Lyria heard that voice again. It was close to her ear, and she was now certain she wasn't imagining things.
But there was no one around her. She looked everywhere, and still, no one was there. The voice sounded so clear, right beside her ear. Was it a ghost? She felt a chill run down her spine.
Host, I am Fertility System 65. I'm inside your brain. I can't come out, but we can communicate like this.
"System? In my brain?"
Lyria suddenly remembered. When she was falling, after being hit, she had heard a voice say, "System binding in progress... Binding successful."
Yes, Host.
The system finally relaxed. It had been struggling to bind to her, and now it had succeeded.
"Why am I a child now? What happened to me?"
While Lyria was talking to the system, far away in the royal palace of Saint Zephyr Kingdom, something unusual was happening. A person's fate was about to change, all because of her arrival.
"Imperial Physician, how is Zion?" Emperor Xu asked quickly.
"Your Majesty, something strange has happened," Head Imperial Physician Hu Xiaodong replied.
"Earlier, Young Master Zion had no heartbeat. He was completely dead. But now his heartbeat has returned, and everything seems normal. He's just very weak. A few days of rest and some medicine, and he'll be fine.
To be honest, I don't understand how this happened. I'm ashamed to say this is beyond my skill."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed. A person dead for almost half an hour suddenly came back to life. It made no sense.
"You are forgiven. Keep this quiet. If anyone hears of this... you know what will happen."
"Yes. Of course. Today, Young Master Zion simply fainted from exhaustion. Some calming medicine will help. I'll go prepare it right away."
Hu Xiaodong bowed and hurried away. The less he knew, the safer he would be. He wanted to get far away from this room as quickly as possible.
"Father, do you think Zion fainted because of Ria? Could it be..." Prince Theodore's voice was shaky, and before he could finish, he started coughing.
"My son, don't worry. Since Zion woke up, your sister must still be alive."
"But she's just a little girl. She must've been taken. It's all my fault. I didn't protect her. I should've watched over her. Cough... cough..."
"Don't blame yourself. It's my fault. If I hadn't taken you out of the palace, she wouldn't have been captured. You're still recovering. Focus on getting better.
We're already searching for her. I sent people everywhere."
"But the Aetherveil Continent is so big. We don't even know where to start. How are we supposed to find her?"
Zion slowly opened his eyes. He looked very tired. At fourteen, he already had the calm look of an adult.
"Zion, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"I just feel weak, Your Majesty. Nothing else."
"That's good. You should rest."
"Your Majesty, about the Princess..."
"Zion, you've grown up now. If we still can't find Lyria in a few years, I'll let you choose someone else to marry."
"No, Your Majesty. I promised Lyria I would be her husband. I'll stay by her side forever, no matter what. That promise will never change."
"She was just a child when she said that. You don't have to hold on to it. What if she ends up marrying someone else before we find her? What if she doesn't remember you? I don't want your life to be ruined because of her. What if we never find her?"
"Even if she marries someone else, I will still choose to be her side husband. That would be enough for me. If I can't marry her, I won't marry anyone."
"You are loyal. I'm glad I trusted you. I just wish I knew where my daughter is. When will we find her?"
Emperor Xu's heart was heavy. If he hadn't made that decision, Lyria would still be safe in the palace. Now, she was lost. The guilt was crushing him.
Earlier, when Zion had stopped breathing, he almost broke down. Even now, his hands were cold with sweat, and he was still trembling.
He was grateful for one thing. Long ago, he had followed the instructions of their ancestors and secretly planted a soul parasite inside Zion. That parasite was linked to Lyria. As long as Zion was alive, it meant Lyria was still alive somewhere.
That was his only hope.