The three stood before the raging woman.
Her sword hummed with barely contained energy.
"What do we do now?" Maya asked.
She shot Lyra a blaming look.
"You brought my brother into this."
Lyra exhaled heavily. She was breathing hard, sweat dripping down her face.
"Don't worry," she said between breaths. "I've already figured out her trick."
"Really?" Cipher asked in surprise.
"Yeah. It's simple. I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner."
She placed her hand on her chest.
Her heart was beating fast. Too fast.
She forced herself to calm down.
This woman was her mother. And her father was the Absolute Source.
That meant she inherited the best of both worlds.
She was born at the Creation Realm. That meant she had something equivalent to an Absolute Source Fragment.
She looked at the Lady.
"Do you think you're the only one who can love?"
The Lady's eyes narrowed.
Lyra turned to Cipher.
Before he could realize what was happening, she grabbed his face with both hands.
Maya's eyes went wide.
"Don't you dare…"
Lyra ignored her.
"I really, really, really, really, really love you," she said.
And leaned in.
Their lips met.
"YOU BITCH!"
Maya roared and shoved Lyra away from Cipher.
She grabbed her brother's shoulders, checking him frantically.
"Brother! Are you okay?! Did she poison you?! Cast a spell?!"
Cipher blinked, still processing what had just happened.
"Uh... well... I didn't expect this."
Maya whirled on Lyra, fury radiating from every pore.
"How DARE you take advantage of my brother! If we don't die today, I will DEFINITELY kill you myself!"
But Lyra just smiled.
She held her void sword steady - steadier than it had ever been.
"I'm your daughter," she said to the Lady. "So I can love just as much as you can."
She charged.
…
Mother and daughter clashed.
Their swords met with enough force to shatter dimensions.
The Lady struck, Lyra parried.
Lyra countered, the Lady blocked.
Every attack was matched. Every technique was neutralized.
Perfectly equal.
Lyra smiled.
Just like how her mother loved so much she twisted the world's logic around her love, Lyra had done the same.
She amplified her love for Cipher and used it as her rule for the creation realm.
She couldn't be defeated because that would mean her love wasn't strong enough.
And her love was absolute.
That being said...
How long was she going to keep this up?
While she felt she could fight forever, she really didn't want to be perpetually locked in combat. Knowing how crazy this woman was, she really might just fight for eternity.
…
The battle continued.
Minutes. Hours. Days. Time lost meaning.
Then…
The Lady stepped back.
She seemed more than agitated. Her whole body was twitching.
She looked at her arm.
It couldn't stop trembling.
Her eyes began bleeding.
Lyra observed her cautiously.
What's happening to her?
The Lady looked like she was suffering from withdrawal. Her breathing was ragged. Her movements were jerky. Her skin had gone pale.
Could it be...
She loved her husband so much she was getting withdrawal symptoms from not being around him?
Lyra turned to look at Cipher in the distance.
Her expression darkened.
Would she also become like that?
"What did I do?" Cipher wondered, noticing her glare.
Lyra turned back to her mother, remaining vigilant.
The Lady gripped her sword tightly.
She looked at Lyra.
Then at Cipher.
"Dammit."
She pointed her sword directly at Cipher.
"You. Stay here and don't move."
Her voice was strained, desperate.
"I'll come back for you after I recharge. Hear that? Don't you DARE move."
She looked at Lyra.
"And you? This isn't over. No one can love more than me."
She coughed blood mid-sentence.
Lyra waved her off dismissively.
"Alright, Grandma. Quickly go back to your husband before you die of blood loss."
The Lady's eye twitched.
Then she flew away.
She bumped into three stars on her way out.
…
Lyra watched her mother disappear into the distance.
She looked down at her own hand.
It was trembling.
She smiled softly.
It wasn't the best way to meet. But she felt... a little happy.
To see her mother for the first time.
As for her father...
She looked up at the endless void.
There was no need to meet him. He was the source of all existence. He had never left.
He had always been there.
She turned around toward Cipher.
Her expression froze.
He was gone.
"That bitch," she cursed.
She vanished.
…
"Brother, we must get away!"
Maya dragged Cipher through the void at maximum speed.
"You saw how that woman was acting! She's definitely as crazy as her mother!"
"Maya, I don't think…"
A slash came from above.
It split the void before them, cutting off their path entirely.
They braked instantly.
Maya looked up.
Lyra floated above them, void sword in hand.
Tch. She caught up, Maya thought.
Cipher smiled calmly.
"Calm down, sis. Lyra is definitely not that kind of person."
But Lyra was trembling.
Her breathing was heavy. Her eyes were unfocused. Her grip on her sword was white-knuckled.
"Lyra?" Cipher called out.
She seemed to snap out of her state.
The intensity in her eyes faded. She looked down at her sword as if surprised to find it in her hand.
She hid it quickly and floated down.
"I... I'm sorry," she said, her voice small. "I got caught up in the heat of the moment."
"It's okay," Cipher said gently.
"IT'S NOT OKAY!"
Maya stepped between them, arms spread protectively.
"Don't you get it, Brother?! Are you really that captivated by her that you don't see the red flags?!"
She pointed at Lyra accusingly.
"She just tried to KILL us both!"
…
Far away.
Yu Tian and Xueling floated in the void, observing the scene.
I really couldn't help but come watch, Yu Tian thought. Even though I already knew how it would go.
Xueling tilted her head.
"Will Lyra also end up like Li Yao?"
Yu Tian was silent for a moment.
"Hard to say."
He watched as Maya continued berating Lyra while Cipher tried to mediate.
"But another monster has been born."
Their eyes met with those of the three in the distance.
Yu Tian smiled.
Then he and Xueling disappeared.
[THE END]
…
A/N: Not even 200 chapters? This stuff is just not for me. In another world, I'd be writing yuri smut. Anyway, once I recover from this story, I might write some side stories. Oh yeah, I said that for IA too and still haven't. Don't worry, me getting there…eventually.
Thank you.