The night deepened inside the city that should not exist.
Clouds drifted slowly above broken rooftops, swallowing the moon in uneven fragments. Faint light leaked from damaged mana-lamps, barely strong enough to push back the darkness. The streets below lay silent, untouched by time, as if the city itself was holding its breath.
Kael stood alone on the rooftop of his house.
His arms rested on the rusted railing, fingers wrapped tightly around cold metal. The wind tugged at his coat, but he barely felt it. His gaze was unfocused—fixed somewhere far beyond the crooked streets, beyond the city itself.
Behind him, faint sounds of life remained.
Arelia laughed softly as she mocked Eren for eating too fast. Eren protested between bites. Luka stood nearby, unmoving, a quiet shadow guarding the space. And Vicky sat a little apart from them, still as stone, his eyes half-lidded, as though listening to something that did not exist in the air.
Kael let out a slow breath.
Some wounds never truly healed.
They simply learned how to stay silent.
Footsteps approached behind him—light, careful.
"You've been standing here a long time," Vicky said.
Kael didn't turn.
"Couldn't sleep," he replied.
Vicky rested his arms on the railing beside him. For a while, neither spoke. The wind passed between the buildings, carrying the faint hum of the city.
"You look heavier tonight," Vicky said at last. "Like something's pulling you down."
Kael gave a quiet, humorless smile.
"You notice too much."
Vicky shrugged slightly. "People don't stare into nothing unless something's staring back at them."
Kael exhaled.
"There was a time," he said slowly, "when my world was very different."
Vicky turned his head, giving him his full attention.
"I once belonged to the Luma Kingdom."
Vicky's eyes sharpened.
"The land of golden towers and pure mana bloodlines," Kael continued. "Where heritage was worshipped… and names were worth more than lives."
A dry laugh escaped him.
"I was born a commoner. No crest. No history. Just hands meant to work."
He paused, memories pressing against his chest.
"And I made the mistake of loving someone far above my reach."
Vicky said nothing.
"She was… different," Kael said quietly. "Kind in a place that rewarded cruelty. Honest in a world built on pride."
His voice softened.
"Her name was Maneme."
The word lingered in the air.
"She laughed without fear," Kael continued. "Spoke without arrogance. And when she looked at me, she didn't see a commoner."
For a brief moment, warmth flickered across his expression.
"But her father," Kael said, his tone darkening.
"A noble whose influence could silence entire bloodlines."
Kael's fingers tightened against the railing.
"The day he found out… he didn't simply forbid us."
Kael turned to face Vicky, eyes burning.
"He erased me."
The wind howled faintly.
"My family lost everything. Our home. Our name. Our records." His jaw clenched. "We were declared impure—exiled from the Luma Kingdom itself."
Vicky's expression hardened.
"We wandered," Kael went on. "Crossing borders like ghosts. Begging when we had no choice. Fighting when we did."
He looked away.
"And she…"
A long pause.
"She never came."
Silence settled heavily between them.
"We crossed four kingdoms," Kael said at last.
The Ashveil Dominion.
A land locked in endless war. Strength ruled all. Mercy was a flaw.
The Virell Coast.
A kingdom of trade and deception. Smiles were currency. Gold decided truth.
The Ironroot Confederacy.
Mountain cities carved from stone. Laws unbreakable. Outsiders endured, never belonged.
The Solmere Theocracy.
A land ruled by divine doctrine. Faith was power. Doubt was sin.
"In none of them," Kael said softly, "did we belong."
Vicky finally spoke.
"So you came here."
Kael nodded.
"This city doesn't ask where you came from," he said.
"Only whether you can survive."
A memory surfaced—golden trees, soft laughter, promises spoken like eternity was guaranteed.
Kael closed his eyes.
"I loved her," he whispered. "And sometimes… loving her hurts more than losing her."
Suddenly—
The air shifted.
A heavy pressure rolled across the rooftop.
Vicky staggered.
Luka moved instantly.
"Master—!"
Vicky raised a hand.
His breath grew uneven. A strange warmth spread through his chest—ancient, suffocating.
Kael turned sharply.
"Vicky?"
Vicky's eyes shimmered.
"I don't know why," he said slowly, "but hearing this… stirred something."
He closed his eyes.
And words poured out.
Vicky's Poem
Even if storms block every written road,
Even if fate buries names in dust untold,
What is meant to meet you will still find its way,
Through shattered nights and broken days.
Whether written as soil beneath tired feet,
Or hidden as a diamond no hand can greet,
Truth does not vanish, nor does it flee—
What is destined… will come to thee.
Silence followed.
Even the city seemed to listen.
Kael's breath trembled.
"…That was—"
He stopped, eyes burning.
Vicky opened his eyes, unaware of what he had awakened.
"I didn't forget," he said quietly.
"It just… isn't time yet."
Far beneath the city—
Something ancient shifted.
And the seal tightened… for now.