Dae's pulse thrummed in his fingertips, a frantic rhythm echoing against his ribs.
[ 1,000 Meters ]
The System's notification burned across his vision in harsh crimson. He didn't need a manual to know that "Foreign Energy" paired with a flashing red HUD meant he was outclassed.
He tried to stand, but Elara's head rolled against his thigh. Her weight pinned him to the dirt. His hands hovered over her shoulders.
His other hand reached for the hilt that should have been at his hip.
Empty air.
His palm brushed fine silk instead. He scrambled to find anything to defend himself as he glanced back at the distance marker.
[ 500 Meters ]
Why is it coming so fast? What is it?
The system's warning pulsed a final, blinding red.
[ 0 Meters ]
Dae's breath stopped. His fingers stayed on Elara's shoulder as he looked up, expecting a monster from the void.
Instead, the air above the clearing rippled like water. A woman descended from the clouds. She didn't fall; she glided, though her movements were jagged and shaky.
She wore a Light white and green gown that was torn and stained with dark patches of blood. In her hand, she gripped a long sword that hummed with a flickering green light. Her black hair was messy, held in place by a gold phoenix hairpiece.
Even through the haze of pain, her face was unnaturally calm. She looked like a fallen goddess. On her back, a pair of translucent green wings shuddered and began to dissolve into mist.
The woman's boots crunched into the mud a few feet away. She swayed, her head tilting as she took in the sight of him: a young man, in fine silks, Unnatural Silver Hairs, And horns.
"Senior..."
The word was a broken rasp. Her hand reached out, shaking so hard her fingernails scratched the air. A thick drop of blood escaped her lip and traced a line down her chin.
The green wings on her back fractured. They didn't just fade; they splintered into jagged shards that dissolved before hitting the grass. As the light died, her legs gave way.
Thud.
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She hit the earth face-first. Her sword rolled from her hand, its green glow flickering once before going pitch black. The forest went dead silent, save for the faint clink of her gold hairpiece against a stone.
Dae looked at the woman's limp body, confused...
[ Ding! ]
[ Crisis Averted? ]
[ Target 'Unknown' Status: Critical Energy Depletion / Physical Trauma ]
"Are you kidding me?" Dae's voice was a jagged whisper. He glared at the floating red text.
Dae stared at the fallen woman, his heart still hammering a rhythm that felt too loud for the sudden silence. He looked down at his own hands, then at the silver hair falling over his shoulders. He even reached up, his fingers brushing the sharp, cold curve of the horns protruding from his forehead.
"Senior?" he muttered, the word tasting like ash. "Who is she talking to?"
Dae didn't move for a long minute, waiting for the woman to spring up and finish him off. When the only sound was the distant drip of water from the leaves, he let out a shaky breath.
Gently, he eased Elara's head off his lap, propping her against the rough bark of the tree. He stood up, his legs feeling like jelly. His silver hair brushed against his horn.
He stopped a few feet away, peering down at her. Up close, her beauty was haunting, even under the smears of dirt and blood. But as he scanned her face and the curve of her ears, a realization hit him.
"No horns," he whispered, his eyes widening. "No tail. No fangs."
She didn't have a single demonic feature. In this world, that was impossible for someone with that kind of power. He hesitated, then reached out a trembling hand and poked her shoulder with one finger.
[ Ding! ]
[ Detecting Energy... ]
[ Analysis Complete: High-Density 'Qi' Detected. ]
[ Warning: Target's origin does not match this Realm's signature. Origin: Cultivation World. ]
Dae froze, his finger still pressed against her greenish white silk gown. "Qi? As in... immortal cultivators? Flying swords and meditating for a thousand years?"
He looked up at the sky, where the air had rippled moments ago. The space there still felt thin, like a bruised piece of fruit.
[ Warning: Target Vitality dropping below 25%. ]
"Shut up," he hissed at the text. "I'm thinking!"
Dae stared at the woman, then at his own silver hair and the horns on his head. This wasn't just a weird coincidence.
"A cultivator," he whispered.
If she was a human from another realm, she was the first human he'd seen since he woke up in this demon body. The System's red warnings about "Energy Depletion" and "Qi" meant she was dying. He couldn't leave her. from the pov of a good prince.
He remembered a small settlement he'd seen earlier—a few gray stone buildings in the valley below. It wasn't much, but it was the only place to find help.
"Great," Dae muttered. He looked at the unconscious Elara leaning against the tree, then at the bloody woman in white. "One knocked-out demon and one dying immortal. it was better to stay in capital."
His body felt heavy and weak, but the System kept flashing a red warning about her life force. He had to move. He made sure Elara was propped up safely against the tree roots, then turned to the stranger.
He gritted his teeth and hauled the woman onto his back. She was surprisingly light, but the smell of her blood was thick. Dae started walking, his boots crunching over branches and mud.
Dae looked at the cultivator on his back, then back at Elara. He couldn't leave his bodyguard behind. If some monster wandered by, she was defenseless.
"I'm going to regret this," he grunted.
He shifted the cultivator's weight, making sure her arms were hooked securely over his shoulders so she wouldn't slide off. Then, he knelt beside Elara. as he slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back.
With a massive heave, he stood up.
He was now carrying the cultivator on his back and Elara in a princess carry.
"I am definitely not built for this," he wheezed.
