Chapter 95.5: Hina’s nightmare

The room was dark, yet familiar. Hina found herself standing in a cold, desolate street under a dim, flickering light.

The air was heavy, and an unnatural silence surrounded her, suffocating her senses.

Her heart raced as she looked around, trying to make sense of where she was.

But nothing seemed real.

Nothing made sense.

The ground beneath her feet was wet, slick with something that gleamed red in the faint light.

Blood.

It seeped through the cracks of the street like a flowing river, the smell of iron thick in the air.

Hina's breath quickened, her chest tightening as she felt the weight of dread press upon her.

For some strange reason, Hina started to feel a very strange emotion of fear inside of her heart.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the distance.

At first, they were soft, almost barely audible, but they grew louder and faster, closing in on her.

Instinctively, her hand reached for her blade, but it wasn't there.

Panic set in.

She was defenseless.

A shadowy figure emerged from the fog, standing just beyond the reach of the flickering light.

Tall and imposing, its eyes were empty, hollow, and yet they seemed to pierce straight into her soul.

Hina tried to move, but her legs felt frozen in place, as if she were sinking into the blood beneath her.

"Hina…"

The voice was low, raspy, and eerily familiar.

Her breath caught in her throat.

That voice… she knew it.

It was Kai's.

"Kai?!" she called out, her voice trembling as her eyes widened in disbelief.

But something was wrong.

His voice was distorted, twisted, like an echo from a distant, forgotten place.

The figure stepped forward, and the flickering light illuminated his face.

It was him,Kai, but not as she knew him.

His expression was blank, devoid of any warmth, any love.

His eyes were cold, lifeless, staring through her as though she were a mere stranger.

In his hand was a blood-stained knife, dripping with the same red liquid that surrounded her feet.

His shirt was ripped and there were sign of multiple stabs and open cuts in his body, with blood flowing from them.

"Hina…" His voice came again, but this time it was filled with something sinister, something cruel. "Why didn't you save me?"

The accusation in his words hit her like a knife to the chest.

Hina's hands shook violently as she reached out toward him. "I-I tried… I'm here, Kai! I'm here!"

But he didn't move.

Instead, tears and waves of blood fells from

His eyes and mouth.

Instead, his figure began to distort, as if unraveling into shadows, becoming something dark and monstrous.

His body morphed and twisted into a grotesque version of himself, his eyes glowing with malice.

"You couldn't protect me. You failed, Hina."

The words echoed over and over, growing louder in her mind until they became a deafening roar.

The street beneath her began to crumble, the ground splitting apart as more blood gushed from the cracks, rising higher and higher until it threatened to consume her.

Hina screamed, trying to reach Kai, but no matter how much she ran, the distance between them only grew.

Her legs felt like lead, her body heavy, as if the weight of her sins was dragging her down into the abyss.

She could feel it pulling her, the blood swallowing her feet, crawling up her legs.

"Stop!" she cried out, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't fail you, Kai! I didn't!"

But his monstrous form only laughed, a cold, bone-chilling sound that sent shivers down her spine.

"Everyone you love will die because of you."

Suddenly, other figures began to appear from the darkness.

She saw some faces than she later recognized.

Kai's body slowly morphed into Hina's parents, their expressions twisted into grotesque masks of pain and torment.

Then came her brother, his face pale and broken, staring at her with lifeless eyes.

"You couldn't protect us," they whispered in unison, their voices hollow and accusing. "You failed us all."

"No…" Hina whimpered, shaking her head violently, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "No! I did everything I could!"

The blood reached her chest now, thick and cold, pulling her deeper.

Her arms flailed, desperate to grab onto something, anything, but the more she struggled, the faster she sank.

Just as the blood was about to cover her completely, a voice cut through the nightmare like a blade of light.

"Hina!"

It was Kai's real voice.

Strong, comforting, and filled with concern.

Suddenly, the nightmare began to dissolve. The darkness shattered like glass, and the blood vanished, replaced by warmth and light.

Hina's body jolted awake, her breath hitching as she gasped for air, covered in cold sweat.

She sat up abruptly in the bed, her heart pounding as if it would leap out of her chest.

Her hands trembled as she ran them through her damp hair, trying to steady herself.

"Hina, are you okay?" Kai's voice came from beside her, filled with genuine worry.

He had woken up, sensing her distress, his arm still wrapped protectively around her.

For a moment, Hina didn't respond.

She couldn't shake the images from her mind.

The blood, the accusations, the twisted faces of those she loved.

She turned to look at Kai, her real Kai, and felt an overwhelming surge of relief.

He wasn't a monster.

He wasn't angry with her.

He was safe.

"I… It's okay, it was only a bad dream," she whispered shakily, her voice barely audible as she clung to him.

Her body pressed against his, seeking comfort, seeking proof that he was real.

Kai's arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to his chest. "I'm here. You're safe, Hina. It was just a dream."

Hina buried her face in his chest, her heart still racing as his warmth enveloped her. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly protected.

She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, letting the rhythm of his heartbeat calm her down.

In that moment, she realized that as long as Kai was with her, she had something real to hold onto.

Something worth fighting for.