Chapter 922 I'm sorry  

　　"Are… are you real?" Alicia's voice cracked in her uncertainty.

She did not turn back to look at the person hugging her from behind, fearing that he might be nothing but a hallucination borne from her desperate desire of seeing him again.

She was certain she had not managed to open the gates yet!　　"I am, Alicia." His low-pitched and raspy voice sent life surging into her dying heart.

"Turn around.

Look at me, my wife…" he whispered as his hand slowly moved to hers.　　Alicia trembled and her tears burst out in a renewed flood when she turned around to face him.

Seeing that familiar and beloved face looking back at her, she shot her hands out and desperately touched his face.

He was real.

He was…　　Her body froze, finally seeing the thick swirl of shadows right behind him, coming out from the now partially opened gate.

They were akin to large tentacles made of smoke and he seemed to be tied to it or was he connected to it? But before she could ask him about it, his lips parted to speak.　　"I'm sorry…" he kissed away the fat tears that were still flowing unrestrainedly from her eyes.

Listening to him say those two words only caused her heart to break all over again.

"I'm so sorry, Alicia."　　She could not fathom any other emotions in his now pitch-black demonic eyes but the trembling of his fingers on her face and the shaking of his voice had told her all that needed to be said.　　Shaking her head, Alicia forced her broken voice out.

"No… please… please tell me you're not going to…"　　"I came back to tell you to –"　　"No, please… Ezekiel… don't!! Take me!! Take me with you –" Alicia seemed to have suddenly gone wild.

Her hands dropped from his face to his arms, and she clawed at them, as though wanting to pull herself further into his embrace.

As though she was trying to merge herself with him – into his flesh and bones, if possible.

She did not want him leaving her again.

Not when she had just gotten him back for a few moments.　　He pressed down a searing kiss onto her mouth as he held her tighter against him.

Her impossibly strong magic had already subsided after he had appeared, but she was still glowing like a goddess.

At that moment, she was a literal light in the arms of darkness itself.　　"I can't… you can't come with me, Alicia.

I will never allow you to do that." He said apologetically once their mouth parted.　　Alicia parted her mouth and drew in a breath to start her protest, but he did not even give her the chance as he quickly pecked at her lips again, silencing her.

Then he tightened his hands that were around her, shaking his head as he looked deep into her eyes, cutting off her protests even before she could make them known.　　She broke down and sobbed again.

"Why? You said everything will be alright… you told me to trust you! I can't bear losing you… I can't, Ezekiel."　　"I failed.

Forgive me for failing, Alicia." He whispered in her ear.

He kissed her head many times over.

Everything in him ached so bad.　　When he got swallowed and taken away earlier on, he was filled with nothing but shock and disbelief.

He had asked himself why.

Why? Why did he always fail when it comes to the people who were dearest to him? He could do literally anything for the whole world, for everyone, but why could it not work when it comes to himself and to the ones that he cared about the most? He had failed Sebastian and now… he failed Alicia too.

He had wondered if this was how the universe is telling him that he was just like everyone else.

Everyone fails.

That no matter how powerful he became, and no matter how perfect his plans were made, some things would still not go his way.

And that no matter how long he prepared and no matter how hard he tried, he would still fail.　　"I did everything I could, but it seems like it's not enough." He continued helplessly, his voice trembling and brittle.

He had planned to use the demonic power which had been stored in Sebastian to force the gates close.

He was certain that his power would be enough, but he was wrong.

It had shocked him that he himself did not live up to his own expectations.

He had asked himself what had gone wrong, but he could not find the answer.

But when Alicia tried to open the gate again and her powers had reached out to him, he had realized one thing he had missed.

He missed to consider that he could have left a piece of his demonic power in Alicia.

He had sensed not only vampiric and witch magic in her, but a touch of something demonic the powers that she wielded too – which was supposed to be impossible.

Unless… unless his wife was… pregnant with his child!　　That realization had hit him hard as he had not expected that to happen.

It was proven how hard it was for a vampire royal to get a woman pregnant.

A male Reign could take many years to sire a child and that was why even after hundreds of years, there were only five children sired by his father.　　This had come out as huge blow to him.

At the same time, the realization that Alicia was forcing the gate open had scared him to his core, knowing she could die in her attempt.

Not because she was not strong enough, but because of the price she had to pay for performing such a forbidden act.

He would never allow her to risk herself.

Never.　　And that was why he had forced his way out with everything he had to stop her from going down that path.

He had barely managed due to the help of her magic already creating a tiny opening where he had capitalized on to open it up.

But even with all that, his return to her would only be for a moment.

He had been chained to the other side already.

And the gate will close again and this time he could no longer come out even for a moment.