Chapter 108 - Haruki wakes up

The level of familiarity Haruki felt from the coldness seeping into his bones was as if he were back home. Not the beautiful countryside that basked in sunlight, but the forever dark chambers of the dungeons.

As the long nightmare ended with Lanling's young voice screaming, "Ruki, I'll be waiting!", Haruki's eyes fluttered open. It felt like surfacing after drowning, the full breath he took tasting sweeter than any before. He held it there, savoring it, before exhaling, letting it carry away the despairing emotions that lingered after he had been torn from Lanling's side.

Then he blinked up, startled to find a beautiful man with striking sky-blue eyes gazing at him with affection. Whatever thoughts or emotions had been brewing in his heart evaporated as a cheerful, silly grin brightened his face, chasing away the lingering shadows of his dreams.