The rain fell like shards of glass, cold and endless. The sky was a dull, bruised gray — the kind that swallowed sound and breath alike. Kael stood in the middle of a field, though it was not one he recognized. The flowers once bright and yellow now bowed beneath the weight of the rain, their petals heavy, their colors muted to ash.
And there — amid the storm — stood a boy.
He couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen. His hair burned crimson even under the darkened sky, and his eyes glowed the same color, piercing through the curtain of rain. In his hand, he held a small knife, its blade trembling.
Kael froze. That face—he didn't know it. Yet something deep in his chest twisted painfully, as though some forgotten piece of him recognized the boy.
Neither of them spoke. The boy's expression was unreadable, hollow, yet filled with a quiet rage — or sorrow — Kael couldn't tell. The air between them was thick, suffocating, as thunder groaned in the distance.
Then, suddenly, the boy's body convulsed. His eyes widened in shock before he fell to his knees, coughing violently. Blood spilled from his lips, mixing with the rain, painting the mud red.
Kael's instincts took over. He rushed forward and caught the child before he could collapse completely. The boy trembled in his arms, his small body shaking uncontrollably.
"Hey—" Kael's voice caught in his throat, the rain drowning every word.
The boy's hand rose weakly, trembling as it reached for Kael's face. His lips parted, forming faint sounds between shuddering breaths.
Kael leaned closer, desperate to catch his words.
"…to be… you… we… die… kill…"
The sound was broken, swallowed by thunder. Kael's brow furrowed; the words made no sense, but they clawed at something buried deep in his memory.
Before he could ask anything, the boy went still. His eyes lost their light.
Kael froze, his heartbeat deafening against the storm. The child's body grew heavy in his arms, and he realized — the boy was gone.
He barely had a moment to process it before he heard voices — sharp, panicked screams — echoing across the field. He turned his head and saw a group of children running toward him through the rain. Boys and girls, drenched, faces streaked with tears and mud.
Some of them had red hair. Some had red eyes. Just like the boy in his arms.
They didn't stop. They ran past him, their small feet splashing through puddles, vanishing into the misty distance.
And then Kael saw what they were running from.
A figure emerged from the curtain of rain — tall, cloaked, his face hidden beneath a hood and mask. In one hand, he held a sword slick with blood; in the other, he dragged a limp child with red hair, lifeless and still.
Kael's breath hitched.
The man stopped a few paces away, raising his head slightly — as if studying him. The air around them felt wrong. Too quiet. Too still.
Then the man moved.
He swung his sword, casually, almost lazily — and blood spattered across the rain. The next thing Kael knew, a sharp pain exploded across his shoulder.
He staggered back, clutching the wound. The warmth of blood mixed with the cold rain, searing against his skin. The pain was so vivid it almost felt real.
The boy he'd been holding slipped from his arms, falling lifeless into the mud.
Kael's vision blurred, but he forced himself to move. His legs screamed in protest as he turned and ran toward the group of children who hadn't yet escaped. The sound of his pulse pounded in his ears — a desperate rhythm against the storm.
But before he could reach them, a flash of silver cut through the rain.
The blade pierced through his back, sliding clean out through his chest.
Kael's body froze. His breath caught. He looked down and saw the tip of the sword gleaming crimson through the downpour.
Blood dripped from his lips. His fingers twitched, reaching out for something — anything — but the strength drained from him with every drop that hit the ground.
He fell forward into the mud, the rain washing over him, turning the earth beneath him into a pool of red. His breath came short, shallow, and broken.
"This…" his thoughts were hazy, fading between consciousness and the void. "This isn't… my memory…"
How could it be? He had died once before — but this scene, this moment — it wasn't the battle against the Demon King. It was something else. Someone else's death.
Before he could even move, the masked man stepped closer.
Kael could feel the shadow looming over him. The blade lifted once more.
Then, in one brutal motion — it came down.
A sharp, cold agony tore through his eye.
His world shattered into darkness.
-----------------------------------------
The rhythmic sound of the carriage wheels filled the air — soft, steady, like a distant heartbeat.
Kael slowly opened his eyes. The dim light of the lantern swayed above him, painting faint gold lines across the walls. For a moment, he couldn't tell where he was — his mind still fogged with fragments of rain, blood, and a boy's dying eyes.
Then he realized he was lying down.
Elric's lap supported his head. Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder, her breathing slow and even. She was asleep, leaning against the side of the carriage. Strands of silver-white hair had fallen over her face, catching the lamplight.
Kael exhaled quietly. His chest still ached — not from any wound, but from the lingering echo of the dream. The memory. Whatever that had been.
He turned his gaze to the window. The rain had stopped, leaving the world washed clean. The night outside was calm; the scent of wet earth drifted through the air.
He wanted to sit up, but he hesitated. If he moved now, he'd wake her. And somehow… he didn't want to.
Instead, he stayed still, studying her face.
She looked tired. Even in sleep, faint lines of exhaustion marked her features. Her cloak had slipped slightly, and Kael could see the dark circles under her eyes. She had been with him since the moment he opened his eyes in this strange new life — watching over him, shielding him, carrying his burdens even when he couldn't carry his own.
Always putting me first, he thought silently.
His hand moved almost on its own. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached up and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. His fingers lingered, tracing lightly along her skin.
It was warm. Softer than he'd expected.
He didn't realize his hand had drifted lower until his fingertips brushed the corner of her lips.
Elric stirred faintly.
Kael froze. He stopped breathing entirely, eyes wide as he waited — but she didn't wake. She only shifted slightly, her lips parting in a soft sigh before settling again.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Then their eyes met.
Elric blinked awake, disoriented at first. Her gaze fell on Kael — and on the hand that still hovered dangerously close to her face.
Kael immediately pulled his hand back, sitting upright so fast that his cloak brushed her arm. A faint color touched the edge of his pale face — almost imperceptible, but there.
Elric blinked once, then twice, realizing what had just happened. Her fingertips brushed the spot where his hand had been moments ago.
Silence filled the carriage.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The air felt thick, awkward — and yet there was a strange warmth beneath it, something that made Elric's chest tighten. She tried to hide her smile, turning her face toward the window.
He had touched her — gently, almost uncertainly. It was such a small gesture, but it made her heart flutter in a way she couldn't explain.
She turned back to Kael, intending to say something light to ease the tension — but stopped.
Kael's hand had gone to his head. His face contorted, pain twisting across his features.
"Kael?" Her voice immediately changed, all traces of embarrassment gone. She leaned forward, gripping his shoulder. "Kael, what's wrong?"
His breathing quickened. One of his hands searched blindly across the seat, trembling slightly.
"My… sword…"
Elric didn't hesitate. She quickly reached for the weapon resting near the carriage floor, still wrapped in its black scabbard. She placed it into his grasp.
Kael's fingers closed around the hilt. The moment he touched it, a faint pulse of dark energy flickered through the air — unseen, but felt. His shoulders relaxed. Color began to return to his face.
Elric exhaled in relief.
"Are you all right now?" she asked softly, brushing the damp strands of hair from his forehead. Her thumb traced near his temple, checking for any sign of fever.
Kael didn't answer. His eyes were half-open, heavy with exhaustion. But as she touched him, he exhaled — slow, deep — and leaned into her palm.
Elric froze.
He wasn't trembling anymore. He wasn't speaking, either. But his face softened — the same Kael who never smiled, never allowed himself to show weakness — now sought warmth in her hand like it was the only thing anchoring him.
Her heart clenched.
The moonlight spilled softly through the window of the moving carriage, painting faint silver lines across the seats and their faces. The air was quiet except for the rhythm of the wheels against the road.
Kael's eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times, the blur of exhaustion clearing as he felt warmth against his skin. Elric's hand was resting beside his head — and his cheek was leaning gently into her palm.
Her face hovered above him, eyes full of quiet worry that softened the moment he stirred. The silver of her hair caught the moonlight, glowing like a halo around her tired yet gentle expression.
"Elric…"
Her name escaped his lips — soft, fragile, almost a whisper.
Elric froze for a heartbeat, her breath catching. It was rare to hear him say her name — rare enough that it made her chest tighten in ways she could never explain. Slowly, a tender smile rose on her lips.
"What is it?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. "Is your head still hurting again?"
Kael didn't answer right away. His hand rose shakily, brushing against her cheek. His touch was light, hesitant — as though he was afraid she might vanish if he pressed too hard.
He shook his head slowly, eyes lifting to meet hers. The silence stretched between them — until his trembling voice broke it.
"Am I… deserve to stay alive like this?"
The question made her still. Elric's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening.
"You had another nightmare?" she asked softly.
Kael's gaze drifted downward. His lashes trembled.
"I don't know if it was mine," he murmured, voice low and hollow, "but I saw many people die in my dream… They tried to kill me, even in my memory…"
He hesitated — his tone cracked faintly, like glass under strain.
"I don't understand… why do they want me to die."
Elric's heart ached at the tremor in his voice. Without thinking, she reached for him — brushing the pale strands of his hair back from his forehead. She bent down and pressed a soft kiss there, her lips lingering for a moment longer than intended.
Then she smiled — faintly, tenderly — and whispered,
"I'm here, Kael. If everyone abandons you, I won't. I will never let you die."
Her words trembled, but her gaze never wavered. The carriage rocked gently, the silence filling again with the soft echo of their breathing.
And then — she heard it. Her own heartbeat. Loud. Wild. Unsteady.
Before she realized it, their faces were only inches apart. The air between them grew still. Kael's hand, still trembling, moved toward her waist — hesitantly at first, then firmer, pulling her closer until she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin.
"Kael?" Her voice faltered, soft, uncertain.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he closed the remaining distance.
The moment their lips met, time seemed to stop.
Elric's eyes widened in shock — Kael's kiss was unexpected, desperate, searching. But slowly, her tension melted away. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she let herself sink into the warmth that he offered — or perhaps the warmth he needed.
His hand tightened against her waist, holding her as if she might disappear the moment he let go. His kiss deepened — hesitant at first, then more certain, his breath mingling with hers, tasting the comfort she had always given him.
Elric's hand came to rest against his shoulder, then to the side of his neck. Her heart beat fast — painfully fast — against her ribs. The warmth of his chest pressed against her own, and she felt every breath he took, every tremor that ran through him.
She didn't resist. She didn't want to.
Because for once, Kael wasn't pushing her away.
For once, he was reaching out — for her.
The kiss lingered, deepened, then slowly softened. When he finally pulled back, both their breaths were uneven, faces flushed with color.
Elric opened her eyes — meeting him. The silence was thick, but it wasn't awkward. It was filled with something new, fragile yet certain.
She smiled faintly, her lips still trembling.
"This is proof, Kael…" she whispered, her voice soft but sure. "I will never resist you."
Kael said nothing — only lowered his gaze, eyes unreadable, his breath still unsteady.
Elric looked at him quietly. In that stillness, she could feel it — something had changed between them.
The distance that had once stretched like a void between their souls… had begun to close.
And that night, under the quiet moonlight, Kael's first kiss marked the beginning of something neither of them could name — but both could feel.
Something warm.
Something fragile.
Something real.