Tessa fell back against the bed, exhaling as she finally let go of her worries. The journey had been long and arduous—but John had made it.
She could still feel traces of his presence, like echoes of a song that refused to fade. Watching over his trials had been both beautiful and painful. His
struggles, his awakening… it had been so personal. And though her intent had been pure,guilt crept in at having witnessed the birth of his godhood—something sacred, something meant to be his alone.
Before she could dwell on it further, the cabin door swung open.
A tall figure stepped through, his presence filling the room. His aura was strong, unbreakable—like the earth itself had taken form and decided to walk. His eyes swept the cabin before locking onto her. In that instant, his overwhelming presence softened.
John had changed. The trials had sculpted him.
He hadn't realized it yet—his soul had been separated from his body throughout his time in the realm, so the reflection staring back at him was new even to him. His perception of time separate from his journey, caused him not to notice that his body had aged while he was in the trial. It was even more dashing, now that he had been tempered by the fires of divinity.
Tessa's gaze roamed over him, lingering with awe. The sight of her intensity made him pause, and instinctively, he examined himself as well. His frame had grown leaner and stronger, every muscle refined to perfection. His height had increased, and even his stance more regal. But when his hand brushed his face, he froze.
A beard—short, neat, impossibly well-kept—had taken root, as if sculpted by divine will itself. It fit him, giving him a more mature and commanding presence.
It struck him that every trial had reshaped not just his soul, but his vessel. Each step closer to godhood had demanded the same perfection from his mortal shell. His pride—tempered yet unyielding—had ensured not a single imperfection remained.
He took a step toward her, pride flaring briefly in his chest before he subdued it. There she was—the reason for every trial endured, every sin conquered.
Tessa sat on the edge of the bed, her presence softer but no less divine. To him, she seemed even more radiant than before—perhaps because of the distance, or perhaps because, after mastering the seven deadly sins within him, he could finally see her for what she truly was.
He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Her beauty stopped him mid-step.
Finally, he crossed the remaining distance and sat beside her. Pulling her close, his voice broke the silence.
"I missed you, Tessa. You gave me strength go brave the challenges in there. You mere presence increased my confidence and I doubt I would have been able to stand strong and continue
forward without you." His hand unconsciously drifted to his chest and the shard of divinity it held.
Tessa's fingers slipped into his, her touch
trembling slightly. Relief washed over her—pure, overwhelming relief. For all his trials, all his divine conquests, the man before her was still John.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice fragile. "I watched what you went through. It felt wrong—seeing something so personal. But I was terrified that something might happen to you."
She lowered her gaze, guilt burning bright in her chest.
John rose slightly and lifted her chin with gentle fingers. His eyes, once sharp as tempered steel, now held warmth that could melt stone.
"Tessa," he said softly, "I'm glad you watched. You're the only one who ever truly saw me. Because of you, I didn't just survive—I became whole. You are my world. Not a single moment passed in there that I didn't think of you."
He pulled her into his arms, his aura wrapping around her like the first breath of spring after endless winter. The warmth chased away her shame and doubt, leaving only the quiet certainty of his love.
Tessa trembled against him, tears spilling down her cheeks. What was I thinking? she thought. It's John. He would never resent me for caring too much.
She laughed through her tears, wiped her eyes, and kissed him—a soft, trembling kiss filled with all the words they didn't need to say.
Afterward, they lay together, simply enjoying each other's company. The world felt distant as they lay together, the moment felt eternal. The struggles he went through had all lead to this exact moment, to be back in her arms.
John turned his head suddenly, realization dawning.
"Tessa… how long was I in there?"
Her ears twitched, and she gave a faint, knowing smile. She had been waiting for that question. Clearing her throat, she answered gently,
"Time flows differently inside the Root Realms. For you, it may have felt like mere moments—but in truth, you were gone a bit over thirty-five years."
He blinked, and was stunned. "Thirty-five…?"
"Understanding something so close to athe center of your existence isn't like grasping a Normal Dao," she explained softly. "Comprehending the Seven Sins within you and balancing them, took only about five years. But the Dao of Creation, and the birth of the cycle you now carry within… that consumed nearly twenty-seven. The refinement of the remaining Daos—filled the years between."
John leaned back, processing her words. Thirty-five years had passed for her—and yet she hadn't changed, he realized that his aura was still in contact with her straight the shard of divinity. Making him sigh with relief, "I'm glad nothing happened to you while I was in
there."
Tessa smiled faintly at his words, her gaze softening as she reached for his hand. "You were the one I worried about," she said quietly. "But I suppose I should have known better. You've always found a way to survive… even when the odds defied reason."
He looked down at their intertwined hands—the warmth of her skin grounding him more than any realm or Dao ever could. "I didn't return because of strength," he murmured. "I returned because of you. Every time I felt the temptation to stop… or to give in to what the sins whispered, it was your face that brought me back."
Her lips parted slightly, eyes glistening. "John…"
He shook his head gently, his voice low and sincere. "You're the reason I still feel human. Power changes everything—how you think, how you feel, even how you see yourself. But when I thought of you, it reminded me what all that power was for."
The cabin fell quiet again, filled only by the faint crackle of the hearth and the sound of the golems moving about outside.
For the first time since his return, he allowed himself to simply look at her—really look. The faint traces of exhaustion beneath her eyes, the way her aura flickered unevenly when she was tired, the quiet strength in her posture even as she fought the remnants of her injury.
He realized then that divinity hadn't made her untouchable—it had only made her lonely.
And he never wanted her to feel that way again.
He reached out, brushing his thumb along her cheek. "You stayed," he said softly. "Even when time moved differently. You waited for thirty-five years."
Her smile faltered, and she swallowed hard. "I would've waited longer."
The words hit him with a weight that made his chest ache. For all the strength he had gained—for all the battles, the trials, the mastery over life and death—this was the one thing he hadn't learned how to withstand: the raw, unyielding tenderness of love freely given.
He cupped her face between his palms, his forehead resting against hers. The silence stretched, not empty, but full—full of everything they hadn't said.
"Tessa," he whispered. "If I could give up everything I've gained—every Dao, every realm—I'd do it if it meant keeping you safe."
She closed her eyes, her breath trembling against his. "You'd trade eternity for a mortal moment?"
"I already did," he said simply.
Her laughter came softly, half a sob. "You're such a fool."
He smiled faintly. "Then let me be yours."
She leaned into him, their foreheads still touching, their breaths syncing in quiet rhythm. The warmth between them wasn't the blinding kind of passion that burned through reason; it was something gentler, deeper—a kind of love that came after surviving storms together.
After a long pause, she spoke again, her tone quieter. "John… when I saw you change in the Root, I was afraid I'd lose you. That you'd rise beyond me. You touched divinity, and I… I'm still fractured. Still not whole."
He pulled her closer, resting his chin atop her head. "You're more whole than anyone I've ever met. The gods broke you, but you still found a way to keep loving. That's more divine than anything I've ever achieved."
Her eyes shimmered again, though she tried to hide it. "I don't know what comes next for us," she admitted. "You're no longer bound by mortal time, and I—"
He silenced her with a gentle touch, his thumb brushing against her lips. "Then let's stop thinking about what comes next," he said. "For once, let's just be."
She nodded slowly, and they stayed that way for a while—two souls who had crossed lifetimes, wars, and divine trials to find each other again in a quiet wooden cabin.
When they finally moved, it was in small gestures. He poured her tea, his hands steady though his heart still raced. She smiled at him over the rim of her cup, her laughter faint but real. They talked—about the forest, the seasons, the strange beauty of watching the sun set after decades apart. He told her stories from the Root Realms, the parts she hadn't seen, the moments he thought he wouldn't make it out. She listened, eyes wide, and sometimes her fingers brushed his as though needing to confirm he was really there.
Night fell softly around them. The cabin glowed with the warmth of candlelight and the steady beat of two hearts that had finally found their rhythm again.
Later, as she drifted to sleep beside him, her head resting against his chest, he found himself staring at the ceiling.
He thought of what she'd said—of waiting thirty-five years, of fearing he'd outgrow her—and something inside him shifted.
For so long, his purpose had been survival, mastery, ascension. But now, as he felt her heartbeat against his, the path ahead was clear in a way no Dao ever had been.
He didn't just want to protect her.
He wanted to belong to her.
Not as a god to a goddess.
Not as a savior to the saved.
But as a man who had finally found the reason he was still human.
As his mind wondered, he felt his existence sharpen as the rings around his heart collapsed. His body greedily absorbed the ancient mana that the dungeon was satiated with.
Gradually the power rose, easily surpassing the energy condensation realm. It continued raising and he quickly passed the midpoint of the Core Formation stage, the collapsed rings fused with his heart. It didn't stop there though as his energy kept attuning to the power he had gained in the trials.
His cultivation nearly instantly reached the peak of core formation as his heart was readily absorbing the energy and not showing any signs of strain. With one last push his Seven deadly sins manifested, and He instantly shot into the Nacient Comprehension realm.
With his mastery I've Dao being so high and his body having attuned to the power of a god, he quickly reached the peak of that realm as well. Once more he felt the power of the Seven deadly sins pushing his power as much as they could.
With the last exertion he settled one the initial realm of Dao king as his Seven deadly sins ran out of steam. His existence settled once more and harmonized, at his current power this was what his Seven deadly sins could push him to.
[Mastery of the Dao's of the Seven deadly sins has reached 3rd tier (initial), due to the strenuous process of raising your power]
He exhaled, his existence had rose to a realm it deemed fitting and continued thinking about what he wanted to do going forward.He closed his eyes, a quiet smile forming as he whispered to the dark: "I think I know what comes next."