Waiting for dawn, yet the vast skies remain unseen; in dreams, she hears the parting willow song, wind and rain covering the bed near midnight; in dreams, a rooster crows at midnight—she wakes, but the person beside her is gone.
In imaginary space, within a silent little room...
Kiana lies on her side, one arm bent under her head as a pillow, her head tilted slightly, wearing a gentle smile as if savoring this moment of peace and contentment.
But in the next moment, her other hand searches across the bed, as if looking for something.
Suddenly, she opens her eyes, staring at the empty space beside her. A confused look appears on her face, her only companions the deep night and utter silence.
Where did Fu Lin go?
Kiana's mind is blank—she can't remember anything. Only one thought keeps circling in her heart, asking herself over and over.
After a long time, Kiana struggles to sit up, the only cover on her body sliding off, revealing her fair and delicate arms.
Her heartbeat quickens. Her intuition tells her that her beloved Fu Lin... has escaped from her once again.
Kiana rubs her sore waist, takes a step, and walks out of the room, beginning to search for Fu Lin in the house. She combs through every corner, calling his name, but receives no response.
Even though she's unwilling to admit her intuition was right, reality ruthlessly confirms it.
She stands helplessly in the center of the living room. This familiar room now feels so unfamiliar and cold. Without Fu Lin's presence, only silence and darkness remain.
...
The sound of running water...
Kiana rubs her flat belly, confusion all over her face. She clearly remembers Fu Lin...
The sound of water stops...
The sink is spotless, and in the mirror reflects Kiana's face. Drops of water fall from her white bangs onto her delicate figure, her lazy posture carrying a subtle allure.
Kiana's eyes are slightly red, but a deep and cold gleam flickers in them. She quickly shifts her gaze away from her reflection in the mirror and hastily gets dressed.
Standing beside the bed, Kiana furrows her brows into a crescent shape, as she always does when thinking.
Staring at the mess on the bed, she tries to recall everything about Fu Lin, but her mind is chaotic.
She only remembers that Fu Lin took the initiative...
At that thought, Kiana stops—only because her stomach growls like a cooing pigeon, making it impossible to stay calm.
She pats her stomach, then heads to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she frowns slightly at the remaining ingredients.
Though enough to fill her stomach, her appetite has been strange lately. There are so many things she wants to eat—and just as many she doesn't.
Kiana rubs her temples, debating what to eat. Then, a flash of Siegfried's figure appears in her mind, and a decision is made.
"Today, I'll have toast pizza!"
No sooner said than done. Kiana places a bag of sliced bread, bacon, bell peppers, green peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, and a pile of greens on the table.
Then she bends down to take out tomato sauce and an unopened pack of cheese slices from the cabinet.
Looking at the table full of ingredients, Kiana rolls up her sleeves and picks up a kitchen knife, chopping vegetables skillfully while muttering,
"Stupid Fu Lin. If Dad knew how you treated me, he'd bring down the Heavenly Fire on you, humph~"
With the vegetables chopped into small pieces, Kiana sets them aside, then grabs an onion. Memories of the past flash through her mind.
"Fu Lin said that if you wet the knife, cutting onions won't sting your eyes... But I have time-stop, I don't need to bother with that!"
She looks at the knife in her hand, then the onion in the other, snaps her fingers smugly, and begins slicing on the cutting board.
But as she cuts, tears well up in her eyes, blurring her vision—yet her hands don't stop.
"What's going on? I clearly used time-stop... Why does it still sting my eyes?!"
If Kiana could open her eyes at that moment and look at the clock on the wall, she might've noticed that it was still ticking.
After a round of slicing, onions rolling on the board, tears brimming in her eyes—the kitchen was a battlefield, the onion an unyielding enemy. But in the end, it still fell beneath Kiana's blade.
"Finally done..."
Kiana raises her pale arm and gently wipes away the tears, then immediately grabs a slice of bread and spreads tomato sauce on it.
Out of personal preference, she layers it with a thick stack of cheese and bacon, then sprinkles the chopped vegetables on top.
Staring at the unbaked toast pizza, Kiana licks her lips, gently rubs her belly, and murmurs:
"Heh, my appetite's been big lately—might as well make a few more and eat to my heart's content!"
Then she turns all the remaining sliced bread into toast pizzas.
Looking at the table full of them, Kiana nods with satisfaction, placing them one by one into the microwave for two minutes each.
As the timer ends, the microwave beeps.
Kiana picks up a slice eagerly. Its color, aroma, and taste all perfect—her eyes light up, and a smile naturally forms at her lips.
"Toast pizza... it has to be crispy to taste good~"
After devouring the toast pizzas, Kiana wipes the crumbs from her lips and contentedly pats her slightly bulging belly.
But in the next second, a wave of sleepiness washes over her. Kiana rubs her eyes, her soft lips parting slightly in a yawn.
"Ha~"
"Sleepy again? At a time like this... I was supposed to go catch Fu Lin."
Kiana stands up, shakes her head to clear it. Over the past month, drowsiness has come over her again and again—now it feels normal.
Even if she's reluctant, an invisible force weighs down on her, making it impossible to resist the sleepiness. Drowsy, she returns to the bedroom and lies on the soft bed.
Her whole body feels surrounded by some soft, invisible force. Her eyelids are too heavy to lift. Hands gently resting on her belly, she slowly drifts into a dream.