Chapter 29 …
“Mm….”
A strange sensation made Acelia open her eyes. But she had fallen asleep from exhaustion, and her mind was still hazy. Having only just woken, she could barely grasp what was happening.
It felt as though, through the kiss Kalisten pressed to her lips, a confession drug, a hallucinogen, even some kind of stimulant were flowing into her mouth.
The wet sound of their mouths, mingling breaths, and warmth.
Every time he touched her, his body had always felt warm—but now it was as if that heat was seeping deep inside her. Acelia didn’t let him go. She gripped his shoulders tightly and then raked her nails across them.
He let out a brief laugh at that. Though she had scratched him with her nails, only faint red marks appeared; it didn’t hurt.
Even in her dazed state, the pleasure she felt made her chest tingle.
“Kal….”
Kalisten opened his eyes slowly and looked at her. Acelia, becoming aware of his breath, also lifted her eyes. At once, he moved more persistently. The sensation of his tongue inside her mouth overwhelmed her—it felt as though he were rummaging through it. And yet it tickled. It felt good. Without realizing, she clutched his shoulders again.
Their skin was slick with moisture, but she held on tighter so she wouldn’t lose him. The heat transmitted through her hands and mouth, the soft texture of the towel against her back—it all kept her from fully coming to her senses.
Kalisten was the same. The effect of the drug was at its peak, leaving him unable to think deeply about anything. The only thing in his mind was that the Acelia before him was fake—and that because of that fake Acelia, his body was burning.
Acelia had no idea what he was thinking. She only focused on his burning warmth, the heated sighs that brushed her skin, and the relentless intruder in her mouth that toyed with her senses.
“Mmh….”
It was Acelia’s first kiss. The same was true for Kalisten. His movements were clumsy yet persistent, and as he quickly adjusted—chasing after every reaction she gave—she felt strangely unsettled.
She couldn’t understand why he was acting this way.
He had said he hoped this was a dream.
“Wa—mm… wait….”
But he only moved his jaw more fervently, ignoring her words. Her jaw began to ache, and she gripped his shoulder harder. He pried her hand off and lifted it upward instead.
“Kal….”
When their lips parted briefly, Acelia tried to speak. But even in a dream, he didn’t want her to say anything.
This dream was his desire.
And that desire deserved condemnation. The Acelia he knew would not be accepting him out of mutual feeling—she would only endure it because she couldn’t refuse him. He was certain of that.
That was why he wished she wouldn’t speak.
He caught her other flailing hand and raised it as well. Both of Acelia’s hands were pinned above her head. He held them down firmly. As she slipped slightly from the moisture, she caught the fear in his eyes and, instead of struggling, intertwined her fingers with his.
“Mm….”
Her reaction only convinced Kalisten further that this was a dream. The way she seemed to accept him, the way she clasped his hand in return.
“This is a dream.”
He pulled his lips away and said it aloud.
A thin strand of saliva stretched between them before snapping. Acelia stared at him blankly, then spoke.
“Do you hope it is?”
Her jaw hurt terribly. Suddenly, it felt as though there wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t ache.
“I don’t know.”
At his answer, her mind cleared a little.
“It’s a dream, Kalisten. All of it is a dream.”
She decided to give him the answer he wanted. He was Kalisten—the one who might kill her, and the most valued asset in this laboratory.
If he wanted it to be a dream, and if she couldn’t reveal that she was a woman—
Then it was better to call everything a dream.
The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. With a faint, bitter smile, she asked,
“Did you want to dream about me?”
Seeing the sadness in her expression, Kalisten replied without thinking.
“No.”
Relief flickered across his face as he looked at her smiling again. He collapsed against her chest as though he had reached his limit and lost consciousness.
After a long while—
When Acelia awoke, she found herself completely wrapped in his arms.
She didn’t even know when she had fallen asleep. After waking, she studied Kalisten’s face. Even asleep, he was strikingly beautiful.
His jet-black hair had dried, still swept back to reveal his forehead. The brows that had once been sharply angled now looked gentle in sleep. Beneath his dark lashes, though his eyes were closed, she felt as if they were still a vivid red.
Without thinking, Acelia brushed her fingers against his lips. Whether from kissing her before he fainted or simply by nature, they looked swollen and deeply red.
The softness beneath her fingertips made her hand tingle.
“Mm….”
He seemed about to wake, and Acelia hurried to look for her necklace. Towels lay scattered around, water stains dried in patches. Among them, she spotted the chain of her necklace.
“Acelia.”
His arms tightened around her, making it hard to break free.
“Could you let go for a moment?”
Thinking he might open his eyes, she managed to free one hand and, unable to grab the necklace in time, covered his eyes instead.
“Is it still a dream?”
“Yes. It’s a dream. So stay like that. If you open your eyes, you’ll hate me.”
“…All right.”
She slowly removed her hand. Seeing that his eyes were still closed, she felt relieved and reached for the necklace. As she struggled to slip out of his embrace, his grip loosened slightly. She rolled her body, trying to free herself.
At that moment—
“Right. It’s still a dream.”
With his eyes still closed, he covered her body with his own and said it softly.
“I told you not to open your eyes….”
“They’re still closed.”
His voice near her ear made her face suddenly burn. Her body was still exhausted, but sleep had restored her a little. Even so, everything ached and throbbed.
“It really is a dream?”
At his question, she stretched her arm desperately. Her fingers brushed the necklace among the towels. Scraping it toward her, she clutched it and rolled over.
Kalisten’s solid upper body, caging her in like iron bars, filled her vision—his eyes still obediently shut.
“Yes.”
She answered briefly, taking in the sharp lines of his collarbones and chest. In clear consciousness, he looked even more like a perfect sculpture.
Acelia quickly fastened the necklace around her neck and then scratched across his collarbone and chest with her nails.
“Mm… what are you doing?”
“I don’t know.”
Then she scratched the same spot on his shoulder where she had left marks the day before. Now that she had returned to being male, perhaps her strength was different—she left clearer marks than before.
“Will you move now?”
He opened his eyes.
“You said it was a dream.”
“Yes.”
Acelia looked at him, strangely subdued.
Kalisten faltered. Acelia, who always smiled reflexively at him, wasn’t smiling even as their eyes met.
“I’m going back to my room. I’m too tired.”
“From where was it a dream? When did you come?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she slowly tried to push his shoulder away.
“I just arrived. You hugged me the moment I did.”
“Then why did you call it a dream?”
“I….”
His attitude—so earnest in wanting it to be a dream—made the words slip out before she could stop them.
“You’re A-rank. And A-ranks must obey Z-ranks unconditionally.”
At her words, he pressed his lips together and fell silent.
It was around morning distribution time when Ivan arrived and escorted Acelia back to Building A.
“Vice Director.”
The vice director handed Ivan instructions in his laboratory.
“Once you’ve confirmed it, burn it.”
“Yes, sir. But are we really only changing the rations for A-702? Won’t that disrupt the circulation system?”
“Since when did you rise to a position where you can question my orders?”
“My apologies.”
Ivan reread the document he had been handed, startled that only Acelia’s rations—rather than the usual rotation—had been reassigned to another test subject. Realizing he hadn’t read the back page, he glanced nervously at the vice director and scanned it.
“Ah, it’s because of the second stage of awakening. My mistake. I apologize.”
“No, that’s enough. If you’ve confirmed it, you may go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ivan stiffened when he realized that Acelia’s exceptional reassignment was meant to trigger Kalisten’s second stage of awakening.
Even severe shocks hadn’t been enough to push Kalisten to the first stage of his initial awakening. If they were attempting the second stage now—
The vice director might truly intend to show him Acelia’s death with his own eyes.
“I shouldn’t get attached.”
He muttered to himself. And yet, perhaps because he couldn’t forget the pure look in Acelia’s eyes when she had looked at him, he found he couldn’t simply ignore it.
So he decided to secretly contact Alexis.
