I heard , - Catheya laughed . - I thought you would finally sink one of these guys . -
I can’t believe how deep their sleep is . - Zac smiled . - I cut into its back with Arcadia’s Judgement] , and it only stirred for a few seconds . -
Seems almost impossible to wake them up as long as you stay out of the tunnels , - Catheya agreed . - I guess this zone would be too dangerous if it were any different . -
They talked for a while , then turned to their own matters . Zac continued going over his Core Formation Method while she tried to clear her head and recapture that feeling . But her thoughts weren’t as calm as her face let on , making it hard to enter a meditative state . The notes in Zac’s hands were a constant reminder of the inescapable reality they faced .
How many left now? - Catheya asked , breaking the silence of the past half hour .
Of what? - Zac said with confusion . - Mutated Chillhearts? As many as we can find . -
No , - Catheya said , gazing at the sunset . - Things for your tool . -
Oh , - Zac said . - Just two . This one and one from the Peak of Chaos . -
Which you can get any time you want , - Catheya sighed , feeling a bit lost .
Hey , what’s wrong? -
You know . . . We’ve never talked about what we’ll do later . On the outside . We just keep skirting the subject . Three years have passed , and you’re getting ready to rush for the finish line . -
Zac froze . Catheya could tell he was about to play stupid again , but he surprised her by shaking his head .
Then let’s talk about it , - Zac said .
Are we kidding ourselves , playing house inside a Time Chamber? - Catheya asked , and it felt like the chill of the world crept into her heart . - Does our relationship have an expiration date? -
I don’t— -
How would it even work? - Catheya pressed , the words she’d held back over the past year spilling out of her like a broken dam . - You can’t even visit the Kavriel Province because someone might target you . And I’m constantly afraid I’ll be forced to act against you or hide things . I’m just a pawn .
And even if everything works out , would it change anything? I can’t keep up . I’ve tried . I’ve tried so hard , but it feels like you’re getting further and further away . I’ve crushed both my and my family’s expectations of me , but so what? Most of my accomplishments are thanks to my leaning on you . The Abyssal Shores . The Left Imperial Palace . The Perennial Vastness . All of it . -
Catheya felt drained after unloading the misgivings in her heart .
I don’t want to be a blip on your journey before you move on to bigger and better things , - she whispered . - But I can’t see this ending any other way . -
Catheya didn’t dare look him in the eyes . It felt like an eternity passed . Then , she felt a thick arm wrap around her and drag her closer .
I keep worrying about the future as well , - Zac sighed . - I’ve been wracking my brains , but I don’t have any answers or solutions . -
I’m sorry , - Catheya whispered as she leaned against Zac’s shoulder . - I wasn’t planning to— -
I only know one thing : I’m not satisfied , - Zac interjected , and the determination in his words made Catheya shudder . - A few years with you isn’t enough . I want more . Centuries , millennia . I’ll do anything in my power to make that happen . -
Chill turned to warmth , and Catheya found herself unable to say anything . She just wanted to sit like this forever .
I’m not satisfied either , - Catheya eventually said . - What do we do? -
Well . We just need to get through the trial in three years , - Zac said . - After the Undead Empire has what it wants and some ancient faction has claimed the Eternal Heritage , my identity as a Flamebearer will be useless . It’ll give us the breathing room to figure these things out . Perhaps we can go to the Abyssal Shores? -
It doesn’t change the fact that you’re progressing with terrifying speed , - Catheya said . - And I feel that the gap between us will only increase inside the Left Imperial Palace . -
Then , continue to lean on me , - Zac said . - My accomplishments are not because I’m especially hard-working or talented . Part of it is dumb luck , and another is because people have helped me out or paved the way for me . You said many of your accomplishments are because of me . So what? That’s how it’s supposed to work . -
Still , our fates— -
The universe has its plans , but we make our own fate , - Zac said . - Only we can decide what this is and how it’ll end . Even if I would progress faster than you , who cares? It would allow me to protect you . And there’s no way the only successful couples out there are those whose cultivation level is at the same stage . What , it’s impossible for a Late-stage Hegemon to love a Monarch? -
Catheya took a steadying breath , her messy thoughts calming . That’s right . So what if he grew stronger than her? What was wrong with having a powerful partner to lean on? Couldn’t she live with his avatar inside his Inner World if his cultivation left hers behind? There were plenty of couples living that kind of lifestyle . With his dual races and mysterious ability to shield the Heavens , he could even bring her to the kind of regions she’d always dreamed of seeing .
Besides , it’s not because of your strength I love you , - Zac added , a mischievous smile spreading across his face . - It’s because of your big—Ow! -
Pervert , - Catheya huffed as she retracted the icicle from his side , but a small smile spread across her face as she straightened her back .
It felt like a knot in her heart had been undone , a weight on her shoulders lifted . He wasn’t satisfied . It wasn’t just a fling . She’d merely been influenced by his almost insane drive as he conquered one Red Zone after another , making her focus on their cultivation rather than their relationship .
Of course , that didn’t mean everything was solved . If nothing else , there was the issue of them being apart for years . They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder , but it also brings danger . Accomplished men never lacked women trying to sneak into their hearts and into their bedchambers . She trusted Zac , but she didn’t trust all the little skirts around him .
The biggest threat was obviously Iz Tayn . She had a terrifying background , and the bits and pieces she’d managed to extract from the demon indicated she was beautiful beyond compare . Her sheltered upbringing seemed to have left Iz naïve to the matters between men and women , but it was just a matter of time . What if that seed of friendship bloomed into something else?
Catheya would have to sear her image into her man’s mind , so all the temptations on the outside would only make him think of her , of their time together in this place .
She resumed her cultivation , releasing her Dao into the surroundings . It didn’t take long for that feeling to return . Catheya didn’t know what changed , but it was even closer . Clearer . And she didn’t reject it . Catheya opened her heart and let the world connect .
Vastness , power , and stability filled Catheya as her Dao resonated with the world . The falling snowflakes started to rotate , and their gentle swirl soon turned into a massive vortex that spread farther and farther . Soon , it covered the whole island , yet it hadn’t reached its limits . She could sweep through the whole world for a moment , but a painful sense of exhaustion prompted her to drag back her consciousness .
The connection was cut , yet Catheya felt she could reinstate it whenever she wanted . She looked up at the dissipating winds with interest , not caring that she’d just lost more than half her Miasma .
What was that? - Zac said with shock . - Was that you? -
Harmonization , - Catheya muttered to herself before turning to Zac with a grin . - You’re really my lucky charm . I really should repay you . -
Zac looked confused , but a smile spread across his face as he glanced at the titan far in the distance . - You said he’d just fed? -