The trip to have their Winter Camping during the summer began. A magical journey full of exciting adventure and magical sights. And road. Lots and lots of road.
Karni almost wished he'd borrowed one of Siduo's bikes. He had cooling in his mecha, but the sun still shone through, and the wind would have been so much more comfortable than the cooling from the AC. Travelling in a mecha was fun, just not long-distance travelling. And the two elements combined? It was just uncomfortable enough to be a constant little annoyance by his side.
After four hours of constant high speed travel the two decided to take a little break. Siduo stretched as they stopped on a little highway spot. She was mostly in the same position for that whole time. Karni did not stretch, because he was constantly moving inside the mecha to move the mecha.
The two caught quite the attention at this isolated lay-by. There were not many people, but the ones who were here were all wide eyed.
Karni and Siduo went and grabbed a seat in the shade. It was humid outside. The worst type of heat. It was odd to pack for both summer and winter this time around. Most of their journey was going to be hot, but later on, they were going to be camping in utter cold.
"E-Esteemed Soul Masters. May I take your order?" A somewhat frightened girl came to take their order. She looked younger than them.
That felt a bit surreal. In Shrek, Soul Masters were simply not treated that way, not even by normal people. They were an often occurrence there.
"Something cold." Siduo smiled as kindly as she could. "Any recommendations?"
"I- Uhm," the girl checked her menu. "Icy Fresh Lemonade maybe?" Her hands were shaking, which made the menu shake as well.
Karni tapped her finger, his third Soul Ring flashing briefly.
The girl jumped, before her eyes turned wide. A rhythmic, calm energy enveloped her whole body. Her nervousness went away entirely, her heart stable. "Wow. Uhm, thank you."
Karni waved his hand. "I'll have something cold as well, please."
"Niece!" A man came running out, pulling the girl aside. "Are you okay? Did they do anything? I saw a flash of purple!"
Karni spoke. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry. I just helped her calm down a little. My Martial Soul has the capability to relax. Somewhat." He added a tad of Relaxing Aura to his rhythm.
"Yeah, uncle, they just ordered." The girl answered. Karni and Siduo now understood why such a young girl worked here. It was likely family business.
"Oh… Oh, I'm terribly sorry." The man bowed slightly to Karni and Siduo.
The niece chuckled. "Uncle here has told me many scary stories about Soul Masters, how arrogant they can b- mmmmfwff!" The uncle covered her mouth.
Karni and Siduo laughed a bit. "No worries. A lot of Soul Masters can act arrogant when talking with normal people. Especially in remote regions."
The uncle apologised then laughed awkwardly. It was terrible to encounter arrogant Soul Masters—one constantly had to walk on eggshells. But encountering ones like Karni and Siduo was a joy instead. They usually left a big tip.
And he was right. Karni and Siduo enjoyed their cold drinks for half an hour and left an extra big tip before continuing their way.
This journey would take them a long time. A day and a half to be exact, which should bring them to their destination sometime toward the evening tomorrow. It would take them 38 hours to get there if they accounted for all the stops and one night of sleep.
As it neared midnight, the two decided to take the nearest motel. It was in a small forest village. By now, the weather's gotten decently cold, despite being summer. They've already crossed more than half the continent. It was odd to get from steaming hot weather to mild coldness in one day.
The two grabbed a single room with two beds and "parked" the mecha and the giant bike outside the motel, which offered quite an odd scene in this remote village.
They got nice and cozy and said a quick goodnight before falling asleep. Especially Karni, his Panda was being noisy about being tired for a while now already. It wasn't so much the physical exhaustion as it was the mental one of piloting a mecha the whole day.
Piloting the mecha in such a boring way for the whole day provided for unique training of just keeping up the consistency, and miniscule optimisation of movements. Eventually the little annoyances turned into tiny challenges he set for himself. It was with these musings that Karni fell asleep.
They woke the next day, refreshed. It was a bit awkward sleeping in the same room considering their relationship, but then again, they would have to get used to that for the next few days anyway. Neither of them had pure thoughts about it.
It somewhat reminded them of their crunch studies, where they slept in the same room for pure efficiency. Good memories. Except back then they did not have any inappropriate thoughts.
The two quickly dressed and got ready for their second half of the journey. Today, they would reach the Icebound Forest near the Extreme North. There was said to be a beautiful cliffside on one end of the forest. Or at least that's what they've managed to dig up. That was their destination. Either way, the north would provide a beautiful sight of the meteor shower.
As they stepped out of the motel however, they were greeted by quite a peculiar scene. A bunch of villagers have gathered around, taking pictures of the giant mecha. It wasn't just any mecha after all. Karni's mecha was Purple ranked.
Karni took notice of the chatter and already felt a headache. "Sisi, they know that it's 'two youngsters' who came here last night."
"Hmm. Shall we play along?"
Karni raised his eyebrow but followed her as she went toward the group. Siduo joined the unassuming crowd. "Does anyone know what they looked like?" She asked.
A man answered. "No. It was late when they arrived, the motel owner only caught a glimpse."
Karni laughed on the inside. He joined the crowd. "Anyone know how old they were?"
An old lady answered him. "Apparently quite the young-uns."
The two made their way to the front of the crowd, where Karni noticed a few kids next to Mecha's legs.
He made his way to the kids. "Whatchu looking at?"
The kids looked at him, full of smiles. "It's so cold and big!"
"Mm." Karni nodded. "Cause it's made of metal. Of course it's cold."
The kids continued to clink and clank on the metal with their hands. Karni looked to the side and saw that Siduo was simply waiting for him to do something while chatting up the crowd. Of course. He had to get into the cockpit at the top of the mecha, she just needed to sit on her bike, which did not get any attention despite the beautiful craftsmanship.
Karni stood behind the kids for a while, thinking what to do. The kids got a bit uncomfortable with him just standing there. He smiled and jumped onto the mecha, climbing it.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" One of the elder people shouted.
"You should be careful? What if the owners come back?" Another yelled.
Karni just kept on climbing, then reached the cockpit. "It's alright," he opened it, "since I'm the owner."
Siduo now also stopped chatting and hopped onto her bike, shocking the group she just had a lively discussion with.
"Anyway," Karni smiled. "Thanks for letting us stay here. But we have to go on if we want to reach our destination by nightfall." He turned on the Mecha, awing the people around them.
"Oh, um, kids. Please get away, it's dangerous."
The children quickly scrambled back to their parents and grandparents.
And so, their journey continued. Karni only now, for the very first time, realised how odd it was to be a Soul Master. A Soul Master, no, a Mecha, was an event that would be talked about for days in remote villages. Maybe not in towns, who would have their own protective regiments, but the villages would definitely feel surprised.
The journey now was just as boring and as beautiful as before, but the light of the morning sun gave it an almost sombre feeling now that they've reached the colder regions of the continent.
Ten hours later, they finally encountered snow. If their judgments were correct, it meant that they only had about two more hours to go before they reach the forest.
An hour later they took a quick stop. It was the end of the road. Karni connected to Siduo's communications. She was now also covered and was fully encased in the motorbike, as if it were a car, due to the cold.
"Sisi, is your bike okay offroad?"
"Of course it is. It's meant to be for battle as well, remember? If I could only use it on the road, it would be incredibly inconvenient."
"Well, the sun will set in about an hour, so let's hurry up."
As they were moving through the snowfield, Karni quickly checked the news. Good, the meteor shower was still scheduled for around 1am in the morning. They should have more than enough time not only to find the spot, but to set everything up for the night as well.
It didn't take too long to reach the Icebound Forest. Frozen trees, bark as dark as the night. It had an eerie feeling to it, yet also refreshing and wondrous all at the same time. The sunset sparkled beautifully off of the centuries old ice. Toward the sun, they felt as if in a dreamland, and away from the sun, it felt like a silent horror.
Every now and then they noticed Soul Beasts wondering around—weak ones, as this still wasn't the true extreme north. This area was one which humans had already taken over. The last grace for Soul Beasts on the continent was the Star Duo Forest and the true Extreme North.
By the time the sun completely set, they found that cliffside they were searching for. It was overlooking the perfect area of the sky where the meteor shower was going to show up.
There were multiple cliffsides they found before, but none as good as this one. Not only did it face the correct direction, but it was also above the trees below it. Stretching far in front of them was a beautiful sea of treetops and snow. This would be their home for the next few days.
A frozen cliff could be dangerous however, so Karni used the mecha and jumped on the cliff a few times. It did not move. It was a sturdy cliff. There shouldn't be any danger for them.
Karni opened the cockpit and felt the cold assault him. It had to be at least negative forty degree Celsius here. It was good that he brought warm clothes with him. With a little bit of Soul Power added as well, he was feeling perfectly comfortable.
Siduo stepped out of her bike's own cockpit. She shuddered, before doing the same as Karni. Both looked wide with the thick clothes on. They were like walking squares.
Their breath was visible in the moonlight. But it was dark outside, so Karni turned on the lights of his mecha then grabbed the giant rolled up cloth. He was glad to see that it wasn't frozen over despite the fact they've been in the negative numbers of temperature for a while now. The night was only going to get colder.
Siduo helped him and grabbed the other end. She clasped it to her bike, which made the lowest part of the in-the-making tent roof. It was around the height of their necks.
Next, Karni put the tent around the Mecha's waist. The legs would be warm, but the top would be exposed to cold. The mecha could withstand it. It wasn't a problem. This alone made the one side of the tent five metres tall. Far more than what they needed. The only reason Karni didn't tie it around the legs was that the tent would be less stable.
Siduo took out a giant carpet and wood pieces which they would put over the snow. First, they had to assemble the wood pieces. It was the only thing Siduo carried on her spatial rings due to the sheer size of everything. These were the biggest storage devices they had. Any more, and it would get exponentially more expensive, as that would reach the realm of storing mechas. Even those who had Black Mechas rarely stored them in storage devices. On the other hand, Red Mechas could not even be stored inside Soul Tools due to their unique energy and being a form of life.
It wasn't hard work for them to assemble things, but it took time. The ground and the roof were protected, now they had to tie down the walls so they wouldn't just flap around in the wind. On one side, they put a small zipper Soul Tool they made, which could simply be put on the cloth and that would turn into an improvised door. Cutting it open and closing it back up was all the Soul Tool's work.
They didn't actually create this. It was a gift from Mo Qing, wishing them well on their travels. It wasn't anything costly, it was just convenient. They would've had to get creative if they hadn't gotten this.
The only thing left was to furbish the inside. It was Karni's time to take out everything from his Soul Ring. While he was doing that, Siduo went out to look for some firewood.
When Karni finished an hour later, he went outside to wait for her. He only had to wait five minutes. She looked tired. "That's all I could find."
Karni looked at the batch of wood. "That would at most keep burning for 3 hours."
Siduo nodded. "I know. Everything is frozen through too deeply."
"Well, it's good we got a good bunch of reserves. I already started up the fireplace. It should be warm inside.
The two walked in and Karni turned on the lights.
"Wooow. It's so warm and fuzzy. It feels so cosy!"
The whole "tent apartment" oozed a soft warm orange light. A small table was in the middle, below it was a second rug. A rug on a rug. Both were extremely soft. This meant double the fluffiness! The table itself was heated. Karni got the idea from his old world, Japan, and felt it would be the perfect fit for their little expedition. Though this wasn't a traditional Japanese Kotatsu; they adapted it for small chairs beforehand. Another thing which Mo Qing helped them on due to their time constraints.
On the opposite wall to the door was the portable fireplace. Heating up the place, its small chimney went through the cloth—through a small hole Karni made.
Finally, in a corner, somewhat close to the fireplace was their bed, covered in warm blankets.
Siduo stretched and reached their heated table. She breathed in absolute satisfaction. "Oh, we're going to drink so much cocoa today."
Karni smiled and joined in. "We still have," he looked at the time, "four hours." It was nine.
He pulled out the portable coffee maker, refurbished it into a cocoa maker, and started making cocoa.
The smell of cocoa permeated the air, a soft smell that comforted their senses. It made them kind of sleepy. And how couldn't they be, when they've had such a long journey after them already. It was the mental exhaustion.
Karni grabbed a book. A novel, fantasy. He'd never actually read a fantasy book in this world, nor did he expect to find one. Sci-Fi books were in similar troubles.
He also forbade himself from bringing any sciency books. This was the time to relax with his girlfriend.
Siduo leaned in onto his shoulder, curious as to what he was reading. They read the book together.
… … …
"Oh, for fucks sake." Karni cursed and closed the book.
"Hey, I was reading that! … What did he do this time?"
"It's better if you don't know. I don't know why I am surprised that this world writes shit fantasy. This was a best seller? The fuck."
Siduo grabbed the book and opened it at the page they were left at. She was a slower reader than him.
It took her around 30 seconds to reach the part Karni was at previously.
"Oh, for fucks sake."
"I know!" Karni complained.
"Can this Furash," the main character was called Furash, "even think?"
Karni nodded. "Did you notice how all the characters call him smart, despite the guy not ever doing anything smart?"
Siduo grabbed the book again and listed through the pages. She had good memory. Karni pointed out a few of them. She grabbed her head. "I didn't even realise it. I just knew I was getting frustrated with the character."
Karni nodded. "It comes with reading a lot, though I'll admit that I missed a few of the red flags at the beginning because I haven't read a good fantasy in a long time."
Siduo went silent for a bit. "So… the author wants us to imagine the character is smart, but then the character does the opposite?"
Karni snapped his fingers. "Bingo. If you just started consuming stories it's easy to miss at the start, but something starts feeling wrong after a while."
Siduo nodded furiously. "They're just telling, but not showing."
Karni smiled. "That's what it's actually called. Show don't tell was the rule, if I remember correctly. It was a classic criticism. Though I will admit I only knew the surface level criticisms, I was a computer science student, not an English student."
"Right, English is your mother tongue, right?"
"Er, well, no. I speak it fluently, but my mother tongue is Slovenian."
"Hmmm. So, when I visit your world, which one should I learn?"
Karni smiled. A warm feeling flooded his heart. "English should work for more or less everything in the world, except a few countries. Funnily enough, what we're speaking right now has an almost identical equivalent in my world. It's called Chinese."
"Just how many languages does your world have? Douluo Planet has like… one. And it hasn't changed since ten thousand years ago, even twenty thousand years ago. Well, some expressions have, I guess, but not a lot." Siduo looked at him with suspicion.
"Errr…. Like… more than a few thousand?"
Siduo was silent. "I don't believe you."
Karni laughed. "Well, the languages actively spoken shouldn't be more than a few hundred, but yes. My old world has a lot of languages."
"And this English…"
"Is spoken almost everywhere in the developed world. Except, maybe, the area where they speak your language. Chinese. A lot less people speak English there."
"Hmmm. You should teach me English."
Karni was silent for a bit. He didn't like to reminisce about his previous life. He had practically convinced himself that he would stay here, but a part of him still wanted to return home. To his family. "Well, I don't know how the situation has changed since I came here, maybe it flipped." He chuckled awkwardly.
"Kiki…" Siduo hugged him. "I want to know more about you. The way you spoke, how you lived. I have known you for so long, but only in this life did I realise that I didn't know anything about how you grew up."
"… If it changed, English is probably more spoken than before." He answered her previous question instead.
"… So teach me." She decided to go along with him.
Karni sighed. "Fine, I'll start writing down as much as I remember tomorrow." They were staying here for three days, not counting this one. They had the time. "I just hope I remember most of it. I haven't spoken it in… around ten years."
"Mm, mm." Siduo nodded happily. "You can teach me your mother tongue…" She had to quickly remember the name, "Slovenian, sometime too."
Karni was unsure. "Maybe after I return…"
Siduo didn't push him further. "What's the time anyway?"
Karni checked his wristwatch, as did Siduo. "Half an hour left," Karni thought. "Should we make a little fire pit outside, get it going for the big event."
Siduo nodded. "I'll grab some blankets as well," she checked the watch again, they had a thermometer outside. "It's minus sixty outside already." She shuddered.
They stepped outside, Karni with the firewood and Siduo with the blankets. Luckily it was a windless night.
They dug a small fire pit and brought out chairs. Lighting a fire luckily didn't take too much time. Siduo was the one who did it, and she helped herself a bit with Solaria's powers, which had a fire property.
As the fire got going, the cold became far more bearable—further still when the two huddled together under a joint blanket. It didn't have the same comfy feeling of the tent, no, it had the romantic tone of the crackling fire and a starlit sky.
The fire put a soft orange light on them, darkening the surroundings. A feeling of isolation, yet it felt comfortable. It felt private. Felt… right.
"Say." Karni started. "I always felt that my body was almost… made. At least in this world. It's an exact copy of my original body. I'm looking more and more like I used to in my previous life. Except more fit, I guess." He chuckled.
"Kiki? Where is this going?"
"I… Well, I consider myself lucky that I don't need to worry about a family here. I cannot imagine how it would be to be someone else's son, but not with the right soul inside. Somehow, I am me…" He looked at her. "Sisi… How did you manage it?"
Siduo fell quiet, understanding. She had told him before that she did not have her current Martial Souls before. She did not inherit any powers of her previous life. How would her parents feel if they knew that their kid, they love so much had a soul of an old person?
Oddly, a small smile appeared on her face. "I used my own strength, to avoid that exact situation. My parents are people I know quite well. Otherwise, I would not have ever grown so close to them. Even Jianyu… Either way, it is not so complicated, though I will have to reveal the truth someday, but I have a feeling that it will be more of a reunion than a complication." Siduo had a reminiscent look.
"I suppose I shouldn't intrude, since you didn't intrude on me either." Karni cleared his throat, a sense of guilt flowing through him for a second. She was not explaining everything.
Siduo shook her head. "No worries. I'm speaking in circle because if I'm too direct, I think you'll get a little headache."
"Oh?" That got Karni curious. Something he shouldn't know? That was quite interesting. "Try me anyway. I've grown in my understanding of Sound recently."
Siduo nodded. "They've *****ed me. And with my ******* ***** ** I brought them here. They've been with me ***** ******ous li***. For all intents and purposes, they are my parents."
Karni was scratching his head, a decently bad headache accompanying him. But he smiled. "I can finally hear some stuff. Though barely anything. You brought them here with you… and they actually are your parents? Did they reincarnate with you."
Siduo smiled widely. "Not exactly, but close. If you improve yourself after this trip, I'll likely be able to tell you. It's technically my most closely guarded secret, but it's not a bad one. I'm quite proud of myself for this." She stared into the sky.
Before Karni could continue the conversation, Siduo started again. "Kiki…" Her voice was soft and dreamy. "I promise you… someday, us, my family… and your family. We're going to go on a camping trip like this." She clenched his hands under the blanket.
"Though maybe not a winter camping trip with minus sixty degrees," Karni chuckled softly, holding her hands tight.
"You know…" She was contemplating her words. Odd. "When I met you, I really did think I knew more or less everything about you and your powers."
So that's why she was taking her time to think about her words. "And? What about now?"
"I feel like… I barely knew you. Your past… you still haven't told me a lot, you know? Oh, I don't mean to force you, just… I want to be there for you… Like you just worried for me about my family. Finding out I didn't even know why you were named Karni and the context behind it… I remember then, I felt just sort of… disappointed at myself. We knew each other for 3 years already by that point."
Karni held in his breath. "You know it's not you it's me…"
"It's me." Siduo finished his sentence with him and cuddled into his shoulder. "That old cliche. It doesn't matter. Just know… I'll be here to listen whenever you're open enough to tell me everything about your past."
Siduo held her breath for a minute, before continuing. "And I know I'm asking a lot, since I cannot give you any of my past-"
Karni pinched her hand softly. "Don't worry. I don't blame you. It's not like you're the one causing me headaches specifically. It's anything that would hint at this weird past of mine that you know. And besides, I can hear more and more. Who knows, maybe after I return, you can tell me everything?"
Siduo sighed, before further cuddling into his shoulder. They both knew that was unlikely. "I do think you'll know everything when we reach Godhood."
Karni felt a bit of chills at those words. Another silent promise. It both scared him and comforted him that she had such trust in him. He cozied into her.
They continued to enjoy each other's warmth in silence, before they noticed the sky lighting up just a bit. And then… it lit up.
A meteor shower. Wide. Endless. Shifting the very sky sideways. Turning the world on its side, round and round, like looking from inside a globe at the infinite outside.
Their faces lit up, a cliffside so perfect for this wondrous view. A silent miracle was happening in the sky above them. Light blue streaks, falling through the sky, piercing their eyes.
The two glanced at each other, lit by the fire and the starlight.
Karni forgot the meteors. The depth of her eyes reflected everything around them. It was like the stars belonged for her, and only her. He moved, soft, emotional. And she moved as well.
A kiss. Wet, yet breathy. Her taste. The two hugged, their lips touching, opening up to passion. She made his life a joy.
And he made her life so much fuller.
A dance within, intertwined and awkward, then turning smooth. The breathing turned heavier; the act turned smoother.
The light above faded, yet the two were still connected. Mouth to mouth.
And it lasted… for a few more seconds, before the two separated, catching their breath.
They had to wipe their mouths. The first kiss was sloppy, but so satisfying.
Karni cleared his throat. "Um…" He chuckled at the awkwardness. "I'm thinking of grabbing some meat, cook it on the fire maybe?"
Siduo just nodded, blushing slightly.
He returned with speed, as if he would miss something important if he took any more time. The meteor shower was over just as quickly as it came, leaving only them and the fire.
He huddled back under the blanket and gave Siduo a piece of meat on a stick. They just sat, not talking, looking at the cooking meat.
Then, as if connected, they looked at each other. The lips connected again, tongues intertwining. The same kiss, yet so different. A bit more… wild. Deeper. More passionate, and less soft.
The hearts beat in sync, the bodies warm, and the fire crackled, as if applauding the two youths. Who thought Karni could still feel so excited about a kiss.
A rustle from the sides interrupted them, the two jumped at the same time. Karni was so distracted that he, a master of Sound did not hear a thing.
"Wait, Kiki." She held him back.
Out of the bush came two tiny foxes. Fluffy and icy. One with two tails, one with four, a bit bigger than the smaller. The eyes were of a beautiful deep red, curious. The noses wrinkled… and a loud growl was released from the smaller fox's belly.
Karni almost laughed. That was just… adorable. Such icy white skin, yet it looked so fluffy. He couldn't decide whether the foxes would be comfortable to hug or not.
Karni and Siduo grabbed the meat they've barbecued and offered each fox a small piece.
The foxes came close, carefully, on guard, but their curiosity won over at the end.
They bit the meat, savouring it, before remembering that Karni and Siduo were both strangers and running back toward the bush.
Siduo and Karni looked over the bush in secret and noticed the two foxes happily flapping their tails and carrying it toward a big fox. Small, compared to most Soul Beasts, it should only be about the size of their waists, but it had nine beautiful tales dancing through the air.
The fox welcomed its little ones and cuddled them, before the group went away with their newly gained food.
Siduo released a sombre sigh. "So, she's doing fine."
Karni looked at her.
"Let's just say… I knew her. The mother."
Karni whispered. "Are they the Jade Glass Foxes? The ones you mentioned before? But they don't fit the description…"
Siduo softly shook her head. "They're the Multi-Tailed Ice Foxes. As they grow, they gain more and more tails. The highest of which is nine when they reach the Hundred Thousand Year level."
Karni sucked in a sharp breath of cold. That was a Hundred Thousand Year Old Soul Beast? Here?
But Siduo did not seem to worry. She grabbed his hand and dragged him back.
They decided to call it a night and put away the fire, then went back inside the comfortable, warm tent.
Karni checked the fire in the fireplace one final time, making sure it would last throughout the night and Siduo readied the bed.
The two turned off the lights and lay in the bed, together, enjoying each other's warmth.
It didn't take long before their desires won again, and they started making out. This time however, it was an even softer kiss than their very first, combined with pecks of kisses on the side.
"Sisi." Karni was the first to stop slightly.
"Mm?" She gave him another kiss. Before stopping, waiting to hear what he would say.
"I think… I want to start telling you… about how I lived in my past life…" He chuckled to himself. "Though the memories aren't very exciting. I was a very normal and boring person."
She settled into his embrace and nodded. Then kissed him just one more time for good measure. She liked his taste.
He sighed, satisfied by the company, then returned the kiss. He started telling the story of how he met his best friend. A little boring story, as the two met, had the same hobbies, that being anime, and became instant friends.
Tomorrow would be a new day, and he would tell her many such little stories, and he would be freer, and he would feel loved. And it would all be thanks to her.