Earth: Tim's Apartment
Riku and Tim finally peeled themselves from the couch. Riku could feel Tim's lingering gaze on her chest, but she couldn't bring herself to complain. As Varek, she experienced that same deep, predatory hunger to conquer, and she had developed a newfound appreciation for the female form that could only be fully understood through the male gaze.
"Lia's are bigger, you know," Riku said with a smirk as she pulled on a training bra. "I know Varek can't keep his hands off them."
"I have no interest in Lia's breasts," Tim countered, reaching toward Riku as he stood up. "I find yours perfect."
Riku quickly slapped his hand away, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Only when Varek gets to play with Lia."
She enjoyed Tim's touch, but she was playing a long game. She knew Tim was still adjusting to the duality of his life as Lia. If she didn't use her own body as the hook, Varek might never get the "action" he craved in the other world.
In the Cultivation World, Varek gritted his teeth as they headed toward the port. The male libido wasn't like the female one; it didn't come in waves. It was a constant, intense pressure.
Back on Earth, Riku took a deep breath. She wanted to go further with Tim—she hadn't lost her virginity yet, but for him, she was ready. The memory of him stepping through the void to save her life flashed in her mind, making her chest ache with affection. No, I have to be strong, she told herself. I don't just want him in this world. I want him as Lia, too. I have to stay strong and only give in when Lia is willing to give in to Varek. This male ego of his is so frustrating. Why won't he just give up the goods as Lia already?
Tim, meanwhile, changed into his gym clothes. "You know Himari is going to give us so much shit after catching Lia and Varek on the couch."
"Yeah, but we have leverage now," Riku said, chuckling. "She has the biggest crush on Takeshi. If she tries to tease us, we have plenty of ammunition. Besides, Lia and Varek are great together. Making out wasn't that bad, was it?"
Tim went beet-red, remembering how he had been swept up in the moment as Lia. "As Lia... it was great," Tim sighed. "It just feels weird thinking about it from this body."
Tim grabbed a glass of water before they headed out. "Don't you feel weird? Varek making out with a girl?"
"Not at all," Riku replied simply. "It's easy. Varek is Varek, and I am Riku. Why do you find it so hard to split those thoughts, Tim? I guess you've been male most of your life and that ego is getting in the way. I just hope you don't have a mental breakdown when your male ego takes the ultimate death blow."
"What kind of 'death blow' is that?" Tim asked, chuckling at the challenge.
"When Varek finally bends Lia over and has her begging for more."
Tim coughed, spluttering water all over the counter. "And what makes you think Lia will ever do that?"
"Easy," Riku said, turning around and stretching down to touch her toes in her tight yoga pants. "I know the male mind now. And as you get more and more horny, your willpower to resist this," she said, shaking her hips slightly, "will waver."
"What—argh! The manipulation!" Tim stammered, flushed at how dominant Riku was becoming. "Where has my good student gone?"
"Teach, you should know more about women," Riku said, pressing up against him and staring into his eyes. "Many of us have this side, but we constrain it. Being Varek has helped me release those inhibitions. When I want something, I'm going to get it." She stepped back and spun around. "Come on, Sensei. We'll be late for training."
Holy shit, Tim thought, watching her saunter out the door. Why does that make me so hard? In the other world, Lia flushed a deep red, staring at Varek's broad back. Maybe I can take one for the team... for Tim's sake, she thought, desperately trying to convince herself it was an altruistic sacrifice.
As Tim and Riku walked into the dojo, they saw Himari and Yui talking. Yui was doubled over in laughter while Himari acted out a story with exaggerated gestures. She mimicked Varek's possessive arm-lock and Lia's panicked scramble to cover her chest.
Tim sighed. Riku whispered, "Relax, she's just having fun."
"Easy for you to say. Varek is a stud. Think of my dignity," Tim pleaded.
"Oh, dignified Sect Leader!" Yui called out in a teasing voice. "You seem to be missing your bra!"
Tim's hand instinctively moved toward his chest—a phantom reaction from Lia's brain—which only sent Yui and Himari into fresh peals of laughter.
"Alright, alright, enough!" Tim barked.
Yui straightened up instantly, snapping into a mock military salute. "Yes, ma'am!"
How is this person a Golden Core cultivator of prestige? Tim wondered. He caught Master Kurosaki sitting in a lotus position, the corner of his mouth twitching with the slightest smirk. Not you too... my pride as a man is in tatters.
Tim sat down and began circling his qi to stabilize his mental state.
"Don't laugh too hard, Himari," Riku shot back. "Tim has a nicer set of breasts than you do."
Himari stopped laughing, looked down at her own chest, and mumbled, "Damn, you're right." Yui looked like she was about to stop breathing from laughing so hard.
The banter died down when Takeshi walked in. "Ah, hi guys," he said, still carrying that shy, humble manner despite his new, massive frame.
"Takeshi! Hi!" Himari bounded up to him like an enthusiastic puppy. "I'm so happy you came!" She grabbed his arm to lead him to a mat, only to see the others wearing identical, knowing grins.
"Hey Takeshi," Tim said, relishing the chance for revenge. "I guess we know who your training partner is today. Let us know if you need rescuing."
"Oh, I'll be fine. My body is really strong now," Takeshi said, completely oblivious to Himari's crush. "Himari will go easy on me. We're friends."
Tim sighed. Poor girl. That man is as thick as stone when it comes to women.
"Children," Master Kurosaki said, his voice cutting through the chatter. Everyone sat up straight. This wasn't just a teacher; this was a Nascent Soul level authority.
"As you know," Master Kurosaki began, "I am an elder protecting Yui while internal sect politics play out. We cannot fight for you on this Earth; we must stay hidden. But I can instruct you. You've noticed how thick the Qi is becoming here. Soon, it may surpass the world of your other bodies."
He looked at them solemnly. "When the Heavens grant the first authentic Tribulation to a world, it receives an incredible influx of Qi. Plants, animals, and the world itself will alter rapidly. Dangers will emerge. Furthermore, there is a chance a nearby Galactic Sect will recognize this world's new status and come to claim it. You must be ready."
He paced the room. "I don't know who you are in the other world, but it sounds like you are on Letia, an outer-galactic planet under the Defiant Dragon Sect. Being an outer world, the techniques are likely poor. I see you've all been using methods to clear your meridians. Tim, what have you been using?"
"The Flowing Water's Stream of Purity," Tim answered. "I guide Qi like a stream to erode blockages."
"And Riku?"
"The Flaming Saber's Flame of Cleansing," she replied. "I use my Qi like smoke to burn away impurities."
"And I use the Shadow of the Meridian!" Himari jumped in. "I visualize my meridians' shadows and pull the impurities into them."
Master Kurosaki's eyebrows shot up. "That is not a basic technique. That belongs to a prominent Assassin's Sect—a very protected method." He then turned to Takeshi.
"Ah... I don't really have a meridian technique," Takeshi said, scratching his head.
"It seems you are all using the techniques of the bodies you inhabit in the other world," Master Kurosaki explained. "This is a poor way to cultivate. In advanced worlds, we teach based on your natural proficiency—the elemental talent granted to you at birth."
"How can we tell what we're proficient in?" Tim asked.
"With a Talent Stone," Master Kurosaki said, pulling a glowing orb from his ring. "Takeshi, you first."
Takeshi knelt and touched the orb. Nothing happened. "Is it broken?"
"No," Master Kurosaki mused. "It seems whatever you did with your soul has eliminated your elemental affiliation. Truly perplexing."
Himari went next. The orb turned a deep, abyssal black. "Extraordinary," the Master whispered. "An S-class talent in Shadow. You are lucky it matches your current technique."
Tim stepped up. The orb lit up with a swirling purple . "I knew it," Himari teased. "His element is female."
Tim rolled his eyes, but Master Kurosaki gasped. "Interesting... a strong affinity for Space. And minor affinities for Water and Time. Look at the blue on the exterior, and how nothing is moving is some sections... as if locked in time."
Suddenly, a loud CRACK echoed through the room. A fracture shot through the center of the stone.
"Impossible," Master Kurosaki mumbled. "Void affinity... but Void and Space should be unable to held simultaneously. That is why the orb shattered. This is truly bizarre; I will have to ponder on this, Tim. For now, that is enough."
He pulled out a new orb for Riku. She approached it with shaking hands. I don't want to be normal. I don't want to be alone again, she thought.
The orb roared into a blinding fire, lighting the room like a miniature sun. Riku's heart sank. Just fire....