Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 583: Fingers Intertwined

Why was I running?

Sonya herself didn’t know, but she had already disappeared into the vast sea of people, with no intention of turning back.

After running for a while, feeling that she had completely shaken him off, Sonya finally stopped and found herself in an unfamiliar place.

It didn’t matter. She was a sanctuary sorcerer, after all. Spotting a beam of light from the rooftop of a nearby tall building, she unfurled her golden and silver Twin Wings and flew over to see what kind of virtual-real material it was.

But as the village girl stood on the rooftop, overlooking the magnificent underground city, a strange thought suddenly crossed her mind-

This was the city where he had lived.

Where the person he loved resided.

Yes, although Ashe hadn’t shared the full story of his long Gospel journey, Sonya could tell from his fragmented words that Gospel was someone he couldn’t let go of. His tone revealed a determination to return to Gospel, a determination that even his hometown, Blood Moon, hadn’t evoked.

Was it the Young Lady Annan, who once held domination over him?

Or someone else?

The neon lights reflected in her ruby eyes as Sonya crouched at the edge of the rooftop, hugging her legs and staring at the ant-like pedestrians on the streets below.

Perhaps this was the reason she had run away.

She wasn’t ready for a relationship that might lead nowhere.

Last night, the courage she had mustered wasn’t just because of Vesser’s encouragement, but also because the feelings she had bottled up had reached a point where they had to be released. In other words, it was more of an emotional, physiological reaction rather than a rational, thought-out decision.

If they couldn’t meet in reality, everything would just be an elusive delusion. And how easy was it to meet in reality? Teleportation between Kingdoms was nothing short of a Miracle, something she had never even heard of.

Relationships were like flames; they required enough intimate contact as fuel. Right now, Sonya could lightly participate in his life, so their relationship was maintained at the level of a ‘small flame.’ But if she wanted the flame to illuminate all the darkness, the fuel had to keep up.

If it burned without substance, all that would remain was emptiness.

The anxiety of not being able to grasp her lover’s feelings, the unease of not knowing if he was safe, the fear of not being able to face crises together… Without adequate preparation, stepping into the next stage would only exhaust her with constant trials.

After the confession was interrupted, Sonya felt a sense of loss, but more than that, she felt relieved.

She was afraid of being rejected, but even more afraid of being accepted.

Because she knew herself too well-she was someone who always wanted more, someone insatiable. When the time came, would Sonya really be able to endure hearing only secondhand news about him, touching a soul without warmth, and longing for each other across different Kingdoms?

A wolf that has starved for too long doesn’t feel satisfied with just a bite of food; it remains forever hungry.

This relationship, as it is now, is fine.

She couldn’t ask for more, so the relationship wouldn’t break, yet there was still room for it to grow. The team could continue to exist harmoniously, and they could explore the Virtual Realm as usual, until an opportunity arose in reality…

Although the line from TV dramas, “If you don’t hear me the first time, I’ll say it countless times,” sounded cool, she didn’t have the courage, the determination, or the… conditions for that.

With her thoughts settled, Sonya stood up and looked at the beam of light, only to find that the virtual-real material on the rooftop was actually a branch. She had no idea how it had blown up there.

She walked over and picked it up, her expression immediately turning strange-

“The Unrememberable Wood.”

Although it was just a short branch, it was indeed the virtual-real material she had been desperately searching for to exchange for a spirit in the Virtual Realm!

What a coincidence…

“Why did you run so far…”

Just then, Ashe’s voice came from the edge of the rooftop. Sonya immediately unfurled her golden and silver Twin Wings, ready to escape, but the former quickly uttered a phrase that would make the sword Princess stop in her tracks-

“I’m living with a beautiful girl today!”

Sonya’s figure froze, but she quickly retorted, “Aren’t you supposed to be with your other half?”

“It’s a special mechanism of the Trial,” Ashe explained, cautiously approaching as if trying to coax a stray cat. “I didn’t want to, but I have no choice but to live with a beautiful girl.”

Sonya stared at Ashe in disbelief, covering her mouth with her hand. “This Trial is too cruel…”

“Yeah…”

“It actually turned your other half into a woman!” Sonya’s face was full of curiosity. “Is she pretty? How’s her figure?”

“What kind of logic is that?” Ashe facepalmed. “I switched with Silver Lantern! Now her other half, the Mirror Master, is living with me!”

The sword Princess’s smile froze. “But aren’t you enemies? Won’t you fight if you live together?”

“No, because there’s a Sanctuary-like barrier protecting us. Even if she tries to do something to me in reality, she can’t harm me.”

“Oh…”

By now, Ashe had walked up to Sonya and explained, “But we have two separate bedrooms, so we’re not sleeping together, just living together.”

Sonya blinked and turned her head away. “Why are you telling me this?”

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“Because I think you need to know,” Ashe replied. “Since you’re not interested, let’s move on to the next topic. Last night-“

“Don’t talk about last night!” Sonya immediately swung a karate chop at him, trying to brush it off.

But this time was different.

Ashe caught her hand, aligning his palm with hers. As her face turned red to the tips of her ears, Ashe carefully slid his fingers into the gaps between hers, then closed her hand until their fingers were tightly intertwined.

Dazed, Sonya let Ashe lead her to the edge of the rooftop and sit down. She heard him say, “Fine, we won’t talk about last night. Since we have time now, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise.”

“What promise?”

“Tell me about how you won the Meteor Trial,” Ashe said with a smile. “I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

Sonya tried to move her hand, wanting to break free, but Ashe held on tightly, as if afraid she might run away again. Even though souls didn’t have body heat, she felt her palm sweating.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. “A few days before the Meteor Trial, I almost triggered the ‘Shared Life.’”

“The blessing we got in the Amnesia Cabin?” Ashe recalled thoughtfully. “At that time, I might have been turning into the First Gospel.”

“Yeah,” Sonya nodded. “Back then, I knew you were in danger. I had already given up on the Meteor Trial, especially since Dimy is a sanctuary sorcerer. But that night, I suddenly didn’t want to give up. I went to Sister Trelozan to learn her Invisible Hand’s Secret Blade…”

As the sword Princess recounted her story, Ashe felt as if he had been by her side throughout her journey to victory. Suddenly, another figure appeared beside him.

It was the Witch.

Deya didn’t interrupt them. She simply sat quietly on Ashe’s right, listening intently to Sonya’s tale.

But after a while, Ashe noticed that his right hand had been grasped.

Fingers slid into the gaps, and their hands intertwined tightly.

Ashe looked at Deya in surprise, and she met his gaze calmly, her grip firm, just like his own.

In the distance, Vesser watched the three of them sitting on the edge of the rooftop. She felt a strong urge to summon a gust of wind and blow them off. But in the end, she did nothing and walked away without looking back.

“Witch,” Sonya suddenly leaned over and asked, “Can you see the Observer’s face clearly?”

Deya nodded firmly. “Yes.”

The sword Princess seemed to have received the answer she had been waiting for. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled faintly.

“Then I understand.”