Noah stood on the edge of the massive flying artifact, which was hovering undetected above the Feng Empire. He had used the stealth and invisibility function of the ship to make sure no one knew about their arrival, just like no one knew when they had disappeared.
Standing over the wooden plank, he took in everything that was happening on the ship. The fear of the elves, the soldiers tending to their wounds, and most of all their Emperor, his friend.
Ever since they ca back, his mood did not seem right. It was like sothing was bothering the man. Since Wuhan did not say anything, Noah did not deem it to be his place to ask him anything about it.
’I will ask him if he continues to stay like this.’
Making up his mind, the forr mage god turned his attention to the cities and forests that passed by them like blurs.
It did not take them more than an hour to arrive at the capital city.
Unseen by anyone, the sky above the city rippled like soone did not like the way it appeared. Once the ripple spread out, a ray of light erged from its origin point.
The light snapped, and there it was.
Still invisible to the naked eye. No one even realized that a giant ship was hovering above their heads. No one but two people...
Deep within the palace grounds, Xin Yan sat cross-legged in silent ditation. The air around her shimred faintly with frost, her breath slow and steady as spiritual energy circled her body in thin, silvery rings.
Then—
Her eyes snapped open.
The air changed. It was faint, almost undetectable, but to soone like her, it was as clear as a shout in silence—a ripple in the heavens, a distortion that didn’t belong. Her body moved before her mind caught up.
She rose, her robes whispering against the floor as she looked toward the distant skyline through the open window. A flicker of light flashed across her eyes.
"He’s back..." she murmured, her calm tone betraying the quickened beat of her heart.
Without a second thought, she turned, vanishing with a flash of silver blue light. The frost she left behind clung to the floor like a stubborn mark, refusing to fade.
Xin Yan cared for nothing else beside running. She raced toward the landing docks behind the Royal Castle, eager to et the part of herself she had been separated from for longer than she liked.
***
Sowhere in the shadowed halls of the imperial palace, Feng Niu sat on the ditation mat. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. She looked up with deep and cold resentnt.
She stared at the ceiling as though she could see past the marble and stone of the city itself.
Then she smiled—softly, knowingly.
"So... the treacherous son returns."
The faint ripple she sensed above the clouds was all the confirmation she needed. It wasn’t just any spiritual fluctuation—it was him.
The darkness around her receded and pulsed over and over again.
"How nostalgic," she whispered to herself. "My son flies ho with his little entourage of loyal dogs... What a familiar feeling. The last ti sothing like this happened—"
Feng Niu’s dark eyes shimred with venomous intent as she said, "You took everything from and sealed alive in that coffin with that bitch; what a mockery."
She slowly stood up from the ground as the darkness around her stirred once more. "perhaps it’s ti for a grand family reunion."
Her voice beca a whisper of the past as her figure disappeared from the room, leaving nothing but a dark and sinister will-o’-the-wisp behind.
***
The ship drifted lower through the night sky, its colossal shadow rging with the darkness above the royal castle. No sound marked its descent—only the faint hum of spiritual energy rippling through the air like a quiet heartbeat.
As the stealth field slowly dimd, the faint outline of the massive vessel appeared above the landing area behind the castle. The barrier that guarded the dock flickered once before parting like water, allowing the ship to pass through.
With a soft thud, the artifact settled down. Dust and spirit mist rolled outward, curling around the platform before fading into the night.
The gates opened, and soldiers imdiately stepped out, guiding the rescued Elves down from the ship. The soldiers guarding the area were stunned for a mont, their weapons readied in their hands.
But seeing Captain Black Sword, they rushed to help.
Eva, the queen of the surviving elves, took a second to check her surroundings. She carefully moved while keeping an eye on the humans around them and noticed how they looked at them with curiosity and surprise.
Noah was watching all of this with a light smile on his face, which soon vanished as his gaze turned to his friend.
Emperor Wuhan stood near the bow, motionless. The wind tugged at his robes, but he didn’t react. His eyes were fixed on the towering castle before him, specifically the throne room.
His face was colder than Xin Yan’s eyes, and his eyes were devoid of any emotions.
Noah did not need to follow his gaze to find out what troubled him. It was the dark aura that seeped through the air from the heart of the palace.
It was cold, heavy, and filled with malicious intent. He did not know who the aura belonged to, but Noah knew one thing, and that was his trust in Xin Yan.
If she allowed the person who caused this to stay alive and await their arrival, then it was for a reason.
’This aura is directed at Wuhan.’ Sensing sothing wrong, Noah turned towards his friend.
Before he could take a step closer, Wuhan moved. His golden cloak snapped behind him as his figure vanished from the deck in a streak of red and gold light—straight toward the throne room.
"Wait—" Noah started, but the word died halfway.
A soft flash of blue light cut across his vision. Then, before he could react, a pair of slender arms wrapped tightly around him.
Xin Yan pressed her face against his chest with so much force that it felt like she wanted to rge with him.
Noah, feeling her body tremble with longing, wrapped her in a tight embrace. After all, with just the scent of her presence, all the yearning he was suppressing in his heart ca gushing back.
Neither one uttered a word; there was no need. Everything they wanted to say was conveyed through the beat of their heart.
For that brief mont, nothing else mattered.
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