Neither Ryu nor Ailsa knew how to react, quite frankly. Both were in a state of confusion, maybe Ailsa even more so than Ryu himself.
As a Cultus Faerie, there was very little about the bodies of others that Ailsa didn't understand. To now stand here, only to be told that there was something so fundamental about her own that she didn't even aware of… Well, it was hard to accept to say the least.
Ryu hesitated. This woman, he really didn't like being around her. It was already taking more than just a little bit out of him not to go all out in killing her right here and now.
In fact, the only reason he didn't was because… It was truly unlikely that he would succeed even with Ailsa by his side.
This wasn't to say that Ailsa was no match for her. Ryu didn't believe that Sarriel stood a chance against Ailsa, the gap should be too big even for her to cross.
But, if there was one person in the martial world who had a chance at having an even greater pool of treasures than Ryu himself, it was Sarriel. With her eyes, if there was a fortuitous encounter to take advantage of, she would take advantage of it.
He simply didn't believe that she would approach him like this, while knowing of Ailsa's existence, and not have contingency plans. Any young woman with such talent in a Sect like this most definitely had a few of her own, let alone one like Sarriel.
"… You have my attention. Speak."
Sarriel's eyes lit up.
"Ryu…" Ailsa hesitated.
"It's fine." Ryu didn't looked at Ailsa who was once again on his shoulder. "If she's telling the truth, this is no small matter."
"But…"
Ailsa's heart felt warm about Ryu taking such a risk for her sake. They knew well that accepting Sarriel's information was no different from consenting to a partnership. Nothing came free in the martial world. Sarriel's happiness said it all. Yet, Ryu was willing to do this anyway.
The issue was… Even though Ailsa didn't know there was such a seal on her, that didn't mean she didn't have any idea where it might have come from. She knew her own life better than anyone else, so how could she not have a few guesses?
And if she was right… It might not be worth it to undo this seal at all. In fact, the trouble it might bring would be worse than if they just ignored it entirely.
"Do you want to forget we ever heard anything?"
Having come to understand Ailsa's thoughts, Ryu stopped.
To the previous him, anything he could do to make Ailsa stronger, he would do. The Ailsa he originally met was nothing more than a pawn or tool to him, no different from a treasure he could make use of to get the things he wanted.
But now, he didn't have it within himself to treat her like this any longer. She had done too much for him, slaved away too much, worked too hard. From the very beginning, she had been as unselfish as she could be. Even the mistakes she had made were all for the sake of helping him reach the ultimate goal of saving his family.
Yet… Ryu was only just now learning that Ailsa had had an elder brother. He was only now learning about the sickliness of her mother and only just now seeing the face of her father.
There were so many things about her life that he had no idea about until this very moment. And with this new rush of information came a steady dose of guilt.
Ryu couldn't help but sigh.
Did he regret his actions back then? Well, regret would mean that he would act differently now than he had in the past. But, knowing himself, even if a new Life Partner appeared before him right here and now, he might treat her the same exact way.
Maybe that was just who he was, or maybe there were portions of his past he still hadn't gotten over. Either way, Ryu wasn't a person who opened up easily. But, once he had… He would give up everything for the person who had gained his trust.
"I…" Ailsa hesitated again, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.
Inwardly, Aisla knew that Ryu was a softie. He found it easy to be cold toward outsiders, but those he deemed to be his loved ones would receive his everything. It was this alone that made Ailsa feel as though she was choking on her own emotions, but she also felt that this wasn't a time for her to cry again.
It was true. Ailsa had chosen to leave the Ethereal Plane to find Ryu after finding her brother's diary. As for what she found inside? Maybe at this very moment, that didn't matter much. At the very least, the thoughts going through her mind now weren't of the exact contents of the diary, but rather the ending sentiment.
Her elder brother, a big brother she loved oh so dearly, had always been a man of adventure. If Ailsa thought about it, he was unlike any other Faerie. He wasn't content with watching things play out and going with the flow of the Heavens, he always sought to carve out his own path.
Unfortunately, carving out this path got him killed.
What lay before Ailsa now was a choice. Would she follow in her brother's footsteps? Or would she cower?
But, since she had chosen to be here, to follow after Ryu… Hadn't she already made her choice long ago?
"… I made my decision a long time ago." Ailsa said with a light smile.
The source of her hesitation hadn't been fear. What she least wanted was to interfere with Ryu's progress and ruin his chances of saving his family.
Maybe her past self didn't want to admit it, but hadn't she been using Ryu too? She came to him not because he wanted to be with him, but rather to fulfill the ideals her brother had left behind and hopefully succeed where he had failed.
Though their approaches were different, their level of selfishness was the same. But now, she was actually hesitating when one of the key steps of achieving her goal was right before her. And why? All for this Life Partner of hers who she once saw as a means to an end too.
Ailsa couldn't remember when she had shifted her perspective on Ryu, but what she did know was that it was long before he had changed his perspective on her. Watching him work everyday was like a constant chisel to her heart, ebbing away at what preconceived conclusions she had once had.
This wasn't to say that Ailsa's original feelings were fake. She had come here expecting to be Ryu's wife in every way, shape and form. It was just that now it was far different from just a sense of duty to her…
Ryu finally turned his gaze toward Ailsa. Seeing the look in her eye, he nodded and the two of them turned toward Sarriel.
Sarriel blinked, having gone through her own whirlwind of emotions. For a moment there, she thought that her final trump card would fail too.
"The Fey Bloodline has two branches." Sarriel took a deep breath and began to explain. "The Sun Fey is the first. They are creatures of the light and have a great affinity for all that is Yang. They are exceptionally strong in the day and have impossible to imagine power over the stars.
"The second branch is of the Moon Fey. They are creatures of the darkness of have great affinity for all that is Yin. They are exceptionally strong in the night and have impossible to imagine power over celestial bodies.
[Author's Note: In our astronomy, celestial bodies also include stars. But just assume, in the case of GAB, that they aren't included]
"I am of the Moon Fey. My name is Sarriel of the Moon.
"The seal on your Life Partner is one that even my Truth Pupils didn't pick up on initially. If it wasn't for my Moon Fey Bloodline picking up a strong Yin signature from her, I would have never investigated further. It simply didn't make sense to me that a Cultus Faerie would have such strong dark energies within her.
"Cultus Faeries are known as nurturers, and among the Three King Faerie Clans, they represented the balance between the Yang of the Ficia Faeries and the Yin of the Quibus Faeries. It didn't make sense for one to so heavily lean toward one in comparison to the other.
"Usually, I'm able to grasp information I want with a simple look. But, if it's something I have to focus for, it likely means that it's far beyond my understanding. Still, I was able to tell that whatever strong Yin character your Life Partner has, it has been tempered down and sealed for whatever reason.
"That said, as hidden as this Seal is… I can also tell that it's exceptionally fragile. If I have some time to observe your Life Partner, I can likely find its weakest point…"
Ryu remained silent for a long while before taking a slight breath.
"That won't be necessary." He replied.
Sarriel was shocked by this and opened her mouth to say something, but Ryu only shook his head.
"We'll cooperate with you within the Tri Palace."
With that, Ryu turned and left with Ailsa, having made a decision.
