* * *

There had always been hints and unsettling clues that Seo Woohyun hadn’t fully investigated.

It wasn’t beyond suspicion.

Seeing a mysterious status window only he could view, he’d even wondered if he’d been thrust into some kind of game-fantasy novel.

After all, reincarnation and transmigration were key tropes in the fantasy novels he often read.

“Well… I was human once, too.”

“And after all the names you considered, you chose that one.”

“No, I chose the name that suited you best.”

Though he deeply wanted to understand why he’d been brought from another realm to be ordained as a saint, Seo Woohyun found himself doubting each clue he uncovered.

Did he even need to know why he’d ended up here?

He had enough to do simply enjoying a world where everyone was kind and thoughtful toward him.

Even if he dug up the truth, it wasn’t as though he could return to his original world.

And Erdian, being a god, had even shown him why certain things couldn’t be spoken aloud.

Why question further?

Why not just live with it and be grateful?

Caught between the desire to know the truth and the urge to let things be, Seo Woohyun found himself wanting neither.

If Erdian hid things forever, he might complain about his secretive nature but wouldn’t be relentless in unearthing the truth.

After all, among all the theories he’d considered, the one he most dreaded and wished was untrue seemed to be the real answer.

“How do I break free from this dream? Why does every nightmare feel so miserably familiar?”

Seo Woohyun sat alone in the empty bedroom, watching time pass in a haze.

The night he’d died of overwork, he’d picked up a beer at the convenience store and thought something similar before falling asleep.

“These crappy dreams… they’re like trash I just can’t shake.”

But what if those ‘trash dreams’ hadn’t been just dreams?

What if these nightmarish visions were of things he’d actually lived through?

“Could this really mean… I’ve been reincarnated?”

Seo Woohyun didn’t believe in reincarnation.

For him, death was final.

He wanted to be rid of this strange, frustrating dream.

Yet, the visions kept coming relentlessly.

In what seemed like another moment, a slightly older Calliope sat in front of him.

“Hey… El’s doing well. He’s threatening to come back and give you an earful if you don’t write him regularly. Here, this is his letter. Technically, this kind of personal delivery isn’t allowed for the Commander, but you’re an exception.”

Calliope handed him a stiff envelope.

Its contents were simple: the war was long and terrible, but he was doing fine.

Seo Woohyun, watching over Ciel’s shoulder, could read it easily now, something he couldn’t have done before.

“Don’t worry about me. You know I always keep my promises. Write back soon. I miss you, Ciel. Love, Erdian.”

The elegant script was unmistakable. Ciel read the letter slowly, then looked up at his old friend.

“Calliope.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you certain El is alive?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I overheard that Lord Erdian was gravely injured. They’re even planning to send a new commander…”

“Who told you that?”

Seeing Calliope’s stiffened, anxious face, Seo Woohyun, who had been quietly observing, realized the truth.

Erdian had been badly wounded.

“Does it matter who told me? Why doesn’t anyone tell me anything?”

“Ciel, calm down…”

“How am I supposed to stay calm? You left me here while he’s been on the battlefield for years…! I don’t even know when I last saw him. Just sending letters… that’s all he can do? He’s never mentioned getting hurt. He always says he’s fine… Even here, he says nothing about being injured!”

“It wasn’t serious. You know, Cecily is with him.”

“Oh, Cecily, Cecily…! What good does it do if she’s bound by protocol and can’t join the fight?”

“You know as well as I do the power of dragonfolk’s healing magic. He recovered quickly, not even a scar left. Cecily insisted she’d tend to even the slightest scratch, so you wouldn’t worry.”

Ciel’s breathing calmed, and he apologized, realizing how difficult it was for Calliope to visit so frequently.

“…I’m sorry. I know it’s not easy for you to come here.”

“Not at all. EL, that guy, he’s been hiding away for years because he gets soft-hearted every time he sees you. If I were him, and I couldn’t see my lover, I’d probably do the same. I get it.”

“Please wait a moment. I’ll write the reply quickly. You must be tired; would you like to rest a bit?”

“Oh, if I fall asleep next to you, our terrifying commander might actually kill me. Take your time—I’ll just sit and rest here.”

Calliope laughed warmly.

Even from a quick glance, he had an approachable charm, and his good looks stood out.

Then, as his vision blurred, a familiar, acrid smell of smoke filled his nose.

The collapsed structure, with dark smoke and flames rising all around, looked disturbingly familiar.

‘…Looks like the royal palace.’

The real issue was that the one trapped under the debris was ‘Ciel.’

“P… please… save me.”

The plea, uttered weakly from a hoarse throat, was something Seo Woohyun recognized.

Everything he was seeing now were fragments of dreams he’d had before.

In these dreams, he always ended up looking up at someone coming to save him while he lay pinned under the rubble.

His vision was too blurry from the smoke to see who it was, but he knew that someone would come if he waited.

Ignoring the pain that filled his entire body, Seo Woohyun held his breath.

He didn’t know how long had passed before he heard hurried footsteps and voices.

Just before his vision went completely dark, a painfully familiar voice called his name.

“…Ciel.”

The one who still called him ‘Ciel’ was none other than Erdian.

‘My stomach feels queasy….’

Even though it wasn’t outright unpleasant, the memories still came flooding in, fragmented enough that he couldn’t piece together why Erdian and ‘Ciel’ had ever fallen for each other.

And just past Seo Woohyun’s distorted vision, he could make out an open plaza under a clear blue sky, paper confetti filling the air.

Everyone was praising Erdian’s accomplishments.

They called him the hero who had ended a war that could have dragged on for decades in just ten years.

Some believed peace would ultimately come through him, while others hailed him as the living embodiment of war.

The fervent cheers, almost fanatical, sent a chill down his spine.

Yet, Erdian’s expression remained disturbingly indifferent amid the worshipful shouts.

“…Lord El.”

“Yes?”

Only when their eyes met did Erdian offer a faint smile, though something in his gaze seemed unsettling.

“You don’t look too pleased.”

‘Ciel’ commented, to which Erdian raised his brows with a slightly troubled expression and muttered something cryptic.

“They keep pushing it on me.”

“What?”

“They keep telling me to accept something I never wanted.”

“Who…?”

“There are those kinds of people, obnoxious fools talking nonsense. You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll handle it. All you need to do is worry about me bothering you all night after this ceremony ends.”

Smiling dazzlingly, Erdian took Ciel’s hand and kissed the back of it.

Seo Woohyun felt his heart race, his breathing quicken.

But this reaction was accompanied by an unusually sharp pain, making it feel more intense than simple excitement.

He tried several times to swallow down the hot surge rising in his throat, but it wouldn’t settle.

Finally, he coughed weakly, red liquid spilling onto the blue fabric of his clothes.

“Ciel!”

As Seo Woohyun’s body crumpled, Erdian shouted, clutching him tightly as chaos erupted around them.

“What’s going on… why is this happening? Calliope! Cecily! Anyone… quickly!”

The ceremony to celebrate the end of the war was dedicated solely to Erdian, so his friends who had fought alongside him were standing a little distance away.

As they rushed toward the commotion, Seo Woohyun caught sight of a bow drawn tight at the edge of his vision.

‘No way.’

With all his remaining strength, Seo Woohyun threw himself onto Erdian, pushing him down.

Then, a sharp pain pierced his neck, and his vision went white with a pain he’d never felt before.

“Ciel, please… Ciel!”

“Will… will we meet again?”

“I swear, no matter what… we’ll meet again. So please….”

“Ciel, I’ve come… Just a moment….”

“Yes….”

The last thing he saw in the darkening scene was a pair of bright, golden eyes shining with intensity.

---

When Seo Woohyun finally opened his eyes after a night of fevered sleep, Erdian was still sitting beside him.

Staring blankly at the man with short brown hair and brown eyes, Erdian looked up as if sensing his gaze.

“You’re awake?”

The question was gentle, but instead of answering, Seo Woohyun asked a question that had been echoing in his mind, one he couldn’t suppress.

“The reason you brought me here… does it have something to do with my past life?”

In his heart, Seo Woohyun wished Erdian would deny it.

But the answer shattered that hope.

“Have you remembered something?”

The expression on Erdian’s beautiful face showed unmistakable ‘expectation,’ as though he was desperately waiting for Seo Woohyun to remember.

The realization struck Seo Woohyun like a blow, and he felt a surge of bitter helplessness.

* * *