| 𝔾𝕠𝕛𝕠𝕦 𝕊𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕦 |

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 7 - 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒔

This chapter is definitely longer.

~~

I sit in my bed, wrapped up in my thoughts as my bedroom door swings open, revealing a servant holding what is supposedly meant to be my dinner in one hand and a bottle in the other. They place them down hurriedly and leave without saying a word.

I roll my eyes. Even if their behaviour wasn't unfamiliar, and knew I just had to accept things the way they were for now, I still expectsomeone to say at least a few words to me, even if it was something like "Here's your food for the night", or "Goodnight.". Really, was that too much to ask for?

My toes brush against the cold tiles as I slowly get used to the uncomfortable feeling. I drag myself over to the bowl of soup and kneel on one knee, wobbling as I pick it up, grabbing the water bottle with my other hand.

Plopping myself down on my bed carefully, I swallow the contents of the bottle and throw it away from me, not caring if it landed in the bin or not. Then I swallow the soup, placing the now empty bowl next to my bed.

A familiar drowsy feeling takes over me and I try to slow my heart beat as I lay down. I should be grateful for the servants that put pills in my drink to take my pain away - but the sensation is so unpleasant it's sorta impossible to. I shift slightly, waiting for sleep to overtake me.

In the meantime, my thoughts run wild. How did I get here again? I was striding through the bustling streets of Tokyo what felt like minutes ago and then I find myself getting placed onto my bed, a harshly painful sensation making its way down my spine at every slight movement. It wasn't like anything I hadn't felt before, but the main problem was that I couldn't remember how it got there. It felt like a fleeting nightmare, only lingering in your mind before disappearing as quickly as it appeared and letting you move on; but only for me it was the stinging pain that remained to remind me something actually happened to me.

I squeeze my eyes together, trying not to think too much and just trying to let sleep come. And just as my mind drifts off an abrupt noise makes my hairs stand on end. Without giving a second thought to the consequences I sit up in a haste, causing my back to give me another harsh reminder of what situation my body was in. I let the pain subside and then glance around my room, taking in every little detail before my gaze lands on my window.

If I hadn't remembered that every single one of my movements would bring me pain, I would've jumped back as far as I could. That... couldn't be a person, right? Cautiously, I inch towards the edge of my bed until my feet are brushing the ground. I sway again as I struggle to lean on my own two feet, bringing my hand against the wall to try and steady myself as much as I could.

Limping towards my window, my eyelids flutter: it felt like an invisible force was pulling them down. I tried to resist, but my efforts were futile. All I could do was silently pray that I could at least make it to the window, and fall asleep knowing I was safe. My hold on my bedsheets weakens and my vision gets blurry, so even if my eyes were open I wouldn't be able to process what was going on around me.

Suddenly, everything shuts down; the only thing I can feel is the warm summer breeze as I fall. A warm feeling overtakes me: finally, sleep.

An unexpected warm feeling brings me back to my senses, but only for a brief moment. My eyes flutter open and I realize my face is pushed against soft, warm fabric. My gaze lift upwards and my eyes lock with a pair of dark, slender ones. Immediately, my heart starts beating wildly. An intruder! But how is this possible? The bars outside my window were enriched with cursed energy- anyone who tried would be sent backwards immediately. So, maybe this stranger was meant to be here. He definitely had deeper goals than theft - and I had just collapsed in his arms.

But the more I looked, the more my confusion grew. The figure seemed to be changing. How was this possible? No cursed energy could create that sort of ability - it just doesn't work.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize the figure had changed completely. I was now in the arms of a slightly taller man whose snowy white hair fell in bangs outlining his pale face, bright blue eyes looking straight at me. They felt so familiar, but the reason behind it was unknown to me.

But they didn't linger for long, as their light dims and when I blink and open my eyes, they're gone, just to be replaced with the slender dark ones. What was happening? Are these the effects of the drugs? Maybe they gave me different ones - that made my heart skip a beat. How could they...?

I sit up, a dizzy feeling taking over me. I place my head in my hand to stop the pain then open my eyes, contemplating where I was. But... what the hell was that?

𖦹𖦹𖦹

...but not long enough. Sheesh.