The flickering torchlight cast long, jagged shadows against the stone walls of the hollowed-out room, mirroring the uneven rhythm of Elsa's breathing. She stood paralyzed by the weight of the reality Li Ke had just laid bare.
But...
Staring at the food Li Ke had provided and looking at the man himself—fully armed and possessing strength far beyond either of theirs—Elsa gave a helpless nod.
"You're right. We really don't have any other choice."
The words felt heavy on her tongue, tasting of ash and defeat. The food was in Li Ke's hands, and they were incapable of obtaining their own. He held the advantage in power, leaving her with no leverage. Furthermore, they were stuck in a situation where they couldn't survive or return home without becoming intimate with him. Looking at their current circumstances, they truly were at a dead end. The logic was as cold and unyielding as the ice she carried in her veins; she was trapped, and for the first time in her life, her magic couldn't blast a way out.
But this feels more and more like a meticulously planned trap! Elsa thought, covering her face with her hands.
"You really are a complicated one, aren't you?" Toph remarked, taking a bite of her hotdog and expressing her exasperation. She could read Elsa's thoughts plainly.
To Toph, Elsa was clearly overthinking things. She was the type who kept everything bottled up inside—the kind of person who was smart, yes, but so preoccupied with consequences that she could never find peace. Elsa didn't realize that sometimes, letting go and following one's instincts yielded better results.
As an Earth Kingdom native, Toph had seen many people like this. They claimed to be acting for the "greater good" or being "prudent," but in reality, they were just imprisoning themselves. Earth is stable, true, but even the highest peaks have their own wild, magnificent scenery. Toph might be blind, but she could feel the shifting, beautiful nature of the earth; she didn't share Elsa's burden.
Was Li Ke a good person? Yes.
Was the method he offered the only way? Yes.
Was he forcing her? No—if anything, Toph was the one forcing him to do something he didn't want to do.
So what was there to hesitate about?
"If you're really that bothered by it, I'll just handle it," Toph said, giving Elsa a thumbs-up and a brilliant grin. "It's about thirty points an energy session, right? To send us both back would take maybe a hundred or so rounds. I'll just work hard and crank them all out for you in a single day!"
"Do you think you're milking a cow?!" Li Ke couldn't help but snap. "And it doesn't work like that—more isn't always better. The more intense the emotions, the easier it is to get energy. With you acting so indifferent, I bet the points will drop into the single digits before long!"
A hundred times in a day? Did she think he was a breeding bull?! Maybe back in the 7 Days to Die world that would have been possible, but he'd pass on that here. Even using Life Return, he could probably only manage about ten rounds, and he still needed to save strength for his training!
But Toph wasn't about to back down. She turned her head away, wearing a look of pure disdain.
"Tch. Useless man."
Usually, she wasn't like this, but during her "testing," she found Li Ke's personality fun to mess with, so she kept provoking him. His reactions were just too entertaining.
"Fine, whatever. Say what you want..." Li Ke muttered, completely giving up.
"No... that won't do. If this must be done, it should be me."
Elsa looked at Li Ke's exasperated expression and began to believe him a bit more. But looking at Toph, she shook her head firmly. Toph had saved her; she owed the girl a debt. If someone had to do this, let it be her.
Besides, Elsa didn't particularly care if she actually slept with Li Ke. She had never planned on getting married anyway. Her magic was a curse that could hurt those closest to her; she was terrified of harming a potential child or passing her fate down to them. Her plan had always been to eventually pass the throne to her sister's children.
The only reason she hadn't let Anna take the throne yet was simply that her sister was too innocent and easily deceived. If Anna were even slightly more mature, Elsa wouldn't be holding onto the crown herself. Furthermore, over the years, she had seen far too many "bad men." Every man who approached her just wanted to get into her bed without exception—flattering her and showing off just so they could become the King of Arendelle.
That was why she had long since given up on men entirely.
"Ah, the classic self-sacrifice routine," Toph muttered, rolling her eyes and spreading her hands toward Li Ke. "Elsa is honestly so weird."
Li Ke didn't hesitate to fire back. "You're the weird one here!"
Elsa didn't say a word, but she nodded in agreement in her head.
Li Ke turned his attention to Elsa, speaking with a serious expression. "Using hands is perfectly fine. Nothing else is required."
Elsa gave a stiff, reserved nod, but as she looked down at her own hands, her expression clouded with difficulty.
"I understand, and I am grateful to you, but..."
Pulling off one of her gloves, Elsa gently pressed a single finger onto a piece of bread. In an instant, frost crystallized across the surface, turning it white.
"Ever since my magic was awakened, everything my hands touch freezes. I have to wear gloves at all times just to function... so, may I ask, would other parts of the body work as well?"
There was a profound sense of helplessness and sorrow in Elsa's voice. This power had never brought her happiness; it had always been a source of terror, a curse rather than a gift.
Her parents had died because of her magic. She had nearly killed her own sister, Anna, forcing her to live in total isolation to avoid hurting anyone else. She believed she was destined to be eternally alone, forever hiding who she truly was. She feared her innate abilities—she even loathed herself for having them.
Li Ke reached out and poked the bread. It was frozen solid, hard as a rock. The "bold" ideas he'd had a moment ago vanished instantly.
If it were just a bit of a chill, he could have circulated his Blood Energy and treated it like a dual cultivation of the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Nine Yin Manual. But this was instant deep-freeze, more aggressive than liquid nitrogen. Even though he could manifest flames, he wasn't yet at the level where his body was immune to extreme elements. He wasn't ready to lose a limb over this.
"Ah... well, I've never tried with feet before, but it should theoretically work, since the mouth works too..." Li Ke said, pausing as he looked at her. "But what about your feet? I'm not exactly looking to die today, or end up missing a vital part of myself..."
He asked the question he most desperately needed an answer to.
He knew perfectly well that Elsa's magic was largely tied to her emotional state, a psychological block manifesting as a lack of control. But he was a warrior, not a therapist or some smooth-talking counselor; solving her deep-seated trauma was way above his pay grade.
Toph, however, didn't share Elsa's hesitation. She hopped forward, practically vibrating with curiosity.
"Feet work too?! Can I try? Let me try!"
She promptly hoisted one of her small, bare feet, shoving it toward Li Ke's face. He caught her ankle and firmly pushed it away, his expression flat. While her feet were small and undeniably cute, they were covered in wasteland grime and smelled like a long day of hiking. He was a man of standards, and those standards said "no" to dirty feet.
"Feet and... the mouth?" Elsa murmured, her voice laced with trepidation.
"Yes," Li Ke confirmed. "Though I'd suggest testing with your feet first. I haven't tried it before, but theoretically, it should work. Don't stress too much, though. I have plenty of food stockpiled, and we can surely scavenge more in this world. There's no need to rush into anything."
In the back of his mind, he felt a twinge of regret. He had once hoped to try this with Rin Tohsaka—her legs were legendary, after all—but the collapse of the world had happened so fast he never got the chance. As for the logistics, now that he had two points of World Power, he could likely summon a trader from 7 Days to Die and set up a proper supply line. Plus, this blocky world produced its own resources; as long as they weren't poisonous, they'd be fine.
"I understand," Elsa nodded.
But staying calm was easier said than done. Her coronation was supposed to be starting soon. While her disappearance might be a blessing for the kingdom in some ways, she knew how naive Anna was. Her sister was far too easy to manipulate, and the surrounding nations were anything but friendly. If Elsa didn't return, Arendelle would be torn apart by vultures. Thinking of the political filth waiting to pounce, Elsa let out a heavy sigh.
As night fell, Li Ke crafted a sturdy wooden door and set up a few basic defensive perimeters. The three of them found separate corners of the hollowed-out room to settle in for the night.
Li Ke didn't sleep much. Instead, he sat cross-legged by the entrance, circulating his Blood Energy to stay sharp and maintain a lookout. Cultivating Blood Energy had a side effect, though—it kept the body in a state of high arousal and excitement. It was a restless, difficult heat to manage in the quiet of the night.
Just as he finished a cycle, the faint sound of footsteps caught his ear.
Zombies?
His instincts flared. He flipped over, hand moving to his phone to check the time, but the screen's glow revealed a blushing figure standing before him.
"Elsa?"
He asked, confused. She hesitated for a heartbeat before pressing a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. She moved quickly, kneeling beside him.
"I want to help Toph get home as soon as possible..." she whispered, her eyes averted.
"And... is the mouth really an option?"
Li Ke fell silent for a moment. He switched off his phone, leaving them in the silver glow of the square moon spilling through the doorway. Elsa looked almost divine in that light, like a goddess carved from ice.
"It is," he replied softly.
He wasn't sure why she had bypassed the "feet" idea, but if she was willing to go this far, he wasn't going to talk her out of it. After all, the mouth was objectively much more comfortable than a hand.
"Then... I'm in your care," she whispered.