The forest was silent after Tian Yu vanished, the echo of his last scream still trembling in the air.
Yuyan pushed herself up, coughing hard as she fought to steady her breathing.
"Tian Yu…" she whispered.
But he was already gone as if swallowed by the trees.
Before she could gather her strength, shadows shifted behind her.
Xie Yue, Tian Yu fake wife stepped out from the trees, followed by several other witches dressed in dark cloaks.
A cold smile curled across her lips.
"Well, well… look what we have here," she sneered. "The lost little princess."
Yuyan took a careful step back, her fingers tightening as she readied herself for battle.
"You left Lianhua for this?" Xie Yue continued mockingly. "For a man who no longer remembers you? Tian Yu is my husband now. You should give up."
Her smile widened.
"And do you know what I've been feeding him all these months? Do you? He's not the man you once knew."
One of the witches snickered, and Xie Yue's eyes sharpened.
"What do you think happens to a princess who meddles in things she shouldn't?"
Before Yuyan could reply, a sharp blade, that shaped like a curved cross shot toward her. She flicked her wrist and dissolved it into shimmering dust.
Xie Yue hissed.
The other witches launched attacks from both sides, hurling witch-fire and shadow spells. Yuyan dodged, blocked and countered, her movements swift and precise, but the numbers kept pressing.
Then, a blur crashed into the fight.
Tian Yu appeared from nowhere, instinct pulling him toward Yuyan even though his mind didn't understand why. He struck the first witch backward, shielding Yuyan with his own body as the others attacked.
Xie Yue's eyes widened. "Tian Yu! Come back here!"
She raised her ring. It glowed, connecting to the one on Tian Yu's finger. Light spilled between them as she began chanting, trying to force the final spell that would bind him permanently.
But she never finished.
Yuyan darted forward, faster than lightning and slashed Xie Yue's neck with her invisible blade, her head rolled across the forest ground, other witches eyes frozen in shock.
The bond between the rings shattered instantly.
As the battle, Tian Yu fought beside Yuyan, acting on pure instinct, protecting her without understanding the reason. Together, they cut through the remaining witches until the forest was quiet once more.
He stood there afterward, breathing hard, staring at the girl his heart keep pulling him to.
"Tian Yu…" she called softly.
He stared at her, caught between confusion and fear.
Why did his chest ache when he looked at her?
Why did he feel connected to her, as if some invisible thread pulled him closer?
"You killed my wife…" he murmured, confused.
"…yet I protected you."
"Tian Yu," she said again, voice gentle, as if afraid to startle him. "Do you know who I am?"
He asked , stepping forward.
"You called yourself my wife once. Why? Who are you really?"
Yuyan lifted her hand slowly to touch him, he took a step backward. But Yuyan was faster.
Before he could pull away, they have already disappeared and reappeared beside a quiet stream hidden deep in the forest.
Moonlight washed over them.
The moment their eyes met, something inside him cracked open.
But then the hunger struck again harder and stronger than before.
A violent, burning thirst roared through his veins. His knees buckled. His breath trembled.
"Stay away…" he rasped. "I...I can't control it...run!"
Yuyan stepped toward him instead.
"No," she whispered.
His body convulsed. His fangs extended and his eyes bled red.
Veins rose across his skin like dark lightning.
Yuyan froze. She had seen him lose control, but never like this, not this monstrous, painful transformation.
"Tian Yu…" she whispered, tears gathering. "Please… look at me."
He couldn't.
With a roar, he lunged, faster and gripped her neck, ready to bury his fangs into her skin.
But just as his mouth opened.
Yuyan surged forward and pressed her lips to his.
Her hands cupped his jaw. Her tears touched his cheeks.
The world fell silent.
The hunger trembled and his body shook violently. His grip loosened.
For a moment, everything inside him stilled.
Something familiarw that his soul had never forgotten.
The kiss was desperate, trembling, but filled with everything she could not say, her fear, her love, her longing, her months of searching for him.
And slowly…he kissed her back.
His instinct trusted her, deep in the heart that had always belonged to her.
Far away, Ji Woo watched through her crystal, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"No…" she hissed. "That was his final test! How...how did she break through everything?! After all I've done....how?!"
She stepped closer to the crystal, murmuring another spell as she pressed her palm against its cold surface. She tried again and again to pull Tian Yu back, but nothing answered her. Yuyan had already taken him, and the trace of their shadows slipped away before her eyes, fading into nothing no matter how much she reached for them.
Her scream shook the chamber.
But in the forest, Tian Yu no longer heard her.
He clutched Yuyan, pulling her into his arms as memories crashed like waves against a dam. Tears slipped down his face, he held her tighter, as if afraid she would vanish again.
"Tian Yu…" she sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder. "I found you. I finally found you…"
He trembled. His hand slid into her hair.
He kissed her again, deeper, full of pain and love he has missed for months .
Wrapped in the quiet of night, their kisses and tears intertwined, and everything else slipped away.
Only the two of them remained, relearning each other through touch and trembling breath.
His fingers slid to the back of her neck, drawing her closer, his thumb brushing her cheek with a tenderness that made her knees weaken. Yuyan's hands rose instinctively, clutching his robe to steady herself.
Tian Yu kissed her with the hunger of not seeing her for long. Under the moon their body moved together in fierce motion.