When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that something soft and oddly squishy was beneath me.

For a moment, my half-conscious mind tried to make sense of it. A pillow? Maybe the blanket had bunched up weirdly? Whatever it was, it was warm… really warm. I shifted slightly, my face buried in it, and a faint floral scent drifted up, ink and hyacinth.

Wait.

I blinked, rubbed my dry eyes with the back of my hand, and sat up slowly, my mind still foggy. My eyes stung, my throat felt dry. It was like I'd spent the night crying, no, not like… I had.

And then everything from last night came rushing back.

The goddess.

The meadow.

The three orbs.

That unbearable flood of emotions.

And then… Belle.

My breath hitched slightly. I looked down.

There she was.

Belle was sitting in the chair beside the bed, her head tilted slightly to the side, fast asleep. My head had apparently been resting in her lap the whole night, her hand still tangled loosely in my hair, as if she'd fallen asleep while stroking it.

Her usual black blindfold was still on, but even without seeing her eyes, I could tell she was exhausted. Her posture was slouched, her lips parted ever so slightly as she breathed softly.

For a moment, I just… looked at her.

It felt strange. Comforting and embarrassing at the same time.

I remembered her warmth, the way she held me without hesitation, the way her heartbeat had steadied mine when everything else had fallen apart.

A sigh escaped me before I could stop it. I rubbed my temples and muttered quietly to myself, "What the hell happened to me…"

The answer was obvious, though. I'd lost control. I'd broken down.

And she'd stayed.

That thought alone made something twist in my chest something that felt a lot like guilt, but also softer, something I didn't dare name.

I leaned back against the pillows, exhaling deeply, the faintest smile tugging at my lips as I glanced at her again.

"...You really don't know when to stop caring, do you?" I whispered.

Belle shifted slightly, mumbling something incoherent in her sleep, and I froze, watching her for a moment before quietly looking away.

The morning sun filtered through the infirmary curtains, painting the room in shades of gold and white.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't wake up with nightmares or in pain.

Just… tired. And grateful.

Heat crept up my face the moment I remembered what I'd woken up on. My mind betrayed me, flashing back to the warmth, the softness, the steady beat of another heart under my ear.

My whole face went red in an instant. Gods, really? I wanted to slap myself, to bury the shame somewhere deep, but Belle was still sleeping peacefully beside me, and I couldn't risk waking her.

So I just let out a quiet, shaky sigh instead.

For a long moment, I sat there, staring down at my trembling hands. The memory of last night pressed down on me like a weight, my voice breaking, my tears refusing to stop, the way I'd fallen apart in front of her.

"How pathetic…" I whispered under my breath.

My fists clenched. How could I lose control like that? Why did I break the moment I saw her face?

Was it just the aftermath of those alien emotions still clawing through my mind? Was it my weakened mental state, or was it something deeper?

Maybe… maybe it was the relief.

The relief of seeing someone there when every instinct told me I'd been abandoned again.

That thought sat heavy in my chest. I looked at Belle again at the calm rise and fall of her breathing and something inside me softened.

I still didn't understand what I was feeling. But for the first time in a long time… I didn't want to push it away.

Belle shifted slightly, her hair brushing against my arm, and my heart lurched. The rhythm quickened, thudding harder, louder until I could feel it in my throat. I froze, confused. Why was it beating so fast? What the hell was wrong with me?

I tore my eyes away, desperate for a distraction.

"Status," I thought.

A familiar window blinked into view.

StatusName: Sebastian NekrosAge: 17Rank: E (67%)Affinity: Life, Death, SoulflamesBloodline: 3/3 Locks

AttributesStrength: E+Agility: E+Endurance: E+Perception: EWillpower: E+Luck: Unpredictable

Titles:– Son of Death– Apostle of Life– Anomaly

Sword Art: Nyxian DirgeCompanion: Sacha Nekros

My eyes narrowed. The window looked… different. It used to shimmer and shift colors each time I opened it, like it was alive somehow. But now it was fixed, black with sharp white text.

And then there was the percentage beside my rank. E (67%). That hadn't existed before. I could feel faint threads of understanding tugging at the back of my mind; it was some progress indicator, measuring how close I was to advancing to the next rank.

My gaze drifted to the part that stood out most:

Bloodline: 3/3 Locks.

Before, that section had always been simple, one dull word: Locked. Something I could ignore. But now there were three locks, shimmering faintly in sequence, each one marked with a different color: silver, crimson, and obsidian.

Each pulse came with a faint vibration in my chest, like something deep inside me was resonating with them.

I hesitated.

What changed? Why now?

I hesitated, staring at the small tab that glowed faintly beneath the word Bloodline.

Part of me wanted to look deeper. To open the Bloodline tab and finally see what was buried there. But another part of me, the rational one, screamed not to.

And then, despite every instinct in my body screaming, I smiled faintly.

"Maybe… just a peek."

The air around me grew still. Even Belle's quiet breathing seemed to fade away.

I thought about opening it—

And the world seemed to hold its breath.

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