Li Na was awake, her wide eyes shimmering with disbelief and joy as she gazed at Ye Tian, who was now sitting upright on the hospital bed.
The sterile white walls of the room seemed to melt away as tears welled up, rolling down her cheeks and catching the pale light of the room.
Her lips quivered into a smile, radiant yet fragile, as if the weight of waiting had finally been lifted.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time..." her expression spoke, laden with emotions too deep for words.
Ye Tian took in her face, his heart twisting with recognition and an unfamiliar ache that he hadn't felt for countless eons.
Her black eyes, deep and profound, reflected a subtle hue that seemed to hold unspoken stories.
Her long, dark hair framed a face that seemed untouched by time, yet marked by trials.
To him, her beauty was beyond any heavenly splendor he had seen in the realms he had conquered.
But what moved him most was the unwavering spirit in her gaze... the purity that had survived the chaos of their separation.
Tears continued to slip down her face, her body trembling with the effort of holding herself together.
Ye Tian managed a small, strained smile, and with immense effort, words stumbled out of his mouth, heavy with longing and pain.
"Long... time... Li... Na..."
The sound of her name left him breathless, as though each syllable bore the weight of millennia.
Li Na couldn't contain herself any longer. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his shoulder, her body shaking with sobs.
The black hoodie she wore wrinkled as she pressed closer, holding him with a ferocity that spoke of years spent wishing for this moment.
The warmth of her tears soaked into the thin fabric of Ye Tian's hospital gown, but he welcomed it.
He felt each droplet, tangible proof that this was real. Ignoring the burning pain that flared through his body, he raised one trembling arm and laid his hand gently on her head, his fingers threading through her hair in a soothing motion.
"It's... okay, Li Na," he rasped, his voice hoarse and barely more than a whisper. The sound carried the weight of everything he wanted to say but couldn't.
"I'm here now."
She sobbed harder at that, her body pressing even closer as if afraid that if she let go, he would slip away like a dream.
The room, once silent and clinical, pulsed with the shared heartbeat of their reunion.
The muffled beeping of the monitors faded into the background, drowned out by the quiet strength of the moment.
Minutes passed as she calmed, her breathing slowing until it evened out, though her arms remained locked around him.
Ye Tian shifted slightly, enough to tilt his head and look down at her, still nestled against him.
The tension in her muscles had eased, but the remnants of fear lingered in her hold.
A low chuckle escaped his lips, surprising him with its ease.
"Li Na, would you at least tell me... what happened? All this time?"
Her grip loosened just a bit, enough for her to lean back and meet his eyes. They were red-rimmed and wet, but they held a fierce determination as she nodded.
"Mm..."
*****
Between shaky breaths and halting pauses, Li Na told him everything.
She spoke of the day he disappeared, the chaos that followed, and the world that seemed to shatter with it.
She described how she had found him, barely alive, broken and bleeding as the ground trembled beneath them.
Something inside her had snapped, a force that burst forth and awakened powers she hadn't known existed within her.
Her voice wavered as she recounted the first emergence of the gates.
Portals that seemed to tear through the fabric of reality itself, appearing in cities, forests, even in the oceans.
Dark swirling masses that led to realms of nightmares... worlds filled with monsters that should only have existed in myths and legends.
The world had turned into a battlefield overnight, and humanity, unprepared, faced an abyss with barely any hope of survival.
Ye Tian listened, his eyes growing darker with every detail she revealed.
'Portals, gates... realms filled with creatures? It's as if Earth became an echo of the cultivation world, but without its knowledge, without its strength.'
She described the early days, how the world scrambled for answers while the gates released their horrors.
Ye Tian could almost hear the screams, feel the chaos that must have gripped the planet as monsters poured out, consuming everything in their path.
Entire neighborhoods were swallowed whole, skyscrapers crumbled like sand, and the night was filled with roars and cries of the fallen.
"And then..." she continued, her voice dropping to a whisper...
"the awakened began to emerge." Her gaze grew distant as if seeing those early battles play out in front of her eyes.
"People discovered abilities that defied science and reason. Some could wield fire, others moved with speed that blurred the eye, and a few could manipulate the very air itself. But the awakening was rare. Only one in a thousand..."
He could picture it... those who awakened fighting desperately, many without training, trying to close the gates before the monstrous tides overwhelmed them.
The battles must have been brutal, frantic, and unforgiving.
"One-third of the world's population..." she said, her voice breaking.
"Gone. Entire cities... just gone."
A cold rage simmered under Ye Tian's skin, his eyes narrowing as her words painted a picture of suffering.
'All that death, all that chaos... while I was conquering realms and challenging gods. While I was...' His thoughts cut off, guilt clawing at him with iron teeth.
"Li Na," he whispered, his eyes softening as he met hers.
"You survived through all of this."
A bittersweet smile touched her lips, the corners trembling.
"I had to, Ye Tian. I couldn't let myself be weak... not when I knew you were out there, somewhere. I had to believe you'd come back."
Her words were a lifeline, binding him to this reality.
Ye Tian felt the pride and sorrow mingle within him, knowing that this girl... no, this warrior... had carried him in her heart through the storm of an unraveling world.
"And you... became one of them?" he asked softly, although he already knew the answer.
"Yes..." she said, nodding.
"An S-rank hunter. One of the few in the world." Her eyes, still shadowed with exhaustion, met his with a light that spoke of battles fought and victories won at great cost.
"Only seven of us... have reached this level."
Ye Tian took a breath, letting the gravity of her words settle over him.
While he had traversed other worlds, burning with ambition and wrath, she had become a guardian of their shattered Earth, wielding power that few could comprehend.
The contrast filled him with admiration and regret.
The silence between them was heavy, but it wasn't empty. It carried the weight of unspoken words, memories, and the years they had lost.
When he looked down again, Li Na's eyes had drifted shut, her body finally succumbing to exhaustion.
Even asleep, she held onto him, her fingers still entwined with his, as if reassuring herself that he was truly there.
Gently, Ye Tian shifted her, easing her back onto the bed and tucking the blanket around her shoulders.
She murmured something in her sleep, a soft sound that made his heart clench, before settling into deeper slumber.
He stood slowly, ignoring the ache that flared in his weakened muscles as he made his way to the mirror on the wall.
His reflection stared back at him: a man draped in the pale-blue gown of a hospital patient, his body thin and fragile, a shadow of the being who once struck fear into the hearts of gods.
His eyes, however, still glimmered with the fire of the Absolute Demon, the conqueror of realms.
'But no matter how I think about it, none of this makes sense...' he thought, his gaze turning steely as he considered the timeline.
'My soul left this world, and almost immediately, these gates appeared. The timing is too precise... too deliberate.'
He turned back toward Li Na, her form lit softly by the muted glow of the room.
A tender expression flickered across his face before hardening again, determination setting in his jaw.
'Someone orchestrated this...' he realized, his thoughts sharp and cutting.
'Whoever or whatever set this into motion, their game ends now. And I will find them. They will answer to me.'
**********
• Author Note:-
Sup y'all? Its the most shameless author here :>
Welp welp today im here to beg :> kek
Being straightforward is always fun as hell ngl.
But oh well, the book's almost contracted so be ready to spend ur wallets on me.
Atleast do that on ye tian, if not me ;-;
Oh and do leave some reviews about ur views on the book since that actually gives tons of motivation :0..
Themks :3 u can leave ur wallets here if u want. I wont mind :3