The morning sun had barely risen when the palace gates of Emestrild opened for departure. Two carriages stood waiting—one large, marked with the Delcra crest, and a smaller one behind it for attendants. Servants, guards, and a few remaining nobles lingered nearby, whispering among themselves. Today Kael, Elric, and Robert would begin their journey back to Delcra.
Reinhardt stood before the main carriage, a thick stack of documents in hand. His expression was unreadable, but his grip on the papers was firm.
"This might help with your search," he said as he handed the file to Kael.
Kael accepted it with both hands and bowed his head. "…thank you."
Reinhardt then turned toward Elric. His gaze softened the slightest bit.
"I expect the two of you to complete this mission without… incidents."
Elric only gave a curt nod, though Kael could feel the warning in Reinhardt's voice. The Emperor was not someone who feared the world—but when it came to Kael, he feared everything.
Before entering the carriage, Kael noticed Reinhardt's eyes slide past Robert without stopping—not even for a second. No greeting, no acknowledgement. Only silence.
Robert, however, simply bowed his head and followed Kael as always, even though his face still appeared pale and fragile. Kael approached him quietly, tugging lightly at his sleeve.
"Ride with us… it's more comfortable."
Robert smiled softly and glanced once at Elric, who stood beside the carriage.
"I can't do that in front of people, Master Kael. They'll misunderstand and say I disturb your… private time with Lady Elric." He chuckled and pointed at the smaller carriage behind them. "I'll rest there and join you once we pass the border. Don't worry."
Kael hesitated, then reluctantly nodded and stepped into the main carriage.
As the gates opened and the wheels began turning, people outside waved, cheering for their Hero. Flags fluttered. Children shouted Kael's name. Their admiration enveloped the carriages as they moved away from the capital.
Inside, Kael immediately opened the document bundle Reinhardt had given him. Each page contained names, brief histories, region identifications, old Church records, and scribbled notes in Reinhardt's handwriting—information on the Curse Children once housed in Taylor Orphanage: East Branch 34.
Reinhardt had done more than Kael expected.
"It seems he tried to make this easier for you," Elric murmured. She leaned onto Kael's shoulder, her hand quietly sliding around his arm.
"Do you remember their faces?"
Kael flipped to the next page. There—drawn in charcoal—was a child with wild red hair and sharp red eyes. The one from his nightmare. The one who lost control. Kael raised the drawing toward Elric so she could see.
She blinked in surprise.
"Red hair and red eyes… both? That's extremely rare."
Kael frowned lightly.
"…rare?"
Elric nodded, brushing her thumb over the edge of the paper.
"Cursed Children usually have only one mark—either red eyes or red hair.
But those with both… the old folk tales call them calamities. They say such a child brings ruin wherever they go."
Kael's gaze dropped to their joined hands. His ring caught the sunlight, reflecting pale streaks across the carriage.
"How did people react when… I became the Hero?" His voice was faint, almost a whisper.
Elric hesitated, then answered honestly.
"At first, they rejected you. They feared you… believed you would bring destruction. But you fought anyway. You protected them. And slowly, their fear changed into trust.
You and Lady Iris changed the world's view of Curse Children."
She smiled gently.
"Kael… you were incredible. You changed people's hearts.
I only hated that you lost everything after you sacrificed yourself. I… liked how free you were when we first met."
Kael lifted his hand and touched her cheek, urging her to face him.
"Elric… how did you see me before?"
Her lips curved, and she leaned into his palm, kissing it softly before holding his hand between hers.
"Do you want to know?"
A playful smirk tugged at her lips.
Kael didn't answer—didn't need to. His silence meant yes.
"Then kiss me… and I'll tell you."
He blinked. Then, slowly, a small, genuine smile formed. Kael set the documents aside and leaned in. Their lips met in a soft, warm kiss—slow at first, then deeper as Elric's hands curled around the back of his neck, pulling him closer.
Kael's arms wrapped around her waist, grounding her against him.
Their breaths mingled, their tongues brushing in a heated exchange. The only sounds were the steady rumble of carriage wheels and their quiet, hungry breaths.
When Kael finally pulled away, Elric's cheeks were flushed, her chest rising and falling.
She stroked his hair, her thumb brushing the corner of his lips.
"If only you could always act like this…"
She leaned her head on his shoulder, voice soft.
"I first saw you at the palace training yard—before the war. I was escorting my brother back then.
At that time, all I heard were cruel rumors about the 'curse-born hero.'
But when I saw you…"
She closed her eyes, remembering.
"You were laughing while training with a wooden sword. Your smile was bright. You looked so free…
Maybe that was the first moment I fell for you."
Elric opened her eyes and touched his cheek again.
"Even when the world doubted you—my heart didn't."
Kael stared at her, gently brushing his thumb across her jaw.
"…thank you." His voice trembled.
"For believing me. For staying with me."
Elric smiled softly, leaning into him again.
The carriage carried them forward toward Delcra—but for a moment, the world felt quiet, warm, and peaceful. Just the two of them, hand in hand, sharing a past they were finally ready to face together.
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The moonlight spilled gently over the resting ground—a small clearing beside the old trade road. The guards tended to the horses, feeding them and giving them water. Lanterns hung from wooden poles, casting warm flickers across the camp. The air was cold, but peaceful; the forest wind hummed softly between the trees.
Kael, Elric, and Robert sat together outside the main carriage, a map and Reinhardt's file spread across a makeshift wooden crate. The night was calm, but their discussion was far from it.
Robert adjusted his glasses as he examined the papers.
"According to this… the Taylor Orphanage isn't far." He tapped the corner of the map. "But I doubt there's anything left. When the royal family cut ties with the Foundation, they destroyed nearly everything to hide their crimes. No witnesses, no records."
Elric exhaled deeply.
"Then what are we going to find there? Ruins? Burnt walls? Nothing useful?"
Her worry was visible in the trembling of her hand.
Kael didn't respond immediately. His eyes were fixed on the pages before him—pages that held the names and faces of children he once knew, even if the memories were blurry and broken.
Finally, he spoke quietly.
"No."
Both Robert and Elric turned to look at him.
"There was… a basement. Where they did the experiments." Kael's fingers twitched slightly. "That place… I remember being taken there."
Robert flipped through the architectural sketch Reinhardt had included.
"There is a basement recorded—but only one. And we all know they hid more things than they documented. Are you saying there might be hidden rooms down there?"
Kael pressed his fingertips to his lips, thinking. The fragments from his dreams—screams, chains, cold iron on his skin—swirled beneath the surface of his mind.
Elric noticed the tension in his shoulders.
"Maybe… once we reach the place, your memories will become clearer."
She reached for his hand, squeezing gently. "You don't have to force yourself tonight."
But Kael shook his head slightly. The fear lingered, but behind it was something stronger—determination.
He looked at Robert… and hesitated.
"There is something I need to tell…"
Robert and Elric froze.
Kael rarely initiated conversation.
The seriousness in his voice made their hearts tighten.
Elric leaned in. "What is it, Kael?"
Kael's gaze drifted toward Robert, noticing once again the paleness of his friend's face under the torchlight. His throat tightened, and his grip on his knee clenched.
"I know who is responsible for the poisoning."
Both of them shot upright.
"W–what?!" Robert's voice cracked. "Didn't you already catch Count Yarnes and the others?"
Elric added, "They confessed to dealing with the Cult. Isn't that—"
Kael shook his head slowly.
"They are connected… yes. But they didn't produce the poison."
His eyes darkened as he recalled the dream.
The boy's smile.
His golden eyes.
The scent of blood.
"Do you know… any poison made by blood?"
Robert frowned.
"There are several. Mostly made from legendary beasts—dragons, deep-sea creatures… some healers use diluted versions for extreme treatments.
Are you saying… the poison used on us came from that kind of source?"
Kael nodded once.
"Varyn. He has Black hair and his eyes…Golden"
His voice was barely louder than the crackle of the fire.
Robert blinked.
"Varyn? I've never heard of that name. But golden eyes…"
Elric sat straighter, connecting the thought immediately.
"Golden eyes are often linked to dragon-blooded beings. Like Licht, Delcra's Guardian Dragon… and the Northern Conqueror."
Kael's hand tightened.
"He appeared in my dream… when the poison was still inside me. He said…"
Kael swallowed, then continued.
"He said the poison was made from his blood."
Silence slammed into the group.
Robert looked horrified, his hand instinctively covering his chest.
"Then… does that mean he can harm us just by bleeding?!"
Kael shook his head, but uncertainty troubled his eyes.
"I don't know. But… he said he will come to me again."
He did not mention the terrifying truth—that Varyn wanted his blood. That their fates were already intertwined by something darker.
Elric's expression tensed with worry.
"Whatever the case, we'll be careful. Tomorrow, we start at the Orphanage. We'll take things step by step."
Robert nodded, though fear flickered behind his eyes.
Elric stood and brushed the dirt from her coat.
"Let's rest now. We'll need all our strength."
As the camp slowly quieted, Kael remained seated for a moment longer, staring at the map of the place he once escaped… and now chose to return to.
In the moonlight, his face looked calm.
But his eyes carried the weight of a past that refused to remain buried.
Tomorrow, they would stand on the ashes of the children who died with him.
Tomorrow, they would search for answers the world tried to erase.
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The night had fallen completely.
Only the guards remained awake, rotating shifts with quiet discipline. The crackle of dying firewood and the occasional snort of resting horses were the only sounds in the dark clearing.
Inside one of the tents, Robert sat on his bedroll, hands trembling slightly as he poured several bitter-smelling medicines into his palm. His breathing was uneven—thin, shallow.
Just as he lifted the cup of water to swallow them down, Elric stepped inside.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice tight with concern. "You looked pale after what Kael said…"
Robert flinched at her sudden entrance but managed to force a small smile as he swallowed the pills.
"I'm fine, Lady Elric. It's just… the cold outside."
He clutched his thin blanket tighter around himself. "I think I need to wear something thicker."
But Elric was not convinced.
She could see right through him—his trembling fingers, the way he kept pressing his hand to his chest each time he took a breath.
"Reinhardt didn't say anything to you?" she asked quietly.
Robert froze.
Then, after a long pause, he smiled again—a lonely, resigned smile.
"His Majesty visited me after I woke up. That… is enough."
Elric sighed heavily.
"That idiot."
Her tone wasn't directed at Robert, but at Reinhardt's frustrating, distant behavior.
Robert chuckled weakly.
Elric sat beside him, folding her arms.
"Listen carefully. Tomorrow, when we reach the orphanage, I don't want you to follow."
Robert's head snapped up, startled.
"No, I was—"
"No." Elric cut him firmly, her tone stern. "Let me protect him. You don't need to worry about Kael tomorrow."
Robert stared, silent.
Elric continued, softer now:
"You need to fully recover if you want to stay beside him. Kael needs you… just as much as you need him."
Robert's fingers trembled at her words.
After a long moment, he lowered his gaze and nodded.
"…I understand. Thank you, Lady Elric."
Satisfied, Elric rose and left the tent, closing the flap quietly behind her.
-----------------------------------------
Her steps slowed between the short path separating Robert's tent from hers.
She stopped midway, her hand rising unconsciously to her chest.
This morning—
Kael's warmth in the carriage.
His hand pulling her waist.
His lips.
His breath against her skin.
Her face flushed red instantly.
"Get a hold of yourself…" she whispered, pressing her palm against her cheek to cool it down.
Tonight, she resolved not to disturb him.
He needed rest, and she knew Kael rarely slept well.
With quiet steps, she walked back to her tent—only to freeze the moment she opened the flap.
Her breath hitched.
Kael… was already sleeping on her bed.
His white hair fell over his closed eyes. His breathing was slow, steady, his hand resting on the spot beside him as if searching for someone who wasn't there.
Elric exhaled softly.
She stepped closer, kneeling beside him.
Her fingers brushed his bangs aside, tucking them gently behind his ear.
"Were you searching for me, Kael…?" she whispered, more to herself than to him.
As if hearing her heart rather than her voice—
Kael's eyes opened slowly.
Elric startled slightly.
His red eyes met hers, heavy with exhaustion yet soft with a warmth she rarely saw.
She knelt closer.
"Are you tired from the journey, Kael?" she murmured. "You should sleep in your own tent."
Kael didn't answer.
Instead, his hand moved—swift but not forceful—grabbing her wrist.
And with one pull, Elric fell toward him, her breath catching as she landed on the edge of the bed.
Kael's voice was soft.
Fragile.
Honest.
"…Stay with me… until you return to Vaelthorn."
Her heart nearly stopped.
She stared into his eyes, her lips parting with warmth and disbelief.
Slowly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against his.
"Alright…" she whispered against his mouth.
She crawled up onto the bed beside him, slipping under the blanket. Kael immediately wrapped an arm around her waist—holding her tightly, protectively, like she was the one thing keeping him grounded.
Elric nestled against his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her ear.
Warm. Steady. Safe.
"You really have changed, Kael…" she murmured softly, smiling.
"He started seeking her warmth… just like she sought his."
She pulled the blanket over both of them, adjusting it so no cold air seeped in.
Kael's breathing slowed.
His arm tightened slightly around her.
And slowly, peacefully, he drifted back into sleep.
Elric closed her eyes.
Smiling softly in the quiet night.