Arya and I found ourselves once again on the platform in empty space, though this time the being was also with us. "I'm both impressed and dissatisfied with the way you two passed that test." It said, shaking it's ever fluctuating head. "To think such a loophole existed, I'll have to patch it, but, regardless of how it was done, you did technically finish the test, so congratulations. The final test is much simpler, and isn't even really a test at all, but it's important nonetheless. Well, enjoy the experience and I'll see the two of you later." It said waving its hand, not giving either of us the chance to even open our mouths before we were once again sucked away.
I was startled awake to the feeling of someone blowing into my ear, only to be further confused when I saw a younger version of myself sitting on the edge of the bed grinning. "Good morning sleeping beauty, breakfast is ready so come eat before it gets cold."
It wasn't until I realized that I had no control of the situation that I wasn't actually here, I was simply watching through the eyes and mind of Arya. I could still distinctly recall the first half year we spent together, as it had mostly just been the two of us getting used to having each other nearby.
As I blinked, or rather Arya blinked, the scene suddenly changed to the both of us at the table, the scrolls for the Yin-Yang Technique unraveled as we pieced together the proper way to practice it. At one point I saw my younger self stand and encroach into Arya's personal space as I asked for clarification on some of the Elvish characters. Despite the calm voice that came out, I was affected by the thoughts swirling around her head.
The greatest was fear, fear that me being unaffected was a fluke and that next time I would actually die. The other biggest being hope, that I was indeed immune and she would finally have someone she could be close to without worrying about killing them. The last and most subtle feeling was, much to my surprise, arousal mixed with embarrassment. To be fair, I was in extreme proximity, and even at this point in time I had Skills that passively influenced those around me, so long as they could be attracted to me, and for Arya, it seemed less about whether I had been a boy or a girl, but rather what kind of person I was, and so far it seemed I had hit quite a few of her criteria.
The scene soon shifted again, Arya was now in the hot spring, staring listlessly at the sun that was soon to reach its zenith. It was clearly one of the school breaks as Arya had been a model student up until the fourth year and classes would have been going currently, were it not a break. It hurt me to realize that Arya had spent each of her breaks alone, with no one but herself to keep her company. She might have been used to it before, but she had long since gotten used to having me around so it felt extra empty.
At least until she heard my voice call out. "What are you lazing about for, we need to practice right?"
Arya turned to see me standing proudly displaying myself as I waited for her to stand up. Just as the time when I'd experienced her feeling during the scrolls, so too did I feel them once again. This time it was mostly just unbridled joy, not that it showed in her expression or movements.
It was at this time that I realized that I was also one dense motherfucker. As we cultivated Arya couldn't help but glance over to me quite frequently, only to blush and turn away quickly, on to repeat the action only moments later. Of course, at the time I hadn't even noticed, as I had thought that Arya was only going along with the engagement because she had no choice, so it never occurred to me that I had squeezed into her heart via her most vulnerable worry.
There were many more similar scenes as the time inside the memories passed, each one causing Arya's desire to smolder hotter and hotter. Somehow I remained completely oblivious for the better part of three years, or maybe I had just ignored the signs since I didn't want to deal with her penis. I wanted to strangle my past self the more I watched, had I just done it and wasn't stuck on the stupidest of issues, I imagined me and Arya would have passed the second test the proper way.
I also never realized how excruciating it was to sleep naked with me for her. It seemed the reason she was so hard to wake in the mornings was because she couldn't fall asleep easily while our naked bodies rubbed against each other. Her dreams were more like nightmares, usually me abandoning her, which was why once she did sleep she always seemed to cling onto me.
The worst was when she got word that our engagement was to be broken off. All the hopes and dreams that had been building for four years suddenly came crashing down around her like a straw home. Even worse was that not only did I not mention it, but my attitude hadn't changed in the slightest. This had been the Arya had told me off, before storming out due to her raw emotions. As if I was supplying salt on her wounds, rumors quickly spread that I would sleep with any girl that I deemed worthy, a blow that had nearly severed our relationship.
Thankfully, Marian talked sense into me and we were able to make it past the rough patch, even solidifying our relationship much more securely than it had once been.
The scenes eventually ended and I found myself in the throne room where we'd first entered the Well of Balance. I could only stand there silently as I waited for Arya to appear. Seeing things from her perspective had made me feel some guilt, as even if it hadn't been my original intention, I had practically seduced her then ignored her for the better part of four years. Even worse was that Arya preferred often and open affection with each other, something I had been avoiding because I just assumed that she would like to keep it behind closed doors.
However, I felt like I understood Arya a bit better, and I wanted to talk to her about the experience, as well as to apologize for how I neglected her until recently. Just as I thought so she suddenly faded into existence next to me, her eyes fluttering open as I reached over and pulled her into an embrace. "I'm sorry for not realizing or doing anything sooner." I said.
However, before any other words could be exchanged the mixed being appeared on the throne. "Yes, yes, enough with the display of affection, jeez, you two are just like the last couple that passed the trial, though your run was much slower, taking just over a month, well that's a pretty good speed considering that some people have taken over two-hundred years. So how do you two feel? In better control? Balanced? More understanding?"
I wasn't really sure about the first two, but I definitely felt that I understood Arya better, something that should have had to wait until now for me to accomplish, so I only nodded my head, causing the being to nod its head in satisfaction. "Good, good. This Trial was originally a couples counselling service, so I'm glad you gained something from it. Now the reason you two came here in the first place, what is it that you desire from me?"
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