When Lian Hua got up, it was after hearing the tinkling of small bells and detecting the faint aroma of sandalwood.
He blinked slowly, his head was still a bit foggy. For a moment, he even thought he was still in his dream because such a shine was not of this world.
The chamber he was in looked like a white silk ocean with light shimmering everywhere. The walls were decorated with the changing hues of blue gemstones that were moving slowly in the air. The floor looked like it was made of the most polished crystal while the ceiling had carved celestial runes that were glowing dimly like a heartbeat.
"Where… am I?" he asked in a low voice.
So, he tried to get up from the bed but then he stopped himself immediately.
His hands and feet were tied with golden ropes, and they were shining with celestial energy. Divine ropes. The ones made by gods to bind characters of singular might.
He pulled once. Twice. The ropes got even tighter, and they were warm against his skin as if they were laughing at him.
"Awesome," he said with a low voice. "Kidnapped by a sleeping god. My ancestors must be having a good laugh in the afterlife."
He looked at his body and his heart was almost out of his chest.
Lian Hua was not in his black assassin robes any longer. Rather his body was covered in a fragile sky-blue attire which consisted of loose silk pants and a robe that was hanging on his shoulders and was tied only by thin silver threads and… was it gemstones?
Some blue stones spread on his back in a pattern that looked like stars of a certain constellation and they were emitting a faint light. The whole outfit was just—if I may say so—utterly godlike and scandalous at the same time!
He turned his body around in disbelief. "Why the air is more than the fabric in this robe?! And what kind of perverted immortal would dress their prisoner like this—"
The door was opening before he could finish the sentence.
A servant girl came into the room—no, she was hovering—Her hair was tied with silver ribbons and her eyes were emitting a faint blue light. In her hands, she had a jade tray full of foods that were shimmering with light.
"Good morning, honored guest," she said softly, bowing her head. "This was ordered and prepared for you by His Excellency, Lord Tian Zhen."
The smell was very powerful too—sweet, pure, and strong. On the tray, there was a bowl of rice that was glowing, a pot of broth that was made of moonflower, and a cup that was filled with a liquid that was thick, golden, and pulsating with divine qi.
Lian Hua's eyes went wide. "Is that… holy essence? The kind the gods use to heal their divine bodies?"
The maid said yes. "Such things can only be consumed by the Sky Lord. But he is so determined… that you must be nourished."
Hua was left wondering. "Nourished? I am his prisoner, not his fish to feed."
The maid chuckled softly. "You must have really impressed him, young master."
After that, a slight hum sound came and filled the room before he could answer. The air became very still. The gems that were floating became brighter.
And then—
The Sky Lord appeared.
He was moving as if even time was yielding to him. His long hair of white color went down his shoulders, and his robes were made of a divine silk and they were pure white with light blue cloud patterns faintly visible. Around his neck, there was a heavy chain made of silver and sapphire and a delicate crown of gemstones that reflected the light like that of lightning but it was frozen hung on his forehead.
However, it was his eyes that stopped Hua from speaking– they were deep, endless, and of a serene kind of power that could both destroy or take care of worlds.
"Lord Tian Zhen," the maid said, kneeling down.
He gave her one look only– calm, serene, and with an incredible commanding power.
She shivered a bit, bowed once more, and left rapidly without saying another word.
When the moment the door closed, the silence that filled the room was absolute.
Lian Hua tried to speak. "Um… Lord Sky Person, I can explain—"
Before he could finish, Tian Zhen was already beside him — his movement was extremely quick. The immortal's hand was on Hua's cheek, it was cold and gentle.
"You are awake," he said softly, his voice deep, smooth, and faintly amused. "You dream loudly, little shadow."
"I— I wasn't dreaming!" Hua said nervously. "I was just— strategizing— about— leaving!"
The god moved his head a bit and the white hair of his face was touching Hua's chest as he moved closer. His smell—fresh frost and far-off storms—was getting stronger in the air.
Then, to Hua's utmost horror and confusion, the Sky Lord just brought him to his embrace.
Not violently. Not cruelly. But gently.
The god's arm went round Hua's waist, the other hand being free was placed lightly on his nape as he hugged him like one might hug a lover lost after a thousand years.
Hua was totally immobile. His mind short-circuited. His wolf side shouted at him for his safety, while his Omega side whispered stay.
"W-What are you doing?!" he said in a very low voice, his face was burning quite intensely.
Tian Zhen's lips moved in faint pleasure, and his hair was being touched by his hand. "You were the one who woke me up. For a thousand years, no one dared coming close to me. Now… there is an Omega wolf in my temple, you are bound and scented of moonlight."
He took a long breath—Hua could sense the Alpha pheromones becoming heavier and mixing with the air like a mist.
"I want to know," he said in a low voice, "why does your soul sound… like one I know?"
Hua tried to get out of the ropes but the celestial ones were getting even brighter and more secure. "Let me go! I'm not— I mean— I was sent to kill you, but— wait, that came out wrong—"
Tian Zhen laughed, the laugh being like thunder far away on a clear sky, and said, "You came to kill me, yet here you are shaking like a little one lost in a storm."
"Because you keep sniffing me!" Hua said angrily. "Stop that!"
The Sky Lord looked at him with one eye only and the eye was half closed, and he was lazily amused. "You are destined, little wolf, to smell like this. And something… divine."
He didn't mean to but he pulled Hua still nearer to him letting his chin rest lightly on the Omega's shoulder. "Maybe," he said in a low voice, "you weren't sent to kill me… but to awaken me."
The words were like a curse or a promise to Hua's ear. He gulped, feeling his heartbeat matching the god's slow one.
Not very far from here, the temple bells rang gently—and the whole world changed.
The god who was asleep, had woken up.
And Hua, the assassin, would never have peace in his heart anymore.