact that she no longer was a devout Gen follower, a trait that came about from her Esil side. She was no longer ’pure’ as the genists would say. Lust for power was one of the things one abandoned in the purification ritual, and that was clearly not in the state that she was in.

That meant that she was no longer celibate.

Although Rui hadn’t intended on it from the start, he had found himself carried away by passions, delighted to find her reciprocating.

“Mmm…” she stirred his arms, nuzzling him in comfort.

Rui pulled her in closer as he felt her warmth.

In that moment, he couldn’t help but feel deeply satisfied with where he was.

Not just in his physical location.

But where he was in life.

The Unfolding of the true world had, literally, opened up a whole new world for him to explore. It offered him new power that he had never seen before with six different paths of power and all their combinations.

He had gotten back togther with Amare, rekindling his love for who she was. He could feel her warmth permeating through him as her skin pressed against his. He could feel feel her lively heart beating against his chest.

He slowly leaned in, kissing her on her forehead gently, before resting his head on hers.

’It’s going to be a little awkward when I get out of here and back to Mother Alicia,’ he smiled wryly. ’Although technically, I haven’t done anything wrong.’

He had already informed his father that his status as an ambassador was not the main priority of his travels through the true world. In particular, he didn’t want to be shackled to a rigid setup where he constantly needed to keep in mind his position as a diplomat. He wouldn’t have taken Amare with him if that were the case.

“Mmm…” Amare slowly opened her eyes as she gazed at Rui with an expression of love and affection, and a gentle smile emerged on her face.

“Good morning.”

“It’s probably night,” Rui replied with an amused tone, pulling her in even closer.

She blushed slightly.

“We spent the whole day in here.”

“Mmm…” She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m happy.”

Rui’s gaze softened as it rested on her.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I could live on this continent for the rest of my life,” she murmured with a relaxed tone. “It has been one of the most enriching places I have stayed. I don’t mind if we set up a home here and live here forever among the elves.”

Rui’s eyes grew hazy as he tried imagining it.

A picturesque home on a picturesque continent and a life with Amare.

Staying in one place forever was not his style, but he couldn’t help but find it profoundly alluring.

“Perhaps one day,” he replied with a thoughtful tone. “When I have achieved everything that I want to, I may want to settle down.”

She smiled at those words.

“I will keep those words in mind.”

“Well… I don’t think I’m going to settle down before I complete Project Water,” Rui remarked. “I will continue traveling the world in search of power to enhance my adaptive evolution. And the new you is the same, aren’t you? You once traveled the entire continent in order to retain the immortality you needed to reach a higher Realm. Your drive for power wouldn’t allow you to stay in one place either. Isn’t that partly why you joined me on this trip?”

“That’s true,” she admitted. “But I still remain in places for longer than you do. For example, this continent…”

Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

“It has more to offer to me than I could have ever imagined.”

Rui raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

She nodded. “The elven Nature Path is something that I’m more compatible with than I could have ever imagined. They tell me that my manipulation of nature is actually identical to that of a elven woman despite not being a part of the elven race. I think that I have great potential to achieve.”

Rui caught what she was trying to say.

“You… want to remain here for a little while longer beyond our original plan?”

She nodded. “I don’t want to let go of this opportunity to get stronger. I think a few years on this continent will do me some good. I want to gain a deeper foundational mastery of the Nature Path before leaving.”

Rui pondered her words. “If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine. But I’m not sure I can afford to remain here for too much longer. Even if I decided to pursue the Nature Path to a deeper extent, I also have to consider the fact that I am an ambassador of human civilization who has been tasked with gaining new allies as I travel the true world. I don’t think I can remain here for too much longer.”