Vyea vaguely remembered a movie she had watched in her past life called The Silence of the Lambs. At first, she had been drawn in merely by its fame, but what left a deep impression on her wasn’t the protagonist’s peculiar taste in food it was the fact that the cannibalistic demon king protagonist actually fell in love with a righteous and kind-hearted detective.
What was the origin of the darkest soul falling for the purest soul?
Was it a gradually deepening understanding?
Mutual attraction after getting to know one another?
Compassion born from their interactions?
None of these.
Vyea believed that the souls of the male and female protagonists in that story were both incomplete.
Or perhaps, every person and thing in this world is incomplete like the positive and negative poles of a magnet, inevitably drawn to each other when they meet.
The pity was, such meetings were rare.
She still remembered a line from a certain script:
“For the entire global population, the probability of one person meeting another is roughly one in eighteen billion. That’s a chance so miraculous it’s practically a miracle itself. Meeting is a miracle cherish it well.”
Long ago, during the honeymoon period with the Demon King, Vyea had once thought she had won the lottery. Oh my, one in eighteen billion! To have a non-lucky person like her actually meet someone like him.
Then I must cherish it!
For the first time, she truly felt a sense of belonging in this world.
For the first time, she entertained the idea of forging a deeper connection with this world.
The result? A complete and utter failure.
Vyea felt like a clown, toyed with at the whim of the people in this world.
“Brave, do you hate me for deceiving you?”
The blonde-haired, golden-eyed girl walked against the sunlight, her footsteps light and even, until she stood behind Vyea. Then, slowly crouching down, she reached out and embraced her. The long-awaited touch of the hug made Vyea’s eyes involuntarily narrow in comfort.
“I remember how much effort I put in just to make you a little more lively and cheerful before, so why are you even more silent now than before?”
Guess why I’m not smiling?
Damn Demon King! I really hate you!
You made me into this miserable state and then disappeared from my world on your own accord.
This time, Vyea didn’t resist the embrace from the medium cup Demon King. She remained silent.
During their adventures together in the Hero Squad, Flavielle had told Vyea that she came from the distant Fairies’ Homeland. She was a fairy born outside the timeline, a Fruit of Poison fallen from the World Tree.
Because of this, the Demon King would appear before Vyea in various forms across different time periods, even with some personality differences.
In later reflections, the Demon King in the loli time period was the easiest to bully she was completely a punching bag, silent and pliable.
Growing a little older, the half-loli half-girl period was lively and clingy, always flitting around like a little sweet sister, which was also easy to manipulate.
And now, the medium cup Demon King standing behind Vyea was the fully matured young girl. Flavielle’s first appearance to her had been during this stage this was the period she held as the most perfect in her heart.
Unfortunately, this period of the Demon King was the reverse Tian Gang (meaning she was ruthlessly manipulative), not only toying with Vyea but frequently controlling her future as well.
Terrifying!
Hmm… and then there was the super gentle, alluring large cup Demon King.
Delicious, always hungry, wanting to eat.
Just thinking about it made Vyea swallow a nonexistent saliva maybe being a clown wasn’t so bad?
Nonsense!
She was a Brave! The one destined by fate! The one who would manifest before the people to save the world! Not some Tom cat dancing and spinning in the palm of the Demon King’s hand, being kneaded and rolled around!
“Brave, do you need me to teach you how to grow up?”
A gentle voice sounded beside Vyea’s ear. Then, the Demon King’s small body tightened its embrace, soft as a white rabbit pressed against her back.
“…”
This feeling was so strong it gave Vyea the illusion of returning to her mother’s embrace.
Behind her was the scent of a lover.
Perhaps, if she just turned around, she could.
Vyea’s slender body trembled slightly, her emerald eyes squeezed shut. Deeply buried scenes from her past were stirred awake from their dusty memory box by this single touch.
There were too many moments worth remembering, as numerous as the meteor showers that streaked across the Burton Plateau an event that could light up the entire night sky, with millions of shooting stars. Yet, the time left for her to reminisce was too short, too fleeting even for a few words of mutual comfort upon reunion.
When facing those dearest and most beloved, her hardened heart always softened, even to her own embarrassment.
“Vivi… I won’t be caught by you anymore.” Vyea spoke softly, lowering her gaze. “We’re done. Broken up. Divorced. Even if I still miss you, I won’t take the initiative to think of you anymore.”
Divorce required both parties to sign. One-sided wasn’t valid.
Ignoring her words, Flavielle’s sunny golden eyes remained filled with an inexhaustible tenderness like flowing water. She tightened her hold on Vyea’s arm.
“You cannot live with me, but you cannot lose me either.”
“Is that so?” The Demon King posed a question that left the Brave silent.
“I guess so.”
Flavielle chuckled, slipping her hand under Vyea’s clothes to caress the spot where the Hero’s Mark was branded.
“Did you feel excited when you knew your Hero’s Mark was dyed with my color?”
“Why?”
Vyea suddenly asked, “I’m already like this. From now on, I won’t bother exterminating your beloved demon subjects anymore, yet you still won’t let me go?”
Flavielle smiled faintly and asked softly in return, “What do you think, my dear Brave?”
“Then just kill me already! I won’t fight back.” Vyea closed her eyes, voice resolute.
“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Eighteen years later, I’m still a hero!”
“So cunning.”
Flavielle was momentarily struck by Vyea’s words, a flash of irritation sparking within her. Yet she only sighed softly, murmuring, “You know I don’t have the heart to hurt you.”
Vyea pursed her lips dismissively. So what?
Suddenly, she sensed the strength of the embrace behind her surge. With a spin, she was pinned beneath Flavielle. Her emerald eyes involuntarily widened.
Maybe she was startled by the Demon King’s action. Maybe, deep down, she wanted to see Flavielle once more.
In this moment, in Vyea’s eyes,
The sunlight seemed to drape the Demon King’s pale golden hair with a soft, sheer veil. Flavielle’s beautiful face smiled as charmingly as ever, carrying the irresistible aura of a youthful girl. Her golden irises shone brighter and brighter, as if molten lava was flowing within them.
Flavielle held Vyea tightly and, to her stunned gaze, pressed a kiss to her lips.
“You must live well on my behalf…”
“…Never give up on yourself easily.”
At the moment their lips touched, Vyea’s consciousness seemed to blow a fuse and plunge into blankness. In an instant, her thoughts completely stopped functioning.
Her first kiss was thus satisfied and tucked away into the memory box of reality from a dream.