---
He had slept like a man finally pulled down into rest by a body that had spent too much chaos energy, too much blood, and too much will in too little time. The night had been heavy enough that nothing short of real danger would have dragged him back to wakefulness. His chaos reserves, strained by Lily's transformation, his own feeding, the movement in and out of the Void Land, and the structured decisions of the night, had forced his body into deeper rest than usual.
That was why he had not woken a single time.
Not when the house settled deeper.
Not when servants moved in distant halls.
Not even when the morning fully came.
But now, at last, his chaos energy had risen close enough toward fullness that sleep began loosening its hold.
The first sensation that reached him was warmth.
Not the warmth of sheets.
Not the lingering warmth of his own body under blankets.
Something else… Weight. It was heavy.
There was weight on him.
