Chapter 11
Yoren's eyes were blank as he stared at his phone screen, utterly dazed. Ten identical Kings of Advancement lined up in perfect symmetry, their golden brilliance mocking him. His classmates crowded around him, gasping, shouting, filming—some out of awe, others out of sheer disbelief.
But Yoren couldn't hear them.
The vivid images from his dream flooded his mind.
Vina turned around, the strings of her apron dangling behind her. "Yoren, come tie this for me."
Vina set a bowl of steaming noodles in front of him, her smile warm and teasing. "It's ready. Eat up."
Vina raised her glass, golden hair glinting in the dim light. "When we get back to Victoria, I'll cook for everyone. You have to come too, Yoren."
The warmth in her voice. The scent of red wine. The crackling tension between her and Winter. The weight of Indra's hand on his shoulder.
It wasn't just a dream.
A voice snapped him back to reality. "Yoren, let me take a picture! I'm posting this to Tieba."
"Forget pictures! Record a video and upload it to Bilibili," another classmate chimed in.
Zhang Yuan, ever the instigator, clutched his head in mock agony. "My eyes! My poor eyes! Yoren, are you hacking? Ten six-stars in one pull? And they're all Vina? Does she love you that much?"