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March 17th, 20xx — 05:17 AM
Zone 3A-Δ – Base: Jiang Roulan's apartment
—
The potion hit my tongue like molten stone.
Thick. Metallic. Sweet at the edges—but bitter, too. Not a flavour I could name, just something primal. Like old roots crushed under pressure, or earth that hadn't tasted sunlight in centuries.
I held it there, let it coat my tongue. It hummed in my mouth like it was alive, and the moment I bent low, bringing my lips to hers, I felt it shift.
Jiang Roulan was still limp—breathing, barely, but when I kissed her, her lips reacted faintly. A twitch. A pulse of warmth, faint as a dying ember.
'Sorry, Qinglan…'
My lips parted hers gently, tilting her head with my palm. Her mouth was soft and dry, the taste of blood faint on her lower lip.
I exhaled into her.
Pushed the liquid between our mouths—slow, steady.
She swallowed once.
Then spit it back.
The potion slipped into my mouth again, hot and buzzing.