Game World: I Can Share Talents

Westheid wasn't surprised by the wedding. Ever since he realized this time and space was nothing more than a playground for the Celestial God, he knew this day would come. It was inevitable.

What did surprise him, however, was that the wedding wasn't styled after the ancient rites of the Xuli. Instead, it was a pure Celestial Vault People ceremony.

'In other words, the setting of this time and space has changed again. So, it's the Celestial Vault Kingdom now...'

Westheid had no objection. If this was what Wan Qi wanted, he was happy to go along with it.

This was undoubtedly a wedding of the highest caliber for the Celestial Vault People. Not only was it held within the [Crimson Throne], but the witnesses were all the elders and Kings of the Celestial Vault Kingdom.

Figures, like inverted men, were suspended in nutrient fluid, each encased in a container like a can. Through the glass, Westheid could only make out the turquoise liquid and a vague outline; nothing more was discernible.

According to the customs of the Celestial Vault Kingdom, the more significant the witnesses at a wedding, the grander and more solemn the occasion.

Westheid gave the Kings a brief glance, then turned his attention away, quietly waiting for Wan Qi.

The melodious hymns couldn't distract Westheid from his anticipation. The wait, twenty minutes at most, felt like an eternity.

The moment Wan Qi's figure appeared in his line of sight, having crossed a small stream, it was as if everything stood still.

The young woman had changed into her wedding gown.

A pitch-black wedding gown with a tightly cinched waist enveloped her torso and arms. It revealed no shoulder, no back, and certainly no cleavage, yet despite being so conservative, the intricate, openwork patterns of the gauze lent it a mysterious Charm.

Below her waist, a voluminous skirt flowed. The purplish-black fabric was adorned with the Celestial Vault People's signature patterns and decorations, so intricate they bordered on morbid. Deep red Magic patterns seemed to possess a life of their own, glowing faintly as if breathing. With every step Wan Qi took, she seemed to drag a field of blooming fire behind her.

Her lovely, grayish-white hair, usually tied in a ponytail with a crimson crystal ornament, was completely let down today. Four small braids were tied at her temples, while the rest cascaded down her back like a waterfall. She wore a silver coronet on her brow, and beneath it was a delicate and lovely face.

He wasn't sure if it was because she was wearing makeup, but the face he had seen so many times now held him utterly captivated. Her fair skin, her pretty features, her magnificent red eyes, her fine eyebrows like a touch of silver frost, and... that inorganic expression from when he first met her. But unlike that first meeting, the young woman's eyes were now slightly misty, devoid of the cold, distant air that had once pushed everyone away.

"Westheid..."

Her soft call pulled Westheid back to reality. Looking at the lovely face so close to his, he realized he had been lost in thought for far too long.

"Wan Qi..."

Westheid replied instinctively, then felt a bit lost and clumsy. Fortunately, he didn't have to remember the steps of the ceremony. One of the Kings stepped forward to officiate, declaring:

"[Divine Ancestor, please bless...]"

"[Beneath the Celestial Vault, the children of the Celestial Vault People forge a blood oath, to propagate the branches of the Vault...]"

"[Share your wing-blood. From this day forward, you two shall be partners.]"

In contrast to the intricate pre-wedding preparations and attire, the wedding ceremony of the Celestial Vault People was very brief. The Kings spoke only a few sentences before moving on to the crucial ritual.

In truth, the entire wedding existed solely for this ritual.

Westheid watched as Wan Qi opened the small box she had been cradling. Inside were thin, faintly glowing metal wing plates.

This was the Soul Bone. An ancient technology that, after ten thousand years of iteration, had become the most important part of every Celestial Vault Person. It could even be called a vessel for the soul. Whether for piloting an Azure Sky Mecha or for other applications of the Path, everything was accomplished through the Soul Bone.

"West, hold my hand tight."

Wan Qi said, guiding Westheid's hands with her own as they took the wing plates from the box together. A nearby attendant presented a Dagger and two goblets, each half-filled with a silver liquid.

Wan Qi held Westheid's hand and slowly used the Dagger to slice open one of the wing plates. Bright red blood dripped out, and as it hit the goblet's surface, ripples spread and the silver liquid instantly turned scarlet.

For ordinary Celestial Vault People, this would have been enough. The wing-blood oath was a ritual that used a special elixir to allow two Celestial Vault People to share their power and life force. The prerequisite, however, was that both parties had to be of the Celestial Vault People.

But if one party was a member of an Alien Race, the oath changed. Westheid suddenly understood why the ceremony had to be that of the Celestial Vault People.

The Celestial Vault Kingdom was the only nation in the Mortal World that mandated monogamy. Their weddings were extremely solemn, a once-in-a-lifetime event. More than that, the couple would share their very lives; if one died, both would perish.

Westheid was of an Alien Race. Therefore, to complete the ritual properly, Wan Qi had to drain the blood from half of the wing plates, drop by drop.

Then, Wan Qi took the Dagger into her own hands and said:

"Westheid, hold my hand."

No further explanation was needed. Westheid understood immediately. He took the Dagger and made a small cut on his wrist, letting his blood flow into both goblets.

After tending to his wound, Westheid and Wan Qi each took a goblet.

"[Please, repeat after us...]"

"Blood of my blood," Wan Qi said, raising her goblet. Her magnificent red eyes locked with Westheid's.

"Blood of your blood," Westheid spoke in turn. In his eyes, there was only the young woman's face. The surrounding hymns and the cool breeze created a magical sensation, as if standing here and making this vow with her was the most sacred act in the world.

"My left wing is your right wing."

"My right wing is your left wing."

"Our wings are a pair of reflections," they said in unison.

"Under the witness of the Celestial Vault, the stars and moon, and the Divine Ancestor, we forge this marriage pact."

Wan Qi blinked. "And for how long?"

Even knowing this was part of the ceremony, Westheid's heart couldn't help but tremble. He said:

"For eternity."

"An eternity of eternities?"

"An eternity of eternities."

"Until the very end?"

"Until the very end."

"..."

The rhythmic, nursery-rhyme-like exchange between them continued for a long while. When Westheid let out a final, faintly pained breath, the voice of the Kings resounded:

"[Drink the wing-blood. From this day forward, you two shall...]"

"Two lone wings, their shadows form a pair," Westheid and Wan Qi said in unison, interrupting them. Then they both tilted their heads back and drank the elixir from the golden goblets.

'Ah, so that's it...' he thought. He had expected the mixture of elixir and blood to taste strange, but as soon as it touched his tongue, his taste buds registered a familiar sensation.

"Hm? Westheid, what did you say?"

Wan Qi lowered her golden goblet and looked up, asking.

Her snow-white skin seemed to have a pearlescent sheen, and a trace of the drink lingered by her small, cherry-red lips.

Westheid smiled. "I said, our meeting truly was destined. Everything you've ever wished for can be realized here. It's all right."

As he finished speaking, Westheid leaned down, wrapped his arms around Wan Qi's delicate frame, and kissed her cherry-red lips.

"Mmph... mmm..."

A kiss wasn't part of the ceremony. Wan Qi was startled for a moment, but then she wrapped her arms around Westheid's neck and began to eagerly kiss her lover back.

The officiating Kings did not interrupt this sudden turn of events.

A minute later, they parted. Westheid looked at Wan Qi's flushed face and furrowed brow, and he almost lost control and kissed her again.

"[Now, you may go to the Crimson Throne to welcome the dawn. May the first rays of sunlight bless you.]"