Chapter 14 - Feelings

Unaware of what the mother and daughters talked about, Rhys was in his room now. He was laying down while deep in thoughts, thinking of the future. He was sure he loved the sisters, but he would take it slowly. That was one of the things in his mind, but the other one was: Edea and Ailin.

Why? Well, that was because inside of his soul he felt like he was betraying them by falling in love, but Rhys knew this wasn't him, but the original Rhys. The original Rhys had very deep feelings for them, something one shouldn't normally have: Love.

He loved them to the point of wanting to get strong enough to be with them, that is what lead to his death. In the end, a fraction of Rhys's soul fused with the original. Which made Rhys get some of his feelings and memories.

This made Rhys feel troubled, although he felt something for them he still left. He never expected to fall in love with a woman, much less two. Hell, he didn't even think he would fall in love a few months after transmigrating!

But one's feelings are strange, they can do things one wouldn't expect. So now that Rhys had confessed to Stella and Crystal, his soul ached with the thought of not being with Edea and Ailin. He did not feel like this when he left to 'train.' But now he did, only after he confessed his love.

So this brought him into a mess, mentally. That is what to do with Edea and Ailin, the mother and sister of the original Rhys.

'Should I meet them and see if my current feelings change? No... I left for a reason, if fate allows it we would meet. Swarshlen saw my fate, he would now, alas he is dead. I guess I can only confess these feelings to Stella and Crystal, to see their reactions. Will they be disgusted or accept? I wonder.'

With that in mind Rhys fell asleep, so many complex emotions yet Rhys does not understand how they will change him.

——

Early in the morning Rhys woke up and took a bath, adorning white and black robes. Afterwards, he moved outside of his room where he met Stella and Crystal. They smiled at each other. Rhys felt a little awkward showcasing emotion now that his relationship had progressed.

They proceeded to talk for a few hours freely, but Rhys noticed they would look towards the Palace, as they were outside in the back garden, every now and then.

"Why do you keep looking towards the Palace?" Rhys asked, his eyes squinting.

"Ah! No reason. We just feel like you should get closer to your future mother-in-law no?" Stella spoke a bit nervously. While Crystal stopped looking altogether.

"I guess you are right, but before that, can we talk about something? Privately, in my room." Rhys spoke, his tone serious as he stood up and started to talk towards his room.

Stella and Crytal looked at each other when they saw Rhys leaving and hearing his serious tone, so they too followed him. Aurora who was in her room felt them come into Rhys's room and decided to listen and pay attention to what they would do.

After all her daughters would never do this, 'Could it be they will do 'that'?' Aurora thought as she used her soul sense to listen.

——

Inside Rhys's room, Rhys sat on his bed while Stella and Crystal sat beside him, they knew he would not do anything naughty, so they were at ease.

"What is so serious you need to talk to us privately?" Crystal asked while Stella looked at Rhys.

"About my background, life before I met you. I'm sure you are both curious since I never spoke about it before. Even then you decided to trust me and confess your feelings." Rhys smiled bitterly as his long hair covered his face when he put it down.

Stella, Crystal, and Aurora simply listened to Rhys speak. As they were deeply curious, but they knew everyone his secrets, even themselves.

"I'm sure my family name, Zuldroan, rang no bells. That is natural because I am not from this empire, but Highsky Empire, at least my family is. The Zuldroan family is a hegemony that even the Empire is wary of, due to our bloodline. Anyways, because of our bloodline purity decreasing our family indulged in incest. In fact, we were the first family within Zolorix to do this.

"Because of this, our bloodlines fused into one 'superior' bloodline. But that is irrelevant for now. Incest is the main problem, our family became very different. Marriage between siblings and family became very common. I, who was born into that family have also developed feelings for my 'mother' and 'sister.'

"Which is why I am talking to you about this, I want you to know these things. Since in the future there is a chance I will make them mine, in fact, I'm confident it will happen when I meet them somewhere in the future."

Stella, Crystal, and Aurora were shocked. They never found out anything about Rhys since the Zuldroan family hated spies, they would be killed when found. Only the nobles of the Highsky Empire knew, yet they were under oaths not to divulge any information or else their families would be exterminated.

"So Rhys... you are saying you have feelings for your blood-related family?" Stella's voice was normal, like she didn't care at all.

"Yes..." Rhys did not dare look at the sisters. He knew this was normal in the world, but that didn't mean it was accepted by all, Rhys knew it was something that didn't happen in his past life, at least that he was aware of.

"I see." Stella fell deep into her thoughts, while Crystal closed her eyes.

In her room, Aurora felt a bit complicated about what she heard, since it wasn't like she was okay with that. But at the same time, she understood their need to keep their bloodline which made their family.

Rhys closed his eyes and was prepared to be berated or even worst, left. They had confessed to each other but that did not mean they were so in love with each other to die for each other. At least not yet.

It was then he felt four soft melons press again his body, two in front of him and two behind him. He opened his eyes to see Stella hugging his chest while Crystal hugged his back.

They hugged Rhys tightly, they could understand that Rhys was scared that he would be looked down on or even seen as a disgusting person.

"We understand Rhys, we are not wrong with it either, there are records of these types of things happening. We know you are not the only one who feels this way, in fact, we know many people who have married each other." Crystal spoke in his ears, her hot breath making Rhys tremble as he felt his body react.

Stella used her finger to trace his chest down and up, "Like sister said, we know. We don't hate you for it. In fact, we are happy you confessed this, that you felt like it was important enough to tell us this."

"Ah..." Rhys understood something, their love for him was enough to ignore things that would be considered 'unnatural.'

Aurora in her room also had a form of enlightenment when she heard her daughters speak, 'Indeed, it is not weird now that I think about it, society might not like it but it isn't forbidden either.'

Because of this, Stella and Crystal managed to get closer to Rhys, although it was a day after they confessed their feelings,

——

Stella and Crystal currently stood inside of their mother's room. Who was sitting on her bed. It was night time and Rhys was currently cultivating, unaware of this secret meeting.

"So mother, when will you go and speak with him? Rhys does not know about your feelings. In fact, I can feel he is a bit wary of you because of your strength." Stella sighed as she spoke, feelings her usual confident mother being a shy girl at the moment.

"Indeed, how are you going to confirm your feelings? I'm sure he wouldn't mind having the whole pack." Crystal laughed like a little child at her own joke.

Aurora's eyebrows twitched but she remained calm, at least on the outside.

"I know... but I... we have never felt like this, yet somehow you are able to express your feelings. Even if I do accept him, what of the Empire? Will we let it fall?! I am confused about what to do!" Aurora was very shaken.

"What about Grandma? Wouldn't she take her position back?" Aurora flinched when she heard Stella.

"Mother does not want anything to do with the Empire. She retired because she was tired of dealing with fools."

"How about one of our ancestors? I know they still live, we only rule for 300 years before the current Empress retires and passes down her position. I know one of our ancestors had two children, one became the Empress, but what of the other?" Crystal looked at her mother who seemed to have realized something.

"That's right!" Aurora exclaimed in happiness, Stella and Crystal laughed seeing their mother being happy at the prospect of being able to be with Rhys, even when she talked about accepting him. It was as if she had accepted him when Rhys had yet to know.

"Mhm, I know one of the twin daughters of the past decided to become the Empress while the other became a hidden ancestor and cultivated in peace. I am sure she wouldn't mind becoming the empress.... but how will I explain that I want to stop being the Empress? They might not accept if they know it is for love."

"Mother, we will help you convince our ancestors. After all wouldn't they also wish us happiness?" Stella spoke as Crystal nodded, the two giving their support.

"Fine... let us first plan how I will move with Rhys from now on, how will I get closer to him?!" Rhys was an enigma to Aurora, who is always wary of her.

"Right!"

——

As Rhys cultivated the Eternal Paragon Void Body, which helped him absorb energy and aether, he felt his body twitch.

'Another breakthrough?... No, an upgrade in Physique...'

Shn!

Rhys gritted his teeth, the pain of the body being tempered by aether was too much. Why? Because aether is energy that disrupts and destroys. So using it to temper the body is very stupid, at least if one didn't have the Eternal Paragon Void Body Cultivation Technique.

Rumble!

Space destabilizes even more, as aether started to rush into the world to be absorbed into Rhys's body. The aether that entered his body started to refine itself and increase in both quality and quantity.

Rhys's body increased in quality as the Eternal Paragon Void Body increased to stage 2.

Bang!

A muffled explosion was heard within Rhys's body as his physique increased in rank.

'Finally...!'

The breakthrough made Rhys feel great! He felt more connected to space as well as a tiny portion of insight into 'extinction.' Or absolute destruction.

Of course, Rhys had no idea why he gain this type of insight, so he tried to ask Ina, but she did not reply. In fact, now that Rhys noticed, he realized he wasn't in the room where he had cultivated, but in a place that was chaotic.

'Huh?' But before Rhys could comprehend what happened he found himself back in the room and he saw a spatial gate closing behind him.

"What happened?..." Rhys spoke out loud with a confused look.

Ina who heard him speak spoke in her mind, "What do you mean?"

"Did you not see anything? Nothing at all!?"

"No." Ina's reply made Rhys furrow his eyebrows.

"What the actual hell..." Rhys decided to stay quiet after this.

——

The void.

A place where many elements clash against each other, making it a chaotic place where not many dare explore, even those that do don't go too far into the void.

At this moment, deep inside the void bodies floated within the dark void, these bodies were like humans but were very thin and had very long arms, one would recognize these being as fiends.

Their corpses numbering millions floated within the void lifelessly.

In the middle of all these corpses floated a woman, her purple hair flowing freely in the void as she seemed unbothered by the chaotic energy that would corrupt and destroy a normal person.

Her dark robes seemed to fade into the void, making her voluptuous body hide from the naked eye. Sadly, there was no one present to see her, as all life was dead besides herself.

This gorgeous woman with purple hair opened her shut eyes, revealing golden eyes shining brightly.

"So that is the person using my technique.... Interesting... I guess I'll have to wait to meet him until his physique is strong enough to be in the void."

Her words rang out clearly, her voice sounding divine as she once more closed her eyes.