"...It's been a while. I thought it was an illusion, but it's real, which is quite surprising."

The gloomy, ash-gray Peleta Castle. The unlit stove. Kishiar from that day.

Yuder looked down at the sword he was holding and clenched his teeth.

Everything seemed blurred as if it had melted away. Within the flowing fragments of shattered memories, Yuder found himself, without realizing, stabbing the man's heart with his sword. From a cold and dark place, the only warmth spilled out in a rush. After looking down at the man who had fallen, he threw away his sword and turned his back, heading towards the secret passage.

However, when he regained his senses, Yuder found himself facing the man again.

"...It's been a while. I thought it was an illusion, but to think it's real..."

Yuder blankly stared at the man's face, then lifted his sword again, slashing it down towards the man's smiling face. Once again, everything was over.

And as he passed through the secret passage and emerged from the darkness, Yuder once again found himself standing before Kishiar.

"...It's been a while. I thought it was an illusion, but to think it's real..."

He stabbed again, and again, and again, as if mad.

But no matter how many times he repeated it, he couldn't escape from the man who wore the same smile.

Yuder ran through the darkened secret passage of Peleta Castle, gasping for breath.

“Huff... huff...”

Suddenly, there was a squelching sound beneath his soaked feet. Why was there a wet sound when there was no water? In confusion, he looked back reflexively and saw a trail of crimson footprints scattered haphazardly.

That mark-like trail of footprints ended right behind Yuder.

His head throbbed violently. Yuder just ran forward again. Liquid kept sticking and falling off the soles of his shoes, splashing, but he did not look back anymore.

Where do I have to go to escape from here?

Where to...

That's when it happened. Yuder suddenly collided with someone in the darkness.

"Ugh..."

He nearly bounced back, unprepared for the obstacle, but the figure quickly grabbed and pulled him in. Yuder instinctively struggled, trying to push the other away, but the other's strength was unexpectedly overwhelming.

"It's okay."

A soft, familiar voice whispered in his ear.

"It's okay..."

Once again, the whisper sent shivers down his spine. Only then did Yuder stop struggling. The odd feeling only slightly touched him each time the one embracing him gently stroked his back.

The embrace that firmly wrapped around his whole body strangely felt like a protective barrier.

"Do you recognize me?"

Once Yuder calmed down, the other slowly asked again. Yuder stopped his panting and lifted his head that had been buried in the chest.

At first, he couldn't make out the other's face at all in the darkness of the passage. But as he continued to blink, the sight gradually became clearer, as if the black water washing away with each blink.

A jawline with straight lines. Red lips. Pale, smooth cheeks. Long eyelashes drooping down, and between them, glass-like eyes staring at Yuder.

And just like what he had been wielding his sword at a moment ago, the same golden hair.

"…!"

Yuder stiffened again, trying to push him away, but the other grasped Yuder's wrist and brought it to his face.

"Here. Feel it."

Their overlapped hands moved over the other's face. It was a ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) direct method, but it definitively made Yuder aware of the other's presence. Initially, Yuder only touched the other's face as led by him, but at some point, even though his hand was free, he continued to caress without realizing.

The man quietly bowed his head, allowing Yuder to touch anywhere on his face. When his fingertips brushed against the soft eyelashes, they curled beautifully. The soft lips did the same. Oddly familiar sensations arose, but the feeling was still vague and elusive.

Then suddenly, a warm breath laced with laughter flowed from between the other's lips. Unsure why he was laughing, Yuder stopped his hand, prompting the other to speak.

"…Do you remember? You touched me like this before."

"…"

"Then, as now, following the same path. Could it be this is what it felt like to know who the other was just by the fingertips?"

At first, Yuder didn't understand what that meant.

But those words, like the last drop in a filled glass, slowly seeped into Yuder and gradually awakened his clouded mind.

Yuder slowly opened and closed his eyes, feeling strangely unfamiliar.

And then, he finally gazed directly into the eyes of the man before him.

"…Kishiar."

Despite his voice sounding heavily strained, the man softened his eyebrows and smiled joyfully.

"…Commander?"

"Yes."

The man overlaid his hand on Yuder's, which was still touching his cheek, and tilted his head.

"It's me."

The tender gaze disappeared behind the drooping eyelashes, and lips pressed firmly against the palm. Yuder then realized that the blood he had been soaked in had somehow completely vanished.

"What's this? Why am I here...? Just a moment ago, surely... it wasn't here..."

"Dreams are like that. Neither summoned by will nor banished by desire."

Kishiar answered firmly yet gently.

"So, shall we leave now?"

"But how... Where do you mean?"

"Isn't this Peleta Castle? I suppose just heading out that way should do."

The fact that wherever he had headed before, he had only encountered Kishiar from 'that day' gnawed at Yuder. However, Kishiar nonchalantly took Yuder's hand and began to move towards the end of the passage.

Yuder hesitated, then followed him.

What would happen if, at the end of this, the same scene unfolded again? Would the same scene continue before Kishiar this time?

As he gripped the hand caught in the black chaos, Kishiar turned his head.

"It's fine. Whatever is waiting at the end."

"…"

"I won't be the first to let go of this hand."

As if to answer, the man's fingers intertwined tightly with Yuder's. No matter how much strength he applied, he couldn't pull away from the firm grip and warmth of the hand holding his.

As they moved towards the end of the passage, everything before his eyes gradually became more distant, but it no longer felt like a black mouth trying to swallow him.

Why is that? As he asked himself, the answer flowed out surprisingly simply.

Because this time, there were two of them.

"…"

Yuder slightly opened his mouth, took a breath, and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the flames flickering in the marstone stove. He stared blankly at it as a voice came from beside him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"…Commander?"

"Yes."

The man who had been embracing him by his side pressed his lips against his cheek and lightly rubbed his forehead. His eyes looked languid as if they had just woken up together.

"...Wait, why are we like this?"

Yuder blinked, and suddenly, as if doused with cold water, the sleepiness rushed away. He abruptly sat up and looked around.

"What... What happened? I thought I just closed my eyes for a moment at Peleta, no. In the dream, the Commander was..."

"Yes, we were connected in a dream. Just like before."

Kishiar, who should have been the one surprised by the dream, calmly responded as if it were nothing unusual.

"I came back and found my lovely adjutant looking very tired and asleep. I was going to carry you to the bedroom, but you wouldn't wake up, and it seemed like you were not having a good dream."

"So... What did you do?"

"I wrapped you in a blanket, held you tight, and prayed fervently. And then, suddenly, there I was."

His tone was light enough to be dubious. But there was no reason for Kishiar to lie in such a situation, so it must be true.

Yuder bit his lip and asked cautiously.

"...So, did you see it again this time?"

"What? Your dream?"

"…"

"I only saw you wandering the underground passage of Peleta Castle. Fortunately, this time, unlike before, I could catch you without having to call out several times."

That meant Kishiar hadn't seen him die. Yuder relaxed and exhaled deeply.

"Is that a relief?"

Hearing it was one thing, but seeing such a scene directly was certainly different. Moreover, this dream had felt similar yet distinctly different from the previous one. It wasn't so much that forgotten memories had been revived, but rather that he had only seen broken fragments.

Even after waking from the dream, he was left only with a vague feeling of seeing Kishiar that day and the dreadful sensation of wandering the passages, with no new information or feeling that any gaps had been filled.

"I didn't expect to see the secret passages of Peleta Castle like that. So, it must have been that time in the dream."

Yuder nodded, reflecting on the words, as they continued their uncertain journey, guided only by the bond they shared in that endless and bewildering dream.