Shin continued to tease and pinch Uriel's cheeks, ignoring her cries saying that she was too old to be nudged or played with like a toy. But, how could Uriel escape the grasp of a Rank 99 Spirit Saint? If Shin wanted to squeeze his daughter's cheeks, he was going to have his way. Fortunately for the teenager, her saviour was just around the corner.
"Stop bullying our child, Shin!" Kanari's laughing voice echoed out from the mansion as she walked over in her signature kimono.
"Mother, you're finally back!" Uriel ran to Kanari with tears in her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably as she rubbed the sore cheeks on her mother's flowery dress. "Father was bullying me! You must seek vengeance for me!"
"Haha, don't worry I will!" Kanari rubbed Uriel's head, gently calming her nerves. "Shin Iofiel! How dare you bully our child like that?"
"It's her own fault! How dare she inherit your cheeks! You know how much I missed you while you were on a business trip! Since I can't touch yours anymore, I had to make do with hers!" Shin protested with everything that he had.
"Ah… If that's the case, it can't be helped..."
"Mother?!" Uriel dropped her jaw at the about-turn that Kanari took.
"Yes, it can't be helped! I will continue pinching on her cheeks until the end of time!"
"FATHER?!"
"Yeah… I know that you're lonely when I'm not around… Do as you wish. Just don't overdo it… Leave some of her cheeks for me to squeeze as well!"
"Y-you… two… YOU TWO ARE BOTH BULLIES!!!" Unable to bear it anymore, Uriel ran far away from the garden, fearing that her cheeks were in danger. She could barely take her father pinching them, but if her mother joined in as well… Uriel's cheeks were going to lose all of its elasticity overnight!
"Ah, you made her cry."
"You were the one that landed the final blow, my wife." Shin chuckled as he took two steps forward from the elegant gazebo. Kissing Kanari's forehead, Shin brought the woman into his arms, taking in huge whiffs of his wife's sweet aroma.
"Ten years had passed… so why haven't you changed a bit, Kanari? Your scent, your face… it's all exactly the same! It defies all common sense."
"What are you a bloodhound?" Kanari chuckled as she returned her husband's embrace. On the outside, Kanari was a woman who seemed otherworldly and unfit for mortals to be around. Her smile always made her distant, and her demeanour screams superiority. However, whenever Kanari was in front of her husband, she could always revert back to her teenage self.
After enjoying each other's warmth for a good minute or two, Kanari took the initiative to split from her husband, much to Shin's annoyance of course. "So… Why did you call me back so urgently?"
Kanari got to the heart of the issue immediately. Over the last ten years, Shin never called Kanari back when she was busy. After all, all of his matters were just family affairs while Kanari had to deal with international issues. The world needed their impartial Queen, while the retired Shin could do whatever he pleased in peace and quiet. So, for Shin to call Kanari back…
Shin's face turned sour. He slipped his hands down Kanari's shoulder. He grabbed her by the wrists, leading her into the gazebo where they could have a private conversation. They both sat down as Shin laid his free hand on Kanari's cheek, gently caressing it with all the love in the world.
"Kanari… I don't have much time left."
"... Is Heaven calling you?"
"No, Earth is rejecting me." Shin shook his head. "I've told you this before… My existence is too powerful for the planet to handle. The moment I learnt One with Water, Earth had marked me as an existence that can no longer reside within the material realm. I have been delaying my ascension by rarely using any spiritual abilities over the past ten years, but once the next Day of Spirits arrives..."
"You'll be forced to ascend?"
Shin nodded in silence. There were two main reasons for Shin's inactiveness over the past ten years. One was to keep the political balance of the world since his mere existence was a threat to all of the superpowers' military forces. The other and more secretive reason for his early retirement… was to keep himself from ascending too early.
Spirit Saints could live for four hundred years, and Shin barely lived for fifty. While Spirit Immortals of the past didn't wait for their four hundred years to pass to ascend, Shin didn't want to rush. He wanted to spend more time with his friends and family. He wanted to see his children grow up and marry. He wanted to see the faces of his grandchildren. He wanted to watch the world rebuild after the disaster that broke the planet. Shin had so many ties to the mortal realm that he wasn't willing to ascend, even though it was his long-wished dream to chase Yggdrasil and reunite with the ones he'd lost.
"Last year's Day of Spirits was bad… In a lapse of concentration, Earth nearly kicked me out of the mortal realm without letting me say goodbye. Due to the nature of One with Water, my power grows even when I'm not doing anything. Over the past year, my understanding of the world's secrets and cultivation level only deepened, so..."
"You won't be able to contain it?"
"Yeah…" Shin nodded regrettably. "I'm sorry Kanari. I won't be able to see your wrinkles form."
"Hmph! As if that will happen!" The woman chastised her husband half-tearingly. "I'm already a Spirit Venerate! I won't have the same ageing issues as a regular woman!"
"Haha, you're right..." Shin chuckled. His eyes turned towards the mansion, where Uriel was busy brewing another pot of tea for her mother who arrived unannounced.
"My only worry is the children… I wanted to watch them grow into splendid human beings, so I'd spent most of my time guiding them, but… I won't be able to watch them marry or have children. I won't be there as they achieve their dreams, become Spirit Spectres or Spirit Venerates. I won't be able to guide them through their cultivation woes… Will they loathe me for being a bad parent?"
"How could they?!" Kanari slapped Shin on the wrist. "You've already done more than enough as a father for them! You've done..." Kanari's head fell, hiding her mournful face from her husband's view.
Kanari knew that this day was coming, Shin had told her many times before. Although chasing Yggdrasil was Shin's dream, he delayed those plans just to stay with her and the children. Shin wanted to at least live a hundred years and watch the fruits of his labour blossom. He wanted to see his children grow and spend as much time with Kanari until he ascended. Kanari knew all of that, but… She couldn't bear to see him leave.
"Don't be like that..." Shin caressed Kanari's head, gently soothing her as she dropped into his arms.
"But… but… We didn't spend much time together, and you're leaving already… How could you..."
"Haha, how about this? There's still a month until the Day of Spirits. Why don't we gather the children and take this long month touring the world on Bingbing's back? We can visit our friends, explore holiday destinations that we could never enjoy and you know… just spend quality time with each other."
"I would like that..." Kanari murmured back.
"Yeah, but we should visit the Himmel Empire last to save time."
"Save time? Why?"
Shin remained silent for a bit. His grip on Kanari's hands tightened as his emotions dialled down. Sighing, Shin finally said: "... I would like to make my ascension in the Himmel Empire. At the place where it all began."