"Isn't this what you wanted? I still remember how our last conversation ended, Selyne."
She answered with an angry look, wanting to argue back, but he suddenly took hold of her waist, pulling her closer until their faces were only inches apart.
Her words of protest died before they could leave her lips, replaced by rising nerves. It had been far too long since she had been this close to a man...
Cassian began circulating Qi through Selyne's body, one hand resting on her waist while the other slowly moved from her shoulder down to her hand.
The woman's eyes followed the motion, feeling the warmth beginning to spread from where his hand rested on her waist.
Selyne swallowed hard, her thoughts scattered, unsure of what she was supposed to do.
But it didn't take long before he adjusted her body into a specific stance and ordered:
"Pay attention."
At first, the movements he guided her through confused her. They were similar to what she had been doing before, but not quite the same...
And the warmth that had started from her back suddenly took on a different meaning beyond simple comfort.
Her expression turned serious as she began noticing the changes. On one hand, the paths through which Cassian's energy flowed were different from what she was accustomed to. On the other, the movements he forced her to perform gradually gave her new ideas, and her breathing changed as though it needed to match the rhythm he imposed.
Their closeness continued, and Cassian never stepped away.
Yet despite noticing the differences, Selyne felt as though this wasn't leading anywhere.
Frowning and breaking out of her concentration, she pulled away from him.
"This isn't working."
One of his eyebrows rose.
"If you're not going to cooperate, then I'm leaving. It's not as though I ever truly promised you anything. And while I found your threat amusing back then, I still remember it."
His eyes were serious, carrying a chilling coldness and indifference.
Selyne bit her lip.
"Fine. I'll try again."
This time, she was the one who stepped closer.
Once more, they moved together in motions that resembled a dance but were, in truth, a sword technique with a mix of something else.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
This time, Selyne's patience held, and Cassian was definitely not pleased that it was taking so long.
For a moment, he considered solving it the easy way.
Teaching had never really been one of his strengths...
But eventually, the Duchess's realization arrived.
After repeating the same thing countless times and having Cassian's pure energy flow through her meridians—expanding them and teaching her the proper pathways, as well as the correct method of transforming the energy in her surroundings—Selyne pulled away once more.
This time, her eyes were serious.
She let out a soft breath, and her sharp arms began moving on their own.
Not repeating what they had been doing before.
Something different.
Her own way.
With every movement, it seemed as though she cut beyond reality itself, each strike carrying an alluring precision and elegance.
A burst of energy rang out.
Understanding arrived.
And Selyne forcibly surpassed the limit imposed upon her soul.
"You can't master the sword if you haven't mastered yourself," Cassian murmured. "And if you do... no limit can hold you."
"Even so, I'd like to meet the ancestors of House Astaford. Such an elegant way of overcoming a restriction imposed at birth."
A subtle smile appeared on his face.
Even so, she hadn't developed Sword Intent.
But something very similar seemed to be beginning to grow within her.
Meanwhile, the Duchess's breakthrough went unnoticed.
This time, Cassian had concealed the signs of advancement.
Unlike Sylvia, who had needed to absorb and comprehend a fragment of a Law, Selyne had already understood what she needed.
All that remained was to temper herself and grow accustomed to her new strength, which took far less time.
Her sword-like eyes finally settled.
There was no trace of the relaxed woman she usually was.
The pressure in the air was tangible, though to Cassian it felt no more significant than a small fly buzzing nearby.
"Mmm. I suppose I'm beginning to understand why my daughter seems to look at you with admiration whenever your name comes up."
"You can also understand why Sylvia adores me so much," Cassian replied with shameless amusement.
Selyne's expression changed for a moment.
"I'm not that desperate."
Cassian raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Silence filled the room.
...
Back in Vraeth, things had become rather entertaining on Liwei and Luowei's side.
The two had gone out to explore a world they had never seen before.
Liwei, in particular, wanted to find the needle in the haystack—the reason that would allow her to vent her frustrations once again.
The people of Vraeth were quite different from those in the world where Cassian lived now.
Not because of what motivated them or because of their strength, but because of how society was organized.
Here, you wouldn't find empires.
Only sects and the settlements inhabited by those abandoned by them—the so-called "stragglers."
Yet more often than not, those very people became what many called children of destiny.
Hardship brings opportunity, doesn't it?
"Come on! Hurry up, Luowei!"
"Vraeth is huge, Liwei. I want to go back to the sisters..." Luowei muttered the last part under her breath.
But she couldn't help following Liwei.
It was always like this.
She sighed in resignation.
"It's only one world. If we hurry, we should be able to visit the most important places."
Luowei shook her head.
"We might be able to, but we wouldn't be searching properly like that."
At that moment, they passed by a brightly lit village.
The moment she saw it, Luowei rushed ahead as quickly as she could and positioned herself directly in front of Liwei.
Liwei stopped abruptly, nearly crashing into her sister.
"What is it?"
"Let's take a look over there."
Luowei pointed toward the village.
Liwei released her spiritual sense, swept it through the settlement, and then looked back at Luowei.
"Done. None of them are there. Let's go."
But Luowei didn't move.
The two sisters stared at one another for a moment, trying to understand each other.
Eventually, as if she finally understood, Liwei's shoulders drooped slightly in defeat.
"I get it... We'll take a quick look and then leave. No need to talk to those people again."
"Mmm, mmm."
Luowei nodded twice, letting out a bright little hum after successfully convincing her sister.
She didn't want to stay here any longer, and she felt that if she didn't stop Liwei now, they would end up starting something else that delayed their return.
Besides, she was curious about why the village was so brightly lit.
When they arrived, it seemed some sort of festival was taking place.
Their arrival immediately attracted attention.
Two hooded figures whose faces couldn't be seen stood out considerably in a village where everyone knew each other.
Whispers began spreading through the crowd.
Then, suddenly, looks of hatred appeared as well.
Liwei and Luowei paused in confusion.
A stone flew toward them.
At first, they thought it was aimed at them, but when they stepped aside, a man and a woman dressed in clothing far more refined than anyone else's became visible.
"Abusers! You killed my sister!"
The child who had thrown the first stone shouted.
He looked miserable, dirt covering his face and tangled hair hanging loose around his shoulders.
The man cast a disdainful glance toward the boy, walked over, and kicked him in the leg.
A sickening crack sounded.
"Lowly filth. You should be grateful your sister sold well and that we let you live."
With those words, the man glanced toward what appeared to be a servant standing behind the woman accompanying him.
As though he already knew what was expected of him, the servant stepped forward, pulled out a cloth, and carefully began cleaning his master's shoe.
Once he finished, the young man stepped on the servant's head and said with a sadistic smile:
"Good work."