Lucien lowered his head, staring at the abandoned chain. Then, slowly, inch by inch, he lifted his gaze and scanned the empty room. The phoenix-like eyes that had seemed soft in the morning light were now stripped of every trace of brightness. All that remained was a dark, viscous black that felt bottomless and suffocating. Liar. What fairness? What gift? It's all fake. She takes back the storage band just to undo my chains, only so she can leave whenever she wants. I just want a few days. A few days, and she won't even give me that? "Heh…" A faint, shattered laugh slipped from Lucien's pale lips. "Heh heh… hahahahahaha…" His laughter kept building, wilder and louder, soaked with self-mockery and hopelessness. Creak! The door suddenly swung open. Emma stepped in, holding a bag covered in cute cartoon prints. "What's with that awful laugh so early in the morning? And so loud! I could hear it from the doorway. That does not sound like a phoenix at all. More like a crow." Is she back? She… didn't leave?Lucien froze completely, like someone had cast a freezing spell on him. His eyes were bloodshot, staring blankly at Emma as she set down the bag and walked toward him. After seeing him on the verge of losing it again, Emma poked his stiff cheek with her finger. "What's wrong? Lost your mind?" The warmth of her fingertip against his icy skin hit him like a jolt, and for the first time, Lucien snapped back to reality. He looked at Emma, his lips trembling, and all the storm of emotions from before crumbled in an instant, collapsing into this massive, overwhelming sense of hurt. Without warning, he lunged forward, throwing every ounce of strength into wrapping Emma in a tight, desperate embrace. Clang! The chains by the bedside screeched under the force, the sharp sound cutting through the room. Emma stumbled from the sudden impact, still speechless, when she heard Lucien's voice breaking through in muffled sobs, choked with pain. "You didn't leave… You didn't leave…" His voice shook, raw and unsteady. "I thought you left. I thought you unlocked the chains and abandoned me. I thought you'd never come back. Why didn't you wake me? I thought you were lying to me again…" His arms squeezed tighter and tighter, as if holding on this way could prove that she was really here and not about to vanish from his life again. Emma listened to his tearful, jumbled accusations. She wrapped her arms around him, gently rubbing his tense back, soothing him with soft words. "I'm still here. Where could I possibly go? Didn't I say I wouldn't leave you? I just went out to grab something. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't wake you." She pointed to the bag she had brought back that morning. "Here, I got this for you. Who knew I'd come back and find you screaming like a maniac?" Lucien straightened up and stared at her, disbelief written all over his expression. "You went out… to get me something?" "Of course." Emma smiled and pinched his cheek lightly. Then her eyes landed on his chained wrist, noticing the red marks from the friction. She frowned. "Give me your hand." "Oh." Lucien obediently lifted his wrist.Emma gripped the chain and twisted it a few times. There was a click, and the chain came undone. But instead of joy, Lucien instinctively held onto her hand, afraid that if he let go for even a second, she would vanish. She let him hold on as she pulled out clothes from his storage band for him to change into. Then she hurriedly grabbed the bag she had brought back, the one with the cute cartoon print, and pressed it into his arms. "See if you recognize what's inside." Lucien looked down, puzzled, and opened the bag. Inside were a few fist-sized, purplish-red, tuber-like fruits. He had never seen anything like them. He looked up at Emma, still confused. She laughed and explained, "These are rare fruits. Back home, we call them sweet potatoes. Don't let the plain look fool you. Roasted, they're amazing. Sweet and fragrant." Emma nudged him. "Go wash up. I'll roast them for you." Then she kissed the center of his forehead plumage. Just as she expected, after the deep conversation they'd had last night, the black flames in his plumage had dimmed a bit today. She also noticed that with the black fire fading, Lucien could start to manage his emotions again. He wasn't the dark, frantic mess he'd been just waking up. After seeing her turn to leave, Lucien grabbed her waist. "Emma, you're not leaving, right?" Emma nodded seriously. "No. I swear to the Beast God, I'll never leave you behind. I won't go anywhere alone."