Deviant: No Longer Human

And chosen by the heavens!

"And... yet he died," Wang Xiao couldn\'t suppress a disdainful chuckle as he shook his head in amusement.

"..."

Aurora offered a wry smile in response, a trace of surprise flickering in her eyes. "He did, indeed."

Wang Xiao\'s tone grew serious, his curiosity piqued. "So, did the divine forces abandon him after he fulfilled his purpose? What was his purpose, anyway?"

"!"

Aurora paused, her gaze locked onto his, filled with a mix of admiration and concern as he gently cupped her chin in his hands.

Wang Xiao\'s smile broadened mischievously, "Had you foreseen all this?"

"..."

Aurora remained silent, her eyes darting away uncomfortably.

Wang Xiao continued, his voice laced with suspicion, "Considering that a nobody from Pangea could ascend to such heights after surviving your Graveyard of Gods... And that even ordinary humans in our era without aether can ascend to ranks akin to Luna and Asmodeus, did you ever ponder what might happen if someone already powerful, like me, were sent there?"

"Would that create another... Emperor?" he mused, his eyes sparkling with the thrill of the hypothetical.

"!"

Aurora\'s expression hardened, her lips merging into a taut line as she drew a deep, steadying breath, her eyelids fluttering shut. "Why are you pretending as if you didn\'t already know all of this?"

Isn\'t that precisely why he\'s here?

Can\'t she see the raw thirst for power burning in his eyes?

They are insatiable.

With a knowing smirk, Wang Xiao couldn\'t suppress a chuckle. "Actually, this Emperor business is a new to me."

He released her chin, only to lean in closer, pressing a tender kiss on her cheek and then playfully nibbling at it.

"!"

Caught off guard, Aurora flinched, but as his cool tongue traced her cheek, a wave of calm washed over her. "What have you named this little one?"

Wang Xiao inquired, nodding towards the infant cradled in her arms.

The baby, appearing to be just over a month old, was surely not brought here merely for naming.

Wang Xiao was skeptical of Aurora\'s intentions.

Golden wisps of hair crowned the child\'s head, enhancing the serene smile on her sleeping face.

Aurora had clearly chosen a name, her decision evident in her demeanor.

Aurora\'s eyes flashed with a complex interplay of light and shadow. "Even if I tell you, you won\'t remember after coming back from that place."

Wang Xiao paused, his surprise etching itself briefly across his features before he composed himself with a slow, deliberate nod.

He recalled the eerie whispers that circulated—the legends that claimed anyone who ventured into the tunnel emerged with their memories hard to recall, as surpressed by an unseen hand.

"Don\'t worry about your memory; Naomi will help you recover it," Aurora added, her eyelids fluttering like the wings of a trapped butterfly as she noticed his discomfort.

Wang Xiao offered a thoughtful nod, his face clouded with a mix of resignation and intrigue.

The chilling prospect of forgetting everything cast a shadow over his spirit.

"That\'s fine," he finally said, his voice a whisper of resolve.

Then— He leaned in closer, his hands gently cradling her face. "As long as I see your daughter grow to mirror your grace, I\'ll recognize her, with or without my memories."

Aurora\'s lips curved into a brief, fleeting smile, but then he leaned even closer, his whisper a gentle caress against her ear. "Although, I dislike secrecy and deceit. It irks me when others plot behind my back."

"But you already knew," Aurora countered, her voice laced with a mixture of surprise and accusation.

Did he genuinely not anticipate what would occur if he dared the journey through the celestial tunnel and returned alive?

How could that possibly be just planning?

"There is a possibility — I couldn\'t have known; you should have told me, rather than making assumptions," Wang Xiao said with a dismissive shrug.

"..."

Aurora, momentarily speechless, finally muttered, "Then you\'re not as capable as I had imagined."

Wang Xiao raised an eyebrow, "Oh, questioning my capabilities?" His voice was low, almost a purr as he gently stroked her cheek, then abruptly pushed her onto the frost-covered ground.

"!"

A shiver ran through Aurora as Wang Xiao loomed over her, planting kisses across her face.

Her eyelashes fluttered, casting fleeting shadows as a sly smile played on her lips. "You have audience," she whispered.

"Hm?" Wang Xiao paused, his gaze shifting sharply to the facility building.

Through the window, he could see a crowd, their eyes fixed intently in his direction.

It seemed the Zhao Yang incident had captured their full attention.

"Change the place," he commanded, his voice barely above a whisper. No sooner had he spoken than the ground beneath them cracked open, enveloping them in darkness as it swallowed them whole.

______

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

First Commander Helena couldn\'t help but express her astonishment as, right before her eyes, the ground cracked open and devoured Wang Xiao, Aurora, and their baby, whisking them away into its depths.

"Did the earth just swallow them up?" Third Commander Erick exclaimed, his massive hands rubbing his eyes in disbelief. The sight of such a burly Viking confounded by what he saw added an odd twist to the scene.

Standing alongside them, Luna had been all smiles, seemingly entertained.

But as soon as the trio vanished, her smile vanished and she faded from the scene, evidently bored now that the main act was over.

Second Commander Takashi and Fourth Commander Raj were still at the window, their expressions puzzled as they tried to recall where they\'d seen such a stunningly beautiful woman before—was it a dream, or last week\'s celestial magazine?

Li Zhiming coughed, bringing a hint of order to the chaos. "Commanders, perhaps it\'s unnecessary to remind you, but should any mishaps befall this mission, you\'re on your own."

"And please, try not to die from curiosity! Or your battalion might still be chuckling about it centuries from now."

"!!"

Raj and Takashi shivered simultaneously. Despite the lighthearted tone of Li Zhiming\'s remark, the seriousness of his words wasn\'t lost on them.

They exchanged a somber nod and reluctantly turned their gaze away.

Monk Shi Xin alone wasn\'t there out of curiosity.

He was standing straight, waiting for a chance to examine the remains more closely.