In the sun-dappled courtyard of the Zinger Family's Clinic, the young couple's lips met once more, their kiss a fervent dance of love and longing. Zephyr parted his lips to speak, perhaps to confess another playful thought, but Sun Elaine's delicate, alluring red lips silenced him.
Her tongue swirled with his, a tender exchange that carried the warmth of their shared devotion. The morning air was fragrant with the scent of blooming jasmine from the courtyard's garden, mingling with the subtle lotus perfume that clung to Sun Elaine's divine form. Her translucent white silk dress, soft as a whisper, brushed against Zephyr's skin, heightening the intimacy of their embrace. The world seemed to pause, the chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves fading into a distant hum, as if the universe itself held its breath to honor their union.
As their kiss deepened, Sun Elaine, with a graceful flick of her wrist, retrieved a smooth, round jade slip from the storage pouch nestled between her voluptuous breasts. The jade, white as moonlight with faint watercolor swirls, shimmered with an otherworldly sheen. She pressed it lightly to her forehead, and a wisp of pink mist, glowing with a divine radiance, spiraled into the air. The mist carried a sweet, intoxicating fragrance, like honeyed nectar from celestial blossoms, and it flowed from her lips into Zephyr's mouth as their kiss continued unbroken. Their bodies were pressed so closely together that Zephyr, eyes closed in the bliss of her embrace, didn't notice the jade slip pulsing with faint crimson light against her brow. Nor did he see the ethereal glow that enveloped her raven-black hair, which brushed his face like silken threads. A faint itch tickled his forehead, which he dismissed as her bangs teasing his skin, unaware of the profound ritual unfolding between them.
The moment the sweet-scented mist entered his mouth, Zephyr's mind reeled, as if a veil had been torn from his perception. At first, it was a subtle disturbance—a whisper of wrongness, like heat rippling off a sun-baked stone path, distorting the edges of his vision. Then, a tidal wave of sensation crashed over him, pulling him into a surreal abyss. The stone floor of the courtyard seemed to pulse like living flesh, undulating in sync with his slowing heartbeat. The air thickened to a syrupy haze, each breath a labored draw, each blink stretching into an eternity.
Sounds warped into wet, echoing murmurs—Sun Elaine's soft laughter unraveled like a thread pulled taut, twisting into an unfamiliar cadence. His own fingers felt alien, distant appendages twitching on invisible strings, disconnected from his will. Gravity itself seemed to dissolve, and Zephyr lurched forward, collapsing into his wife's arms, his legs unsteady as if treading on clouds of cotton. The world spun, a kaleidoscope of colors and sensations that threatened to overwhelm his mortal mind.
"Oops?!" Zephyr gasped, his voice tinged with shock. In the next instant, he blinked through the dizziness to find Sun Elaine smiling warmly at him, her radiant face anchoring him amidst the chaos. The overwhelming vertigo held him captive for what felt like an eternity, his thoughts scrambling to make sense of the surreal experience.
Sun Elaine's arms tightened around him, her embrace a sweet haven as she whispered an explanation. "Zep~, that was the soul bind," she said, her voice a soothing melody. "You can't see my full mind or memories yet, but in time, you may glimpse more. Our souls are now entwined, my love." Her words carried a divine weight, resonating with the power of her Immortal Fairy cultivation, a realm far beyond Zephyr's mortal comprehension.
As the world continued to reel, Zephyr's vision doubled, and he saw two Sun Elaines before him. One was the tangible goddess in his arms, her warmth grounding him as she hugged him close, her silken dress soft against his chest. The other was a translucent, ethereal figure—a mirror image of her curvaceous form—hovering at the corner of his vision, like a holographic projection from his past life on Earth. This spectral Sun Elaine pulsed with a familiar divine aura, her elegance and beauty unmistakable, her movements a graceful echo of the woman he loved. "Huh? Honey?!" Zephyr stammered, his mind struggling to process the apparition.
Sun Elaine giggled, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Husband-chan, that's my Dao mind's mirror image," she explained, her voice laced with playful affection. "With our soul bind, I can now hear whispers of your thoughts—especially the naughty ones. Try it, Zep. Think something perverse, and see if you can control me remotely with your will." Her teasing tone was underscored by a profound intimacy, the soul bind forging a bridge between their minds, a connection that transcended the physical. Zephyr, still dazed, felt a thrill at the idea, his heart racing with love and curiosity for the goddess who shared her divine essence with him.
Before he could respond, Sun Elaine's red lips pressed against his once more, silencing his words with a kiss that was both tender and commanding. Her embrace deepened, her body molding to his, and Zephyr surrendered to the moment, unable to resist the pull of her love.
A subtle pulse throbbed at Zephyr's forehead, accompanied by a faint, warm itch that tingled beneath his skin. Curious, he raised a hand to touch the spot, his fingers brushing against something smooth and solid, like polished porcelain embedded in his flesh. The sensation was both foreign and comforting, as if a piece of the divine had taken root within him. His vision shimmered, and the ethereal illusion of Sun Elaine—her curvaceous, translucent form from the soul-binding ritual—floated before his eyes, radiant and serene, her golden pupils glowing softly in the morning light. The courtyard's stone floor, dappled with sunlight filtering through ancient trees, seemed to pulse faintly in harmony with this vision, as if the world itself acknowledged the sacred bond they had forged.
At the same instant, a cascade of ornate, gilded characters in ancient Vermithys cloud shape calligraphy materialized beside the illusion of Sun Elaine, hovering like delicate embers in the air. The text formed a structured panel, glowing with an otherworldly luminescence.
The panel read:
[Soul Bind]
> Sun Elaine
> Age: 19
> Cultivation Stage: Fourth Layer Dao Lord Stage
> Martial Techniques: [True Spark Spirit Eyes], [Divine Spark Glazed Sword Art], [God Spark Shadow Footwork Art]
> Status:
Zephyr Zinger: Infatuated, deeply in love, yearning to capture Zephyr Zinger's every thought, her heart tethered to him at all times.
> Personality: Envious, sword path cultivator, cleanliness enthusiast, elegant, intelligent, yet plagued by subtle insecurities.
Zephyr's jaw dropped, his mortal mind reeling at the sight. As a man unable to cultivate or wield the powerful martial arts of the Vermithys world, he had never imagined such a phenomenon could exist in his reality. Sun Elaine, his divine wife, had found a way to bind their souls, weaving their essences together through her Fourth Layer Dao Lord prowess. The panel before him was eerily reminiscent of the system interfaces he'd read about in webnovels during his Earth life—though he'd never been a devout fan of those tropes.
"Zep, don't be afraid," Sun Elaine murmured, her voice a soothing balm that cut through his astonishment. Her radiant eyes, shimmering with love, locked onto his, and she stepped closer, her translucent silk dress swaying like a gentle wave. "Elaine-chan will always be yours, now and forever." Her words carried a divine weight, resonating with the certainty of her immortal nature, yet softened by a vulnerability that made Zephyr's heart ache with adoration.
Zephyr blinked, still grappling with the surreal panel in his vision. "Wow, Elaine-chan," he said, a grin spreading across his face despite his confusion. "So, uh… could I give you one of these… system thingies too? Like, a panel for me?" His voice was laced with playful curiosity, his Earth-born familiarity with system tropes bubbling to the surface.
Sun Elaine's cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she let out a soft, melodic chuckle that danced in the air like chimes. "Baka Zep," she teased, her eyes glinting with mischief. "The tome I glimpsed yesterday was more than enough. I've already stored a little Zep in the sea of my consciousness, right here." She tapped her temple lightly, her gesture both playful and profound, hinting at the vast, ethereal realm within her mind where she held fragments of his essence.
This time, it was Zephyr who leaned in, capturing her lips in a sudden, passionate kiss to halt her words, his heart swelling with the sweetness of their marriage. The taste of her, like nectar from a celestial bloom, was intoxicating, and he marveled at how their love never dulled, as if Sun Elaine's divine abilities had locked their mutual obsession into an eternal flame. As a mortal, Zephyr found her immortal fairy body an endless well of desire, a sweet oasis in the scorching desert of his earthly limitations. Her delicate form, her lotus fragrance, her silken touch—they were a constant craving, a hunger that no amount of intimacy could fully sate. To him, she was both goddess and wife, a paradox of divine power and tender vulnerability that fueled his longing day and night.
Their brunch was devoured quickly, their laughter punctuating each bite as they fed each other with playful affection. Afterward, Zephyr sat Sun Elaine before a bronze mirror in their suite, his fingers gently combing through her raven-black hair, each strand gleaming like polished obsidian under the soft light.