Chapter XXV: Beneath the Same Sky
The journey toward Aluki's territory slowly became less painful once Wizyan entered Eryndor's life, though neither of them admitted it aloud. The frozen mountains were still brutal, the nights still unbearably cold, and danger still waited behind every cliff and storm, yet somehow the loneliness that had followed Eryndor since entering this world no longer felt as heavy. Wizyan talked constantly during their travels—complaining about the weather, mocking Eryndor's emotionless face, and teasing him whenever he became awkward over the smallest things. Sometimes Wizyan would purposely walk too close beside him just to watch Eryndor nervously avoid eye contact, which always ended with Wizyan laughing softly and calling him "way too innocent for a guy carrying world-ending vibes." Eryndor never understood how someone could joke so casually while surviving such harsh conditions, but deep inside, he slowly began looking forward to those moments. For the first time since his rebirth, another person's presence made the world feel less empty.
As the days passed, their bond deepened naturally through hardship. They crossed broken bridges hanging over endless ravines, survived spiritual beasts hidden beneath snowstorms, and spent countless freezing nights sharing weak campfires inside ruined caves. Whenever Eryndor's seal became unstable, Wizyan quietly stayed beside him without asking questions, distracting him with pointless conversations until the pain passed. And whenever Wizyan's hidden fears surfaced during moments he thought Eryndor was asleep, Eryndor pretended not to notice, silently remaining nearby like an unspoken form of protection. Neither of them openly talked about trust, but it slowly formed between them through actions rather than words. Wizyan started smiling more genuinely around Eryndor, while Eryndor himself began showing small traces of humanity he thought he had already lost forever. Sometimes their conversations became strangely peaceful beneath the cold mountain skies, and in those quiet moments Wizyan would look at Eryndor with an expression he himself did not fully understand yet—something softer than friendship, something hidden deeply within his heart that scared him more than the dangers around them.
One evening, while resting beside a frozen lake reflecting the stars above, Wizyan casually leaned against Eryndor's shoulder while speaking about random nonsense, completely unaware that Eryndor immediately stiffened like his soul had left his body. "Relax," Wizyan laughed quietly, noticing his reaction instantly. "I'm not gonna bite you." Eryndor looked away awkwardly, ears slightly red beneath the cold moonlight, which only made Wizyan smile even more. The truth was simple: Eryndor had spent so long isolated from real human warmth that even harmless closeness confused him. Meanwhile, Wizyan found himself growing attached in ways he could no longer fully hide. He admired Eryndor's quiet kindness beneath the darkness surrounding him, the way he protected others despite fearing himself, and the sadness hidden behind his calm eyes. Yet Wizyan still kept his true identity buried deeply beneath layers of lies and playful behavior. He feared that if Eryndor ever discovered who he really was, everything between them might change forever.
After weeks of traveling through endless mountain paths and ruined spiritual territories, the two finally reached the edge of Aluki's domain. The atmosphere changed the moment they arrived. The sky itself felt quieter there, as if even the heavens lowered their voices in respect. Massive ancient pillars stood broken across the snowy cliffs, and spiritual energy flowed through the air so densely it almost felt alive. At the center of the distant mountains stood a colossal black palace carved directly into the stone, surrounded by silence powerful enough to make ordinary cultivators tremble instinctively. Eryndor stopped walking the moment he saw it, his chest tightening slightly beneath the cracked seal. Even Wizyan's playful attitude disappeared as both of them stared toward the mountain where the strongest cultivator in the world lived. Somewhere inside that palace was Aluki—the man who had not accepted a disciple for four hundred years and who was preparing to disappear into closed-door cultivation for the next sixty years. And without either of them realizing it yet, the moment Eryndor stepped into Aluki's territory… the course of both their lives had already begun to change forever.