The cosmic tides of the inner world, which had been churning in a hurricane of speculation, showed no signs of calming.
Two days had passed since the disappearance of the empress, and the System Forums had devolved into a digital wasteland of conspiracy.
Even the justifications issued by the Head Minister of the Jade Empire, claiming a sudden breakthrough, failed to quell the unease.
Quadrillion of lifeforms had witnessed the abrupt end of the livestream; a breakthrough of that magnitude usually resonated with blinding light, not a cold silence.
Deep within the inner sanctum of the Jade Empire, inside an enormous ditation hall wreathed in erald mists and protected by ancient anti-spatial areays, a figure sat in a perfect lotus position. Her face was veiled in silk, her breathing so shallow it was non-existent.
Suddenly, her eyes, those srizing, toxic green orbs flew open.
"Where... where am I?" Esmira gasped, her voice echoing off the high ceilings.
She looked around frantically, her fingers clawing at the familiar texture of the ditation mat. She felt the heavy, humid mana of her own empire, the scent of royal incense, and the comforting weight of her own empire.
"The mana... this room... I am back?" she whispered, her hands trembling as she touched her face. She felt the curve of her lips, the softness of her skin. "I can move? The suspension... it's gone?"
She stood up, her legs feeling like lead as she tested her weight. Just a mont ago, she had been a prisoner in a golden mansion, a vegetative soul under the thumb of a king.
Now, she was back in her fortress. As her mind struggled to connect the pieces of her mory, a chi resonated through the air.
[Incoming Video Call: Anohara, King of the Cosmic Empire]
[Accept / Reject]
Esmira didn't hesitate. She lunged for the virtual interface, her finger striking Accept with a force that nearly cracked the holographic panel.
The connection stabilized, revealing the image of Anohara. He was seated in his study, bathed in the warm light of a Veridian sunset, casually turning the page of a massive history book.
He looked up, his violet-gold gaze eting hers through the screen. A small, polite smile touched his lips.
"Welco ho, Empress," he said, his voice a low, amused baritone.
Esmira stared at him, the reality of the situation finally crashing through her defenses.
The terror of the last few hours, the feeling of absolute helplessness, and the sudden, inexplicable return combined into a wave of emotion that broke her composure. Tears began to well in her green eyes, spilling over her cheeks.
"Don't cry, Empress," Anohara said, his tone shifting to one of mild concern. "Walls have ears, even in a fortress like yours. If the multiverse discovers that the ruler of the second-largest empire is crying like a lost child, what will they think of your Jade Authority?"
As he spoke, his eyes glowed with a faint gold light. A handkerchief woven from shimring mana materialized out of thin air in front of Esmira. It moved with a gentle grace, dabbing away the tears on her face before dissolving into sparkles of light.
"Thank you," Esmira rasped, her voice catching.
"I have no desire to see anyone weep," Anohara replied, returning his attention to his book. "It is unseemly."
"Why did you let go?" Esmira demanded, her voice regaining so of its fire. "And the fusion you spoke of? Why can't I rember anything after our eting? What did you do to for the last two days?"
Anohara turned a page. "I must apologize. I found it necessary to place you under a deeper mind-lock. The fusion of talents is a secret of the cosmic empire, and I could not allow you to retain the mories of the process. It took one day to successfully integrate your Jade Gaze into my own law, and another day to transport you back."
"What? One day?" Esmira's eyes went wide. She knew a little about talent fusion; it was a process that usually took years because of low portability. "You fused an SS-grade talent in twenty-four hours?"
"Actually," Anohara corrected her, finally looking up with a wry chuckle, "the actual fusion took about two minutes. I... I must admit, I got distracted by a particularly fascinating chapter on the First Era and forgot to initiate your return. I wasted an entire day of your ti. For that, I am truly sorry."
Esmira stood frozen, her jaw tightening. He forgot? She had been lying in a vegetative state, fearing for her life and her empire, and he had simply lost track of ti because he was reading?
"Now, Empress Esmira," Anohara continued, raising two fingers. "You find yourself at a crossroads. You have two primary options."
"First: you can erge from your seclusion now and attempt to address the public, explaining your disappearance with whatever lie you can fabricate."
"Or second: you can actually stay in seclusion for the five hundred years your minister announced, and use that ti to finally break through into the Demigod realm. You are talented, but your focus on public relations has made your cultivation stagnant."
A smirk ford on Esmira's lips, her cunning nature resurfacing. She crossed her arms, a smug expression dancing in her green eyes.
"And what if I choose a third option? What if I tell the entire multiverse the truth? That the Noble King of the Cosmic Empire is a kidnapper who uses mind control on fellow rulers? Wouldn't that destroy the little reputation you have left?"
Anohara didn't even flinch. He simply looked at her with an expression of profound pity.
"Be my guest, Empress. But ask yourself: who will believe you? You were seen billions of light-years away while I was visible on Veridia. You have no physical evidence. And if you force a public investigation, the first thing the truth-seekers will find are the billions of accounts used to sar , all traced directly back to your empire. You would be exposing your own cris just to prove a kidnapping that no one believes happened."
He leaned forward, his gaze turning piercing. "This world is governed by power, Esmira. You can manipulate the thoughts of the weak, but in the face of absolute strength, every narrative eventually bows. I am chasing that strength."
"You, on the other hand, are playing playground gas with thumbnails and ragebait. Focus on your goals, Empress. Or the next ti we et, I won't be so inclined to return what I take."
The call was cut off abruptly.
"Agh! That... that arrogant, cold-hearted..." Esmira shouted at the empty air, her face turning red. "I was just joking! He didn't have to shun like a misbehaving student!"
She paced the room, her mind a whirlwind. Despite her anger, she knew he was right. She needed a solution, and she needed it before the Jade Empire collapsed into a civil war over her absence.
But as she began to draft a speech for her ministers, a ping sounded from her system interface.
[ssage from: Anohara]
Esmira hesitated, her hand hovering over the icon. She expected another warning, perhaps a list of demands. But when she opened it, the content was shockingly simple.
Anohara: "For the necessity of the fusion and the inconvenience of the mind control, I have given you two talents as a formal apology. Check them when you have recovered. Do not squander them."
Esmira stared at the ssage. An apology? From a man who had just dismantled her entire ego?
She knew that what she had done, the misinformation campaign was ethically reprehensible. She had expected to be enslaved, tortured, or erased.
"He scared half to death just to show he could," she whispered, her voice trembling. "He wanted to show that my Information War is a toy in the hands of a real power."
She shook her head, trying to clear the confusion. With a shaky breath, she opened her Status Window. She expected two minor A-grade talents, perhaps so utility skills to help with her empire's logistics.
What she saw made her blood run cold.
[Talent: Mirror-Reflex (SS-Grade)]
Description: Allows the user to visually copy and store the movent-patterns of any physical technique seen].
[Talent: Intent-Vibration (SS-Grade)]
Description: Grants the ability to see the ripples in the air caused by a being's hostile intent or hidden bloodlust before they strike.]
"Two SS-grade talents..." Esmira breathed, her heart hamring. "He didn't just apologize. He gave the tools to protect myself from the very thing he did to ."
She slumped back onto her ditation mat, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She had tried to ruin him, and he had responded by making her stronger. The generosity was more humiliating than the kidnapping itself.
"Anohara..." she whispered to the shadows of the jade hall. "What kind of monster are you building?"
Back on Veridia, Anohara closed his history book and looked at his reflection in the dark glass of the window. His eyes now possessed a faint, erald rim around the violet-gold pupils, the mark of the Jade Gaze.
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