Chương 45: Change

Earth - College Campus Riku was halfway through her morning coffee when she spotted Tim walking across the campus courtyard, and she nearly choked on her drink.

"What the actual fuck?" she whispered, watching her usually reserved English teacher stride through the crowd with the confidence of a conquering general. This wasn't the Tim she knew. Gone was the slightly hunched posture of someone trying to make himself smaller, the careful steps of a man who'd learned to avoid drawing attention. Instead, Tim moved like he owned every inch of ground he walked on, his shoulders squared and his head held high.

The tight-fitting collared shirt he wore showed off the dramatic changes in his physique—broad shoulders that strained against the fabric, defined chest muscles that were visible even through the material, and arms that had gone from soft to seriously impressive. But it wasn't just his body that had transformed. There was something in his eyes, a hard edge that hadn't been there before.

Earth - Tim's Mind The integration of his consciousness had done more than just balance his masculine and feminine aspects—it had shown him exactly how broken he'd been allowing himself to become. Yesterday, experiencing Lia's grief and trauma without the mental wall had been devastating. But it had also been revelatory. He'd felt her memories of being dismissed, underestimated, treated like she was fragile or incompetent.

The original Lia's lifetime of fighting for respect in a world that saw her gender first and her abilities second. More importantly, he'd recognized those same patterns in his own life as Tim. His ex-wife's constant criticism, the way she'd talked over him in social situations, dismissed his opinions, made him feel like his thoughts and feelings didn't matter. The divorce proceedings where her lawyer had painted him as inadequate, unsuccessful, somehow less than what a man should be.

Years of accepting that treatment, of internalizing the message that he wasn't worth defending.

"Never again," Tim had whispered to himself in both bodies as he'd processed the revelation.

"I am never letting anyone treat me like I'm disposable again." The broken, grieving girl as Lia was also him. The dismissed, overlooked teacher who'd learned to avoid confrontation was also him. And neither were going to take any shit any longer. Earth - College Hallway Tim walked through the hallways like he was parting the Red Sea. Students who normally would have jostled past him now moved aside instinctively, some unconsciously straightening their postures when he looked their way.

Faculty members who had barely acknowledged his existence before were suddenly offering respectful nods. The change wasn't just physical, though the cultivation-enhanced physique certainly helped. It was the way he carried himself—like someone who had looked into the abyss of helplessness and decided to burn it down rather than fall into it. Professor Nakamura, who had always treated Tim like a temporary inconvenience, actually did a double-take as Tim passed the faculty lounge.

"Jones," he called out, his usual dismissive tone replaced by something approaching respect.

"You're looking... well. Have you been working out?"

"Something like that," Tim replied, his voice carrying a new edge of authority. He didn't slow down, didn't feel the need to elaborate or seek approval. Professor Nakamura's opinion of him was no longer something he needed to manage. Earth - Tim's Classroom When Tim entered his classroom, the atmosphere immediately shifted. Students who usually chatted until the last possible second fell silent, sensing something different about their teacher.

He set his materials down with precise movements, then turned to face the class with eyes that seemed to see through any pretense.

"Good morning," he said, his voice carrying an authority that made everyone sit up straighter. Riku slipped in just before the bell, taking her usual seat but feeling like she was seeing Tim for the first time. The way he moved, the controlled power in his gestures, the absolute confidence in his voice—it was mesmerizing and slightly terrifying.

"Today we'll be discussing power dynamics in literature," Tim announced, writing on the board with strong, decisive strokes.

"How characters respond when they're pushed to their breaking point. How they choose between surrender and strength." Riku felt a shiver run down her spine. This wasn't just a lesson plan—this was Tim's manifesto. Earth - After Class As students filed out, several of them shooting curious glances back at their transformed teacher, Riku lingered by her desk. She wanted to talk to Tim, to understand what had changed, but she was also slightly intimidated by this new version of him.

"Riku," Tim said, his voice gentle but still carrying that new edge of authority.

"Walk with me." It wasn't a request. As they moved through the hallway, Riku finally found her voice.

"What happened to you? Yesterday you were... and now you're..."

"I stopped accepting less than I deserve," Tim replied simply.

"I stopped letting my life be determined by others."

"It's not just that though," Riku pressed, studying his profile as they walked.

"You look like you could tear apart anyone who crossed you." Tim's smile was sharp and entirely without humor.

"That's because I could. And more importantly, I would." The quiet menace in his voice sent another shiver through Riku. This wasn't just confidence—this was a man who had looked at his own capacity for violence and decided he was comfortable with it.

"Are you still... you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm more me than I've ever been," Tim replied, stopping to face her fully.

"The question is whether you're ready for what that means." Riku met his gaze, seeing steel where there used to be uncertainty, fire where there used to be resignation. This was the Tim that Lia's strength had revealed—the version of him that refused to be a victim ever again. The Trauma of Lia's loss combined with Tim's acceptance of his own losses and changed them.

"Yeah," she said softly, her heart racing with a mixture of attraction and anticipation.

"I think I am." Cultivation World - Crimson Crater Training Grounds The training complex stretched across a massive plateau carved into the crater wall, its red stone surfaces marked with formations designed to contain even Golden Core level techniques. As Lia and Varek were escorted through the facility by one of the kingdom's training masters, they passed dozens of young cultivators preparing for the upcoming competitions.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The reaction to their arrival was immediately polarized.

"Is that really Varek of the Flaming Saber?" whispered a lean young man practicing sword forms.

"The one who fought a Golden Core expert?"

"Look at his stance," another added with obvious admiration.

"Even walking, you can see the Dao comprehension in how he moves." A small crowd began to gather around Varek, their faces bright with curiosity and respect. These were the kingdom's most promising young cultivators, and they recognized genuine martial prowess when they saw it.

"Senior Brother Varek," a particularly eager disciple called out, "would you honor us with a demonstration of your saber techniques?"

"Perhaps later," Varek replied with a modest smile, though Lia could see he was enjoying the attention. The confidence radiating from him was magnetic—these young cultivators were drawn to his presence like iron filings to a magnet. The treatment Lia received was markedly different.

"So that's the Ice Queen," she heard someone mutter behind her.

"Doesn't look like much without someone to rescue her."

"I heard she needed Varek to save her from the Corpse Cleansing Sect," another voice added with obvious disdain.

"What kind of prodigy gets overwhelmed by Foundation Establishment assassins?"

"Probably only famous because of her body," came a particularly cutting comment.

"Sect princess who's never had to fight for anything real." Lia's jaw tightened as she walked through the increasingly hostile crowd. Tim's integrated consciousness processed every slight, every dismissive look, every assumption that she was weak or dependent. The old Tim might have tried to ignore it, to avoid confrontation. The old Lia, fragmented and uncertain, might have retreated into herself. But Tim and Lia were no longer separate entities fighting for control.

They were one mind, and that mind was absolutely done with being underestimated.

"Lady Lia," the training master said diplomatically, "perhaps you'd like to observe the training exercises? You could learn much from watching our kingdom's techniques." Observe. Like she was some delicate flower who couldn't handle actual combat.

"Actually," Lia said, her voice carrying a dangerous edge that made several nearby cultivators pause, "I'd prefer to participate." A tall, muscular young man stepped forward from the crowd. He wore expensive robes that marked him as nobility, and his Foundation Establishment level 6 cultivation was impressive for someone who appeared to be in his early twenties. His handsome features were marred by an arrogant smirk that suggested he was used to getting his way.

"Lord Chen Jianyu," the training master said quickly, "perhaps we should start with—""Nonsense," Chen interrupted, his eyes fixed on Lia with predatory interest.

"The lady wants to participate. Who am I to deny her?" He gestured toward a nearby sparring circle with mock gallantry.

"I would be honored to help the famous Ice Queen understand the level of competition she'll be facing." The crowd murmured with anticipation. Several cultivators exchanged knowing looks—Chen Jianyu was known for his ruthless fighting style and his particular enjoyment of humiliating opponents he considered beneath him.

"Chen," Varek said, his voice carrying a warning note, "that's not necessary."

"Oh, but it is," Chen replied, never taking his eyes off Lia.

"How can we properly welcome our... guests... without showing them the standards they'll need to meet?" His smile turned cruel.

"Unless the lady prefers to continue hiding behind her protector?" The challenge hung in the air like a thrown gauntlet. Lia could feel the weight of dozens of eyes upon her, waiting to see if she would back down, if she would prove their assumptions about her weakness correct. Tim's memories of his marriage flooded through her consciousness—years of being dismissed, of having his opinions ignored, of being treated like he was incompetent.

Lia's own memories added fuel to the fire—the original Lia's struggles to be taken seriously despite her obvious talent, the way male cultivators had always assumed she needed protection.

"Fine," Lia said, her purple eyes beginning to glow with controlled fury.

"Let's dance." The Sparring Circle The circle was twenty meters across, its perimeter marked by formation stones that would contain most techniques and prevent serious injury. Chen stepped into the ring with the easy confidence of someone who had never lost a fight he cared about winning.

"Don't worry," he called out loud enough for the entire crowd to hear, "I'll try not to damage you too badly. Varek might get upset if I break his toy." That was the final straw. Lia stepped into the circle, her hand moved into a come at me signal as the shadow leech writhed eagerly against her chest. The crowd fell silent, sensing that something fundamental had shifted in her demeanor.

"Begin when ready," the training master announced, though his voice carried obvious concern. Chen immediately launched into a series of impressive sword techniques, his blade wreathed in earth-attributed qi as he executed a combination that would have overwhelmed most Foundation Establishment level 1 cultivators. It was clearly designed to end the fight quickly and demonstrate the gap between them. It would have been devastating against the old Lia. But Tim/Lia was done being underestimated.

The moment Chen's first strike reached where she had been standing, Lia simply wasn't there anymore. The Void Strider Steps activated, and she stepped sideways through the grey mist of the void, appearing three meters to Chen's left in an instant. The shadow leech flowed down her arm as she moved, forming the deadly black glove that no one had seen yet. Chen spun to face her new position, but she was already gone again.

Void step backward, then forward, then diagonally—each movement carrying her through that space between spaces where distance became meaningless. To the watching crowd, she was flickering in and out of existence like a ghost.

"What the hell—" Chen started to say, then screamed as razor-sharp shadow claws raked across his back. Lia hadn't touched him. She was standing five feet away. But her shadow-clawed hand had reached out and grabbed Chen's shadow on the ground, and where she cut the darkness, corresponding wounds appeared on his physical form.

"Impossible," someone in the crowd breathed.

"She's attacking through shadows?" Chen whirled around, his sword seeking her throat, but found only empty air. Lia had void-stepped again, appearing behind him just long enough to rake her shadow claws across his shadow's chest before disappearing again. More wounds opened across Chen's torso as his shadow was methodically shredded.

He tried to dodge, to create distance, to use his superior cultivation level, but how do you fight someone who can step through the void at will and attack your shadow from impossible angles?

"Stand still and fight me properly!" Chen roared, desperation creeping into his voice as blood seeped through his expensive robes.

"Why?" Lia's voice came from everywhere and nowhere as she continued her void-step assault.

"So you can show me my place? So you can prove I'm just a weak little girl who needs rescuing?" She appeared directly in front of him, close enough that he could see the fury burning in her purple eyes. Her shadow-clawed hand shot forward—not at him, but at his shadow's throat. Chen's own throat constricted as if invisible fingers were choking him. He dropped his sword, clawing at his neck as he struggled to breathe.

"Let me be very clear," Lia said, her voice deadly quiet but carrying to every corner of the training ground.

"I am not weak. I am not someone's prize. And I am absolutely not someone you get to put in their place." She released his shadow's throat, and Chen collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. The fight was over. He was beaten, humiliated, and everyone present knew it. But Lia wasn't done. As she walked past the kneeling Chen toward the exit, she did something that sent shockwaves through the entire crowd.

Her hand swung out in a casual slap—not at Chen, but at Varek's ass as he stood stunned at the edge of the circle. The sharp crack of her palm against his backside echoed through the suddenly silent training ground.

"Come on, pretty boy," she said with dangerous sweetness, never breaking stride.

"We're leaving." Varek blinked in shock, his hand instinctively moving to where she'd smacked him, before breaking into a grin that was pure masculine appreciation. The possessive satisfaction in his eyes was unmistakable—this was exactly the kind of strength and confidence that attracted him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, hurrying to catch up with her. Behind them, Chen struggled to his feet, his expensive robes torn and bloody, his pride shattered along with his assumptions about weak women who needed protecting.

"What the fuck just happened?" someone in the crowd whispered.

"The Ice Queen just declared war on anyone who thinks she's weak," another replied with obvious awe. As Lia and Varek walked away from the training ground, she felt a savage satisfaction burning in her chest. The days of being underestimated were over. The days of accepting disrespect as Tim or Lia were done. She was Tim's analytical mind and competitive drive expressed through Lia's powerful body and stunning techniques. She was masculine determination channeled through feminine grace.

She was exactly as dangerous as she chose to be. And anyone who forgot that was going to learn it the hard way.

"That was incredible," Varek said as they walked back toward the palace, his voice filled with genuine admiration.

"Though I have to ask—was the ass-slap really necessary?" Lia's grin was pure wicked satisfaction.

"You seemed to enjoy it."

"I did," he admitted with a laugh.

"But you just claimed me in front of half the kingdom's young cultivators. You know what that means, right?"

"It means," Lia said, her purple eyes glowing with dangerous amusement, "that I'm done letting anyone else decide who or what I am. Including you." Varek's smile widened.

"Good. I was getting bored with rescuing damsels anyway."