Trust.
It was something Kiana had for Shi Tian. The latter revealed almost everything to her, save for the golden orb. She understood his identity as an "otherworlder" and was once scared of him leaving her. The details of her "in-game" self did not faze her much.
What mattered the most is the present, not some useless what-ifs that never happened.
She met Shi Tian, fell in love with him, and became uber happy.
With immortal cultivation, she can live for a very long time with him. She looked forward to these days after defeating the honkai.
Kiana felt the love that reciprocated her feelings. It was just as strong as hers. She thought she was victorious. Nobody else can snatch him away from her.
…until now.
'Seele.'
Kiana's emotional quotient at this moment surpassed the Tuna's limits. Her mind acted fast, hell-bent on knowing why Shi Tian acted like this.
The answer presented itself rather easily.
"Ah."
A soft exhale came from her.
His perfect features came to her sight. In his eyes is not sharpness, but gentleness. That, and a hint of helplessness.
'He is always like this.'
Kindness was what started everything between the two. Kiana gave her food and a hoodie. In return, Shi Tian was hell-bent on repaying her. This gradually evolved into him joining on her journey.
Shi Tian is kind.
A perfect figure, considerate mind, and a kind heart.
Every single attractive thing gathered onto him. It was no wonder he can sway hearts like hers and Seele's.
Shi Tian loves Kiana. He considered all of her thoughts before he decided to reject Seele. It was cruel, but that way, she can move on faster.
That notion changed when Seele experienced a severe breakdown. Her mental state diminished rapidly when she thought she had zero chances with Shi Tian.
In the end, Seele could not bear to give up her love. This forced Shi Tian to reconsider the rejection path.
If he carries on with it, what would happen to her?
The revelation caused the incident with this special Bubble World. If he ruthlessly rejects her, it could only be a bigger incident than this.
'He is so good… I cannot bear to leave him to others…'
Thinking about it, Kiana's hug on his chest tightened. Her fists crumpled the back of his cloak. She hid her face by digging on his chest.
She knew very well what Shi Tian meant by not "rejecting" Seele. Kiana does not wish to see Seele suffer because of it. She is greedy and selfish to a certain extent, but she is ultimately kind. Seeing Seele get hurt is not something she wants to see.
Even so…
Can she give him up?
…
'...No. I can't let you leave. Never.'
Shi Tian's soft sigh floated on her ears. She felt him placing his hands on her back and head.
"...Sorry… for asking that thing. I will—"
"...No. I… I haven't said anything yet." She answered weakly.
"..?"
"I will… share you with Seele."
*****
Out of everything, love is the hardest thing to resolve.
Otto Apocalypse's 500 years of obsession.
Kevin Kaslana's vow to defeat the honkai.
All of them stemmed out of love.
Otto saw Kallen's pure will and was attracted by it. Kevin inherited MEI's wishes and wanted to lead humanity to victory.
I thought it would be simple enough. Kiana's extremely strong love drowned me in. She reciprocated the feelings I held back in my heart. The character I once admired loves me.
What more can I ask for?
I underestimated the greed of the human heart… my heart.
I was firm with rejecting Seele at first. Being with Kiana made my day brighter and more colorful. I was satisfied with her company.
If it meant keeping Kiana, I can reject Seele's feelings…
…or so I thought.
Seele's equally strong longing made me feel conflicted... by a lot. I wanted to reject her at first. I reasoned I could not like her purely because of my mental age.
But...
The [Xiutian Art]'s existence says it all. It binds people for eternity—marriage. It is a path that leads to immortality by having its user and his partners work together. Things will most likely happen in the future.
Even if I had no plans now, it will happen in the future.
I denied its true purpose at that time.
I felt so lost that I opened up to Bronya at that time. I sought advice from her whom I consider as a trusted friend.
She gave me a crazy preposition. She suggested taking both Kiana and Seele. She reasoned that I was different—that I will treat them right.
Before I could expound on that, the incident happened. Only now did I have a chance to think about it again.
A part of me thinks it is unfair. It is unrealistic to have a harem. Everyone does not want to be treated unfairly. I do not want to treat others unfairly.
Admittedly, I had this fantasy when I first came to this world. Things changed when Kiana confessed. I do not wish to see her cry. I would never forgive myself.
When Veliona told me about Seele's impending confession, that was the time I realized. I had to face this myself. It is infinitely better for me to get hurt rather than Kiana and Seele. I can sacrifice my lifespan, so long as I can ensure Seele's safety upon the impending disaster.
I had so many plans in mind such as being the bad guy so that I could reject Seele—to remove her attachment to me. I would rather be one than to see Kiana cry.
Even then…
I could not bear to see Seele cry too. Things became more complicated since then. I wanted to make a compromise; an attempt at the best ending possible.
Thus, I asked that question to Kiana.
I am greedy enough to want that future.
…
I feel so stupid.
Looking at her being unresponsive, I placed one of my hands on her head. The other one went to her dream-like waist. My mind went into a daze along with my regrets. My mouth moved on its own and spilled out my apologies.
Just then, her words sent my mind to a halt.
"I will… share you with Seele."
…
Huh?
Huh.
Huh..?
My brain stopped working. I saw Kiana lift her head. Her clear ocean-like pupils met my gaze. Within is an explosion of emotions.
Love.
Longing.
Desire.
It was so strong it manifested into a heavy aura around us.
"But… I want it all. The firsts."
I understood Kiana's words. This kind of tacit understanding was something we developed a long time ago.
First handholding.
First kiss.
First hickey.
Her words meant a lot of things.
Most importantly…
First love.
Her eyes narrowed as she tiptoed. Our height difference is closed in an instant. At that instance, her soft lips touched mine. The greed in her eyes overflowed. Her hands wanted to make my attire a mess.
With a thought, I reverted back to my casual attire—a pair of hoodie and pants. Nonetheless, Kiana continued our kiss. The tip of her tongue pried my lips open. Then, with a naughty intent, she got entangled with my tongue.
The messy kissing play intensified when she placed both her arms on my neck. We are no longer speaking with reason, but with desires.
I let go of my control.
I decisively took out the reward from the gacha earlier this morning. It is a late fourth grade palace-type artifact. It can be placed down anywhere and it will expand from palm-sized to a true palace.
Kiana cooperated well. The moment I placed it down, a huge jade-like palace with dozens of pillars appeared behind my back. The huge door opened by itself.
She pushed me inside without interrupting our kiss.
The space inside was akin to a true palace. It has a lot of ins and outs—rooms, to speak of. They are empty and lack any amenities.
Kiana pushed me towards the largest room of them all.
The door automatically closed as I willed it.
Bam.
The accursed late third grade bed appeared out of Kiana's storage ring.
Reluctantly, she separated her mouth before pushing me down the bed. The heavenly comfort it brought further added to the desires I faced.
Kiana said no words. Her eyes did all the talking. I saw her honkai energy fluctuate.
"No."
"Hm..?"
"With it…"
I stopped her from changing out of her Finality battlesuit. With a fox-like smile, she sat right above me.
The scene of that night was replicated.
This time…
There is no stopping us.
*****
A/N: Harem route is finally established. I couldn't believe this took a lot of chapters. But yeah, I don't want any half-assed development. Next chapter is the first lemons of this fic, and of course, with Kiana.
Anyways, I spoiled this development lol. Dual cultivation has been foreshadowed as early as the first time Shi Tian got the technique. The bound partners, the lifelong oath suppressed... it's all dual cultivation. That's the main purpose of the technique; the proper way to use it.
Anyways, the bonus chapter will be included on the lemons. It's 4k words long.