Ren held her, his grip steady, unwavering. He had caught her before she fell, but even now, her body remained slack, exhaustion weighing her down.
He looked at her, his gaze unreadable, as his voice carried through the remnants of their clash.
"Well done, Yuki Chibana. You have reached immortality. Now, you're just like us."
Her breath was slow, measured, but fading.
Her hair, now completely white, cascaded around her like silk. Her skin, pale like ice, carried no trace of her former self.
She had crossed the threshold.
Ren had pushed her beyond that limit, and she had claimed the power.
Now, she stood among them.
Immortal.
But the transformation had taken everything she had.
She had shattered human limitations—but it had cost her strength, forcing her into unconsciousness, her body adapting to what she had become.
Ren did not move, nor did he speak further. He held her, watching the silent victory she now embodied.
Echoes Within the Emperor's Domain: Guinevere Awaits
Ren placed Yuki onto the bed within his domain, ensuring she lay comfortably as the space pulsed around her. The domain welcomed her presence, its energy quietly weaving into her body, accelerating her recovery as it had done countless times before.
He had seen this transition before. Guided it before.
Immortality was not new to him—nothing was new to him. He had mastered everything, seen everything, done everything.
And yet, he still chose to experience it as if it could be new.
Footsteps echoed through the space.
The other Ren approached, arms crossed, his gaze sharp.
"So, about the other woman," he said, his tone carrying a knowing edge. "She's here too. You should probably talk to her—it'll help her heal quicker, being in this domain."
Ren didn't respond immediately. He didn't need to—he had already known.
Guinevere was changing. The domain touched her the same way it touched everyone who spent time within it. It did not allow stagnation; it did not allow limits to persist. It bent the world, bent the people within it, whether they realised it or not.
And now, she was feeling it.
Ren exhaled, shifting his attention.
Time did not rush him. Nothing rushed him.
But when he decided to move, things changed.
And now, it was time to see what had changed in her.
The Emperor's Shadow: Guinevere's Revelation
Guinevere wasn't sure what she was seeing.
Ren stood there, but another Ren stood beside him.
Identical. Yet entirely different.
At first glance, she thought it was an illusion, a reflection cast by the domain itself. But the longer she stared, the more she felt the truth pressing against her mind. This was no mere apparition—he was in full, existing beside himself without contradiction.
This Ren—Emperor's Shadow—held the same power and depth. But there was something about him, something utterly unchecked.
She had always seen restraint in Ren—how he held back and lived deliberately, limiting himself to experience the world as others did. But this version…
This version did not hold back at all.
Her body tensed, and instinct whispered that he was something beyond. But before that thought could fully form, she felt the pulse of the domain—the silent, overwhelming truth.
Not beyond.
Not lesser.
Not separate.
Equal.
Because he was Ren.
Guinevere breathed out slowly, adjusting to the understanding settling within her.
She wasn't standing before two beings.
She was standing before one, reflected twice in the realm of his creation.
Ren didn't acknowledge her realisation—he had never needed to.
Instead, his gaze remained steady as he finally spoke.
"You've felt the domain change you."
It wasn't a question.
Because he already knew.
Fractured No More: Guinevere's Recovery in the Emperor's Domain
"Yes,"
She said.
Guinevere's mind wasn't fractured anymore. It wasn't broken.
She had healed.
She had been here since it happened. Since the truths she had tried to ignore had shattered her.
But it was gone now. Completely.
Ren had sent her to his domain for healing, knowing it would restore her faster than anything in the outside world could.
And it had.
She was whole again.
Yet, something was missing.
Because she still didn't know how she felt.
Unyielding Eternity: Emperor's Shadow and the Truth of Immortality
"You offered to bring him back or kill me," Guinevere said. "I want him back—but I don't know how he would react. Do I have the ability to bring him back myself?"
Ren's gaze remained steady, unwavering.
"Jaime wanted you to be happy," he said. "And I intend to make that happen."
There was no hesitation. No softness.
"I respected him," Ren continued. "He was a good man. I didn't know him well, but I could see the power there in his eyes. It was enough for me to know who he was."
A pause—not to reconsider, but to allow the truth to settle.
"Decide for yourself."
"Bring him back yourself."
The words weren't a command. They weren't a challenge.
They were a fact.
"You have the ability now."
No conditions. No restrictions.
"It's not my problem anymore."
Ren didn't soften his tone—he didn't need to.
"You can bring him back without the curse affecting him."
A silence. Heavy, weighted.
"But be warned," he added, quieter now.
"Stella—" His gaze didn't waver. "You already know. She hates his bloodline."
"What if I kill her?" Guinevere asked.
Emperor's Shadow didn't hesitate.
"Go ahead, if you're able."
A pause. Not amusement. Not a threat. Just certainty.
"Even if you do somehow kill her, I'll just bring her back either way."
The words weren't defiant. They weren't spoken to provoke.
They were simply true.
"But I doubt you can." His tone remained flat, uninterested, as if the question was irrelevant.
"After all, we— immortals—cannot die."
A slow breath. Unhurried. Detached.
"We are truly eternal. That's just the way things are."
"Some might call it a curse."
"You might see it that way someday."
"But it doesn't matter."
A pause—brief, dismissive.
"I suppose we'll find out, won't we?" Emperor's Shadow said.