29 Proud

•••

Currently, Astrallis was facing the most daunting moment of his life.

He stood nervously in front of over twenty women, all scrutinising him with heavy gazes. The pressure he felt was indescribable, all of these women held a barely containable bloodlust.

A deathly silence hung in the air, almost palpable to the poor boy.

The majority of these women could fly freely throughout the universe, the pinnacle of strength. So, to be stared at by such gazes left Astrallis almost subconsciously trembling in fear.

"I think," a beautiful pink haired woman thought aloud, "considering his handsome features, and beautifully aesthetic body, we should outline these aspects."

"Indeed, Sister Skylar, that sounds good. We need to make sure that it adheres to the conservative nature of our Religion. There needs to be enough skin, to show how the males of our Religion look, while at the same time keep enough hidden to make people beg for more." Another scantily clad demi-human agreed.

At this moment, Astrallis made a break for it and sprinted out of the cavern, leaving a raucous of laughter in his wake.

"Alright let's get to it, we can give it to him later."

•••

High in the air of the Blood Felicity Religion's sacred realm a human with beautiful obsidian feathered wings flew.

The aesthetic muscle culture of the young man reached a divine level, but currently, a pondering look was on his face.

This young man was naturally Astrallis.

"Over the past two years of cultivation and practice within the Blood Felicity sacred realm, I've managed to reach the peak of the Sky-Realm. Although according to grandmother my speed of cultivation isn't the fastest of my age group, it's more than adequate as most of my strength doesn't rely on my cultivation base, but rather my Dharma Qi, swordplay and body."

Astrallis looked behind himself and saw an orange figure soaring towards him, multiple shockwaves rippling off of her as she broke through the sound barrier.

Her orange hair flailing behind her, an orange streak of excitement.

"Brother Astrallis! The first person to the place wins!" Her mischievous voice soon reached his ears as she shot past him.

A bewitching smile appeared on Astrallis visage as he sped after her, his wings beating intensely.

Soon the duo began speeding through canyons, two streaks of orange and emerald, twisting around each other in scintillating light beams.

With a wave of her hand, a flash of orange blasted towards Astrallis with the pressure of a divine spear.

Astralls counteracted with his emerald discharge, emanating an aura of a heaven-piercing sword.

The two coruscating intents crashed into each other resulting in a massive explosion which covered the duo, but as soon as it enclosed them, they burst through it shooting onwards to their destination; leaving pathways within the eruption of energy.

"Beauty, your spear-intent is improving," Astrallis deep voice transferred into her mind.

"Same could be said for your blade-intent, scoundrel," said Enyo as she moved in front of the human-seraphim.

"Don't be like that, you know I can't control my emotions right now," Astrallis whined with fake sorrow, placing his hand over his heart.

Enyo laughed in response, but a tinge of sadness could be seen in her eyes. Over the past two years, the competitive nature of the two had transformed into an intimate friendship.

Astrallis' family had taken her in as if she was their own, eating and practising together. She and Astrallis would have discussions on the Primordial Way late into the night, and sometimes they wouldn't even know the sun had come up.

They had both comprehend blade-intent and spear-intent together and sparred nearly every day. They knew each others fighting styles to the tee.

But, at the same time she, and Astrallis' family, also knew the mental strain that he had gone through.

To have two innate sets of diametrically opposite personality traits had caused Astrallis to have an ever-changing personality, often leaving him with a forlorn aura. An aura of someone who can't find themselves, an atmosphere of an individual traversing a never-ending and forever changing path.

Enyo knew that behind the mask of his happy smile there was a confused soul.

Soon the duo came upon a picturesque lake with a plethora of beautiful flora and fauna enclosing it. This was the place which Astrallis and Enyo would spend their free time together, but it was never unproductive.

Making sure not to disturb the environment the couple landed gracefully within a clearing adjacent to the lake.

"Looks like it's a tie," Enyo said moving towards Astrallis, a cheeky grin on her face, "Well, if you tried I would have lost. You've always been superior to me in speed, but even with all those muscles you can't top my physical strength."

"How am I supposed to compare to the only daughter of the Blood God? Your body can cultivate any body-art regardless of the requirements, and it even adopts the necessary characteristics to train them," Astrallis defended.

"Don't think I haven't caught you looking at my muscles and body," he teased.

"How could I not? You look like a work of heavenly art! Also, the clothes you wear are so provocative," Enyo said as if it was only natural.

"My clothes are not provocative; they are just revealing. I quite like the clothes that the elders designed for me," said Astrallis while he took off his shirt, revealing his perfect physique.

"Hmph, narcissist," Enyo said in disdain, while still sneaking a few looks at his body.

The duo spent the day filled with laughs and practice.

"I'm going to have to leave soon," Astrallis quietly said.

Enyo stood next to him in silence, fully understanding what he meant. She decisively turned and hugged him firmly.

Although Astrallis was surprised, he reciprocated with his own.

"Astrallis, ever since you joined the Religion… every day has been filled with blissful enjoyment for me," Enyo said speaking into his chest.

"Even though my mother and father have blessed me with a heavenly body and talent, and I am deeply grateful. At the same time, they have not been able to be in my life much, creating a void in my heart; your family helped fill that void," she said her voice becoming softer.

"And," her voice became a whisper, "You were the one that melded that void."

"Don't speak, just let me have this moment," Enyo commanded.

In response to her words, Astrallis gripped her tighter and rested his chin on her head.

The couple stood there for a few minutes their hearts beating in unison. Enyo finally looked up at the handsome male holding her.

With speed so fast Astrallis couldn't react she gave a quick kiss on his cheek and sped off into the distance.

Astrallis gently touched his cheek, "Am I, really, faster than her?"

•••

"So, Sea-Plant, I was thinking. Considering you have such a large harem already, can I form my own?" Bataar, the lion-kitty, beseeched Grandmother Anemone.

"Do you even have reproductive organs?" Grandmother Anemone eyes flashed while she inspected the feline beside her.

"I do have reproductive organs, I've just followed the Way of Buddha for the entirety of my life; therefore, I never used them. But, now that I've ascended into a Dharma being, I should be able to use them." The lion-kitty's eyes began to turn lascivious.

Grandmother Anemone's and Bataar's laughter and voices echoed throughout the cavern for the rest of the day.

"It's time I called for Astra'er and the rest; he needs to go back now. The only reason my daughter and I went to the Astral Realm, was for me to heal myself within what the natives call Mt. Evanescence," said the Religion-Master.

"Natural Primordial Formations are heaven's wonders," Bataar agreed.

"I'm going to miss talking to someone around my age, Bataar," Anemone looked towards Bataar, reminiscence in her eyes.

"Around your age? I'm a few trillion years older than you, my girl." Bataar imperiously replied.

"I've allowed you to call me Sea-Plant, do not overstep your boundaries." Killing intent flared in her eyes.

Bataar quickly jumped onto her shoulder and rubbed his lustrous fur on her face, "No, no. It was just a joke, no need for anger. I just wanted to make you look young."

•••

"Sisters of the Blood Felicity Religion, I will be sending Astrallis back towards his home realm, he obviously needs many more years of tempering by himself. He can't forever be stuck here in the sacred realm, never experiencing winds and storms," the Religion-Master's voice echoed throughout the expansive hall.

Before her stood over a thousand sisters, who were currently residing in the sacred realm.

"I know you have all taken a liking to our first male member, and my grandson. He will be flying our flag high during meetings with the Heaven's Chosen of his generation, along with the Saintess of Ichor." Anemone's voice ended.

With that Astrallis individually said his goodbyes to the seductive sisters of the religion, further reinforcing their favouritism of him.

Enyo moved towards Astrallis until she was standing right before him, "Brother Astrallis, it may be a long time until our next meeting, but us cultivators have long-lifespans and perfect memories. I'll always be thinking of you as if it was the day I last saw you," she said.

"I'll be going to my father's empire and the Blood Felicity Religions sacred realm, throughout the next few years. I'm sure we'll see each other. I know you will be at the meetings between the Heaven's Chosen, trouble will forever follow you with your new personality."

"Enyo, don't be like this. You are now part of our, and my, family. It's not like I'm disappearing forever, we both need to go out and have solo-tempering. It's how we will advance through the World Realms." Astrallis comforted her, as he pulled her in for a hug.

After a few more moments, Astrallis turned around and decisively walked towards the space-gate formed by his grandmother.

If one were facing Astrallis, they would be able to see the look of longing in his eyes.

A resolved atmosphere soon radiated from Enyo.

"Astrallis, I wonder who will be stronger the next time we meet!" Enyo shouted proudly.

With that Astrallis stepped through the gate, a smile on his face.

•••