Chapter 509: A Dummy

Bronya was always satisfied with the bare minimum. She was fully-aware that her ‘intrusion’ was anything but fair. She was the one who brought Seele and Shi Tian together. That alone was doing a great disservice to Kiana, whom she also considered as her best friend. 

As if that wasn’t enough, she also accompanied Sin Mal in doing the same!

Bronya was helplessly drawn into Shi Tian. She saw the kindness he offered towards the very special people around him. She was the closest to them all, hence she also saw it the most. 

She longed for companionship that far exceeded friendship, and so was Sin Mal. Their motives aligned together, which ended up in that conclusion. 

That thinking of hers never changed.

Receiving the bare minimum was fine for her. She always readied herself to do so. However, there were times she found herself wanting for more. It spontaneously caused her guilt, thinking that she was undeserving of that “more”. Bronya kept this sensitive topic to herself, though unbeknownst to her, the others noticed it long ago.

They proposed that Bronya should go first, and that was what she did. She thought of the ‘service’ done between lovers. She believed that it could swiftly bridge the gap between them, that it was one of her ‘values’.

Shi Tian saw through it.

That level of self-loathing, Bronya’s lacking sense of self-worth…

It was something he never wished to happen.

‘She shouldn’t think like this.’

Thus, he did nothing but hug her. Bronya was at a loss to it. She looked at Shi Tian who had his face buried on her chest, and before she knew it, she found her hands behind his back, reciprocating his hug. A surge of warmth flooded her chest. It was so addicting, and at the same time, reassuring.

This was what she sought for.

To have it, Bronya did not hesitate to resort to more ‘despicable’ tricks. 

Yet…

‘A despicable woman… and he loves me.’

Shi Tian never hated her for it.

Kiana didn’t push her away because of it.

Nobody hated Bronya but herself!

Her breathing stifled as a sob escaped from her throat. Tears slowly slipped out of the corner of her eyes. Shi Tian noticed it all from the start. He chose to tighten his hug in an attempt to comfort her. Words could not be as direct as actions.

“I am so… stupid.”

The moment these words came out of her, she felt the weight on her chest disappearing. She tightened her hug over Shi Tian. It wasn’t long before her right hand was pressing against the back of his head, pushing his face deeper to her bosom.

Fortunately, cultivators no longer needed to breathe. If he still needed to at this time, he might have suffocated—a happy trouble, nonetheless.

Once Bronya realized what she was doing, she swiftly let go of Shi Tian, only to find him still sticking onto her. She broke out of her serious look, letting out a laugh.

“I never realized you were this clingy.” Bronya commented as she began playing with his short purple hair. “Are you like this to others too?”

“Hm…”

The two lost track of time. It was unknown when Shi Tian voluntarily left her gentle embrace. Upon seeing Bronya’s slightly reddened eyes, and then her smiles, he inwardly felt relieved.

‘I really should spend more time with others.’

Thinking about it, he could not help but sport an apologetic look. Due to their circumstances, he hadn’t been able to properly spend time with them. It was also why he didn’t reject Kiana’s ‘soon-to-be’ ridiculous ‘surprise’. 

“I can smell your cooking.”

“Hm. I prepared them for you.”

“Let’s taste it together…”

*****

The resolution of the anomaly took some time. Anaxa was surprised when Cerydra said it was ‘nothing’, and that they should never think of them again. While confused, he was smart enough to see that the Imperator saw things he failed to see. He did not question her decisions, opting to do as he was told.

Cerydra wasn’t one to sabotage their plans.

Little did he know, she was just as clueless as he was. Cerydra and Hysilens could remember them arriving at Hyperborea. They investigated every corner of it, including their fallen capital. Then they found nothing, or so they thought.

‘I… we blacked out?’

If it weren’t for the words carved on her palm as a wound, with fresh golden blood seeping right through it, Cerydra would have been far more wary. Yet she chose to believe those words—that they found nothing.

In the end, she passed it on to Anaxa, who then lifted the ‘alert’ status on the rest of the Enforcers. Still, Cerydra could not brush it off as simply as that. She began looking for clues, and she did see some.

For example, the suspected semblance of the unknown visitors to Cerydra and Hysilens. There should be a reason why they chose their appearances. There was also the matter of their secrecy, showing they could enter Amphoreus unnoticed by Lygus, its supposed ‘creator’. Lastly, the words on her palm.

Was it her who carved it out? If so, why?

These questions kept her at bay inside the studies. She frowned every now and then as she wrote down the string of clues one by one. The breakthrough happened when she pieced together an important clue—the golden blood used to write on her palm.

It was hers, yet it also wasn’t hers.

The moment she discovered it, she felt an extremely strong sense of apprehension. It was so overwhelmingly strong she had to put down her pen. Momentarily, it extinguished her desire to know the truth.

Only after Cerydra blankly walked outside the study did she come back to her senses. By the time she returned, she found that everything she had written the clues on were gone. The same went for her memories. It was as if she was looped back to square one.

‘Such strange and lofty power…’

The only thing she could recall was the revelation of her blood. It was hers, yet also not hers. That meant there was another Cerydra in this world, one who knew far more secrets than she ever did!

She intentionally left out the clue of golden blood, all to make her loop back to the beginning.

‘A secret so worthy of keeping… What is it?’

Her pacing stopped when Hysilens arrived in front of her study. The moment their eyes met, it became evident to the other. 

They are just as uneasy as the other.

But this time, Hysilens’ unease did not stem from her desire to know the truth. It was instinctive yet unknown. At the same time, there was also that apprehension that stopped her from coming close to it. 

It was Cerydra who broke the silence between them.

“It is best not to think of it… not until Amphoreus’ actualization comes true.”