Xiao Lin's body lay still, but his spirit was far from silent.
He floated through a world of light and shadow, suspended in a dreamscape that pulsed with the rhythm of stars and memories. He felt no pain, only warmth—like the hush before dawn, as though the entire universe had curled around him, whispering ancient truths long buried.
He stood in a forest of silver trees, the leaves glowing softly in the windless air. The path beneath his feet shimmered, lit by the ghostly footprints of those who walked it before.
Then, from the mist ahead, a figure stepped forward.
"Mother?" he whispered.
She looked just as he remembered—long hair like moonlight, fox ears delicately perked, her robes woven with constellations. But this was no illusion of memory. This was her spirit, eternal and proud.
"You've come far, my little flame," she said softly, voice echoing with the tones of a hundred generations. "And now you are ready."
Behind her, the forest transformed. A temple rose—a replica of the one Xiao Lin had found, but glowing with golden fire. Murals danced across the walls, showing fox spirits with halos of fire and guardians with dragon wings fighting beside them.
"The blood in your veins is sacred. Not only fox—" his mother stepped closer and placed a hand over his heart, "—but of the Celestial Flame, a lineage long thought lost."
Xiao Lin staggered back. "I… I don't understand."
"You will. Our people once protected the balance between human and beast, light and dark. That balance was broken. And the Zerg—those twisted remnants—are afraid of you. Because you are the only one who can restore what was lost… and end the war their masters began."
Xiao Lin looked at his hands. Flames danced across them. "What about Sheng Long?"
His mother smiled, soft and knowing. "The dragon walks beside the flame. You will never be alone, Xiao Lin."
The dream wavered. He felt a pull—pain, voices, warmth.
"It's time to return."
"Wait—" he called out. "Mother, what if I'm not strong enough? What if I lose him?"
Her smile never faded. "You already found him."
The dream shattered into starlight.
---
**Outside, in the waking world...**
Sheng Long hadn't left the bedside once. His armor was gone, his outer robes wrinkled from days of vigil, his eyes red from silent worry. The doctors came and went, giving up any hope of predicting when—or if—Xiao Lin would wake.
Until...
Xiao Lin's fingers twitched.
Then, his lips parted.
"Sheng… Long…"
The Marshal jerked up from his seat, nearly knocking over the medical tray. "Xiao Lin?" His voice cracked. He grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly. "I'm here—I'm right here!"
Xiao Lin's eyes fluttered open slowly, glowing faintly gold.
"Did you miss me?" he whispered, exhausted but smiling.
Sheng Long let out a sharp breath and pressed their foreheads together, trembling with the storm of everything he couldn't say.
"You idiot," he muttered. "Next time, I'm locking you in a vault."
Xiao Lin chuckled weakly. "You'd get lonely without me."
Sheng Long didn't deny it. He simply whispered, "Welcome back."
Outside, the empire buzzed with new threats and deeper betrayals.
But for this one moment, the fox and dragon were reunited—and neither would let go.