Fang Leng's body lay motionless on the cold stone, the life completely gone from him.
For a brief moment, no one moved.
Then the memory struck Tian Yu like lightning__ Yuyan collapsing after she killed Ji Woo… her body lying still on the ground and the emperor taking her to the throne room.
His heart lurched violently. Without a word, he turned and ran toward the throne room.
The others followed close behind.
When he entered, he saw her immediately.
She had been laid on a mat near the center of the room. Her lips were dry and pale, her skin losing its color by the second. Dark veins traced faintly beneath her skin, spreading toward her neck, and even her fingernails had begun to darken.
It was the sight of someone slipping away.
"Yuyan…" he whispered.
He dropped to his knees beside her and reached for her hand. It was cold___ far colder than it should have been.
Fear tightened around his chest. He brought her hand closer, holding it gently between both of his, as though warmth alone could pull her back.
"Please… don't leave me," he murmured, his voice breaking. "Not this time…"
Tears slid down his cheeks before he even realized he was crying.
"She is with child."
Leng Yue's voice came from behind him.
Tian Yu's head snapped up sharply, his eyes locking onto Leng Yue in disbelief.
"…What?"
"She must have hidden it with magic," Leng Yue continued quietly, grief heavy in his tone. "So you wouldn't know… so you would allow her to come to the battlefield."
The words hit Tian Yu harder than any blade.
A child.Their child.
"Can she be saved?" Tian Yi asked, worry clear on his face.
"What should we do?" Mei's father added anxiously, already imagining how his daughter would react if anything happened to her closest friend.
No one answered.
The room fell into a heavy silence and sadness filled the atmosphere.
This was supposed to be a day of victory and joy__ the day light finally overcame darkness. Yet instead of celebration, a shadow had fallen over everyone present. Even the Emperor, who had just won the greatest battle of his life, stood quietly, unable to speak of triumph while Yuyan lay dying before them.
Still kneeling, Tian Yu lowered his forehead slightly against her hand.
"You promised…" he whispered hoarsely. "You promised you would stay with me. You promised eternity…"
His hand trembled.
"Are you really going to leave again… and take our child with you?"
A small voice suddenly cut through the grief.
"Are you really the Vampire Prince?"
Everyone turned immediately towards the direction the voice came from.
Little Mimi stood there, staring straight at Tian Yu, irritation written all over her face.
"You're just going to kneel there and cry while she dies in your hands?"
Gasps sounded around the room.
"Mi___" Yue Rong hurried forward and covered the child's mouth, mortified. "Don't speak like that___"
"Tian Yu!"
Leng Yue's voice came sharply, urgency breaking through the tension.
Understanding flashed across his face.
"Your blood," he said quickly. "Only royal vampire blood can save someone whose soul has been burned by Heavenly Fire."
For a split second, Tian Yu froze.
Then he flinched.
Without hesitation, he drew a blade across his palm. Blood welled instantly, dark and rich with power. With his other hand, he gently supported Yuyan's head, carefully opening her mouth.
"Come back to me…" he whispered.
He tilted his hand, letting the blood flow past her lips.
The moment his blood touched her tongue, a faint crimson glow flickered beneath her skin. And everyone held their breath.
Yuyan's body did not react immediately.
For several long seconds, nothing changed.
Tian Yu's blood continued to slip past her lips, running down the corner of her mouth onto her pale skin. His hand trembled slightly, fear tightening in his chest when she remained completely still.
"…Why isn't it working…" he whispered, panic creeping into his voice.
Then___ A faint shudder ran through her fingers. So slight that no one would have noticed if Tian Yu had not been holding her hand. Tian Yu froze, hope written all over his face.
"Leng Yue…," he breathed, his voice shaking. "She moved."
Before anyone could respond, a soft crimson glow flickered beneath Yuyan's skin, spreading slowly from her throat down toward her chest. The dark veins that had been creeping along her neck began to fade, retreating little by little as if pushed back by an invisible force.
Her breathing, which had been almost nonexistent, deepened slightly.
It was Air. She was drawing air again.
Relief slammed into Tian Yu so hard it nearly broke him.
"Yuyan… come back…," he murmured, leaning closer, his forehead almost touching hers. "I'm here… I'm right here…"
The glow pulsed again___ stronger this time.
Suddenly, her body tensed. A strained sound escaped her throat, almost like someone surfacing from deep water after drowning. Her brows knitted faintly, and her fingers twitched weakly in his grasp.
"She's fighting it," Leng Yue said quietly. "The Heavenly Fire is leaving her body."
Another tremor ran through her again. And then, her lashes slowly fluttered twice.
Tian Yu stopped breathing completely, waiting for a miracle.
Yuyan's eyes opened only a fraction at first, unfocused and glassy, as though she could not quite see the world yet. For a moment, confusion lingered there… then recognition began to form.
..
"…Tian… Yu…?"
Her voice was barely a whisper__ dry, fragile.
But alive.
Something inside Tian Yu shattered immediately he heard her voice.
"I'm here," he said immediately, his voice breaking as tears fell freely again. "I'm here… you're safe…"
Her gaze lingered on his face weakly, as though she were trying to confirm if he was real.
"…Did… we win…?" she murmured faintly.
A choked laugh escaped him through tears.
"Yes," he said softly, pressing her hand against his forehead. "We won… because of you."
Her lips moved slightly, almost forming a smile.
Then her other hand shifted___weak, and trembling___ and slowly moved toward her stomach.
Tian Yu noticed immediately.
"Our child is safe," he whispered gently, smiling. "You protected both of you… you did well… you did so well…"
Tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
Not from pain but from relief.
Her fingers curled weakly against his hand, holding on as though afraid he might disappear if she let go.
"I thought… I lost you again…" he confessed quietly, his voice trembling with raw emotion.
Her gaze softened.
Even if she was exhausted, even if she was barely conscious, she gathered the little strength she had and raised hand to touch his wet cheek.
"…I promised… eternity…"
Tian Yu lowered his head beside her, unable to stop the tears anymore.
And for the first time since the battle began…
Peace entered the room.