Alice returned to her residence atop Mt. Qingshi, the small yet elegant palace perched upon the weathered ruins of what had once been the Holy Emperor’s stronghold.
Since the Hollowed World War, the site had become a place of pilgrimage rather than a seat of power. The Holy Emperor’s presence was required elsewhere, and leaving the ruins untouched served as a deliberate choice to avoid any appearance of favoritism, especially since the mountain lay within the borders of the former Grand Ascension Empire. More importantly, the stronghold faced Yellow Dragon City and overlooked the Riverfall Realm, the heart of the Dragon Court’s operations, one of the seven pillars upholding the Hollowed World.
The moment she stepped through the palace gates, Alice felt several familiar presences moving throughout the residence.
She sighed.
“I told you not to bother when you aren’t even here.”
Several Ezekiels were bustling around the palace. Some prepared food in the kitchen while others arranged plates and decorations around the dining table. Among them stood the Holy Emperor himself. Or rather, the man she preferred to call David.
David puffed out his cheeks in protest.
“Oh, come on. It’s date night!”
Alice removed her outer robe and handed it to one of the waiting Ezekiels.
“Every night you spend with me is date night to you, David. But like I said, if you aren’t going to be here, you shouldn’t have bothered.”
Ever since David had expanded the range of his Divine Phantasm of Dreams to a terrifying extent, he had become something close to omnipresent. He could project himself into countless places simultaneously and act through them as naturally as breathing.
David spread his arms dramatically.
“And what makes you think I’m not really here?”
A moment later, a soft kiss landed on her lips.
Alice's eyes narrowed.
The culprit immediately attempted to retreat.
Unfortunately for him, she caught his wrist before he could escape. With practiced ease, she empowered herself with Divine Might and Bless, twisted his arm behind his back, and layered several harmless but unpleasant curses onto him at once.
David dropped to one knee. “Ow! Oof! Ah! My majestic imperial wrist! It has been shattered into seventeen spiritual pieces!”
Alice stared at him. “Seventeen?”
“Possibly eighteen.”
She was entirely unimpressed.
David had survived battles against entities capable of erasing worlds. The performance would have earned sympathy from nobody.
“So,” Alice said calmly, tightening her grip a little. “You want to be the bottom today, huh?”
“Wait, wait, it really hurts—”
Something in his voice made her pause.
Alice released him.
David immediately stepped back and rubbed his wrist. Faint markings surfaced along his skin, glowing beneath the flesh like scars etched directly into his existence. They were different from the Binding Vows she had previously seen.
Alice frowned. “What’s that?”
David looked down. “A Binding Vow with Heart.”
Recognition flashed through her eyes. “It’s related to that bet, then.”
“...Yeah.”
Alice folded her arms. “What’s the bet about, anyway?”
David suddenly found the floor fascinating.
Alice's expression darkened. “I thought we agreed not to keep secrets from each other anymore. This is hurting me, David.”
His shoulders slumped. “Er... do you really have to know?”
“Get out.”
“Okay, okay! I’ll talk!”
The words came out so quickly they nearly overlapped.
David scratched his cheek awkwardly. “He promised to give me the Tower.”
Alice blinked. “The Tower?”
“At first, I wanted him to remove it entirely, but I changed my mind. Even if he agreed, there’s nothing stopping him from creating another disaster later with the damn Tower. So I figured it would be better if I owned it instead. If he loses, the Tower becomes mine.”
Alice nodded slowly in understanding. “And if you lose?”
David looked away.
Alice waited.
David continued looking away.
“David.”
“Mmm.”
“What happens if you lose?”
His answer emerged as an indistinct mumble.
Alice's eye twitched. “Speak clearly.”
David mumbled again.
“David,” called Alice again, slowly starting to get angry.
“Alice, please.”
“David.”
David covered his face with both hands, the tips of his ears burning a deep shade of red. Alice suddenly developed a very bad feeling about where this was going. After a long, tense moment, David finally drew in a deep breath.
“If I lose,” he said, “Supreme Heart gets me pregnant.”
Silence descended upon the palace like a heavy curtain. Several Ezekiels froze in place. One dropped his spoon with a clatter, while another quietly slipped out of the room.
Alice stared at David, her mind momentarily blank. “…Excuse me?”
David buried his face deeper into his hands, his voice muffled but laced with profound regret as he repeated the words. “If I lose, Supreme Heart gets me pregnant.”
The silence somehow grew even heavier. Alice spent several long seconds trying to process the sentence, then several more, and several after that. None of them helped.
“David.”
“Yes?”
“Why?”
“Yes.”
“That was not an answer.”
“I don't have a better one.”
Alice pressed two fingers against her temple, a weary gesture born of long experience. She had faced immortal calamities, cosmic invasions, divine conspiracies, and enough world-ending crises to fill entire libraries. Yet somehow, every conversation involving David managed to produce entirely new forms of suffering.
Slowly, she lowered her hand and looked directly at him. “Please tell me this wasn't your idea.”
David pointed at himself. “I am many things.”
“That wasn't reassuring.”
“But even I have standards,” he added.
Alice closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.
"So, date night?" asked David.
Alice grabbed David by the ear and dragged him toward the bedroom.
“Ow, ow, ow! Alice, I surrender! I surrender!” David cried as he stumbled after her. “At least let me explain myself!”
His protests accomplished absolutely nothing.
When he attempted to slip away through one of his dream projections, Alice immediately layered several curses onto him. The Holy Emperor yelped as his movement slowed to a crawl.
“This is tyranny!” he declared.
“This is punishment.”
“I said I was sorry!”
“You made a Binding Vow involving pregnancy.”
“In my defense, it sounded less insane when I agreed to it.”
Alice's eye twitched.
“That does not help your case.”
David looked genuinely remorseful for all of three seconds.
“Shouldn't we have a romantic dinner first?”
“No.”
“Alice, please. I spent hours preparing—”
“No.”
“At least let me finish setting the table!”
“No.”
“This is emotional abuse!”
"Do you like it, huh?"
Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that David must have liked this. For someone who could casually wrestle with cosmic horrors and bend reality to his will, his resistance felt half-hearted at best. He complained loudly, certainly, but he wasn't actually trying very hard to escape.
In fact, there was a suspicious sparkle in his eyes every time she dragged him around. This shameless, hopelessly affectionate bastard probably saw being manhandled by her as part of the romance. The realization only made her ears warm with embarrassment and annoyance. Yes, that had to be it. Otherwise, why would he keep smiling?
"So, you like it that much, huh? I guess, every night is a new experience..."
Alice pushed him onto the bed.
David flopped backward dramatically. “I am but a fragile scholar being oppressed by a powerful woman.”
“You are one of the strongest beings in existence.”
“That is unrelated to my suffering.”
Despite her irritation, Alice felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. David immediately noticed and his grin widened, which only annoyed her further. Unfortunately, it also made it impossible to stay angry.
For all his absurdity, all his impossible schemes, and all the headaches he brought into her life, he was still David, the man she loved. The realization softened her expression.
David’s playful demeanor gradually faded as he looked into her eyes, and the room fell quiet.
Their bodies met in a heated tangle. Alice leaned down and captured his lips in a deep, demanding kiss. David’s initial surprise melted away as he kissed her back with equal fervor, his hands sliding up her back to pull her closer. The curses she had cast on him dissolved under the warmth of their shared desire.
Piece by piece, they disrobed each other between kisses, his fingers trembling with reverence as he slipped her robes from her shoulders, her hands exploring the familiar planes of his chest and the Binding Vow marks that now adorned his wrist.
Alice climbed over him, her heart pounding with a familiar blend of exasperation and desire. She leaned down and captured his lips in a deep, demanding kiss. For a moment he froze, then David kissed her back with equal passion, his hands sliding up her waist as the curses on him began to fade under the intensity of their connection. Their mouths moved together hungrily, breaths mingling in the quiet of the palace.
They spent a passionate night wrapped in each other. Alice’s hands explored him with possessive intent, while David responded with reverent touches and whispered endearments that made her chest tighten. Their bodies moved in perfect rhythm, building heat and pleasure until the very air around them seemed to tremble.
Outside, the evening breeze drifted across Mt. Qingshi.
Inside, only the two of them remained as David dismissed the Ezekiels he brought with him.
Alice reached forward and cupped his face.
David leaned into her touch without hesitation.
Their foreheads met.
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
Words were unnecessary.
Far below Mt. Qingshi, faint tremors occasionally rolled through the earth. For generations, people had claimed that the earthquakes around the mountain were signs of the Holy Emperor’s wrath. They were completely wrong. The truth was far less terrifying and infinitely more embarrassing: two lovers were simply enjoying their time together, and the mountain simply happened to suffer the consequences.
By the time dawn approached, the palace had grown quiet. Alice rested comfortably against David’s side, one of his arms draped around her waist while she used his shoulder as a pillow. The Holy Emperor, conqueror of countless realms and ruler of innumerable worlds, was already fast asleep. Alice watched him for a few moments. His face looked peaceful, content, and genuinely happy. A faint smile formed on her lips. Then she closed her eyes as well.
When dawn finally arrived, Alice found herself reluctant to open her eyes.
David's arm remained around her waist, warm and reassuring in a way that made her chest ache. For a fleeting moment, she considered pretending to be asleep. If she did not move, perhaps time would stop. Perhaps the inevitable could be delayed for a little longer.
Unfortunately, reality had never been so kind.
Beside her, David stirred.
"I have to go," he said softly.
Alice tightened her hold around him. "Stay a little longer."
David smiled sadly. "Alice..."
"I'm not done enjoying your embrace yet."
For a brief moment, he looked tempted. Then his expression changed. The warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by a look of pure horror. David sat upright, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Alice froze.
The secret could no longer be hidden.
Gu Jie had helped her conceal it for as long as possible. They had both convinced themselves it was for the best. Yet the moment she had opened herself completely to David, the truth had become impossible to hide from someone with eyes capable of seeing so deeply into existence.
Slowly, Alice lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."
David stared at her.
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "When I said we should always be truthful with each other, I was the first one to lie. I betrayed your trust."
Silence filled the room.
Alice rose from the bed and began dressing herself. Layer after layer of familiar dark robes concealed her figure. Across the room, David did the same, donning his imperial robes with mechanical movements.
The regal aura surrounding the Holy Emperor was gone.
All that remained was a man in pain.
"Please, Alice..." he whispered. "Don't do this to me..."
His voice almost broke her resolve.
Those eyes of his had likely already seen fragments of what was coming. The words she intended to say. The wound they would inflict.
Alice looked away.
"There's something wrong with me, David."
"No."
"There is."
"No."
"You can't fix this."
"I can."
"I am sorry."
"Alice, look at me."
She didn't.
"I can," he repeated, his voice growing increasingly desperate. "I'm strong enough. If I'm not strong enough now, I'll become stronger. We have all the time we need. Thousands of years. Millions. However long it takes. So don't give up now."
Alice closed her eyes. If only it were that simple. Her miscarriage had never been merely a miscarriage. As her understanding of herself deepened, she had gradually come to realize the truth. She had tried to reclaim something that was never meant to belong to her. In undoing her vampirism and reaching for a future that fate itself seemed determined to reject, the consequences had run far deeper than mere physical wounds.
"I want to be alone for a while," she said quietly.
David's expression shattered. "Alice..."
"I need to think."
"We can think together," he offered, his voice strained.
She shook her head. "No." The single word struck him harder than any attack. Alice forced herself to continue, each syllable tasting like poison on her tongue. "I don't want to see you again. We're done."
David recoiled, the Holy Emperor looking utterly lost for the first time in countless years.
Before she could change her mind, Alice turned away. Every step felt heavier than the last, but she persisted. Alice stepped aboard the small vessel waiting on the floating platform outside the palace. Ancient warp formations glowed softly across its hull. Naturally, David followed.
“Alice!” he called out.
She paused as he landed beside the vessel. “No,” he said, his voice thick with that familiar stubbornness. “I won’t allow it.”
Despite the ache in her chest, Alice almost laughed. David pointed to himself. “I’m the Holy Emperor.”
“You are.”
“So listen to me! I order you to stay!”
The childish declaration was so utterly, absurdly David that her heart nearly broke. A soft laugh escaped her, followed by a genuine, tender smile.
“I know your sincerity,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I know how much you care. And that’s why, in the end, you’ll listen to my request. And that's also why I know that the man I love couldn’t chain me down by force even if he wanted to.”
“But I can't do this without you,” he insisted weakly, losing vitality on his voice. "I need you."
Alice shook her head, her expression turning solemn. “Don’t lose to Supreme Heart. If you get pregnant, I won’t forgive you.”
For several seconds, David simply stared at her. Then he buried his face in his hands. “Why is that the thing you’re worried about?”
“Because it is a very real possibility.”
“Alice!”
“And for the record,” she continued mercilessly, “I approve of Xin Yune.”
David groaned. “Please stop.”
“If you want another woman, you ask her permission first.”
“Alice…” His voice sounded utterly defeated.
Then he reached forward and took her hand. This time there was no humor, no teasing. Instead, there was only raw desperation. “Please.”
The single word carried more weight than any speech. Alice’s resolve wavered. She steeled herself.
“If you get in my way,” she said quietly, “I’ll kill myself.”
David’s face turned deathly pale.
“I’ll bring you back.”
“Then I’ll do it again.” Her voice was steady, merciless. “And again.”
His grip tightened. “Don’t.”
“It would be no different from you killing me yourself.” The accusation struck deep. “You don’t have the heart to do something so cruel.”
David’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Slowly, reluctantly, he released her hand. It was exactly as Gu Jie had predicted. The Holy Emperor stood motionless, conflicted, broken, and lost.
Then he suddenly spoke. “I changed my mind.” His voice trembled. “I don’t want to go anymore. Stay.” He lowered his head. “Please stay. Forgive me.”
Alice felt tears burning behind her eyes. There was nothing to forgive, since David had done nothing wrong, yet he still blamed himself, terrified that he had failed her.
“I will only cause you more hurt,” she said softly.
“And who told you that?” he shot back sharply. “The future is bright, and—”
The words died on his lips. Even David knew optimism alone wouldn’t change her mind. The future might be bright for many, but there were always places where the light failed to reach.
Alice stepped fully into the vessel. “I need time to think for myself.”
The warp formation activated. Rainbow-colored light erupted around the boat. David took a desperate step forward.
Alice smiled through her tears. “Don’t lose.”
Then the vessel vanished into the rainbow tunnel.
Alice closed her eyes as hot tears slipped down her cheeks. The pain in her heart threatened to overwhelm her. Above her existence, hidden beyond layers of reality, an enormous eye gazed downward. It was the Origin. A presence so vast that even David, at his current level, could not perceive it. It watched silently, patiently, and judgmentally.
Alice endured its gaze as the vessel carried her farther and farther away. Once enough distance separated her from David, the eye disappeared as though it had never existed.
Only then did Alice finally allow herself to break, sobbing freely into the silence.
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