⚠️ Content Warning:
This chapter contains graphic depictions of gore, explicit scenes, and psychological themes that may be disturbing or triggering to some readers.
Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Please proceed with caution.
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Zixuan gasped, bolting upright as though dragged violently from the depths of drowning. Her lungs burned for air she didn't remember holding back. Her chest rose and fell in quick, uneven bursts. The room was dim, warm, quiet—but everything felt wrong.
Was it just a dream?
She could feel sweat trickling from her hairline, crawling down her temples like cold fingers. Her entire body felt clammy, the sheets beneath her damp with it. The taste of blood—was that from the nightmare? Or was she biting her lip again?
"Cel—" she started to murmur, instinctively turning to the left.
But the bed was empty.
The space beside her was cold.
