The cold struck him first.
Kael's eyes slowly opened, breaths shallow and ragged, as he found himself lying on the still, glass-like water that always greeted him in this dream. The world was muted—sky drained of color, horizon swallowed by fog, and the water beneath him stretching endlessly like a mirror with no reflection.
He pushed himself up. His hand trembled as it pressed against his chest.
A faint burn still throbbed inside him.
He remembered the poison.
The blood.
Robert collapsing.
His own breath failing.
And then darkness.
"…Litch?" he whispered, voice trembling. "Litch, are you here…?"
No answer.
Only the distant ripple of water.
He lowered his head.
He remembered clearly—the last words Litch left him before disappearing forever:
"I can no longer protect you."
Kael shut his eyes, clutching his chest.
He knew what usually came next in this dream—
the tearing pain,
the shadow of another self,
the version of Kael that hurt him every time he appeared.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Kael's blood ran cold.
He stiffened.
But the voice that followed was not the one he feared.
"So this is your world?"
Kael's eyes widened.
That voice—young, yet echoing with something ancient and rotten.
Slowly… painfully… he turned.
A child stood behind him.
Black hair.
Golden eyes—shining like molten coins.
A smile carved too wide, too sharp, too unnatural for a child's face.
He was maybe twelve… or thirteen now.
Older than the tiny figure Kael saw before he collapsed.
The child tilted his head.
"Pretty, isn't it?" he said. "Quiet. Lonely."
He walked closer with light steps, water rippling beneath him without a sound.
Kael's fingers dug into the watery surface.
"…Who are you?" his voice shook.
The child grinned and sat directly in front of Kael—as if gravity didn't exist.
He extended a hand toward him.
"Varyn."
His smile stretched wider.
"Call me Varyn. And you? Should I call you Kael… like everyone else does?"
Kael didn't answer.
He didn't take the hand either.
Varyn pouted dramatically.
"You're sooo mean," he whined. "I came all this way to talk, you know. And I can't even hurt you here."
He dropped onto his back, staring up at the empty sky.
"I like it here. Peaceful. Quiet."
A giggle slipped past his lips.
"It makes me want to destroy it."
Kael stared, silent, heart pounding painfully.
There was no malice in the aura Varyn radiated… yet it was terrifying.
Like an abyss pretending to be calm.
Then Varyn sat back up.
"Oh, and about the poison…"
He tapped the side of his own neck, smiling sweetly.
"That was my blood. They extracted it. Mixed it. Pretty clever of them, isn't it?"
Kael's stomach twisted.
Varyn continued cheerfully, "Your friend only drank a little, so he'll live… probably."
He waved dismissively.
"But you—" He leaned in, eyes brightening.
"You drank a lot. I'm honestly impressed you're not dead yet. Makes you… different."
Kael's breath hitched, but he remained silent.
Varyn's smile softened into something darker.
"We are the same, Kael."
His voice lowered.
"Born from unwanted wombs. Born cursed. Born hated."
His golden irises narrowed into slits.
"And we're born to destroy this world."
Kael flinched.
Varyn stood, walking toward him with slow, deliberate steps.
Kael crawled backwards instinctively—
but Varyn was faster.
A hand seized his shoulder.
Kael jerked violently, trying to pull away.
"Hey—don't reject me," Varyn snapped, annoyance flashing across his childish face.
Kael shoved, but Varyn grabbed his other shoulder and pushed him down, pinning him against the water's surface.
Kael's breath hitched.
Fear clawed through him.
Varyn leaned close—face inches from his.
"Relax…" he whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you. Didn't I tell you? In this little world of yours, I can't even make you bleed."
"Get off me!" Kael's voice shook as he tried to push Varyn away.
"Shut up," Varyn hissed. "Let me finish talking."
His hand slid to Kael's neck, fingers cold.
Kael froze.
Varyn leaned down—fangs glinting as he opened his mouth.
Kael struggled—
but Varyn bit into his neck—
or tried to.
His fangs pressed against skin that refused to break.
Not even a drop of blood surfaced.
Varyn clicked his tongue, irritated.
"See?" he muttered against Kael's skin. "I can't even taste you here."
His golden eyes lifted, staring directly into Kael's terrified gaze.
"But outside…"
A smile stretched into something monstrous.
"Outside, I will."
The world rippled—
the dream cracked—
and Kael felt himself being pulled violently out of the void.
Varyn's whisper echoed as darkness swallowed him.
"See you soon… Kael."
-----------------------------------------
The first thing Kael felt when consciousness clawed its way back into him—
was pain.
Raw.
Burning.
Tearing through every nerve.
His throat felt scorched, as if he had swallowed fire.
His lungs seized each time he tried to breathe.
His muscles spasmed even without moving.
His head throbbed so violently he thought his skull would crack.
A strangled cough tore out of him—
the metallic taste of blood flooding his mouth.
"Kael!"
A voice—warm and trembling—cut through the haze.
Kael forced his heavy eyelids open.
Elric was there.
Her hair messy, tears streaming down her cheeks, both her hands gripping his.
Her thumb wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, but her hand trembled so hard it almost slipped.
"Don't speak… don't— just stay with me. I'll call Jaesper and His Majesty. Please, just—just stay."
Her voice cracked.
Then she rushed out of the room, shouting for help.
Kael turned his head, the motion making him gasp.
The entire world spun.
Robert.
The memory flashed sharply—
Robert trembling on the floor, clutching his chest, coughing blood.
Kael's breath hitched.
He tried—
tried to push himself up.
But pain cinched around his ribs like iron shackles.
His legs buckled and he fell from the bed, hitting the ground hard.
The agony was blinding.
Kael hunched over, clutching his chest, blood dripping from his nose.
"Kael!"
Reinhardt barreled into the room with Jaesper close behind, Elric at his heels.
Reinhardt didn't hesitate.
He dropped to his knees and scooped Kael up by the shoulders.
"Kael, you shouldn't move! You're still weak—damn it, stay still!"
Kael's body convulsed against Reinhardt's hold, breath harsh and shallow.
Jaesper was immediately beside them. His hands glowed as he pressed glowing sigils onto Kael's back and chest, channeling pain-relief magic.
"His Majesty is right—don't move. The poison is still lodged inside your system," Jaesper said, voice tight with concentration. "You consumed too much. It's… remarkable that you survived at all."
The spell eased the pain slightly— Kael's breath steadied enough for him to speak.
Barely.
"…R… Robert…"
Another cough.
But no blood this time.
Reinhardt's chest deflated with relief.
"He's fine," Reinhardt said softly. "Because of you, we managed to save him."
Kael closed his eyes, a shaky breath escaping him.
Elric moved close, brushing his damp hair back.
Her fingers trembled.
"Just rest. Everything will be fine once you wake up."
Kael shook his head.
Weakly.
But firmly.
Both Reinhardt and Elric stilled.
Kael drew in a breath that scraped like glass in his throat.
"…I… want to… meet him…"
His hand—cold and shaking—tightened around Reinhardt's sleeve.
Reinhardt's brows shot up.
For a second, real fear flashed in his eyes.
Then his expression darkened.
"No," he snapped. "You're not going anywhere. You need to recover first. If you try to get out of this bed, I'll lose my mind again. Don't test me."
Elric shot Reinhardt with a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
But she didn't argue—not in front of Kael.
Jaesper brought a potion for Kael to drink.
As soon as it touched his lips, Kael's exhausted body finally slackened.
His eyes fluttered closed.
He fell asleep again.
-----------------------------------------
Reinhardt cornered Jaesper the moment Kael's breathing steadied.
"Tell me his condition. All of it."
Jaesper wiped cold sweat from his brow.
He'd been casting nonstop since they brought Kael in.
"Your Majesty… the poison was designed to kill dragons."
His voice was grave.
"Even Lord Robert, who consumed only a small amount, nearly went into cardiac arrest. Lord Kael consumed enough to kill ten men."
Reinhardt's fist tightened.
"If Lord Kael were still in the weakened state from before…" Jaesper exhaled. "He would have died instantly."
Elric flinched—biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.
Before anyone could speak, Elric turned sharply toward Reinhardt.
"We need to talk. Now. Alone."
Reinhardt lifted his chin but followed her into the next room.
The moment the door shut, Elric's composure shattered.
"It's enough. The ceremony is over. Kael fulfilled everything you demanded. Bring him back home."
Reinhardt's jaw clenched so hard a vein pulsed on his temple.
"Here I can command Jaesper and every healer to watch him constantly. If he returns to your mansion, what then? What if something happens again at Vaelthorn?"
"And he was poisoned here," Elric shot back.
Her eyes burned with fury and fear.
"Here, in your palace. Under your roof. Under your guards."
Reinhardt's eyes flickered—barely a crack of guilt.
But she didn't let up.
"He's officially a Guardian now. The court will watch him. The nobles will watch him. Every move is a danger. And you're forcing him into the center of their politics while he's still recovering!"
Reinhardt finally turned around, eyes blazing.
"Then should I blame you, Elric?" he snarled.
"For bringing him here? For letting him be poisoned? For letting him suffer—again?"
Elric stepped forward without fear.
"Blame me if you want. I don't care. But Kael is dying, Reinhardt.
And Robert still hasn't woken up.
And you're losing yourself again—like before."
Reinhardt froze.
That struck deeper than any blade.
Elric continued, voice trembling now:
"He improved with me. He slept better. He smiled. He learned to stand without fear."
Her hands tightened into fists.
"As long as he stays here, he'll break again."
She placed her hand gently on Reinhardt's sleeve.
"You're the Emperor…
but he's our Kael."
Reinhardt jerked away from her touch.
"I don't need your pity."
Elric closed her eyes briefly.
Then she straightened.
"Then I'll take him myself—just like I did four years ago."
She walked toward the door.
Her steps were steady.
Her resolve, unshaken.
She left Reinhardt standing alone, staring out the window—
jaw clenched, eyes burning with a rage he couldn't release.
He didn't follow her.
Didn't call her back.
He remained there, expression unreadable, fists trembling at his sides.
Because this time—
He knew she wasn't wrong.