CH479 The Duality of Existence

***

"Yin?" Zora echoed. "What is that?"

Alex paused.

For the first time in a while, he found himself genuinely stumped.

How was he supposed to explain the concept of Yin and Yang without revealing his nature as a transmigrator?

For a brief moment, silence stretched between them.

Then, an idea struck him.

"In a civilisation long past," Alex began aloud—

'More like a civilisation from my past life,' he added silently—

"They had a theory of creation."

Zora listened attentively.

"They believed everything originated from One. What that One truly was, they couldn't define. But they believed all existence came into being because that One split into Two."

"These Two were called Yin and Yang—the fundamental duality of existence."

Alex continued, his voice steady.

"From these Two, all things emerged. Each split further, giving rise to what we now recognise as elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Lightning, Nature, Wind, and so on."

He paused briefly, ensuring she was following.

"According to the scholars of that civilisation, everything—everything—can be traced back to this duality. Male and female. Hard and soft. Hot and cold. High and low."

"All things exist as a balance between Yin and Yang."

Zora's eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

"For example," Alex said, "a man is considered Yang-dominant. Masculinity, firmness, heat, assertiveness—these are Yang-aligned traits."

"Women, on the other hand, are considered Yin-dominant. Femininity, softness, receptiveness, gentleness—these are Yin-aligned traits."

"But dominance does not mean exclusivity."

He looked at her meaningfully.

"A man must possess Yin to exist properly—softness, restraint, empathy. A woman must possess Yang—strength, decisiveness, resolve."

"One cannot exist without the other."

"A balance," Zora murmured.

"Yes," Alex said. "A deliberate, necessary balance."

Zora hesitated before asking the question that clearly weighed on her.

"What happens," she asked quietly, "when that balance is broken?"

Alex's expression hardened.

"Nothing good," he replied grimly. "According to those scholars, whenever the balance is disrupted within a being or entity, it inevitably bring harm."

"Sometimes for that being alone."

"And sometimes… for everything around it."

Zora's expression turned solemn.

"So," she said slowly, "you're saying my condition is caused by my Yin overwhelming my Yin-Yang balance?"

"I believe so, yes." Alex nodded. "Think about it. You said it yourself—your Frost family mostly gives birth to females. Following this concept, that strongly suggests your bloodline carries exceptionally high Yin."

"High Yin increases the likelihood of female existence, and birth."

Zora's brows knit together as understanding dawned.

"Now," Alex continued, "if we accept that merely being born into your family already places you near the upper limit of what a human body can tolerate in terms of Yin—even if that level was still stable—what do you think would happen when we add in your bloodline atavism and awakening?"

Zora inhaled slowly.

"The Ice Phoenix," she said, "is a being of extreme cold… extreme Yin."

She looked up at him.

"I inherited a powerful bloodline tracing back to the Ice Phoenix. That means I inherited its Yin nature as well."

Her voice steadied as the pieces fell into place.

"If my body was already close to the limit of balance, then adding the Ice Phoenix's Yin would shatter it completely."

Alex nodded.

"Exactly. You inherited the Yin of an Ice Phoenix—but you are not an Ice Phoenix. You are human."

"A human body cannot withstand that level of imbalance."

He continued calmly, "It seems you've been unconsciously using mana to counteract your bloodline's influence—tilting the balance just enough to keep some semblance of balance."

"But that solution has reached its limit."

Zora lowered her gaze.

"However," Alex said, smiling faintly, "the answer is clear now, isn't it?"

Zora frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"We have two options," Alex replied. "Either we find a way to drain the excess Yin from your body…"

"Or we balance it."

"Balance?" she repeated.

"By introducing Yang," Alex said. "Even if it doesn't completely solve the problem, it can stabilise you—delay the progression and buy us time."

He added thoughtfully, "Personally, I prefer the latter approach. Draining Yin outright would likely weaken you, and your strength isn't something I want to sacrifice unless we have no other choice."

Truthfully, Zora wouldn't have minded losing some of the power brought about by her excess Yin.

But if she could keep her strength and survive?

That was clearly the better outcome.

She looked at Alex, eyes sharp with renewed hope.

"Then how," she asked, "do you propose we balance Yin with Yang?"

"We can find an opposite extreme Yang source for you to absorb," Alex said. "Given the quality of your bloodline, that would mean something on the level of a Ancient Dragon Heart—or perhaps a true Fire Phoenix heart. Either should be capable of balancing your Yin, at least temporarily."

Zora stared at him in silence.

He had just casually listed items so rare and valuable that entire planes would go to war over them.

"Another option," Alex continued calmly, "is cheaper, but exponentially shorter-lasting."

Zora narrowed her eyes. "Which is?"

"The natural union of Yin and Yang," Alex replied. "Male and female."

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Intercourse."

He said it plainly, without hesitation.

Zora froze.

"…Are you serious?"

"Deadly serious." Alex nodded. "Between my Elder Dragon Heart, the Solmir half of my bloodline, and AetherKindle, my body leans even more heavily toward Yang. Even the Furor half of my bloodline—while technically Yin-aligned—is fundamentally different from your Ice Phoenix Yin."

Her eyes widened slightly.

"I see…" Zora murmured. "The internal clash between your Yang Solmir bloodline and your Yin Furor bloodline—that's why you failed to manifest during your family's awakening ceremony."

Alex smiled, impressed.

"Yes. The Dragon Heart provided the balancing force they needed to coexist—barely. A kind of… uneasy truce."

He refocused.

"The Yang within me can suppress your Yin flare-ups. At the same time, my own Yin can absorb part of your excess, easing the strain on your body."

Zora looked at him sideways.

"…Are you sure you're not just saying all this to get me into bed?"

She almost couldn't believe the solution was so—convenient.

Alex smirked. "You're my wife. If I wanted you in my bed, do you really think I'd need to fabricate something this elaborate?"

As if to prove his point, he reached out and pulled her closer.

"Since you're unconvinced," he added solemnly, "we might as well test the theory."

Zora caught herself before laughing.

"We can't. Udara and Eleanor are outside. They're probably worried—you dragged me in here looking like you were ready to murder someone."

"Don't worry," Alex said smoothly. "This is just a test."

"I'll be quick."

Not waiting for her response, Alex closed the distance between them and pressed her back against the sofa.

What followed was not gentle.

Nor was it restrained.

Zora, despite her half-hearted protests, did not resist him in the slightest.

True to his word, Alex didn't drag things out—at least, not by his standards.

Their bedroom spar lasted just about half an hour.

Afterwards, Zora didn't bother dressing immediately. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the sofa and closed her eyes, entering a brief meditative state to examine her condition.

A moment later, her eyes snapped open.

"It worked!" she exclaimed, disbelief and delight lighting her features.

She lunged at him and kissed him deeply.

Alex reacted instantly, gripping her shoulders and pushing her back just far enough to create distance.

"What's wrong?" Zora asked, confused.

"Get dressed," Alex said with a strained smile, "while I still have the self-control to let you leave."

Zora's eyes flicked downward, then back up.

Realisation dawned.

She scrambled to her feet, scooping up her clothes and retreating a few steps—though the way she dressed was anything but hurried. Every movement was deliberate, unhurried, and entirely unnecessarily sultry.

Alex closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, counting.

Once she was finally dressed, Alex activated OmniRune. A gate shimmered into existence beside them.

"Go on ahead," he said. "I'll follow later."

"You're not coming now?" Zora asked, surprised.

"Someone broke my heart today," Alex replied lightly. "I need a moment to sulk."

The joke landed harder than he intended.

Zora immediately stepped back into his space and hugged him, her expression apologetic.

Alex sighed and gently stroked her hair.

"I'm kidding," he said softly. "Mostly. I just need a bit of time to think. Maybe I can come up with a better way to manage your condition—for both the short and long term."

Zora nodded. "Alright."

She turned toward the gate, then paused just before stepping through. A second later, she looked back at him, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Oh, Alex?"

"Yes?"

"You really are a silver tongue!"

She stuck out her tongue—and vanished through the portal.

Alex burst into laughter.

For a brief moment, the weight on his chest lifted.

But only for a moment.

Once the Sanctuary was quiet again, his expression slowly hardened—his gaze sharpening into something grave, calculating, and deeply focused.

After all, he problem wasn't solved.

It was merely… delayed.

***

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