"So let’s sleep together. Because you can absorb ether from me."

Brandon blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the straightforward offer.

He sat up slowly, leaning back against the headboard as he looked at her face.

Rheanne didn’t look embarrassed or hesitant.

Her expression was gentle, almost matter-of-fact, though there was a subtle softness in her eyes that showed she understood exactly how intimate the suggestion was.

"I felt it earlier when we held hands," she continued. "The flow is stronger when we’re in closer contact... skin to skin. Sleeping together will allow you to recover much faster than holding hands alone."

She tilted her head slightly, watching his reaction "Unless... you’re uncomfortable with that?"

Brandon let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, it’s not that. I’m just... surprised you offered so directly."

A faint smile touched Rheanne’s lips "We fought side by side when we were close to death. We’ve already seen each other at our most vulnerable. Sharing a bed to recover ether feels... practical."

She shifted a little closer on the mattress, her nightgown brushing against his leg.

"But I won’t force it. If you prefer to rest alone, I understand."

Brandon sighed in his heart ’She is really kind... No wonder, she became a goddess.’

He reached out and gently took her hand, their fingers intertwining naturally.

"I’m not uncomfortable. And... thank you. I do need the ether. Tomorrow could be dangerous."

Rheanne’s smile softened further. She squeezed his hand once, then released it and moved to lie down beside him on the large bed.

She settled on her side, facing him, leaving enough space that he could choose how close he wanted to be.

Brandon lay back down, turning onto his side so they were facing each other.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Rheanne shifted closer, closing the small gap between them.

She rested her head lightly against his shoulder while draping one arm gently across his chest.

Brandon’s body stiffened immediately ’Man... I have slept with many women, but I am kinda nervous now.’

At that moment, he felt the steady stream of ether flowing into his body.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close but not tightly.

Rheanne let out a soft, contented sigh, "This feels... nice. Having someone close like this."

They lay together in the quiet room with their bodies pressed gently against each other as the steady flow of ether passed between them.

---

The next morning arrived crisp and clear, with a light mist still clinging to the trees as the sun climbed over the eastern mountains.

Brandon stood at the edge of a dense forest clearing, staring at the rift before him.

A swirling, vertical rift of dark violet energy pulsed in the air, roughly ten feet tall and six feet wide.

Rheanne stood beside him with her silver blade hung at her hip, and her long white hair was tied back in a simple braid to keep it out of the way.

"Seems like it appeared five weeks ago. The creatures coming out have been stronger than usual. The villagers nearby have already abandoned their homes."

Brandon nodded, rolling his shoulders as he felt the steady flow of replenished ether humming through his body from the previous night’s shared rest.

"Ready when you are."

Rheanne glanced at him, "Stay close."

She stepped forward first, and Brandon followed right behind her.

The moment they crossed the threshold of the rift, the world shifted.

The forest disappeared.

They stood in a dungeon cavern illuminated by glowing crystalline veins running along the walls and ceiling.

The ground was uneven stone, and the ceiling rose high above them, lost in shadows.

A low, guttural growl echoed from deeper within the cavern.

They moved forward together, and the first creatures appeared within seconds.

They looked like twisted, wolf-like beasts with crystalline spikes protruding from their backs.

Rheanne drew her silver blade in one fluid motion.

She met the first beast with a graceful slash, and her blade cut through its shoulder, sending it crashing into the wall with a yelp.

Brandon moved in sync as he beheaded another aberrant with a precise strike.

He used controlled bursts of ether to enhance his speed and strength, conserving as much as possible while still being effective.

When two aberrants tried to flank Rheanne, Brandon intercepted one with a powerful shoulder charge, slamming it into the ground before finishing it with a downward thrust.

When a larger, spiked aberrant charged at Brandon, Rheanne waved her free hand, creating a small spatial distortion that staggered the creature long enough for him to deliver a clean killing blow.

After clearing the first wave, they paused briefly in a wider chamber.

Looking at her, Brandon asked "You have various sets of powers, right? I saw you using wind energy the other day... why don’t you use it often?"

Turning to him, she replied "I just like the feel of slaying these creatures with my blade."

She flexed her fingers around the hilt of her sword for a moment, "There’s something... honest about it."

"The weight of the steel in my hand, the resistance when it cuts through flesh and bone and the way I can feel every strike. It reminds me that no matter how strong the energy inside me becomes, I am still just a person choosing to fight."

Brandon glanced down at the silver blade hanging at her hip.

His frown deepened slightly as a thought crossed his mind ’Should I tell her about how artifacts are made?’

But the thought made him pause.

’I accidentally introduced the term "ether" to this world,’

’And considering I’m in a bootstrap paradox, it is bound to happen... because the past is set and already predetermined.’

He had turned this idea over in his mind many times since arriving in 1502.

This wasn’t normal time travel where one small change could ripple outward and alter everything.

In a bootstrap paradox, the events were self-causing.

The future created the past, which in turn created the future.

’What I am doing right now... is already done by the future me. So anything I do here won’t affect the future timeline.’

That realization was the main reason Brandon had let his guard down in this era. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He wasn’t afraid of breaking the timeline... because, in this loop, the timeline was already "broken" and repaired by his very presence.

His actions here were not changes... they were the events that had always happened in the past.

His frown deepened further as he stared at the blade ’But still...’

There was always that lingering doubt. The "but still" that kept him from speaking too freely.

Telling Rheanne about advanced artifact creation might accelerate technological or ether-based development in this time period.

Even if the paradox suggests it was predetermined, the idea of actively shaping history... even if it was already shaped made him hesitate.

A dry chuckle escaped his lips ’Even this hesitation is already predetermined. Haa... fuck my life.’

Rheanne noticed his prolonged silence and tilted her head slightly "Is something wrong, Kael? You look troubled."

Brandon blinked and shook his head, forcing a small smile "No, it’s nothing. Just thinking about how different fighting styles can be. Your blade work is beautiful to watch."

She accepted the compliment with a faint smile, "I can teach you my sword style if you want."

Hm? Upon hearing this, Brandon was dumbfounded ’Sword style of the Goddess Rheanne?’

A faint smile appeared on his lips "Sure."

With a faint nod, she replied "Let’s move on."