The lavender-tinted light of the morning continued to dance softly across the grand bedchamber, but the heavy shadow of the past that had briefly clouded Jade's heart began to lift as she focused on the warm, solid reality of the man sitting before her.
The Name of a Promise
Justin stared down at her, his sharp jaw relaxing as the initial, eerie shock of the name faded from his golden features. A profoundly tender, breathtakingly handsome smile slowly returned to his face.
"Fiona..." Justin murmured, testing the syllables on his tongue, his deep voice carrying a strange, instinctual reverence that he couldn't quite explain. He wrapped his large hand more securely around hers, his thumb tracing the delicate back of her palm. "It is a beautiful name, Jade. A truly good name for our little princess."
Jade smiled, a wave of intense relief washing over her face as she looked at him through a thin veil of unshed tears. She squeezed his fingers tightly, her silent vow locking deep within her soul. He didn't remember the past, but his heart still recognized the melody of their lost daughter's name. That was more than enough.
Justin's smile turned slightly mischievous, a sudden, playful spark lighting up his eyes as he looked at her glowing face. "Now that we have chosen a name," he murmured, his voice dropping into a soft, velvety purr, "I think it is time for the surprise I promised you."
Jade blinked, her dark eyes wide with sudden confusion. "A surprise? What kind of surprise, Justin?"
Instead of answering, Justin smoothly moved behind her on the silk mattress. Leaning his broad chest against her back, he raised his large, warm hands and gently wrapped them over her eyes, plunging her world into absolute darkness. The heat of his palms against her skin sent a sudden, thrilling shiver down her spine.
"Trust me," he whispered hoarsely against her ear, his breath a tantalizing warmth. "Just take a few slow steps with me."
With infinite care, Justin helped her stand from the bed, anchoring her changing body against his solid frame. He guided her with slow, deliberate steps down the winding marble corridors of the pavilion, his hands never leaving her eyes, shielding her from the destination until the crisp, cool air of the outside world suddenly brushed against her skin.
The Reunion of Broken Souls
They stopped walking, the ambient sound of crashing waters and rustling leaves echoing all around them.
"Open your eyes, my love," Justin whispered, slowly drawing his hands away from her face.
Jade opened her eyes, and a breathless, uncontainable smile spread wider across her lips. They were standing at the edge of a hidden, breathtaking open garden. Massive weeping willow trees with glowing silver leaves draped down over a pristine carpet of emerald grass, and just a few yards away, a majestic crystal waterfall tumbled down the white jade cliffs, scattering a mesmerizing mist of starlight into the air.
But it wasn't the natural paradise that made Jade's breath catch in her throat.
Standing just a few steps away near the edge of the waterfall was a familiar silhouette. Clothed in a faded peach-colored wrap dress that fluttered gently in the misty breeze, her dark hair pulled back loosely, was Emily. And standing right beside her, his arms crossed over his charcoal-gray robes with his usual stoic, protective posture, was Mike.
"Emily!" Jade cried out, her voice cracking with pure, overwhelming joy.
Forgetting her heavy six-month pregnancy, forgetting the physical toll on her body, Jade instinctively broke away from Justin's hold and began to run across the grass toward her best friend.
"Jade, wait! Don't run!" Justin gasped, his face instantly turning pale with terror as his hands reached out to catch her empty shadow. Behind Emily, Mike's eyes widened in sudden alarm.
In her frantic haste, Jade's foot suddenly tripped over a protruding tree root. Her balance shattered. She gasped, her body dipping violently toward the hard ground as a collective, terrified panic echoed through the garden.
But Emily didn't hesitate for a single microsecond. Sprinting forward with a raw, desperate speed born from months of survival, she reached Jade before her body could collide with the earth, her arms throwing themselves around Jade's torso and catching her firmly in a fierce, iron-clad grip.
"Be careful!" Emily chided in a breathless, frantic gasp, holding Jade steady against her chest. Her eyes darted down to the prominent curve of Jade's belly before moving up to her face. "You are not the only one you have to think about anymore, Jade!"
Jade let out a breathless, watery laugh, entirely unbothered by the near-fall. She immediately wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, hugging her so incredibly tightly that the distance and agony of the past year seemed to vanish into the morning air.
"I was searching for you everywhere, Emily," Jade wept into her friend's shoulder, her fingers clenching the cheap peach fabric of her dress. "Liora's purple demon army has been scouring every corner of the outer realms looking for you... I am so incredibly glad that you finally came to me. That you are safe."
After a long, breathless embrace, Emily slowly pulled back, her dark eyes searching Jade's regal, cream silk attire. A look of sudden realization crossed her face. "So... you were the one who commissioned Liora's purple demon army to search for me?" Emily asked, a self-deprecating laugh escaping her lips. "When I saw those terrifying demonic soldiers hunting for my trail across the border towns, I thought... I thought it was a trap from my creditors. I never expected it was actually you trying to bring me home."
The Cracking of the Ivory Tower
The initial joy of the reunion slowly began to recede, leaving behind the raw, unhealed wounds of the mortal world. Emily's smile withered away into a fragile, trembling line. She looked at Jade's glowing, healthy face, and the crushing weight of her own isolated misery came rushing back to choke her.
"So much has happened since you left me, Jade..." Emily whispered, her voice dropping into a raw, hollow register that immediately caused Jade's heart to clench with a terrifying dread.
Emily's chest heaved, a sudden, violent sob tearing out of her throat as she wiped a rogue tear from her pale cheek. "Grandma... Jade, Grandma died."
Jade's features went entirely rigid, a cold, suffocating shock paralyzing her chest. Fresh tears spilled over her lashes, tracking down her porcelain skin. "What...? Grandma...? No..."
The mention of her lost matriarch completely shattered whatever defense mechanisms Emily had left. Dropping her head back onto Jade's shoulder, she wrapped her arms around her best friend's waist and wept uncontrollably, her entire frame shaking with the agonizing weight of her grief.
"Everyone... everyone in that miserable town thought I was so cold," Emily sobbed, her voice cracking with an intense, raw vulnerability that she had hidden from Mike, from her creditors, and from the entire world. "They all thought I was so tough, that I could handle everything myself without a single tear. But actually... Jade, actually, I was just so lonely. I have been longing for a familiar shoulder to cry on for so horribly long..."
Jade's heart broke into a thousand bleeding pieces for the sister of her soul. Reaching through the space between them, she held Emily tightly against her chest, letting her own tears flow freely into Emily's dark hair. Slowly, with infinite, maternal tenderness, Jade raised her hand and gently touched the back of Emily's head, smoothing her hair in rhythmic, comforting strokes just as her grandmother used to do.
Across the grass, Justin and Mike stood side by side in silent reverence, watching the two mortal girls hold each other against the backdrop of the roaring crystal waterfall, anchoring each other to a future they would now fight to protect together.
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The morning mist from the crystal waterfall had begun to dissolve, leaving the open gardens of the Cursed Island bathed in a warm, liquid gold. While Jade and Emily walked slowly through the blooming trails to catch up on a year's worth of heartache, the two high-ranking warriors retreated to the privacy of the palace's grand royal balcony.
The balcony was a massive, sweeping crescent of white jade that jutted out over the sheer cliffs of the sanctuary. Vines of silver-leafed ivy climbed the pillars, and below them, the entire hidden realm stretched out in peaceful splendor, safely tucked away from the chaotic wars of the outside world.
The Strategy of the Heart
King Justin stood with his large hands resting firmly against the cool jade balustrade. The morning breeze caught his long red hair, blowing it gently across his regal shoulders. He had shed the heavy, suffocating aura of a warrior king; looking out over his domain, his golden eyes held a profound, deeply emotional tranquility.
Beside him stood Mike, his tall frame as rigid and unyielding as a stone monument. His charcoal-gray robes were tied tightly, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he stared blankly at the horizon, his mind still quietly tortured by the ghost of Merida he had encountered the previous night.
"I am incredibly happy for you, Justin," Mike spoke softly, his deep baritone carrying the heavy, honest weight of a brother-in-arms. "You are finally happy now. After everything you both endured... you finally have your paradise."
Justin turned his head, a soft, genuinely touched smile breaking across his striking face. "Thank you, my friend." He paused, his gaze tracking a pair of white birds flying together over the canopy. "But as your king, and more importantly as your friend, I want that exact same happiness for you too. It is time to finally move on from the ruins of your past, Mike. It is time to find your own joy."
Mike let out a short, hollow scoff, his jaw tightening as he looked away. "I am a creature born for the war field, Justin. The clash of steel and the defense of our borders are the only things that make me feel alive. No other thing can bring me happiness."
"No," Justin countered, his voice dropping into a deeper, intensely earnest register. He stepped closer, placing a heavy, grounding hand on Mike's shoulder. "I am speaking about your personal life, Mike. The wars will eventually end, but a man cannot live in a vacuum. Build your own family. Let someone anchor your soul."
The faint, cynical smile on Mike's lips faded completely. His golden eyes darkened with a sudden, defensive vulnerability.
Justin didn't let him retreat into his usual stoic silence. "I do not want to beat around the bush anymore, Mike. Jade and I saw everything last night. We saw the way you protected her, and we saw the lingering gaze between you two. You and Emily... you look remarkably cute together. It is an undeniable, good match." Justin leaned in, his voice filled with a profound, romantic seriousness. "What do you think about Emily as your bride, Mike?"
Mike went entirely still, the word bride dropping into his consciousness like a heavy stone into a quiet pool. His mind raced back to the riverbank—the memory of Emily's soft, tear-stained face, the fragile way she had clung to him, and the fierce, burning protectiveness he had felt when those creepy men dared to look at her. He didn't love her yet—his heart was still a bleeding wreck from Merida's betrayal—but the thought of becoming Emily's shelter didn't repulse him. It felt... remarkably right.
Before he could voice his tangled thoughts, the heavy glass doors of the balcony slid open. Jade stepped out onto the jade floor, her cream silk maternity hanfu rustling elegantly around her frame. Beside her, looking much calmer but still carrying a light blush on her cheeks, was Emily.
"What is Mike saying?" Jade asked with a playful, knowing spark in her dark eyes, her hand resting comfortably over her six-month pregnant belly.
Justin caught his wife's gaze and subtly signaled with a small shake of his head—not yet. He hadn't gotten a definitive answer out of his stubborn general.
But Jade simply laughed, a radiant, beautiful sound that echoed over the balcony. She walked over to Emily, gently nudging her forward. "Well, it doesn't matter if he hasn't answered, because Emily already said yes!"
Mike's head snapped up, his golden eyes widening in pure, unadulterated shock. He looked directly at Emily, his breath catching in his throat. Emily immediately averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing a deep, vibrant crimson as she nervously twisted the fabric of her faded peach dress.
"She really said it, Mike," Jade teased, her voice dripping with romantic mischief. "Emily said that rather than being forced to marry some completely unknown, treacherous mortal person to pay off her debts... it is a thousand times better to marry our terrifying, honorable Grand General."
Jade laughed heartily at her friend's expense, while Emily practically wished the jade floor would swallow her whole, her head bowing low in deep embarrassment.
The balcony fell into a quiet, breathless suspense. Mike stared at Emily, tracing the soft curve of her jaw and the quiet, resilient dignity she held even in her vulnerability. The heavy armor around his heart cracked just a fraction more.
"If Emily is truly okay with this..." Mike said, his voice dropping into a remarkably slow, deep tone that resonated with a quiet promise. "Then my answer is yes too."
Justin and Jade exchanged a triumphant, deeply satisfied smile. Hearing his vow, Emily slowly raised her head, her dark eyes locking onto Mike's intense, unyielding gaze. Through her blushing embarrassment, a small, genuine smile touched her lips—a silent acceptance of the destiny they were about to build together from the ashes of their pasts.
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The Hidden Scroll of the Heaven Kingdom
Deep within the celestial capital, far away from the warmth of the Cursed Island, the atmosphere was cold, pristine, and thick with political intrigue. In the private, sun-drenched study of the High Peak Palace, Crown Prince Ryan stood by a grand marble casement window. White silken drapes billowed around him, matching the immaculate, silver-embroidered robes of the Heaven King's lineage.
Ensuring he was entirely alone, Ryan secretly opened a tightly rolled, ancient celestial scroll.
As the parchment unfurled, the painted image of a mortal girl was revealed. She had striking, intelligent eyes and a fierce, captivating beauty that didn't belong to the delicate, curated princesses of the higher realms. Looking down at her painted face, Ryan's usually severe, intimidating features melted into a soft, profoundly romantic smile. His thumb gently traced the edge of the parchment, his heart aching with a silent, consuming yearning.
"Well, well... what dangerous secrets is our Crown Prince hiding so carefully?"
A sharp, teasing voice suddenly echoed from the doorway.
Ryan reacted with lightning fast reflexes, instantly snapping the scroll shut and hiding it behind his back. He straightened his posture, his expression hardening back into an impenetrable mask of royal authority as he turned around.
Standing there was his sister, Princess Merin. She wore a flowing gown of pale lavender silk that sat loosely over her slightly rounded abdomen. A brilliant, mocking smirk played across her lips as she crossed her arms, her eyes locked onto his defensive stance.
"Which princess's picture are you hiding from your own sister, brother?" Merin mocked, taking slow, deliberate steps into the room. "I must admit, I didn't believe a single word when Merida told me about your strange behavior recently. But now... looking at that guilty face, I am absolutely sure. My terrific, cold-blooded brother has finally fallen in love."
She came closer, her eyes glittering with an intense curiosity. "Tell me, which realm is she from? Is she from the Heaven Kingdom, or is she a forbidden fruit from the Demon Realm? Honestly, it's completely fine even if she is from the Demon Realm. Of course, our own mother came from the Blue Moon Kingdom, so our lineage is already intertwined with different forces. It's okay. Who is she, Ryan?"
Ryan let out a low, warning huff, though the faint flush on his neck betrayed his annoyance. "Don't mock me, Merin," he said, his voice deep and commanding. "I will tell you everything when the time is right... when I actually find her."
Merin's smirk completely dropped, her eyes widening in pure shock. "What...? You love her, but you haven't even found her yet? You don't know where she is?"
"Don't shock yourself too much," Ryan interjected smoothly, his tone softening with genuine brotherly concern as he gestured to her stomach. "Control your emotions, Merin. It is not good for your baby to get so worked up over my private affairs."
Merin's shock melted into a tender, maternal smile as she rested her hand over her small belly, nodding in compliance.
Seizing the distraction, Ryan tucked the hidden scroll safely into his spatial ring and walked past her, his long white robes flaring behind him as he exited the study. But as he stepped into the cold, marble corridors of the Heaven Kingdom, his dark eyes turned toward the open sky.
His jaw tightened with an unyielding, obsessive determination, his mind echoing with a fierce, romantic vow: Wherever you are hiding in the three realms... I will find you. No matter how deep the mystery, you belong to me.
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The shadows of the Cursed Island's ancient pavilion lengthened as evening bled into night. Inside the grand dining hall, the long table of dark, polished mahogany was lit by flickering silver candelabras, casting a warm, amber glow over the array of spiritual dishes. Yet, despite the richness of the feast, a heavy, suffocating tension hung over the room. The impending storm of the celestial realms had finally breached their sanctuary.
The Call of Steel and Silk
Mike sat perfectly rigid in his charcoal-gray robes, his hands resting flat against the edge of the table. He hadn't touched his food. Looking directly across at his sovereign, his golden eyes burned with an intense, unyielding sharpness.
"I need to go to the borders tomorrow morning," Mike announced, his deep baritone cutting through the quiet clink of silver utensils like a sudden crack of thunder. "The scout reports are clear. The alliance forces are gathering, and I don't think they want peace. They are preparing for a massive breakthrough."
King Justin paused, setting his silver goblet down on the table with a slow, deliberate finality. His silver hair caught the candlelight as he raised his head, his golden eyes locking onto his general with absolute royal authority. "If the borders are catching fire, I will go too. As the King of the Fox Realm, I will come with you to the front lines."
"That won't be necessary, Your Majesty," Mike countered immediately, his voice dropping into a low, fiercely independent growl. "It is a localized border skirmish. I can handle it myself without endangering the crown."
Beside Justin, Jade shifted softly in her loose cream silk maternity gown. She placed her delicate hand over Justin's large, calloused palm, a beautiful, knowing smile gracing her features. "No, Mike. Justin is right. A king belongs with his people when the realm is threatened."
Justin turned his head to look at his wife, his severe features instantly melting into a soft, profoundly romantic smile as he squeezed her hand in return. He drew strength from her unyielding support.
While the royal couple shared their silent connection, Emily sat beside Mike, her fingers tightly clenching the fabric of her faded peach wrap dress. A sharp, icy wave of worry washed over her face. She stared at Mike's stoic profile, her heart hammering erratically against her ribs at the casual mention of the deadly war field.
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A Promise in the Moonlight
After dinner concluded, the heavy air of the grand hall became too difficult to breathe. Emily quietly slipped out onto the secluded terrace overlooking the silver-leafed gardens, seeking the cool night air to calm her racing mind. Hearing a heavy, familiar footstep behind her, she turned to find Mike standing in the shadows of the marble pillars.
Under the pale, ethereal moonlight, they were entirely alone.
"It's so incredibly sudden, right?" Emily asked softly, her voice trembling slightly as she looked up at his tall frame. "You just got back... and now you're leaving for the war again tomorrow."
Mike let out a low, breathy laugh, the harsh lines of his face softening just a fraction as he stepped into the light. "War is always like that, Emily. It never waits for a convenient time." He leaned down slightly, his golden eyes searching her pale face as his tone dropped into a remarkably soft, tender register. "Are you afraid?"
Emily shook her head instantly, her dark eyes flashing with a fierce, quiet resilience before he could even finish his question. She wasn't afraid for herself; she was terrified for him.
Reaching into the wide, flowing sleeve of her inner hanfu, Emily pulled out a long, intricately woven silk protective robe—a traditional mortal talisman braided with silver thread. Moving with a sudden, breathless determination, she stepped directly into his space. She grabbed his left wrist and began to carefully knot the protective silk around his forearm.
"It's a protective robe," she whispered, her lips curving into a small, beautifully hopeful smile despite the tears pricking her eyes. "The old women in my village say it keeps a warrior anchored to the living world. Victory is always for you, Mike. Come back whole."
Mike stared down at her bent head, watching the gentle movement of her fingers against his skin. A profound, suffocating warmth bloomed in his chest, shattering the last remaining walls of his stoic isolation.
Raising his hand, his large, warm palm cradled her flushing cheek under the starlight. The contrast between his calloused skin and her soft face was staggering. Emily froze, her eyes flying up to meet his intense, burning gaze. For a long, breathless moment, the ghosts of their pasts completely vanished, leaving only a quiet vow hanging between their souls in the midnight air.
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The Breaking of the Princess
High upon the Celestial Mountain, the morning sun rose behind heavy, dark clouds, casting an ominous gray shadow over Princess Merida's white jade palace.
Princess Merida snapped her eyes open, a sudden, suffocating dread clawing at her throat. She sat up frantically in her massive satin bed, her dark hair falling in wild waves over her silk nightgown. She looked around the grand, pristine room, but the sheets beside her were cold. Prince Herrick was completely gone.
Throwing a heavy robe over her shoulders, she ran out of her grand chambers into the long marble corridor, her voice echoing with panic. "Where is the Prince? Where is Herrick?"
A head maid immediately rushed forward, bowing low with a trembling demeanor. "Your Highness... a sudden war emerged on the borders of the Fox Realm early this morning. The celestial troops were mobilized, and Prince Herrick has already gone to the front lines."
Merida froze in pure, unadulterated shock. "What...? War...?"
Her face turned deathly pale, her breath catching in her chest as a terrifying realization slashed through her mind. Oh, gods... no. This cannot happen, she thought frantically, her heart shattering with fear. Herrick has been waiting for an exact chance to defeat and humiliate Mike on the battlefield for centuries. He won't miss this opportunity. He will do everything in his power to deadly harm my Mike.
Without another word, completely ignoring her royal dignity, Merida turned and began to run down the corridors toward the palace gates.
"Princess! Princess, wait! You cannot leave without an escort!" the maid screamed after her, her voice full of panic. But Merida couldn't hear anything over the roaring of her own blood. Her mind was entirely consumed by a single, desperate prayer: Please let him be safe.
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The Crimson Battlefield
At the borderlands, the sky was a bruised, bleeding purple. The massive canyon formed a natural divide—the Fox Realm forces held one side, while the combined armies of the Celestial Mountain and the Blue Moon Kingdom loomed on the other. The war had raged for hours, the ground soaked in crimson as the clash of a thousand swords echoed like a symphony of death.
In the center of the chaotic battlefield, King Justin was locked in a violent, high-speed sword fight with Prince Leo of the Blue Moon Kingdom. Their spiritual weapons collided with a deafening roar, scattering sparks of gold and blue energy into the dusty air.
"Why are you blocking my way, Justin?!" Leo roared, his blue silk robes stained with dust as he parried a lethal strike from the Fox King. "I don't want to fight with you in this war!"
Justin smirked darkly, his golden eyes flashing with an ancient, predatory malice as he pressed his blade down harder against Leo's sword. "What do you mean you don't want to fight? You and I have a great deal to settle in this war, Leo! You were the one who separated my Jade from me at the very beginning! You tore her away from my side!"
Leo's eyes darkened with a profound, hidden sorrow as he absorbed the blow. Yes... Leo thought bitterly within his soul. She is my beloved sister before she ever became your wife.
Justin backed away a step, his stance lethal as he waited for a reply. But when Justin lunged forward for another devastating strike, Leo merely raised his weapon defensively, refusing to counterattack. "Yes, I separated her!" Leo yelled through the roar of the wind. "But because of her... I don't want to hurt you now, Justin! She loves you too much. If anything happens to you on this field, she won't be able to bear the agony!"
Justin's face twisted into utter confusion, his blade faltering for a split second. "What do you mean...?"
But before the words could fully process, the chaotic fury of the battle pushed them apart. Leo smirked bitterly, and Justin, driven by a raw instinct to protect his kingdom, attacked once more, their blades locking in another blinding dance of energy.
The Poisoned Shaft
On the other side of the rocky ridge, the combat was a thousand times more violent. Mike and Prince Herrick were locked in a deadly, close-quarters duel. Both warriors were already bleeding heavily from multiple superficial wounds, their breath coming in ragged, exhaustion-filled gasps, yet neither refused to yield.
Herrick swung his heavy celestial broadsword with a savage fury, aiming straight for Mike's neck. Mike moved with the fluid grace of a seasoned general, dodging the blade by a mere fraction of an inch as the wind from the strike cut a stray lock of his dark hair.
Herrick roared in absolute frustration, his face dark with an unbridled bloodlust. "I will end you this time, Mike! I will bury you in the dirt of this border!"
Mike smirked coldly, wiping a smear of blood from his jaw as he stepped back, entirely unbothered by the threat. "Do you truly think you have the capability? Not even in your wildest dreams, Herrick."
Recognizing a tactical shift in the distance, Mike turned away from the direct engagement, intending to regroup with his frontline soldiers. He didn't want to waste his energy on a meaningless personal feud while his men were dying.
Meanwhile, just a few yards away, as Justin remained heavily engaged in his sword fight with Leo, Crown Prince Ryan materialized from the upper ridge. His immaculate white robes were immaculate no more, and in his hands, he wielded the strongest heaven weapon—a massive, glowing silver spear that crackled with divine lightning. With a cold, calculated gaze, Ryan threw the spear through mid-air, aiming directly at Justin's unguarded back.
"No!" Leo whispered hoarsely, his eyes widening in horror as he spotted the lethal weapon flying toward his sister's husband.
Mike saw it too. Acting on pure, military instinct, Mike threw his own powerful sword across the battlefield with a devastating force. Clang! His blade intercepted the divine spear in mid-air, deflecting the lethal weapon away from Justin just in the nick of time.
Mike let out a sharp sigh of relief, his hands now entirely empty. Justin saw the deflected weapon, his head snapping around to acknowledge his general's salvation.
But Herrick saw the empty hands of his rival as the perfect, golden opportunity. With a twisted, malicious grin, Herrick raised his fingers and shot a silent, dark signal to a hidden elite celestial warrior stationed on the cliffs above.
The warrior instantly drew his bow, aiming a long, black-feathered arrow straight at Mike's exposed back. It was a rare, ancient poisonous arrow—a single scratch from its cursed tip was designed to immediately rot the spiritual core and end a celestial life within seconds.
Herrick's lips curved into a sick, triumphant smile. It's over, Mike, he thought.
Justin's golden eyes tracked the movement on the cliff, and a cold dread seized his chest as he saw the poisonous shaft release from the bowstring. "Mike! Watch your back! Move!" Justin roared across the field, his voice cracking with terror.
The Choice of the Heart
Mike spun around instantly at his king's warning, his eyes widening as he saw the black arrow hurtling toward his chest at a terminal velocity. With no weapon to defend himself, time seemed to slow to a painful crawl.
Suddenly, a blur of midnight-blue silk burst from the edge of the chaotic crowd. Merida had arrived from nowhere.
Driven by a raw, suicidal impulse to save the man she truly loved, Merida threw her fragile body directly in front of Mike, shielding his chest with her own frame as she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.
When Herrick saw his own wife step into the line of fire, his heart completely stopped. The sick smile vanished from his face, replaced by a pure, agonizing terror. Moving with a frantic, lightning-fast speed that broke his own physical limits, Herrick lunged forward. He threw himself before Merida at the final millisecond, swinging his broadsword upward with a desperate, heavy roar.
Slash!
The sharp edge of Herrick's blade collided with the poisonous arrow, tearing the cursed shaft into two clean pieces that fell harmlessly into the blood-stained dirt.
Pantingly heavily, his chest heaving with a terrifying adrenaline rush, Herrick slowly turned around to look at his wife, expecting to see her looking at him with gratitude.
But Merida didn't even notice his existence. Her hands were already clutching Mike's charcoal-gray robes, her pale face filled with a frantic, suffocating anxiety as she searched his face.
"Are you alright? Mike... did it touch you? Are you hurt?" she cried out, her voice trembling violently with a profound, uncontainable desperation. In that massive, bloody battlefield, her beautiful eyes held sight strictly for Mike—completely ignoring her own husband who had just risked his life to save her.
Herrick felt his entire world break into a million jagged shards. The silence around them grew deafening as his golden eyes turned a violent, bleeding red. A wave of furious, dark humiliation washed over his royal features. His own wedded wife... was openly weeping and caring for his worst enemy, while treating him like an invisible ghost.
Mike stood paralyzed, his breath catching in his throat as he looked down at Merida's clutching fingers. He couldn't believe it. Merida... had protected him. His intense gaze locked onto her tear-filled face, and beneath the hard armor of his pride, he could see the raw, undeniable depth of her lingering care for him. The fragile stability of the present cracked wide open, leaving the three souls drowning in a sea of unresolved love and bitter fury.
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To be Continued...
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