Alreis had been feeling troubled lately. Her wounds were fully healed. By the same logic, those Ascendant Sovereigns who hunted her should be nearly recovered too. She wasn’t sure whether they thought her dead or alive. In short—was she even safe?

Truthfully, Alreis should’ve healed faster. She could’ve struck back first. Yet reality was cruel: she’d become a slave to a man. Glancing toward the workshop, she saw Wude forging equipment.

She could handle forging. Enchanting too. But Wude never asked. Even though it’d earn coin. His reasoning baffled her.

None of that mattered now. Trapped here by Wude, she couldn’t showcase her strength. If *they* found her now? She’d be utterly doomed. Though their marks had faded… the odds were slim.

But the real issue lay elsewhere—that shadowy figure, the only one who wielded Darkness. Clearly tied to Wude. Intimately so.

From Wude’s careless slips and her own spiritual observations (not *peeking*—scanning!), Alreis was certain: Wude shared a shady link with that “Darkness.” Otherwise, why would Darkness send her to him in that final strike? How would Wude know she was an Ascendant Sovereign—and force her, weakened, into that damn contract?

Wude seemed convinced the shadow still lived. If he learned they were already dead… Alreis shuddered to imagine his reaction. Lately, even his teasing felt hollow. Off.

*No. Alreis. What are you thinking? Longing?*

*No.*

*Just assessing contingencies.*

After endless deliberation, she saw no way out. A dead end. She’d even considered scheming Wude’s “accident”—but no plan came to mind.

“Sigh…” She glanced at the broom in her hand and silently resumed sweeping.

“Alreis!” Wude called. He’d finally forged what Frisi wanted. He turned to her, still sweeping.

“…What is it?” She paused, voice flat.

“Tomorrow. Come with me.” No question. An order.

“Okay.” Still flat.

Wude said nothing more. Didn’t tease her. Unnerving. Alreis felt a prickle of unease. She dared not ask. That last incident had scarred her deeply. As a dignified Ascendant Sovereign, she’d lost all face in that moment. *Absolute hell.*

That night, she didn’t sleep. Meditation was pointless—Wude’s command blocked magic absorption. The moment she tried, a strange sensation would rise from her soul…

She remembered the first time she defied it. Never again.

A Hexagram glow shimmered in her eyes as she watched space and time shift. Through endless ages, this sight had been her sole companion. Her private treasure…

Next morning, Wude rose early. Summoned Alreis. Locked the shop. They mounted the “Qiya”—a creature common in this world, agile, docile, abundant. Like a carriage for ordinary folk.

*“Could’ve teleported in a blink. Why this hassle?”* she grumbled inwardly. Never aloud.

“Know this, Alreis?” Wude steered the Qiya, not turning.

“What do you mean?” She kept her tone careful. A bad feeling clung to her.

“Long ago… Lingyue and I rode this very Qiya to the place we’re heading today.” His gaze drifted toward the horizon, lost in memory.

*….*

A chill shot through her. *He’s finally bringing up the “shadow.”* But the shadow’s name was *Lingyue*… Same naming style as Wude’s. *They were close.* She felt like a salted fish on a chopping board, waiting for the blade.

She waited, heart unsteady. Yet Wude fell silent. His eyes weren’t on the road—they gazed beyond the world. A look Alreis knew well. *She’d worn it herself, staring past reality…*

An eerie quiet settled over the Qiya. Two souls, heavy with unspoken thoughts.

“Ga ga ga!!!” The Qiya cried out as Wude pulled the reins. They’d arrived.

Alreis scanned the field. Ordinary village land—except for the crops. Utterly unfamiliar.

Impossible. Though submerged in the River of Time since shattering the world’s edge, she’d absorbed worldly knowledge through time itself. (Whether Ascendant Sovereign-level secrets were accessible? Another matter.)

These crops belonged to neither her original world nor this one.

In a magic-filled world, staples weren’t rice. Something wheat-like—but distinct—a flour grain. Yet *this*? She couldn’t identify it.

“What is this?” Curiosity won. Few things escaped her knowledge from the River of Time. Even powerless now, her wisdom remained vast.

“Curious?” Wude deflected, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

“Mm!” No tsundere act here—just honest curiosity.

“I’ll tell you. But brace yourself.”

Her instincts prickled. *Why?*

“Tell me.”

“Very well…” He met her eyes. “Lingyue and I… we’re not from this world.”