Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 13: Sleepwalking in Dreamland

1562: A Brief Intersection in Life

Shoreis' warning, a heavy weight, presses down on that period.

He only warned her once, and that was enough: the time left for her to recover was so brief, so every time Qiao Yuansi deteriorated, she felt that she could be killed by him at any moment.

Her desire to survive when deteriorating was extremely strong, so she pleaded, cursed, lied, and threw tantrums at him, not caring about her appearance or words, as long as she could escape. As for trying to call the police for help or running away from home, she naturally did not hesitate to do so – but when facing a posthuman with a determined will, all the means she could use were like bubbles crashing on a reef, never moving him in the slightest.

When Qiao Yuansi was stable and clear-headed, she was completely different.

Her eyes or steps were always tightly following Shoreis; sometimes he just got up to take a sip of water, and she had to follow him to the kitchen, as if he would slip away from her life if she let go for even a moment. She couldn't explain why, but she was more afraid of sitting alone at home, her face gradually deforming, than being killed by him.

During this time, her intellect was never impaired; in fact, she was even smarter in some ways. For example, Qiao Yuansi quickly realized the difference in her behavior in the two states, so when she deteriorated, she began to deliberately follow Shoreis closely, talking about how afraid and sad she was, relaxing his vigilance and then trying to escape. The first time she did this, she almost fooled him.

Qiao Yuansi would never forget that scene: one day, she finally found an opportunity to secretly escape, nervously started the car, and in her haste to back out, she looked up to see Shoreis in the rearview mirror.

He stood there, arms folded, looking as if he had been waiting for a while.

The next second their eyes met in the mirror, Qiao Yuansi stepped on the gas pedal. The car reversed rapidly, hitting a rocky cliff with immense force – she was thrown forward by the shock, hitting her forehead on the steering wheel.

Dizzy, she looked back to see Shoreis retrieving his foot from the deformed trunk. He slowly came to the driver's side, and she suddenly realized the car was unlocked. It was too late, and she could only watch as he opened the door.

Shoreis bent down, his eyes hiding the ocean under a cloudy sky. There was no emotion on his face, his tone only stating a fact. "Come back with me."

As he spoke, a strand of hair slid down his cheek, swaying in the wind, just as when they first met on the coastal highway days before.

Qiao Yuansi stared at him, slowly realizing she was awakening from her deteriorated state. Even though her consciousness seemed continuous, often when she slid into her deformed self, she wouldn't notice until a trigger pulled her back, suddenly aware of what she had just done.

Seeing her silence, Shoreis sighed.

"I will try other methods." He looked wearier and softer than usual when he thought Qiao Yuansi wouldn't listen. "You still have time."

As he led her home, Qiao Yuansi kept silently wiping tears from her face. When they entered, she whispered, "When I was little, my family had a thrush... I named her Manmiao."

Shoreis turned his head, his brows relaxing.

Because of this, the injured bird in the living room's cardboard box, although suspected of being male, was still named Manmiao. Shoreis let her talk to Manmiao every day, cleaning and feeding it. Qiao Yuansi gradually became less reluctant, sometimes even gently stroking its warm, smooth feathers before leaving.