A month had passed.
Liora, who lay weakly on the cold, damp floor, was jolted awake by a sudden splash of freezing water. Instinctively, she cradled her six-month-old belly with a numb, trembling hand, struggling to push herself up as she tried to process what was happening.
"Get up, you lazy idiot. Lord Darken will be here any minute." Lucas snapped, tossing the empty wooden bowl aside.
Liora shivered uncontrollably from the icy water. Still weak, she managed to drag herself upright into an awkward sitting position just as Darken strode into the room.
"Look, Father... come take a look at my future main power." Darken sneered, stepping closer toward Liora's belly.
Liora flinched, leaning back as far as her chains allowed and covering her bump with both hands to protect her baby.
Throughout the past month, Darken had repeatedly tried to speak to the unborn child in Liora's womb. His ultimate strategy was to bond with the child before birth, ensuring the kid would grow up viewing him as a father figure rather than an enemy who needed to be destroyed. And if that manipulation failed, his contingency plan was simple: slaughter the child the moment it entered the world.
Having no knowledge of how to care for an expectant mother, Darken barely allowed Liora enough food to survive. The only reason Liora received any sustenance at all was because Lily had risked her life screaming at Darken to feed her.
In truth, Darken had used Lily's body as a vessel to bridge the rift into this realm. But as soon as the portal opened, Darken abandoned the vessel, imprisoning both Lily and Liora together in this desolate place.
"Let's see..." Darken muttered, reaching out a hand toward Liora's stomach.
Before his fingers could make contact, a radiant barrier of crackling purple energy flared violently from Liora's womb, forcefully repelling Darken's hand.
A faint, bitter smile touched Liora's lips at the display of her child's protection.
Darken's face twisted in dark fury. "So that's how it is? Fine. Watch what happens to you tomorrow." He turned toward Lucas with a menacing glare. "Starting tomorrow, put this pathetic face to work with the rest of the slaves."
Darken's eyes then shifted to Lily. "And that one, too."
Lucas bowed his head. "Understood, my Lord."
Darken turned and swept out of the room. Lucas offered a mocking smirk before following his master out, slamming the heavy door shut and plunging the filthy, dark cell back into shadow.
Tears spilled from Liora's eyes. Sensing her mother's distress and the lingering threat of Darken's energy, the baby began kicking frantically in her womb. Liora gently stroked her belly, whispering soft, soothing words to quiet her restless child.
"Shh... calm down, baby. He didn't hurt us. You're so protective of your mommy, aren't you?" Liora murmured, a sad, beautiful smile gracing her face as the energetic kicking gradually softened.
Yet, tears continued to flow down her pale cheeks.
A month. An entire agonizing month had passed since she was ripped away from Ronan. She felt as though she were dying inside without her husband. She missed Ronan's touch, his voice, his warmth. Above all, Liora struggled to soothe their spirited little prince without Ronan's deep, comforting voice humming her to sleep.
Their baby's power was growing stronger by the day, strong enough to completely shield his mother from Darken's touch. But Darken had bound Liora in anti-magic chains, preventing her from utilizing her own spiritual energy. Even if she could, Liora refrained from trying, terrified that channeling her power through the seal might harm her developing child.
Liora had no idea where in the cosmos she was. She had lost consciousness during the abduction, waking up trapped inside this dark, filthy dungeon. In a place where day and night bled together seamlessly, she spent most of her time weeping silently and talking to her unborn prince. She filled the dark hours by telling her child stories of Ronan, painting vivid pictures of their happiest memories together.
Listening to every word from the corner of the cell, Lily wept in silent agonizing regret, blaming herself entirely for the tragedy that had unfolded.
Slowly crawling across the cold floor, Lily wrapped her arms around Liora's shivering frame, offering whatever body heat she had to keep her warm.
"T-Thank you, Lily..." Liora whispered softly.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was three o'clock in the morning.
The one thing Liora dreaded most was about to happen again: she woke up violently hungry. Her stomach churned with a desperate craving for a steaming bowl of rich, savory noodles.
Liora broke down, crying silently into the dark.
"I'm so sorry, my sweet baby... Mommy can't give you what you want." Liora sobbed, her voice breaking with helpless grief. "I'm so sorry... If your daddy were here, he would have brought a hundred bowls for his little bean sprout by now. Please be patient, my love... Daddy is going to save us soon, okay? He promised us both that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to us."
Lily's heart shattered as she listened to the weeping mother. Unable to fix the situation, she could only stroke Liora's back in a helpless attempt to comfort her.
Clutching Lily's shirt tightly, Liora wept until her throat was raw. "Ronan... w-we miss you so much..."
The pain in her heart cut far deeper than the physical gnawing of hunger in her stomach.
Meanwhile, back on Earth...
"R-Ron, where are you going with that tray?" Maya asked softly, watching Ronan carefully arrange a freshly prepared meal onto a platter.
Ronan turned to Maya, offering a wide, vacant smile. "It's for my angel and my prince, Maya. You know how much my little one loves to eat. I'm taking this up to him right now."
Ronan turned and walked up the staircase, leaving Maya biting her lower lip until it bled to hold back her sobs. Ethan immediately pulled Maya into his arms, letting her weep freely against his chest.
"I-I can't watch this anymore, Ethan... I can't!" Maya cried out, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "Just kill me... it would be easier than watching him suffer like this!"
Ethan held her tightly, remaining silent. He didn't dare speak, knowing that if he uttered a single word, his own tears would spill over.
A month had passed since Liora's vanishing, and Ronan had been living in a state of living death. For the first few weeks, no one could control him. The gem within his body took complete control, driving him to search every inch of Earth and the Mo Kingdom in a frantic, unhinged rage. The Brown mansion had descended into chaos, and the Mo Kingdom was threw into disarray.
Ronan's massive corporate empire collapsed overnight. Michael was barely keeping the enterprise afloat by merging Ronan's operations with his own company.
Everyone was completely helpless, but what drove them to total despair was the terrifying shift in Ronan's mental state. He had begun hallucinating Liora's presence. He no longer screamed or wept as he had in the beginning; instead, he acted as though everything were perfectly normal, carrying on conversations with an imaginary version of his wife.
"My little bean... tell Mommy he needs to eat all of this." Ronan cooed gently, speaking to a pile of tiny baby clothes laid out neatly across his bed. Baby garments were scattered everywhere across the room.
"Oh? You want strawberry cake now, my love?" Ronan asked the empty air with a tender smile. "Where am I going to find that at this hour, hmm? Okay, okay, don't cry! I'll go get it right away. Until I come back, eat this like a good girl."
Ronan held out a spoon filled with rice, offering it directly toward an empty pillow.
"Ron, that's enough!! Stop this right now!!" Sophia shouted from the doorway, tears streaming down her face as she could no longer bear to watch the tragic display.
Ronan turned around, looking at Sophia with a bright smile. "Oh, Sophia! Tell her she needs to finish her food, too."
Sophia rushed forward, snatching the tray out of Ronan's hands and shoving it away in frustration. The plate shattered on the floor, scattering food everywhere.
"What did you just do?!" Ronan screamed, his expression twisting into absolute panic as he dropped to his knees to scoop up the dirty rice. "Why did you throw it away?! She has to eat! She's carrying my baby, she can't be hungry!!"
Sophia grabbed Ronan by his collar, forcefully yanking him up to look him dead in the eye. "Look at me, Ron!! Stop this delusion!! Face reality!"
Ronan gasped, tears instantly overflowing from his wide, terrified eyes. "No!! No! She's right here! She's with me!!"
"Ronan Brown!! Stop acting like you've lost your mind!" Sophia sobbed, shaking him. "Liora was taken by Darken!!"
"Sophia, stop it!!" Maya and Ethan shouted, bursting into the room to pull them apart.
"Maya... look!" Ronan wept like a heartbroken child, pointing at the spilled meal on the carpet. "Sophia threw away my angel's food..."
Ethan dragged a sobbing Sophia back while Maya stepped forward, gently cupping Ronan's face. "Don't worry, Ron... I'll go make a fresh plate for your angel, okay?"
Ronan's face instantly lit up with a fragile, child-like smile. "Thank you, Maya..."
Maya nodded weakly, turning around and hurrying out of the room as tears spilled down her face, unable to endure the sight of his broken mind a second longer.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"You two are only enabling him by doing this!" Sophia yelled the moment they stepped out into the corridor.
"He's acting like Liora is right there beside him! Why isn't he using the power of the red gem to track down my sister?!" Sophia demanded, wiping her eyes frantically.
"Sophia, listen to me." Maya choked out, her voice trembling. "I understand how painful this is for you. Liora grew up with you, she's your little sister. But look at Ronan! He has loved Liora with an intensity that borders on madness since the day she entered his life. We were all witnesses to that love. When he found out Liora was carrying his child, his devotion doubled. He gave everything he had to protect them both. Even when he had to go to the office, he would come back home a hundred times a day just because he couldn't stand being away from Liora and the baby for a single second!
Now that his world has suddenly vanished." Maya continued through her tears. "how did you expect him to cope?! It's a miracle his body hasn't collapsed entirely after failing to find Liora on Earth or in the Mo Kingdom."
Maya wiped her face, trying to compose herself. "We have to wait. We've dispatched our scouts to every corner of the Mo Kingdom. We will locate Darken's stronghold. Beyond that... I have faith in their bond. Their love will bring them back together. I know it will."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A few weeks went by.
Just as Darken had commanded, Lily and Liora were forced into hard labor alongside countless other prisoners. This strange realm was populated by enslaved citizens from various worlds conquered by Darken, all forced to build a massive, sprawling palace in his honor. Darken's overseers showed no mercy, brutally whipping men, women, and children alike for the slightest mistake.
Despite their own suffering, the other slaves showed immense kindness toward Liora, offering her gentle support whenever they could, seeing how heavily pregnant she was. Through their quiet murmurs, Liora finally learned the truth: she was neither on Earth nor in the Mo Kingdom, but trapped within a forgotten, desolate dimension controlled entirely by Darken.
Under the sweltering heat, Liora struggled to swing a heavy iron pickaxe against a massive boulder. Lily worked tirelessly beside her, along with a group of exhausted prisoners, while others dragged the heavy stone fragments away.
Overcome by physical exhaustion and the weight of her pregnancy, Liora's knees buckled. She collapsed onto the jagged ground, dry-heaving violently.
"W-Water..." Liora gasped out weakly.
"No water until you finish your quota!" one of Darken's cruel overseers barked, raising his whip threateningly.
Before he could strike, another guard called out from across the yard. "Break time! Eat your rations!"
Liora clutched her swollen belly tightly, trying to steady her breathing. Hearing the word 'food,' the little prince inside her womb began kicking excitedly. Liora managed a faint, bittersweet smile, she knew the miserable reality of what awaited them. Each slave was allotted only a single, cold ball of rice for their entire daily meal.
Lily rushed over, gently helping Liora to her feet and guiding her toward the water basin so she could wash her face.
The guards distributed the meager rations. Liora devoured her single rice ball in seconds, driven by sheer hunger, yet her stomach remained empty. As she looked around for a shaded spot to rest her aching back, Lily stepped up, offering her own untouched rice ball toward Liora.
Liora frowned, her brow furrowing. "L-Lily?"
"Eat this." Lily said gently. "One rice ball isn't enough for the two of you."
Liora shook her head, pushing Lily's hand away. "N-No... I can't take yours, Lily. That's your only food for the day."
"Don't be stuborn." Lily coaxed with a soft smile. "I can easily sneak another one from the storage cart later."
Liora stared at the rice ball, her eyes welling with helpless tears. "A-Are you sure...?"
Lily nodded warmly. "I'm positive. Take it."
With trembling hands, Liora took the rice ball and began eating it ravenously. Tears spilled down Lily's cheeks as she watched the girl eat. Though Lily would be forced to endure starving for the rest of the day, seeing Liora nourished brought a thousand times more comfort to her guilty heart.
Yet, Lily knew this brutal environment was a ticking time bomb. If this backbreaking labor and starvation continued, it would inevitably kill both Liora and her unborn child.
Steeling her resolve, Lily made a silent decision: she would demand an audience with Darken, no matter the consequences.