“But… What does that mean?” Ri settled back down after her realization. As much as she wanted to believe that her parents had to be in this very universe, something wasn’t adding up. Plus, they didn’t know enough to conclude something like that. At most they could know for sure that Ri’s parents didn’t leave by normal means. .

A sad smile surfaced on Dyon’s features. He didn’t like seeing Ri in such a sad state, but these were things they had to talk about together. He was a hypocrite when it came to his loved ones. A lot of the time he wanted to carry all of the load and keep things buried inside, by he hated the idea of his friends, or his women especially, having to do so. His decision just months earlier to trust Ri and Madeleine to fight on their own was something that still tore him apart to this very moment.

He knew Ri was safe now, because she lay by his side. In fact, he knew Madeleine was safe too because on his way back, he used Little Lyla’s help to find a spatial tear to her. However, he still hated having to find Ri in such an injured state and although Madeleine wasn’t hurt when he found her, when he got a good look at the legacy world she was in, he had some pretty troubling guesses as to what her winning could mean…

Dyon sighed, “What we do know is a few things…

“For one, if your parents are no longer in this universe, they didn’t leave by the gates. No one within the last ten years has conquered a gate, so therefore the cultivation of your parents would be too high to enter one.

“So, with that understanding, we’ve eliminated one possibility, but there are others. If we assume that your parents aren’t here, then that means that there’s some other, novel way, to travel between universes.”

“Is there really such a thing? It doesn’t seem likely…”

Dyon nodded. Ri was right. If people could travel between universes just like that, then what would the gates be there for? And, when you think about the fact that the gates were created by the old man – a person who had transcended and wielded unprecedented power – one would be hard-pressed to justify the existence of such an item. And it became even more unlikely when you considered how weak this universe is… But… There was something nagging at Dyon’s mind.

“You’re right, but there’s something we’re neglecting…”

“You mean how it is my mother got here, right?” This was something Ri had begun pondering as soon as Dyon mentioned the problem with her parents leaving this universe. Because, if there was a problem with them leaving, then there was obviously the vice versa problem…

“Exactly. But, that question leaves more questions than even how your parents disappeared…

“We don’t know how old your mother was when she came here, so we have no approximation of cultivation. That means she could very well have used normal means to enter.”

“The problem with that would be that there are no Kitsune here… Not that we know of anyway. So, if the Kitsune had come here, why aren’t they here now?”

“True. There’s also something interesting about those questions. Remember when I told you that my master has seals on her memory? And that those seals most likely lock away pieces of information about the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect?”

“Mhm,” Ri nodded.

“Well, one of the things that we’re included in her memory was the oddity of the color of your aurora. This was something I found odd for a long time, in fact it was the main reason it took me so long to figure out you had conflicting constitutions…”

“You mean?” .𝒎

“Mm. After we met Bas and Liska, I confirmed my theory.

“The characteristic gold color an aurora gets denotes an innate wielder. A white color denotes humanoid species such as the elves and humans. But, beasts have aurora matching their species and species type… Bas’ aurora was a blazing red. Liska’s was a pale silver. And yours is a striking blue.”

“So, you think the Kitsune used to be tied to the Celestial Deer Sect?”

“It’s still too early to conclude that because my master alluded to the Celestial Deer Sect being in conflict with the qilin and dragons because of her husband and Little Black…

“But, if it was true, it would make sense for a number of reasons. For one, the elves had an alliance with the sect, which means that if the Kitsune were involved, that would likely be how your parents met.

“Secondly, if the Kitsune were in an alliance with the Celestial Deer Sect, it would also explain their disappearance from this universe. If a big war happened, and their side lost, it would be unlikely for them to have survived… Their state could very well be similar to the Celestial Deer Sect. However… There’s a problem with that assumption.”

“Mm. If they’re destroyed, why did my mother leave? Unless we’re assuming incorrectly.”

Dyon laughed. “That’s a possibility. Because of the martial world, whenever a woman disappears and she’s from a strong clan, I automatically think they must have stolen her to marry her off for political gain.”

Ri sighed. “But that’s just the sad truth… It happens too often… If you hadn’t helped the Elves so much, and I suddenly revealed my talent, even the Grand Elders might have used that as an opportunity to try and sell me off for their benefit…”

Leaning down, Dyon kissed Ri’s forehead. “Well that would be the end of them, now wouldn’t it?”

A small smile appeared on Ri’s delicate lips as she snuggled closer to Dyon, very content with his response.

“But, the truth is that my mother did leave before my father did… If it’s not for the assumed reason, then what reason could there be?” Although Ri didn’t want to think it, she got a nagging feeling in her heart that made her uncomfortable.

‘Did my parents leave because they didn’t want to be with me anymore?’

Updated from 𝘪.𝘤𝑜𝘮