Ruan Xing opened his eyes, and in front of him was the familiar canopy. The black gauze curtain swayed slightly with the sunlight streaming in from the window.

His green eyes blinked, a little dazed.

Last night, he seemed to have a long, long dream and experienced many things. But the moment he opened his eyes, everything vanished like smoke.

Only the lingering heat of that invasive presence and the memory of sweat remained vivid.

Ruan Xing propped himself up on his arm and looked around.

It was his Mage Tower.

He remembered now. This was his first official day living in the Mage Tower.

Ruan Xing went to the washroom.

The young man in the mirror looked much older than he remembered. There was a restrained warmth and depth to him. In the dark green irises, a complex magic array turned slowly, declaring that this was truly, completely himself.

The wall clock chimed.

Inside came the sound of mechanical movement, followed by an elegant voice. "You seem to be in a good mood, my lord."

"I had a beautiful dream."

The teapot on the table floated into the air, pouring water into a delicate, small cup. Drops of condensation had already formed on the cup's wall due to the low temperature.

Ruan Xing's voice came. "Let's drink hot water today."

The teapot paused. "…That doesn't sound like your style."

Ruan Xing smiled for some reason. He walked to the wardrobe, carefully selecting clothes, answering the Tower Spirit's question while his mind wandered back to everything in the dream.

The people in that world were used to drinking hot water.

The Tower Spirit's voice hesitated slightly. "A dream?"

Ruan Xing's eyes curved. "Yes, a dream I almost didn't want to wake from."

The Tower Spirit fell silent, but soon spoke again. "As far as I know, you haven't dreamed for two hundred years. A mage's dream must be a sign. Do you want me to check the ancient records for you?"

Ruan Xing opened the door. The hem of his mage robe trailed on the floor in elegant folds, moving slowly as he walked.

"No need."

He put on his mage hat and entered the tower. The surroundings were empty. He was the only one here.

Ruan Xing didn't like noisy environments. Perhaps in the future he would want someone to inherit his mantle, but for now, the strongest mage in the world had no such plan.

In the tower, there was only him and the unseen Tower Spirit.

He looked upward. The light sphere at the top was not large, but its glow was strong.

It was nurtured entirely by him.

Humans in dreams could be touched, but what he truly owned was still his own.

"You are unusually thoughtful today," came the voice from a flower-shaped lamp on the wall.

Ruan Xing said, "I was just wondering, if you were human, what would you be like?"

The Tower Spirit seemed surprised, falling silent for a long while before asking, "Do you want me to become human?"

Ruan Xing just waved a hand. "No need."

The burden on the soul would be too great. Besides, there had never been a precedent for a Tower Spirit taking human form. Ruan Xing wouldn't force him.

The Tower Spirit fell silent.

Lights along the corridor lit up as Ruan Xing walked down, his robe brushing softly in the empty space, unhurried.

He stopped before an old, grand door.

"While I'm away, this place is in your care," he said, turning slightly to speak to a beast-shaped head at the door.

"As you command." The wolf head's jaw moved, and an elegant voice flowed out.

Ruan Xing vanished behind the door, and the wolf head's eyes lost their light.

The tower fell silent again.

No one knew how much time had passed.

In front of that door, the air twisted. A faintly glowing figure appeared. It was so thin that it was almost not there, but vaguely in the shape of a human.

If Ruan Xing had been here, he would have been shocked. How could it be possible to form a body relying on soul power alone?

But the figure lasted only a moment before fading away.

The tower returned to absolute quiet.

A flash of light, and Ruan Xing appeared in a grand, resplendent hall.

"My lord, you've finally arrived," said a richly dressed courtier, lowering his eyes in respect.

Ruan Xing was here to crown the new king.

As the League's chief mage, every move he made was the League's will. As a friendly nation, the coronation of Hill Country's new king was an event he must attend.

"Lead the way."

He was not well-acquainted with this country's ruler and wasn't interested in the youngest son's succession, but duty was duty.

It was not his first time crowning a king.

After the collapse of the Holy Temple, the original ruler had been replaced by a new king, and that coronation had also been done by Ruan Xing.

It was right after that coronation that the Holy Son went mad.

Following the courtier, Ruan Xing arrived at the front of the hall.

A familiar face appeared before him.

Ruan Xing's eyelid twitched. "Fu Gui?"

The person looked surprised. "Eh? Are you talking to me?"

A courtier beside them reminded, "Your Highness, please speak respectfully."

Then he bowed to Ruan Xing. "Master Mage, this is His Highness Aisa, the most powerful mage in our country."

Ruan Xing quickly realized. This was his magic world. Fu Gui wouldn't be here. This man's face just happened to look almost exactly like Fu Gui's human form.

What a coincidence.

He calmed down, nodded slightly, and said with appreciation, "I know you. That assassination on the rainy night was impressive."

The air froze at those words.

The king and two princes had died in that assassination, leaving only one surviving prince, Aisa, who was today's soon-to-be-crowned king. Everyone knew who orchestrated it, yet none dared to speak it aloud.

Aisa stood, looking slightly upward at Ruan Xing. His eyes held no respect, only deep curiosity and interest.

"Thank you. You look a bit familiar."

The courtier broke into a cold sweat, remembering the prince's past "achievements," and hurried to intervene. The last thing they needed was trouble before the coronation.

Fortunately, Aisa said nothing more. Ruan Xing only gave him a glance, his expression unreadable.

"The coronation will begin in two hours, my lord. Let me first familiarize you with the process…" the courtier said nervously.

Ruan Xing replied with an "Mm" and followed, leaving Aisa touching his chin in thought.

The coronation was grand. Ruan Xing wore a pure black robe, his black hair flowing like water down to his feet.

He stood at the central position, surveying the crowd from above, like the true focus of the ceremony.

No one dared to speak. All the gazes on him were filled with respect, excitement, and even a hint of fervor.

This mage, who had overturned the world's game board, rarely appeared in public, but now, seeing him in person, both his bearing and looks were unmatched.

The man on stage looked calm, watching the young king approach step by step, his expression still.

"My lord," Aisa said with a small nod, leaning his head closer.

Ruan Xing raised the jewel-encrusted crown. Just as it was about to settle on Aisa's head, he heard the young king say, "I have indeed seen you before."

The voice was soft, but in the dead-quiet hall, it was sharp and clear. Even the ceremonial music seemed to pause.

Ruan Xing's brows moved slightly. "Where have you seen me?"

Aisa's dark eyes shone. "If I said that it was in a dream, would you believe me?"

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Was that… flirting?

What shocked them even more was that Ruan Xing actually smiled!

Like snow melting on a cold mountain, and the color of spring flooding the earth. The crowd, which had been abuzz from Aisa's bold words, fell silent.

The coronation ended in haste.

It seemed the king and mage had reached some secret understanding under everyone's eyes. No one knew what happened, only that from then until the king's death, their relationship remained unusually close.

The Mage Tower was still quiet.

Moonlight poured through the window, illuminating the young man on the bed.

Most of his body was covered by the blanket, leaving only his pale, exposed arms, which glowed faintly. Black hair coiled over his body like a tempting serpent.

His long lashes trembled, but his brows were furrowed, as if trapped in a nightmare.

By the window, the moonlight distorted, and then that warped, unseeable shape climbed onto the bed.

The black silk mattress dipped. The velvet blanket lifted slightly, then fell.

Though nothing could be seen, there was now the imprint of another person on the bed.

In his sleep, Ruan Xing felt cold and instinctively pulled the blanket closer to him.

In his dream, a large wolfhound pinned him down, sniffing him everywhere. Its rough tongue grazed his face, neck, and moved lower.

"Mmh…" Ruan Xing was uncomfortable.

But soon that discomfort was replaced by another sensation.

Hot breath teased his skin. Irritating, yet pleasant.

When the clingy "dog" finally left, Ruan Xing exhaled heavily and opened his eyes.

The room was empty. Only the bedsheets were rumpled.

He touched his forehead. Perhaps seeing Fu Gui during the day awakened sleeping memories.

He got up, drank a glass of iced water, but he couldn't fall back asleep.

"Do you have something on your mind?"

The Tower Spirit's voice sounded.

Ruan Xing stared into the air. "Today, I saw someone from my dream."

Tower Spirit: "Someone you wanted to see?"

Ruan Xing: "Yes… and no."

He did not continue the topic and just looked out the window until dawn.

When he saw the sunrise, he made a decision.

He would create the technological products in his mind.

It would be difficult, but enough to occupy his mind completely.

He never dreamed of that world again. Instead, nearly every night, he dreamt of the wolfhound. Its body seemed to grow larger, and sometimes it even appeared in human form.

Ruan Xing's eyes snapped open.

Too much!

How could it… He covered his face, and his cheeks burned as he recalled fragments of those dreams.

Even at his age, how could he act like a flustered teenager?

When he was fully awake, he noticed the marks on his body and a lump under the blanket.

And that spot…

Ruan Xing lifted the blanket to see a faintly glowing, distorted patch of air.

Surprised, he whispered, "It's you?!"

The unseen shadow gave a soft "Mm" and burrowed back under the covers.

Ruan Xing let out a muffled sound.

"Enough!"

The figure faded slightly. Ruan Xing tried to touch it, and to his surprise, he could.

He grabbed a handful of hair and exclaimed, "Fu Zhi!"

This guy must have remembered. Otherwise, with the Tower Spirit's personality, how could he do something like this?!

The figure froze, then buried its face against his neck like mad. Ruan Xing was knocked down, feeling as if the other wanted to devour him whole, just like that wolfhound in his dreams.

Caught the culprit!

Before he could call for a stop, his mouth was pried open and wet heat flooded in. Even without a body, the kiss left him dizzy.

A long time later...

Ruan Xing sat barefoot on the black velvet sofa, lazily watching the patch of air nearby.

"When did you remember?"

"When you came back from the ceremony." The figure was now barely visible.

Fu Zhi's voice was hoarse. "It's just… the memories of the two worlds are mixed together. I can't tell which one is real."

Souls are fragile because they lose their memories of this world, and their existence is gradually forgotten.

When a soul can remain for a long time, there is only one reason...

That soul has regained its memories and found an anchor strong enough to keep it in the world.

Fu Zhi hugged Ruan Xing, pressing his lips to his forehead.

The Tower Spirit's anchor was the Mage Tower, so without the tower, the spirit would vanish.

But Fu Zhi's anchor was the person in front of him. As long as he existed, Fu Zhi would never disappear.

Before Ruan Xing's eyes, the soul began to change.

The once-transparent figure glowed. The light twisted and shaped into a familiar human form.

Fu Zhi's ice-blue eyes were like a frozen sea, clearly reflecting Ruan Xing's face.

"I only know that when I am with you, then it is the real world."

Even if his memories were in chaos, anywhere Ruan Xing existed was the real world.

Ruan Xing looked at Fu Zhi, thinking of the conditions for a human to become an anchor.

His lips curved, and he kissed the man's thin lips.

"I'm willing to be your anchor."

An anchor is someone who loves a drifting soul with an unfading, ever-burning, eternal longing.

That was his heart's answer.

[The End]

Author's Note:

Babies, see you in the next book!