Ailsa seemed amused by Ryu's question.
She stood from her coffin, revealing a small triangular patch of golden hair between her legs as she almost glided toward Ryu. In what seemed to take an eternity, she made her way before him, looking up and into his silver eyes with her own sparkling rubies.
Her smile shone like the stars in the sky, her soft pink lips curling into a gentle slope. "If I couldn't see into your mind, I would think that I was an ugly woman. It's a good thing for me that I can."
"I have a wife." Ryu replied plainly.
Ailsa giggled lightly. "Am I not more attractive by your human standards?"
Ryu's eyes frosted over. "If you dare to speak ill of my wife again, I won't care for what benefits you can bring me. I'll kill you where you stand."
Ailsa sighed. "How unfair." She was unmoved by Ryu's threat though she could tell that it was very much real. "I've waited more years than I care to count for you, yet you refuse to fully accept me."
Ryu frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"You still don't understand?" Ailsa looked into Ryu's eyes. Looking at how serious she was, Ryu caught a glimpse of why his wavelength matched with his woman. That gaze… To think she could look like this too. "Us faeries don't have this thing you humans call 'sexuality'. We choose our life partners based on our wavelengths and compatibility. Even if you were the small sprout of a nameless tree, I would stay by your side for the rest of my life."
Ryu wanted to refute this as ridiculous. Wasn't this the same thing as allowing Fate to decide your own happiness? Ryu had decided to never allow Fate to rule his life again, so how could he sit here and listen to this woman speak about how they were meant for each other? However, Ailsa interrupted him.
"Don't push the concepts of you humans unto us faeries. Our cultures are too different. You've gotten to where you are today by supposedly fighting Fate, but have you really? Do you know how many individuals have been born with Ancestral Great Circles throughout all of time? Not just this Realm, but every Realm in existence? The answer is less than ten thousand."
Ailsa shifted her gaze from Ryu. "And do you know how many individuals were lucky enough to also be chosen by a Sky God as well? The answer is one. And that one person is you. I haven't even spoken about your Heavenly Pupils, or your birth into the Tatsuya Clan.
"Do you really have the face to go to an orphan without cultivation talent, born on the Lowest Mortal Plane, and tell him or her to keep their head up and "fight Fate"? My dearest Life Partner… Your perspective of the world is shallow, filled with arrogance and overblown pride, and truly laughable."
Ryu silently listened to Ailsa's piercing words. Wasn't she correct? When had he ever truly fought against Fate? He kept lamenting a 'hard' life that truly didn't seem hard at all…
"To answer your question: yes, I will make you stronger. But, not as strong as I could if you accepted me, something you clearly have no intention of doing. I am among the highest races of faeries. We are known as the Cultus Sprites. We stand above elementals and battle faeries despite not having much combat prowess of our own… We are known for our ability to nurture and foster growth.
"Cultus has many meanings in many different ancient languages, but it is centered around a general meaning of 'to nurture'. The legends of Gods and Goddesses in your human lore that focus such things are usually tied to my ancestors.
"I have the ability increase the growth speed of Spiritual Herbs. Right now, I can do so by several ten thousand times. But, in order to leave this space I will need to bind my soul with yours as I cannot exist outside the Faerie Realm without my Life Partner. Unfortunately, this process will limit me in two ways. The first is by level of intimacy between us Life Partners, and the second is by your cultivation. By my estimates, I'll be limited to a ten times increase due to being limited in both.
"Next, I have the ability to unlock the potential of beasts. My people have turned many a snake into arrogant dragons. If you find suitable beast companions, I will be able to untether them from the chains of their weak bloodlines and limiters.
"I also have the ability to sense strong centers of nature, similar to Life Partner's Feng Shui comprehension but on a much deeper level. Given time I can find Life Partner many great and hidden areas of cultivation.
"My presence soothes the Heavens. Simply by binding yourself to me, your cultivation speed will increase, as will your ability to comprehend. There will also be many excellent passive affects such as increased healing capacity and energy recovery. But, most important will be the impact on sensing Natural Orders, specifically Natural Enlightenments and Elements. My impact on comprehending Birthed Phenomena is limited since they were constructed by you humans, but in terms of Natural Endowments and Elements, I will be of great help. With me, I guarantee you that you'll only need a few days to touch upon the entry boundary of your Northern Heavenly Wind.
"Finally, and maybe most important to you, I can shroud and protect Life Partner. Faeries are very good at existing between a state of reality and imaginary. I can make it so that no one will be capable of sensing your Ancestral Great Circle or your Heavenly Pupils. At least, no one on the Pedestal Plane will be able to."
What Ailsa didn't bother to say was that if her and Ryu's intimacy was at the highest level, even the new rulers of the Martial Plane wouldn't be able to see through him unless they reached the Soul Quintessence Realm. However, there wasn't really much of a point in saying this, right?
Ryu continued to silently gaze at Ailsa. He knew well what she was thinking, as she knew well what he was thinking.
He wanted to use her for the sake of saving his family, but there was nothing further. This sort of reality deeply scarred Ailsa, causing her to put her playful attitude away. How many years had she been dreaming of her Life Partner, only to run into this unfeeling man?
At the same time, Ryu himself also got a rude awakening. Ailsa had shrouded her previously jarring and piercing words by beginning to list her 'uses' to Ryu – as though she was a tool rather than a person – but they still hung in the air as though they had never left.
"Let's go." Ryu finally said.
If this Soul Link was witnessed by others, they'd feel a shiver of coldness One would never guess that Ailsa and Ryu had just bound their souls to one another… Ailsa simply shrank to the size of a palm and shrouded herself in a white gown to sit on Ryu's shoulder silently as he left the hidden realm…