The city was nothing but bones.
Concrete towers crumbled under the weight of years, their windows hollow eyes staring down at the broken streets.
Shadows moved in the ruins — zombies shuffling with their heads lolling, jaws snapping at the faintest noise. The air reeked of rot and rust.
Lexi walked with a deliberate calm, her sleek boots crunching against scattered debris. She wore a fitted black top that hugged her frame, paired with dark pants that allowed her to move swiftly. A thin soft belt hunged around her waist, holding the dagger she favored.
Beside her, Derek was silent as always. His black shirt stretched over broad shoulders, his steps heavy but eerily quiet, his sharp gaze scanning their surroundings for threats.
His mere presence drew a wide gap between her and the creatures of the city — zombies that dared to stumble close were crushed beneath his raw, inhuman strength.
Lexi smirked faintly as Derek slammed one against a cracked wall, its skull breaking like overripe fruit. "You're almost too efficient," she teased, her voice laced with playfulness. "Leave me some fun, Derek."
His head turned slightly toward her, eyes dark, voice flat but tinged with intensity. "Fun isn't worth your life, Mistress."
She chuckled, brushing dust from her clothes. "Hn. Always so serious."
For an hour they moved through the ruins, entering stores and warehouses.
Much had already been stripped by survivors, but Lexi still found things that sparked her interest — sealed bottles of body lotion, soaps wrapped in faded packaging, boxes of snacks tucked high on a shelf where desperate hands hadn't reached.
She touched each item and willed them into her space, watching as they vanished in a shimmer of jade light.
Her ring pulsed faintly every time she stored something. It had become almost routine now. Until—
A sudden surge.
Lexi froze mid-step, her breath hitching. The jade ring grew hot against her skin, burning with energy that felt alive. Her pulse quickened. This wasn't the normal pull of storage — this was something far deeper, vaster.
Derek noticed immediately. His gaze sharpened as he stepped closer. "What is it?"
Lexi clenched her hand around the ring, eyes narrowing. "The space… something's happening"
The ground beneath her feet trembled faintly, though no building stirred. It wasn't the city that was shifting. It was her world.
Without hesitation, she seized Derek's wrist. "Come with me."
The world blinked.
One moment, they were surrounded by rubble and corpses. The next, the air was soft and clean again, carrying the faint fragrance of flowers. Lexi staggered, releasing Derek's wrist as her eyes widened in disbelief.
This wasn't her cottage.
This was something else entirely.
The field stretched farther than she could see, no longer a modest patch of grass but a sweeping expanse of silver-green meadows shimmering beneath a perpetual twilight sky.
Her small pond had grown into a vast, shimmering lake, its waters glittering like starlight scattered on glass.
And flowing beyond it, cutting through the meadow, was a wide river teeming with life — fish darting, crabs scuttling, glimmers of clamshells resting on the sandy bed.
The air was crisp, almost intoxicating. For the first time in forever, Lexi could hear the sound of running water, the murmur of a living stream.
She turned slowly toward where the cottage should have been. Her breath caught.
The cottage was gone. In its place stood a mansion.
Three stories high, walls gleaming white stone veined with silver, wide balconies overlooking the fields. The roof sloped elegantly, windows shining with faint inner light as though candles already flickered inside.
A grand doorway stood at the center, carved with intricate designs of rivers and stars.
Lexi's lips parted, her jade-green eyes glowing faintly in wonder. "What… the hell…"
Derek stood a step behind her, silent but alert, his gaze sweeping over the new terrain. His posture was tense, protective, but even his cold expression softened for a fraction — as if even he could recognize the magnificence of what had appeared.
Lexi walked forward, her boots pressing against the lush grass. She placed a hand against the mansion's door. The wood was smooth, warm, as if alive. She pushed it open.
Inside was splendor.
Polished wooden floors stretched beneath a chandelier that shimmered with silver light. To her left, a wide kitchen, stocked with gleaming counters and cupboards.
To her right, a spacious living area with velvet chairs and shelves lined with books. She moved through the halls, opening doors — a luxurious bathing chamber tiled in jade and white marble, three bedrooms each adorned with soft beds draped in gauze, curtains fluttering faintly despite the absence of wind.
Her breath came faster with every step. This wasn't just an upgrade. This was a palace.
She rushed back to her room and found it waiting for her — the same bed, but transformed into a grand four-poster with curtains of silvery gauze.
And there, on her bedside table, lay the old book. Except now, its cover glowed faintly, the jade insignia alive with light.
Lexi snatched it up, flipping it open. Words that had once been faded now gleamed clear:
"The Space upgrades once in a hundred years, reshaping itself to the will and growth of its Master. With each evolution, new abilities awaken. The relic bound to the Space—*the Jade Ring—is eternal. Lost for centuries beneath river and stone, it awaits the one worthy to wield it."
Her pulse thundered. A hundred years. Thousands of years. She had stumbled into something ancient, coveted, forgotten by the world.
Her eyes narrowed as more words glowed on the page:
"The Knight bound to the Relic shall grow as the Mistress grows. His strength will surpass mortal bounds. His loyalty cannot be broken. His existence belongs only to Her. When summoned, he will answer, a shadow bound to Her will."
Lexi froze.
Slowly, she turned to Derek. He stood near the door as always, silent, his dark eyes locked on her.
She tightened her grip on the ring and whispered in her mind: 'Disappear.'
In the blink of an eye, Derek vanished.
Her knees almost buckled. "Holy—"
She hadn't spoken aloud. She hadn't touched him. But he was gone.
She swallowed hard, heart racing, and thought fiercely, 'Come back.'
And instantly, Derek was there again, materializing like a shadow sliding into place. His presence filled the room, steady, overwhelming.
Lexi's lips parted, her smirk unsteady. "You… you can vanish at my will."
Derek's gaze was steady. "I am yours to summon."
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. The thrill was intoxicating — dangerous. He was becoming something more than just a knight, more than a weapon.
He was bound to her, yes, but she could feel it: his strength was no longer human, and his loyalty… terrifying in its depth.
She turned back to the book, but her eyes lingered on him, her mind whispering traitorous thoughts.
'He isn't just mine to command. He's… mine.'
The realization thrilled her. It terrified her. She smirked to cover the quickening of her pulse, closing the book with a snap.
"Well," she murmured, striding toward him with deliberate grace, "looks like my little space decided to spoil me."
She waved toward the window where the fields glimmered under silver light. "A mansion, a river full of fish, a stronger knight who vanishes like a ghost… The apocalypse outside looks even uglier compared to this."
Derek didn't reply. He only looked at her, gaze unwavering.
Lexi tilted her head, smirk curving wider. "Careful, Derek. You're starting to look less like my puppet and more like my shadow. And I…" She stepped close, her lips almost brushing his ear. "…don't know if I like that."
Her words dripped with playfulness, but deep down, her chest burned with something unfamiliar.
Behind her, Derek's voice rumbled low, steady, like thunder over still water.
"I exist only for you, Mistress."
And though he said it as he always did, the way his eyes burned made her tremble.
For the first time since the world fell apart, Lexi wondered if she was no longer playing this game alone.