Chapter 185: Take Me With You!!
[Eldoria]
WHOOSH!
The familiar shimmer of a gateway appeared on the Eldorian castle grounds, and Josephine, a whirlwind of maternal anxiety, rushed down the stairs. Her gaze was fixed on the figures emerging from the portal. A relieved smile bloomed on her face, and she quickened her pace, calling out:
"I miss my baby so much!"
Sunny’s smile faltered as Josephine bypassed him completely, her arms wrapping tightly around Ellen.
"I missed you so much!" she cooed, burying her face in Ellen’s hair.
"Huh?" Sunny muttered, a playful sense of betrayal washing over him.
"I guess I’m invisible now." He shrugged and walked toward Jinx, who stood a short distance away, observing the reunion.
"How are the blades?" he asked, referring to the students under her harsh tutelage.
"Annoying," Jinx grumbled, her arms crossed over her chest. "It’s been two days, and they still can’t complete a simple task."
"That’s what a teacher is for," Sunny said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"You could at least give them a shortcut."
Jinx’s cold gaze met his. "Shortcuts make them weak. They must learn the hard way. I don’t want weak subordinates."
’So weird,’ Sunny thought, sighing internally. He had no response to her unyielding philosophy.
A pair of warm hands wrapped around his waist, and a soft whisper tickled his ear. "Welcome back, Love."
He blinked, a slow smile spreading across his face as Josephine rested her head against his back.
"I missed both of you," she whispered.
Jinx rolled her eyes. "You two should get a room." She strode past them and stopped in front of Ellen.
"Come on, Ellen. Let’s go space racing."
"Space racing? What is that?" Ellen asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Oh, my little sister doesn’t know what space racing is." Jinx’s expression softened into a rare, small smile.
"It’s..." She paused, struggling to put the concept into words.
"I don’t know how to explain it. I’ll just show you." She took Ellen’s hand, a sense of adventure sparking between them.
"Jinx, wait—" Sunny began, but he paused, looking at Ellen. He saw a flicker of childlike wonder in her eyes that had been missing for so long.
’Ellen didn’t have a normal childhood,’ he realized.
’She shouldn’t have to spend all her time cultivating. They deserve to have fun, to grow their bond as sisters.’ He nodded.
"Never mind. Just keep an eye on her."
Jinx scoffed, a look of mock offense on her face. "Please. It’s not like you don’t have a special team of soldiers watching her in the shadows."
"I’m not sure if they could protect her," Sunny countered with a smirk.
"Or if she would be the one protecting them. Ellen is a Celestial-rank warrior now. She’s a lot stronger than you."
"What?!" Jinx exclaimed, turning to Ellen in disbelief. She quickly used her cosmic brain to scan her sister’s profile.
"You’re not lying... she’s really Celestial-rank," she muttered, her frustration turning to stunned respect.
"Wow," Josephine said, a proud smile on her face.
"She can hide her energy so well. If you hadn’t said anything, none of us would have known."
"Yeah, you two need to get stronger," Sunny said. He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth as Jinx glared at him.
"After your fun time," he quickly added.
Jinx nodded, satisfied, and walked off with Ellen, her cloak billowing dramatically behind her.
"Why does she always wear that cloak?" Josephine muttered.
Sunny’s smirk returned. He pulled her waist, wrapping his arms around her.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her face flushing a light pink.
"Shh," he whispered, lowering his head and kissed her:
"You’re mine, and mine alone."
Josephine’s smile was radiant. She wrapped her arms around his neck:
"No one will ever take me away."
Their next kiss was deeper, more urgent, a silent promise made between them.
"...?!"
The guards at the gate stiffened, pretending not to notice.
Breaking the kiss, Josephine’s playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of concern. "What happened? You’re worried."
"Xanor is back," Sunny said, the name a weight on his tongue.
"Oh. Is he dead?" she asked in a flat, almost bored tone. Seeing the genuine worry in his eyes, she raised an eyebrow.
"Are you worried I’ll go back to him?"
"Well... you were once with him," he said carefully.
"No, I wasn’t," she corrected him, laying her head against his chest.
"That’s what everyone thought. When the Moon Goddess joined us, I felt an instant repulsion toward him. I don’t know why, but he just... disgusted me." She sighed.
"Our clan believes in the Moon Goddess. They said I was her reincarnation because of my Moon Bloodline. It’s all nonsense to me. Xanor only ever wanted the throne." She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a raw honesty:
"He probably disgusts me because he wasn’t my true mate." She raised a hand, caressing his cheek.
"I am yours, Sunny. And I’ll be yours forever." She kissed him again, a soft, seductive promise.
"I want your scent on me."
Sunny’s breath hitched. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms, carry her to his room, and make her his, completely and irrevocably. But he couldn’t.
He smiled, pushing his desire down. "Xanor is a God-rank warrior now, and he’s working with the Wendigos."
"...?!"
Josephine froze, the news stunning her into silence.
"I need to get stronger," Sunny said, his voice firm with resolve.
"I need to protect you, Ellen, Star, and our people." He cupped her cheeks.
"When I’ve dealt with him, I promise I’ll make it up to you."
Josephine’s gaze fell, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. "How long will this take?"
"Two days," he said.
"Then I’m coming with you," she said, looking up at him with a determined expression.
"He has backup, and—"
"That’s exactly why I have to go with you! I know you have a way to advance to God-rank. I want to be there and cultivate with you. I can’t stay in the Heavenly-rank forever. Look at our daughter—she’s already stronger than me. How can I protect her if I’m weak?" She stared into his golden eyes, her own filled with unwavering resolve.
"Take me with you. I need to get stronger too."
{Cultivating with your Mate will increase her cultivation speed, Master.}
The system’s voice echoed in his mind.
Sunny thought for a moment. ’Can she use the evolution stones and spirit fruits?’
{Yes, Master.}
{The evolution stones have a high chance of upgrading her Epic Bloodline. The spirit fruits have a high chance of altering her Celestial energy into Spirit energy and will provide a stats boost. Note: one per person.}
A plan began to form in Sunny’s mind, and he finally nodded, a wide smile spreading across his face:
"Okay. Go get ready. We have a war to win."