A Pact Across Two Lifetimes

A palace coup,

he vanishes under mysterious circumstances,

she searches from the highest heavens to the ends of the earth,

and he comes back from the underworld. “An emperor's word must be kept, even if it means defying heaven. If I cannot keep my promise to you in one lifetime, then I will in two. And if that is still not enough, then I will keep it in lifetime after lifetime!”