"I love you, brother. I will never leave your side," she declared as she hugged him tightly, burying his face in her bosom as if she wanted to merge their bodies.
"I...I love you too, sister," Sam sighed.
Unknown to them, Helena and Lorraine were looking at them with weird expressions.
"Helena, I'm...jealous," Lorraine almost cried. Even though she had never kissed him like that, Sophia was literally taking their relationship to a whole other level, and what was more frustrating was that she had just met him.
And Lorraine, who had been with Sam ever since he was born, didn't even dare to act boldly, even after he reached an appropriate age.
Hearing her words, Helena couldn't help but roll her eyes. "First of all, let me tell you something. Sam was raised among humans on Earth, so he's not familiar with our customs and local traditions. Plus, he only became a cultivator a few days ago. This means he might not be ready to accept the kind of relationship you're hoping for."
Helena's words hit Lorraine like a bomb. Until now, she had never really thought about this matter; she had just been going along with the flow. But the more she pondered it, the more worried she became about her relationship with Sam.
Seeing her younger sister's troubled expression, Helena let out a sigh. "Lor, I'm not saying it will never happen. It will take time. Once we bring him into the cultivation realm, he'll get used to our customs. Then it's only a matter of time before you can take your relationship with him to the next level."
Helena paused for a moment. "For now, give him time, and stop worrying about Sophia. She just met her younger brother, whom she thought was dead. So, of course, she's going to be attached to him for a while. I don't think she would want to have that kind of relationship with Sam, you hear me?"
Lorraine nodded her head, still wearing a troubled expression.
"Just give him time...after all, time is insignificant for us cultivators, remember?" Helena smiled a little.
Then Helena entered the dining hall where Sam and Sophia were sitting side by side, engaged in conversation.
"Sophia," Helena began.
Sophia, although slightly annoyed, didn't show it on her face as she turned to her mother.
Observing Sophia's demeanor, Helena sighed and said, "Sophia, I'm sorry."
Before Helena could finish her sentence, Sophia intervened, "Mom, it's okay. I'm not mad at you anymore."
"Huh?" Helena was taken aback, wondering if she had heard correctly. But when she noticed her son winking at her with a small smile, she realized that Sam must have talked to Sophia about this.
"Yeah, I was very mad at first because... well, I should be mad at you for separating him from me," Sophia pointed at Sam, "...but after talking to my brother, I realized something. It's not entirely your fault. You were afraid that your dog-shit ex-husband would take him away if he found out he actually had a son."
"But I don't understand one thing...why did you leave me? You could have taken me with you." Sophia narrowed her eyes.
She was angry, yes.
She felt betrayed, yes.
Did she hate her mother? No.
She understood her mother's situation. She wasn't an emotional kid who would scream and yell at her mother.
She would never fully blame her mother for everything that happened, and she would not hate her. Helena was still her mother, and, moreover, after talking to Sam, she had learned how much Sam loved her.
At least for Sam's sake, Sophia was willing to let bygones be bygones.
That didn't mean her hatred had magically disappeared; it was still present, but now it was directed more towards her useless-piece-of-donkey-shit father.
"Please forgive me, Sophia," Helena's voice quivered with emotion. "No matter how many times I apologize, it will never be enough, and no explanation will suffice."
Unable to hold back any longer, tears welled up in Helena's eyes.
Seeing her mother in distress, Sophia rushed to embrace her, patting her back gently. "Mom, it doesn't matter what happened until now. What matters is that we don't have to be separated any longer. We can be together, and we don't have to worry about that bastard taking Sam away from us, as he still doesn't know about Sam's existence."
"I will also live with you from now on," Sophia added, her voice filled with determination.
"About that," Helena looked at her daughter, "We need to return to our clan with Sam."
Sophia frowned in confusion. She didn't have animosity with the Hailstorm clan, but she was wary of her father finding out about Sam. If he were to make an official appearance as the son of the first princess of the Hailstorm clan, it would surely cause a commotion, and her father would discover Sam's existence.
"Why?" Sophia asked.
"Well, Sam has some secrets that, if exposed, could make him the public enemy of the entire cultivation realm," Helena explained.
Sophia still didn't quite understand, so she turned her gaze toward her younger brother, silently conveying her message with her gaze: 'Care to explain?'
Sam sighed, realizing he would have to reveal his secret to his sister. "Well, it's a long story," he began.
"Start from the beginning," Sophia insisted.
"From the beginning? Are you sure? It will take a long time to explain."
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Okay," Sam said, before hesitating. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth..."
"Not that far back," Helena interrupted, realizing what Sam was doing. "Start from where you encountered the codex."
"Okay," Sam conceded with a smile.
Sam began recounting everything that had happened to him, starting from the moment he acquired the codex and leading up to his awakening. Of course, he didn't reveal sensitive details, such as the incident with his classmates trying to kill him and his subsequent act of revenge.
[A/N: Give this chapter some POWER STONES if you enjoyed it!]