Over the course of his life, Ryusui Nanami had wanted countless people and things.
He was born bold, with an untamed refusal to lose in his bones. Whatever he wanted, he fought for it, never hiding his desires.
Fame, fortune, victory, freedom-he wanted every dazzling thing the world had to offer.
Until he awoke after more than three thousand years of petrified slumber, and all his deeply rooted desires found a tangible focus for the first time.
Stone flakes fell away, the darkness receded, and the first face to enter Ryusui's sight was Li Xiang's.
Unlike the gentle, demure women common in the old world, Li Xiang had strikingly sharp features.
Her brow bones were defined, her low brows lending her eyes a natural chill. Her nose was high and clean-lined, her lips usually pressed lightly together, their cool contours without a hint of softness.
At first glance, she looked intimidating, cool and distant, like a solitary moon edged with thorns, yet holding warmth within.
That single glance stirred a possessiveness Ryusui Nanami had never known before, despite always following his desires.
It was his most direct, purest desire-he wanted her.
Li Xiang was still a stranger then, quietly handing him a clean set of clothes.
Ryusui accepted them with a smile, his fingertips inadvertently brushing hers, and the yearning in his heart grew clearer.
He quietly committed her to memory.
In the days that followed, Ryusui gradually discovered that she was nothing like her intimidating appearance.
Li Xiang never spoke coldly or harshly. She treated people with patience and kindness, perceptive and considerate. As a doctor, especially, gentleness was etched into her bones. She patiently soothed frightened people, carefully tended every wound, and quietly watched over everyone's safety.
Watching her treat others so gently, Ryusui suddenly understood why everyone