1600 Words.
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New week, let’s push!!
— After dinner, Zane took a relaxing bath.
“Himeko should be getting here soon, right?” If things went as they had before, Himeko would end up flying the Hyperion to Nagazora City.
The real question was how many days it would take.
Otto didn’t care much about the Great Honkai Eruption in Nagazora.
The Herrscher of Thunder wasn’t that important to him, and St.
Freya Academy’s fighting strength was pretty weak.
In truth, the only S-rank presence at the school was not Theresa.
It was the weapon on her back.
Yes.
Oath of Judah was the S-Rank, not Theresa.
“Tsk.
I really want to see the Hyperion square off against Cocolia’s aerial battleship.” Knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone knocked and broke his train of thought.
“Hm?
Just a second.” Evanescia?
Why would she come looking for him at this hour?
Zane felt confused, but he got out of the bath, used his Holy Spirit power to dry off in an instant, put on a bathrobe, and left the bathroom.
As soon as he opened the door, Evanescia put her hand on his chest and stepped in.
In one quick move, she kicked the door shut and moved in close before he could say anything.
Her narrow eyes looked him over.
She leaned in, her nose twitching as she sniffed lightly along his neck.
Sniff, sniff.
“So fragrant…” Her voice was low and almost dreamy.
“Such a sweet scent.
It makes me want to…
eat you.” Evanescia opened her eyes.
Holy crap.
Zane stopped.
This wasn’t the usual Evanescia.
It was her secondary personality.
The Golden-Eyed Evanescia.
Her eyes glowed bright gold, like fireworks in the dark.
The feeling around her changed too—noble, distant, cold, but with a clear hint of aggression.
“Where is she?” Zane asked.
“Asleep~” Golden-Eyed Evanescia answered right away.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her toes, and kissed him before he could say anything else.
Her lips were soft and cool, with a strange sweetness that made the kiss feel almost unreal.
Law of the jungle?
Winner takes all?
Zane wasn’t the type to just stand by.
He quickly took the lead, but Evanescia twisted her waist and switched their positions in a flash.
Thump!
She slammed her hands against the door on both sides of his head.
“…” Zane blinked.
‘Did I just get pinned to the door?’ He could feel the hunger burning in her golden eyes.
“Are you drawn to my Holy Spirit power?” Zane raised an eyebrow.
“And can you switch back to her?” He still liked the Elation-driven Evanescia more.
“You prefer her?” Golden-Eyed Evanescia seemed genuinely puzzled.
“She and I are one.
Whatever I do, she feels it too.
Besides, she is far too embarrassed to show her face right now.” She leaned in for another kiss, but Zane raised his hand and gently held her shoulder, stopping her before their lips touched.
“Why refuse?” she asked.
“We are merely different personas.
This body is the same.
And I was the one awakened by your scent, not her.” “…” Zane had a general idea of what was going on.
The Holy Spirit’s power of Permanence flowing through him held an irresistible attraction for the Golden-Eyed Evanescia, the Emanator of Abundance.
The Purple-Eyed Evanescia, on the other hand, was the Emanator of Elation born after Aha’s enlightenment.
But if both personas felt everything, it seemed almost like cheating on one of them, even though it was the same body.
This Evanescia gave him the same kind of déjà vu as Yae Sakura’s little sister turning into the Herrscher of Corruption, then getting beaten by Fu Hua into Higokumaru.
“Switch back,” Zane said.
“I still prefer her a little more.” “If that’s what you want, then I’ll do it.” Golden-Eyed Evanescia went quiet for a moment, and a hint of disappointment showed in her golden eyes.
“But I really don’t like staying in Planarcadia.
If I could choose, I’d rather follow you than Aha.” She gave him a long look.
“You’ll get your chance,” Zane said.
After receiving his promise, Golden-Eyed Evanescia let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes.
One second passed.
Then two.
Then three.
A whole minute passed, and Evanescia was still holding him against the door in the same spot.
Only her slender arms trembled a little.
Zane could not help smiling.
“Alright.
If you’ve switched back, open your eyes.” Her eyelids fluttered open.
The gold was gone, and in its place was the lively, vibrant purple he recognized.
Purple-Eyed Evanescia froze in place.
They were much too close.
Her hands stayed on the door beside Zane’s head, and their bodies were so near she could feel his warmth.
Her heart raced, and her cheeks grew hot.
For a moment, she had no idea what to do.
Should she keep going, following the Golden-Eyed persona’s lead, or should she turn and run?
Her instincts told her there was no point in running.
Zane could pull her out of Planarcadia, so his power had to be at least as strong as an Aeon’s.
“Uh, well…” As soon as Evanescia spoke, her vision blurred.
The world spun, and when she came to, her back was against the cold wooden door.
The dynamic had reversed.
Zane had her pinned now.
Evanescia stared up at him, her breath catching.
“Don’t overthink it,” Zane said softly.
“If you want to stop, say so.” She froze for a moment.
Then, instead of pushing him away, she gently took hold of his bathrobe and looked down.
Zane understood.
He leaned down and kissed her.
“Mm…” Evanescia’s eyes widened, then slowly closed.
—•——•——•——•——•——•— Bronya couldn’t sleep.
She tossed and turned in the guest room late into the night.
Mother Cocolia’s actions had crossed the line long ago.
The more Bronya thought about it, the heavier her chest felt.
Finally, she sat up, stayed quiet for a while, then quietly opened the door and floated into the hallway.
She curled up on the living room sofa, staring blankly into space.
At dinner, Zane had not exposed her identity to the others.
Maybe it was because of Silver Wolf.
After all, the two of them looked almost identical.
Maybe Zane’s choice came from kindness, or maybe it was a fatherly affection she had never known.
Either way, his arrival had touched a part of her heart that had long been frozen.
Bronya hesitated for a long time before she finally got up from the sofa and floated to Zane’s bedroom door.
She stood outside, took a few deep breaths, and knocked.
Knock, knock.
Inside the room, Zane froze.
Evanescia was still trapped between him and the door, her soft body pressed close as her flushed face buried itself against his shoulder.
“Bro…
Bronya?” Zane asked, his voice slightly strained.
“Do you need something?” “Bronya wants to know why you covered for her at dinner.” A muffled thud came from inside the room.
“Because you are my daughter too.” Zane took a slow breath.
“Silver Wolf is not a bad person, so I believe Bronya is a good kid too.” “Is that so?” So it really was because of Silver Wolf.
Even so, Bronya felt warmth spread in her chest, and some of the cold guilt in her heart began to fade.
Still, something felt strange.
She heard a faint, steady sound from inside the room.
When she knocked earlier, the door had vibrated a little.
Zane’s voice also sounded a bit breathless and uneven.
Bronya tilted her head.
What was going on in there?
“Mother Cocolia, she…” Bronya started to speak, but Zane cut her off at once.
“Go to sleep for now.
I’ll handle Cocolia.” His voice paused for half a second.
“As for Seele, I’ll help you bring her back too.” “Mmph…
cough.” Zane had already planned to take Elysia into the Sea of Quanta to meet Kevin.
Since he would be there anyway, helping Seele would just be one more thing to do along the way.
The quiet sounds from inside the room were getting harder to hide.
By now, Zane just wanted Bronya to go.
“Oh.” Bronya lowered her gaze.
“Then…
can Bronya call you old man too?” “Of course.
Now go to bed.” “Okay.” Bronya turned and floated away.
At first, she had wanted to tell him that Cocolia was in an aerial battleship above Nagazora, controlling everything from the sky.
But after thinking about the old man’s strength, Bronya decided Cocolia would have to fend for herself.
That woman had framed Mei’s father, paid delinquent schoolgirls to bully Mei, and sacrificed millions of innocent people to feed her own hunger for power.
Her crimes were too many to count.
Cocolia had done too much evil.
She no longer deserved Bronya’s trust.
Bronya returned to her room and climbed back into bed.
“Strange,” she murmured, looking up at the ceiling.
“What was going on with that door?” She wouldn’t understand the answer until four years later, when she ended up in a similar, embarrassing situation herself.
—•——•——•——•——•——•— Inside the room, Evanescia turned her flushed face away and glared at Zane with embarrassment and anger.
“This is all your fault!
What if she noticed?” Seeing her pouting expression, Zane chuckled and pulled her back into his arms.
“No one is going to interrupt us now.” —
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