Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Come Back
*Runze’s POV*
White.
The entire world is white.
It is not the sharp, blinding white of hospital lights that hurt the eyes, but something much softer. Endless and vast. A massive field stretches out beneath my bare feet, covered completely with tiny, pale wildflowers that move gently under a low wind I cannot actually feel against my skin.
There is no sun in the sky, there are no shadows on the ground, there is only an endless white mist stretching out beyond the horizon, blurring the line where the earth meets the sky.
I lower my eyes to look down at myself.
I am wearing the suit from my wedding day. The cuffs are perfectly straight, the silver cufflinks are neatly fastened, and there is not a single wrinkle or speck of dust anywhere on the fabric.
For some reason, that feels strange to me. I cannot remember putting the clothes on. I cannot even remember how I arrive in this place. My mind is entirely blank. I simply... am.
A quiet laugh suddenly drifts through the thick mist. It is light, bright, and completely pure.
I look up quickly. Very far away, a small figure is standing among the pale flowers. It is too far to see clearly, just a tiny silhouette that seems to be made entirely out of a soft, warm light. The figure lifts one little hand, waving toward me in a slow, welcoming gesture.
I smile without even realizing it. The sight fills me with a deep, instinctive comfort.
I take one step forward. The white flowers bend smoothly beneath my shoes. I take another step, and then another. The tiny figure remains there, waiting patiently for me. For some reason, my chest feels incredibly warm and safe, as though I am walking toward something that has always belonged to me, something I have been searching for.
But no matter how many steps I take, the distance between us never changes. The little figure stays exactly as far away as before, floating just on the edge of the white mist.
My smile fades slightly. I frown and walk faster, my strides growing longer. The figure only drifts farther back into the haze. I break into a jog, my breath steady and silent, the figure moves again, maintaining the exact same space between us.
My heartbeat becomes louder, echoing in my ears. I break into a full run. The white flowers become a blur around my ankles, and the cool mist rushes past my face, but I still cannot get any closer.
Then, the tiny figure suddenly stops moving. It stands completely still.
I stop too, my chest rising and falling. Far ahead, the figure slowly lowers its small head. Very gently, it rests both of its little hands over its own chest, it does not look frightened, and it does not look like it is hurting. It is simply... holding something precious close to itself.
A real breeze finally passes through the endless field, making the white flowers ripple like water. The white mist begins to lift, rising into the sky. As the haze clears, the little figure slowly dissolves into countless tiny, floating lights, disappearing into the air like loose petals carried away by the wind.
My smile vanishes completely. The deep warmth inside my chest goes away with it, leaving behind a cold, hollow ache.
Something is missing. Something incredibly important. I stare at the empty space among the flowers, trying to remember what it was, but I cannot find a name for it. The silence in the field becomes heavy and unbearable.
Then, from somewhere far away, a voice calls out to me.
"...Runze."
My head lifts immediately. The voice is faint, almost entirely swallowed by the vastness of the white world, but I recognize it instantly.
Bael.
"...Runze."
This time, the voice sounds a little closer. It is hoarser now, rough and breaking at the edges, stripped of all its usual corporate calm.
I slowly turn away from the place where the lights disappear. The field stretches out endlessly behind me, empty and still. Nothing remains there now except the pale flowers moving quietly beneath the invisible wind.
"...Runze."
The third call shakes something deep inside my chest. It is not loud, and it is not angry, but it sounds so incredibly lonely. It is a dark, heavy loneliness that makes my own heart ache in response.
My feet suddenly refuse to move any further into the field. One direction holds absolute, quiet peace, the other direction holds someone who is actively waiting for me, someone who completely refuses to leave my side, someone who will probably stay there and keep calling my name forever.
My fingers unconsciously curl into tight fists.
Suddenly, a familiar, subtle warmth spreads across my lower abdomen. It is gentle and fragile, a tiny flutter, as though something very small is quietly brushing against me from the inside. It is not asking me to stay in the white field, and it is not forcing me to leave.
It is only reminding me... that I am not alone. We are still together.
I slowly close my eyes. I take a deep breath of the scentless air, turn my body completely around, and take one definitive step back toward the sound of Bael’s voice.
The exact instant my shoe touches the ground, the entire white world cracks.
Long, dark hairline fractures spread rapidly across the endless sky, tearing through the pale flowers and ripping through the mist. Everything shatters into countless jagged pieces of light, falling away into nothingness.
Darkness rushes in. It is freezing cold and incredibly heavy. Not frightening darkness, just endless, as though I have fallen beneath a deep ocean where no light can reach.
I cannot tell whether my eyes are open or closed. I cannot tell whether I am standing or lying down.
Time no longer exists here.
Only weight.
Something is pulling me deeper,softly, patiently. Like sleep has wrapped itself around every part of me, inviting me to stop trying, to rest, to stay.
For one dangerous moment... I almost do.
The silence is peaceful, there is no pain here, no expectations, no fear, nothing hurts, nothing is waiting, nothing needs me.
Then warmth touches my hand. Real warmth, steady and unwavering, someone is still holding on, someone refuses to let go. The emptiness around me ripples, and somewhere very far away, a heartbeat answers another heartbeat.
Mine.
Not mine, together.
The warmth tightens ever so slightly around my fingers. Waiting patiently and faithfully, as though whoever is holding my hand has already decided that no matter how long this darkness lasts... they will still be here when I open my eyes.
An immense weight suddenly settles over every single part of my body, crushing me down. My arms feel like lead, my fingers will not obey my brain, and my eyelids feel impossibly heavy, as if they are glued shut. I am trapped inside my own physical frame again, and a sharp, throbbing ache begins to pulse at the very back of my skull.
Somewhere nearby, a steady, rhythmic sound echoes sharply through the dark.
*Beep.*
*Beep.*
*Beep.*
Another sound follows it immediately—a low, mechanical hiss, each steady breath arriving with perfect rhythm, filling lungs that still feel too heavy to move on their own.
Then comes the warmth.
Someone is holding my right hand. The grip is firm, large, and incredibly careful, surrounding my cold fingers as though terrified that I might slip away if they let go for even a single second. The familiar heat spreads slowly through my frozen knuckles, cutting through the heavy numbness. I know that specific touch. I know the exact shape of those fingers and the texture of his skin, even without opening my eyes, even without seeing the room.
Bael is right there.
The darkness around me no longer feels endless or permanent. It feels closer to morning, like the heavy shadow right before the dawn breaks. I lay beneath the crushing weight pressing against my ribs, and I gather every remaining fragment of strength I can find in my body. I force all the energy I have down to the very tips of my fingers, fighting against the heavy pull of the sleep holding me down.
I squeeze back.
My little finger twitches. Once.
It is a tiny, weak movement against Bael’s palm, almost too small to notice, but the physical reaction against my skin is immediate.
The hand holding mine trembles violently, his grip tightening until it almost hurts, desperate to catch the movement again. I can feel the sudden, intense tension radiating through his knuckles, locking his fingers completely solid against my skin. He squeezes tighter, holding onto my hand like a lifeline, anchoring me to the physical world.
Somewhere beyond the darkness, I think I hear someone call my name again. The voice shakes, as though it has been holding itself together for far too long. I want to answer. I want to tell him I heard every call.
I am still trying.
I am still coming back to him.
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