Piercing sounds rang out—sharp, shrill, and disorienting—like a malfunctioning beeping machine. Pain crept in relentlessly, slicing across the skin with needle-like jabs and clawing at it with invisible, razor-thin talons. Thoughts blurred; emotions twisted into a chaotic knot. Every sense felt scrambled, weakened by the overwhelming flood of pain and confusion.

Mine jolted, his body flaring with even more pain. His eyes— wide with fear —scanned the room he was in while his lungs did their best not to falter. It felt like his entire body was on fire as if he’d been skinned and stitched back together. From the tips of his fingers to the tips of his hair, he could feel everything in an excruciating precision— until a cold liquid suddenly flowed into his veins.

“There,” a deep voice said, calm and soothing.

The person had warm hands that gently touched Mine’s arms. The boy’s vision was still hazy, but he could lower his gaze to see how his arms were. A silky fabric—not too heavy nor too light—wrapped his sore arms, and the medication was administered by a scalp that insisted on staying there despite the bandages hindering its perfect position.

Mine blinked until his eyes focused better. The room around him felt unfamiliar, foreign. He couldn’t see who had spoken earlier. It was dim but not pitch black—just enough light to make out shapes.

He was alone in a cold, foggy room where he only identified the beeping machine beside the bed. That room's smell was complex, from medicines, fresh blankets, and chemical scents to emotions and anxiety. A mosaic of components that Mine didn't know how to describe precisely.

A low mumble, followed by a groan escaped Mine’s throat. It was surprisingly sore and aching when he started coughing. Then, something warm brushed against Mine’s cheek. The sudden touch startled him, and the machine beside him responded—beeping faster, in sync with the spikes in his heartbeat.

“Slept well?” the person asked, their voice soft like a plumage. Their hand gently stroked Mine’s dirty hair, as if not minding touching the dry blood stains on the ashy green strands.

Mine gasped and tried to wriggle away from that person, but the more he tried to move, the more his body burned. His lungs, in a desperate attempt to shout for help, made him cough blood and then spit a golden liquid on the floor.

The person quickly took a tissue and wiped the stains from Mine’s face. Their movements weren’t rough or rushed—on the contrary, they were calm and careful.

Mine, exhausted and teary-eyed from the coughing fit, looked up at them. As the haze of fear slowly faded, the figure’s features came into focus—and with that clarity, Mine’s desperation began to melt.

The thin, orange eyes, that short dark, ashy-green hair with white strands, the tenderness in his voice and warmth in his hands, the smell of Ylang-Ylang all over his always exquisite clothing, and the sound his adornments made… Mine knew who it was.

“… Uncle…?” Mine spoke; his throat was still a bit sore.

The man warmly smiled and nodded. “Yes, it’s me. Your uncle Rito,” he chuckled.

His deep, soothing voice massaged Mine’s mind and stuffed his cold heart with fuzziness, giving it more ground so it didn’t drop.

Uncle Rito tossed the dirty tissues into the trash and returned to Mine’s side, always portraying his gentle smile.

“We’re safe, don’t worry,” Rito said, brushing Mine’s bangs.

Mine blinked slowly, savoring the warmth in the room and the gentle touch after everything he’d just endured. It felt like a blessing after standing at the edge of death.

“You came earlier than expected,” Rito started, pulling Mine back from his drowsiness. “What made it possible?” he asked, a bit puzzled.

Mine swallowed a cough, “I-I don’t quite know why…” he voiced then coughed again.

“Here, drink this,” Rito patted Mine’s back and gave him a cup of water.

I wasn’t water, but still. Well, it was barely drinkable. Pinching his nose, Mine chugged it down—ignoring how much it ached as the liquid fell down his throat.

“Your body is too raw after the Chronos’ intromission. So, this liquid will hold your body and soul together,” Rito explained, taking the empty cup from his nephew’s hands. “Now, all you need is to rest,” he reached Mine’s chest, and a small glowing pattern formed on the back of their hands.

As the other glowing patterns spread across Mine’s skin, he slowly lifted his eyes to look at his uncle. “Where exactly are we, uncle?” he asked.

“We’re in the middle of two dimensions,” Rito happily answered. “I’m now treating your soul, but your body is asleep in the hospital and…” his expression slightly changed, “… there’s someone with you. His name is Addai Lee-Hobb, do you know him?”

Mine felt his heart plunge, like the sudden drop of a rollercoaster.

More and more memories filled Mine's mind—from the worried look on Addai's face to his bitter words he couldn't tell what they meant. He remembered how much Addai was trembling the moment Mine's human shell started cracking, replacing the once peach skin with an ethereal glowing one.

He remembered the moment he stopped glowing, holding the instability's core in his hands. He remembered wherever he was—it had been beautiful. He had seen the seashore, though it was far closer than he ever expected.

He remembered someone lifting his body from the wet, cold floor—speaking too many things at once, words overlapping, urgent—and warm droplets falling onto his cheek.

“I personally think you should explain a few things to him… Gosh, he was so terrified…” Rito sighed. “You need to be considerate with humans—”

“How’s he?” Mine asked, his voice wobbly and the tips of his hair glowing in blue. He clung to Rito’s sleeves with quiet desperation.

Rito looked at his nephew, studying his expressions attentively. He sighed and sat on the bed.

“He’s healthy. That’s all you need to know but…” Rito slowly loosened Mine’s grasp on his sleeves. “You’re doing it again, right?”

Mine gasped and let go of Rito’s sleeves as if an electric current crossed his skin. The once soft pink eyes turned a marbled blue with pink variations, and his hair – once all ashy green – turned blue like the deep ocean.

Having some pride left in his core, Mine turned his head to the side. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he growled, but the golden tears rolling down his cheeks said words his mouth pretended not to know.

“My dear flower, you need to stop doubting everybody you meet…” Rito caressed his nephew's cheeks, wiping the other golden tears that insisted on falling.

Mine slowly turned his head to face his uncle. All his pride was shattered, replaced with anger and sadness as his hair turned back to the usual shy green. “I don’t trust him enough to entrust this much. His shoulders may be strong, but he can’t carry all of this,” he said, half sniffling, half angry. “I am too much. I am always too much, and people always abuse this!” he growled, his hair turning crimson and weird, dark patterns filled his arms.

Rito reached for his nephew and brought him closer, resting his head on his chest. He scratched the crimson hair strands until they turned ashy green again and the black patterns faded. Mine’s body gradually loosened, and he took a deep, shaky breath before hiding his face on his uncle’s chest.

“Mind you look at me now?” Rito asked and Mine lifted his gaze to see his uncle’s amber eyes. “Why so blue and red my flower?”

Mine’s chest faltered like his throat, unclogging whatever was stuck in it before and turning it into sobs. “… It’s hard, uncle… Trusting people is so hard…” he sobbed, uselessly wiping his golden tears.

Rito also wiped the tears from Mine’s face until his nephew’s sobs turned into sniffles again. “I know it’s hard but locking yourself this way… you’ll be completely gray one day,” he held one of Mine’s hands. “Unfortunately, my time here is ending, but you can always call me whenever you need me,” he smiled and helped Mine to lay down on the bed again. “Now go... the boy is waiting for you.”

Rito blew his nephew’s face and Mine slowly felt his body turn tired until he fell asleep.

A single golden tear slipped from the corner of his eye, staining the cold pillow beneath his head. The once-foggy room grew crystal clear to his sharpening senses—especially his hand, which rested on something warm, holding it gently, lightly, as if he were the most fragile thing in the world.

Mine couldn’t tell if he was on his way back to life or lost in a dream. Limbo—that’s where he was. Of that, he was sure. But... he could feel things.

A gentle touch pressed against his right cheek, just beneath his eye. A thumb stroked his skin in a slow, steady rhythm, soft but rough enough that he could feel every callous—maybe from years of writing.

His mind began to drift again. He was alive.

Alive.

Mine knew it now. He was alive.

But he was afraid.

Afraid to face the world.

Afraid to survive.

Afraid to live.

“Mine?” A voice called, and Mine’s hazy thoughts cleared to hear it calling his name again. “Mine, can you hear me?”

And afraid to face this person.

Afraid to face Addai. Ironic, isn’t it?

But Mine couldn’t pretend to be asleep anymore because his body jolted after the soul successfully connected to the body. Mine let out a gasp and coughed, choking on his saliva and spitting a mouthful of blood on the pristine floor. Blood. It wasn’t quite blood. It was a golden liquid.

His pupils shrank into a diamond shape, and he looked around – his breathing erratic and difficult. It was the same room, except that it actually felt like a room, not an illusion like before. His skin was peach-colored again but had touches of glowing patterns across the surface.

“I’m… back…” Mine muttered, finally admitting he was alive and couldn’t escape it. “Addai, I—”

“I thought you were… dead…” Addai muttered back, his hands slightly shaking.

They both stood frozen, staring at each other. Mine was speechless for several seconds, watching the emotions flicker across Addai's face—pain, fear, and deep concern.

Suddenly, Mine saw Addai rushing toward him. He flinched, instinctively shutting his eyes and bracing for a sharp slap—but instead, he was pulled into a tight, unexpected hug. Addai was warm and shivered, how could that be possible? Mine blinked twice and rested his head on Addai’s shoulder before reciprocating the hug.

“I was so… worried…” Addai muttered.

Mine felt his ears burn—not just because Addai’s voice was so close, but because it was deep and unexpectedly tender. He’d never imagined a voice like that coming from his friend’s mouth, let alone hearing the words spoken.

Mine’s hands were shaking, perhaps only now that his body had become aware of the shock. Using that transformation was risky, but there were times when it was impossible to interrupt it, and the best choice would be to trigger it instead of suppressing it to control the mana flow with greater precision...

... and don't let that sadistic creature take over.

Before Mine could say something, the room’s door opened. A short nurse came inside holding a clipboard in her hands. Addai loosened the embrace and looked at the nurse, one hand still on Mine’s shoulder.

“I see he woke up!” The rosy-cheeked nurse smiled, approaching the duo. “How are you feeling, darling?” she examined Mine’s face and checked his temperature.

“I-I’m okay, I think…” Mine babbled, his cheeks flushing a bit when his eyes caught a glimpse of Addai looking at him.

“Hm, perfect! I’ll check your vitals, and we’ll soon discharge you, okay?” The nurse chuckled and patted Addai on the shoulder. “Darling, may you excuse us?”

Addai nodded and glanced at Mine before leaving. His thin eyes told Mine he was exhausted but tried to keep the facade up.

The nurse calmly examined Mine’s body condition and noticed gruesome marks on his back. The bruises – spreading across the center of his back and over his shoulder blades – suggested something had torn through his skin earlier but left no further evidence. After witnessing that, she gently touched Mine’s hand and looked at him.

“I know about your uncle,” she smiled and Mine looked at her with sparks of confusion. “Don’t make this face dear…” she chuckled, “He’s my boss after all… I also work at a facility in his domain so…” she smiled again and patted Mine’s cheeks.

“So, you know I…”

“Everything I might risk saying it,” the nurse beamed. “You are a special case… hm… I’m afraid the human hospital won’t be very helpful, but we can still repair your human shell.”

“Thank you…” Mine weakly smiled.

“Ah! And who is that boy with you?” The nurse asked, taking a syringe with a glowing medicine inside. “He was so desperate we needed to sedate him,” she chuckled, giving Mine a shot on his arm.

Mine was dumbfounded.

Addai had to be sedated?!

“But don’t worry. That boy only grumbled and then took a long nap,” the nurse added with a chuckle and looked at Mine. “Is he perhaps your…”

“No! No…” Mine quickly answered before she finished speaking. “He is… it’s quite complex.”

“Youngsters and their complicated way of thinking…” the nurse patted Mine's head. "Well, you're fine! Come back in a month for a checkup. Your uncle will be here, don't worry," she smiled.

"How do you know Uncle Rito?" Mine asked, tidying his patient’s shirt.

“He’s an old friend of mine,” she beamed. “Ah, your previous clothing was… well… destroyed. If it wasn’t for your ‘friend’... you'd be... ahem... Here's his coat. He used it to cover your body,” the nurse handed Mine the bag with Addai’s dirty coat.

“It’s classified as biohazard…” Mine chuckled, taking it. “Thank you, Mrs…?”

"Ping! Mrs. Ping," she bowed, and Mine chuckled again. "Your ‘friend’ must be waiting for you at reception. He signed a paper telling us he is your guardian, so he’ll take you home, right?”

Mine tensed, feeling his cheeks slowly burning. “Guardian?” he asked, remembering the time his mother signed to be his guardian, and the receptionist asked about her relationship with him and said that only blood relatives or legal guardians could sign it.

"Yeah, he signed as your… I'll not answer~ once your relationship is complicated, hehe~" she winked, and Mine was left curious… and flushed.

Mine clutched the coat tighter, his ears burning. Guardian. That word felt too big, too real. And yet, part of him didn’t mind the sound of it.