(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(St. Romeo's Beach- Private Beach house)

There was a unique place on planet Gaia.

It was located at the northernmost tip of the planet where the temperatures plummeted to around minus forty-five degrees Celsius.

It was an enormous lake covered by a thick ice sheet and surrounded by a white sandy beach.

The ice was a pinkish red colour due to the strange plants living at the bottom of the lake that released chemicals that affected the colour of the water.

Monstrous snake-like abominations glided beneath the ice with their yellowish eyes searching for a worthy prey.

Tall green leafy trees provided shade along the white sandy beach and a light snow would occasionally fall.

The entire view was picturesque almost like something out of a magazine.

There was a sense of peace and tranquility that could not be explained.

Numerous luxury villas and private mansions had been built around the lake since wealthy nobles and merchants would often take vacations at this spot.

Each mansion was appropriately spaced out so that the residents would not have to interact with one another and were afforded a certain level of privacy.

Sophie stood quietly on the beach and took a few deep breaths of the fresh air. She was currently wearing a heavy black jacket, a pair of navy-blue track pants and a reddish scarf.

Truthfully, she would have been just fine in regular clothes but somehow it seemed appropriate to wear winter attire.

The hybrid girl walked towards the shore of the lake and used her bladed appendages to lightly tap the sheet of ice.

A fine crack began to spread from the point of contact, and she could see the snake-like monsters glance in her direction.

"Oh? Do you think I'm food?" Sophie teased softly as she applied more pressure using her bladed appendages.

Crack!

The crack widened and one of the monsters unable to bear the temptation burst out of the ice and lunged at her.

The enormous jaw of the beast opened wide to reveal numerous rows of sharp incisor-like teeth that glinted under the sunlight.

Without hesitation Sophie reached into her storage ring and pulled out her whip. She began to circulate her qi in a particular pattern as the beast got closer.

Black Whip Art- Hail of Shadows!

Sophie straightened her wrist and flung her whip outwards.

Shadowy illusory blades surrounded the edge of her weapon as it travelled directly towards the path of the hungry predator.

The beast did not have any time to react before its body was neatly cut into two equal parts without any suspense.

The body of the monster fell on top of the ice with a dull thump and bluish blood began to spread from the fresh corpse.

Some of the blood entered the water and caused a stir among the other snake-like creatures.

Sophie took a step back and observed as the corpse was dragged underwater and devoured within a matter of minutes in a feeding frenzy.

Pity she was expecting more of a challenge.

Sophie's pointed ears twitched as she heard footsteps coming towards her direction. The hybrid girl didn't have to look as she could tell exactly who this was.

In fact, she was very familiar with this person's footsteps.

"Tada! Look at me babe!" a cheerful voice suddenly called out. Sophie smiled softly and turned around only to be left speechless in shock.

Cleo was grinning at her with a mischievous sparkle in her piercing green eyes. The princess wore a pretty white winter jacket with tiny elf-like figures stitched along the bottom.

Her fair slender legs were covered by a pair of thin black pants and the princess posed seductively as she saw the awestruck look on her girlfriend's face.

The long curly hair that fell down her shoulders swayed gently from side to side as Cleo pressed her lips together and blew a kiss.

Sophie laughed and walked over to hold her girlfriend's hand. Cleo smiled sweetly and leaned in to place her head on Sophie's chest.

The pair stood silently for a moment.

It would have been a romantic mood if not for the bloody scent still lingering in the air and the snake-monsters staring at Sophie with hopeful expressions.

Clearly the monsters wanted her to kill more of their brethren for another snack. Sophie pretended not to see them and gently led Cleo to the other side of the beach.

She was not going to let those monsters ruin her first outdoor date with Cleo after so many months apart.

It had been a challenge to find the perfect dating spot and Sophie had done a lot of research on popular romantic locations.

She wasn't quite ready yet for crowded places but hopefully Doctor Reynolds would eventually help her to get the goddess' powers under control.

There was already some progress being made so Sophie was feeling a bit optimistic about the future.

It did help to be spending time with her amazing girlfriend especially considering that these were the last days that they had together before the new semester began.

Cleo would still be staying at the mansion for two more weeks, but online classes would begin so Sophie knew that she might not have time to go outside often.

"It's a bit quiet here almost like we're the only two left in the world," Cleo whispered as she tightened her grip on Sophie's palm.

"Would you mind? Imagine if one day it was just the two of us everyone else disappeared," Sophie spoke softly.

"Hmm I guess I would have to cancel my plans to get a royal harem," Cleo replied in a serious tone.

"Huh?!" Sophie exclaimed in shock.

She was about to ask Cleo about those so-called plans when she noticed the sparkle in those green eyes.

This little minx was teasing her!

"Do you like seeing me jealous?" Sophie growled darkly as she leaned in and pressed a series of fierce kisses on Cleo's face.

"Harem? Clearly you have too much energy to be thinking about other people."

There was a dangerous hint in Sophie's voice which Cleo recognised instantly. The princess' face flushed as she already could tell what was going to happen tonight.

Laughter and conversation filled the air as the pair continued their walk along the beach until they reached a tall tree in the middle of their path.

Sophie saw a golden pear-like fruit at the top of the tree and immediately recognised it as a Flamion fruit.

Flamion fruits were absolutely delicious with a texture similar to watermelons on Ancient Earth.

"Let me get that for you babe," Sophie declared confidently. The hybrid girl let go of her girlfriend's hand and approached the tree.

She easily scaled the tree using her bladed appendages to pierce the firm bark and crawl upwards like a spider.

She plucked the golden fruit from the topmost branch and simply leapt off.

The body of a qi tide cultivator was quite sturdy, so Sophie was able to just land on her feet as though the sixty-foot drop was nothing.

Cleo clapped enthusiastically and Sophie gave a bow and pretended to wave towards an adoring crowd of fans.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Sophie yelled happily as she continued her act.