Hours later, under the night sky of Paradise.
Ali stood alone in the lively street of the food market beneath the Merchant's Guild, a place famous for its late-night dining. The entire street stretched from end to end, lined with food carts, each offering mouthwatering aromas, while luxury restaurants sat above them, their warm lights glowing from the balconies overlooking the busy scene below.
Despite the liveliness around him, Ali stood out.
He wore black pants and a high-quality black turtleneck, its snug fit highlighting his athletic frame. Draped over it was a long black-and-white coat, the inside trim lined with black fur, giving him an air of effortless elegance and authority.
The dim glow of the street lamps cast subtle shadows over his face, enhancing the sharp angles of his jawline and cheekbones, making his already striking features even more captivating.
He was waiting for his date.
Ali glanced at his interface, checking the time.
'When was the last time I did something like this…?'
He was a few minutes early, arriving at the exact time written on the small piece of paper given to him by one of the Death Sisters earlier that day.
Ali smirked to himself.
'Ali, the Great Emperor, waiting for a woman…'
He let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.
'If he saw this, he'd be dying of laughter right now.'
A fleeting memory surfaced—a friend of his, someone from Earth. Someone he hadn't thought about in a long time.
Before his thoughts could linger, a shift in the atmosphere caught his attention.
On the other side of the street…
A group of five elegantly dressed women browsed through the various street food stalls, their soft laughter blending into the noise of the market. But it wasn't long before they noticed the whispers spreading through the crowd.
A few heads turned toward a particular spot in the street—the very place where Ali stood.
And then, they saw him.
The tall, dark-haired man, standing alone, exuding an undeniable presence, his hands in his pockets, the soft glow of the lamps highlighting the sharp contrast between his black outfit and the fur lining his coat.
The hollowed silence in that part of the street made it impossible to ignore him.
"That's him, right? The Ali. He's so hot…"
A pretty Latina whispered to her friends, her dark eyes flickering with interest as she discreetly adjusted the neckline of her dress.
"Watch me."
A blonde in the group smirked, pulling out her lipstick and fixing her red lips before confidently stepping toward him.
"Hey, wait—" The other four girls exchanged looks before following her lead, their excitement building as they gained confidence from their friend's initiative.
Ali remained still as the women approached.
The blonde was the first to speak, her voice smooth and flirtatious.
"Hi, do you mind if we join you?"
Ali lowered his gaze, his cold black eyes meeting hers.
"What are you doing all alone here?" The Latina followed up, stepping closer, her tone carrying an unmistakable playful curiosity.
Ali raised a brow, glancing at the girls surrounding him.
"Ladies, one by one…"
His calm, controlled voice made them shiver.
Encouraged by his lack of immediate rejection, the girls launched into a flurry of questions and flirty remarks, each one trying to outshine the other as they competed for his attention.
Until—
A single voice cut through the noise.
"Ali."
Ali's head snapped in the direction of the voice—
Evelyn.
She stood a short distance away, bathed in the golden glow of the street lamps.
She wore a stunning black dress, the deep neckline accentuated by delicate floral embroidery, drawing attention to her ample curves. The side slit revealed glimpses of her smooth, toned thigh with each slow, measured step she took toward him.
Her black hair cascaded down her back, contrasting beautifully with the dark fabric, and her black eyes glowed softly under the night sky.
Ali smiled.
Then, he turned his gaze back to the girls around him, who had also followed his eyes and were now staring at Evelyn.
Their faces paled slightly in recognition.
She was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful women on the Second Level.
She was also the most dangerous.
Ali's voice broke the silence.
"It was lovely meeting you—"
He stepped away from the group, his attention fully shifting toward Evelyn.
"But my date's here."
The girls watched helplessly as Ali walked past them, their confidence crumbling as he gravitated toward Evelyn without hesitation.
Evelyn kept her smile, but Ali could see the promise of death behind it.
'She's angry… Understandable.'
As he stopped in front of her, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes locked onto his.
"Did I interrupt your fun?"
Her voice was sweet, but Ali knew better.
He didn't flinch.
Instead, he smiled down at her.
"You're gorgeous."
For the first time that night, Evelyn was taken aback.
A faint blush dusted her cheeks before she quickly looked away, composing herself.
Ali extended his arm.
Evelyn hesitated for only a second before slipping her arm through his.
With their arms linked, they walked through the bustling street, and like a force of nature, the crowd instinctively parted for them.
By the time the sun rose, the entire Second Level would be talking about this.
As they strolled, Ali glanced at her once more.
"The dress suits you. I like it."
Evelyn tightened her hold on his arm.
"Thank you. It was handmade…"
Her voice was softer this time.
Their conversation flowed easily, light flirtations exchanged between them until they finally arrived at an exclusive restaurant at the end of the street.
A waiter was already waiting outside, his posture straight, his eyes respectful.
"Reservation for two."
Ali's voice was calm, yet there was no need for confirmation.
The waiter had already been notified by his boss about their arrival.
"Please follow me."
He opened the door, leading them up to the second floor.
Inside, the atmosphere was different.
This wasn't a place for casual diners.
It was a gathering of the Second Level's elite—the powerful, the influential, the rich.
And yet, the moment Ali and Evelyn stepped inside, all eyes shifted toward them.
The men stared at Evelyn, entranced by her beauty—until their gazes drifted toward Ali.
Then, they quickly averted their eyes.
On the other hand, the women weren't as subtle.
They stole glances at Ali, some whispering amongst themselves, some blatantly admiring him.
Evelyn noticed immediately.
Without hesitation, she leaned into Ali, her arm wrapping tighter around his.
Then, in a move that left no room for interpretation, she gave him a soft side hug, her ample chest pressing against his arm.
The message was clear.
Ali was hers.
So don't even try.
They arrived at their table, and Ali, ever the gentleman, pulled out a chair for Evelyn before taking his own seat across from her. He didn't mind showing courtesy to certain women, and Evelyn was most definitely one of them.
Once they had both placed their orders, the table quickly began to pile up with food.
Ali hadn't held back in the slightest.
Evelyn sipped her glass of wine, glancing down at the four large steaks sitting in front of Ali, with even more on the way.
"You sure have a big appetite," she remarked, her eyes glinting with amusement.
Ali picked up his fork, unbothered.
"My body needs a lot of calories to function."
Evelyn tilted her head slightly, studying him.
"I guess that means I'll have to learn how to cook."
Ali raised a brow at her.
"Evelyn, the date just started. Shouldn't you make your decision at the end?"
Evelyn simply smiled, taking another slow sip of her wine.
"I like being honest with myself. It got me this far in life."
Ali chuckled lightly at that before shifting the conversation.
"You must've been very busy today. I thought you'd ask to reschedule our date."
Evelyn let out a tired sigh.
"Busy is an understatement. I seriously considered stepping down from my position at least five times today."
She leaned back slightly, swirling the wine in her glass before glancing at Ali again.
"But thinking about our date helped me pull through."
Ali's expression softened for a brief moment before he picked up his knife and cut into his steak.
"Ali, I have a question."
He looked up at her, placing his fork down before giving her a small nod.
"Why did you reject the Supervisor's offer?"
Ali blinked once, then smiled.
"What offer?"
Evelyn didn't take the bait.
"The offer to become the Head of the Adventurer's Guild—the most powerful position on the Second Level right now."
Her eyes locked onto his, watching for any reaction.
Ali tapped his fork against the edge of his plate, then asked, "Is that Evelyn asking, or the Head of a major guild?"
"On this date, I'm Evelyn only."
Ali exhaled slightly through his nose before finally admitting,
"They did offer it to me."
Evelyn stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
Ali leaned back in his chair, tilting his head slightly.
"I rejected because it wasn't something I thought would be fun."
He picked up his knife again, cutting another piece of steak before continuing.
"Creating a guild… dealing with politics… preparing for war… constantly reassuring thousands of players that everything is fine when they're being hunted the moment they step outside."
Ali stabbed his fork into the steak and lifted it.
"Annoying."
That was his final answer.
Evelyn shook her head slightly, almost laughing at the sheer bluntness of it.
"I understand, but still…"
Her voice lowered slightly as she stared at the man in front of her.
"You're so much better than the proxy they went with. They must've offered you an insane deal, and yet you still rejected it."
She tapped her gloved finger against her wine glass.
"I don't know if I could've done that."
Ali finished chewing before answering.
"I value my time highly. If they wanted to tie me down, they had to do better."
His black eyes locked onto hers.
Then, without warning, Ali tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Is it me, or are you getting more and more beautiful?"
Evelyn quickly covered her smile with her gloved hand, shaking her head.
"Stop it."
But the faint blush dusting her cheeks said she didn't actually mean that.
Their conversation continued, flirting effortlessly between them as they enjoyed their meal.
By the time they had finished dinner, they were walking down the quiet streets of the Second Level, the night air cool and crisp.
Ali's sharp senses picked up on the subtle but constant presence surrounding them.
'Six.'
His black eyes flickered slightly.
'She's the only player who moves around with this much protection.'
He didn't even have to look up to know that all six Death Sisters were on the rooftops, shadowing their every move.
Ali leaned in slightly, his breath brushing against Evelyn's ear.
"I'm getting tired of them following us."
Evelyn let out a small sigh.
"I can't do anything about it, Ali. They don't listen to me when it comes to keeping an eye on me."
Ali stopped walking.
He turned to her fully, then offered his hand.
"You wanna run away?"
Evelyn smiled.
Then, she placed her hand in his.
Ali wasted no time.
Before she could even prepare herself, Ali bent down and scooped her into his arms.
A perfect princess carry.
Evelyn's golden eyes widened in shock, but before she could protest, her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck.
"A-Ali!"
Ali simply smirked.
"Hold on tightly."
Evelyn swallowed, her heart pounding slightly.
She wasn't sure if it was from excitement, embarrassment, or something else.
'He's going to fly.'
That was her first assumption. That Ali would use his famous Telekinesis to fly away but she knew that wouldn't work against the sisters.
But she was wrong.
Instead of going up, they were falling.
Evelyn's eyes widened further as she saw the faint edges of a black circle beneath Ali's feet.
'A portal?'
Before she could process it, they vanished into the darkness.
The Death Sisters reacted instantly.
They exploded from their positions, moving at inhuman speeds, reaching the spot where Ali had just been—
But they were too late.
The black portal closed, and Evelyn's presence disappeared.
For the first time, the streets were completely silent.
Then—
"I can't sense the Death Mark."
One of the Death Sisters gritted her teeth, scanning the area.
"Where did he take her?!"
Before any of them could answer, they all turned their heads sharply in a specific direction, far away.
The Death Mark had resurfaced.
———————
Guys be honest do I have a future as a romance novel author, could I write the next Romeo and Juliet?😏😅
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