I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!-Chapter 168: Finding My Calen

"Imagine yourself standing in a vast, wide, open meadow," Aelin’s soothing voice continued. "Feel the ground beneath your feet. The air around you. Let your mind accept it."

Tring.

The bell rang softly, its clear tone drifting through the darkness behind Roxanna’s closed eyes, like a fade light leading her forward.

"Now, walk straight ahead," Aelin continued calmly. "Feel Azul’s hand beside you. Picture him there with you."

In real life, Roxanna reflexively tightened her grip on Azul’s hand. Her thumb caressed the back of his hand, as if she were trying to trace his touch into her mind.

"Imagine his scent, imagine his presence, and imagine his voice," Aelin said.

She did as instructed. She imagined breathing in Azul’s scent, which sometimes smelled like a breeze near the beach. She imagined his eyes, as blue as the ocean, and his smile, as calm as the waves touching the shore.

"Once you can truly feel his hand in your mind... open your eyes." Aelin asked.

Slowly, Roxanna imagined herself opening her eyes inside her thoughts, and to her surprise, instead of darkness, she could truly see the vast meadow stretching before her.

When she looked down, her bare feet touched the grass, sensing the slightly damp texture of the ground. She then turned to the side, looking at Azul standing next to her.

He looked just as startled as she was, likely not expecting that such a simple ritual would bring them into a world so completely different from their home.

"Where... are we?" Azul asked hesitantly.

Roxanna turned her head in every direction, but she could see nothing except the endless green meadow. "We’re in our unconscious mind."

Tring.

She heard the bell again, echoing from afar, followed by Aelin’s voice. "Keep moving forward. Imagine a red string in front of you, guiding you to Calen."

Once she grew used to the strange idea of imagining things into existence, Roxanna found it easier to follow Aelin’s guidance.

Not long after, a thin red string began to appear. It slipped from her left hand, as though woven from nothing, glowing faintly against the soft green of the meadow. The thread stretched forward, uncoiling slowly into the distance.

Azul held his breath. He stared at it, and his eyes filled with disbelief. "Roxanna... do you see that too?"

"I do," she whispered.

The string trembled gently, as if stirred by an unseen force, then pulled tighter, guiding them somewhere ahead.

She no longer heard Aelin’s voice, perhaps because her consciousness had sunk deeper into her own unconsciousness, or perhaps because Aelin simply wasn’t saying anything.

Even so, Roxanna could still hear the bell.

The sound was weaker now, distant and fragile, yet it calmed Roxanna’s heart. As long as she could hear it, they were still connected, they would be fine.

Hand in hand, Roxanna and Azul followed the red string. With each step, the world around them began to shift. The fresh scent of grass slowly disappeared, replaced by something harsher.

It smelled like burned earth. The air around them also felt dry and heavy.

Tring.

At the exact moment the bell rang, Roxanna and Azul suddenly stepped into a completely different place, and the meadow was gone.

In its place stood towering stone walls, rising high, perhaps reaching three meters.

Roxanna was taken aback. She turned quickly, but she found herself facing another tall wall.

The sky above them was gray, as if the sun was reluctant to illuminate the world below.

Azul’s voice broke the silence. "Do you think... we’ve entered Calen’s mind?"

Roxanna then glanced down. The ground beneath their feet was dry and cracked, as if scorched by relentless heat or devoured by flames long ago.

"I don’t know..." she murmured. Slowly, she lifted her gaze, studying the towering walls that boxed them in. "But this place really does look like a maze."

The red string before them continued to stretch forward, so they immediately followed it. Azul kept glancing in every direction, staying alert because they had no idea what kind of danger might exist in this place.

Tring. Tring.

The bell rang twice, as if telling Roxanna that she was getting closer to Calen.

She kept walking forward, turning again and again within the maze. It felt as though she were lost inside it, but she believed that she would eventually find Calen amid that lost feeling.

Tring. Tring. Tring.

When the bell rang three times, Roxanna finally saw Calen’s figure in the distance. He was sitting at the corner of a turn, hugging his knees and staring at the ground with empty eyes.

He looked extremely gloomy, yet Roxanna was certain it was her husband because of the faint line marking his forehead.

Without a second thought, Roxanna ran toward him, pulling Azul’s hand so he would follow. "Calen!" she cried out instinctively.

The moment her voice echoed through the maze, color returned to Calen’s face. He lifted his head, looking forward with shining eyes, as if he had just seen the most beautiful star in the night sky.

"R–Roxanna?" he whispered in disbelief. Although he wanted to believe that the figure before him was truly his wife, doubt still lingered in his heart.

After all, it felt impossible for his wife to suddenly enter a world that even he himself did not understand.

But his doubt did not last long.

When only three steps remained between them, Roxanna immediately threw herself into his arms, causing Calen’s back to hit the wall behind him.

She wrapped her arms tightly around him. The embrace was so strong that Calen briefly thought she might crush his bones.

[This is really my husband, Calen,] Roxanna thought happily. Her eyes filled with tears. [I finally found him.]

[I finally found my Calen.]

At that exact moment, Calen finally became certain that the woman before him was truly his wife. Without hesitation, he returned Roxanna’s embrace.

He breathed deeply, wanting to smell the flowery scent that drifted from her body. His hands remained on the back of her head and her back, feeling the warmth of her body, a warmth he had not felt for so long.

She was truly his wife, someone he had thought he might never see again.

"Roxanna?" Calen’s voice trembled slightly. "Is it really you?"

Roxanna nodded quickly. Between soft sobs, she said, "Yes... I’ve been trying to wake you up, but you won’t wake up."

She could no longer hold back her tears and cried in his embrace. "Calen... I was so scared. I was afraid I might never see you open your eyes again."

"Calen... I really missed you."

Her voice was as soft as cotton, like a gentle breeze that brushed against his skin. She made him feel so comfortable that every time she spoke, his tense body slowly relaxed.

For a moment, he said nothing. He simply held Roxanna, as if letting go would make her disappear. His fingers trembled slightly against her back, revealing the storm of emotions he could no longer hide.

"I... I thought so too..." His voice cracked. He swallowed hard, his grip tightening. "I thought I’d never hear your voice again."

Roxanna’s tears fell harder at his words. She buried her face against his chest, clutching his clothes like an anchor. "Don’t say that..." she whispered weakly. "I’m here now. I’m right here."

Calen closed his eyes. The warmth in his arms, the softness of her hair, the familiar scent surrounding him, everything felt painfully real.

"I came here to bring you home," Roxanna said softly. "And I brought Azul with me."

Calen lifted his head and finally realized that Azul had been standing right behind Roxanna all this time. His blue eyes glistened slightly, and he looked as though he were struggling hard to keep himself from crying.

"What a crybaby," Calen said suddenly.

Azul’s eyes widened. All the sadness in his heart instantly turned into rage. "You dog! You’re crying right now too!"

Calen blinked. For a second, he looked genuinely offended. "I am not crying," he muttered, quickly turning his face away.

Azul scoffed. "Oh please. Your eyes are basically drowning."

Roxanna let out a shaky laugh, the sound still filled with leftover tears. The tension that had wrapped tightly around her chest finally loosened.

"Don’t fight. Don’t fight." Roxanna finally pulled away from their hug. "Azul came here because he wanted to protect me and make sure we can get out of this place."

The moment Roxanna spoke, Calen and Azul finally stopped bickering. Calen said, "How? If the exit were easy to find, I would have left this damn place long ago."

Roxanna replied, "We’ve brought a great doctor for you, and she can guide us out of this place."

Calen frowned. "A great doctor? How could another doctor from a different tribe want to help us?"

"Ah, that doctor isn’t an ordinary doctor from the nearby tribes." Roxanna lowered her head, then spoke hesitantly. "I brought her from the Golden Mountain."