The physical absence of Karas hit Zaliyah the moment he opened his eyes, more violent than a physical blow.
He lay in the center of the massive, cold bed in Malachi's house, staring at the canopy.
For eighteen years, the morning meant the sound of Karas steady breathing or the weight of his hand on his shoulder.
Now, there was only a terrifying, hollow silence.
He stood up, his legs feeling like lead, and walked toward the tall, bronze-rimmed mirror. He was dressed in robes of midnight silk, fine, expensive, and alien.
As he reached up to touch his throat, his breath hitched. Faint, ghostly shadows of handprints seemed to linger on his pale skin.
"Did that bum do something to me?" he whispered to his reflection, his voice trembling. His fingers drifted to the cold metal of the hairpin Karas had given him.
He closed his eyes, and for a second, he could almost feel Karas leaning down, his nose grazing Zaliyah's temple just to catch the scent of his hair. That memory was a thunderbolt, shattering his resolve. He couldn't stay here. He would sneak back to the Ruo Han residence tonight, even if it meant his death.
Zaliyah grabbed a veiled straw hat, pulling the mesh down to hide his face. He stepped into the hallway, expecting guards, but the house was eerily silent. Then, he heard it.
Slap. Slap. Slap.
The sound of wet skin hitting skin, rhythmic and violent.
He followed the noise to a set of heavy, double doors left slightly ajar. The air pouring out of the room was thick, smelling of heavy musk and cloying aphrodisiacs. Zaliyah peeked through the crack. His breath stopped.
Malachi was there, his back to the door, his muscles rippling under his dark tunic as he took a woman from behind with a savagery that made Zaliyah's stomach flip. He was fully clothed, but his movements were primal, obliterating the woman until her moans turned into rough , scary screams.
Zaliyah watched, his eyes wide with shock, his pulse hammering in his ears. His cheeks burned a bright, feverish red. It was a window into a world of raw, carnal hunger he didn't know existed.
He finally snapped out of it, his heart racing. "Why let this opportunity go to waste?" he thought frantically. He adjusted his hat, snatched a pouch of gold from a nearby console, and vanished .
The world outside was a different place without Karas. Zaliyah walked through the market, his hands hidden in gloves, his body draped in layers to hide his deathly pallor, his hair was wrapped in a bun and tucked under the hat , he avoided anything that would reveal his identity.
Across the city, Karas was a ghost. The news of his violence had turned him into a pariah. People who had spoke good of his name spat in the dirt when he passed. He was the "Heir of Calamity" now, the man who loved a demon.
But Karas paid no mind , his soiled reputation was the least of his worries. He wandered the city like a man possessed, his eyes bloodshot, searching every corner for a flash of white hair.
While Karas suffered, Zaliyah found a strange, fleeting peace. He bought books he'd always wanted, cute hair pins and silks for Riru.
But when he tried to find a gift for Karas, his heart sank. What do you give the man who gave up his soul for you?
As night fell, Zaliyah's body began to fail him. He felt weak as He hadn't eaten in three days, and the heavy garments were making him sweat profusely.
He wandered into the park, the stars reflecting off the lake like scattered diamonds. Seeing no one, he finally stripped off his hat and outer robes. He sat on the bank, peeling off his socks and dipping his bare feet into the freezing water.
"Ah..." he sighed, the cold biting into his skin. It felt divine. He bent over the water, looking at his own face. "Demon," he muttered, thinking of Aunt Mei. He splashed the water, watching his reflection shatter.
"That whore never liked me anyway." He leaned back on his elbows, staring at the moon. "I wonder what Karas is doing right now..."
Miles away, Karas stumbled into the park. He was exhausted, his spirit breaking. His hair was loose, falling over his shoulders, and his eyes were hollow. He walked toward the lake, needing to drown the heat in his head with cold water.
Then, he saw it.
The world went silent. It was as if the wind itself had stopped breathing.
A few yards away, a shock of white hair sat against the dark grass, glowing like a fallen star. Karas froze. His heart didn't just beat, it slammed against his ribs. He moved forward in slow motion, his boots sinking into the soft earth. He was terrified that if he blinked, the vision would vanish. Every inch he gained felt like a mile. His mind raced, was it him? Was it really his Zaliyah?
Zaliyah heard the footsteps. He didn't want to look. He didn't want his peace ruined.
"Please don't come here, Please don't come here , please don't come this way ," he prayed, squeezing his eyes shut.
Then, a pair of warm, calloused hands slid around his waist, pulling him back against a firm chest. The scent hit him instantly. Sandalwood and rain.
Zaliyah's breath hitched. He didn't move as Karas buried his face in the crook of Zaliyah's neck, his nose dragging against the skin, inhaling him as if he were oxygen and Karas was drowning.
Karas squeezed him so hard it hurt, a deep, desperate embrace that spoke of a thousand fears.
"Zaliyah..." Karas's voice was a slow , quiet whisper, vibrating against Zaliyah's skin. "I thought... I thought I had lost you to the darkness."
Zaliyah felt the hot sting of tears. He turned in Karas's arms, his hands clutching the front of Karas's robes.
He buried his into Karas's chest , his hands trembling as he gripped the other man's robes "Karas....." His voice broke into a fragile agonizing sound. "I'm sorry....I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was doing, I thought , I thought...I feared I was going to loose you and I acted on instinct... please I'm so sorry I never meant for any of this to happen " Zaliyah finally broke down in tears.
Karas pulled him back just an inch, his eyes searching Zaliyah's face with a terrifying intensity. "Oh God I thought I lost you , I feared for the worse ," he said, his voice slow and gentle, like a lullaby. "There is nothing to apologize for so Never say that again. You are mine and You are the only thing that matters to me."
His thumb traced the line of Zaliyah's cheek, wiping away a tear. "Riru... she hasn't stopped crying. She's been clutching your handfan, walking from room to room asking when you'd be home."
At the mention of his sister, Zaliyah's wall finally crumbled. He let out a broken sob, his head falling onto Karas's shoulder. He wept for the family he lost, for the demon he was, and for the man who still held him. Karas just held him, his large hands stroking Zaliyah's back, shielding him from the world.
"Zaliyah, look at me," Karas commanded softly.
Zaliyah looked up, his face shimmering with tears in the moonlight.
"I love you," Karas said, his voice ringing out in the empty park. "I love you more than my name, more than my blood."
The world seemed to shrink until there was nothing left but the two of them. The trees, the lake, the distant city, it all blurred into nothingness.
Zaliyah felt a surge of heat in his chest, a desperate need to be closer. He stood on his tiptoes, his fingers curling into Karas's loose hair.
He leaned in, and their lips finally met.
It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a collision. It was years of suppressed longing and one night of pure terror exploding at once.
Karas let out a low, guttural groan, his hand sliding to the back of Zaliyah's head, tilting it back to deepen the kiss.
Their lips pressed together with a bruising, desperate hunger. Zaliyah tasted the salt of his own tears and the heat of Karas's mouth, his world spinning as he finally, finally came home.