Time resumed.
The frozen stones returned to their places.
Dust exploded into the air.
Lin Yue stumbled backward, her lips still burning from the kiss.
The man before her — the one who had stepped out of the shattered statue — slowly pulled away.
His crimson eyes darkened as he swallowed.
She felt it.
He had tasted her blood.
Her heart hammered violently.
He leaned closer again—
Then suddenly stopped.
His brows furrowed slightly, as if surprised.
He lifted his hand and touched his own lips, as though confirming something.
Lin Yue finally regained control of her body.
With a sharp gasp, she shoved him hard.
"Hey! That was my first kiss!" she burst out, face flushed red. "You can't just steal it like that! Who do you think you are, mysterious statue man?!"
Silence.
The tall man blinked.
In his thousand years of existence, people had knelt, trembled, begged for mercy.
But this girl—
She was complaining about a kiss.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of his lips.
It wasn't mocking.
It was… amused.
Lin Yue stared at him.
He was real.
Black coat. Pale skin. Crimson eyes that glowed faintly in the dim chamber.
"Am I dreaming?" she muttered.
She pinched her own arm.
"Ow! Okay, that hurts. Not a dream."
She stepped closer, circling him carefully like inspecting an artifact.
"You came out of the statue… your eyes are red… you froze time… Are you some kind of ghost?"
His expression darkened slightly.
"Ghost?" he repeated.
She stopped in front of him.
"Or a demon? Or— wait. Alien?"
He exhaled slowly.
"In my entire existence," he said calmly, "no one has ever addressed me in such a ridiculous manner."
"Great, so you're not denying it," she replied quickly.
She reached out cautiously and poked his sleeve.
Solid.
Warm.
Before she could withdraw her hand, he caught her wrist.
His grip was firm, but not painful.
"You are bold," he said softly.
Her heartbeat skipped.
"Let go! I was just checking if you're real!"
"And?" he asked.
She hesitated.
"…You're real."
Before she could say more—
Voices echoed from above.
"Lin Yue!"
"We found rope!"
Her friends' voices filled the chamber.
Lin Yue looked up and shouted back, "I'm here!"
The man's grip loosened slightly.
Her friends began climbing down one by one.
When they reached the ground, Zhao Lian rushed toward her.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Lin Yue said quickly. Then she pointed beside her. "This guy saved me."
Her friends froze.
"…What guy?" Gu Yichen asked slowly.
She turned.
The man stood right beside her.
Tall. Silent. Crimson eyes watching everything.
She blinked.
"He's right here! The tall guy in black!"
Her friends exchanged worried looks.
"Lin Yue… there's no one there," Chen Xinyi whispered.
Her stomach dropped.
She looked at him again.
He was still there.
Looking mildly entertained.
"You guys are blind or what?!" she snapped.
Gu Yichen frowned. "Maybe you hit your head when you fell."
Zhao Lian stepped closer. "Do you feel dizzy?"
Lin Yue's heart pounded.
She turned to the statue.
The center of the chamber—
Empty.
No statue.
No fragments.
No evidence.
Her breathing grew uneven.
Was she hallucinating?
Slowly, she raised her hand and touched her lips.
The wound from biting herself—
Gone.
Completely healed.
Her pulse raced.
She moved to the corner of the chamber and sat down heavily.
Her friends began examining the murals, trying to act normal.
But she could feel it.
He followed her.
And sat beside her.
Only inches away.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"This is a hallucination," she whispered to herself. "Stress. Oxygen deprivation. Maybe mild concussion."
A calm voice spoke beside her ear.
"If this is hallucination, then your imagination is impressively detailed."
Her eyes snapped open.
He was still there.
Watching her.
Up close.
Too close.
"You're not fake?" she whispered.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Did I seem fake when I kissed you?"
Her face burned instantly.
"That's not the point!"
She lowered her voice.
"Why can't they see you?"
"Because," he said calmly, "you are the one who awakened me."
She froze.
"What?"
"Your blood broke the seal."
"My blood?" she repeated.
He nodded once.
"A single drop restored my consciousness. Without it, I would still be imprisoned."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"So you're saying I accidentally… woke up some ancient monster?"
His eyes flashed faintly.
"Choose your words carefully."
She swallowed.
"…Fine. Ancient handsome being."
He almost smiled again.
"But the power I regained," he continued, voice lowering, "is temporary. Until I fully stabilize, I require proximity."
"Proximity?" she echoed suspiciously.
"I will follow you."
Her eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
"You awakened me," he said calmly. "Therefore, you are responsible."
"I am not adopting you like a stray cat!"
"You misunderstand," he said softly.
"You belong to me now."
Her jaw dropped.
"I beg your pardon?!"
Before she could argue further—
His expression changed.
Instantly serious.
He turned his head toward the tunnel entrance.
His crimson eyes sharpened.
Lin Yue noticed it.
"What?"
He stood.
"Celestial Wardens," he said quietly. "They sensed the seal."
Her blood ran cold.
"You mean more supernatural people?"
"They are approaching."
She glanced at her friends.
"They can't even see you!"
"That is temporary."
His aura subtly shifted.
The air felt heavier.
"I do not wish to confront them yet."
He extended his hand toward her.
"We are leaving."
She folded her arms stubbornly.
"No. We came here for research. I'm not running away because of invisible enemies."
A flicker of irritation crossed his face.
"You do not understand your position."
"Then explain it!"
His eyes darkened.
"Without your blood, you would already be dead."
Her breath caught.
"I spared you because you are useful."
Anger flared in her chest.
"Oh, thank you so much for sparing my life, Your Majesty."
His patience thinned.
"You are fragile."
"And you're arrogant!"
The air around him suddenly crystallized.
Cold mist formed.
Behind her friends, shards of icy energy condensed midair like invisible blades.
Lin Yue's voice died in her throat.
Her friends continued chatting, unaware.
He spoke quietly.
"I cannot kill you."
Her heartbeat thudded.
"But I can kill them."
Her body went cold.
One of the ice shards shot forward—
Not at her friends—
But at the stone wall.
The impact exploded.
Stone shattered violently.
Dust and debris filled the chamber.
Her friends screamed.
"What was that?!"
Smoke rose from the cracked wall.
Lin Yue stared at the damage.
It wasn't hallucination.
It wasn't fake.
He was dangerous.
He looked at her calmly.
"Do we leave?"
Fear finally replaced her stubbornness.
But she clenched her fists.
"You don't threaten people like that."
He stepped closer.
His presence overwhelming.
"You awakened the Night Sovereign."
His crimson eyes burned in the dim chamber.
"You do not get to make demands."
Her heart pounded wildly.
Behind them—
The faint sound of footsteps echoed from the tunnel entrance.
Someone else had arrived.
And this time—
They would not be invisible.
End of Chapter 2...