The bunker had finally gone still.
No alarms.
No footsteps.
No explosions.
Only the deep, slow hum of failing machines and the soft glow around Qin Mian's containment cradle.
Yin Lie stood with one hand pressed gently to the glass, breathing through pain that burned in every part of his body. His ribs throbbed. His wrist hung useless. His blood stained the floor.
But none of that mattered.
Because inside the cradle…
Qin Mian was moving.
Her fingers twitched first—small, fragile motions, like butterfly wings testing the air.
Then her breathing shifted, becoming deeper.
Steady.
Real.
Yin Lie held his breath.
This was it.
Chen Gu whispered from behind him:
"She's… she's crossing the threshold. Her mind is choosing to wake."
Thorne peeked from behind a broken console, his face pale with awe and fear.
"That's good, right?
…Right?"
No one answered.
All three watched as the glow around Qin Mian brightened like a rising sun under water.
The air warmed.
The cracks in the air pulsed faintly.
The dreamlight around her trembled.
Inside the psychic space, Qin Mian stood in her white room, clutching her hands over her heart.
Her dark hair floated around her like long shadows.
She looked at Yin Lie with eyes full of fear, hope, and confusion.
"Lie…"
Her voice was soft—too soft.
"…I can't see anything out there."
Yin Lie exhaled shakily.
"You will," he said.
"I promise."
Her fingers trembled.
"I'm… scared."
Yin Lie leaned closer to the glass.
"I know. And it's okay to be scared."
Her lips parted as she whispered:
"Stay… with me?"
Yin Lie nodded without hesitation.
"Always."
The machines around the cradle beeped erratically.
Chen Gu leaned over the consoles, eyes wide.
"Her neural activity is spiking—this is it. She's shifting from dream-state to consciousness."
Thorne's hands shook.
"What happens when she opens her eyes?"
Chen Gu didn't answer.
Because the truth was…
No one knew.
The cradle's glow pulsed again.
Then again—faster and brighter.
Yin Lie felt the psychic link tighten, pulling at the back of his mind like a warm thread.
Qin Mian stepped closer in her dream, both hands reaching toward him.
She whispered:
"…will it hurt?"
He answered immediately.
"Maybe. But you won't be alone."
Her eyes softened.
Then—
A crack appeared in the dream room's ceiling.
White light poured through.
The walls shook and dissolved into mist.
Qin Mian gasped, bending forward as pain rippled through her dream-body.
"It's… too bright—!"
Yin Lie pressed harder against the glass.
"You can do it."
Her dream-self reached toward the opening.
White light swallowed the dream.
Her physical body in the cradle arched slightly, fingers curling.
The monitor beside Chen Gu spiked into red.
"Here it comes," he breathed.
Thorne covered his ears.
Yin Lie closed his eyes.
And then…
Qin Mian's eyelashes fluttered.
Slowly.
Shakily.
Like she had forgotten how to move.
Her breath hitched.
Her fingers relaxed.
And the glow softened into a calm, steady halo around her.
Yin Lie whispered, almost afraid to break the moment:
"Qin Mian…"
Her eyelids trembled…
Then finally,
she opened her eyes.
Her eyes were bright—
not glowing from power,
not burning with fear,
but clear and human.
She blinked slowly, adjusting to the dim bunker light.
Her gaze shifted, confused at first—
taking in the glass, the machines, the ceiling.
Then she saw him.
And everything stopped.
Her eyes widened—
soft and fragile
like the surface of still water touched by a single drop.
She whispered a single word.
A single name.
"…Lie…"
Yin Lie's heart clenched painfully.
She remembered him.
Even awake.
He forced a smile, despite the blood on his lips.
"Yeah," he breathed. "I'm here."
Inside the cradle, she slowly raised her hand—
not the dream version,
but her real, physical hand.
Small.
Shaking.
Weak.
But reaching.
The glass between them frosted faintly as her power brushed against it.
Yin Lie pressed his palm against the exact spot.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"…you're warm…"
she whispered.
She really said it out loud.
Her first words awake in twenty years.
Chen Gu froze, hands shaking.
"My god… she's actually awake."
Thorne whispered, "She's… she's a person."
But Qin Mian didn't look at anyone else.
Only him.
"Lie…"
her voice cracked, soft and trembling.
"I… I can't feel the sky."
Yin Lie swallowed hard.
"You will."
She blinked again, eyes shining.
"…is it blue?"
"It's beautiful," he said.
"And you'll see it soon."
Her lip quivered.
"I want to see it."
"I'll take you," he promised.
Her fingers slipped down the glass.
And then suddenly—
Her powers surged.
A blue wave rippled outward, rattling every loose screw and bending the air like heat haze.
Chen Gu shouted, "Lie—step back! She's unstable—her mind and body are syncing for the first time—"
Yin Lie didn't move.
He stayed exactly where he was.
Qin Mian's eyes filled with fear as the psi-energy burst around her.
"No—no—I didn't mean to—! I'm going to break everything—I'm going to hurt you—!"
Yin Lie slammed his palm against the glass.
"You won't," he said, voice sharp and steady.
She froze.
"You won't hurt me," he repeated.
Her breath trembled.
"But how do you know?"
Yin Lie stared right into her eyes.
"Because you just woke up…
and the first thing you did was worry about me."
Her eyes widened.
He continued:
"That's not a monster.
That's not a weapon.
That's a girl."
Her voice cracked.
"A girl who forgot everything."
"Then we'll learn everything again," Yin Lie said softly.
"Together."
Qin Mian stared at him.
And for the first time—
her lips curled into the tiniest, softest smile.
Not perfect.
Not whole.
But real.
Then—
Her containment cradle beeped urgently.
Chen Gu inhaled sharply.
"Uh—Lie? Her life-support is failing. We need to get her out of there or she'll slip again!"
Yin Lie stepped back and nodded.
"Do it."
Qin Mian's eyes widened with fear.
"Lie… don't go."
Yin Lie placed one last hand against the glass.
"I'm not going anywhere."
She nodded slowly.
And for the first time in twenty years—
she prepared to take her first real breath of the world.
Chapter 64 Completed