Sitting across from the silver-haired boy, Azriel wasn't sure what to say.
From the moment he arrived, it had been one surprise after another.
'What a lunatic… Who nearly attacks the guest they invited?'
Maybe he should've just stayed with his father.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Azriel spoke.
"…What's your name?"
The boy blinked, as if processing the question, then gave a small nod of understanding.
'What is with this guy?'
"…Nol. My name is Nol."
Azriel nodded politely.
"Alright, Nol. My name is—"
"Azriel. Azriel Crimson. I know perfectly well who you are."
"R‑right…"
'Of course. He sent the invitation—how else would he know where to send it?'
But still, the question remained.
Why?
"You really don't remember, do you…"
'Remember?'
Azriel frowned.
"You're the one who named me Nol."
"…!"
Azriel's eyes widened. Named him? That was impossible. He had no memory of this boy—none.
'What, did I name him when I was a baby or something?'
No. Impossible.
The only explanation? This guy was completely insane.
"You don't believe me?"
"I don't."
How could he? It sounded ridiculous.
"I don't remember ever meeting you in my life."
"I thought as much…"
Nol exhaled a long, weary sigh before leaning back.
"…I guess we should start from the beginning."
"Sure."
Azriel tried to sound casual, though his mind screamed otherwise. Honestly, he'd already accepted the invitation; couldn't he just leave now?
'Troublesome…'
"You and I first met more than a year ago."
"…!"
Azriel nearly shot up from his chair.
'What? A year ago?'
That was impossible. He was supposed to be dead back then.
He opened his mouth to argue, but Nol continued.
"Let me finish. It'll make sense once I'm done… or at least, kind of."
Azriel shut his mouth and reluctantly nodded.
"Ever since I can remember, I've always been here," Nol began.
Azriel frowned but stayed silent.
"I had no name, no dreams, no will," Nol said quietly.
"I was… an empty shell."
His crimson eyes flicked upward, a faint smile tugging at his lips, as though recalling something distant and bittersweet.
"Locked in this prison, both warden and inmate. Time here is strange. It flows slower than outside. A single day can feel like ten years… or ten years can feel like a day."
The words unsettled Azriel. And yet… they felt true. Even now, his own sense of time here was slipping.
'I need to leave soon…'
"Then one day, you came. The first person I ever saw. You looked beaten, battered—but relieved, like you'd finally found a place to rest."
The more Nol spoke, the more Azriel's mind twisted in confusion.
"How did I even arrive here…?"
Nol's gaze softened.
"I couldn't heal you. So you stayed, recovering for… four months, I'd say."
Azriel inhaled sharply.
'Four months? Just how bad were my injuries…'
"In that time, you taught me about the Voidrealm. About Earth. You named me, mentored me… gave me dreams."
His voice carried an unexpected warmth. Azriel almost believed him. Almost.
"Unfortunately…" Nol grimaced.
"…Nothing lasts forever. You healed. You were ready to leave. But you couldn't—not without my permission. Still…"
His eyes locked on Azriel's.
"…You made me a promise."
He raised his hand—and slid off a ring.
"…!"
Azriel froze. His chest tightened.
The ring spun across the marble table before settling with a soft clink.
It was his. His storage ring. A gift from his parents on his thirteenth birthday.
"…How—"
"You gave it to me," Nol said simply.
"As a promise. That you'd return. A reminder of you—the one I consider my master."
Azriel's throat went dry. Each calm word felt heavier than a shout.
"With your help, I even discovered what I truly am. This place is my unique skill—White Haven. I can invite people here. Though it drains my mana, and those who accept… cannot use their powers."
His crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.
"And yet, whenever I invited you, you never accepted. I thought… you'd abandoned me."
Azriel broke into a cold sweat.
"But no… You didn't abandon me. You forgot me. Just like you forgot so much else."
This time, Azriel didn't argue. He only nodded grimly. It was true—two years of his life were missing, a void he'd assumed was death. But… maybe not.
"This chessboard," Nol said softly.
"You taught me to play it. Told me the one who taught you… was your father."
Azriel froze. His stomach twisted.
"…What did you just say?"
Nol tilted his head.
"That your father taught you chess. Why?"
Azriel's mind reeled. Joaquin had never taught him chess. But Leo's father… had.
'What does this mean…?'
"How did I even arrive here if you didn't invite me?"
Nol shrugged.
"Beats me. You showed up out of nowhere. At first, you were… strange. Muttering about not belonging here, about dying almost to Void creatures. Said you'd just been reading a book moments before. Then you passed out."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"Honestly, I think that was the first time I ever laughed. You were… weird."
Azriel rubbed his temple. His head throbbed.
None of it made sense. Hadn't he teleported straight to Europe? Then… those two missing years…
'They weren't lost because the old Azriel was dead. They were lost because I was him. And I… forgot.'
"…How?"
What had happened in those years?
"I told you I was Azriel Crimson, didn't I?" he asked weakly.
Nol shook his head.
"Not at first. Only after a month did you reveal your name."
It felt like trying to complete a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
Azriel exhaled slowly.
'I need another angle.'
"How do you invite someone here?"
"There are two conditions," Nol explained.
"First, I need their blood. Second, I need their full name."
Azriel blinked.
"…That's inconvenient."
Basically impossible. Nol couldn't leave. How would he ever get someone's name or blood?
'Yet I came here… without either.'
Which meant…
"But you couldn't invite me until today…"
Nol leaned back.
"Funny thing. After you left… someone else arrived. Without meeting those conditions."
Azriel stiffened.
"…Who?"
"A man called Dante."