Deviant: No Longer Human

Mary, at the wheel, navigated the car flawlessly.

In the back seat, Yue picked up her phone again; with a tap, it expanded to the size of a tablet, and she began to review the wedding arrangements.

"Mary... What is this 'worshiping heaven and earth' about?" Yue asked, her lips trembling slightly with confusion.

This was one of the essential rituals that couldn't be omitted.

Juliana and her mother, Lisa, were handling the groundwork, leveraging their extensive local connections.

Thus, the plan they devised seemed quite perplexing to Yue.

"It's a ceremony, same as exchanging vows," Mary explained.

"What are 'exchanging vows'?" Yue inquired, her eyes wide with curiosity as she glanced at Mary through the side mirror.

Mary paused, momentarily stunned, then remembered that marriage concepts in Xianthera were markedly different.

Marriages in Xianthera needed to pass through an ethics department, which evaluated whether the individuals were compatible.

Most marriages were proposed by the ethics department itself, and individuals could accept if they wished.

It was akin to a registration process, as bearing children outside of marriage was prohibited in Xianthera.

Eleanor maintained strict control over each new soul born in Xianthera's soil, ensuring they had the highest likelihood of awakening psychokinetic abilities.

She strategically paired families with high-quality genes with those of lower quality to optimize genetic diversity and potential.

Pairing two individuals with poor-quality genes could result in offspring unable to awaken psychokinetic abilities, necessitating their exclusion due to Xianthera's limited resources.

Of course, Eleanor didn't manage these intricacies alone; a vast ethics committee aided her, but only matters of utmost importance reached her ears.

As for the marriage ceremony, it was neither fancy nor brief, typically adhering to the family's traditions, which included a feast and sacrificial offerings reminiscent of ancient Greek rituals.

Mary, though familiar with the Western traditions of her own family, found herself at a loss when trying to explain this to Yue, whose innocent eyes were fixed on her with growing curiosity.

Despite her role, Mary had never delved deeply into the marital customs of Xianthera.

Yue, genuinely clueless and seeing Mary's prolonged silence, grew increasingly inquisitive.

Suddenly, Mary thought to herself that Yue's sister, Wenxi, was easier to manage than Yue.

Wenxi was keen on mastering aether and integrating it into her sword style, a technique taught by Athene, areas where Mary could offer substantial guidance.

But Yue, uninterested in swords or similar pursuits, presented a more challenging subject for Mary.

"Miss, why don't you ask your father? He comes from the Qing Dynasty; he should have a better understanding of this," Mary suggested, deferring the matter to Wang Xiao.

Yue's lips quivered slightly, like a petal in the breeze, she responded with a mix of reverence and mild frustration.

"Do you think I have not considered that?" she replied, her voice a tender whisper.

Folding her hands in her lap, the tablet set aside like a forgotten scroll, she added, "It has been a week since he vanished, likely entrusting all to me while he have fun elsewhere."

"Child, speak not in curses of your father; the winds may carry your words to his ears," Mary cautioned, her smile tinged with melancholy, briefly breaking the veil of her usually stern demeanor

"I'm not cursing him. But if it's his friend's marriage, he should be here with us!" Yue exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with a mix of frustration and determination.

She then grabbed the tablet again and shuffled through the gallery.

"Mary, do you know her?" she suddenly asked, turning the tablet around to show Mary a picture.

Mary caught the image reflected in the side mirror: a beautiful woman looking toward the camera, her delicate white shoulders draped with a pink scarf. In the back, petals of cherry blossoms added a tender touch, their petals seeming to flutter like a soft breeze, caressing the woman's hair which cascaded gracefully around her face.

Her eyes, deep and sorrowful, mirrored the sadness of a midnight pool, striking a chord of melancholy in the viewer.

A flicker of surprise flashed through Mary's eyes before she shook her head in denial.

Yue's surprise morphed into a bitter smile. "How can you not recognize her, Mary? Do you even pay attention when you are around me? She is the bride!"

Mary blinked, unapologetically. "My duty is to ensure your safety, Miss. It does not concern me with the affairs of those you associate with."

"Oh, yet you are quite quick to report everything to our father, for someone who only concerns herself with our safety and not our business?" Yue pointed out the inconsistency with a sharp tone.

Mary remained unfazed. "Your father has employed me to look after you both."

Her words were crisp, underlining her allegiance to Wang Xiao over anyone else.

Yue pouted, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "Mary, you were much more cute when we were children. Now, you've become as stern as mom. Growing up is such a burden!"

"Cute?" Mary nearly laughed out loud as she glimpsed her own reflection in the side mirror—bright, wide red eyes and a pale face that looked as if it hadn't seen sunlight in centuries.

How could the woman in the mirror be considered cute?

She shook her head with a trace of bitterness. "I know you want more information about the woman in the picture, but trust me, Miss, not just me—no one, including your mother, will divulge anything unless your father permits it."

"Such a controlling father..." Yue muttered under her breath, her attempt to gather more information failed.

She glanced down at her own attire: a short black professional skirt paired with a white half-sleeve top.

On her, the outfit looked effortlessly charming.

Yue wondered that if Wenxi, with her fiery temperament, were to wear it, she might well have scandalized half the city by now.

Yue often felt she was the only voice of reason in their family.

As the car came to a halt, Mary opened the door with a smile that irked Yue, yet she couldn't find it in herself to blame Mary either.

She stepped out of the car, with Mary following closely behind, and turned towards the towering skyscraper.

Along the way, Yue's striking appearance drew many curious glances, all of which she brushed of with a polite smile as she entered the elevator and sighed heavily in tiredness.

The elevator would take her directly to the sixteenth floor—home to their new office.

Inside the quiet of the elevator, Yue adjusted her dress and straightened her appearance, while Mary stood beside her, observing silently and shaking her head in subtle disapproval.

Navigating life's path was undeniably challenging, a truth Mary understood deeply after her own ambitions to complete Project Transcendence had collapsed, leaving her with a profound sense of emptiness.

Had it not been for Wang Xiao's intervention, offering her a new purpose, she might have been lost.

For the twins, having Wang Xiao as a father was both a blessing and a curse.

Eleanor's daughter pursued her own distinct goals, while Amelia embraced an eccentric path, diverging sharply from traditional expectations.

Mary, despite her close connection to the family, had only encountered Amelia's daughter on a mere two occasions, reflecting the unusual and isolated life.

Unlike the defined paths of others, the lives of the twins seemed adrift, belonging neither to the outside world nor fully to Xianthera, much like the younger days of Wang Xiao.

While one twin appeared to have found her direction, Yue still confused with her identity, facing a daily crisis that Mary, having watched them grow, understood all too well.

Wang Xiao might not have taken seriously the event management company started by Yue, but for her, it was a crucial endeavor to carve out her identity.

She resented how her father seemed to dismiss her efforts, as if the struggles of mortals were beneath his consideration, unlike his supportive approach to Wenxi, who was learning to integrate aether into the sword arts taught by Athene.

Yue harbored a twinge of envy; she had never taken to the sword or its philosophies, despite the residual energies of the sea of swords embedded within their collective consciousness—a defensive formation instilled by Athene.

Gradually, Yue had learned to manipulate this energy, but the thought of transforming it into swords and learning offensive techniques felt tedious and uninteresting.

It wasn't that she found it entirely dull; rather, it seemed pointless, especially with Mary's constant protection.

As long as any trouble could be resolved with Mary's formidable strength, Yue saw little reason to embrace the way of the sword.

Whoosh!

Gasp!

As Yue pushed open the door to the CEO's office, her eyes widened in disbelief, trembling slightly with shock.

Beside her, Mary's hand flew to her mouth, covering a gasp as both women were taken aback by the unexpected scene that greeted them.