The sharp rhythm of hooves striking cobblestone echoed across the port, piercing through the sea breeze and murmurs of the gathered n.
Heads turned as a royal crest ca into view.
The King of Cassian rode at the front, cloak snapping behind him as his steed surged forward.
He had ridden hard the mont word reached him that his brother—the Grand Duke of Gerhard—was preparing to embark for Seta.
Tension carved deep lines across his face. Behind him thundered Adam, the admiral, followed closely by several royal knights struggling to keep pace.
The mory of that last day at the port still haunted him—Kyren’s hollow eyes, the reckless desperation, the madness that had nearly consud him in his pursuit of Anna.
He would not watch his brother shatter again.
The king hauled back on the reins. His horse reared slightly and neighed at the abrupt halt.
King Kyden wasted no ti. He leapt down before the animal had fully stilled and rushed towards Kyren with urgency.
"Don’t do this, Kyren!" he called out. "You know you can’t!"
Kyren remained where he stood, composed despite the sudden intrusion, while Rafe retreated from the platform.
For a mont, confusion flashed across the grand duke’s face, but upon noticing the desperation in his brother’s eyes, understanding followed.
King Kyden’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He gripped Kyren’s shoulder firmly, as if worried the grand duke might fall apart again.
Adam arrived monts later, breath slightly uneven from the hurried ride.
"Your Highness," the admiral urged, "we know how much you want to bring your wife back. But please don’t drive yourself into another wall. Not like before."
He had witnessed firsthand Kyren’s devastation of the miscarriage... the suffocating grief... and the tornt of being separated from Anna.
It had been painful enough to observe. To fight against the barrier again would be far worse.
"Calm yourselves," Kyren said. "I am not acting on impulse."
The king and the admiral froze.
The difference in his countenance was apparent.
The grand duke’s voice was steady, his posture grounded, and his gaze clear.
The last ti they had seen him here, his eyes had been lifeless, consud by obsession and despair. Now, there was focus, purpose and fire.
"Are you... truly all right?" King Kyden asked cautiously. "You seem... different."
Kyren t his gaze.
"I am fine."
The king and the admiral exchanged a look. Everything about the grand duke had returned to the man they had known before the tragedy.
Only the longer hair and untrimd beard remained as traces of what he had endured.
"We were inford that you intend to depart for Seta," Adam said, confused.
"I do," Kyren replied calmly. "With my n."
King Kyden exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing. He had feared this: grief had twisted Kyren into obsession, driving him to challenge the impossible once more.
"Why persist in this?" the king demanded, grasping his brother’s arm. "Co back with ! We will find a proper solution before you attempt sothing reckless again."
"We already have one," Kyren answered, slipping his arm free without force. "And I am not delusional—if that is what you are implying."
The king stilled. "You have?"
"Yes."
The grand duke inclined his head towards Rafe. "The solution lies with him."
Both the king and the admiral turned, eyes widening at the healer.
"He’s not lying. It’s the truth," said the healer.
Despite the answer, both n still had a doubting look in their eyes.
"Allow to clarify," ca a voice from behind them.
Eric stepped forward, and the second-in-command knight began to recount their discovery of the soulmate magic, the hidden workings of the barrier, and the crucial detail that had eluded them before.
He explained how the enchantnt would respond to a bond that could yield the path for them.
As he spoke, Rafe remained silent, and Kyren did not interrupt.
King Kyden’s brow furrowed.
"What if it fails?"
"It has not failed before, Your Majesty," the second-in-command knight replied steadily. "Lady Raychard’s father once pursued his runaway wife across the sea and reached Seta using the sa magic."
That revelation drew imdiate attention from those unfamiliar with the tale.
Sensing their interest, Eric continued, recounting how the spell had once yielded to a bond equally resolute and had pierced what force could not.
When it ca to delivering explanations and detailed reports, the second-in-command knight was unmatched.
The grand duke was a man of few words, preferring action to elaboration, while Rafe’s strength lay in dicine and treatnt rather than lengthy discourse.
So it was Eric who laid everything out clearly.
By the ti he finished, King Kyden released a long breath he had not realised he was holding. Adam, on the other hand, looked almost invigorated.
"I cannot express how relieved I am to hear this," the king admitted, pressing a hand briefly to his chest. "I feared you might drive yourself against that barrier again and injure more than just your pride." He shook his head lightly. "I rode here the mont I received word. I haven’t even returned to the palace from Galicia."
"You went to Galicia again?" Kyren asked, a faint crease forming between his brows. "For what purpose?"
"The marriage negotiations, of course," King Kyden replied. "They were postponed previously after what happened to Anna and the knights. It required revisiting."
"Ah... that."
Kyren’s expression remained neutral for a heartbeat, then sharpened.
"My knights refused the alliance," he said evenly. "Which nobleman did you propose this ti?"
The king exhaled through his nose and cast a sidelong glance at Adam.
"Who else?" he said dryly. "Him."
The admiral offered an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You?" Kyren asked, surprised. "I was under the impression you were already courting soone."
The admiral’s expression shifted. The sheepishness faded into sothing more sober.
"I was," he admitted. "But that courtship ended after my family’s scandal."
The single sentence held significance.
"It seems affection can be fragile when reputation falters." He gave a faint, humourless smile. "One learns quickly who stands firm when tested."
Silence lingered briefly between them, heavy but understood.
"The past remains where it belongs," Kyren said calmly. "Your father and sister have paid for their misjudgents. As the new head of the Jas family, you will rebuild what was tarnished."
Adam inclined his head in acknowledgent.
"And since Anna publicly acknowledged him as her retainer," King Kyden added, "this alliance would serve as the first step in restoring that standing to the public."
Kyren’s gaze remained on the admiral. "Are you content with this arrangent?"
"At first, I was... conflicted. His Majesty insisted I et the princess before forming an opinion, so I did. We have just returned from that visit," the admiral replied.
"And?" Kyren prompted, studying his expression.
A faint smile tugged at Adam’s lips.
"We spoke at length," he admitted. "She is... far more interesting than I expected. Direct. Perceptive. Not at all what the rumours painted her to be."
King Kyden gave a knowing chuckle.
"He wore that sa smile the entire journey back to Cassian. I believe the alliance may turn favourable after all."
Adam cleared his throat lightly, colour rising to his cheeks.
"It is too early to conclude. I would prefer to know her better first."
"Then write to her," Kyren suggested. "Letters reveal more than formal etings ever could. You will learn her temperant—what she values, what she dislikes."
"There is no need to rush that," the king interjected. "We have arranged for her to visit Gantz soon. She will reside at the palace as an honoured guest for several weeks. That should grant them ample ti to beco acquainted."
"In that case," Kyren said to Adam, "I wish you success. May this union bring you the right partner."
The admiral gave a grateful nod. "Thank you."
King Kyden then shifted back to their original conversation. "The barrier? Has it yielded?"
"We were about to attempt the incantation when you arrived," Kyren replied.
The king glanced toward Rafe and stepped aside.
"Then we should not delay you further," he said. "Proceed."
The healer, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, wore a troubled expression.
Eric noticed it imdiately. "What is it, Rafe?"
Rafe hesitated. "I... am not certain how to begin."
The second-in-command knight raised a brow. "Why not? I thought we had already discussed this."
Kyren, King Kyden, and Adam all turned their questioning gazes towards the healer. Under their scrutiny, the healer felt the burden heavily weighted upon his shoulders.
"I... do not know how to cast it properly in Ro’an," he admitted at last.
The king frowned. "Did you not study the language while you were in Engarth?"
"I did," Rafe replied, shifting uneasily. "But my Ro’an has grown rusty. I have not spoken it conversationally in years. I only use it to decipher old dical texts."
"This is hardly an obstacle," Kyren said calmly. "I can translate the incantation for you."
Eric shook his head at once.
"The spell must be spoken with sincerity from his own heart. If he recites words that are rely translated for you, I doubt the magic will answer. Speak in the tongue you are most comfortable with, Rafe."
Rafe looked uncertain. "Are you sure?"
"There is only one way to find out," Eric urged.
The healer fell silent. His gaze swept across the gathered n—his king, the grand duke, the admiral, and the line of knights. Every pair of eyes rested upon him.
The burden pressed down on his chest again.
If he failed...
If the barrier did not yield...
He would not only disappoint them but also crush the last hope Kyren carried.
"Do not let fear consu you," Eric said quietly, reading the turmoil in his expression. "We trust you."
Rafe drew in a breath and nodded. The encouragent steadied him. He stepped forward onto the stone platform once more.
The harbour seed quiet with anticipation.
Then he paused and turned back.
"Your Highness... would you stand beside ?" he asked. "I cannot see the barrier. If it yields, I will not know without your sight."
Eric and Kyren exchanged a glance.
"That makes sense," Eric said. "We cannot perceive it, but you can."
Kyren stepped forward without hesitation.
The mont his boots touched the stone platform, the barrier revealed itself—shimring into view like a veil of liquid gold stretched across the horizon. It pulsed faintly, awakened by his presence.
He had seen it once before on the day Anna departed, yet in his desperation, he had believed he could force his way through.
But he had been wrong.
Now, standing before it again, the mory returned with aching clarity. The helplessness. The fury. The grief.
But this ti was different.
Every fragnt of his resolve, every breath of hope within him, was placed upon this attempt.
Rafe stood beside him, facing the sea. The wind carried the scent of salt and distance, brushing against their faces as though urging them forward.
Kyren gave him a single nod.
The healer briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath—
And began.
***
Days passed beneath Seta’s blazing sun.
The island thrived in brilliant weather—turquoise waters lapped endlessly against white cliffs, palm fronds swayed in the salt-heavy breeze, and the air carried the mingled scents of citrus groves and brine.
The palace overlooked the sea like a vigilant guardian, its pale stone walls glowing gold at dawn and crimson at dusk.
Life in Seta moved with a disciplined rhythm. Soldiers drilled at first light, scholars debated in shaded courtyards, and ships ca and went across the open horizon.
On the palace training grounds, steel clashed sharply.
Callis’s crimson eyes followed the movent.
"Again!" Kiev’s voice rang across the field as the figure before him stumbled hard onto the ground.
Anna pushed herself up imdiately, dirt streaking her cheek and saring her palms. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she lifted her gaze towards the derian prince.
For the love of God, she still could not fully understand him.
When she and her nanny had first arrived on the island, she had been welcod warmly. The royal healers had tended to her with ticulous care, and everyone had been friendly, in contrast to the life she had in Ardel.
For a short while, she had known happiness.
But the mont she was declared healthy—
Kiev began training her relentlessly, as though she were preparing to enter battle.
The princess had been bewildered at first. Yet no one opposed the derian Prince’s decision. Not the king and queen. Not even Nessy.
Stranger still, the frailty that had once plagued her life had faded. The weakness, the constant fatigue, all of them were gone.
Her body felt lighter, stronger and sharper.
Her mind, too, absorbed instruction with surprising clarity. Movents that once felt foreign now settled into muscle mory.
She tightened her grip on the wooden practice blade and lunged once more at the soldier before her.
Steel struck wood, and the soldier staggered back this ti. With the attack, the sparring continued.
Across the field, Callis leaned slightly toward her brother.
"Do not push her too hard," she murmured. "She has only just regained her strength."
Kiev did not take his eyes off Anna.
"That is precisely why she must train," he replied firmly. "She must learn to protect herself before anything happens."
Callis scoffed softly. She knew that tone. Once Kiev decided sothing was necessary, there was no altering his course.
The derian Princess stepped back from him and retreated towards the stone retaining wall bordering the training ground. Behind it, the sea stretched vast and endless in its blue.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she watched Anna continue the training with a solemn look.
The wind picked up suddenly, fluttering the strands of her silver hair.
It carried a strange, sharp and insistent tone towards her.
And then—
She felt it. The most peculiar, almost tense feeling struck her forcefully.
Her breath faltered, and her hands moved, covering her heart.
Callis turned abruptly toward the sea, eyes shaking.
A powerful gust swept across the cliff again, whipping her hair around her face. Her crimson eyes, usually dim and guarded, flared to life.
Tears welled instantly.
The wind howled in her ears as if conveying a calling.
Her hand shot out, gripping the stone wall as her body swayed. But her knees, weakened by the force, couldn’t support her as if the ground itself had tilted beneath her.
The sensation intensified, and her legs gave out.
Callis fell to her knees, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Callis!" Kiev shouted as soon as he noticed his sister’s sudden, strange behaviour.
The derian Prince lunged forward quickly and rushed at her.
"Callis, look at !" he exclaid, catching her shoulders. "What is happening? Why are you like this? Are you sick?"
On the training field, Anna froze mid-motion. The soldier before her lowered his blade as confusion spread across his face. The other guards on-site wore the sa bewildered expression.
The derian Princess was rarely ill, and if she had been so, the healing magic could have recovered her instantly.
Callis clutched at her chest, trembling.
The wind roared once more to her ears. And then she lifted her tear-filled gaze towards the horizon.
"Rafe..." she whispered.
Kiev’s grip tightened. "Rafe? What about him?"
Her voice shook, eyes staring at the sea.
"He’s coming."
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