The darkness pulsed.
A woman's voice echoed through the void soft at first, then rising with urgency.
"No—don't go! You mustn't! Stop—"
Kaen's breath caught in his throat. The woman stood with her arms outstretched, silhouetted by falling embers and shadows that flickered like dying stars. Her eyes fierce with desperation, yet heartbreakingly warm locked onto his.
She tried to block the path ahead, her voice trembling as though breaking under the weight of something unspoken. "Protect her… you must keep her safe. No matter what happens, you cannot stop. Promise me, dear… promise me."
And then—The flames surged.
She was engulfed.
Her screams tore through the night—raw, harrowing, unforgettable. Yet even as fire devoured her, her voice endured through the inferno, "Never stop… even if your life is lost in this battle—never stop!"
Kaen jolted awake with a strangled gasp. He was choking.
Smoke? No. There was none. Only the phantom taste of ash that clung to his tongue. His chest rose and fell in panicked waves. Cold sweat traced the line of his spine, dampening the fabric of his tunic. His breath trembled in the silence. But the nightmare hadn't faded. The embers still glowed behind his eyes.
He sat in silence, waiting—until the storm inside him began to still. Then, faintly, voices broke through the quiet. Kaen rose and stepped outside, blinking into the harsh brilliance of the sun.
Ahead, Commander Zhou stood firm, barking sharp orders. "We move before sunset. Formations stay tight. No straying off and for the heavens' sake, no taking tasks alone. Especially you, Seventh Prince. You may be searching for the Crown Prince, but don't forget the rest of the mission. You're part of my unit now."
Daita groaned nearby, rubbing his temples with the kind of exhaustion only bureaucracy could bring. "Ugh… fine, fine. I'll come. Just… explain it to the rest for me, will you?"
All around them, the squad was in motion tents being folded, crates sealed and lifted onto carts, saddles checked, weapons inspected. Controlled chaos, purposeful and swift.
Kaen's eyes drifted toward the clearing and there, weaving through the feet of cultivators, a small figure darted toward him.
"Xue?" he muttered, catching the child mid-run. He knelt and picked him up swiftly. "Didn't I tell you? You shouldn't go near the cultivators," he whispered, gently but firm.
Xue looked up, wide-eyed, and nodded sheepishly. "…I won't."
Kaen exhaled and ruffled the boy's hair.
Just then, Ryoma approached from behind. "Kaen. You're awake."
Kaen stood upright, nodding once.
Ryoma glanced at him, brows furrowing. "Good. I was just about to wake you—we're all set to leave." He paused. "But… you look pale. What happened?"
"Nothing," Kaen replied, brushing off the concern with a short breath. "Just tiredness. I'll be fine."
Ryoma wasn't convinced. His gaze lingered on Kaen, narrowing slightly as he caught the flicker of something hollow in his eyes something he didn't like. Kaen, already turning away, gently placed Xue into Ryoma's arms. His voice was quiet, almost distant. "Ryoma… I'm not coming with you. I'll search alone—it'll be faster that way."
He took a step forward, but Ryoma moved just as fast, reaching out and catching his wrist.
"Faster doesn't mean safer," Ryoma said, his voice low but firm. "What are you really planning, Kaen?"
Kaen didn't look back. But the tension in his shoulders said enough.
"Don't go," Ryoma said, his voice low, steady. "It's not the right time." Kaen paused. A long beat stretched between them. Then, gently, he freed his hand from Ryoma's grasp with a quiet sigh, avoiding his eyes.
"…Ryoma," he murmured, "I'll return. Alright? I'll be careful. And I won't—"
Ryoma cut in, his voice softer now, the weight of unspoken things lingering between the words.
"Just come back with her. Soon."
Kaen stilled mid-step.
Then Ryoma added, even quieter, "Because… you already know where she is, don't you?"
"It's not like that—" Kaen started. But Ryoma shook his head, gaze shifting away. "I won't ask. I understand. And don't worry… I won't follow you." Kaen exhaled, the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'll return with her… soon."
—————
The sun was sinking, spilling gold and rose across the sky. its dying light casting a soft glow over the clearing.
Astra had finally drifted into sleep. After a night without rest, and a day spent drowning in silent tears, exhaustion had claimed her. Her breaths were steady now, her lashes still damp, her brow faintly furrowed even in slumber.
A little distance away, Kriya sat in silence—his gaze fixed on her.
He didn't blink. Didn't move. Just watched… as if afraid the moment might vanish if he looked away.
His eyes traced the faint scathes on her face marks left by the chaos she had endured. His jaw tightened imperceptibly. A quiet hurt stirred within him.
And then—A single ant, tiny and thoughtless, fell from a leaf above. It landed right on her lips.
His body tensed.
When the thing began to crawl across her lips.
Something in him snapped. Without a word, Kriya leaned in, ever so carefully, and plucked the ant between his fingers gentle enough not to wake her. He drew back and stared at the little creature, held helpless in his palm.
His eyes darkened.
And in the span of a heartbeat, the ant burst into flame disintegrating into a wisp of ash that spiraled upward.
Kriya exhaled softly and blew the dust away, his expression unchanged. As though he hadn't just burned a living thing into nothing. His gaze returned to Astra, the fire in him cooling. Then barely above a whisper, more to the wind than to himself, he murmured,
"I won't let anything touch you again… not even a breath that dares to harm."
He turned his head toward the setting sun. Light bathed his sharp features in amber, and for once, his voice softened into something almost vulnerable. "I don't want to return. Could this moment not go still? I wish I could stop time… just to stay like this. Not far from you. Not anymore."
"Will you still want it… if staying near her causes harm?"
The voice came from nowhere distant at first, then drawing closer like smoke creeping through cracks. Kriya's body stiffened. He shut his eyes, jaw locked, and slowly stood.
The voice was quiet, but every word cut clean."Tell me… You vowed not to let anything that could harm her come close. But have you truly forgotten? You are the greatest harm of all—the one danger that can reach her no matter how far she runs."
Kriya didn't speak.
The sun slipped lower, bleeding molten gold across the sky as his shadow stretched long and lonely over the earth. The hush of twilight settled like a breath held too long.
Then—A presence.
The voice was beside him now, close enough to chill the blood in his veins. It whispered at his ear, low and grave, each word striking a nerve, making his fingers twitch at his sides.
"Your presence near her isn't just a danger to the girl you ache to protect… it is a threat to all life that breathes upon this earth."
The words hung heavy in the air, laced with something ancient, something absolute.
Kriya's breath hitched. His lips parted, a protest caught at the edge of his throat—
But he didn't get the chance.
A hand seized his arm, firm, unyielding.
And in the next instant, he was being dragged away boots skidding against the earth. He turned back, eyes snapping open, just to steal one last glance at her. Still asleep, curled beneath the tree, strands of her hair catching the last gold of the dying sun.
His heart squeezed as a glimmering barrier began to take form around her thin at first, then denser with each step he was pulled away. Like threads of moonlight woven tighter and tighter into a shield no force could pierce.
He whispered, almost to himself, "Don't step out of it..."