The door creaked open, and Lin Xiao's breath caught in his throat. But it wasn't another nurse or a mysterious figure stepping through the doorway. It was his mother.
Her face was a mixture of relief and exhaustion, her eyes red from what looked like weeks of worry. She rushed to his side, tears already welling up as she looked at him, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for his.
"Xiao Xiao, you're awake!" she whispered, her voice breaking. "I was so scared... I thought—"
"I'm okay, Mom," Lin Xiao said, giving her hand a squeeze. He could see the toll his coma had taken on her, and guilt gnawed at him. She looked as if she hadn't slept properly in days, if not weeks.
She sat down beside him, her hands still clasping his tightly. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this. Every day... I kept praying you'd wake up."
Lin Xiao felt a strange disconnect. This was his mom, the same woman who raised him and took care of him, but something felt off, like a subtle but crucial detail was missing. His mind was still stuck on the events he'd just experienced. The portals, the red moons, the boy in the cave, the strange voice on the phone—all of it swirled in his head like a fever dream he couldn't shake.
"Mom…" Lin Xiao started, his throat tightening. "I have to tell you something. While I was… asleep, or in the coma… things happened."
His mother tilted her head slightly, giving him a patient but concerned look. "Xiao Xiao, you've just woken up. It's normal to feel confused after being in a coma for so long."
"No, Mom. It wasn't just dreams. I… I saw things," Lin Xiao continued, his voice shaky. "There were two red moons, and… there were supernatural events. There were portals and… I think I met someone who knew my name before I even told them. It felt so real. And the earthquake, do you remember that?"
His mom blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Red moons? Earthquake?" She shook her head softly. "Xiao Xiao, there hasn't been any earthquake. And the moon… it's been the same as always. Sweetheart, you were in a coma. You probably had some vivid dreams. The brain does strange things when it's healing."
"No, no, it wasn't a dream! I know it sounds crazy, but it was so real, Mom! The things I saw… I could feel them. Like they weren't just in my head," Lin Xiao insisted, his voice rising slightly as he tried to make sense of everything. "I wasn't just sleeping! Something happened. And I can't access my system anymore. It's like everything's gone."
His mom's expression softened, but she let out a quiet sigh. "Xiao Xiao, I know you've been through a lot, and your mind is probably still recovering. But what you're describing… it sounds like part of the coma. Dreams can be so vivid, they sometimes feel real. But that's all they are—dreams."
Lin Xiao felt a knot tighten in his chest. He knew what he saw, what he felt. It was all too detailed, too coherent to simply be some hallucination. His mom's explanation didn't sit right with him. Yet, looking into her weary eyes, he knew she didn't believe him. She thought this was all just the aftermath of a trauma-induced coma.
"I just... I don't know how to explain it," Lin Xiao muttered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Everything was so strange, and when I woke up, it feels like none of it ever happened. But it did. I know it did."
His mother sighed again, giving him a gentle but concerned smile. "I'll talk to the doctor about this. Maybe it's just some aftereffects of the coma. I'm sure it'll go away with time, Xiao Xiao. You just need to rest and recover."
Her words made Lin Xiao's stomach churn. He could see the love and concern in her eyes, but there was no understanding, no belief in what he was saying.
She was already dismissing his experiences as just part of the coma, something she'd report to Dr. Huang as a medical concern rather than something to take seriously.
Lin Xiao wanted to argue, to keep explaining, but the look on her face told him it wouldn't matter. She wasn't going to believe him. She would nod along, give him a comforting smile, and then quietly tell the doctor to monitor his "mental state."
"I guess I just need to rest," Lin Xiao muttered, lying back against the pillow. "Maybe I'm overthinking it."
His mom smiled softly and stroked his hair. "That's right, Xiao Xiao. Just focus on getting better. We can talk about all of this later when you're feeling stronger."
She stayed with him for a few more moments, holding his hand, her presence a small comfort even though she didn't understand what he was trying to say. When she eventually left to notify the doctors, Lin Xiao was once again left alone with his thoughts.
"Was it all just a dream?" Lin Xiao wondered, staring up at the hospital lights. "Or is there something more going on that no one else can see?"
As soon as his mom left the room, Lin Xiao sat up in the hospital bed, his mind spinning. He glanced out of the window at the peaceful sky—no twin moons, no strange clouds, just the ordinary blue he had always known.
"Was it all really just a dream?"
he thought, rubbing his temples in frustration. He couldn't shake the feeling that everything he had experienced—the red moons, Xiao Bai, Lil'Blackie, the portals—had been too real. And yet, his mother's words lingered in his mind. She was so sure it was all just a product of his coma.
"But Xiao Bai... Lil'Blackie… Where are they? Were they even real?" Lin Xiao murmured to himself, staring blankly at the sky. He sighed deeply, leaning back against the pillows. "Maybe I am just losing it..."
Just as he was about to close his eyes, a familiar sound echoed in his mind, making him sit up straight.
Ding.
The noise was unmistakable. Lin Xiao froze, his eyes widening. "No way..."
A message flashed before his eyes, clear and crisp, just like it had before.
[System Update: The system has been updated.]