Days passed more quickly than Darius expected.
The morning of his departure arrived with a quiet tension that sat heavily in his chest.
Before he left, Rin called him aside.
"If you notice anything unusual," Rin said seriously, "contact me immediately."
His usually calm expression was sharper than usual.
"Even though Sion wrote that the physician there approved the higher dosage," Rin continued, "this formula is new. It's not like the standard suppressants. Those were refined for years to help omegas during heat who do not wish to mate with an alpha."
He folded his arms.
"This one… is stronger."
Darius nodded firmly. "I'll bear it in mind."
Rin studied him for a moment longer, as if weighing something unspoken, then finally gave a small nod.
"Good."
Darius bowed and left the palace shortly after.
—
Before leaving the capital entirely, Darius made a detour.
He had not missed this routine for two years.
After Caelum disappeared, Darius had visited nearly every orphanage in the capital—hoping, foolishly perhaps, that he would find some trace of him.
Over time, he grew particularly close to one orphanage.
Saint Aurelian Orphanage.
The gates creaked softly as he entered.
"Brother Darius!"
Children rushed toward him immediately.
He softened.
Razellia,who the children affectionately called Mother Razellia despite not being related by blood , approached with a warm smile.
"You're early today."
"I'm leaving the capital for a few days," Darius explained.
"Ah," she said knowingly.
He spent some time playing with the younger children, listening to their chatter, helping fix a loose wooden bench near the courtyard.
It felt peaceful.
Almost normal.
Then—
A cloaked figure approached the entrance.
Darius's posture shifted instantly.
His hand instinctively hovered near his sword.
But before he could react—
The children gasped.
"Big brother!"
They ran straight toward the stranger and wrapped their arms around him.
Darius froze.
The stranger laughed softly as small arms wrapped around his waist.
Then he lifted a hand and pushed the hood back.
The figure lowered his hood.
It was Sion.
His hair caught the afternoon light, smiling freely, crouched down among laughing children.
He noticed Darius almost immediately.
"What are you doing here?" Sion asked lightly.
Razellia stiffened beside them, suddenly flustered.
"I—this is—" she began awkwardly.
Sion then turned to children again, gently patting their heads as if nothing unusual had occurred.
"I came to see you," he told them smoothly. "Did you miss me?"
"Yes!"
Darius watched silently.
So this was another place Sion had quietly tied himself to.
When Sion became occupied playing with the children, Razellia gently tugged Darius aside.
"I need to apologize," she whispered.
"For what?"
"For lying to you before."
Her eyes were earnest.
"When you first came asking about Caelum… I said I didn't know anything."
Darius did not interrupt.
"I thought you were one of those people who knew he was alive and wanted to disturb him again," she admitted softly. "He looked so peaceful when he first came here. I didn't want anyone taking that away."
Darius's gaze drifted toward Sion laughing faintly with the children.
"I understand," he said quietly.
Razellia studied him for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"I'm glad you can be trusted."
Darius did not know how to respond to that.
Time slipped by without them noticing.
By the time Sion stood and brushed the dust from his clothes, the sky was already dimming.
Evening had arrived.
The children reluctantly let him go.
Sion gave his mother a hug before turning toward the road.
Darius followed.
—
They ended up in the same cargo carriage heading toward the town outside the capital.
The interior was dim, lit only by fading twilight filtering through the small openings.
"You shouldn't have waited," Sion said casually. "I took longer than expected."
"It's fine," Darius replied. "We're heading the same way."
A pause.
"And I was going to your house anyway."
Sion did not comment on that.
Instead, he noticed Darius looking up through the small gap in the carriage roof where the sky was visible.
The stars were beginning to appear.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Sion murmured.
The sky stretched endlessly above them.
"I never get tired of looking at it," Sion added.
Darius nodded. "It's even prettier at the top of the hill."
Sion glanced at him.
"It feels closer."
A faint smile touched Sion's lips.
"Do you want to stargaze sometime?" he asked lightly.
Darius's breath hitched slightly.
"Yes."
It came out too quickly.
Then—
His stomach growled.
The sound echoed embarrassingly in the small carriage.
Sion blinked.
Then let out a small laugh.
Darius's face turned red.
"I wasn't able to eat lunch," he explained quickly. "I apologize."
"For being hungry?" Sion tilted his head. "How inconsiderate of you."
There was amusement in his voice.
"We're almost there," Sion continued. "But if you're really that hungry…"
He reached into his small satchel and pulled out a wrapped biscuit.
"I made this for myself," he added. "In case I got hungry."
He held it out.
Darius hesitated briefly before accepting it.
"Thank you."
Their fingers brushed when Darius took it.
Just for a second.
But it felt longer.
Darius wasn't sure what caused the sudden pounding in his chest.
He wasn't sure if it was the wind slipping through the carriage.
Or the uneven movement of the wheels.
Or the warmth lingering from that fleeting touch.
He took a bite.
"It's tasty," he said sincerely.
Sion watched him for half a second longer than necessary.
"I'm glad."
Darius tried to focus on chewing.
On breathing.
On anything but the way his pulse refused to calm down.
He just hoped—
Desperately—
That it wasn't loud enough for Sion to hear.
The carriage continued rolling beneath a sky full of stars.
And Darius' heart—
Refused to slow down.