The wind howled faintly across the broken chasm.
But the Empress's voice was quieter still.
"I am not just a Moon-Sealed Empress…"she whispered."I am the daughter of a defector of the Abyssal Crown Court."
Her words fell like thunder.
Xueya stiffened.Yue Lian gasped.Jin Wei's runes pulsed red, analyzing danger.Drakonix, half-conscious, whimpered.Even the Observer straightened, mask tilting with genuine surprise.
Qi Shan Wei stepped forward.
"Empress," he said calmly—calmly because she clearly could not be—"look at me."
She lifted her trembling eyes.
They were filled with fear, shame, and something deeper—a pain she had carried alone for years.
Shan Wei spoke gently:
"I'm listening."
Her breath hitched.
And the truth finally began.
1. The Mother Who Should Not Exist
"My mother… was not born in this realm," the Empress said softly."She was once part of the Abyssal Court's inner sanctum."
Yue Lian shuddered.
"Then your mother was a Sovereign?!"
The Empress shook her head.
"No… she wasn't that high. But she served them directly.My mother was what they called a Crown Fragment."
The Observer inhaled sharply.
"Oh… heavens…"
He looked at Shan Wei.
"A Crown Fragment is a being created from the will of an Abyssal Sovereign.They are not individuals…They are extensions."
Shan Wei felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"So her mother wasn't born…She was made."
The Empress nodded weakly.
"My mother was created to carry out judgment.She enforced the Court's will across dying universes."
Xueya asked quietly:
"…Then why did she defect?"
The Empress's voice trembled.
"Because she fell in love."
Everyone froze.
"She found a human man in a collapsing realm.He was brave… kind… and utterly insignificant in their eyes."
Her eyes grew distant.
"She chose him.The Court didn't understand love.They didn't tolerate disobedience."
She swallowed hard.
"So she ran.Across realms.Across shattered universes.Until she reached this one."
A single tear slid down her cheek.
"And I was born."
2. The Hunter Born with a Mark
The Observer's expression darkened.
"So the Sovereign came today because of her bloodline."
The Empress nodded.
"I carry Abyssal residue in my soul—their power, but not their loyalty."
Yue Lian trembled.
"So your cultivation… your seals…"
"Yes."The Empress touched the faint runic scars along her arm.
"They are suppressions placed by my own mother—to keep the Court from sensing me."
Xueya whispered:
"But today… they sensed you anyway."
The Empress's voice broke.
"Because Shan Wei awakened the Forgotten Core.Its power… its scream… its awakening…It resonated with my blood."
She trembled violently.
"And the Sovereign located me."
3. Shan Wei's Response — Unshakable
The Empress waited for fear.Rejection.Suspicion.
Instead—
Shan Wei stepped closer.
He placed a hand gently atop her bowed head.
"…Lift your chin."
Slowly, shakily, she obeyed.
Shan Wei's golden eyes were steady.
"You are my ally," he said."You saved Xueya. You fought at my side. You faced an ancient nightmare without collapsing."
Her breath caught.
He continued:
"Your mother risked everything to protect you.Your bloodline doesn't define you.Your choices do."
The Empress's eyes widened, filling with tears.
Shan Wei finished, voice like steel:
"And I do not abandon the people who believe in me."
A soft gasp escaped her lips.
Her body trembled—but not from fear anymore.
Xueya watched silently.A faint, subtle tension tightened her shoulders.Her brows knitted almost imperceptibly.
Jealousy.Fear.And something else—protectiveness.
But she said nothing.Not yet.
4. Xueya's Internal Storm
Xueya turned her gaze toward the distant cliff where the Sovereign had stood.
Her chest tightened.
Shan Wei was gentle with the Empress in a way that…
A way that reminded her of warmth she wasn't used to sharing.
Why does it bother me?she asked herself.
She looked at Shan Wei—the calm strength in his eyes,the unshakeable resolve,the warmth he extended so naturally.
She exhaled shakily.
Because I almost lost him…Because I am afraid I will again…Because I am…
She swallowed the word before it formed.
Not yet.
Not now.
5. The Truth Behind the Moon-Seal Clan
The Empress continued—voice steadier now, supported by Shan Wei's presence.
"My father founded the Moon-Sealed Clan to hide us.He used heavenly frost, lunar Qi, and ancient bloodline seals."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"My mother gave me a gift before she died."
Xueya asked softly:
"What gift?"
"A shield," the Empress whispered."A final blessing that hides me from the Court."
Jin Wei's eyes flickered with ancient runes.
"THE BLESSING IS CRUMBLING."
She nodded.
"Yes. Because the Sovereign saw Shan Wei's awakening…and the shield reacted.It cracked."
The Observer turned sharply.
"If the shield breaks entirely—"
The Empress finished with trembling lips:
"—the Abyssal Court will claim me."
6. A Truth That Shakes Shan Wei
The Empress steadied herself.
"There is more. Something… I never told anyone."
Shan Wei frowned.
"What is it?"
She hesitated…
Then spoke the words that froze the air:
"The reason the Sovereign came today was not only to see you, Shan Wei."
Xueya held her breath.
Yue Lian paled.
The Empress whispered:
"He came to retrieve me."
Silence.
Deep.Horrifying.Absolute.
Shan Wei's jaw tightened.
"And if he takes you…?"
The Empress stared at him, voice barely audible:
"Then your awakening will accelerate…and you will die sooner."
Shan Wei froze.
Everyone stared.
"What do you mean?" he whispered.
The Empress's eyes filled with sorrow.
"The Forgotten Core inside you is bound to my bloodline.If I am taken…your Core will awaken in full—too early.Too fast.Before your body is ready.Before your soul can handle it."
A tear slid down her cheek.
"And that will kill you."
Shan Wei's heart thundered.
His path…
His awakening…
His destiny…
All tied to her survival.
Xueya's grip loosened in shock.
Even Jin Wei stiffened.
Drakonix whimpered, sensing tension.
The Observer whispered the final truth:
"If the Sovereign takes the Empress…then your fate collapses."
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
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