Only a dream could be so far-fetched and absurd.

You were walking in your own veins.

The crimson tubes painted everything in them a dark crimson. Countless platelets whispered, bumped against each other on your shoulders, under your hands, under your feet, and were washed forward by the rhythmic pumping of plasma.

You didn't know where you were going. You just moved forward mechanically, blindly.

You didn't care why you were doing it. Everyone was moving forward anyway.

[sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff]

Someone was talking.

[... Don't go.]

Why not?

[If I'm caught, I'll die.]

So that's it.

[I don't want to die.]

Yeah.

[Help me.]

No.

A sob sounded.

[Why?]

The Weeper said, [We are all the same. Why can he survive?]

[...]

"— Ugh!!"

You sat up abruptly from the quilt. The chaos of the dream overlapped with the dizziness of the awakening, and for a moment you could only hold your forehead and gasp heavily.

The golden morning sun dazzled the pupils and cast a bright halo on the retina, like an unfocused low-pixel lens. After shaking back and forth for a long time, you finally got rid of the indescribable discomfort.

"... Eddy?"

You remembered that you were in his house last night. You struggled to see a mass of black through the double vision.

"What's the matter?" The shadow moved closer, and the bed beside you sank. "Nightmare?"

Eddy's low, soft voice was now like a megaphone in your ear. You covered your ears painfully and groaned weakly from your throat like a hangover.

"Keep your voice down …" you said hoarsely. "My head's going to split open."

There seemed to be a comforting warmth on your forehead, and it took you a moment to realize that it was Eddy's palm.

"… Did you play with the water when you took a bath yesterday?" Eddy asked you in a low, serious voice.

"Nonsense!" You patted the quilt. "Am I seven years old?"

"You've caught a cold," he said as if he were passing judgment on a prisoner. "Luckily there's no fever."

You frowned and made a nasal sound of disgust.

Eddy's other hand reached out to hold you. The sharp difference in temperature made you shiver. You asked him in a hoarse voice, "Did you just put your hand in the stove?"

"No." He sighed. "Your hands are too cold."

That seemed to be the case.

Your right palm is cold and stiff, as if you had slept with an ice cube for the whole night.

Eddy left for a moment and came back with a glass of water in her hand.

He handed you the water and a light yellow pill. "It's the weekend. You can have a good rest."

Even though it might seem dispirited to continue resting right after waking up, your mental state this morning was not very good. Everything from your brain to your limbs was urging you to sleep quickly to replenish your energy.

You pinched the pill and studied it for a while. "Does Tylenol look like this now?"

"It's not Tylenol." Eddy ruffled your hair and recited a string of words that you had never heard before and couldn't understand.

"What?"

He repeated the words and then said calmly, "It's a very effective cold medicine."

"Oh..." You were not very energetic to begin with. After a few words of conversation, you felt extremely sleepy, as if you hadn't slept at all last night.

You gave up trying to figure out the strange pronunciation and roots of the medicine's name. After swallowing it with the water, you couldn't help yawning. "... I want to sleep again."

"Yes, have a good sleep."

"Eddy."

You opened your right palm and tried to say with the last of your sobriety, "... I know it's because of Casatie."

You're not a child anymore. How can you not know if you've caught a cold?

He was putting down the glass when he heard you. His hands stopped moving.

"Don't worry."

You looked at his back bathed in the golden morning light and said softly, "I promised you. I'll be fine."

A great drowsiness enveloped you.

You were on the verge of falling asleep when you felt someone pull you into a warm embrace with the quilt.

Eddy kissed you on the cheek. "Yes."

The winter sun always seemed particularly warm, so it was closer to tangible things.

For example, the fluffy and soft white quilt, the furry front paws of a big dog, and the blooming fireworks in the sky.

These golden lights composed of warmth and brightness fell silently through the glass window into your hands, gradually expelling the original chill.

Venom suddenly condensed into a colloid and emerged from Eddy's shoulder. He observed the faint red color in the palms of the two for a while and spoke first. [What did you feed her?]

"Vitamin C."

[I'm sorry for my mistake.]

Venom's voice was low. [I thought it would be easy to get rid of her.]

Eddy glanced up at him.

[Surprised?]

Venom said. [I'm not the kind of guy who shirks responsibility.]

Venom woke up Eddy early in the morning, and after a quick discussion, they came up with an excellent plan to "remove the coordinates before she wakes up."

As a result, the handsome reporter Mr. Block's body size increased several sizes under the cover of the black gel. After Venom came out, for the first time, he did not directly smash people and lift the roof. Instead, he stood quietly in the room that was slightly small for him.

Eddy noticed that Venom's eyes were staring at the bed and directly dispelled his thoughts. [Don't sit.]

Venom growled from his throat like a beast when it was dissatisfied.

[You will crush my bed.]

"It's too narrow here." Venom said in a low voice.

[Then squat down.]

Eddy always felt guilty and urged Venom to hurry up and get down to business.

It was rare that Venom was very obedient to orders other than violence. He obediently squatted down, obediently grabbed Arya's right hand, and obediently opened her palm.

Then he licked it.

[Venom!!!]

"What's wrong?"

[Retract your tongue!]

Eddy roared. [Don't lick!]

"Oh … Eddy, you know."

Venom laughed in a low voice, "In a symbiotic situation with a human, the emotions and personalities of both sides will affect each other … When I come out, your effect on me will be more obvious."

"Eddy, you really like her."

[So??]

"So, I also like Arya now." Venom said slowly, "I want to taste her."

[Damn …] Eddy made a sound of disgust. [You bastard.]

"Skin, smell, fingers, hair, internal organs." His voice ended with undisguised pleasure, "Great."

[Do it again.]

Eddy said. [I'll let you spend a wonderful afternoon in the MRI machine.]

"Stingy."

[Is this a problem of me being stingy!?]

You're starting to drool!

About five minutes later, the two plans finally came together and they finally remembered what they were going to do.

The colloid on Venom's hand spread through the skin and wrapped Arya's right hand. The conspicuous crimson color was gradually covered by a dark color. However, Venom did not show off his power to Eddy as expected. Instead, he let out an unhappy groan.

[How is it?]

"Not very good." Venom looked insidiously at the place he wrapped, "It wants to hide."

At the same time, Arya frowned as if she was uncomfortable.

"My body temperature is lower than you humans."

Venom knew that Eddy was worried and explained directly, "Now that part of it is in her hands, she will feel very cold."

[What do you mean by hiding?]

Eddy asked. [You have to catch it.]

"Of course."

…

"Of course." Eddy imitated Venom's arrogant tone, "I will catch that little thing."

[There is nothing foolproof in the world.]

"Not only did it not work, but now your so-called 'little thing' is hiding." Eddy stared at him blankly, "You said that only Slaughter himself can make it."

[So what?]

Venom said, [Wait until I beat him up to make him obedient.]

"And Arya still has nightmares." Eddy said, "Look at you."

[You can't blame me for this!]

Venom retorted unhappily. [It must be that bastard's fault!

Do you think I look like a nightmare?]

"Don't talk nonsense, now explain why she has headaches and sleepiness."

[Great, I am now a doctor again.]

Venom said. [The mark left by Slaughter is part of the symbiotic body. Although it can't develop into a complete new individual, there is still a residual biological consciousness.

That is to say, he doesn't want to be caught and killed by me and intends to get Arya's nutrients to survive.]

"What??"

Eddy turned her head and stared at him, her voice uncontrollably raised, "Is this what you meant by 'no problem'!?"

Venom hissed. [Be quiet, you are going to wake her up.]

Eddy lowered her voice, "Answer me!"

[Can you understand English?]

Venom said. [That is not a symbiotic body!

It is only because her immune system reacted too quickly that it is like this. If she doesn't feel anything, it would be a bad thing.]

His voice gradually became annoyed. [Wait until I catch that bastard Slaughter … Tsk.]

"When you ran into my body without permission, I didn't feel anything."

[Because I am a complete symbiotic body!

An intelligent, high-level creature!

I chose you!

Do you want to die miserably after I destroy your internal organs?]

Venom had a feeling of "I am so good to you but you don't appreciate it."

"… Forget it." Eddy felt very tired. "Anyway, catch Slaughter."

[Yes.]

"Are you sure you can beat him?"

[… I am sure.]

Venom said gloomily. [Not only that, I am going to cut him into pieces.]

Eddy touched the long hair of the girl in his arms and said softly after a while, "Since she met me, nothing good has happened to her." He lowered his eyelashes. "… Terrible."

[That doesn't make sense.

You two like each other, that is a very good thing.]

Eddy smiled. "You actually know how to say that."

[Why not?

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.]

He wanted to continue to say something, but a sudden perception made him quickly alert.

[Eddy!]

"What?"

[Slaughter is here …] He hissed. [He and that redhead are here.]

Eddy glanced at his girl and gently put her back on the bed.

"Are you ready to be chivalrous?"

Black colloid rolled out with anger and quickly engulfed the original human body.

The dark skin tightly covered the undulating muscles, and the white eyes raised into a sinister arc.

He grinned viciously.