Deviant: No Longer Human

He sought Yin Yue\'s advice, feeling as though he was navigating through a maze whose exits kept shifting.

Yin Yue\'s response came with a note of caution. [Safe? No... But you should go and listen to her. At least she doesn\'t seem in the mood to harm you. Just try to keep your tongue in check; sometimes your words can be quite sharp.

Not to mention, if she had wanted to kill you, she could have easily sicced that dragon on you by now.]

Wang Xiao\'s eyes twitched in annoyance.

Was today simply not his day?

He couldn\'t say for sure.

What he did know, however, was that he needed answers!

With a deep breath, he turned around to face Aurora again, who also shifted her gaze towards him. "Either you tell me your identity truthfully, or I will leave... And this wife thing, you better clear that up as well," Wang Xiao demanded.

Yin Yue, [...]

If she could, would surely have indulged in a facepalm.

She had just cautioned Wang Xiao, yet here he was, treating Aurora as if she were merely another creature he had encountered on his travels, rather than a being of significant mystery and potential importance.

Aurora\'s response to Wang Xiao\'s demands came with a hint of amusement, her lips curving into a wry smile. "Okay, but you must promise not to interrupt. Telling my whole story could take years. The more you interrupt, the longer we\'ll be here," she said, her tone laced with a patience that seemed to stretch across millennia.

Wang Xiao, contrary to what she assumed, appeared more reasonable to her than she had first thought.

This peculiar condition surpised Wang Xiao, though it also stoked his skepticism. \'Years to explain? How complex could her story be?\' he wondered silently, his instincts cautioning him to stay alert.

Tap! ... Tap!

"Come, have a seat first," Aurora gestured, patting the grass beside her with a smile that was meant to be inviting.

To Wang Xiao, however, it felt as though he was being coaxed by a centuries old witch in disguise.

Her subtle smile, under different circumstances, might have been disarming, but currently, to Wang Xiao, it sent an inexplicable shiver down his spine.

Instead of complying with her straightforward invitation, he opted for a strategic retreat, positioning himself behind her—a tactical choice that offered both a quick escape route and an unobstructed view of her back.

??

Confused but adaptable, Aurora\'s lips twitched with suppressed amusement or perhaps exasperation.

Without a word, she reached back for his hands, drawing them forward to encircle her waist.

??

Rustle...

The rustling of the grass as Aurora shifted closer sent a ripple of unease through Wang Xiao, prompting an involuntary reaction.

"You have no sense of modesty," he remarked, his tone a mixture of resignation and bewilderment.

"Really?" Aurora\'s response was quick, her lips trembling with the effort to contain her amusement. "I thought you were just a bit sh—hesitant to grab me." Her eyes gleamed with mischief, betraying her own racing heart as the cold touch of his hands met her skin.

Wang Xiao was momentarily lost for words.

\'Hesitant?\'

The very notion seemed laughable.

If only he was certain of her harmlessness, he would have gladly demonstrated his lack of hesitation.

Yet before he could collect his thoughts, Aurora had leaned back further, her back now flush against his chest, as she gazed upwards at the night sky with a contented sigh.

"Do you see there?.... In the north, that constellation is named after a girl, Cassiopeia. But I think it suits you better." Her voice, carrying a softness that contrasted sharply with their earlier banter, floated gently in the evening air.

Wang Xiao\'s confusion only deepened. "I thought you were going to reveal your identity?" he reminded her, his patience wearing thin.

Aurora\'s expression soured momentarily. "Can you not interrupt?" she chided, her annoyance evident.

Wang Xiao held his tongue, though internally he debated the logic of her strategy.

How could he not pose questions if she insisted on veiling her answers in riddles and redirection?

Aurora, undeterred, directed his gaze back to the stars. "Look carefully, it forms a W!" she explained, eager to share her celestial insight.

"Okay?" Wang Xiao responded, his tone flat, not quite catching the excitement Aurora seemed to be aiming for.

Aurora, undeterred by his lack of enthusiasm, pressed on, "Your name starts with it, don\'t you think that\'s interesting? Or even a bit exciting?"

"No," Wang Xiao replied bluntly, "You can find any pattern you want in the sky, given the number of stars."

Aurora sighed, a hint of disappointment in her voice, yet she persisted, "That one is special, you know. The story of Cassiopeia isn\'t just about punishment by the gods for vanity. It\'s often misunderstood."

"Hm? Then what\'s the real story?" Wang Xiao, now mildly intrigued, allowed his gaze to drift upward, searching the night sky until his eyes settled on the constellation that formed a distinct \'W\'.

Aurora delved into the lore, her voice weaving the ancient tale with a passion that contrasted her initial frustration. "...4000 years ago, during the greek era... Cassiopeia was the queen of Aethiopia and the wife of King Cepheus. She was known for her extraordinary beauty, but she was also extremely vain and boastful about it."

"Cassiopeia once claimed that she and her daughter, Andromeda, were more beautiful than the Nereids, sea nymphs who were daughters of the sea god Nereus."

"Outraged by Cassiopeia\'s arrogance, the Nereids complained to Poseidon, the god of the sea, who sent a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage the kingdom of Aethiopia."

"To appease the gods and save her kingdom, Cassiopeia agreed to sacrifice her daughter, Andromeda, by chaining her to a rock as an offering to the monster — However, Perseus, the legendary Greek hero, intervened and rescued Andromeda from the sea monster, eventually marrying her."

"As punishment for Cassiopeia\'s vanity and arrogance, the gods placed her in the sky as a constellation, where she is condemned to circle the celestial pole, sometimes hanging upside down, as a reminder of her hubris!"

As Aurora concluded the tale, her sigh seemed to carry the weight of centuries, a bridge between the mythic past and the present moment under the stars.