Time passed—she didn’t know how long.
The sobbing gradually subsided.
Daibi raised her hand and roughly wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, taking a few deep breaths.
Xing Yue had been squatting beside her the whole time, neither leaving nor urging her on.
Only when she saw that her breathing had finally steadied did she speak up. “Hey, what are you planning to do from now on?”
“You’re not thinking of staying in this crappy basement forever, are you?”
Daibi froze.
She lifted her head and looked at the dark mist.
From now on…
She had never thought about the future.
From the moment her family died, her life had only one purpose: revenge.
Now that revenge was complete, what came next?
Where could she even go?
Black Cliff Territory no longer had a home for her. Her sister was dead, Zuo Feiya was dead, her parents were gone too…
She was the only one left now.
Where could she go?
Where would she even belong?
Daibi lowered her head and was silent for a long time.
Then she looked up again at the figure shrouded in dark mist, meeting those crimson eyes.
Those eyes were still terrifying.
But at this moment, she saw something in them… something that inexplicably put her at ease.
“Demon Lord,”
Her voice was soft, but more resolute than ever before.
“I…”
“I wish to follow you.”
Xing Yue was stunned.
The crimson glow flickered faintly, as if digesting the meaning of her words.
Daibi took a deep breath and continued.
“You answered my summoning.”
“You helped me succeed in my revenge.”
“You… in my most desperate moment, aided me…”
“And gave me food, comfort, and…” She paused, her voice choking a little, “gave me a second chance to live.”
“I know I’m weak.”
“I know I can’t do anything.”
“I know I might become a burden to you.”
“But—”
She lifted her head, meeting that crimson gaze, speaking each word deliberately.
“Even if in your eyes, a lowly human like me is no more than an ant…”
“I still want to stay by your side.”
“To do the smallest things I can for you. Even if it’s just to be food, I’d be willing.”
“Because—”
Her eyes reddened again, but this time, she didn’t cry.
“You are the only one in this world who still cares about me… my family…”
Xing Yue was completely stunned.
She opened her mouth to say something, but found herself unable to utter a word.
Family…
Everything…
Those words were too heavy.
So heavy that she didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
She was just a witch accidentally summoned here.
She only wanted to complete the transaction and rewrite the tragedy.
She had never thought…
That she would be relied on like this, trusted like this, treated as someone’s everything like this.
The crimson light burned quietly within the dark mist, falling on Daibi’s stubborn face.
A long moment passed.
Xing Yue finally spoke.
“Do you know what following me means?”
“Following me means making enemies of the entire world, you know.”
The voice that came from within the mist this time was calm, but exceptionally serious. Yet Daibi still didn’t hesitate at all.
“I know.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Because—”
She looked at the dark mist, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint curve.
That smile was shallow, but more genuine and warm than any before.
“You are already my everything.”
“I want to pledge my loyalty to you, to offer you everything I have.”
Xing Yue fell silent again.
She had spoken so earnestly, so firmly, so… devoutly.
It wasn’t a moment of impulse. It didn’t seem like emptiness after revenge. It was a choice made after deep thought.
Xing Yue suddenly felt a headache.
Not the kind from trouble, but the kind from not knowing what to do.
Could she really bring someone back to the Demon King Castle?
The Demon King Castle was no kind place, at least for humans. It was full of monsters everywhere. Daibi would probably just be emergency rations there.
And even if she could protect Daibi, how was she supposed to explain this to Phyllis?
‘Mom! I went out to play and brought someone back?’
‘Oh my~ Yue Yue, you snuck out behind Mommy’s back? I really need to keep a tighter leash on you!’
‘Eep!!!’
Just imagining such a conversation made Xing Yue feel terrible.
But thinking about it was useless. She didn’t even know how the Jet Black Forbidden Book worked herself, let alone how to take someone back.
Looking at Daibi’s expectant gaze, Xing Yue sighed softly in helplessness.
The dark mist churned, and a jet black forbidden book materialized out of thin air, floating before her.
On the cover of that book, a line of blood-red numbers was ticking.
[47:23]
[47:22]
“See this?”
The mist-formed tentacle pointed at the flickering crimson numbers.
“This is the time I can stay here. Less than an hour left now.”
“When the countdown ends, I’ll disappear.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to come back.”
Xing Yue’s voice was calm. “Maybe I can, maybe I can’t. I haven’t fully figured out this summoning thing myself.”
“So… sorry, little one. I can’t take you with me.”
At those words, the smile that had just appeared on Daibi’s face slowly froze, then faded completely.
She pressed her lips together, trembling slightly, but couldn’t say a word.
The eyes that had just been shining were now like a candle flame blown out by the wind, dimming bit by bit. Disappointment, reluctance, and a suppressed grievance all churned within those eyes.
Xing Yue sighed again.
A lonely, defenseless girl in this world—how long could she survive?
Even if she escaped Black Cliff Territory, she might be captured and sold as a slave halfway.
Their transaction was already over. What happened next was none of her business. She wasn’t Daibi’s mother; it wasn’t her responsibility…
Xing Yue didn’t want to admit it, but the truth was she had softened again.
She thought for a moment, then crouched down in front of Daibi.
“But before that…”
“Let me try to leave you something.”
“Something that can help you stand on your own in this world.”
Daibi lifted her head, looking at her through tear-filled eyes.
“Are you willing to give up your original name?”
When a higher existence bestows a name upon a lower being, there is a chance the latter gains one of the former’s abilities.
Xing Yue had only tried this on her own monsters before. She didn’t know if it would work on a human.
But… it was worth a try.
Daibi hesitated for a moment, then firmly lifted her head again, as if making a decision. “…I am willing!”
“Good. Then from now on—”
Xing Yue’s voice echoed through the basement. This time, she didn’t force anything. She just spoke the name very seriously, very solemnly.
“Your code name shall be Alpha.”
The moment the words fell.
Daibi felt a sudden heat on the back of her right hand.
She instinctively looked down.
There, a pale blue light was seeping out from beneath her skin, as if something was taking shape within.
The light grew brighter and brighter, clearer and clearer.
Finally, it formed into a delicate and mysterious pattern.
A crescent moon, quietly branded on the back of her hand.
—
Volume 1, End.