Rynn opened his eyes, grunting as he forced himself up. What had knocked him out? Was that a Saint's power? He wasn't in the cave anymore — where did the twins go? Where did Aer go?

"Rynn."

He turned, flaring his aura and conjuring a whip of water out of instinct. "Who are you, and —" His jaw dropped, and his aura instantly dissipated. "Mai!"

He scrambled towards her, squeezing her as tight as he could. "I'm… how did you get here? Are you okay? Did your father…"

Seira must have been rubbing off on him with this sentimentality, but he couldn't remain stoic, not when she was in front of him. Tears gathered at the edges of his eyes, and he lifted her up, spinning her in the air. "Nevermind that, you're here now! Let's just focus on that."

She gave him a heart-melting smile, her perfect lips curving up just the way that they had back on Paradise. "Rynn, you've gotten stronger."

He beamed at her, re-flaring his aura in emphasis. "Yes. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again! Your father, the matriarch, soon they will all shake at the thought of laying a finger on you. We won't need to hide our relationship any longer! The Saint… well, I doubted her at first, but she has helped me more than anyone in the Hong Clan."

She kissed him, intertwining her fingers with his own. "I knew you would be strong, Rynn. And anyone who has helped you in your journey must be great indeed. But… have you surpassed her yet?"

He pulled away, flushed. "Well, she's a Saint. I've reached past the limits of anyone on Paradise, though. Before… something happened, I was at the peak of the Infusion stage!"

She looked at him, confused. "Only that much? The matriarch elevated us all to Nascent Soul in a day."

"W-well,” he stammered, “ I have a superior foundation, and I’ve found that my latent talent is greater than even Braves! That must be worth something, right?"

She pulled her hand away. "... Sure. Rynn, it sounds to me like that Saint has been holding you back. I'm a Warrior, and I'm still a circle above you."

He scratched his head, his cheeks heating up in shame. "I've learned that her methods work, Mai. The twins, Seira and Kiro, were able to defeat me because they trained with her. And when I do advance, it will be flawlessly and without injury. But Mai... how could you trust the matriarch so much?"

She frowned at him. "How could you trust that Saint? Her reason for why her methods work is that two people can beat you if they work together?"

He shrugged. "She had halved the weight of the world on me. It was as fair as a fight like that could get."

"It sounds to me like she's manipulating you, Rynn. I love you, and I can't stand seeing you being pulled along like a puppet! She probably just didn't do as much as she said, or maybe she secretly boosted those twins too. Ugh, I've never liked that Brave, and you're the only good Sun I've met."

"What? I thought you said that Suns shouldn't be treated as poorly as they are..."

She scoffed. "Oh please! Rynn, I just said that because I didn't want you to feel bad! But now that you have some power about you, you don't need to associate with those talentless freaks!"

"I… I did say the same thing to Kiro when we first ascended."

She smiled. "See? Even you know! Rynn, power rules all, and now we have it. Get rid of that pesky Saint, and come back with me! I've already beaten my father to a pulp, but I'll let you get a few techniques in if you wish. That's just what he gets for underestimating how powerful you'd get!"

He hesitated. "Mai… do you know what the matriarch plans to do with us?"

He withdrew the jade slip from his bag, handing it to her. "Please… channel mana into that."

He didn’t want to cause her any more pain, but she deserved the truth. At least he’d be by her side to help.

She knocked it out of his hand, laughing. "Oh, let me guess — the Saint gave you that, too?"

He furrowed his brow. "Yes? Mai, I really think that you should —"

"Has it ever occurred to you that she might be tricking you? Rynn, I swear, you're so innocent! What real evidence do we have against the matriarch? She's treated us well for all your lives!"

"She forbade me from using mana."

Mai snorted, taking his hands in her own. "Only because she mistook you for a weakling! As soon as we get back, we'll clear that up, and then you'll be promoted to Brave! We could live together, like we’ve always wanted."

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He had to admit… that was enticing. Still, he hesitated.

"Mai… I'm not sure about this. The jade slip… I don't believe it was fabricated. Please, just use it."

She harrumphed, turning away from him. "You're brainwashed, Rynn! I don't know how else to put it!"

She gave him a frustrated huff, tossing him a pill not too dissimilar to the ones that Aer used. "This pill will take you to the Second Circle, if your latent talent is truly as great as you claim. Use it to get to Nascent Soul, and I won't leave you here forever. But if you don't, don't expect me to love you any longer."

"W-what? Mai, how could you —"

"You're weak, Rynn. I cannot have a weak lover."

He frowned. What had happened to her, in the weeks that he was gone? How had she changed so drastically? Still… if anyone could change her back, he knew he could.

He exhaled, staring at the round red sphere of mana. "I… for you, my love, I will do anything."

He settled into a cultivation trance, allowing the pill to spill its contents into his channels. Immediately, he knew it wouldn't be enough. It was more potent than Aer's pills, but also more crude and unruly. And he knew just how much mana and time needed to be spent to solidify your foundation perfectly.

He opened his eyes, shaking his head at Mai. "It's not enough. I've sustained an injury to my core, lowering my cultivation to the early Infusion stage."

She tossed him a bag, and when he looked inside, it was full of similar pills. "Use them all if you need. The matriarch has plenty — just another benefit of going with her instead of that Saint."

His eyes widened, and he nodded. "Of course."

"But you'd better be done in a few minutes."

"W-what?"

She walked away from him, flipping her hair. "If you're truly talented, you won't need more than that amount of time, Rynn. Prove to me that you're worthy of my love."

He gritted his teeth, biting into the first pill. The only reason he had ever even come with Aer was to be strong enough to protect her. He would be worthy of her love — they could figure everything else out afterwards.

The pill's energy spilled into his channels with an unseen ferocity, and he forced it to convert into elemental mana. Another pill went into his mouth, and the flow doubled. The torrent of mana flushed through his body, strengthening his muscles and bones before crashing back into his core with the strength of a rushing waterfall. Instantly, he felt a qualitative change in his advancement, and he continued.

In, out. In, out. Faster and faster, his cycles infused his core with further elemental aspect, bringing him closer to the peak. But, as he listened to Mai's tapping foot and uninterested huffs, he growled. It wasn't fast enough. He needed more!

Another three pills were downed in an instant, releasing a sea of fire into his core at such a prodigious rate that he could barely even convert the aspect. But that wouldn't stop him. His iron will forced his spirit to comply, and it pushed past the limit, turning all the mana in his system to elemental in an instant. Yes! What had he been thinking, trusting Aer and the twins to lecture him? True power came from pushing past your limit!

He shouted, breaking through to the late Infusion stage with a single cycle. This was trivial! He would show Mai just how much he loved her, and he would show the world that he was not to be trifled with! The matriarch would welcome him back with open arms, once he established a cultivation base so perfect that none could challenge him!

The churning sea of elements turned into a roaring whirlwind, and another five pills were downed in seconds. His channels strained even further, but he forced them not to break. Injury was just what happened when you were too weak, and he was not weak! Mana crashed against his core at an intensity he had never even believed possible, and a victorious grin crossed his face. He would become a paragon!

Five, then ten, then fifteen cycles passed, but the peak was still just barely out of reach. That would not do! He grabbed a fistfull of pills, crushing them all and drawing the mana in through his skin. He couldn't be bothered to be efficient anymore, not when overwhelming power was so great!

Then, he broke through to the peak. He roared in triumph, but looking at Mai, he gritted his teeth. This was not enough. For her, he would go further!

Another cycle pushed against his core, even greater than any of the previous, but nothing absorbed. He needed more! More power! The entire bag dissolved, and he crammed the rest of the mana into his channels, keeping his core from bursting with sheer willpower. He would reach past the pinnacle, achieving levels previously unheard of! And, as if the heavens themselves had bent to his will, something changed.

New strength flooded his spirit, but this was not yet the energy granted by a soul. No, this was different — less complex, yet somehow just as potent. This was the final step in solidifying his foundation, the step that nobody before him had even thought possible to take!

His aspect was no longer just infused into his core. No, his core was positively saturated, the mana growing so dense so as to take physical form. This was not supposed to happen until Nascent Soul, which was but a testament to his power. He flared his aura with a laugh, and Mai's eyes grew as wide as plates.

"Rynn, you've… you've reached a new stage, but it wasn't Soul Formation? But… your core has so much mana in it!"

He gave her a victorious grin, gathering his mana for one final push against his core. "I have reached a stage never before known! Through sheer will, I have infused more aspect into my core than physically possible, advancing me past the stage of Infusion and into the fourth stage of Foundation Establishment, Core Saturation!"

She jumped into his arms, the blissful softness of her lips pressing against his own. "You're so amazing, Rynn! I knew I had chosen right when I found you.”

She pulled away, looking deep into his eyes. “I love you, Rynn.”

A tear streamed down his cheek, and he brushed a stray hair from her eyes. "I love you too, Mai."

What had he been thinking, talking about conspiracies and treason? As long as he was with her, everything would be okay.

"I'm yours, for now and always. Now come with me, won't you?"

"Of course, love."