I CAN GIVE TALENTS

"Senior Lapin, why are we here? There doesn't seem to be anything special," Anda asked, scanning her surroundings. Her gaze swept across the shoreline and the endless horizon beyond, but nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye.

"Kekeke! Human Anda, just wait here and trust me. Something good will show up soon," Lapin replied with his usual mischievous tone.

"Hihihi." Misty's melodic giggle echoed from the cloud above, adding to the air of mystery.

Their reactions only deepened Anda's confusion. She tilted her head slightly, her brows knitting as she studied the cloud as if that would show her a hint. What are they up to? Acting all secretive like this. Still, she decided not to press further.

Oh well, I'll just wait and see. I wonder what Senior Lapin wants to show me.

A few hours passed, and still, nothing happened.

"Miss Misty, where are they? Based on where we last saw them, they should have arrived here half an hour ago. Should we check again?" Lapin asked.

The cloud floated high enough that Anda, standing below on the beach, could not hear their conversation.

"Hihihi. It looks like they are playing again. That metal beast of theirs is ramming demonic beasts all over the area," Misty replied with a soft laugh.

Since the beginning, due to Leyvi being deep underwater, Lapin could not track him directly. So, at Misty's suggestion, he resorted to catching ordinary fish for her because she said she had a plan for situations like this.

When a fish happened to leap above the water's surface, Lapin quickly snatched it from the air with his cloud. Misty then activated her parasitic seed power, taking control of the struggling creature. Even though only a clone with limited capabilities was following Lapin right now, her ability was still more than enough for an ordinary fish.

She had often used this technique back in her mountain to spy on the outside world. Unfortunately, every demonic beast she controlled inevitably ended up dead and became someone else's meal, mostly because she was terrible at fighting. So, her exploration was always cut short.

For the past week, she had been using the same method to track the movement of the metal beast. And during that time, she had seen every bit of the chaos it left in its wake.

"These humans. I went through the trouble of preparing a surprise for them, but they're out there playing around instead. Stop ruining my surprise plan!" Lapin grumbled.

"Hoo… mister gentlemanly rabbit sounds annoyed. That's quite a rare scene." Misty teased, her soft voice rippling like leaves in the wind.

"It actually feels good to be annoyed and complain like this. Makes me feel more… alive, I guess. Usually, there's no one to be annoyed with. Kekeke!" Lapin laughed. On his sky island, his fluffy ears twitching with amusement.

The mistletoe paused her rustling for a moment, almost as if reflecting, before she chimed in again. "Hihihi. Same."

Below them, Anda squinted up suspiciously at the pair. "What are they laughing and giggling about up there?" she muttered under her breath. "One is a King Level Demonic Beast, and the other is an Elder Stage Demonic Plant. Both are incredibly high-level seniors… yet they're acting like a couple of mischievous kids."

Her expression turned thoughtful as memories flashed through her mind. President Albert and his eccentric subordinates. City Lord Caterina's unpredictable behavior. The three alchemy family heads with their endless quarrels. They weren't exactly behaving like adults either.

"Wait. Maybe it was my own fantasy all along, thinking senior cultivators and beasts must act serious and dignified. Now that I think about it, a lot of the seniors I've met were… pretty weird too. I guess most of them just restrain themselves and put on their 'mature adult' act in public. Yup. That must be it."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

All of a sudden,

The calm, steady water ahead of Anda began to ripple, then churn. Slowly, a massive vessel broke the surface, rising like a beast emerging from the depths.

Anda instinctively straightened, her senses flaring to life. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the strange sight. What is that? Is this what Senior Lapin wanted to show me? For a moment, her gaze flicked upward at the cloud hovering above her.

As the Crown Abyss Diver fully breached the water, its round hatch at the top hissed open. A blurry figure shot out from within, soaring high into the air.

Anda's heart skipped a beat. She looked up, and the world seemed to slow. Her breath caught as her eyes locked onto the silhouette—so familiar, so painfully familiar.

That red jacket whipping in the wind. That long ponytail trailing behind like a banner. That face she could draw in her sleep. That bright, reckless smile that had haunted her dreams every night since coming here.

Leyvi… It's Leyvi. My man. My everything.

"HAHAHAHA! ANDAAAAA! I'M BACKKKK!" Leyvi's voice boomed across the beach as he descended like a shooting star.

"LEYVI!!" Anda cried out, her arms flinging wide open, her heart surging with joy that threatened to spill over.

Leyvi landed with a soft thud on the sandy beach, his red jacket rippling like a flag in the breeze. In a single heartbeat, he closed the distance to Anda. Her arms were already outstretched, eyes shimmering with tears that threatened to spill.

Without a word, they collided in a desperate embrace. Anda wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, clutching him as if afraid he might dissolve into the air. Leyvi pulled her in just as fiercely, his strong arms enveloping her slender frame. Her face pressed against his chest, the familiar warmth and scent of him flooding her senses—earthy, faintly smoky, uniquely his.

Leyvi's hand cradled the back of her head, his fingers gently tangling in her hair. He rested his cheek against her crown, his voice low and thick with emotion.

"Anda… I made you worry." His words trembled as though fighting their way out, cracking slightly at the edges.

"Leyvi… I was so scared," Anda whispered into his jacket, her voice muffled, shaking with relief. "I thought I might never see you again…"

She squeezed him tighter, her fingers bunching in the fabric of his clothes. It felt like holding the sun after a long, cold winter.

They stayed like that, locked in each other's arms, the rest of the world fading away—the rhythmic lapping of waves, the calls of nearby flightless birds, even the curious cloud hovering above—all forgotten. There was only the sound of their hearts, pounding in sync, and the warmth of their breaths mingling as months of longing melted away in the quiet of their reunion.

Both of them said nothing more, simply holding each other as if trying to make up for every second spent apart. The sound of their breaths, their heartbeats, and the distant waves became the only melody around them.

High above, on the sky island, Lapin watched through his cloud, his ears twitching in amusement.

"Kekeke! Look at them, Miss Misty. Such lovebirds. Human Anda and human Leyvi finally reunited, and I didn't even have to intervene in the end."

"Waaa… what a beautiful sight," Misty said dreamily, her leaves rustling softly. "I wish there were other enlightened plants in this world. I want to have a partner too…"

"Well then, Miss Misty, let's leave this world and go to theirs. With that colossal tree lurking about, your wish here will never come true. Human Tamina said her world has many enlightened plants." Lapin's voice was playful yet persuasive.

"Hmm… can you give me a little more time? The thought of leaving still makes me nervous. I've been here for so long, and the idea of stepping into a new world feels… overwhelming," she admitted, her tone shy and hesitant.

"Kekeke. No problem. Take your time. I haven't even found the portal yet anyway." Lapin sighed, his usual humor softening. "But I hope I do. Otherwise, all the plans I've set in motion would be meaningless."

Down below, Leyvi and Anda finally loosened their embrace, their hands lingering for a moment before they fully stepped back.

When Leyvi turned around, he noticed the crown prince and the others standing a short distance away, watching them quietly. The Crown Abyss Diver was already gone, stored neatly in Dastan's space ring.

Seeing that Leyvi and Anda had finally separated, Dastan strolled closer with Tantan perched proudly on his shoulder. A mischievous grin was already plastered across his face.

"So this is your panda wife, Leyvi? No wonder you call her that. Whew, it's a relief she's human. This prince honestly thought your wife was an actual panda all this time. This prince had even come to terms with your bestiality preference. But now, this prince doesn't have to worry anymore. You're normal. Daa hahaha!"

Leyvi froze for a brief moment, utterly dumbfounded. Then his brows twitched as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Oi, clown prince, what the hell do you mean by bestiality? Are you serious? I know you are slow sometimes, but how do you even misinterpret it that badly? Your royal education has truly failed you," he said, shaking his head with mock pity.