Fox Lian jolted awake from a suffocating dream.
In the dream, Emma wore the ornate wedding robes of the God Clan, crowned with jewels, her face cold as frost. She stood in the grand divine hall, beside the silver-armored general Xuanyi—the fiancé once promised to her. The elders solemnly declared the ceremony complete, thunderous congratulations echoing all around.
He tried desperately to rush forward, but an invisible barrier blocked him. He screamed her name, but his voice drowned in the noise. Emma slowly turned, her eyes—once always filled with warmth—now distant and indifferent.
"Fox Lian," her voice was colder than ice, "return to where you belong."
Then she turned away, placing her hand firmly into Xuanyi's.
"No—Emma!!!"
Fox Lian sat up, chest heaving, cold sweat soaking his nightclothes. In the darkness, his violet eyes stared blankly, the despair of the dream still vivid, tearing at his soul.
Instinctively, he reached for the space beside him—empty!
Emma wasn't in bed.
Panic flooded him like ice water. The dream overlapped with reality, his heart nearly stopping. He stumbled to his feet, voice hoarse and broken: "Emma… Emma!"
"What's wrong?" Emma's voice came from the outer room, drowsy and puzzled. She entered carrying a cup of warm water, still in thin nightclothes. "A nightmare?"
Seeing her safe and whole, Fox Lian's taut nerves snapped. Relief and terror overwhelmed him. He rushed forward, crushing her into his arms with desperate force, as if to fuse her into himself. The water spilled, soaking their clothes, but neither cared.
"I dreamed…" His voice shook uncontrollably, face buried in her neck, hot tears spilling without warning, dampening her skin. "I dreamed you… didn't want me… that you chose someone else…"
Emma was startled. She had never seen Fox Lian so undone, so fragile. She set the cup aside, hugging him back, one hand patting his back, the other stroking his sweat-damp silver hair.
"Foolish fox," she whispered, gentle and firm. "It was only a dream."
"No…" He shook his head, tail coiling tight around her waist as if she were his only lifeline. "You returned to the God Clan, wore the wedding robes, stood with him…"
"Look at me, Fox Lian." Emma cupped his face, forcing his gaze into hers. In the moonlight, her eyes were clear and earnest, reflecting only his disheveled form.
"Listen," she said, each word deliberate, "I, Emma, will never leave you, nor marry anyone else. God Clan glory, marriage contracts—none of it matters. The moment I chose you, everything else ceased to matter."
She kissed away his tears, tender and reverent: "I only want you—the jealous, fluff-loving, most beautiful fox in the world."
The panic and despair in his violet eyes slowly eased under her steady gaze and words. He drank in her warmth, her heartbeat, the nightmare's chill fading.
He lowered his forehead to hers, voice still choked but calmer: "…Really?"
"Really." Emma smiled, helpless yet affectionate, gently pinching his trembling ears. "Do you want me to swear an oath against inner demons?"
Fox Lian shook his head quickly, tail tightening further: "No." He pulled her close again, muttering, "I trust you."
Still, the coiled tail and his rapid heartbeat betrayed lingering fear.
Emma sighed, knowing the dream had truly shaken him. She guided him back to bed, letting him rest on her arm, while her other hand gently combed his tail, soothing him like a frightened animal.
"Sleep," she whispered in the dark. "I'm right here. I won't go anywhere."
Fox Lian nestled against her, tail wrapped firmly around her wrist, as if only that could confirm her presence.
Under the tranquil moonlight, his dreams this time held only her smiling eyes and the soft touch of fur in her palm.