The moment the notification faded, the Heavenly Demon felt something shift deep within her - something fundamental, though she couldn’t quite identify what. Before she could examine the sensation, her body began to transform.
Her form started dissolving, slowly turning into wisps of golden light. The wisps detached from her, swirling around the room like fireflies caught in a current.
"What’s happening?!" Cipher panicked, reaching out toward her. But when he noticed her expression remained calm, free of pain, he forced himself to still.
Her entire form dissolved into those dancing motes of light, circling around him in a gentle orbit before converging once more. The wisps gathered, condensed, and reformed into the Heavenly Demon standing before him.
Yet she seemed... different.
Her features remained the same, but her robes had transformed - now pristine white adorned with blue stripes. Her hair had shifted permanently to white, and above her head, a golden halo hovered, radiating a soft glow.
He observed her carefully. "Did you really... transform into a constellation?" he asked, shock evident in his voice.
The Heavenly Demon was equally surprised by what had occurred. She examined herself, taking in the changes. Then her eyes widened as she detected something else entirely.
She clutched her head. Her mind realm. It was back.
How was this possible? She had believed she couldn’t recreate it as long as she remained connected to Cipher. She glanced at him, studying his expression. Could it be because she had finally let go of her obsession?
How ironic...
"Umm, is there something on my face?" Cipher asked, shifting uncomfortably under her deep gaze.
"What?" She blinked, suddenly realizing she had been staring. She quickly turned away, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks.
Then she paused. Her expression grew serious.
Did she just...
No way.
She already had her mind realm restored. How could she still be affected by mortal emotions?
She turned back to him. He did look kind of cute, she had to admit...
She caught herself again.
What was she thinking?
Cipher looked up at her, eyes wide with confusion. "What are you..."
She stared at him intently, her gaze piercing.
Then she extended her hand, easily tearing through his shirt. Her palm pressed against his bare chest, feeling the warmth of his skin, the beat of his heart.
He let out a strange sound.
It surprised both of them.
He looked to the side, avoiding her gaze, his face flushing red.
"Umm... this... this isn’t appropriate," he muttered.
She quickly let go.
She waved her hands around frantically. "Umm... no... it’s not what you think!" she stammered.
Since her emotions had been unstable, she had been testing if her mortal desires were affected too.
And they were.
What was going on with her?
Maybe her mind realm hadn’t fully stabilized yet. Yes, that had to be it.
As she tried to convince herself of this, she suddenly noticed the world around her drain of color.
Oh no, she thought.
The next second, the entire wooden shack erupted in flames.
An explosion of golden energy blasted through the structure, sending Lyra flying backward through the air. Burning debris scattered in every direction.
Maya descended from above.
"Maya?" Cipher asked in surprise, still lying on his back amidst the wreckage.
She landed next to him, positioning herself protectively between him and Lyra.
Lyra, who had been knocked away, got up easily. She brushed ash from her new white robes and gazed at the newcomer with a serious expression.
"It’s you," she spoke.
Maya moved closer to Cipher and erected a barrier around them both.
"Brother Cipher, don’t be scared," she declared. "I will definitely protect you from that evil woman!"
"Evil woman?" Lyra’s eye twitched. She was beginning to get annoyed.
"Yes!" Maya pointed an accusatory finger at her. "I saw how you acted just now! You wanted to... to... to..."
Her face flushed bright red.
"To take advantage of Brother Cipher and do bad things to him!" she shouted.
"I won’t let you!"
Cipher looked at Maya, then at Lyra, then back at Maya.
"Bad things?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Umm, well..." Maya fidgeted, her face growing even redder. "You know... when a woman pushes a man down... and tears off his clothes... and touches his chest... she wants to... to..."
She covered her face with her hands.
"She wants to do... adult things!" she finally blurted out. "Things that happen between a man and a woman! Inappropriate things! The kind of things that... that..."
She couldn’t continue.
Lyra’s face flushed crimson. "What?! I didn’t want to do that!"
"Hmph!" Maya lowered her hands, glaring at her. "Now you deny it? Do you think I’m stupid? I saw it with my own eyes!"
"How did you even know that’s what I was supposedly going to do?" Lyra demanded.
"Heh! That’s easy," she spoke smugly, "I read it in a novel! When a girl acts like that, she definitely wants to..."
"You based your accusation on a novel?!"
Lyra scratched her head and let out a long sigh.
"I have no time to play around with you kids."
With that, her figure slowly dissolved into wisps of light, fading into nothingness until not a trace of her remained.
After confirming she was completely gone, Maya whirled around to Cipher. "Brother Cipher! Are you alright? Did she hurt you? Did she touch you anywhere strange? Are you feeling okay? You’re not traumatized, are you? Should I..."
"I’m fine, I’m fine," he reassured her, holding up his hands. "Really. Lyra isn’t like that."
Maya crossed her arms, her expression stern. "Brother Cipher, you are so naive! You should be careful around those kinds of women. They’re no good!"
"Alright, alright," he said, reaching out and patting her head.
She calmed down instantly under his touch.
He observed her quietly. Although she appeared to be the same Maya he knew, there was a different air about her now. He wondered what had happened to her.
...
Meanwhile, inside Cipher’s spiritual sea, Lyra appeared.
Cipher sat outside the house they had constructed within the spiritual realm. He looked up at her arrival.
"How does it feel to be back here?" he asked.
"Hmph." She merely scoffed at him.
He looked around, wondering what he had done wrong now.
"Anyway, why did you return here? Now I have to accumulate qi for another week or so before I can summon you again," he said.
"No need to worry. I returned here with my body, so there is no need for that," she replied.
Cipher stared at her in surprise. "You returned with your body? How is that possible?" He paused, a thought occurring to him. "Does this mean this is a real world? That I can store physical things in here?"
She stared at him for a long moment before sighing. "It’s complicated. Don’t think about it too much."
With that, she retreated into the house.
He watched her leave, puzzled. What’s up with her all of a sudden?
Inside the house, Lyra pressed a hand against her chest, feeling the rapid beat beneath her palm. Her face flushed.
Damn you, Cipher. What are you doing to me?