Chapter 1

The day Kaelen Shaw gave up his title as the 223rd Celestial Guardian of Serenity Peak Sanctuary for the woman he loved, Vera Thorne.

His Master embedded a Sorrow-Eater in his soul.

If Vera’s heart ever strayed, the Sorrow-Eater would awaken, slowly devouring every memory he had of her.

When Vera learned of this, she knelt before the statues of the Sacred Trinity and swore an oath.

“By the Ancients, I, Vera Thorne, will never betray Kaelen. If I break this vow, may I lose all my fortune and die in misery!”

But in the fifth year of their marriage, the Sorrow-Eater in his body woke up.

…

“Kaelen, are you certain you want to renounce the mortal world and return to guard the mountain? Once you take this mantle from me, you must sever all ties of love and passion for the rest of your life, never to leave this sanctuary again.”

Kaelen stared at the wedding photo on the wall, a picture of him and Vera, his voice cracking.

“Kaelen Shaw, the 223rd disciple of Serenity Peak, requests to return to the mountain.”

On the phone, his Master let out a long sigh. “Very well. I will give you twenty days to settle your worldly affairs.”

“In twenty days, you will officially assume the role of Guardian of Serenity Peak Sanctuary.”

“I will obey, Master.”

After hanging up, Kaelen clutched his aching chest.

He had grown up in the Sanctuary, and his only tether to this mortal world was Vera.

The only thing he needed to settle was Vera.

His mind drifted back to three days ago, their fifth wedding anniversary.

He had gone to Thorne Corp to see Vera. Through the frosted glass of her office door, he saw it all too clearly: her male secretary, Caden, was on his knees, his head nestled between Vera’s legs…

That was the day the Sorrow-Eater, dormant for five years, had awakened.

He had forgotten the first time he ever met Vera.

Even now, the feeling of loss was a gnawing void, like a piece of his heart had been carved out, leaving a dull, persistent ache.

Kaelen pushed down the pain. He had to go to Thorne Corp one more time. To ask for a divorce.

Half an hour later, in the CEO’s office of Thorne Corp.

When Kaelen pushed the door open, Vera was reviewing a document.

She wore a slim, beige pantsuit, her dark brows slightly furrowed, radiating the aura of a powerful executive.

Only when she looked up and saw Kaelen did the iciness in her eyes melt away. “Kaelen, what are you doing here?”

Kaelen’s gaze swept across her office.

Her tissues had been replaced with baby wipes. The sharp corners of her desk were covered with soft corner guards.

Even the rug under her feet had been swapped for a plush, padded mat, clearly to protect someone from getting hurt.

And that someone…

Was not him.

A tightness gripped Kaelen’s chest. He dug his nails into his palm and got straight to the point. “Vera… let’s get a divorce.”

Vera’s face fell. Then, a thought seemed to strike her. “Are you angry because I haven’t been spending time with you? Kaelen, I’ve been so busy lately. I promise, once I’m done at the end of the month, I’ll take you to the Maldives, okay?”

By the end of the month, he would be back on the mountain…

Kaelen licked his dry lips, about to tell her.

The next second, the office door opened.

Caden, her male secretary, walked in holding his lower back, placing a cup of tea on the coffee table. “Mr. Shaw, you’re here. Please, have a seat.”

Kaelen glanced at him, then at the slight swell of Vera’s belly. His voice was tight. “Since your back is giving you trouble, Caden, you should probably be resting at home.”

His words made Vera freeze in her chair, her expression changing in an instant.

Caden looked flustered but clenched his fists. “Yeah, well, I’m going to be a father in a few months. Gotta work hard to earn that diaper money, you know?”

“Oh, by the way, I hear you have a gift for divination, Mr. Shaw. They say you can see the heavens. Any chance you could read my child’s future for me?”

Kaelen stared at him, ready to refuse.

But Vera’s voice cut in. “Kaelen, just do it for him. Think of it as creating good karma.”

A sharp pain pierced Kaelen’s heart.

Casting a divination meant peering into the secrets of heaven.

The moment he began, it would take a toll on his own body.

The old Vera couldn’t bear to see him perform the ritual, knowing the cost.

And now, she was asking him, her husband, to read the future for her lover and their illegitimate child.

But he was still tied to her, bound by their unresolved connection. He couldn’t refuse her request. Not yet.

Kaelen let out a self-mocking laugh. He glanced at his watch and began the ritual, his fingers moving through the ancient signs.

Five minutes later, he looked at the result. The hexagram of Kan, the Pit. An omen of pure disaster. For a moment, he wondered if this was the price of Vera’s betrayal.

“This child is not destined to be born.”

Vera and Caden’s faces changed instantly.

“Impossible! We just had a check-up. The doctor said the baby is perfectly healthy,” Caden said, his face stiff. “Mr. Shaw, you must have made a mistake.”

Vera chimed in. “Kaelen, what are you saying? How could the baby not be born? Everything has been fine…”

But since he had first learned the art, Kaelen had never been wrong.

If he hadn’t entered the mortal world to marry Vera, he would have been the youngest Guardian in the history of Serenity Peak.

Kaelen didn’t bother to explain further. “The omens are for those who believe. If you don’t, they mean nothing.”

Caden, however, knew something of Kaelen’s abilities. His face paled, and then, clenching his jaw, he dropped to his knees. “Mr. Shaw, I’m begging you, save my child! Please!”

As he moved, the corner of a protective amulet slipped out from his shirt.

Kaelen’s eyes locked onto it.

He instantly remembered two weeks ago, when Vera had accompanied him to the Sanctuary to pay respects to the Trinity. She had knelt and kowtowed, praying fervently for an amulet just like that one.

At the time, she had said, “It’s for someone very important. I hope the Ancients bless him with a long and peaceful life.”

He had thought she meant it for him.

After all, she used to give him one every year.

But it was all a lie.

The person she needed to give it to, the person she wanted to give it to, was Caden.

That level of devotion could only mean one thing. Vera truly loved someone else. Loved him enough to carry his child.

At that realization, a sharp pain shot through Kaelen’s temples, like an insect was gnawing away inside his skull.

And then, he realized he’d forgotten something else.

It was a small mercy, really. When they were in love, the memories were sweet.

Now that they weren’t, the sweetness of the past had become a burden.

The Sorrow-Eater was freeing him of that burden. And for that, he was almost grateful.