Ren drifted deeper into unconsciousness, the warmth of his blanket anchoring him, though his mind was tugged elsewhere.
A silver mist unfurled before him, endless and glowing faintly like moonlight on water. He knew this place—not real, but not false either. The air itself seemed to hum with a low, familiar pulse.
"Ren…"
The voice curled through the fog, deep and intimate, tugging at him like invisible chains. Ren turned, and there he was.
Li Wei stood before him, tall and sharp, golden eyes burning with an unearthly glow. Yet unlike before, there was no cruel smirk or mocking tilt to his lips. Tonight, his gaze was softer—hungry, yes, but tempered with something almost fragile.
Ren's chest tightened. "Why are you here again?" His voice cracked with both accusation and fear. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
Li Wei stepped closer, the mist parting under his weight. "Because you're mine. Even when you sleep, I find you. Especially when you sleep."
Ren's breath hitched as Li Wei reached out, fingertips brushing the mark on his shoulder. A searing warmth spread instantly, but unlike before, it didn't burn—it throbbed, as though answering a call.
Ren tried to step back, but the mist thickened around his feet, holding him still. His body betrayed him, leaning into the touch. "This… isn't real. It's just a dream."
Li Wei's lips curved faintly, but it wasn't amusement—it was longing. "Dreams are merely doors to the truth your heart refuses to face." He leaned in, breath warm against Ren's ear. "Tell me, beloved… does your body not already remember me?"
The words sank like venom and nectar all at once. Ren's pulse stuttered. He hated this—how easily Li Wei's presence unraveled him, how his body reacted as though it had known this touch for centuries.
"I don't…" Ren tried, voice weak, "…I don't want this."
Li Wei's hand slid down his arm, wrapping around his wrist, firm but not cruel. "And yet, you tremble." His other hand rested on Ren's waist, drawing him closer until their foreheads nearly touched.
The golden eyes glowed brighter, trapping him.
Ren wanted to pull away, to shout—but instead, his lips parted with a shaky breath, his body betraying the storm in his heart.
"Rest while you can," Li Wei murmured again, echoing the words from reality, "for each night, you'll sink deeper into me."
The mist wrapped around them both, blurring the world until all Ren could feel was heat, pressure, and that unshakable bond—chains that pulsed with every beat of his heart.
And in the waking world, his fingers twitched, clutching his sheets tighter, as if holding on to something he couldn't let go of.