Yin & Yang Pleasures of Cultivation

During the exact same time, Darcel awakened in the gray cave, a similar situation was occurring with Aniela. 

She was in the same gray cave structure as Darcel, even going so far as to have the same gray energy swirling in front of her.

But the difference with her was that Aniela was all alone. Aniela was currently slumped against a gray boulder, her eyes wearily staring at the gray energy in front of her.

'Darcy….little fox….I can't believe we all got separated….' These depressing thoughts nestle in Aniela's mind like a hurricane. 

And combined with the bloody, battered, and broken state of her body, it truly made for the worst situation she ever been in.

Just like Darcel, Aniela's spatial ring was cracked, rendering it utterly useless to the current her. Her Qi reserve was nearly depleted, and she wouldn't be able to regenerate any bit of Qi.

Also, like Darcel, Aniela was hearing faint whispers slithered into her ears. 

Whispers such as, 'Come….you can come….' or 'You must come….'. 

Although, unlike Darcel, her whisperings didn't get as intense or as loud as his.

But, Aniela couldn't really pay attention to those whisperings. Slouched against the gray boulder, staring into the gray energy, a heavy melancholy feeling was enrapturing Aniela.

For her childhood, there weren't a lot of things she could remember. Trying to dig deep into her past, Aniela would feel as if there was some sort of block in her mind preventing her from remembering.

But, there was one memory that always stuck with her since childhood. 

Her first meeting with her beloved Darcel. The snarky, indifferent boy that was her beacon of light in the cruel Parasol Organization.

Even as the Parasol Organization was a terrifyingly suffocating place, Aniela could genuinely say she wasn't alone there. 

Through every cruel experiment, unbearable torture on patients, and the mental scarring, Darcel was always right by her side.

Even before they got into a relationship and Darcel began to change, he would always be there for emotional support for her so they both could get through the terrible times.

And then, when they finally left that damning Organization, she and Darcel eventually met Masami. 

The only girl Aniela can honestly say she has romantic feelings for, just like Darcel.

Obviously, their connection is far shorter than the one she has with Darcel. But Aniela genuinely felt like Masami completed a part of her soul. An innate soul connection isn't just sweet and flowery words.

It was a bond that let Aniela understand Masami and really go deep with their relationship. 

Even with that short and brief kiss she shared with Masami, Aniela genuinely wanted to explore more of Masami's mouth and body, showering her with her feelings.

But now….Aniela felt her fist clench on instinct. 

She was all alone; two sides of her soul that she was attached to was forcefully stripped away from her. 

And Aniela didn't want to be alone; she wasn't content to just sit here like a sack of potatoes. She knows perhaps things would've gone differently if they didn't rush into that fight.

But like how Aniela learned early on in life, there was no use in dwelling on negative feelings. She can only improve and get better from here. 

And the first step was to get out of this cave and find her team!

Aniela's eyes had already gazed around the cave, and she saw there weren't any exits. The only choice she had was to take a gander and go through the strange gray energy that got her here.

Realizing this, Aniela calmed her body. She took a deep breath and let her body rest. For a few minutes, Aniela stayed still, waiting for at least a bit of the pain to die down.

When Aniela finally felt the pain was bearable enough to stand, she slowly stood to her feet. 

'Ah! Sheesh! There's pain….but this-this is just terrible….' Aniela complained to herself as acute pain ran through her legs while merely standing up.

It was at times like this, Aniela actually marveled at the extraordinary tenacity of a cultivator's body. 

Or, more specifically, the tenacity of her body and soul. 

Aniela was sure any other cultivators, even if they were in the Innate Core realm, would've already passed out from these injuries.

Although, Aniela wondered how she was able to bear with these terrible injuries. But since she's up, Aniela wasn't going to waste time thinking heavily on that.

Aniela had then wearily hobbled over to the gray energy. 

The whisperings stayed at the same faint volume for her, and one thought nestled deep in her mind, 

'Darcel, Masami….I will find you two!'

….

Once again, in the same gray cave yet in an entirely different location, Masami leaned against a gray rock while clutching her bloody chest. 

In front of her was the same gray energy both Darcel and Aniela saw.

And this whole situation was filling her with a tremendous sense of drought. Her body was flaring in immense pain, her spatial ring was cracked, and her mind was in chaos.

Masami couldn't even focus on why she got here, the mistakes that led her here, or anything like that. Her mind was just filled with the depressing loneliness of being separated from Darcel and Aniela.

Masami wasn't a girl who's not used to loneliness. She's been accustomed to being alone and isolated from childhood until now.

And during her previous alone times, Masami never felt like she needed to make friends or improve her relationships.

She even preferred being alone as she didn't have to deal with all the trouble of interacting with people. 

But all of those thoughts immediately changed now that she's away from Darcel and Aniela.

Not having them by her side was truly showing Masami just how deeply attached she is to them. Their lovely beautiful faces, their sweet, charming voices, she wanted them back already.

The most frustrating and cruel part of this was how Masami couldn't even tell if Darce or Aniela even made it out alive. In the battered state of her body, trying to sense her Darkness Soul link left her too muddle and confused.

'Tch….and it was because of that….no….this fall into our hands.' Masami wanted to put all of the blame on the rat scientist, but she couldn't delude herself in that.

She knows if they just would've handled that battle a bit differently, then they would've been back at their room enjoying their sweet quality times. 

Masami quietly sighed to herself, and her eyes had then focused on the gray energy.

It was faint, very faint, but Masami's ears could still pick up on some whisperings. She managed to make out the whispers as telling her to come over and come now.

Masami already knows there's no escape besides the gray energy in her current state. 

But right when she was about to try and stand up. A memory from her past suddenly and vividly popped into her mind.

The image of her mysterious grandma came into her mind as she recalled one strange conversation her grandma decided to mention to her. 

Her grandma told her, 'Little Masami, you know the mysterious myth of the infinite power source in our Plunged Tundra, hm? Well, what if I told you that myth isn't so mysterious as what everyone thought.'

Masami remembers she was quite a bit confused since that myth has been passed down for generations; she recalled asking her grandma,

'What do you mean, Grandma Sage? Is everything that recorded just a lie then?'

'Not necessarily. This is a secret, so you have to keep this between us. But there indeed was a time when the strongest cultivators on the entire planet actually gathered in the Plunged Tundra and attempted to look for the infinite power source. Their results? Well, they all reportedly sensed it, but none of them could break some sort of invisible barrier. Even with the powers of the invincible Demigods, none of them could get through. But, nobody knows about this story.'

Numerous questions ran through Masami's mind at that time. She blurted them out one by one, asking her, 'Eh-eh? Then how do you know Grandma? Were you a part of that group? And why are you telling me this?'

Masami remembered her grandma didn't even respond to any of her questions. She only saw a flash of blue spark from under her hoodie, and her grandma put her hand on her head.

'Who knows why I'm telling you this….maybe you'll find out. Or maybe you won't. Just keep this information in mind.' 

And that was as much information Masami got from her.

Masami always knew her grandma's knowledge and wisdom far surpassed anybody she ever interacted with. Not even her mother or her father's wisdom or knowledge matches up to her.

But that talk just came so out of the blue. Masami didn't even remember bringing anything up to prompt that talk. 

Though, when her grandma put her hand on her head, Masami did feel subtle warm energy ran through her before quickly disappearing.

And now, in this dank gray cave, that memory mysteriously resurfaces in her head without any warning. 'Grandma….can this truly be what she was referring to? But….ah whatever. Grandma is too mysterious and wise for her own good. I can't make any head or tails about this. Only one option left really….'

Masami shook her head, clearing her thoughts and focusing her mind. 

Enough time has passed thanks to that sudden memory resurgence where Masami felt the pain was at least bearable enough.

Slowly, she shakily stood up while leaning on the gray boulder behind her. 

'Nnngh….' Masami inhaled a sharp pain of breath when standing on her feet. It was agony, but Masami knew she had to suck it up.

Focusing her mind, Masami began to groggily stride forth towards the gray energy, her thoughts repeating the same line. 

'No matter what this is, I won't let it get in my way. I just found blossoming love, no way in hell I'll just submit to fate and die!'

….

Chills shivered up Darcel's spine as he stood in a new space. 

After passing through the gray energy, Darcel was taken to an entirely gray space where there was nothing but him here.

There wasn't any semblance of temperature here. Yet Darcel felt cold death chills just standing here. 

Darcel could admit it; it was genuinely frightening to be here.

But once realizing he felt a bit of fear, Darcel calmed himself. He took a deep breath, letting the tension in his body relax. 

Though he still felt agony in his body, he'll at least have a calm state of mind for anything coming up.

And it was then an unidentifiable voice slithered into Darcel's ears. "To become calm so quickly. And hold that in you. Really, anything is possible in the universe. Child. I have a question for you."