"Rebirth is not mercy — it is a demand. Prove you deserved another chance."
Crystal adjusted the edge of the blanket one last time, making sure Aria was sleeping soundly. The child's soft breathing filled the room like the faint hum of life itself.
She watched for a moment longer, then stood.
"Guards," she called softly.
Two men in armor entered, bowing.
"You will guard this room. No one enters without my permission — not a servant, not a physician, not even the wind."
They exchanged uneasy glances but nodded firmly. "Yes, my lady."
Crystal's gaze lingered on her sister once more before she turned away. Her heart was still heavy, but there was no time to linger in guilt. She had work to do — and very little time to do it.
Outside, her maid Mari was already waiting with a carriage. "The route is clear, my lady. Shall we depart?"
Crystal nodded and climbed in.
The moment the carriage door closed, she exhaled deeply and leaned back against the cushioned seat. The rhythmic clatter of the wheels against the cobblestone began to fill the silence.
Through the small window, the world passed in a blur — streets lined with pagodas, merchants shouting, spirit beasts pulling other carriages. The scent of incense and spirit wine wafted faintly in the air as they moved toward the city's heart.
But Crystal wasn't looking at any of it.
Her gaze was fixed inward, lost in the labyrinth of her own thoughts.
Her mind kept circling back to Noah.
Her husband. Her king. Her murderer.
She clenched her fist in her lap.
The memory of his smile before he stabbed her still burned in her mind — calm, confident, cruel.
"Did you really think I'd leave just because I stabbed you?"
The words echoed, venomous and mocking.
She had loved him.
And he had used her.
Every battle she fought, every drop of blood she shed, every life she sacrificed — all of it had been for him. And in the end, he had given her a blade in return.
Her lips twisted into a bitter smile.
"This time," she whispered to herself, "you won't get to win, Noah."
The thought gave her a dark kind of comfort, even as a cold realization followed.
Before she could even think of revenge, she had to survive.
Three weeks.
That's all the time she had left.
Except… technically, one of the system's tasks was already done.
She gave a humorless laugh. "Step one: Die. Completed."
Mari, sitting quietly across from her, glanced up in alarm. "My lady?"
Crystal waved her off with a faint smirk. "Nothing. Just thinking about my past mistakes."
Mari frowned, uneasy.
Her lady had always been unpredictable — sharp-tongued, proud, quick to anger. But this new version of Lady Crystal was something else entirely.
She was… calm. Too calm.
And her eyes — once fiery and arrogant — now carried a depth Mari couldn't understand.
It wasn't the look of someone who hadn't slept or eaten. It was the look of someone who had lived a lifetime — and lost everything in it.
Mari tried to speak but stopped herself. Something told her not to pry.
Meanwhile, Crystal's mind drifted again, her thoughts tangled between disbelief and grim acceptance.
The blood world — the endless red ocean, the blood moon above, the collapsing sky — it had felt too real to be a dream. Every drop of that world had been alive, whispering of despair and rebirth.
And that system…
It had appeared when everything was collapsing, offering salvation in exchange for impossibility.
"Create a soul sea," she murmured, watching her reflection in the window. "With what, exactly? My soul barely fits in this body."
She could still remember the green screen, the cold text lines spelling out her doom.
[Host soul too large for vessel.]
[Stabilization required.]
[Objective 1: Die – Complete.]
[Objective 2: Create Soul Sea – Incomplete.]
[Objective 3: Find Soul Mate – Incomplete.]
[Failure results in death.]
She sighed.
"I've been through death once. I don't think I'd enjoy the sequel."
Mari looked up again but said nothing.
The carriage rocked gently as it turned down a wider street. Through the small curtain window, the massive structure of the Enchanted Palace came into view.
It was breathtaking — a sprawling complex that blended elegance and danger seamlessly.
The outer gates were carved from black marble and etched with gold inscriptions that glowed faintly with spiritual energy. Giant spirit lanterns hung from each pillar, their flames shifting color depending on who passed by — a silent reading of their qi and intent.
The palace wasn't a royal estate, though its name suggested otherwise. It was a place of indulgence and secrets — part restaurant, part trading hub, part black market.
They said anything could be bought or sold here.
Slaves. Information. Weapons. Pills. Even the loyalty of cultivators.
It was also where the city's most dangerous people gathered under polite smiles and porcelain teacups.
The carriage slowed, finally stopping before the great entrance.
Mari looked out the window and let out a low whistle. "We're here, my lady."
Crystal didn't reply.
She was still lost in her thoughts — replaying every impossible task she'd been given.
Creating a soul sea? It was beyond rare. Even her master — a woman whose cultivation touched the heavens — had once said it was "a dream meant for the gods."
And then there was the third task.
Find your soul mate.
Crystal's lips tightened.
Her husband had once been that, or so she believed. But if fate dared to call him her soul mate again, she would burn the heavens themselves before accepting it.
No, she thought coldly. If the system truly meant what it said, then this time, she would choose.
The carriage stopped completely.
Outside, the sounds of laughter, clinking cups, and faint zither music drifted through the air. The Enchanted Palace was alive with life and greed.
Mari turned to her mistress. "Shall I prepare the entry token?"
Crystal nodded absently, eyes still distant. "Do it."
As Mari stepped out to speak to the attendants, Crystal glanced down at her hands. They trembled slightly.
It wasn't fear. It was anticipation.
For the first time since her death, she had direction. Revenge. Redemption. A reason to live.
But deep inside, she also knew the path ahead wouldn't be easy.
Creating a soul sea… finding a soul mate… killing a king…
She almost laughed again. "No pressure."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the carriage driver glanced back nervously anyway.
She ignored him, leaning her head against the window as she watched the crowd.
From the outside, she looked calm — just another noblewoman visiting the Enchanted Palace for tea and trade.
But inside, chaos simmered quietly beneath the surface.
Mari returned moments later and opened the carriage door. "We're cleared to enter, my lady."
Crystal nodded and stepped down, her boots meeting the marble with a soft thud.
She glanced up. The palace loomed above her — tall, radiant, and humming with hidden power.
The banners fluttered in the wind, golden threads spelling out its infamous motto:
"Everything has a price — even the heavens."
Crystal smirked. "How fitting."
As she began walking toward the grand doors, the camera of fate shifted elsewhere.
Deep within the Enchanted Palace — far from the laughter, music, and perfumed halls — the air was heavy with silence.
In a shadowed chamber lit only by blue lanterns, several figures in black knelt in perfect formation.
Their heads were bowed, their faces hidden.
Before them stood a young man, his presence sharp as a blade and calm as still water.
The faint light caught the curve of his lips — a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
He raised a hand. The black-clad men bowed lower.
The light flickered once… and went out.
"In a world where power buys eternity, even gods pay their debts in blood."