As Nova, Everly, and Rayna entered Mira's residence, they were met with the scene of Eden and Seraphina sharing stories of their journey in the Forbidden Forest to a beautiful adolescent child with shiny ocean-blue hair.
Sensing their approach, Eden and Seraphina looked over, smiled, and waved.
"Nova, Everly, Rayna! How was your meeting with the Sect Master?" Seraphina asked.
The three of them walked over and joined Hana, Dominique, Eden, and Seraphina before Nova answered.
"It went as you would expect."
"Did the Sect Master give us any orders?" Eden chimed in and asked.
Nova shook her head, "No, she just told us to rest and wait. It seems she has to factor the Toxic Blade Sect into her plans."
Eden figured that'd be the case and didn't ask any more questions.
Since there were no problems, Seraphina stepped up and decided to introduce Dominique to everyone.
"You might've already realized it by now, but this beautiful young woman is Dominique, Mira's daughter!" She said so casually as if it wasn't a big deal.
"Nice to meet you, Dom...inique..." Nova was about to shake Dominique's hand but stopped halfway, realizing that Seraphina's words seemed off.
Creaking her head toward Seraphina, she saw the woman snickering. Ignoring that, she shakily asked, "W-What did you just say?"
"You heard me."
"B-But, you just said..."
Interrupting Nova, Seraphina finally burst out laughing and exclaimed, "Yup! She's Mira's daughter!"
"...H-How?"
That was all Nova asked, but the emotion behind that one word told Seraphina everything she needed to know, which only caused her laughs to become louder.
"Apparently, Mira picked her up a few years ago and took her in as a disciple. Dominique here sees Mira as her adoptive mother, but it seems it's not reciprocated." Eden explained.
Nova released a sigh of relief as that sounded more like the Mira she knew. However, the fact that Mira even picked up a child is definitely out of character.
If there's one thing she knows about Mira, it's that she's a demonic woman who can't sit still. Of course, she knows more than just that, but those two characteristics don't exactly coincide with what she'd consider motherhood.
Turning her attention back to Dominique, she scanned the girl up and down. She had a forced smile and was in a defensive posture, yet her eyes were calm and clear. Nova felt the aura of a newly ascended Foundation Realm cultivator but didn't take it to heart, just thinking that the Celestial Nectar allowed her to break through.
It was a treasure guarded by a Basilisk, after all. If it couldn't even make someone in the Foundation Realm breakthrough, then how good could it really be?
However, other than that, she didn't spot any anomalies. Not even any signs of poison.
"She seems... normal?" She said aloud skeptically.
That in and of itself was a bigger mystery than the fact that Mira had an adopted daughter. She figured that anyone who Mira raised would certainly turn out to be a demon in disguise!
"Of course, I'm normal!" Dominique exclaimed, having enough of the inspection. "It's not like Mother forced me to kill-ahem, never mind..."
Everyone looked at Dominique strangely after she said that, making her even more embarrassed than she already was, but she wouldn't be Mira's disciple if she weren't thick-skinned.
"Anyways, it's not like she forced me to kill without my consent!"
'So, she still made you kill people?' Nova couldn't help but think while examining Dominique from head to toe again, making sure she hadn't gone crazy from the poison.
Dominique straightened herself up, the embarrassment fading from her face. "I chose to follow Mother's path willingly. I knew what she was like before I asked to be her disciple. Rather, it'd be weird if I didn't. It's not like she tries to hide her personality."
The others agreed with Dominique's words. One of the reasons they were fond of hanging around Mira despite her obvious flaws was the fact that she was honest about almost everything. She still had her secrets, but everyone did, including them.
However, they felt Mira would never stab them in the back. At least, not if they did so first.
In this cruel, power-driven world, finding someone you can trust your back to is more valuable than any treasure.
While Mira might be cruel to her enemies, she was... equally cruel to her allies, if not more so. Nova and the others haven't experienced Mira's training sessions yet, so they wouldn't know, but Maria, Dominique, Celaine, and Hana can attest that they were nothing short of torture.
In fact, some were literal torture sessions!
However, every time they trained with Mira, they became physically or mentally stronger.
"I want to be like Mira! I want to be able to face the world unperturbed by the wind and rain! I want to be able to sweep away all of my enemies as if they are specks of dust! I want to explore this world and everything it has to offer! I knew what I was getting into when I asked her to train me, but that's exactly what I wanted. Someone who will push to keep going even in the face of death!" Dominque declared, her eyes lit ablaze.
Mira wasn't just a mother figure to her. She was a mentor, a trainer, and at the end of it all, her destination. What that meant, exactly, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had to catch up to Mira.
What else could they say after such a bold declaration? The surrounding women couldn't help but stare at Dominique in awe.
As Dominique's eyes shone with determination, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The women glanced at each other and couldn't help but feel motivated by Dominique's spirit.
"Dammit! I'm going to go train!" Everly shouted and turned around to leave, "I have a feeling that psycho fox is training right now, even in the presence of that monster! If I don't start cultivating right now, she might actually catch up to me!"
Since Dominique was fine, Everly didn't have any reason to stay. She wasn't that close to Mira to be interacting with her "daughter". She just saw her as a valued teammate and a potential rival.
Though, that "potential" part is starting to fade away.
Rayna also didn't feel the need to stay either. She gave Dominique a deep, silent look, which caused the girl to shiver before turning around and flying off into the distance.
Now, it was just Nova, Eden, and Seraphina, but they also looked like they were about to leave.
"I have to admit that Everly is probably right. Knowing Mira, she would definitely be bold enough to cultivate in a Mythical Beast's presence." Nova sighed, unsure of whether her conjecture was a good thing or not.
'Probably not.' She mused before pushing that thought aside and refocusing on Dominique.
"Anyways, it's good to see that you're healthy. I'm sure Mira would also be happy to know you made a full recovery and that all her hard work paid off, but I should get going too. I just stopped by to make sure Eden and Seraphina did their jobs properly."
"Oi!"
"Hey!"
Nova ignored them and also flew up in the sky, waving down at the ground, "It was nice meeting you, Dominique." With that said, she also flew off into the distance.
Now, it was just Eden and Seraphina left with Dominique. They exchanged glances, knowing they should follow suit and continue their cultivation. However, they couldn't just leave without saying their goodbyes.
Eden smiled warmly at Dominique, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Dominique. You're a strong and determined young woman, and I'm sure you'll achieve great things. I look forward to witnessing what you're capable of."
Seraphina nodded in agreement, her previous teasing demeanor replaced with genuine admiration, "Yeah, you've got a bright future ahead of you, especially after absorbing so much Celestial Nectar. But do try not to get poisoned again. I'd prefer never to return to the Forbidden Forest again if I had a choice."
"I'll keep that in mind." Dominique chuckled.
"We'll try and visit if we have time in the future, but..." Seraphina said, but before she could finish, Dominique interjected.
"It's fine, I understand. Don't worry about it. Also, did you forget that I'll probably be busy for a while as well, stabilizing my cultivation?" Dominique waved her hand dismissively.
Seraphina and Eden both nodded in understanding and soon took to the skies, following their teammates' examples. They waved their goodbyes to Dominique before disappearing into the distance.
Dominique watched them go, feeling a mix of gratitude and loneliness as they left her behind. Taking a deep breath, Dominique looked up at the sky, feeling the wind brush against her face.
'I miss Mother.'
Fortunately, she still had Hana and-
Before she could finish that thought, a melodious voice entered her mind.
"I need to leave as well."
