**Chapter 1: Rebirth in Darkness**

The darkness was absolute, a heavy shroud that suffocated me, yet somehow, I was aware of it. I was aware of the agony that wracked my body, the searing pain that felt like a thousand burning suns blazing across my skin. My mind, however, was a jumbled mess of fragmented thoughts and emotions, like a stormy sea with no horizon in sight. As I lay there, I couldn't shake the feeling of being utterly alone, abandoned. My dad...he had left me when I was just a newborn, and the ache of that abandonment had never truly healed. It was a wound that had festered, growing more painful with each passing day. My autism spectrum disorder made every sensation, every sound, every touch feel like a screaming cacophony in my mind. I was blind, unable to see the world around me, but even in darkness, my senses were overwhelmed. The memories of that fateful day came flooding back, like a tidal wave crashing onto the shore. My dad's angry face, his cruel hands, the flames that had engulfed me...I tried to scream, but my voice was trapped in my throat. The burns, oh god, the burns. They covered 100% of my body, a latticework of agony that seemed to pulse with every beat of...was that a heartbeat? No, it wasn't mine. It was a gentle, soothing rhythm, like a mother's heartbeat. Wet bandages covered my body, a necessary evil to ease the pain, but even their gentle weight felt like an anchor, dragging me down into the depths of despair. I was trapped, unable to escape the prison of my own body. And then, like a whispered promise, a gentle voice spoke, "I'm here, my love. I'm here." Hange. My beloved boyfriend, the dragon emperor, the yakuza king. His voice was a lifeline, tossed to me in the darkness. As I lay there, I felt a strange sensation, like I was being pulled back, regressing to a time when life was simpler, when love was a given. My mind, overwhelmed by the trauma, began to slip away, into the safety of infancy. I was no longer a broken, burned adult; I was a helpless newborn, dependent on others for survival. Hange's hands cradled me, his touch a gentle balm to my shattered soul. He was building something around me, a nest of sorts, warm and safe. The hospital bed was transformed, now a makeshift artificial womb, mimicking the warmth and security of a mother's womb. The world around me began to fade, as Hange's dragon magic wove a barrier of protection. The nest was invisible, hidden from prying eyes. The heartbeat grew louder, more insistent, and I felt a comforting presence, as if my own mother's heartbeat was pulsating through my veins. Hange's fingers stroked my back, a soothing motion that echoed the rhythm of the heartbeat. I was home, safe in this artificial womb. My tali, a strange, comforting presence, acted like a breathing tube, supplying me with life-giving air. My legs, or what was left of them, were wrapped in warm, wet blankets. The pain was still there, but it was distant, muffled, as if Hange's magic had created a cocoon of healing around me. Both my legs had been amputated, a necessary sacrifice to save my life. As I lay there, surrounded by Hange's love and magic, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, I could heal, could find a way to overcome the trauma of my past. The darkness still surrounded me, but it was no longer absolute. There was a light, a warm, golden light that seeped into my soul, and I knew that I was not alone. Hange was there, and with him, I could face anything. The journey of healing was about to begin and I was ready for it even though I am scared but I know that I am not alone with Hange by my side.