CHAPTER 136: RETURN TO REALITY

Shiao Yi was so happy that he began to cry.

"Welcome home, Dominic. I’m sorry. I made you suffer."

Sniffling, Shiao Yi reached out to touch Dominic’s cheek, and Dominic lowered his face to kiss him.

As they shared a deep, long kiss, Shiao Yi felt that Dominic’s giant dragon that was still inside him had grown larger.

"Shiao Yi... is it alright? I want to be sure of you. Knowing you’re really here makes me feel safe."

"Dominic..."

Shiao Yi understood Dominic’s need to confirm that he truly existed.

He didn’t want to refuse.

After all, it had all been his fault.

He was ready to stay with Dominic as long as needed.

But Dominic... weren’t your hands injured?

Weren’t your bones possibly broken?

You had absorbed and released magical energy countless times, and your body must be exhausted.

I was genuinely worried you might die.

And yet... Dominic, how many times are you planning to do this? Where does all your strength and passion come from? I feel like I might die... Dominic...

...

A sharp pain ran through the deep, dark despair, and a single bubble popped at the bottom of the swamp.

It felt like slowly rising through the murky, sticky mud toward the distant water’s surface.

Amid that piercing, nerve-stabbing pain, a voice could be heard.

"... ...Do, ...Dominic, Dominic"

From across the wavering water, a small voice descended.

It was a familiar voice.

A beloved voice he thought he had lost forever.

His chest ached.

Torn apart, he thought there could be no greater pain, yet his chest still trembled from the agony.

From the gaping wound in his chest, colorless blood continued to pour, even though he had thought it had all drained away.

Hearing the voice made the blood overflow and run again.

It was agonizing.

So painful.

Oh, his body felt like it was being torn apart.

And yet...

Even if it was an illusion.

Even if it was only a phantom voice.

He wanted to hear it more.

"Ahhhhh"

The face of Shiao Yi from that time would not leave his mind.

No fear. No surprise.

Just the tightly pressed mouth, trying to hold him back with silent will.

Eyes staring firmly, never doubting him for a moment.

His treasure. His one and only. His everything.

And he... he was...

"Oooooooh"

He was going mad. There was no way to stay sane. Better to go insane.

"Dominic, look at me. Dominic, feel me."

Amid the folds of his mind swallowed by madness, Dominic’s voice slipped in softly.

Perhaps it was the temporary peace his heart created.

Still, the warm, calm vibration brought tears to his eyes.

Popping. Bubbling. Floating.

Bubbles began to rise more and more.

Eventually, the entire bottom of the swamp was filled, and they kept rising, one after another.

At the same time, threads of light stretched out from beyond the water’s surface, cutting through the stagnant, murky darkness.

A grinding pain ran through him everywhere.

But the mud the threads touched was purified, turning into clear water.

Each thread of clear water gradually revived his senses.

One thin thread brought by Shiao Yi’s kiss.

The warmth of his hands. The heat of his body.

It was as if Shiao Yi were really beside him.

It must be a dream.

Even if it was a dream, it was fine.

It made him forget his suffering for a moment and brought him happiness.

And yet, the threads multiplied, urging him to wake from the dream.

To face reality. To know the truth.

No! I don’t want to wake up! Just a little longer, even if it’s only a moment.

Let me stay in this happy dream.

I don’t want to face reality!

"Dominic, you idiot!"

A tremendous will shot through him.

It felt as if his brain had exploded.

The impact was overwhelming.

Suddenly awake, all his senses returned.

His newly awakened hearing caught Shiao Yi’s crying.

He felt Shiao Yi’s hands on his back.

He sensed Shiao Yi’s chest wet, and his body convulsing with sobs.

The phantom Shiao Yi was crying with a vivid presence.

Don’t cry so sadly.

At least in my heart, please smile happily.

Please be happy.

Then a shock ran through him.

These lips... it’s Shiao Yi!

These hands... Shiao Yi!

This skin... Shiao Yi!

There’s no way I could be mistaken!

—Shiao Yi!! Is it really you? Is it really you?Shiao Yi!

Your mouth! Ah, this heat, this joy!

Your body! Hot! Hot! Burning!

—It’s you! Shiao Yi! Ooooooh! Shiao Yi!

It’s reality! Not a dream, not an illusion. This heat, this weight, this voice—they scream it across my whole body.

I am holding Shiao Yi! With these hands, these arms, this body!

It was like a flash of light, or a roaring sound. A fierce, undeniable awareness. A trembling quake shaking him through and through.

This happiness was so overwhelming that it almost caused pain.

The intensity of this joy was so extreme he could hardly believe it, checking over and over to make sure it was real.

A miracle visited him three times.

The first time was when he met Shiao Yi. He found him near death, his bones shattered, his organs ruptured.

If their meeting had been even slightly delayed, he would never have seen Shiao Yi alive. Shiao Yi would have been eaten by the magical beasts without resistance.

In that deep forest, it was truly a miraculous encounter.

The second time was when Shiao Yi went alone into the ancient magic circle and vanished in a violent explosion of fire.

The explosion left a deep crater where the circle had been.

At that moment, he had despaired, thinking he had lost Shiao Yi forever.

But a miracle returned him from the folds of that strange dimension, drawn back by the voice calling for him.

And then, the third time.

I fired him. With my own hands.

But Shiao Yi came back into my arms.

My Shiao Yi was alive!