Renji's eyes fluttered open, but it wasn't the familiar darkness of his bedroom or the cold concrete of the subway.
He tried to sit up, but the world felt fluid beneath him, as if gravity itself hesitated to hold him down.
The warmth of the sun touched his skin, yet his body ached with the dull, heavy weight of sleep.
Ahead, a town rose in the middle of the dunes—a green oasis unlike anything he had ever seen.
Trees stretched toward the sky, rivers curved gently through cobblestone streets, and the air smelled of fresh earth and blooming flowers.
The desert heat ended abruptly at its borders, swallowed by a mysterious, temperate microclimate.
But even in the calm of the town, he felt it—the whispers.
It was from the sandstorms.
"The heart desires what it cannot hold."
Renji staggered, clutching his ears. Curses. The desert carried them like venom, invisible and deadly.
And then he saw her.
She stood at the edge of the ruins, veiled just as before, her figure unmistakable. The girl from the subway. His heart jolted.
"Hey!" Renji called out, half-running toward her.
But she didn't even glance his way. Her attention was fixed on the man before her, a tall, armored figure kneeling at her feet.
The girl lowered her veil, revealing lips painted a vivid, almost glowing crimson. She bent down slowly, deliberately, and kissed the man full on the mouth.
Renji froze, heat rushing to his face. It was so intimate, so brazen—until he saw the man's body stiffen. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Dead.
Renji stumbled back, breath caught in his throat. He looked from the corpse to the girl, disbelief swirling inside him.
She wiped her lips delicately with her fingertips, as if adjusting her lipstick. A faint smile touched her face.
"Pathetic," she whispered, her voice carrying even through the ruined air.
Did you think you were worthy of me?"