Chapter 0053
Tempest was at first irritated the amusing show has been interrupted but she changed her mind as the new show is more interesting than the comedic couple that is Emery and Base Avon-Ying.
“I am not your soul mate!” Jean denounced the newcomer for all to see and pushed him away.
Tempest isn’t surprised by the announcement. Through their talks and Ventus relaying all the interesting conversation to her, Tempest understood the backstory behind Jean and the newcomer.
“I know I was wrong in our previous lives, and you are hesitant to give me another chance, but I swear, this time, I will treasure you forever.” Verack De Nunick grabbed Jean’s hand and shamelessly beg.
Yay, the aforementioned groveling is here. Granted, it wasn’t from the comedic duo, but it is live groveling from a handsome man and a princess! When has anyone back on Earth see royalty groveling so publicly?
They don’t.
It will tarnish their image as royalty.
In Tempest’s mind, the British royal family already tarnish their image when the whole fiasco with Princess Diana happened. The whole Charles-Diana situation was a blunder from the beginning. Using an eighteen years old girl as a facade for the sordid love affair was plain wrong.
Regardless of the situation, Diana was eighteen when she married. She didn’t know better, and even if she did, the pressure to marry into royalty was not something she should be made to bear.
Tempest was all eyes and ears, eagerly watching the drama unfold before her.
She wasn’t the only one.
Amber stood to the side watching the interaction between her soul mate and her friend. On one hand, he is her soulmate. Regardless of her feelings, the man is meant to be hers, yet she’s handing him over to someone else on a silver platter. On the other hand, she hates the bastard more than anything in the world. Words can’t describe her feelings towards the moron.
Love, hatred, jealousy, envy and sorrow flashed through Amber.
Unbidden, the memories of her death flitted through her mind, hardening her wavering heart. She knew that unless the root cause of the tragedy is destroyed, nothing but a vicious cycle of loving happiness corroded by lies and mistrust leading to bursts of anger followed by reconciliation and rebuilding cycling back to periods of joy awaits her until everything ends with her death.
It is better to part early in this life rather than repeat the cycle. They had six chances to break the cycle, and they failed. Amber held no hope the cycle would break in this lifetime.
“I may not have my soulmate in this life, but I can still have happiness!” Amber brand the vow into her heart. With the eye of a scorned lover, Amber watches the play before her.
Pah!
Jean slapped the pushy man before her. She always wanted to beat the bastard black and blue in her previous life but never got the chance to do so. Now she can do so with impunity. Regardless of how horrible Jean was behaving, the man had to swallow the insults and beg her to come with him.
“I already told you. You have the wrong person. I am not your soulmate.” Jean knew how people thought. She might not be a powerhouse in her country, but she has enough insight to survive the intrigue of the court. The more she insists she wasn’t his soulmate, the more he will insist that she is.
When he finds out she isn’t his soulmate, be it a few days from now or a few centuries from now, she can insist she told him the truth and it was he who enforced his belief onto her.
“I know I’ve messed up several times, and you want nothing to do with me but please give us another chance. I swear I won’t mess up this time.” Verack De Nunick shamelessly beg and swore. When a man failed his soulmate several times, he has to thicken his skin and beg.
“Listen to me. You have the wrong person.” Jean insisted.
“I know we’re meant to be. You know it too. The Frozen Moon technique you used on the Alpha Iron Clawed Wolf is one of the many techniques used in conjunction with the Moon Soul Mantra that you practise in your previous life.” Verack De Nunick countered.
“Many technique look the same.”
“Not this one.”
“I’ve told you before-”
“If I can interrupt this scintillating discussion,” Aria Se Jivock cut in, “but why don’t you give her undeniable proof you are soulmates. Otherwise, this conversation is getting nowhere.”
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“Yes. Prove that we are soulmates.” Jean interjected.
“The Red String of Fate.” Verack looked towards Jean with a beseeching gaze. “Will you believe me if I perform the Red String of Fate spell?”
“What is the Red String of Fate spell?” Tempest asked as she moved closer to the trio.
“The Red String of Fate spell is a heavenly tier spell that illuminates the soul bond between two cultivators. Once the spell is cast, a line connecting to soul can be seen by the naked eye. If the two souls are very far apart, a general direction can be induced.” Amber walked closer to Tempest as she explained the spell.
“Is it easy to cast?”
“It is very hard for soul practitioners to cast the spell other than Soul Liners. Soul Liner can see the bonds of karma between two souls. There is a faction among soul practitioners who believe the bonds between soulmates is a stronger form of karma. Irregardless, a powerful Soul Liner such as myself can easily cast the spell.” Everyone knows Aria Se Jivock wants to gain Tempest’s favor. Her explaining the situation isn’t surprising, however her boasting proves questionable.
“Why doesn't everyone in the Ethereal Depths use the spell to try and find their soulmates?” Tempest continued her line of questioning.
“Soul practitioners know of the spell by name, but the actual spell itself is known by only the powerful Soul Liners of the Se clan.”
“Then how does he know how to cast the spell?” Tempest got to the main point.
“The spell is a part of the Sun Soul Mantra heritage that I cultivate. I use the spell to find my soulmate in my previous life as well.” Verack De Nunick easily explained as there was nothing shameful about using a spell to find his soulmate.
“I hope the Moon Soul Mantra and the Star Soul Mantra we got from Jean is worth all the trouble our way!” Tempest yelled at Ventus.
What exactly is the problem?
“Do you know how powerful the behind the scenes manipulator is?”
Not really.
Tempest growled out her aggravation, “Powerful enough to control a portion of the reincarnation process, smart enough to create a spell that brings soulmates together, strong enough to awaken the memories of the spell and deadly enough to wait eons for the couples to mess up time and time again!”
What do you mean?
“Think about it. Messing up six times can’t be an accident. The first time, maybe the second time can be accidents, but the third time and there after, it is straight out manipulation. It is stretching the laws of probabilities far too much for two souls to meet each other lifetime after lifetime among the whatever trillions of souls out there, not to mention the millions of realms that exist.
“Therefore, whoever is messing around with the soulmate bond can control a portion of the reincarnation process. He, she, they were able to create a spell to help reunite the soulmates and have the power to imprint the spell on the soul itself. It is the only way dumb blond over there can find his soulmate again and again. The manipulator has the patience to wait six lifetimes.
“The life of a cultivator isn’t short. The Sun Soul Mantra is a heavenly soul cultivating mantra. The cultivator will no doubt get very far in life. Assuming he lives for a million years each time, then the manipulator has waited for six million years already.
"How dangerous is a cultivator that all these qualities? And WE HAVE TO GET INVOLVE!” Tempest spelled out her assumptions to Ventus.
You are already involved. Might as well try to get some benefit out of it. Ventus casually stated an important fact like she’s buying cabbages from the grocery stores. Spirits!
“How am I involved?”
A few lifetimes ago, the so-called manipulators successfully destroyed your relationship with your soulmate. You swore vengeance against them as you were being slowly consumed by the Shrouded Sand Worm.
Tempest paused, “How bad was it?”
It took the Shrouded Sand Worm 30,000 years to fully digest you. You were alive during the entire process.
“I guess I have to pay back those bastards.” Tempest said with resignation. The mouth says one thing, the heart says another. Deep in her heart, she's resistance to the idea of confronting a powerful entity or powerful entities.
Yes, you do. The Shrouded Sand Worm was the easiest among the bunch. There was also the Eternal Golden Flame they used to torture your soul, then there was the Nether River Corrosion, oh and let's not forget the Impending Mountains you were buried under and Blood Venom insect they used to control you. That one was hard to watch.
“Wait a gosh darn minute! How many times did they mess with my love life?”
At least 12 times.
“I thought after seven lifetimes, the bond between souls will be severed?”
7 consecutive lifetimes. There were breaks between yours.
“Those bastards.”
Yes.
“If I don’t go looking for them, they will go looking for me.” Tempest thought sadly. “There are some inevitably related to fate.”
Tempest was glad for once she developed a reputation for going into a daze. No matter how much she vented towards Ventus, her physical body will not react to her anger. Her body will always maintain a dazed appearance.
During her conversation with Ventus, Verack De Nunick started to cast the Red String of Fate spell.
1 hour later, he’s still casting.
2 hours later, he’s still casting.
3 hours later…
“Damn it, how long does it take to cast the spell?” Tempest burst out. Only she and Aria Se Jivock will dare comment during this time. Everyone was busy trying to memorize every move Verack De Nunick made. It was not everyday a legendary spell was cast in front of them. Someday, they too hope to have the power to cast the spell and find their other half. Hence, everyone ignore Tempest’s outburst.
“Soon.” Aria Se Jivock was the only person unconcerned about the situation. She already knows the spell. As a powerful Soul Liner, the second most powerful Soul Liner in a clan that claims to be the most proficient in Soul Liner skills in the Cardinal Realm, or so she claims, Aria Se Jivock can easily cast the spell and find her other half.
“Is it even worth it?” Tempest can easily converse with Aria during this time because she doesn’t care about soulmates, true love, life companion or whatever they call it. It isn’t because she doesn’t want someone to devote their life for her happiness. She simply never thought about it. Or more precisely, she shied away from the thought of devoting herself to another, body, heart, mind and soul. There was too much pain, too much betrayal for Tempest to want to open herself to a complete stranger.
The person she meets through the spell will be a complete stranger. Love at first sight? Ha. When he sees how crazy she can become, he’d run. It happened before. It’ll happen again.
“Maybe not to you, but for girls here, it is.”
“Hmph.”
Aria’s soon turned out to be another hour. Tempest shot Aria a perplexed glance but said nothing.
Suddenly, a red line emerges, no, more like slowly becoming visible to the naked eye as Verack De Nunick powered the vision with his soul force.
“Ah that is what it is.” Tempest mumbled to herself, finally linking the spell to the myth back on Earth. In Asian culture, especially China, there is a belief that two people are linked through fate by a red line. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but will never break.
Back on Earth, the Red Thread of Fate is believed to be tied to the little finger.
Judging from the where the thin red thread originates from, it is the sternum.
The thin red line Verack De Nunick painfully manifests connects him to Jean!