The Red Emperor had conquered empires, broken armies, and silenced the heavens. Yet, the greatest battle he faced was against himself.
The Empress had softened his heart, but a heart once shattered could never be fully whole again.
There were still chains binding him—chains of the past.
Nightmares of a Monster
The Red Emperor awoke in the dead of night, drenched in sweat. The scent of blood and ash lingered in his mind, the echoes of screams filling his ears.
His hands trembled. In his dreams, he saw them—the ghosts of those he had slain. His brothers. His father. His mother.
Her.
The woman who now slept beside him.
How could she still trust him? How could she still love him?
He sat at the edge of the bed, gripping his forehead. He had never known guilt. But now, it ate away at him like a disease.
A Wife's Unshaken Faith
The Empress stirred, sensing his unrest. She reached out, her delicate fingers brushing against his back.
"Another nightmare?" she asked softly.
He did not answer.
She moved closer, wrapping her arms around him, resting her head against his back. "You don't have to suffer alone."
The Red Emperor exhaled sharply. He did not deserve her kindness.
"I have done too much," he said, his voice hollow. "I have killed too many. I have destroyed lives without hesitation. And yet… you are still here."
She tightened her embrace. "Because I know the man behind the monster."
He turned to face her, searching her eyes for fear, for hatred, for anything that would prove she was lying. But all he saw was acceptance.
He reached up, cupping her cheek. "I cannot change what I am."
She smiled. "Then let me change the world around you."
A Promise in the Moonlight
For the first time, the Red Emperor did something he never thought he would.
He leaned forward and kissed her.
It was not filled with hunger or dominance. It was not an act of possession.
It was gentle.
As their lips parted, he whispered, "I will not let my past control me."
The Empress smiled. "Then let's build a future together."
The Red Emperor, the man who had known only war, betrayal, and pain, found something he had long thought impossible.
Peace.
But peace never lasts forever.
In the shadows, an old enemy prepared to return. And with him, a storm that would shake the heavens.
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