The villagers settled down and they decided to hold the large banquet they had been planning while awaiting Xue's return. They were holding the banquet in the middle of the town square, the snow falling lightly upon the ground. The town was vibrant and warm, the villagers smiling from ear to ear, and eventually, they began to dance around the large campfire with impromptu music.

The crowd was a mixture of every race, whether they were angels, demons, mortals or a mix of those three, they were still happily dancing with one another.

Xue watched the villagers with a dazed look. This happy and serene atmosphere wasn't one he was used to.

"Why do you look like that?" Cecil questioned, sitting down next to Xue on the wooden bench and gave him a cup of warm tea.

Xue continued staring at the crowd dancing away with gleeful laughter and smiles. The atmosphere was so infectious, even Xue couldn't help smiling a little.

"When I was still the Supreme God, I always wanted peace among all the races but I couldn't envision it," he said, taking a sip of his tea. "It might have been an impossible dream, but I wanted to make it possible."

"It's not impossible now."

Xue nodded, looking back at the crowd with a toothy grin. "Yeah, this was the peace I've always wanted."

A young Kilgitsu danced until their eyes were spiraling and they collapsed to the ground. The people around him were filled with hearty laughter as they helped him up. Right now, it didn't matter who or what they were.

"It'll be here to stay," Cecil softened the look in her eyes, moving closer to Xue and leaned on his shoulder. "Now that I think about it, it's upsetting."

"What is?"

"That I wasn't here for you when you were in so much pain and suffering," Cecil sighed and furrowed her eyebrows, meeting his eyes. "We've been through so many lives together, but I couldn't be beside you this time."

"I'm glad you weren't here."

"Why?"

"I don't know how I would have treated you, and I might even hurt you in ways I don't dare to imagine," Xue shook his head, a troubled look on his face. "I have to thank Tano for what he did."

[ Tano: Of course! In the future I saw, he completely destroyed the world exactly as that old man wanted! ]

[ Sevont: Tano told me everything. It must have been hard on everyone. We won't let the Creator win this time. ]

"...is what they said." Cecil stated, telling Xue what Tano and Sevont spoke in her mind.

Upon hearing her words, a deep frown appeared on Xue's face.

"Why do you look so unhappy?"

"Even if it's the only place they can hide, I don't like how they are inside your mind."

[ Tano: That old man cannot know about our existence, or we'll be wiped out completely. Stop being petty~! ]

[ Sevont: I always knew you were the type to be easily jealous, Xue. ]

Cecil laughed at their interaction as Xue clicked his tongue.

"All of you, shut up too. You have no right to speak."

It seemed like the soul fragments inside Xue's mind were lecturing him about being petty as well.

"Alright, alright, don't get too upset," Cecil grinned, laying her head on Xue's shoulder and snuggling up to him. "You know you are the only one for me, and that will never change for an eternity."

Enraptured by her lovely eyes and saccharine words, Xue leaned in for a kiss when he was interrupted by a fluffball appearing out of nowhere. It leapt onto Cecil's lap, closing their eyes and dozed off.

"Dada? How did he get so small?"

"I might have used my powers to do that." Cecil shrugged.

"..."

"Don't worry, Tano helped me ensure that my powers wouldn't be leaked."

Xue still didn't feel confident despite her reassurance.

Cecil gave him an apologetic stare. "He wanted to snuggle up with us, but he couldn't because his massive size scares people away."

"Don't give me that look."

"Aww, Xue. Just believe me, hmm?"

Xue smiled helplessly in response, stretching his arm out and wrapping it around Cecil's waist. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her head, making Cecil chuckle. The two of them patted Dada who dozed off on Cecil's lap.

"I told you, didn't I? He'll be here with her."

"I heard you already."

"We are him after all, there's no way we wouldn't understand."

"You don't need to repeat yourself."

Nerri and Fyth chatted back and forth as they approached the couple. In an instant, Xue could tell that his remaining soul fragments resided within them. It seemed like the two of them fell for Zeau's tricks too.

They absorbed the remaining soul fragments and were supposed to pose a threat to Xue.

"Not a step closer." Xue threatened, standing up and his gaze towards the two were frightening.

Unlike in the past where he was quick to resort to brutal violence or immediate absorption, Cecil gave Xue a look of approval. Day by day, he was mellowing out.

"Relax, we aren't here to fight you." Nerri raised his arms in surrender.

"Not anymore." Fyth nodded in agreement.

They were originally soul fragments who absorbed the other souls.

Alas, Zeau's tricks backfired on him and this allowed Xue to conveniently gather his soul fragments in one spot. Zeau could not have anticipated Xue's actual identity and his true memories in this world.

After recovering their memories, Nerri and Fyth had accepted their identities as soul fragments for Xue. They no longer regarded Xue as their enemy, rather than that, they were eager to combine souls with Xue.

To them, nothing was more important than protecting Cecil.

That has been the oath that Xue imprinted on himself, down to every part of his soul.

The Oracle, Cecil Lan was and will always be his oath.

"What do you want?" Xue asked, not letting his guard down.

"To protect her." Fyth and Nerri said, looking at Cecil.

Cecil stared at them with wide eyes before she let out a short laugh. "Seriously. Whether through time or space, whenever and wherever, you would never fail to do that."

She grabbed Dada and placed him down on the ground before standing up from the wooden bench, approaching the two of them. She stretched her arms out and pulled the both of them into a warm embrace, closing her eyes.

"Thank you, every single one of you," Cecil smiled, tightening her arms around their shoulders. "To every single part of Xue that ever existed, I will always love you."

Fyth and Nerri widened their eyes in shock, and for an inexplicable reason, their eyes started to sting. They returned Cecil's embrace with a smile of their own, their voice affectionate and warm.

"Oracle..."

"To us, you are our life."

"Oi, get away from–" Xue growled, rushing forward to separate them.

However, in that instant, their bodies started to crumble. The two of them allowed their souls to be absorbed on their own, without waiting for Xue to initiate it.

"...!"

Xue blinked in shock.

Meanwhile, Cecil continued to hug them until they completely crumbled to dust, stepping back. She glanced back at Xue, blinking innocently.

"There's no need to be so jealous. I told you I will always love you, didn't I?"

"You weren't saying it to me."

"..."

"Even if they are me, they are still not me."

At those words, the soul fragments started barking in his head.

Kai: "What do you mean we aren't you! We share the same emotions and body!"

Jehan: "And memories too. Ah, sweet memories."

Shin: "Disgusting."

Jehan: "What?"

Shin: "You."

Jehan: "..."

Sid: "Yes, my saviour! We also share the same delicious food too."

Xu Bolin: "It's true that no medicine in the world can cure our own idiocy."

Wang Jie: "Huh? What? I'm an idiot?"

Xu Bolin: "You said it yourself."

Wang Jie: "Yeah–wait, hey–!"

Rugi: "Tut tut. Xue, don't be rude to yourself."

Leonaut: "Yeah, we can be better than ourselves."

Alric: "O-oh! Good quote!"

Alric gave Leonaut a round of applause, making Leonaut puff his chest out.

Leonaut: "Of course, who am I?"

Zasiok: "Xue."

Leonaut: "..."

Min: "As long as you give me poison to eat, I'll be anything you want."

Isleif: "Pervert."

Kai: "For once, he's not saying gouge your eyes out."

Zasiok: "A miracle."

Leonaut: "A miracle."

Rugi: "A miracle."

Isleif: "Stop saying the same things as one another!"

Jehan: "A miracle."

Alric: "A-a miracle."

Shin: "A miracle."

In the end, they all repeated that same word. It would be hard to say they are not the same person when they spoke in the same manner.

Xue: "Shut up."

Kai: "Shut up."

Leoanut: "Shut up."

Nerri: "Shut up."

Xue: "..."

Fyth: "Pfft. Wait, I-I can finally talk!"

Nerri: "Took you long enough."

Kai: "It's good to see new fledglings. Welcome to our hivemind!"

Fyth: "Sponsored by Xue?"

Kai: "Pfft–hahaha! Good one, good one."

All the soul fragments began to share snorts and giggles with one another. They continued making more lame puns and jokes about themselves, including Xue.

Xue: "..."

In the end, the soul fragments ignored the grumpy Xue, and out of spite, he cut them all off.

Cecil shook her head but she still couldn't help but love this petty side of him. She patted his head, smiling in amusement.

Xue still wasn't satisfied as he narrowed his eyes, leaning down and nudging his cheek towards Cecil.

"Kiss me."

"Okay."

Cecil smirked, grabbing Xue by his cheeks and turning his face towards hers. In an instant, she pressed her lips onto his and to finish it off, she nipped gently on his lower lip.

"...!"

She separated from the short kiss, a mischievous look on her face. "Hm? You told me to kiss you."

It took a moment for Xue to recover from the shock, and when he did, there was a roguish glint in his eyes. He carried Cecil into his arms in one swift motion, making her gasp.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

He leaned in, pressing her forehead against hers as he grinned. "Let's have an early rest, hm?"

Cecil almost choked on her saliva. "You...!"

"You tempted me."

Unable to refute those words, Cecil only blushed, burying her head into his chest.

"There's no rush," Xue smirked, lowering his voice as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "We have time, and I'll take it slow."

"..."

Too embarrassed to even utter a word, Cecil settled for smacking him on the shoulder. Despite that, she didn't refuse him and wrapped her arm around his neck.

"Shameless pervert."

"You wanna see more?"

"Xue!"

Xue snickered, and Cecil smacked him once again.

That night, Cecil didn't expect the memories of a thousand lives that she shared with Xue to be used in such a manner. She never expected the memories to backfire on her like that.

No matter what she did or said, it was all just tempting to Xue!

It was a llong night for Cecil.

Though, this night wasn't enough for Xue to pour all his affection onto the oath of his life. For the sake of maintaining his sanity, he cut off all links to his soul fragments.

Who knows what they would whisper into his mind.

"Xue..."

In the dimly lit bedroom, a slim hand extended out and found its place on the man's cheek. The two bodies were locked together in an ambiguous position.

"Mhmm?"

Her breathless voice stirred his heart, and he clasped her hand, squeezing it gently. A droplet of sweat rolled down his face as his eyebrows were furrowed.

"...Xue."

"Mhmm. I'm...here."

He brought her hand towards his lips, placing a kiss on it. His eyes were full of adoration and tenderness.

"I'm right here, Cecil."

***

Hana peeked her head out from behind the wall, her eyes focused on a certain room down the corridor. She gasped in surprise when she saw Xue rushing into the room with Cecil in his arms yesterday, and she resisted her urge to pry.

She had a feeling it would be better for her not to know what was happening.

...but she just had to know today!

It was close to afternoon, and yet, they still hadn't left the room. Moreover, Hana wanted to cook them a good meal ever since they returned.

"Why are you so afraid?"

Hana stiffened, almost dropping the pastries she carried on the wooden tray and she spun around. Those heterochromia eyes belonging to the handsome half-angel and half-demon man observed her in amusement.

"I...I wasn't!"

"Then why are you peeking around the corner like that?"

"I'm not! I'm really not!" Hana vehemently denied, straightening herself as she marched down the corridor with the tray in her hands. "See! I am not afraid!"

K'xug shrugged before following behind her.

She balanced the tray on one hand, using the other to knock on the door. Her movements were hesitant.

K'xug shook his head at her meek actions, a helpless smile on his face as he took the tray from her hands. He gave her an encouraging pat on her head.

"Just act like you always do, Hana."

"Mhmm, okay..."

Just as Hana started to knock on the door, a slapping noise was heard from behind the door. The two of them flinched back in surprise.

"Uhm, Cecil...?" Hana called out in a hesitant manner.

"..."

"..."

"...come on in, Hana."

Hana and K'xug glanced at one another before Hana twisted the doorknob, pushing the door open.

Due to the strange climate in the region where it snows permanently, the skies were covered in clouds. The sunlight streamed in through the opened window, casting a faint glow on Cecil's face. She smiled at Hana and K'xug as she sat on the bed with stark white sheets and blankets. The blanket was draped over the lower-half of her body, and she was dressed in a long-sleeved nightgown, leaning against the pillows for support.

"Did something happen?" Hana asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Cecil feigned ignorance, the smile remaining on her face.

"I could have sworn I heard a slapping noise..."

"It's your imagination." Xue suddenly spoke up.

He was snuggled up right beside Cecil, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair. There was an obvious red mark on his face.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You were looking for me, Hana?" Cecil said, steering away from the topic quickly.

"Ah, yes! Here, the pastries I made!" Hana beamed, pushing the tray of pastries closer to Cecil. "I haven't been able to cook for you for the longest time!"

Cecil's expression softened at the sight of the pastries. It was a variety of pastries with vibrant colours, ranging from cakes, cookies and mousse. It was easy to see how much effort Hana put into this.

"Yes, I really missed your cooking, Hana."

"Hehehe!"

"What would I do without you?"

Hana continued smiling widely, placing down the tray on the nearby table and rushing to Cecil, engulfing her in a warm hug.

"I can't be without you either, Cecil!"

Cecil laughed, returning the embrace. She peeked a glance towards K'xug, gesturing for him to join the hugging session.

K'xug only raised his hands and took a step back.

A while later, Hana withdrew from the hug and she noticed something from the corner of her eye. It was a distinctive red mark on Cecil's neck.

"Hm, what's that on your neck? It looks like a small bruise..."

Cecil widened her eyes, her hand flying to her neck instantly as she glanced at Xue. Xue gave her a sheepish smile, his hand reaching up and bringing her closer. He proceeded to place a soft kiss on her head.

"My bad."

Cecil frowned in disapproval.

K'xug rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

At that moment, the realisation dawned on Hana's face. She glared at Xue, huffing indignantly and hugging Cecil once more.

"Don't bully Cecil!"

On the other hand, Cecil blinked in confusion as the side of her head was squished right into Hana's chest.

"I didn't bully her."

"Lies! Now that I look closer, she looks so tired!"

"I'll make sure that she rests the entire day then."

"Leave her alone! Look at the dark rings under her eyes!"

"Even so, she said she enjoyed it as much as–"

Cecil slapped her hand over Xue's mouth, a dangerous look in her wide eyes. The tips of her ears were completely red.

Hana blinked rapidly before she made a face, tugging on Cecil's sleeve.

"Don't stay with Xue today, Cecil. Come to my room, I won't let him bully you!"

"...no, it's...fine," Cecil said through gritted teeth, the blush spreading to her cheeks. "I am comfortable here."

K'xug sighed, resting his forehead in his hand. He marched forward, grabbing Hana by the shoulders and pushing her out of the room.

"Yes, yes, let's leave now. Leave the two of them alone."

"But Ce-Cecil!"

"You are usually quick on picking up people's emotion, can't you see how embarrassed she is?"

"I know, but Xue will steal her away from us the entire day!"

"Will you die a day without Cecil?"

"Yes!"

"..."

"Cecil, don't worry, I will drop by again–"

The door closed before Hana could finish her sentence.

Cecil moved her hand away from Xue's mouth as he laughed, pulling her into a hug. His entire body shook with mirth.

"Stop laughing."

"I used to be jealous of Hana getting all your attention," Xue said, sighing with satisfaction. "This feels nice. Now, you are all mine."

"You are asking for another slap, aren't you?"

"It's okay, slap me all you want. As long as you are happy."

"..."

Cecil was speechless.

He nuzzled into her neck, trailing kisses from her exposed neck all the way to her cheeks. Cecil twitched every now and then, frowning.

"Haven't you had enough? I can't even move around freely because of you."

"I will never have enough of you, Cecil."

"Shameless pervert."

Xue grinned, standing up from bed as he loosened his robes, tying it again. There were faint scratches trailing down his back.

"Let's enjoy Hana's pastries."

"..."

"Don't give me that look, I'll bring it to you. Just stay where you are."

"Bring me some water too."

"Whatever you wish for, my dearest."

***

True to his words, Xue ensured that Cecil rested well the entire day. In fact, you could even call him the perfect butler. Whatever she wanted or needed, Xue was there to help and most of all, he kept his hands to himself.

It was late at night, and the weather was especially cold today. The two of them were snuggled up to each other, sleeping peacefully. The only sounds that filled the air were their soft breaths.

"..."

All of a sudden, Xue opened his grey eyes, not a hint of drowsiness in them. He glanced out the window, there was a winged humanoid figure hovering in the distance. Upon sensing that Xue was awake, it turned and flew away swiftly.

Xue narrowed his eyes, turning his head to look at Cecil who was still sleeping quietly. There was a fervent look in his eyes.

"I love you."

He kissed her on the lips, turning his towards the window and his figure vanished like mist through the window. He chased after the familiar winged humanoid figure, who was purposely allowing themselves to be seen.

Soon enough, the winged humanoid figure came to a stop, their wings disappearing. They stopped in the clearing of the forest, their footprints evident on the pure white snow.

"What do you want?"

"..."

A few seconds passed as the snow piled upon the branches of the tree dropped onto the ground, breaking the tense atmosphere between the two of them.

The silent figure took a step forward, the snow crunching under his feet as the moonlight shone down on him. His long black hair with hints of purple cascaded down his back. Unlike his brother who had an enigmatic charm to his exotic appearance, Zeau had a soft and gentle features.

Some would even call him angelic.

"I know you lured me here for a reason, Zeau."

There was something about his genial smile that made Xue extremely cautious.

It was because, this time, his genial smile seemed sincere.

***

《 start 》

A day without Cecil is death to me!

I cannot talk about clothes!

I cannot talk about cooking!

I cannot talk about romantic stuff!

And I still want to say sorry!

...and tell her how much I miss her.

...

I...I hate you, Xue!

《 stop 》

***

Author's Note: Merry Christmas, everyone! I am sitting here writing another chapter as the rain is pelting against my windows. It's so cozy and relaxing, hahaha! 

I can't believe it's has almost been three years since I wrote this story, and I can't believe it's been three years that you guys have stuck around from beginning until the end!

It'll be a while until the next update, so stay tuned ❤️.