* * *
The calamity’s nest had no puddles, yet Isa’s clothes clung to him as though he had just climbed out of water.
He looked around in confusion before his gaze locked onto Kaindel.
His silver eyes, unsteady and filled with a mixture of relief and suspicion, froze in place when they met Kaindel’s.
It was as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Kaindel?”
“….”
Kaindel’s throat tightened at the sound of his name spoken in that familiar, gentle voice.
The figure before him was no illusion born of longing.
The resonance of that voice in the cavern confirmed it—the silver-haired man was truly Isa.
“Isa.”
“Where is this…? This doesn’t look like the area near Count Serge’s estate.”
“Isa.”
“Wait, have I finally returned? This isn’t another one of those times where only you can see me, is it?”
“Isa.”
“Yes, Kaindel?”
Isa tilted his head, puzzled by Kaindel’s dazed state.
His murmured words—half questions, half reassurances—carried mysteries that Kaindel couldn’t begin to unravel.
As Kaindel’s trembling hand fell to his side, empty now of the heart, he struggled to comprehend Isa’s presence.
Half a year had passed since their last meeting, yet Isa spoke of Serge’s estate as if it had been mere days.
Their reunion was interrupted when Sehir, having spotted Isa, hurried over in surprise.
“Isa? Is that really you?”
“It’s been a while, Sehir.”
“A while? It’s been half a year! Where on earth have you been?”
“Half a year?”
Sehir bombarded Isa with questions before pausing to laugh at her own eagerness.
True to his calm nature, Sehir’s excitement quickly subsided, but Isa seemed flustered by his rapid-fire interrogation, fumbling for words.
Kaindel simply watched.
Just moments ago, Isa had suddenly appeared in the center of a dry cave, his entire body drenched.
He had been absent right up until he carved out the Heart of Catastrophe, only to materialize in the blink of an eye.
Though the situation was peculiar, Kaindel had no intention of questioning it. His relief at seeing Isa took precedence.
The moment Kaindel laid eyes on Isa, the decay festering inside him seemed to dissolve.
The oppressive weight that had been pressing down on the back of his neck disappeared as if washed away.
The expression Isa wore the last time Kaindel had seen him at the banquet remained burned in his memory, distorted and pained.
Yet now, seeing him again, Kaindel’s mind was flooded with vivid memories of what Isa’s face had once been like.
Suppressing a rising tide of emotions, Kaindel shifted the focus of the conversation while Sehir, who had bombarded Isa with a flurry of questions, paused to catch his breath.
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Well, it’s a long story…”
“I don’t mind. Tell me.”
“I fell into a pond.”
“You fell into a pond?”
Isa nodded silently, glancing up at Kaindel, who had leaned in closer.
A pond.
Kaindel muttered the word under his breath.
Now that he thought about it, he recalled seeing a pond near the Count Serge’s estate.
It had been one of the places he had searched while looking for Isa.
The memories of that day remained vivid—running around in desperation, feeling a chill in the early summer air as though it were the dead of winter.
But there had been nothing unusual about the pond.
How could he have fallen into it?
Kaindel bit the inside of his cheek, recalling the scene.
The pond had seemed too small for a grown man to completely submerge himself.
Even if the freezing weather that day had obscured his vision, it had been clear there was nothing there.
And now Isa claimed he had disappeared because he had fallen into that very pond.
It didn’t add up.
“Then how are you here now?”
“…Good question.”
Isa hesitated briefly before pressing his lips together.
His gaze flickered with unease, but he forced a smile as though telling Kaindel not to worry.
That look made it clear to Kaindel that Isa wasn’t ready to share the details.
In the end, Kaindel let it go.
He exhaled a deep sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around Isa, pulling him close.
He clung to the warmth that filled his embrace, clutching at Isa’s damp clothes as if afraid to let him slip away.
Even knowing their companions were watching, he couldn’t stop himself.
“Whatever the reason, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll explain when the time is right. There are still some things I need to figure out.”
“Whatever the reason, don’t leave again. That’s all I ask.”
“….”
“Well? Is that too much to ask?”
Perhaps it was the long separation or the unease bubbling up from within, but Kaindel needed Isa to promise.
He knew it might not prevent him from leaving again, yet he felt it was the only way to calm his fears.
After a long pause, Isa finally smiled brightly.
His cool hand gently brushed over Kaindel’s shoulder, his expression no longer carrying the shadows it had worn at the Count’s banquet.
“Yes, I won’t leave. Ever again.”
With quiet certainty, Isa murmured his vow and buried his forehead against Kaindel’s chest.
The distance between them vanished in an instant, their bond now feeling more like that of lovers who had seen each other daily rather than two who had been apart for half a year.
Isa’s clean, soothing scent enveloped Kaindel, bringing a smile to his lips.
The emptiness he had felt in the face of the dormant Catastrophe was long gone.
Perhaps, Kaindel thought, his feelings for Isa weren’t just possessiveness after all.
With that realization, he smoothed his expression.
At last, his wandering felt like it had come to an end.
Kaindel returned to the capital with Isa.
Though he had initially planned to take Isa back to his hometown, the mere thought of being separated from him filled him with dread.
On the worst days, he couldn’t even sleep, consumed by the fear that Isa might vanish again.
The idea of leaving him behind disappeared entirely.
Kaindel resolved to keep Isa by his side, and Isa, fortunately, agreed.
Back in the capital, verifying that Isa had indeed brought the Heart of Catastrophe became a year-long process.
During that time, Kaindel worked to settle his late father’s debts while starting his own ventures.
If he wanted to build a life with Isa, those debts had to be cleared.
Occasionally, Kaindel would escort a client as part of his business dealings, but nothing more.
Spending time with Isa had made socializing with others feel tedious—or perhaps it was guilt gnawing at him.
Whatever the case, Kaindel paid off the debts his father had struggled with for decades within a year.
Freed of that burden, he focused on solidifying his reputation as a hero.
It was exhausting to cater to the king’s whims, but it was necessary to ensure he and his comrades received their rightful compensation.
The only downside was leaving Isa alone at the estate day after day.
“I have to go to the palace again today.”
“Again? Aren’t you overworking yourself? Can’t you take a break for just one day?”
“I’d like to, but you know how it is. When His Majesty calls, I have to go.”
Kaindel ran his fingers through Isa’s hair as he murmured, “It’s almost over.”
“What is?”
“The matter with the Catastrophe.”
Isa froze briefly before fidgeting with his fingers and looking up at Kaindel.
“Kaindel, are you….”
“Hmm?”
“…Never mind. Have a safe trip.”
Isa swallowed whatever he had been about to say, deciding now wasn’t the time.
Kaindel, sensing Isa’s hesitation, let his hand drop from Isa’s hair.
Whatever it was, he would eventually share it when the time was right.
* * *
