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Consciousness came to Zev like a gentle dawn. At first, before he opened his eyes, he thought he'd find himself surrounded by castle walls, the idea of once more dancing at the edge of his mind.[break][break]

But when he did open his eyes to find himself in Nenet's apartment—because he had gone there straight away after the clash at the Ancient Tomb—a distinct relief washed through him, followed closely by a reaffirmation of the conclusion he had reached.[break][break]

That whatever spotty memories and knowledge he possessed were the results of a Pokémon's trick, while the hazy dream of twenty years was just that: a figment of his unconscious mind.[break][break]

But if he was in Nenet's apartment, that meant—[break][break]

Zev rolled over, tense with apprehension, expecting to see what he wanted yet still prepared for a familiar disappointment.[break][break]

A second wave of relief crashed through him. Nenet slept beside him, peaceful. Without thinking, he embraced her, spooning her with his entire body. His arm pulled her against his chest; the warmth of her seeped into him like a soothing balm.[break][break]

Zev dipped his head and kissed her neck, just below the ear. "I missed you," he murmured, the words tumbling out unbidden in his groggy, uncaffeinated state.[break][break]

An admission twenty years in the making.[break][break]

The void of her absence was gone, his hunger sated after ravishing her the whole night. And even as he held her there that morning, his face pressed against her skin, he felt the bite of that hunger lessen until it was a mere shadow within his chest, no longer a yawning abyss.

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