The Sovereign of the Under-Reality

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to leave like this?”

Lu Nian’an asked, a trace of doubt in her voice.

“I told you, it’s fine.”

Xia Jiuwei replied casually, pulling a pocket watch from her coat.

The black casing gleamed coldly, its texture matching the ring on Lu Nian’an’s left hand.

She pressed the side button.

Click—

A crisp mechanical sound rang out as the inner ring of the watch began to rotate slowly.

“Time in the Under-Reality moves on my terms.”

She lifted her chin slightly, a hint of pride in her tone.

“Even if I’m not inside it, I can still make time keep flowing.”

She glanced at Lu Nian’an, clearly waiting for praise.

“Alright, alright… good girl.”

Lu Nian’an smiled and lightly patted her head.

Xia Jiuwei clicked her tongue, but didn’t pull away.

“Come on, go handle your press conference.”

She half-pushed, half-dragged Lu Nian’an into the elevator.

Not long after, they arrived at the backstage area of the press conference.

Outside, the crowd roared with noise.

Yet strangely, no one seemed to notice when Lu Nian’an had even entered backstage.

“You’re going up soon, right?”

Xia Jiuwei’s voice dropped slightly, a rare hint of tension in it.

“Mm.” Lu Nian’an nodded.

“It doesn’t feel right outside… you won’t be scared going up there?”

Lu Nian’an simply shook her head.

Xia Jiuwei sighed.

“Yeah, I knew you’d say that.”

She reached out and took Lu Nian’an’s left hand.

“I’ll go up with you.”

“Don’t worry. No one will see me.”

They walked onto the stage together.

The moment Lu Nian’an stepped forward—

All eyes in the venue locked onto her instantly.

She stood at the podium, calm and composed.

“Today, I will explain what happened on that day.”

Her voice was clear and steady.

“First, as someone directly involved, I was not informed of any engagement arrangement in advance.”

“As an individual, I have the right to choose my own life. I do not believe refusing an engagement is wrong.”

She paused briefly.

“Second, regarding my investment in the Lu Corporation…”

“I believe my father’s decisions in related matters have already caused significant negative impact on the company.”

Her tone remained composed throughout—precise, structured, flawless.

Whether answering questions or addressing the press, she handled everything without a single crack.

She was used to scenes like this.

She had done this a thousand times before.

Each time—almost perfectly.

And yet—

that familiar loneliness of standing alone under the spotlight had never disappeared.

But this time—

There was warmth coming from her left hand.

She quietly tightened her fingers.

She wasn’t alone this time.

---

The three boys continued walking toward the distant ruins.

“Hey, I just realized… I don’t feel tired here at all.”

One of them said in confusion.

“Really?”

“I usually get hungry after walking a bit, but I’m fine now.”

He checked the time.

“…We’ve been walking for hours, right?”

He paused.

“Isn’t that weird? Time feels strange.”

The other two glanced over.

“Maybe your phone’s broken.”

“Yeah, the signal here’s weird anyway.”

They didn’t think much of it.

A while later.

“…Hey, do you think Xiaoyue and the others are waiting too long?”

The other two exchanged a look.

“Can you stop being so lovesick for a second?” one of them said, exasperated.

“We don’t even know where we are, and you’re thinking about girls? Focus on ourselves first.”

the other added.

“We don’t even know how to get back, and you’re already talking about saving people.”

The hopeless romantic went quiet.

They kept walking.

“…Have we been walking a long time?”

Someone stopped.

“Feels like it.”

They looked toward the ruins ahead.

The distance hadn’t changed at all.

“Did we go the wrong way?”

“There’s only one road.”

“Maybe this place is just huge?”

They exchanged a few guesses, but reached no conclusion.

They kept walking.

---

A faint mist began to form.

At first, it was subtle.

But gradually, visibility started to blur.

“…Fog?”

“Was there fog before?”

“Not sure… maybe the weather changed.”

They slowed down slightly.

Then—

The fog thickened a little more.

Distances became harder to judge.

“Hey, are you guys still there?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m right here.”

The voices felt distant now, as if separated by layers of air.

They moved closer together—but didn’t notice anything wrong.

Then everything went quiet.

“…Are you still there?”

No response.

The hopeless romantic reached out his hand.

Nothing was there.

“…Huh?”

The fog thickened again.

Everything became indistinct.

He stopped walking.

The world grew silent.

They called out again—but their voices barely echoed.

Eventually, they all stopped moving.

Just waited.

Some unknown time later—

He sat down by instinct.

Time lost meaning.

“…Has it been a while?”

No answer came.

He just waited for the fog to clear.

---

Through the haze, he saw two figures ahead.

A white-haired girl.

And beside her—a black-haired girl who looked vaguely familiar.

“…Who are you?”

The white-haired girl glanced at him casually.

“I?”

“I’m Maiden J.”

she replied simply.

“You want to go back?”

“I can send you back right now.”

The boy froze, then hurriedly spoke.

“My friends—what about them?”

“The other two boys?”

Her tone was calm.

“They’ve already been sent back.”

He let out a breath of relief—then immediately asked again.

“And… the three girls?”

“They haven’t been sent out yet.”

He stiffened.

After a moment of hesitation, he spoke again.

“Then… could you go back with me and find them?”

At that moment—

The black-haired girl frowned slightly.

“Are you telling us what to do?”

The boy panicked and waved his hands.

“N-no! That’s not what I meant, I just—”

He scrambled to explain.

The white-haired girl looked at him.

“Not impossible.”

She said lightly.

“You go back first.”

“Later, I’ll come over.”

Her tone was casual, as if agreeing to something trivial.

—And in truth, she had become slightly curious.

She gently waved her hand.

The remaining black mist scattered completely.

“Go back.”

The moment she spoke—

Both figures vanished.

The boy stood frozen.

After a few seconds, he finally snapped back.

He looked around.

This was the ruins.

He turned sharply, staring back at the distant building.

A strong thought rose in his mind.

—He had to tell them what had happened.