The cave called to him again.
Not with a voice.
Not literally.
But every moment Elios stayed away from it—
something inside him felt wrong.
Incomplete.
The hunger never fully disappeared anymore.
Even after hours passed.
Even after the cold night air calmed him slightly.
It remained beneath his skin.
Waiting.
Elios stood outside the house silently, staring toward the distant mountains.
Toward the mine.
The black flow stirred faintly inside him.
Almost in response.
"…Damn it…"
His fingers tightened slowly.
He already understood what was happening.
And that was exactly why it terrified him.
The cave wasn't forcing him.
That would have been easier.
Instead—
part of him genuinely wanted to return.
Elios slowly lowered his head.
For the first time in his life—
he no longer trusted his own instincts.
The door behind him opened softly.
Elara stepped outside quietly.
She stopped the moment she saw him standing there.
For a few seconds—
neither spoke.
The distance between them felt strange now.
Not physical.
Emotional.
"…You haven't slept."
Her voice remained calm.
Elios didn't answer immediately.
"…Couldn't."
Elara looked at him carefully.
At the dark circles beneath his eyes.
At the tension in his body.
At the way he kept staring toward the mountains.
And slowly—
her expression changed.
Not fear.
Sadness.
"…You're leaving again."
Not a question.
A realization.
Elios closed his eyes briefly.
"…I have to."
The silence afterward felt heavy.
Elara lowered her gaze slightly.
"…Your father used to make that same expression."
Elios' eyes shifted toward her again.
"…What?"
"…The expression people make when they already know they won't listen to anyone."
That hit harder than expected.
Elios looked away immediately.
Because she was right.
Part of him had already decided long ago.
The cave.
The power.
The answers.
Something down there kept pulling him back.
And worst of all—
he wanted to follow it.
Elara slowly stepped closer.
Not fully.
Carefully.
"…Elios."
Her voice trembled slightly for the first time.
"…I already lost your father."
Silence.
"…And Kael."
The words almost broke midway.
"…Please don't disappear too."
Elios froze.
Something painful tightened inside his chest immediately.
For one brief moment—
the hunger weakened.
The black flow inside him quieted slightly.
And Elios realized something terrifying.
His emotions were affecting Black Veil now.
Not the other way around.
No—
both were affecting each other.
The realization made his breathing heavier.
"…I'll come back."
The words came out quietly.
But even he didn't fully believe them anymore.
Elara noticed that immediately.
Yet she still nodded slowly.
Because it was all she could do.
The path toward the mine felt colder than before.
Elios walked alone beneath the night sky, his cloak moving lightly with the wind.
The closer he got—
the calmer his body became.
That alone disgusted him.
The hunger weakened.
The whispers faded.
The pressure stabilized slightly.
Like the cave itself was comforting him.
"…What the hell am I becoming…"
No answer came.
Only silence.
Elios finally reached the entrance.
The darkness below waited silently.
And the moment he stepped forward—
the black flow surfaced instantly.
Not violently.
Naturally.
Like breathing.
Elios stopped immediately.
His eyes narrowed.
That wasn't good.
Before—
activating Black Veil required pressure.
Emotion.
Desperation.
Now—
his body activated it automatically near the cave.
"…Tch…"
The black flow wrapped slowly around his arms.
The darkness below almost looked deeper than before.
Alive.
Watching him.
Elios stepped inside.
And for the first time—
the cave welcomed him back.
End.