Aer slumped back in her seat, blinking away tears. "Because of my actions, everyone that I had ever known died. As soon as I woke, I searched for any sign of my husband. He had advanced to the peak of the Mortal realm in his time in the sect, and if anyone could advance to Sainthood on a pinch, if would be him."

The faintest hint of a grin tugged at the edge of her lips, only to be replaced with a slight quivering. "Instead, I found his place of death. Rather than further the bloodshed between sects, he killed himself. He valued life as a whole so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own…"

The Paradisians stared at her, their food having long gone cold. A moment passed, and Seira stood up, going to her side to pull her in a tight embrace.

"Seira, no..." she whispered, "I don't deserve your empathy."

She didn't even deserve the title 'Saint of Endless Storms' — not after what she did to her sect. She would carry a piece of her past in her name until the day she died — not as a fond memory, but as a cruel reminder of how easy it was to slip.

All she could do was live as her husband would have wanted her to — extending benevolence and preserving life — but even if she lived an eternal life of virtue, it wouldn't bring him back. They had been an inch away from an immortal life together, and she had killed him.

She had killed all of them: her closest friends, her loyal followers, even the little children who were just curious about the sect — all dead because of her. Even if they weren't immortal, they had dozens — if not hundreds — of years left to live. Years of joy, sadness, anger, love, and countless other experiences, lost for her sins. Even five millenia later, her heart tore at the thought.

She felt a body on her other side, and turned to see Kiro holding her as well. She gently pushed the twins away, but they persisted.

"Aer…" Kiro murmured, "Whatever you did in the past, you saved us from the matriarch. You took us in, and were the third person to ever show me kindness in my life. Even when you learned that I didn't have the latent talent, even when I expressed my doubts about going to the border, you still taught me. You still cared for me, in a way my own mother never did."

Seira furiously nodded, pulling them both in closer. "I'm sure that if your husband could see what you've done for us, he would be proud. You've —"

Rynn cleared his throat, awkwardly glancing at them. "Honored Saint, if you did have exterior motives, you could have fabricated that entire story. I —"

"Rynn!" Seira shouted, "She literally just told us how being a calloused prick destroyed everything she had ever known, and you're going to say that? For once, can you just take things at face value?"

Aer sighed, taking the time to disentangle herself from the twins. Her heart still ached, but the love her disciples had shown her had warmed it. Maybe there was hope for humanity after all.

She put on a weary smile. "No, Rynn, you're right to be suspicious. We're going to have to work on that negative attitude, though. For now, let me put it in a perfectly logical manner. If you went back to the Hong clan, it would be guaranteed to go bad for you, correct?"

Rynn nodded.

"Well, then if I took you from that, even if you don't know what my motives are, you're taking a chance that I'm either better or just as bad as your matriarch. After all, there's not a whole lot I can do that's worse than a cultivation base extraction ritual. So, would you choose a guaranteed loss or a chance to come out winning?"

He opened his mouth, but she interrupted him.

"I know I could be lying about how bad a cultivation base extraction ritual is. I also know I could have fabricated that jade slip. Or, at least, I can't prove that I wouldn't be able to. However, I also could have just captured you three and force fed you mana until you reached the Second Circle. Your foundations would have been absolutely ruined, but I could have done so. I don't think there's any doubt about that."

She actually couldn't have — not without the voice of her husband screaming in her mind for months — but she could see the gears in his mind turning. She thought about retracting her aura so that the world pressed down on him, but that felt a bit threatening. She had already made her case — it was up to him to decide what he thought about it.

The man gave a frustrated huff, sitting back down in his chair. "I suppose so."

She gave a relieved sigh, turning towards the twins with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, guys. Today was supposed to be about you, and I ended up getting all sad."

They protested, but she put her hand up. "It's ok! Let's just eat!"

***

Seira had absolutely, positively, never been more full in her life. At first, she had thought she was full when she had finished six enormous plates stacked with exotic cuisine. Then, she had thought that the three bowls of soup she used to wash them down had been the limit. Then, they had cut the cake. Did she mention she had a sweet tooth? Three hours in, she was left in a blissful heap, lazing outside the cave and watching the sun set below the surrounding rock.

Kiro sat down next to her, a steamed bun in hand.

"How can you still eat?" she exclaimed.

He laughed, rubbing his stomach. "No, this isn't for me. Do you remember the last time we had these?"

She nodded. "That was nine years ago. Right before mother…"

Aer popped in behind them, making them jump.

"I swear, Seira, you have the largest appetite I have ever seen! And Kiro, I thought you were done after your fourth bowl!"

They smiled. It was good to see Aer back to her usual cheerful self.

"Anyways, I know I said that your present was getting to ask me anything, but since that kind of got ruined, and because I was planning on giving you these anyways, I have a physical present too."

The Saint slapped her bag of holding, shooting out two identical swords. They glinted in the light of the setting sun, arcing gracefully in the air before settling in her lap.

They were a little more than an arm's length, curving up slightly as they ran before ending in a wicked point. Their hilts were wrapped in a simple gray cloth, worn with use but incredibly well-maintained. Their most defining feature, though, was the color of their blades.

Aer picked them up in her hands, going through a few basic forms. The sword in her left was obsidian black, the shimmering metal nearly camouflaging the numerous runes etched on it. In contrast, her right held a blade of pure white, so reflective that even the rays of dusk were nearly blinding as they bounced from the majestic weapon.

"As you can see, dear apprentices, these blades are twins. And, much like you, they both have different abilities that are formidable on their own, but absolutely unstoppable when combined."

She gripped the black blade, causing its runes to glow an electric blue.

"This is Storm, the left Blade of Tempest. It represents roaring typhoons, flashing lightning, and the storms of destruction, and is the more offensive of the two. Seira, this is for you."

She waved the white one, and it shone with a similar light.

"This is Rain, the right Blade of Tempest. It represents spring winds, cloudy skies, and the rain of creation. As you may have guessed, it is the more defensive of the two, and is for you, Kiro."

They took their blades, bowing deeply to the Saint.

"Twins," she said, pulling them back up. "I used to wield both of these, and it wasn't until I saw you two that I realized this wasn't their true purpose. Individually, you two may only hold a part of a whole, but together, you bring things out of these blades that any one person could never achieve. I know you two don't have that much experience fighting together, but trust me: once I'm done with your training, even Saints will be trembling at the thought of fighting you."