Seele woke up in a "different" world. The trip to the Sea of Quanta did not occur. After breaking down for an entire day, Bronya found her inside the treasure chest.
She did not have any courage to face Shi Tian and Kiana, and as such, ran away from home. Her turbulent emotions led to her exploring the world.
Practicing immortal cultivation did not stop. She carried on using honkai energy to temper the soul. The faint purple light protecting her soul remained stable. The clusters of Tao Patterns formed a mystical light.
Shi Tian imparted the [Clear Apertures Manual] to everyone close to him. It is an overpowered technique capable of increasing one's comprehension.
One year later, through repeated insistence, Seele returned to the orphanage.
She thought she could brush off the stinging feeling she felt a year ago, that she could wholeheartedly confess her love without any hard feelings.
It did not happen.
Seeing Shi Tian happy with Kiana is a pang to her heart. Part of her wants to straight up claim Shi Tian for herself. Another part of her wanted to suffer silently.
For the second time, Seele escaped from home. She did not realize the lack of [Xiutian Art]'s feedback, nor did she pay much attention to the others' limited cultivation speed.
During the next two years, Seele stayed on a desolate island. She focused on nothing but immortal cultivation.
One day, she was called into a decisive battle. The World Serpent began its agenda to enact Project STIGMA. All the human Herrschers got trapped inside a special Bubble World. Most of the humans, save for select places, merged together into a "perfect world".
Seele's qi and mind cultivation rose one minor realm, from the late to the peak stage of Foundation Establishment Realm. Her body broke through the Purple Mansion Realm ahead of the two.
She became an important force for the remaining two forces left on Earth. While the others are trapped inside the Bubble World, Seele takes care of the remaining matters.
Suddenly, an "implosion" occurred.
Everything was drowned by darkness. The sudden change of events caught her off guard.
"That is…"
She flew to a high vantage point to look at what happened. The horrifying sight of a "Black Sun" engulfing Earth greeted her sight. Her chaotic mind returned to tranquility… to Nihility.
Moments later, Seele found herself back to her starting point; to the time she woke up inside the treasure chest.
"Ah..?"
The devastating scene she witnessed came back to her mind. Worries gripped her mind.
Her friends whom she hasn't personally met for two years…
"No!"
She disregarded her inner conflict and rushed out of the treasure chest she hid herself.
There, she came face to face with the bewildered Bronya.
"Seele..?"
"Sister Bronya!"
Bronya felt Seele's tight hug. It was as if they hadn't met for a long time.
"Where's Brother Tian?"
"..?"
Puzzlement flashed on Bronya's eyes. She was ready to comfort Seele upon hearing what happened to her—something stated by Shi Tian himself.
Seeing her panic made Bronya rethink things.
"Subject Shi Tian went out for patrol…"
An hour later, Seele met him again.
"Seele..?"
"...Brother Tian."
She repressed her chaotic feelings and revealed what happened. Shi Tian listened to it seriously as he fell silent.
"...You traveled back in time?"
"Yes."
"..."
Seele caught the trace of panic in his eyes. She wanted to know what that "Black Sun" was.
"Don't tell it to anyone else."
In the end, Seele let him be…
That turned out to be a disastrous choice.
She did not leave the orphanage as opposed to her "past self". She suppressed her chaotic emotions and continued to act like usual. It took a toll on her mind, but she was able to make up for a lot of regrets.
One year later, a major event happened.
Shi Tian went missing.
That was the second time it happened. Seele got to know the truth from Kiana after a series of events.
When he became unresponsive for one week, everyone looked out for him. During that time, Schicksal's Overseer made a bold move.
Claiming he knows where Shi Tian went, he directly taunted Anti-Entropy. It was none other than Kiana who went there headfirst.
It turned out to be a trap. Otto forced Kiana to follow him inside the imaginary space. Bearing the Herrscher Authority of Binding, he restricted all kinds of energy. Even spiritual qi was affected to a huge extent.
In the end, Kiana blasted him out of the imaginary space, fulfilling his goal of reaching the Imaginary Tree.
That was the last thing Seele heard from Kiana. The descent of the Black Sun came prematurely, leaving Earth meaningless once again.
"No, no…"
Helplessness welled up inside her heart. Veliona noticed her abnormality and checked her out, but to no avail.
"I… I won't let everyone die..!"
Seele's third turn began.
That was when she noticed the lack of Shi Tian's [Xiutian Art]. It began to weigh her mind, with more questions in sight.
"Hu..?"
Just then, the familiar sensation of [Xiutian Art]'s "Tao Gift" filled her entire being.
"What is going on..?"
*****
Golden Core Realm touches upon the higher-dimension. Souls are a part of their field. Their power is sufficient to tangibly manipulate souls.
Separating Veliona from Seele is quite difficult, though it is doable. Unlike Sirin whose soul lived separately inside the Herrscher Core, Veliona's existence is deeply rooted to Seele's Natural Stigma.
In short, Veliona is living inside Seele.
It took some time to complete the process. The moment her physical body appeared, I threw a huge blanket made of second grade spiritual materials.
"Ah?!"
The overused cliched trope was thus avoided.
Veliona rearranged the blanket before her head emerged from it. The red highlights on the tip of her black hair matched her crimson red pupils.
"...Thanks."
I held my urge to laugh. It is the only way to suppress the cuteness I felt.
"What?!"
Veliona noticed this gesture and asked angrily.
"Nothing. It's just… Have you seen the Far East's animation?"
"Yeah? So what?"
Her answer caught me off guard.
"You are acting like a tsundere."
"Ah..?!"
Her entire face turned beet red. It was so instantaneous it caught me off guard for the second time. Smoke seemingly came out from the top of her head.
This made me feel like I am a bully.
"I had Pardo leave some clothes here. Find something you'll like."
I pointed towards the stack of clothes placed neatly atop a large white cloth. That included the underwear sets that I chose not to look at.
Pardo left an hour ago after receiving my "business teachings".
Veliona pointed to a set of clothes and dressed under the blanket. The faint outline underneath it forced me to look away.
A while later, she finished putting them on. It is a black and white cargo dress that reached below her knees.
"It fits so well…"
Veliona cut off her words as she gave me a sharp look.
In embarrassment, she shouted:
"Did you take my measurements?!"
I facepalmed.
"Remember the time I bought Seele some dresses? She told me her size at that time. I don't know if the underwear sets will fit…"
Pardofelis' luck came into play.
Did she just buy a size that happened to fit Veliona..?
*****
A/N: Bonus chapter will come tomorrow.