Leylah stared blankly at the walls of her bedroom. Her eyes remained unfocused, her mind freezing. She could not muster an ounce of thought with all the memories she had unexpectedly received. She sat on her comfortable bed, draped by a canopy of semi-transparent black cloth. It was one of the few things that reminded her of Senadina—her guardian's—presence. This entire castle was a complete recreation of Senadina's residence, down to the smallest and most intricate details.
Due to the presence of spiritual materials, it had long surpassed the original that was destroyed by the Honkai. Yet, this familiar place she called home felt extremely detached to Leylah.
For once, she was Entropy, the one who was sacrificed.
For another, she was Leylah, the receiver of Senadina's endless care and affection.
Two contrasting lives, yet she was certain that both of them are her.
'Why did I fail to remember it?'
All of her doubts were cast aside by this question. Leylah hadn't noticed it, but her instinctive choice to brush it off explained everything.
She did not want to remember it in the first place!
She did not want to recall that little bit of disappointment that she felt as Entropy—back when Senadina pleaded for her help. She did not want to remember that sense of abandonment. In her heart, Senadina's flawless image precedes everything else. She is the reason for her existence, and also the reason why she desperately fought to revive her.
How could a person be saved if they never wanted to be saved?
Because of her insistence, she failed to notice them even now. Leylah's internal conflict ensued… until a knock appeared on her bedroom door.
Knock-!
Knock-!
Knock-!
Leylah's dazed look disappeared as she regained her usual sharpness. Her shoulders shook, causing her pajamas to wrinkle. It was made of spiritual silk, the one produced by demon beasts. One of its functions was to revert to its 'perfect' state, which removed the wrinkles in a blink. It also gave control over its 'basic' appearance, changing its 'thickness' voluntarily. With visitors in mind, Leylah used its function to make her pajamas thicker, removing possibilities of awkward encounters.
Her inner turmoil was temporarily calmed by the matter at hand. It was gone from her mind the moment she stepped out of her bed. Her bare feet touched the multi-layered dark red carpet. She did not wear any footwear as she walked straight to the door. Her right hand paused mid-air, deliberating whether to use her residence's built-in formation to 'see' who they were. In the end, she chose not to do so.
'They came to help when I needed it the most…'
Though Leylah was antisocial, she wasn't detached from reality. She wasn't shameless enough to brush off the people who helped her during that perilous heart demon takeover.
She no longer hesitated, turning the doorknob clockwise. Greeting her were three people. The first two, she had somewhat expected. As the Goddess of the Moon, and also the sole successful embrace of the Cocoon, Kiana checked on her several times. Vita's frequency wasn't as high as Kiana, but it was also there. Amongst everyone, these two were the people she was familiar with the most.
Of course, that was until he came into the picture.
The moment Leylah's gaze landed on Shi Tian, countless fragmented memories came to her mind. From her future self's so-called dates, battles with him, down to their bed secrets, she has them all. These memories are so precious her future self preserved them more than practical cultivation experiences!
Then again, it was understanding upon knowing he would become her future… husband.
"...Ah."
""...""
The two goddesses fell silent at Leylah's inadvertent speech. Both of their eyes went straight to Shi Tian. Vita's glance carried a knowing look, almost sighing out of helplessness. Kiana was different. She looked at Leylah, and then to Shi Tian, piecing most of the things together.
The two never had much contact aside from major battles. It was clear everything came from Leylah's future projection. Though she felt somewhat aggrieved, she did not 'flare' up.
She understood his charm all too well!
Even if Leylah's future projection never acted, Leylah would inevitably fall for him. It was only a matter of time, and time was the least of the things talented cultivators like them would worry about.
"Miss Leylah."
"Ah..?!"
His words made Leylah realize how awkward she had been. All she wanted now was to bury her face on her pillows!
"W-what did you come here for?"
She completely disregarded how informal her words were as well as her almost biting the tip of her tongue, resulting in a stutter.
"Well, we have some things we would like to talk about with you." Shi Tian gave her a way out as he explained further, "Treat it as the Goddess circle meeting, just that I would be joining once today."
"There's no need to…"
Before Leylah knew it, she almost spoke out her thoughts in full view.
'Why did I say them out loud?!'
She never knew she could be this… childish. Her intricate mental processes seemed meaningless in the face of him. All she wanted to say was that she didn't mind Shi Tian's presence, but that would have meant something else, especially to the Tuna who was clinging tightly to his arm!
Seeing the bewildered look from the three, she gritted her teeth. Her decisiveness as the Goddess of Mars took place.
"There's no need to be mindful of your presence." Complex emotions brewed on her chest, those memories intermittently flashing in her mind, as she continued, "Would you mind waiting for a while? Let's talk about it in the reception room."
The three collectively expressed their agreement. It was them who were 'rude' in the first place. Knocking on her front door was more appropriate rather than barging straight in front of Leylah's bedroom. But then, Leylah had a case of near-death due to heart demons. They did not take any chances, especially when Vita, Kiana, and Shi Tian coincided at this place at the exact same time.
Just as they were heading to the reception room, which was also on the same floor as her bedroom, a thought entered Shi Tian's mind:
'This coincidence… why did we never question them?'
The moment he thought of it, the part of his Tao Heart anchored to his imaginary space trembled. The frozen, nigh-crystalline space was swept by its light.
Sou-!
A sensation of cutting through something was fed back to Shi Tian's senses. It was something that was connected to his Remembrance Path, something he had overlooked up until now.
Remembrance embodied the past while Erudition embodied the future. Something also embodied the present, to which he guessed it as the Trailblaze.
Above them all was a transcendent concept, one that had the universe unknowingly moving towards…
'Finality.'