#mew!

Several weeks pass. Ratio had gone back to the University for his lectures.

[ msg -> Ratio ]: the Xianzhou is going to war. Please steer clear of any of the flagships for a while and stay safe.

A few days after that an IPC broadcast delivers breaking news. The Xianzhou has engaged in battle with the Abundance THEMSELVES. Some footage was captured, and in it, Jing Yuan's Lightning Lord can be seen combating the endless waves of abominations. However... it looks different. And if one looks very closely, in the center of the spiritus's form was Jing Yuan himself. Yet he didn't look like himself anymore. Form donned in a hard exoskeleton and insect-like wings jutted out of his back unnaturally.

Then came the final piece of news. The Xianzhou had suffered a terrible loss in their casualties so far. The Dozing General had fallen.

[Bug ;) suffer]

@shallliveoninsong || Mew is evil and giving Ratio bad dreams

Veritas startle awake, face already wet with tears. With shaking hands, he wipes his face, but it's soon wet again as the tears keep falling. Aggressively, he wipes his cheeks again.

"Get it together, Veritas. It was merely a dream," he mutters to himself. It doesn't help. His heart is still pounding and the images of the dream lingers in his mind.

Eventually, he reaches for his phone, sending a text to Jing Yuan. He manages to make it sound casual, but he's fairly certain his friend will understand that he probably had a nightmare. Jing Yuan knows what time it is where Ratio is. He'll know it's in the middle of the night there, even if it's daytime on the Luofu.

A reply to the message comes quickly. It includes a photo of his friend being bored by paperwork. It makes Veritas chuckle and he can feel some of the tension ease.