32 What or who's Soul-bound?

Bai's eyes widened at Mason's words. "Are you out of your mind?" she asked in disbelief. "You can't just march into the Empress's chambers unannounced!"

Fiona, who had remained silent, shook her head in protest, recalling a piece of information from the body she now inhabited. Her mother had never laid her eyes on Mason nor spoken with him in the same room without an intermediary. His unannounced arrival, she didn't know what that would mean for him.

Bai interjected, "And how do you plan to introduce me to the Empress?" Her eyes narrowed at Mason, a touch of apprehension lurking within them. "You wouldn't dare to refer to me as a mere slave girl, would you?" Her voice was icy, with a hint of menace.

Mason chuckled, dismissing her worry with a flick of his wrist. "Now, would I do such a thing?" His eyes gleamed mischievously, refusing to meet Bai's gaze.

Bai, however, did not look amused. She glared at Mason, her brows furrowed in annoyance. But before she could say anything more, Mason took Fiona's hand and headed towards the Empress's chamber, leaving Bai to follow behind.

****

In the heart of the Imperial Palace, past a labyrinth of blooming gardens and sparkling crystal streams, stood the secluded Grand Imperial Infirmary. This was a place that breathed peace, and tranquility and a silent power that held the weight of countless lives in its aura.

The infirmary was the epitome of grandeur, a sublime architecture nestled in a serene pocket of time, adorned with elaborate carvings and precious stones. Each brick seemed to hum with a certain vitality, bound by the holy charms engraved into their very core. It was a palace in its own right, shimmering with a timeless majesty, a place fit for an Emperor.

Within the chamber's expanse, A man, who looked to be in his prime, lay on a luxurious bed, his face pale and drawn. He was the Emperor, the ruler of the vast Dynasty, yet at this moment, he looked frail and vulnerable, trapped in a comatose state

The Divine Emperor's Fall, a mysterious illness that had taken hold of him ever since he had returned from his pilgrimage to the holy mountains, left him weak and unconscious.

Beside his bed, her heart aching with sorrow was the Empress. Ethereal was a word too earthly to describe her beauty. She was a celestial being in human form, her radiant features reflecting the gleam of moonlight, hair cascading like a waterfall of obsidian silk, and eyes that carried the depth of the starry sky. The edges of her mouth were tinged with an inherent sadness, adding an alluring depth to her beauty.

With a trembling hand, the Empress reached out and gently held her husband's cold one. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him, her heart heavy with a mix of fear and desperation. "Huan," she called out, her voice choked with tears. "Please, awaken."

Her delicate fingers traced the Emperor's still face, each stroke a silent plea for his recovery. "Oh, my beloved Huan," she lamented, her words choked with sorrow. "You ventured alone into those mountains, and you returned bearing the weight of a mysterious ailment." Her tears dripped onto the Emperor's pale face, falling onto the sheets like tiny pearls.

She recounted recent events, the explosions, the escape of a prisoner who had been condemned to the dungeons. "A force that even you feared, now free, threatening to throw our world into chaos," she whispered, her voice quivering. "And here you lay, Huan, leaving me to face this impending calamity alone."

Silence!

The deafening silence that had met her eyes had her brows twitch in frustration. "Why must it be like this, Huan?" she cried out, her voice echoing through the room. "I am powerless and can't go against the heavens to kill a boy possessed by that dreadful evil, I can't protect our Dynasty, our people from this impending danger."

Bitter memories welled up, haunting her with the cruel reality. The Empress had been bound by her husband's powerful soul, tethered to him with a cultivation ability known as the 'Soul-bound Lotus'. It was a mythical cultivation technique that bound two souls together in a cycle of life and a contract.

Huan, believing that she was the only one who could tackle the ominous prophecy that was to unfold, had forged this bond against her wishes. "I do not want to do this, Huan," she sobbed, clutching her chest. "I had hoped that by having our daughter betrothed to Mason, the young master of the Ashen Flame Sect, I could escape this fate you forced upon me. But it seems like there's no escape."

The bind remained, marking her as the 'Catalyst of Favored', a role she was reluctant to play.

She paused, her breath hitching in her chest as she sobbed quietly. She begged his unconscious body, praying that he would wake up, hoping he could hear her pleas.

"Please, Huan, wake up," she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Explain to me why you made me go through this. Why did you force me into this situation?"

Desperation tugged at her heart, pushing her to the edge of her sanity. "You said I knew what needed to be done, but how could I do that, Huan? Would he agree to this?" she implored, her tears now flowing freely. "Our daughter loves him. How could I live with that, our child, for this battle?" She bent over, pressing her forehead against his silent figure, pleading for him to wake up.

Her sorrowful cries echoed through the grand chamber, resonating with the sound of her heart-shattering. However, her anguished soliloquy was cut short by a faint creaking noise. The grand door of the chamber, intricately crafted and heavily secured, had begun to open.

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide with fear and surprise. She turned around, her eyes wide with shock. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice echoing in the eerily quiet room.

The door creaked open slowly, revealing a sliver of the corridor outside. The Empress's breath hitched as she took in the sight of the figure emerging from the shadows, a cold dread sinking into her heart.

The figure was…

*****

Author's Note

~ Who could possibly have been on the other side?

If you've read this far, please give a review, I'm currently low on this part of the ratings.

400 power stones=3 bonus chapters, if I get a huge turn up, I can dish out more chapters (aside the usual 2-3) in a day.