Kaiser's Perspective:
UNKNOWN VOID - ???
The sky never felt this endless.
I tumbled through it like a discarded thought—legs drifting upward, torso pitched toward the world I was about to crash into. The clouds peeled past me in trembling layers, smearing white streaks across my vision. My lips hung slightly apart, breath dragging thinly from between them.
Even in freefall, I found myself staring at my own arms, as if expecting them to do something… anything.
Was I falling toward my death?
The wind howled around me in sharp, ringing chimes—like bells announcing a ceremony meant only for me. The cold gnawed at my limbs until they blurred into a distant numbness.
Death… maybe the purest blessing humans get.
A wish for some, a relief for many, the end for all.
Beneath me, the ocean roared, its ripples thundering upward like judgement waiting for the final act. Soon it would swallow me whole.
How fitting. Even my fate arrives as scheduled.
And yet… this all felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Falling from the sky into the inevitability of death.
The cycle that never seems to tire of me.
Is this punishment for my choices?
Or just the misfortune I was born stitched with?
Everything I love becomes everything I lose…
No matter how tightly I hold on.
The sea rushed up to greet me—then exploded around me as I struck it. Pain cracked through my ribs, then dissolved into cold, merciless silence as I sank.
I drifted downward, deeper and deeper, the light bleeding away until even my own outline vanished. No sound remained except the ocean's massive, muffled heartbeat. The deeper I fell, the more its jaws closed around me—vast, black, infinite.
The forgotten depths.
My lungs burned, but I didn't fight it. Not this time.
Let it take me.
Let it finish what the world never seems to stop trying to do.
My limbs slackened. The darkness welcomed me.
Then— Her voice.
"Take care of yourself… Kai…"
Elfie.
Her last goodbye—spoken while blood seeped past her lips, staining my hands. Even as her life slipped away, she had touched my cheek, ignoring her wounds and worrying only about mine.
That girl…
That selfish, infuriating girl…
My teeth clenched so hard the pressure rang through my skull. My hand twitched upward, struggling against the crushing weight of the deep—toward the fading trail of light dissolving above me.
Just… lose you?
You think I'll let your memory rot in some corner of my mind?
Let life drain out of me and leave you as a half-finished wish?
Just because this world took you away?
A sudden hatred surged through my chest—ugly, raw, blood-colored.
I refuse.
My fingers curled, muscles screaming. My body convulsed, trying to reclaim control from the pressure crushing it. Every inch felt like it would split open, bones trembling, veins tightening like wires ready to snap.
I REFUSE TO GIVE UP ON YOU.
I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY WANT—
I WILL DRAG YOU BACK FROM THE DEPTHS IF I HAVE TO.
Water hammered against me, trying to force me deeper, tear me apart. My lungs begged for breath, vision blurring, chest spasming.
But I clawed my way up.
I REFUSE TO LET YOU BE JUST A MEMORY.
My arm shot upward through the black water, reaching for that tiny, dying fragment of light—stretching toward it as if reaching for her hand.
As if reaching for Elfie.
I don't care.
I don't care if I'm selfish.
If I'm deluded.
If I'm completely unhinged in the eyes of everyone who pretends to be righteous.
I don't care what this world demands of me—this world that worships tragedy as if it's entertainment. Fate always adored a good tragedy, didn't it?
They don't understand what it feels like.
To remember the one person who gave you hope. To wish—every day—for her voice to be beside you again. To know she was the reason you kept waking up in a lifeless world.
People expect to be understood.
But they never bother to understand you. No matter how much you bleed for them, you're always just a temporary presence, something they forget the moment the world gives them something better.
But you…
You never forgot me.
You always stayed by my side. You made me feel like I was—pathetically, unbelievably—your everything. Your first priority.
Even in death, you chose me.
So I'll do the same.
I will bring you back under the same sky as me.
I don't care about the cost.
I don't care about the rules.
I don't care if the whole world burns for it.
My arms tore through the water, desperate, wild, each stroke a battle against the crushing weight. My vision flickered—black edges chewing away at what little of the world I could still see. The pressure clawed at my lungs, wringing out what remained of my breath.
Still—I swam.
"I won't let you go…" The words barely formed in my throat, but they etched themselves into my skull with the force of truth.
The water pressed harder.
The darkness crept faster.
My body slowed.
And then—The world stuttered.
For a heartbeat, I wasn't in the ocean anymore.
I stood again on that bleak hill.
Soft earth beneath my feet.
The sky is the color of ash.
Her burial mound before me, flowers wilted, the air still as death.
That day.
That damn day.
Replaying like the world wanted to punish me all over again.
My hands shook. My heartbeat roared once, loud enough to crack reality at its seams. Something inside me strained—like the universe itself hesitated, afraid.
I WILL REWRITE THIS FATE.
I don't care how unfair life is.
How others receive everything without lifting a finger,
While I claw at the world with my bare hands just to lose again and again.
YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I WANT.
My hand surged upward—blind, aimless, starving for light—just as the last trace of brightness vanished. The depths pulled me down like a starving beast, dragging me into a place where even shadows feared to exist.
Still, I reached.
Even as the void ate away at me— Even as the darkness swallowed everything— Even as the ocean wrapped itself around me like a grave—
I reached.
Because I would rather let this abyss consume my body than let the world erase you from my soul.
And so I sank— hand stretched toward a light that no longer existed— as the darkness devoured me whole.
My arms kept moving even when they no longer felt like mine—weak, clumsy swipes against a sea that didn't care whether I lived or died.
Still… I tried.
I fought for the surface I could no longer see. But the water blurred into an endless smear of black ink, swallowing everything, even my will.
Why…?
Why can't I just be strong enough for once?
Her light… Elfie's light…
It was gone.
Swallowed as easily as I was.
The moment it vanished, something inside me snapped. I sank faster, my body limp, my heartbeat flickering.
Then— Impact.
My back slammed against the ocean's floor, a silent quake that rattled through my ribs. My eyes flew wide open, refusing to close… refusing to surrender… even though every instinct begged for it.
The void welcomed me like an ancient thing that had been waiting far too long.
Its whisper slithered through the water, thunder-soft yet absolute— a voice that sounded less like a sound and more like a truth.
"Nobody is coming to save you."
My heartbeat skipped.
"Nobody cares."
The pressure tightened around me.
"You were born to be forgotten."
I shook my head—barely—jaw clenched hard enough to ache.
Then the void twisted the knife:
My mother's scream.
Blood.
Demons.
My failure.
Her hand let go of mine.
Then Elfie— her body limp in my arms, smile trembling, voice shaking with life she didn't have left.
"You couldn't save either."
"You fail the ones you love."
"You were the rejected heir for a reason."
"This suffering is yours alone."
My chest tightened to the point of breaking. My eyelids sagged… heavy… colder… sinking into the kind of sleep people don't wake up from.
My last thought stuttered through my mind, so fragile it barely felt real.
I… I just wanted… to fulfill… our promise…
But before it could fully form—
Elfie's voice returned.
Except it wasn't gentle.
It wasn't kind.
It was a dagger pushed between my ribs.
"I was just another promise you couldn't keep."
My breath—if I still had any—stopped.
Everything inside me collapsed. The last piece of myself loosened its grip and drifted away with the current.
My eyes closed.
…Until a new voice cut through the dark.
A whisper.
Soft.
Warm.
Desperately familiar and yet impossibly unknown.
"I love you."
The darkness trembled.
I forced my eyes open—barely—and through the black floodwater I saw a silhouette drifting down toward me. White. Gentle. Radiant like a star sinking toward its final rest.
A hand reached out.
And her voice—
"You have me… until every last star in the galaxy dies… you have me."
Her silhouette slid closer, almost glowing against the abyss.
"Because my greatest fear… is losing you, Kai."
My consciousness frayed at the edges, but I felt it— a pull. Soft but absolute.
Dragging me upward, even when the abyss clawed at my ankles, furious, unwilling to let me go.
Someone was pulling me back.
Who… who are you…?
And the darkness swallowed the rest as I drifted upward— carried by the voice I did not know— yet somehow had always been waiting for.
Her silhouette wavered in the dark sea refusing to fade, drifting closer.
"You'll never even know… how much I cried over you."
The words cracked at the ends, like tears were pulling them apart.
"Please… don't forget me."
A breath. A quiet shudder.
"Don't forget everything we did… everything we were…"
My throat tightened, the pressure of the ocean and her emotions squeezing me from every side. My lips parted—
"W-why… w-why do y-you… c-care…?" The syllables stumbled out, weak and fractured, barely more than a gasp.
She held me together until her forehead almost touched mine, her light flickering as if it was terrified I'd slip away again.
"Why?"
Her voice softened, breaking into something both devastating and obsessive.
"Because I never loved anyone the way I loved you."
The water shivered around us.
"I can't let you go." Her hand—glowing, shaking—hovered just an inch from my cheek.
"You're mine."
Those words hit me like a forgotten memory slamming back into place.
You're mine…
I'd heard them.
Somewhere.
Somewhen.
From someone who had clung to me like I was her entire world.
My pulse throbbed painfully, heat blooming in my chest even in the freezing abyss.
Her voice cracked again— not angry, but wounded beyond repair.
"Do you know how jealous I get…?" The silhouette's fingers curled, gripping the water itself.
"Every time someone else gets to see you… talk to you… breathe the same air as you…"
Her glow trembled violently—like her love was tearing her from the inside.
"They don't deserve to stand in your light… I hated them for it."
Her voice thinned, desperate, pleading.
"You were made for me."
"Only me."
The water around us twisted upward, pulling me with a strange, gentle force—like her very confession was dragging me toward life.
I blinked slowly, vision flickering, and whispered:
"…W-who… are… you…?"
She leaned closer, her lips almost brushing mine, her voice a whisper soaked in heartbreak and devotion.
"I'm your heart."
And the moment she said it—Light snapped through the darkness.
My eyes flew open.
The void vanished. The silhouette dissolved.
And I was shoved back into reality— gasping, shaking, pulled from a dream that felt too real to doubt.
——————————————————————————————————————————
For a while, even after my eyes opened, everything was blinding white—soft, warm, almost heavenly. My head rested on something unbelievably comfortable, and fingers… gentle, careful fingers… slid through my hair in slow strokes.
My breath dragged unevenly from my throat. The air around me felt cold, the kind of cold that clung to your bones, but that touch— that touch was warm.
Was it all… a dream?
It felt close enough to touch, far enough to doubt.
Why was I falling from the sky?
Why was I still alive?
My eyes narrowed as I tried to focus through the haze.
Then I heard her.
A familiar, panicked voice—trembling, breathless, unmistakably hers.
"Kaiii—are you okay?!"
Her worry punched straight through whatever fog remained in my mind.
I forced my eyes open again, slower this time, and her face finally came into view.
Celia.
Her red eyes were wide, trembling just slightly. Her hand rested on my forehead, palm warm, thumb brushing gently as if reassuring herself I was alright. I was lying across her lap—her thighs soft, her posture protective, like she'd been shielding me from something I couldn't see.
She leaned in closer, voice cracking.
"Speak! Are you—?!"
Before I could answer, her hand moved, checking my temperature again, sliding to my cheek, then back to my forehead like she was searching for injuries only she could sense.
"Do you have a fever?! Are you cold? Kai, talk to me—please."
Her tone was frantic, but her touch… unbearably soft.
"I'm… I'm okay," I muttered, still catching my breath.
She didn't believe me for even half a second.
Her brows tightened, and she leaned closer.
"A-are you sure? Are you? Tell me again." Her voice wavered, the kind of worry that made her cheeks flush and her lips tense.
"Yes," I said again, meeting her red eyes directly so she couldn't doubt it.
She exhaled—a shaky breath of fragile relief—her shoulders sinking as if she'd been holding the weight of the entire world for the past few minutes.
Then she whispered, still flustered, still hovering over me:
"I… I just—your breathing got heavy." Her hand, the one tangled gently in my hair, trembled.
"Were you having… a nightmare?"
Only now did I notice her other hand.
She was holding mine.
Not loosely— but tightly.
As if letting go meant losing me.
"You looked like you were in pain…" she murmured, voice small, heartbreakingly soft.
"I-I didn't know what to do. I was so scared, Kai."
Her thumb brushed over my knuckles, slow and tender.
And for a moment— that glowing silhouette from the abyss that hand reached for me, that gentle voice pulling me back— all of it sharpened into memory.
For a moment… It looked like her.
Celia.
Could that… have been her?
Could it really…?
I didn't understand it. I never did.
These dreams—these voids that swallowed me, crushed me, destroyed me—I'd been through them before. And back then, no one saved me.
Or…
Did someone?
A flicker hit the back of my mind.
A distant memory—blurred by pain, but still sharp enough to cut.
That time Celia lost control of her Cursed chains… the blood, the shock, the darkness swallowing me whole. I was injured beyond healing, and collapsed.
Before I woke up in Levi's home, there was a voice.
Another dream.
A woman's voice. Soft. Possessive.
Whispering that she loved me… that I was hers…
My chest tightened.
If that had been Celia… how could she reach into my soul like that? How could she… protect me?
The thought lingered, heavy.
I shifted, trying to lift myself from her lap— but Celia's face immediately fell.
Her grip on my hand tightened, and her other palm pressed gently but firmly onto my shoulder, pushing me back down.
"Stay." A simple command.
"Celia…" I mumbled, trying to sit up again.
"No." She leaned over me, cheeks slightly flushed but eyes fierce. "You're not going anywhere. You stay right here. On my lap."
Her tone had that soft, scolding edge—like she was half angry, half terrified, and entirely unwilling to let me move an inch.
"I'm fine now," I said. "Really."
"You were unconscious," she shot back instantly. "You don't get to decide what's 'fine' yet."
I blinked up at her. "…Where are we even?"
"Your tent," she said, brushing my hair with her fingers again, as if the movement soothed her more than me. "It's night."
I frowned. "How did we even get here?"
"You collapsed while we were walking," she answered, voice dipping into a softer register. "Lucas and I carried you until it got too dark. So we set up camp."
I stared at her. "How long have you been with me?"
Her cheeks turned a faint pink, but she held my gaze without flinching.
"Since the moment you hit the ground," she said quietly. "I didn't leave your side. Not even once."
Her thumb brushed over my cheek this time—slow, tender, a little possessive.The kind of touch that made her jealousy show in the way her fingers curled, as if she was staking a silent claim.
"Kai… you terrified me," she whispered. "Your breathing kept changing. You looked like you were in pain." Her voice cracked just slightly. "I couldn't let go of you."
I swallowed—hard.
She leaned closer, her forehead touching mine, her voice trembling between worry and something far deeper.
"I have to take care of you," she said softly. "I want to." Her fingers tightened around my hand.
"You don't get to leave my lap until I'm sure you're okay. So stop trying to escape."
A small pout formed on her lips—adorable and dangerous at the same time.
"And if anyone else wants to check on you," she murmured, eyes narrowing slightly, "they can wait. You're mine right now."
"You know," I said, giving her a lazy grin, "you hovering over me like that? Kinda romantic."
"I–I wasn't hovering," Celia muttered, eyes darting away as her fingers fidgeted with the fabric of my sleeve. "I was… taking care of you!"
"Taking care. Uh‑huh?" I stretched a little. "What if I just didn't wake up? Ever."
She stiffened. "Don't… say things like that."
"I'm just saying," I added with a dramatic sigh, "maybe I wanted to sleep forever."
"You didn't." Her voice dropped, soft but firm. "You wouldn't. You'd come back."
"What if I didn't?" I leaned closer, nudging her.
She swallowed. "Then…" Her voice thinned.
"Then I would've stayed. Just like this. Holding you. For as long as it took."
"For as long as it—" I blinked. "Celia… that's kind of extreme."
She curled a strand of her hair around her finger. "So what if it is?"
"Why go that far?" I asked, gentler.
She hesitated, cheeks warming. "B‑Because…" A tiny breath escaped her.
"B‑Because I'm your wife."
"…Sorry, what?"
Her face went red. "Y‑You called me your wife! Before. D‑Don't pretend you forgot!" She jabbed my side.
"So obviously that means I have to take care of you!"
"Oh, obviously," I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Wife privileges, huh?"
"Yes." She lifted her chin, proud again. "Exactly."
"You are unbelievable," I said, poking her cheek.
"I don't care," she said, smirking.
"…Anyway," I muttered, shifting to sit up fully, "you're clingy."
Her gasp was theatrical. "I am not clingy!"
"You literally glued yourself to me when I was asleep."
"I was making sure you were okay!"
"Uh‑huh. Sure."
She puffed out her cheeks. "…Okay maybe a little clingy. But only for you."
"Of course."
She gave a tiny victorious smile.
I finally got up, rubbing the back of my neck. "Alright, let me sit—"
The tent walls shivered around us, wind howling against the fabric.
"Great," I murmured. "Storm. Just what we needed."
Before I could even blink—
"I'm warning you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around me from behind into a hug, "you're not leaving me again. Got it? Never. Ever."
I startled slightly, then laughed under my breath. "Okay, okay—fine. I'm not going anywhere princess. Now let go—"
"I'm not letting go," Her head rested between my shoulders, voice sweet and stubborn. "Absolutely not."
"Liaaa— I can't move."
"That sounds like a you problem."
"Wowwwww."
"Such a cutie"
"I'm not cute," she said quietly, tightening her grip.
I turned my head, just enough to see her pout.
She shook her head, flustered. "S‑Stop looking at me…"
I nudged her lightly with my elbow. "You're still pouting."
"I'm not!" she snapped, cheeks red, voice squeaky. "I'm… I'm just… thinking."
"Oh really? Thinking that your husband is terrible for calling you his wife?" I teased, grinning.
"That is not— oh my god, shut up." She jabbed my ribs with her finger, but her lips were already twitching upward. "Why are you like this?"
I laughed. "See? That's a smile. Admit it."
"I… am not—I mean, I—" She sputtered, cheeks heating. "Stop making fun of me!"
"Oh, come on, Lia. You're enjoying it," I said, leaning back against the canvas of the tent.
"I… do not!" she argued, though her eyes were sparkling and she leaned closer, brushing against me just slightly.
I smirked. "Alright, fine. Go to your tent then."
"I—no!" she said immediately, gripping my sleeve. "I can't. The blizzard… it's too cold…"
"So… if you're staying here," I said, smirking, "you'll have no choice but to curl up right beside me."
Her whole body stiffened, then she tilted her head, trying to sound casual. "I… uh… sure, I guess I'm okay with that."
I raised an eyebrow, mock-suspicious. "Wait. Did you just say you're okay with that?"
"I—no! I mean, yes! I'm… staying here! Obviously," she stammered, waving her hands like she was fending off my judgment. "I'm not leaving, okay?"
I leaned back, hiding my laugh behind my hand. "Uh-huh. Totally normal. Absolutely not trying to seduce me under the guise of a blizzard, right?"
Her lips twitched, betraying her. "I'm… definitely not making any… moves. This is… normal. 100% normal."
I tilted my head, grin sharp. "Funny, you act like this isn't the second—or third—time we've ended up sleeping practically on top of each other."
Her eyes widened for a heartbeat before she leaned closer, smirking teasingly. "Oh… it's not the first time, alright?"
"Oh? When was our first?" I asked, mock-innocent, raising both eyebrows.
She leaned in, eyes glinting. "Back at Levi's, remember? I was the one scared of the thunderstorm… and you stayed with me the whole night."
I blinked, pretending to be shocked. "Ahhh, right. My brave little wife-to-be, clinging onto me like I was her support pillow."
Her cheeks flared, but she lifted her chin. "I did not cling. I was… ensuring you didn't abandon me mid‑boom."
"Oh, of course. Pure safety measures," I said, grin widening. "Definitely not you squeezing the life out of me every time it thundered."
She puffed her cheeks but her eyes were sparkling dangerously. "If I did, it was because you were warm. And also because—" she poked my chest, "—you told me you wouldn't leave until I stopped shaking."
I shrugged, smirking. "What can I say? I'm a very… dedicated kind person."
She froze for a heartbeat, then a dangerous little smile curved her lips. "You're my husband, obviously," she said, voice low and possessive.
"Territorial, huh?" I smirked. "So you're really saying I'm your husband."
"Yes." No flinch. No shame. "You are."
"…Well damn," I said, leaning a little closer. "You're confident tonight."
"You started it," she said, cheeks pink but chin high. "Don't back out now."
"Back out?" I scoffed. "Please. I'm just wondering about something important."
She narrowed her eyes. "What."
"I'm trying to figure out," I said slowly, eyes drifting to her white hair, "whose genetics our kids will take."
Her breath caught. "K‑kids—?!"
"Yeah," I went on casually. "Black hair? White hair? Red eyes? Blue eyes? We should plan this out. Responsible parenting and all."
She stared at me like I'd hit her hard.
"I— I wasn't— You—!"
"Come on," I teased, "you declared me your husband. Children are part of the package, right?"
She slapped her cheeks like she was rebooting. "W‑well—if we did—hypothetically—obviously they'd take after me."
"Bold assumption," I said. "Pretty sure the universe wouldn't risk two of you."
"Oh? Are you afraid?" she smirked, recovering fast. "A little girl with my temper chasing you around calling you 'Daddy'? Terrifying?"
"Okay, first of all," I said, trying not to laugh, "yes. Absolutely terrifying. She'd be as obsessed as you."
She burst into giggles. "And you'd welcome it."
"Yeah," I admitted. "Maybe."
She softened—dangerously sweet. "Of course you would. You're a great husband."
"There it is again," I groaned. "Already introducing me like that?"
"Mhm. And for our honeymoon—" she continued as if it was a real schedule, "—we should go to Valerion. I heard their summers are beautiful." She said brushing her hair.
"Oh, definitely," I said. "Walk on the beach. Kiss in the sun. Maybe argue loudly in public because you got jealous I got near someone else like real married couples do."
"As long as you let me win the arguments."
We both broke at the same time.
"Ahahahaha—"
"—hehehahahaha—!"
Our laughter tangled together, messy and breathless, bouncing off the tent walls like it was trying to warm the whole place by itself.
And somewhere between my last chuckle and her fading giggle… She looked at me.
Just smiling—soft, almost shy, like the world had finally given her something she always wanted.
For a heartbeat, she stared like those stupid jokes… those fake arguments… that playful "husband" nonsense—were the kind of dreams she wished were real.
And her smile said it all.
I leaned back, eyes scanning the tent. "Alright… but seriously, how is this tent even standing in a blizzard like this? Outside looks like it's going to freeze us to death."
Celia smoothed over the canvas with one hand, other hand brushing my sleeve. "Lucas and I put a barrier around it. You'll be fine. Totally fine."
I raised an eyebrow. "Lucas… where is he now?"
She smirked, glancing to the side. "After his hundred push-ups punishment, he said he had to meditate under a waterfall all night for some… quest."
I laughed, shaking my head. "There he goes again. Idiot."
Celia giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Good luck to him. Staying under a waterfall all night… hah. He won't survive."
I chuckled again. "Somewhere deep in that waterfall, he's shivering and sneezing right now."
She laughed too, soft and warm, eyes sparkling as she imagined him. "Yep… poor guy."
I finally settled down, sitting across from her in the tent. I drew my knees to my chest, resting my mouth lightly on them.
Celia just stared, bold and steady, a teasing smile on her lips. Her hands rested lightly on her lap, brushing occasionally against each other, watching me like I was the only thing that mattered in the blizzard outside.
And for a long moment, we didn't need words. We just existed—warm, soft, and perfectly ours.
"You're… staring at me, Kai," she whispered, the softness of her voice threaded with curiosity.
"Did I do something wrong?"
I didn't answer right away. I just let myself look at her.
The lantern flickered, catching on her white hair, turning her red eyes into glowing embers.
"No," I murmured. "Nothing wrong." A breath. Then, quieter:
"Tell me, Celia… What are you to me?"
She blinked, caught off guard, her lashes fluttering.
"W‑what kind of question is that…?" she breathed, leaning the slightest bit closer as if the words tugged her forward. "Why… are you asking me that?"
"Because I want it from you, Celia." My voice dropped, quiet but steady. "You're always around me. You never hesitate to get close… closer than anyone else ever does."
I held her gaze, letting the truth hang between us.
"And I noticed everything," I added softly. "Like how you always stare down other girls whenever they walk near me. Or talk to me. Or even breathe near me." A faint smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.
"You think I don't see that?"
Her eyes widened just a fraction — not denying it, just waiting.
"And last time… when I fell asleep," I continued, tone turning gentler, "I woke up in the fairy labyrinth… on your lap. Just like today."
"I'm guessing you didn't let me go for a long time then as well."
She didn't move — didn't even blink — but her fingers curled slightly, giving her away.
"So," I murmured, leaning in just a little, "I want to hear it from you."
My voice sank into the space between us.
"Tell me, Celia… who do you think you are to me?"
Honestly… I had never been this unguarded with anyone. Maybe with Elfie… But there was something about her, something rare that made it effortless to drop every mask I'd ever worn.
If that dream—if the one where someone had pulled me from the abyss—was truly her… then maybe that bond wasn't just a dream. Maybe it had always existed, waiting for us to recognize it.
Her lips parted, the tiniest inhale escaping her. She looked down for a moment — then back at me, eyes shimmering with something fragile and fierce all at once.
"I can be anything you want…" she whispered, the words trembling with vulnerability. "Really… anything. As long as I'm yours."
She swallowed, the confession tightening her voice.
"I get jealous," she admitted softly, like it hurt to say it. "So jealous, Kai. More than I should. I hate it when you smile at someone else… when someone else takes your attention… when someone acts like they know you the way I do."
Her fingers curled near her chest.
"I don't want anyone near you except me…" Her voice wavered — not threatening, not violent, but achingly honest.
"I'm clingy. I know I am. And I'm protective. Maybe too much. But it's only because I care… because…"
A breath left her, shaky but certain.
"I love you."
Then she met my eyes again — steady, burning, devoted.
"I am your heart, Kai."
My lips parted instinctively, the same words echoing from that dream in the void.
It was her.