Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms, his embrace strong but gentle. The warmth of his body, the solidness of his presence, felt so real. My heart, which had been pounding in panic, gradually started to calm, the wild rush of fear fading into something... softer.
"Shh," he murmured into my ear, his voice soothing, almost like a balm to my frayed nerves. "It's alright. Everything's fine. I'm here. You're safe now, Yu."
I hesitated, my hands still trembling as they rested on his chest, but I couldn't bring myself to push him away. His touch was too tender, too real, and I felt something shift within me—something I wasn't ready to confront.
"You don't need to be afraid," he continued, his fingers brushing through my hair with the gentlest of caresses. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay by your side, always."
His words were a lullaby, calming me, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't feel like I had to fight. The storm inside of me, the turmoil, the disbelief—it started to settle, even if just for a moment.
I looked up at him, my eyes still wide with confusion, but my body—my body felt different now. I was smaller than him, almost half his size, and there was something about his presence that made me feel protected. How can this be real?
I glanced around the room, noticing for the first time the soft colors and delicate furnishings—the pale pink walls, the luxurious silk hanging by the windows, the faint fragrance of incense in the air. It all seemed so different from the harsh, broken world I had left behind.
I was wearing a pale pink sleeping hanfu, the fabric soft against my skin, and I felt... cared for, even though every part of me was still screaming in disbelief.
How did I end up here? Why am I here?
I looked up at him again, the confusion still heavy in my chest. "This… this is real, isn't it?" I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
He nodded, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yes, Yu. This is real. You're home
As he looked down at me, his eyes softened, but there was an unspoken weight behind them. "You've been through enough," he murmured, his voice gentle but firm. "I know… and I won't let you suffer anymore."
His words should have comforted me, but instead, a chill ran down my spine. I didn't understand how any of this was possible, how he could know so much, or why I felt so powerless in this moment.
"Shh," he said, cutting off my words before I could respond. His tone shifted, becoming more serious, more commanding. "No more talking. You've just opened your eyes, and you're panicked. I know you're scared, but you need to calm down."
I stared at him, my breath still shaky, my heart thumping. What was he talking about? Opened my eyes? Panicked?
"Okay, I'm here," he continued, his voice growing softer again. "You can say whatever you want, but first—" His eyes hardened, and he straightened, his posture shifting into something that radiated authority. "Call the sect medic. Yu has woken up."
He gently guided me to sit down, his hands steady as he helped support me. I couldn't deny the warmth of his touch,
I had expected to be in a different world entirely—one where I had already died, one where the pain, the suffering, and the torment were all behind me. But here I was, sitting in a soft room with warm light filtering through the windows, wearing a delicate sleeping hanfu, and staring at a man I barely recognized—Wei Xiaotian.
No, not Wei Xiaotian, I corrected myself, blinking in confusion. He's not... he's not just a man from the dream. He's real.
Yet, everything felt like a dream—a beautiful, impossible dream that I couldn't wrap my mind around
Wei Xiaotian, noticing my gaze, knelt in front of me, his expression serious. His brow furrowed as he gently took my hands into his. "You've been through a lot, Yu," he said softly, but there was a certain finality in his voice. "I'll explain everything soon, but for now, rest. You're home. And I won't let you go through any more pain."
How could I be here, alive, and facing someone who spoke to me as if we had been together in a life I didn't remember?
As the door creaked open, a man entered the room—dressed in the robes of a healer, his expression focused and professional. The moment he stepped inside, Wei Xiaotian rose from his seat with a fluid motion, his movements sharp as he draped a heavy, fur-lined coat over my shoulders. The warmth from the coat settled over me, but it was his presence—his commanding energy—that seemed to shield me. It was as though his mere touch could protect me from the entire world.
Wait, I thought, trying to process everything. How do I know his name?
It slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I didn't remember him saying it to me, nor did I recall hearing it before. But it was as if his name had always been there, lodged in my mind, waiting to be spoken.
The medic, a man with quick, efficient movements, glanced between me and Wei Xiaotian. He began to examine me, but his eyes kept flicking back to my protector.
Wei Xiaotian's gaze didn't leave me for a moment, his eyes darkening as he watched the medic's every move.
"Is he fine?" Wei Xiaotian's voice was low, controlled, but there was an edge to it, a tension that made my heart skip. The medic nodded quickly, but it was clear he was uncomfortable under Wei Xiaotian's intense stare.
But just as I was about to speak, I felt a sudden shift. Wei Xiaotian leaned down, his hand gently touching my ear. The touch was unexpected, sending a jolt of warmth through my body, but then...
I couldn't hear anything.
A strange ringing filled my ears, drowning out all sound. I looked up at him with confusion in my eyes, trying to understand what was happening, but the world around me seemed to blur. Wei Xiaotian's lips moved, but I couldn't make out the words.
Suddenly, his face turned sharp, his hand pulling away from my ear as his eyes blazed with fury.
"Why aren't you answering?" he snapped at the medic, his voice dangerously low. "Should I kill you for your incompetence?"
blinked in confusion, my chest tight with uncertainty. Why is he so angry? What's happening to me?
The healer, visibly shaken, dropped to his knees and bowed low to the ground in front of Wei Xiaotian, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"He's fine, Master Wei. I assure you, there's no need to worry. His condition will stabilize in a few moments..."
Before Wei Xiaotian could unleash another word, his fury palpable in the air like a storm ready to break, I spoke. My voice came out more clearly than I expected, the words almost instinctively leaving my mouth.
"Leave him. He's just a healer."
Wei Xiaotian froze, his body going still, as though my words had struck him in some unexpected way. His sharp gaze shifted to me, confusion flickering in his intense eyes.
I met his gaze, my voice steady as I spoke again, this time more firmly. "Let him go. I'm fine."
For a moment, there was a silence, thick and charged. Wei Xiaotian's expression remained unreadable, but the flicker of surprise was there. Then, in a move that almost seemed reluctant, he nodded, his voice still carrying an edge.
"Go."
The healer scrambled to his feet, bowing once more before hurriedly exiting the room, leaving the two of us alone.
But something about the way he looked at me, the way he seemed to expect me to be fragile, irritated me. He wasn't in control of me—not completely.
And for once, I let myself feel the power of speaking my mind, even if it didn't make sense yet.