With the arrival of dawn, the women of the Supreme Fairy Paradise began to awaken from meditation or training and start their days. Within this crowd were Rose and Elena, however, Senior Sister Lan and her group were completely missing.
The hushed voices of the crowd all revolved around the duo. It wasn't surprising. After all, just yesterday they had been seen surrounded by a group of their seniors, but here they were in perfect condition, perusing the streets as if nothing big happened.
Those seniors, on the other hand, had been found in a secluded area. Not a single one of them was left with their minds intact. It was only natural that the women of the sect would talk about it.
But Rose and Elena paid these women no mind. From start to finish, they didn't feel much attachment to the sect.
These women prided themselves on being fairies, but a vast majority of them were snakes wearing human skin. They would spread falsities to ruin their competition, backstab at any given opportunity, it was the definition of conniving.
But this kind of atmosphere had been perfect for the two of them to foster their growth. With trouble waiting for them at every step, they had an ample number of stepping stones to cause leaps of improvement in their own prowess.
If there was one thing in the sect that they cared about…
"Sect Master." The two girls greeted together when they arrived in front of the elderly woman who had given the speech the day before.
Their waists were bowed to show proper respect, and their tones were also extremely accommodating. Compared to the arrogant and indifferent image that they showed to the rest of the sect, their actions now were like heaven and earth.
"You two little brats, didn't I say to call me Master? It seems you still haven't accepted me after all this time." The Sect Master smiled wryly.
"Master that isn't—"
"Enough. I am already aware of your circumstances, so I never planned to bind you to the sect anyway. If only I could tie you down, I'd have chosen to do so without hesitation. But, you two already have somewhere to return to, don't you?"
It was troubling. Neither of the two could respond, they could only hold their guilt within their hearts. It was true. Regardless of what the Sect Master did for them, their paths were never fated to stay together for too long.
They had somewhere to return to, or rather, someone.
Elena sighed. The Sect Master and Rose were the only two people she cared about in this massive sect. Due to their reputation, the other women either feared or disdained them, so they couldn't make friends.
It wasn't like she cared about the rabble at all, it was just a shame that things had to be this way.
But before she could make any excuses, the Sect Master spoke up once again.
"So? Who is he?"
"Eh?" Elena snapped out of her thoughts. Her eyes widened at the sudden question. "W-who are you talking about?"
"Don't think I didn't notice. Any time I even alluded to keeping you in the sect, you would have a faraway look in your eyes. My cold and indifferent Elena, to think you were so deeply infatuated with a man! I almost couldn't believe it."
Despite her age, the Sect Master of the Supreme Fairy Paradise's demeanor tended to have this youthful side that only those close to her were aware of. It often made the Elders of the sect suffer plenty of headaches, but for her disciples, it served to bring smiles to their faces.
Elena's face blushed red. "Infatuated is a strong word…"
"Yeah, but it probably isn't strong enough in this situation." Rose suddenly interjected. She was trying her hardest to suppress the giggle that was threatening to leave her mouth.
"You…!" Elena protested, but her defensiveness only made the other two laugh harder.
"Don't think I forgot about you." The Sect Master suddenly said to Rose. "Even if you can hide it better, you aren't much better than her."
"Nonsense!" Rose replied proudly. "Unlike her, I can boldly tell you about my handsome, powerful, and overall perfect man."
Rose thumped her chest and began to tell stories about Damien as if to brag to her grandparent.
"He's a crazy guy. Back when we were in my home world, he actually thrashed all the top geniuses there even while restricting a large majority of his power. And that's not all…"
Rose began to tell stories about her time with Damien. Although the time they had spent together was relatively short, it had been filled to the brim with adventure and wonder.
Damien had opened up a whole new world to Rose. He showed her a path that she never thought she'd be able to take, a path she loved far more than her constricting life on Apeiron.
So perhaps, Rose's evaluation of Damien was more than a bit biased. She easily glossed over his bad points as if they didn't exist at all. Especially when she spoke about their more romantic moments, it sounded more like she was writing a novel than speaking about real-life events.
As Rose spoke, Elena tried to imagine the gentlemanly version of Damien that she was describing. In a full suit, on one knee in front of her, his mouth moving to…
'Stop! Stop! Stop!' She hurriedly wiped away her fantasy. As soon as she did, the actual image of Damien she had after he returned appeared in her mind.
A shameless rogue, a ferocious wolf, a heartless fellow, these were all great words to describe him. He was far from gentlemanly, that much was for sure. But his free-spirited and untamable self, that ferocious yet gentle demeanor, everything about him held a fatal attraction for her that she couldn't seem to pull away from.
Even before he had become such a man, back when he was still pathetic and weak-willed, she had fallen too deep to ever even think about escaping.
Elena sighed. Her thoughts became complicated. She had practically begged Damien to take her on this trip. It was her first time leaving Earth in her life.
And seeing the vast universe, albeit the tiniest portion of it, aroused a kind of ambition in her heart.
'I want to see it.'
She wanted to see it all. To go exploring on different worlds and uncover more mystical places like the Fairy Pond or the Misty Cloud Secret Realm.
But that could only be considered as a secondary objective. Her main goal was elsewhere.
It happened after she ranked up, after she became a Valkyrie and obtained a connection to Valhalla.
Her fighting style had changed, along with the root of her power. And along with it, she received something similar to a calling.
There was a place somewhere out in the universe that appeared in her dreams as often as she slept.
It was a mystical place where her abilities would rapidly improve and her power would truly bloom.
She didn't know where that place was, but she knew the general direction to get there.
Only, she had an instinctual understanding of what kind of place it was. It was something akin to a secret realm, only, the restriction in place was so that only she could enter.
'I want to know why. Why there is such a place and why only I have the qualifications to enter. However…'
She would have to choose.
Of the two things she held dearest in her heart, two passions that she could never let go of. She needed to choose between them.
And it was eating her up inside.
