Chapter 66 — The Morning After, the World Before
---
5:45 AM | Yuuto's Apartment, Tokyo
The light was soft—
not like neon,
but real.
Dawn broke slowly across the skyline outside the window.
And Yuuto's bed, for once, felt… safe.
But that wasn't what woke him.
It was her.
Aika.
Half-covered by his blanket,
legs tangled with his,
body still steaming with leftover curse energy.
She was asleep.
Breathing slow.
Hair messy.
Cheeks flushed from exhaustion.
But the runes on her back were still glowing faintly.
As if something inside her was still evolving.
---
Reality Feels... Different
Yuuto sat up.
The air in the room shimmered slightly.
Every sound outside—cars, birds, the distant hum of Tokyo—felt enhanced.
His body felt lighter.
His skin still tingled from dream-contact.
And when he looked down—
he saw it.
Where his chest was bare—
there was a new mark.
A single rune.
Glowing violet.
> "You've been claimed," a voice echoed in his head.
Not by lust. Not by curse. But by her.
---
Kitchen, 6:15 AM
Aika woke up first, and somehow—without clothes—
made coffee.
Steam rose from the mug as she leaned on the kitchen counter, hips barely covered in his oversized shirt.
> "You okay?" she asked, without turning.
"You moaned her name in your sleep…"
Yuuto paused.
Then walked behind her, placed his hands on her bare waist.
> "Only because I was fighting her off."
"And the one who pulled me out of that hell… is in my kitchen."
She smiled.
A long, dangerous smile.
> "Good answer.
You know that rune on your chest?
It means I'm bonded to you now. If anyone else even touches you…"
She leaned in.
Bit his lower lip.
Soft. Then deep. Then almost bleeding.
> "They'll die mid-moan."
---
Something's Wrong With the World
The apartment lights flickered.
And then the sky outside rippled.
Aika froze.
> "That's… not normal."
Yuuto stepped to the window.
What he saw made his heart stop.
Floating.
Above Tokyo.
A hole in the sky.
Small. Faint.
But leaking energy that felt like the dreamworld.
> "No…" Aika whispered.
"Yume's body is gone.
But her seed… was planted."
She turned to him—serious.
> "This isn't over.
It's just the next layer."
---