Without any sorcery energy, Mabilis and Iracia instantly fell into a passive state where Forus and Ocelia constantly harassed them with the help of the Leaning Tower of Forst. Restained by the greenish vines, Mabilis was the first to fall, dying honourably by detonating his body, using its remaining force to destroy the godly hand, helping Iracia with his last push.
However, although the hand got destroyed, without Mabilis to help, Iracia could not overturn the battlefield where Ocelia and Forus rotated to heal and harassed her. Not long after, she suddenly laughed in a twisted tone as she disregarded her injury and went for a suicidal last strike.
Despite getting killed by the combined might of Forus and Ocelia, becoming nothing for than the black goo on the floor, her echoing screeches lingered within the room, haunting Forus and Ocelia with its unholy presence. Her suicidal attacked ripped Forus' arm apart as he attempted to dodge, causing blood to spew out endlessly. If not for Ocelia intervening at the crucial moment, Forus might lose both of his arms.
After the atmosphere of the room turned tranquil and peaceful, Forus collapsed onto the floor as Ocelia held him up, using her Ice Element to seal his arm back to his main body. His breathing was uneven, having many sweats on his face, panting softly in pain.
Reattaching body part was as easy as drinking and eating for a sorcerer. Although it would take some time to regain the average flexibility, it was still better than not having any ways to do it. As for Forus' eyes, the injuries had a trace of a second-ranked sorcerer as well as a mysterious spiritual seed in it, making it nearly impossible to treat. If not for the mystical power of the evil entity that helped him advanced to the first-ranked, Forus must at least become a second-ranked himself to recover his eyesight.
Almost as if Ocelia was taking advantage of Forus' injury, she pulled him onto her lap and placed his head on it, looking at his face silently while treating his arm, feeling the warmness and itchy sensation of his touches. Although their attire had become a mess, covering in dust and blood, Ocelia did not mind having her pale body exposed in front of Forus. After all, he could not see, which made her a little disappointed.
Before long, Ocelia and Forus started to hear the faint sound of music again, slowly soothing their tired mind and stirring their emotions. The pace of the song was slow, soft, and peaceful, uplifting the tense atmosphere after the big fight.
Only the tranquil of the music permeated the whole chamber, illuminating the minds of the couples. The golden lustre of the walls occasionally manifested as the orangish light of the candles flickered, brightening the dark parts of the hallway that the torches on the walls could not do.
With her back against the wall, Ocelia felt the cooling breezes as her head laid onto it, closing her eyes as she wandered into the realm of dream, hoping for her worry about the future to go away, wishing for the happiness of her husband, yearning for her wedding to come faster. Little by little, the longing sensation overwhelmed her mind as she fell into her slumber, dreaming about their lovely family, living in a peaceful wildness without any disturbance, with her husband, together, forever.
Although Forus had not fallen asleep yet, he continued to lay onto his wife's lap, enjoying the softness and warmth that radiated from her body. He could feel that a delicate hand was resting on his chest, subtly moving as it brushed through his body, giving him a tickling feeling. He could imagine a scene where a maiden was looking at his face, smiling as she tried her best not to let her husband know about her excitement, which he found it to be cuter when she tried to hide it.
Before long, Forus also fell into the state of a dream as a soft smile emerged on his face, giving off happiness and tranquil. The tiredness and wariness from before vanished without a trace as a simper from the maiden entered his mind, giving him everlasting power to conquer her heart, as well as letting her occupied a place in his.
...
The two figures sat at the opposite end of the other, not speaking at each other for a long time. They had spent their time analysed their previous battle to find and eliminate their weaknesses.
Because it was at the nighttime in the realm, the surrounding was quiet as only the crackling noise of the campfire remained. As for other dangerous animals, the two had already displayed their strength and killed most of them, as well as annihilated the guardian of the Door of Hope, scaring everything away.
"In the end, we still lose, huh?" As if she was mocking herself, Iracia spoke with a hint of tiredness in it. Although she suffered no physical damage, her unyielding heart had taken a tremendous blow, disrupting her stable emotions.
Her long green hair that she had tied into a braid rested on her shoulder, moving ever so slightly as the night-cold winds of the forest breezed past her. The black bodysuit-like clothing on her body not only blended her in with the darkness, but it also captivated her beauty, becoming the lady of the night as her body curve exposed itself under the moonlight of the pale sky.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Her previous greenish pupils unexpectedly turned into scarlet colour, having a hint of bloodthirst as well as the demonic aura coming from it, shocking the onlookers into despair. Not only that, but her nails also became slightly longer as well.
The excessive usage of demonic bloodline would have turned her into a complete demoness if not for the marvellous power of the Fleeting Emotions Ruin. However, although the Fleeting Emotions Ruin could heal the physical body, it could not do the same with her soul.
By now, her ordinary human soul was no more. Instead, her soul had become something between the human soul and the demon soul, turning into a mixture of the two. As for which side would eventually emerge victoriously and devour the other, it would depend on which faction of her was better at adapting and overcoming the other.
"Not only that, but we also lose at the last step." Mabilis followed up with dry laughter, feeling a little regret over his miscalculation. With his knowledge, he naturally could deduce that the earlier battle was the last test of the Door of Hope. If he could defeat the enemies, he would have gotten the best rewards.
Although it sounded like the two did not receive anything, that was not the case. From the battles within the Door of Hope, Mabilis and Iracia had absorbed a large amount of black substance, improving their sorcery mastery as well as stabilizing their cultivation foundation. They also got the precious chance to train their fighting styles as well as gained some unusual experience with many mystical techniques and spells.
However, as much as they gained, it also became the source of their regret, and even though they had lost and did not know the content of the final rewards, just the second place was as valuable as this, then what would the first place be?
Staring at the door before him, Mabilis fell deep into his thoughts as he tried to decide his next move. Previously, when they first found it, it had the name of the Door of Hope. Now, when they failed and got sent back towards the forest, it had changed its appearance and became older and weaker. Its name also changed into Gate of Choice.
Without any help of any spells, Mabilis and Iracia could easily guess that the realm had presented them with two choices, and they could pick any of them and go along with it. However, they could only choose one of them and could not return to select other option, hence the name Gate of Choice.
First, they could choose to step into it, allowing it to transfer them out of the Fleeting Emotions Ruin, going back to their place and used their time to absorb all sorts of treasures and gains they got from the ruin. With the enormous resource they had gained, their seclusion would be long and slow, and it would induce them a qualitative change, becoming exponentially more powerful than before.
Or, they could decide to abandon the Gate of Choice, choosing to wander around the region to search for more inheritance and secret rewards, trying their best to gain even more resource from the realm. Naturally, the Gate of Choice would vanish after a duration. Only when they met the condition would the Gate of Choice appear in another location for them to find.
"Miss Iracia, what do you think?" As Mabilis made up his mind, he turned towards Iracia and asked her. After the battle, he had known that Iracia had rapidly grown into a much more vicious and powerful than before, making him felt a little wary towards her.
"We should continue to explore further. We have only uncovered so little of this place, and I am not satisfied at all." Iracia licked her lip as she spoke, sounding domineering and wicked. Her demonic wings stirred as she felt a sensation of comfort rushed through her veins every time she flapped her wings.
Hearing the confirmation, Mabilis nodded as he also felt the same. Just from the legacy he and Iracia got alone, they could perceive that the Fleeting Emotions Ruin was not simple. Instead, it would be once in a lifetime opportunity for them. After all, who could guarantee that they would land into this realm again the next time they came?
Not to mention the mystical power of Forus and Ocelia, just the demonic bloodline of Iracia had moved him considerably. If he could get one more legacy at the same level of his third eye or Iracia's demon body, he would with no doubt soar even higher into the sky, gaining more chance to break into the realm of second-ranked and became the future leader of Sagunien Family.
All these points, both Iracia and Mabilis knew them in their heart, and they also knew the risk that came after them. However, because the benefits were too huge, they were willing to take the risk and brave through the danger of life and death.
Without any hesitation, the two figures walked away from the Gate of Choice, moving across the horizon as they battled their way towards the future where many legacies remained hidden for them to uncover.
...
His dream was still and silent, sweet and tranquil. Forus regained his consciousness as he slowly sat up beside the resting figure of the maiden whose heart had stolen his.
After assuring that she was still sleeping, Forus poked her nose as a smile emerged on his face, imagining the annoyance on his wife's cute appearance as she subconsciously avoided his finger ignited his playful behaviour.
However, as soon as his finger landed onto Ocelia's nose, her hands abruptly sprang up and embraced his body tightly, locking him onto her as she placed her lip onto his. The rapid assault surprised Forus, causing him to forget about savouring the moment as Ocelia quickly retreated and smiled proudly.
"Wife, you shouldn't scare me like that." Coughing dryly, Forus spoke as he quietly regretted about his silly actions. Furthermore, he also yearned for Ocelia to keep her lip onto his a little longer.
As soon as Ocelia heard his words, she suddenly stopped moving as a single tear manifested onto her face. It was not the drop of sorrow, but it was a drop of joy as she finally got to hear the word which she yearned for so long.
"Why did you do that? My old heart almost stops beating." Not knowing the current state of Ocelia's mind, Forus spoke again as he slowly stood up, preparing to head forwards to the Door of Hope.
However, his movement got obstructed again by a pair of delicate hands, grabbing his arms and pulling him down. Not only that, the hug was far firmer than the previous one as their lips also connected longer than before.
Ocelia felt happy, and she intended to reward Forus with a grand prize.