The night was as deep as the ocean, its distant lights flickering like cracks in a memory.
He awoke from his dream once more, his pillowcase soaked with cold sweat. Moonlight seeped through the curtain slits, casting the outline of a pale face. The face had the contours of a fox and the anguish of a human.
He knew the dream had snatched him back—only this time, he hadn't fully awakened.
The boundary between reality and dream was swallowed by a thin mist.
——
He stood at the edge of a boundless lake.
The water was still, with not a ripple to disturb its surface. It reflected two worlds. Above was the moon, and below was the moon.
He saw her on the opposite shore, wearing the same white veil as in his dream. Only this time, she did not smile.
Her gaze was calm and sorrowful.
"Are you still waiting for me?" she asked.
He stared at her, his voice trembling. "Is this... a dream?"
She shook her head.
"This is the boundary you left behind. You refused to wake up, so you created an endless dream."
The wind stirred, lifting her veil slightly. Her outline slowly blurred in the mist.
He desperately wanted to get closer to her, yet no matter how far he walked, he could not reach her.
With every step he took, the lake stretched further.
"Do not pursue me," her voice echoed from afar. "The past life has ended. You must go."
"I won't leave!" he roared, straining every fiber of his being. "You promised to marry me!"
"That vow," she murmured softly, "was reduced to ashes long ago in the flames. You saved me, but you destroyed yourself. Foxes do not belong in the human world, nor should they be ensnared by love."
The mist thickened.
Suddenly, he saw the fire.
Memories surged: the mountain blaze, the night of prayer, the fox cloaked in human form shielding her from the flames.
He remembered that moment when she cried and threw herself at him, her blood mingling with her tears.
He remembered her vow in his arms: "If there is a next life, I will keep you with my very soul."
All this time, he had guarded not love, but that vow.
It became a cage, imprisoning him for a thousand years.
He looked down and saw his hands slowly dissolving into silver light. His tail scattered into mist behind him.
She stood in the distance with her hand outstretched, but she did not come closer.
"Let go," she said. "The dream is ending."
He smiled, a smile that seemed to release all weight.
"If I still remember you when I wake up, that will be enough."
The mist dissipated. Moonlight flooded the lake, and his figure vanished completely within the light.
Only a white veil drifted gently across the water and settled silently in her palm.
She looked down and saw the silver ring.
Engraved inside were two characters: Destiny.
She awoke before dawn.
Outside, birds began to chirp and a hint of damp grass hung in the air. Reaching beside her pillow, she touched a cold ring.
It wasn't hers.
She stared blankly for a long moment; then, a single tear fell.
Silently, it slid into her palm, refracting a faint glimmer.
She murmured softly, "So we really were married after all."
Outside the window, the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room.
She smiled and closed her eyes.
When the dream ended, love lingered on.
——