Li Na was asleep, curled up like a child who had finally reclaimed a long-lost, beloved teddy bear.
Her breathing was deep and even, her face softened by the deep rest that had eluded her for years.
Ye Tian stood by, watching her, feeling a surge of emotion he hadn't known in centuries.
He smiled faintly, a rare expression on a face that had long forgotten how.
Letting out a slow, steady sigh, he turned his gaze from her peaceful form.
His eyes fell to the right, noticing the tangle of clear IV tubes still attached to his arm, the needles embedded beneath his skin.
These lifelines had kept his body nourished for three long years while his soul wandered far from this world.
Without hesitation, he gripped the tubes and yanked them out.
The slight sting that followed was hardly worth noting.
Drops of liquid dripped from the disconnected ends, landing in small, glistening pools on the tile floor.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the ache and weakness that had settled into his muscles, an unwelcome reminder of the body's long dormancy.
He took tentative steps toward the mirror, each movement stiff and strained, his legs trembling under his weight.
Beside the mirror, a tattered calendar hung on the wall, its pages yellowed and marked.
The date glared back at him, cold and undeniable: January 12, 2027.
'Three years...' he thought, the weight of it pressing down on him like a lead blanket.
He glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the old clock perched on a small stand by the bed.
The hands moved with their relentless ticking, carving out the seconds that would soon lead to midnight. 10:30 PM.
An hour and a half left before he turned 19.
His gaze returned to Li Na, who remained asleep, the moonlight casting a gentle glow on her features.
She looked younger, almost like the girl he had first met all those years ago.
But there were new lines around her eyes, shadows that spoke of sleepless nights and worry.
'Three years she spent by my side...' he reflected.
'Looking after an unconscious shell with no guarantee I'd ever wake. And she did it in a world turned upside down, where survival was anything but certain.'
A warmth stirred in his chest, mingled with guilt and gratitude.
'Even through eons and countless battles, I've never met anyone like you, Li Na. Someone who would wait, who would fight for a glimmer of hope. You deserve more than this world could ever offer.'
A small, bittersweet smile broke across his face.
'No one will ever touch a single strand of your hair again. That, I swear.'
His eyes shifted to the mirror. He paused, the dim light reflecting back an image that almost seemed foreign.
With a measured breath, Ye Tian reached up and pulled the loose, blue hospital gown from his shoulders, letting it slip to the floor in a silent heap.
The sight that greeted him was a stark reminder of the time that had passed.
The man staring back at him from the glass was gaunt and thin, the sharp ridges of bone pressing against pale, almost translucent skin.
His long black hair fell in disheveled waves, the unkempt result of years without a blade to cut it.
The eyes, however, were the same... dark, pure black orbs that seemed to pierce through the very essence of what they gazed upon.
Eyes that held stories, power, and now, an unfamiliar vulnerability.
'Pathetic...' he thought, lips curling in a half-snarl at the sight.
The Absolute Demon, reduced to this.
The hollowness of his cheeks, the frailty of his limbs... it was an insult to the being who had once made entire realms tremble.
"Tch..." he muttered, disgust seeping into the single sound before he tore his eyes away from the reflection.
He turned to the window, the cool night air seeping through the cracks and brushing against his skin.
The city outside was a sea of light, neon signs flickering, and skyscrapers reaching for the heavens.
Shadows played across the pavement as the occasional car moved through the streets, their headlights slicing through the darkness.
'Welp, welp...' he thought, the corners of his lips quirking up in a wry smile.
'I'm curious to see how powerful this world has become while I've been gone. But first... I need to fix this frail, creaky body.'
With practiced ease, he lowered himself to the floor, his muscles protesting the movement.
He crossed his legs into a lotus position, aligning his spine as he settled down with his back to the window.
The moonlight painted his outline in a silver glow, casting long, dark shadows across the room.
He let out a slow breath, closing his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing, each inhale drawing the air deep into his chest, each exhale steady and measured.
He reached inward, searching for that familiar pulse of energy, the flow of qi that had once been as natural to him as breathing.
His mind expanded, probing the space around him for the smallest trace, the tiniest flicker of power.
The seconds stretched, turning into minutes as his senses sharpened, stretching further than the confines of the room and into the world beyond.
Suddenly, a realization hit him like a lightning strike, and his eyes flew open, wide with disbelief and confusion.
"What the...?" he whispered, the sound almost drowned by the pounding of his own heart.
His mind reeled as the truth settled in, cold and unyielding.
There was nothing.
Not a speck, not even the faintest whisper of qi in the atmosphere.
The energy that once infused the air, the ground, the very fabric of existence, was absent.
'This place doesn't have even a single speck of qi...' he thought, the revelation gnawing at him.
A world without qi was more than strange... it was unfathomable.
Even in the most desolate realms, there was always some trace of energy, some connection to the flow of power that sustained life and growth.
**********
• Author Note:-
Now you might be wondering, "why's this bich back?"
Answer is, to beg ofc! Lol so yea the book's finally contracted.
And the story's goin smooth... Hopefully...
Anycase... I just wanted to tell you that from this moment onwards, just like any other greedy bich, I'll be putting on offers such as "this gift = this many chaps" so make sure to check em out. Kek.
Once im done with the exams, expect more chaps... AND! Gimme money ;-;
Until we meet again!