A Writer's Transmigration into the world of fantasy

He exhaled sharply through his nose.

"Fine," he said. "My mistake. Take her to her assigned residence. I'll carry her. You go bring the healer—now."

Vanessa nodded without another word. She rose smoothly and vanished toward the villa gates in a blur of motion.

Qin Wei adjusted his hold and lifted Luna carefully, cradling her against his chest like she might break if he moved too fast. The Dark Pegasus—Callista—followed close behind, massive hooves silent on the stone path, wings half-folded, eyes fixed on Luna with unmistakable worry.

They walked in heavy silence.

When they reached the quiet western wing, Qin Wei pushed the door open with his shoulder and carried Luna straight to the wide bed. He laid her down gently, arranging pillows beneath her head, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. Then he sat on the edge of the mattress, elbows on his knees, staring at her still face.

Guilt coiled tight in his chest.

He reached out slowly, brushing sweat-damp strands of hair back from her forehead. His thumb lingered against her cold skin.

"You silly girl…" he murmured, voice barely audible. "Why do you have to go this far for my sake? I don't have mana. That doesn't mean I'm useless." He swallowed hard. "My life… is worth more than anything you could throw away for it."

The Dark Pegasus settled near the window, folding its wings and lowering its head, watching over them both in patient, silent vigil.

Qin Wei stayed where he was, hand resting lightly on Luna's, waiting for the healer.

Waiting for her to wake up.

Waiting for the moment he could ask her what she truly wanted.

A couple of hours later, the main residence of the villa felt heavier than usual.

Thea paced the length of the receiving hall, bare feet whispering against the polished wood floor. Her arms were folded tightly beneath her chest, shoulders rigid, the usual calm grace replaced by restless tension. Every few steps she glanced toward the western wing windows, as though willing something to change behind the distant curtains.

The door slid open with a soft click.

Vanessa stepped inside, bowing slightly at the waist.

"Lady Thea."

Thea stopped mid-stride and turned.

"Is Icarus still there?" she asked, voice clipped.

Vanessa nodded once. "Yes, milady. Lord Icarus appears to be in deep meditation beside Miss Luna's bed. He has not moved or spoken since we brought her in."

Thea exhaled through her nose, a small, controlled sound. She paused, then asked more quietly, "And how is Luna now?"

"Still unconscious," Vanessa answered without hesitation. "Her breathing is steady, pulse regular. No fever. No signs of worsening."

Thea's frown deepened. "Then why isn't she awake?"

Vanessa hesitated only a fraction of a second. "The healer confirmed all external and internal injuries have been fully mended—ribs knit, organs restored, blood loss compensated. There is no physical reason she should remain unconscious. I suspect… it is the mana core. The damage is extensive. Until it begins to stabilize on its own, her mind and body may simply be refusing to wake."

Thea's lips pressed into a thin line.

She turned away, staring out the tall window toward the western wing again. Her reflection stared back—beautiful, composed, but the tightness around her eyes betrayed her.

"The longer she stays like that," Thea murmured, almost to herself, "the more tense and attentive Icarus will become. The more time passes, the deeper his concern roots itself." She paused, voice dropping lower. "It was already enough that she entered our married life as his concubine. I will not stand by while my husband pours more affection onto a servant who nearly threw her life away for him."

She straightened abruptly.

"Vanessa."

"Yes, milady."

"Contact my father immediately. Tell him I am requesting a favor."

Vanessa blinked—surprise flickering across her usually impassive features—but she recovered in the next breath and bowed again.

"At once, milady."

She turned and left the hall without another word, footsteps fading quickly down the corridor.

Thea remained where she was, arms still folded, gaze fixed on the distant windows of the western wing. The silence that followed felt thick, expectant.

Meanwhile, in the quiet of Luna's assigned residence, time seemed to have slowed to a crawl.

Luna lay motionless beneath the light blanket, chest rising and falling in shallow, even breaths. Color had returned faintly to her cheeks thanks to the healer's work, but her eyes remained closed, lashes dark against pale skin.

Qin Wei sat cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, back straight, hands resting loosely on his knees. His eyes were closed. His breathing matched Luna's—slow, deep, deliberate.

A faint holographic screen hovered in the air before him, visible only to his vision.

[Nature Synchronization: 19% Progress stable. Deep trance detected. External stimuli suppressed.]

He had begun meditating simply to quiet his mind.

Luna's memories kept surfacing unbidden—her quiet devotion, the way she had looked at him when she handed over the necklace, the hoarse determination in her voice when she told him to use the vampire blood. Each recollection tugged at something in his chest, stirring guilt and worry he couldn't afford right now.

So he had sat. Breathed. Let the thoughts come and go without clinging.

Over time the process deepened.

Thoughts thinned. Then dissolved.

Eventually, even the awareness of sitting beside her bed faded.

There was only blank space.

No sound. No weight of guilt. No ticking urgency.

Time simply… stopped.

Inside that vast, empty quiet, Qin Wei floated—mind clear, body forgotten, the world reduced to a single, unbroken stillness.

The Dark Pegasus remained near the window, wings folded, head lowered. Its crimson-veined eyes never left Luna's sleeping form.

Another hour slipped past in near silence.

The door to Luna's residence opened quietly. Vanessa stepped through first, followed by Thea and—unexpectedly—Kaelan Griffin. The tall man's presence immediately shifted the air in the room; his aura was restrained but unmistakable, like a blade sheathed but still sharp.

They stopped just inside the threshold.

Qin Wei remained exactly where he had been—cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, eyes closed, posture perfectly still. A faint, translucent white layer shimmered around him, so subtle it could have been a trick of the light if not for the way it gently distorted the edges of his silhouette. The Dark Pegasus lifted its head from near the window, crimson eyes narrowing warily at the newcomers.

Thea's brows lifted.

"What's happening?" she asked, voice low but edged with surprise.

Vanessa frowned, gaze flicking between Qin Wei and the faint white veil.

"I didn't know about this," she admitted.

Kaelan studied the scene for several long seconds, expression unreadable.

"This is the path of a Sage," he said finally, tone flat and certain.

"Sage?" Thea and Vanessa echoed almost in unison.

Kaelan offered no further explanation. Instead, he turned to Vanessa. "In this state, we cannot disturb him. Take the woman to another room."

Vanessa nodded without argument. She moved to the bed, slid her arms carefully beneath Luna, and lifted her with practiced gentleness. Luna's head lolled against Vanessa's shoulder, still deeply unconscious.

As Vanessa turned to leave, Kaelan glanced at Thea.

He extended his right hand. A longsword materialized from thin air—simple in design, yet the blade carried a faint, steady hum of power. He offered it hilt-first.

"Use your control," he said. "Make it hover one foot above his head. It will aid him."

Thea accepted the sword without hesitation, though confusion flickered in her eyes. She closed her fingers around the hilt, focused, and guided it upward with a thread of her mana. The blade floated smoothly into position, exactly one foot above Qin Wei's crown.

The moment it settled there, the sword began to spin—slowly at first, then faster, a perfect, silent orbit. A soft glow bloomed along the edge, pale blue-white. Almost immediately, the surrounding air stirred. Natural energy—thin threads of ambient mana—rushed inward from every direction, drawn toward the spinning blade like water spiraling down a drain.

The translucent white layer around Qin Wei thickened visibly. What had been a faint shimmer deepened into a steady, luminous cocoon, pulsing gently in time with the sword's rotation.

Kaelan watched for a moment longer, then gave a single nod.

"Good."

He turned to Vanessa.

"Maintain the control," he told Thea without looking back. "Do not let it falter."

With that, he followed Vanessa out of the room. The door closed behind them with a soft click, leaving only the low hum of the spinning sword and the steady rhythm of Qin Wei's breathing.

Thea lowered herself to sit on the floor directly in front of him, knees tucked to the side, hands resting lightly in her lap. She watched the sword turn, watched the white layer grow brighter, watched her husband's unchanging face.

Her gaze softened.

"Icarus…" she murmured, so quietly the words barely stirred the air. "Just what are you?"

She tilted her head slightly, studying him—the calm lines of his face, the faint tension that still lingered even in trance, the way the light caught on the white veil and made him look almost untouchable.

"The more time I spend with you," she continued under her breath, "the more I learn about your latest feats after our marriage… the more different you feel from the person I imagined while growing up." A small, genuine smile touched her lips. "And I love it. More than anyone else could. You're not just someone I love—you're someone I can proudly introduce as my husband to the entire world."

Her smile faded slowly.

Her voice dropped even lower.

"But…"