Austin felt a surge of shame when he saw the blood and remembered Dominic's self-care during his illness. "I'm so sorry, Uncle Dom!"

"Sorry, my ass!" Dominic's unexpected retort astonished him.

Austin was overjoyed. "Uncle Dom, you're awake!"

Dominic had been in a stupor since Alexander's departure, occasionally moaning and coughing but unresponsive. To Austin's surprise, he now opened his eyes and spoke. "I'm not dead yet, all right?" Though weak, his usual feistiness remained, a fact that filled Austin with gratitude.

"Thank goodness you finally woke up! You'll live a long life, I'm sure," Austin said, hugging him tightly.

"Hey... Hey..." Dominic gasped, struggling to breathe.

Austin quickly released him. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? Need some water or food?"

Dominic had eaten little in the past two days, appearing noticeably thinner. Austin recalled his own unusual muscle growth, contrasting sharply with Dominic's weight loss. He felt as if he'd just hugged a skeleton.

"Thirsty..." Dominic nodded weakly.

Austin helped him lean against a propped-up pillow and fetched water, feeding it to him slowly to prevent choking. After Dominic drank half a glass and seemed revived, Austin set the cup aside.

"Should I get you something to eat?" he asked.

"Wait," Dominic said, gently tugging Austin's sleeve. "Pen and paper."

Austin was puzzled. "What do you need them for, Uncle Dom?"

"Record."

"Record?" Austin frowned. "What for? You should rest!"

"You record!" Dominic rolled his eyes, a gesture that would have been accompanied by a head smack had he the strength.

Austin finally understood and quickly fetched the requested items. He still felt concerned as he sat down again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Jot down!" Dominic repeated, rolling his eyes again.

Austin, speechless, pulled his chair closer.

Dominic looked at his grandnephew before beginning his account: "Firstly, I felt a sensation like bug bites, or ants crawling on me, causing a tingling and mild pain. It was unbearable. Around twelve hours later, my muscles felt like something was tearing them apart."

As Dominic recounted his experience, Austin gradually realized his granduncle was describing his own sensations.