Chapter 113 | Sanctuary | Leah
"And what?"
"The sealing ritual requires both parties to sacrifice their core essence." Xiao Qi said, "For you, it's your wings. For him, it's his heart. After the ritual, you'll both become ordinary people. No powers, no immortality. Just... human."
I looked down at Kael.
His face was pale as paper, lips colorless. But even like this, he was still beautiful—like a sculpture, like moonlight, like everything I'd ever loved.
"If I become human," I asked softly, "can I stay with him?"
"If he lives." Xiao Qi said, "Yes."
"Then there's no problem."
I lifted my head, meeting her gaze.
"Tell me what to do."
Xiao Qi stared at me for a long while, then suddenly laughed—a short, helpless laugh.
"You vampires," she said, "are really fucking crazy about love."
She jumped down from the table, walked to the wall, and pressed another button. The conduits began to glow, the entire tree trunk lit up, like a giant lamp.
"First, we need to wake him up." She said, "The stabilizer can only lock his essence, can't repair it. To wake him up, you need to give him blood. Your blood."
"I'll give it." I said without hesitation.
"But," Xiao Qi turned around, expression serious, "your blood is light attribute. His body is dark attribute. Direct transfusion will be like poison. You need a neutralizer."
"What neutralizer?"
"Me." She said, "My blood is neutral. Can act as a bridge. You give me blood, I give him blood. Three-way transfusion, forming a cycle."
I frowned: "Will this hurt you?"
"A bit." Xiao Qi shrugged, "But I won't die. I'm professionally trained."
She walked over, squatting beside me, rolling up her sleeve. Her arm was very thin, pale skin showing faint blue veins.
"Come on." She said, "Bite me. I know you guys are good at this."
I hesitated.
"Xiao Qi," I said, "why are you helping us?"
She paused, then smiled—a somewhat bitter smile.
"Because," she said, "I also had someone I wanted to save. But I was too late."
She didn't elaborate.
I didn't ask further.
I lowered my head and bit into her wrist.
"And what?"
"And after sealing the Door, the two worlds are completely cut off. That means you can never go back to Side B, and I can never go back to Side A. I'm a Gatekeeper, not a martyr. I don't want to be stuck on your side forever."
The treehouse went silent.
The hum of conduits carrying energy was the only sound. Kael lay on my lap, breathing weak but steady. I looked down at him—his pale face, closed eyes, cracked lips.
For three thousand years, he'd been protecting others.
Now he was in my arms, as fragile as any ordinary person.
"Is there another way?" I asked.
Xiao Qi hopped off the table and walked to the treehouse window. Outside was the glowing forest, the Spiral Tower's black outline barely visible against the purple sky in the distance.
"Yeah." She said.
"What?"
"Don't seal the Door. Open it." She turned around, her round pupils holding an excitement that made me uneasy. "Open the Door completely. Let the two worlds merge. Side A and Side B become one world. Then the Moon-Eater isn't a threat anymore—because it only exists between separated worlds. If the worlds become one, it has no reason to exist."
"Merge?" I frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Xiao Qi walked toward me, lowering her voice, "vampires and humans living together. Magic and technology side by side. The rules of both worlds crash into each other, reorganize, evolve. Chaotic? Sure. But chaos beats extinction."
"What's the cost?"
"The cost is," she smiled—not an innocent smile, but a calculated one, "all existing order completely falls apart. The vampire hierarchy, human government systems, everything gets torn down and rebuilt. And—"
She pointed at Kael.
"—his prince status means nothing in this new world. You're no longer Silver Moon or Progenitor bloodline. You're just—two ordinary people."
I looked at her.
Her words were like a blade, cutting straight to my deepest fear.
Was I afraid of losing power? No. I was afraid of losing him. But if losing power meant he could live—
"I need to think about it." I said.
"You don't have much time." Xiao Qi said. "The perfect 'him' is planning something big in the ruins. He's got a Light-Eater core, enough to blow half the network sky-high. Once he makes his move, sealing or opening the Door won't matter. Everything's got to be decided before he acts."
She walked to the door. The tree trunk's surface split open, revealing light from outside.
"I'm getting food." She said. "You energy beings don't eat, but I'm human. I need meat. You've got twelve hours to give me your answer."
The door closed.
I was alone, holding Kael.
His fingers suddenly moved.
I looked down. His eyes were still closed, but his lips were moving. A whisper. Almost inaudible.
I leaned down, putting my ear close to his lips.
"...blade..."
I froze.
"What?"
"Under... the platform... there's a blade..."
His eyes suddenly opened. Ice-blue vertical pupils unfocused for a moment, then locked on my face.
"Leah." He said, voice sounding like it came from far away. "Don't let... him merge... he'll use the Shadow Stone... blow up the network..."
"I know." I gripped his hand. "Xiao Qi told me."
"Xiao Qi... who's that?"
"A human. A Gatekeeper."
He was quiet for a second, then smiled. A bitter smile.
"Humans... coming to clean up our mess... three thousand years... first time..."
His eyes were closing again.
"Don't sleep!" I patted his face. "Tell me, what blade? The blade under the platform?"
"The de Noct family..." his breathing was barely there, "the Kinslayer Blade... hidden under the ruins platform... only... Gatekeeper blood can get it..."
"Gatekeeper blood?"
"My father... was a Gatekeeper... so am I..." His hand weakly rose, pointing at his own chest. "Get the blade... kill him... stop the merge..."
His hand fell.
His heartbeat slowed again.
I sat in the treehouse, holding him, my mind racing.
Get the blade. Kill him. Stop the merge.
But the perfect "him" was stronger than Kael at full strength. How could I get close to him? How could I retrieve that blade? How—
The treehouse door suddenly opened.
Not Xiao Qi.
Standing in the doorway was—
Valeria.
She wore a white dress, now torn to shreds. Her golden vertical pupils flickered in the dim light of the glowing forest. She held a bloody dagger in her hand.
"Leah Vane." She said, voice hoarse. "I've come to repay my debt."
She collapsed to the ground.
Behind her back were three black arrows.