The palace was eerily quiet. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the empress’s chambers, but she was gone.

"Where is she?" Li Zhen’s voice was hoarse, his golden robes disheveled. The eunuchs knelt before him, trembling.

"Your Majesty… the empress has disappeared."

Silence. His grip tightened around the jade hairpin he found on the silk sheets—hers. She wouldn’t have left willingly. No, she couldn’t have.

He staggered back, breath unsteady. "Search the palace. The city. The entire empire if you must!" His voice cracked, desperation leaking through the cracks of his imperial facade.

Days turned to weeks. Then months. Chaos erupted in the empire—officials conspired, enemies tested their strength, the concubine he once entertained now an unwanted ghost in his halls. None of it mattered. She was gone.

Then one night, staring at the untouched bed where she once lay, he whispered, "Did you ever love me?"

The heavens remained silent.

So he made his choice. He abandoned his throne, followed the whispers of fate, and stepped into the unknown.

When his eyes opened again, the world was unrecognizable—strange metal beasts roared past, glowing signs flickered in the night. And then, he saw her.

Laughing. Living. Without him.

Li Zhen took a trembling step forward. "I finally found you."