The line between us

Life is never easy, but I can’t complain.
I had a loving family, a good chance to learn martial arts and scholarly disciplines and most importantly, I had a good childhood friend.
She was the daughter of my father’s best friend, thus we were like family.
She loved martial arts while I practiced the spear she practiced the rapier.
In the scholarly disciplines we were both tied, achieving full marks all the time.
She was my best friend and also my greatest rival, but we were never too close.
While being both prideful, we never admitted defeat, our duels always ending in draw.
We were eating, sleeping, training and studying together, yet we were worlds apart.
She was friendly, and outspoken, while I was rather cold, and quiet.
There was always a line between us that clearly showed our differences.
This line never disappeared.
When I became 16, and finally truly became an adult, I enrolled in our Empire’s army, while she entered a reclusive sect.
I walked a bloody path from common cannon fodder to a general.
Afterwards, I became the appointed King of a kingdom I conquered for my Emperor.
At this point in time, it was almost a decade since I last saw her…but then, at my coronation, she appeared.
The sect she joined, was actually granted this kingdom as a cultivation ground, and me as the king, had the same rights as their Sect Leader.
But due to the inherent difference between mortals and cultivators, our shared sovereign status was possible.
My speech was simple: “Thank you all for coming, We are to rule justly, and prosper for the Emperor and for Our kingdom’s people as well!”
With that, the celebration began, while I retreated to my study.
Not long after that, the sect sent someone to congratulate me, and give me the rights to start cultivating.
“Long time no see.”
The envoy said.
No suspense there, the envoy was my childhood friend.
“Long time no see, indeed.”
I nodded.
We sat down, and drank tea.
We didn’t talk for a long time, before she took out a jade slip and handed it over.
“You have cultivated a body forging technique. Here is a qi cultivation method and a top-tier body forging art. With this, you could contend with our Sect Leader in a few decades.”
She said.
I took the jade slip and put it away.
“Thank you.”
I said.
After an awkward period of silence, we went outside and did what we always did: sparred.
The outcome was obviously skewed, at least to her.
“How…How is this possible?!”
She exclaimed.
“I trained…a lot.”
As she was defeated in a single move, she cried out, and soon ten more people were in my courtyard.
“What did you do to Junior Sister?!”
A young man shouted.
I just shook my head.
“He did nothing…I fought him without qi and lost. We are old friends…”
She said.
That was a lie, she went all-out, but I didn’t desire her to be shamed.
“Your Highness, excuse my disciple for his rudeness, he was just worried about a fellow disciple!”
An elder stepped forward.
I just smiled.
“No problems.”
I said, leaving the courtyard.
Afterwards, the relationship between my kingdom and the sect became closer, but much more formal.
The line between us was even more apparent.
She walked the immortal life while behaving like a mortal, while I enjoyed the mortal world, behaving like an immortal.
Our differences are stark, but I wished that one day, we would be once again together.
Two individuals, simply enjoying each-others presence.