The cosmic tides of the inner world, which had been churning in a hurricane of speculation, showed no signs of calming.

Two days had passed since the disappearance of the empress, and the System Forums had devolved into a digital wasteland of conspiracy.

Even the justifications issued by the Head Minister of the Jade Empire, claiming a sudden breakthrough, failed to quell the unease.

Quadrillion of lifeforms had witnessed the abrupt end of the livestream; a breakthrough of that magnitude usually resonated with blinding light, not a cold silence.

Deep within the inner sanctum of the Jade Empire, inside an enormous meditation hall wreathed in emerald mists and protected by ancient anti-spatial areays, a figure sat in a perfect lotus position. Her face was veiled in silk, her breathing so shallow it was non-existent.

Suddenly, her eyes, those mesmerizing, toxic green orbs flew open.

“Where… where am I?” Esmira gasped, her voice echoing off the high ceilings.

She looked around frantically, her fingers clawing at the familiar texture of the meditation mat. She felt the heavy, humid mana of her own empire, the scent of royal incense, and the comforting weight of her own empire.

“The mana… this room… I am back?” she whispered, her hands trembling as she touched her face. She felt the curve of her lips, the softness of her skin. “I can move? The suspension… it’s gone?”

She stood up, her legs feeling like lead as she tested her weight. Just a moment ago, she had been a prisoner in a golden mansion, a vegetative soul under the thumb of a king.

Now, she was back in her fortress. As her mind struggled to connect the pieces of her memory, a chime resonated through the air.

[Incoming Video Call: Anohara, King of the Cosmic Empire]

[Accept / Reject]

Esmira didn’t hesitate. She lunged for the virtual interface, her finger striking Accept with a force that nearly cracked the holographic panel.

The connection stabilized, revealing the image of Anohara. He was seated in his study, bathed in the warm light of a Veridian sunset, casually turning the page of a massive history book.

He looked up, his violet-gold gaze meeting hers through the screen. A small, polite smile touched his lips.

“Welcome home, Empress,” he said, his voice a low, amused baritone.

Esmira stared at him, the reality of the situation finally crashing through her defenses.

The terror of the last few hours, the feeling of absolute helplessness, and the sudden, inexplicable return combined into a wave of emotion that broke her composure. Tears began to well in her green eyes, spilling over her cheeks.

“Don’t cry, Empress,” Anohara said, his tone shifting to one of mild concern. “Walls have ears, even in a fortress like yours. If the multiverse discovers that the ruler of the second-largest empire is crying like a lost child, what will they think of your Jade Authority?”

As he spoke, his eyes glowed with a faint gold light. A handkerchief woven from shimmering mana materialized out of thin air in front of Esmira. It moved with a gentle grace, dabbing away the tears on her face before dissolving into sparkles of light.

“Thank you,” Esmira rasped, her voice catching.

“I have no desire to see anyone weep,” Anohara replied, returning his attention to his book. “It is unseemly.”

“Why did you let me go?” Esmira demanded, her voice regaining some of its fire. “And the fusion you spoke of? Why can’t I remember anything after our meeting? What did you do to me for the last two days?”

Anohara turned a page. “I must apologize. I found it necessary to place you under a deeper mind-lock. The fusion of talents is a secret of the cosmic empire, and I could not allow you to retain the memories of the process. It took me one day to successfully integrate your Jade Gaze into my own law, and another day to transport you back.”

“What? One day?” Esmira’s eyes went wide. She knew a little about talent fusion; it was a process that usually took years because of low portability. “You fused an SS-grade talent in twenty-four hours?”

“Actually,” Anohara corrected her, finally looking up with a wry chuckle, “the actual fusion took about two minutes. I… I must admit, I got distracted by a particularly fascinating chapter on the First Era and forgot to initiate your return. I wasted an entire day of your time. For that, I am truly sorry.”

Esmira stood frozen, her jaw tightening. He forgot? She had been lying in a vegetative state, fearing for her life and her empire, and he had simply lost track of time because he was reading?

“Now, Empress Esmira,” Anohara continued, raising two fingers. “You find yourself at a crossroads. You have two primary options.”

“First: you can emerge from your seclusion now and attempt to address the public, explaining your disappearance with whatever lie you can fabricate.”

“Or second: you can actually stay in seclusion for the five hundred years your minister announced, and use that time to finally break through into the Demigod realm. You are talented, but your focus on public relations has made your cultivation stagnant.”

A smirk formed on Esmira’s lips, her cunning nature resurfacing. She crossed her arms, a smug expression dancing in her green eyes.

“And what if I choose a third option? What if I tell the entire multiverse the truth? That the Noble King of the Cosmic Empire is a kidnapper who uses mind control on fellow rulers? Wouldn’t that destroy the little reputation you have left?”

Anohara didn’t even flinch. He simply looked at her with an expression of profound pity.

“Be my guest, Empress. But ask yourself: who will believe you? You were seen billions of light-years away while I was visible on Veridia. You have no physical evidence. And if you force a public investigation, the first thing the truth-seekers will find are the billions of accounts used to smear me, all traced directly back to your empire. You would be exposing your own crimes just to prove a kidnapping that no one believes happened.”

He leaned forward, his gaze turning piercing. “This world is governed by power, Esmira. You can manipulate the thoughts of the weak, but in the face of absolute strength, every narrative eventually bows. I am chasing that strength.”

“You, on the other hand, are playing playground games with thumbnails and ragebait. Focus on your goals, Empress. Or the next time we meet, I won’t be so inclined to return what I take.”

The call was cut off abruptly.

“Agh! That… that arrogant, cold-hearted…” Esmira shouted at the empty air, her face turning red. “I was just joking! He didn’t have to shun me like a misbehaving student!”

She paced the room, her mind a whirlwind. Despite her anger, she knew he was right. She needed a solution, and she needed it before the Jade Empire collapsed into a civil war over her absence.

But as she began to draft a speech for her ministers, a ping sounded from her system interface.

[Message from: Anohara]

Esmira hesitated, her hand hovering over the icon. She expected another warning, perhaps a list of demands. But when she opened it, the content was shockingly simple.

Anohara: “For the necessity of the fusion and the inconvenience of the mind control, I have given you two talents as a formal apology. Check them when you have recovered. Do not squander them.”

Esmira stared at the message. An apology? From a man who had just dismantled her entire ego?

She knew that what she had done, the misinformation campaign was ethically reprehensible. She had expected to be enslaved, tortured, or erased.

“He scared me half to death just to show he could,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “He wanted to show me that my Information War is a toy in the hands of a real power.”

She shook her head, trying to clear the confusion. With a shaky breath, she opened her Status Window. She expected two minor A-grade talents, perhaps some utility skills to help with her empire’s logistics.

What she saw made her blood run cold.

[Talent: Mirror-Reflex (SS-Grade)]

Description: Allows the user to visually copy and store the movement-patterns of any physical technique seen].

[Talent: Intent-Vibration (SS-Grade)]

Description: Grants the ability to see the ripples in the air caused by a being’s hostile intent or hidden bloodlust before they strike.]

“Two SS-grade talents…” Esmira breathed, her heart hammering. “He didn’t just apologize. He gave me the tools to protect myself from the very thing he did to me.”

She slumped back onto her meditation mat, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She had tried to ruin him, and he had responded by making her stronger. The generosity was more humiliating than the kidnapping itself.

“Anohara…” she whispered to the shadows of the jade hall. “What kind of monster are you building?”

Back on Veridia, Anohara closed his history book and looked at his reflection in the dark glass of the window. His eyes now possessed a faint, emerald rim around the violet-gold pupils, the mark of the Jade Gaze.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep