The Following Morning.
The morning light seeped through the thin curtains of the bedroom, painting the small apartment in pale shades of gold and gray. The heavy rain from the night before had finally cleared, leaving behind the crisp, quiet stillness that follows a violent storm.
Kagen woke up slowly, his body heavy with deep, dreamless exhaustion and for for the first few seconds, his mind drifted in that familiar, heart-aching fog he had lived in for the past three weeks—expecting to reach out into an empty bed, expecting to remember that Edrath was just a memory, and expecting to face another long day in a world that felt fundamentally hollow.
But before he could even mope.
He felt the intense, steady warmth pressed against his back.
A heavy, muscular arm was draped possessively across his waist, locking him down against the mattress. Behind him, the slow, rhythmic cadence of deep breathing resonated through the sheets.
Kagen froze, his breath catching in his throat as he slowly turned his head on the pillow.
There he was, the man he had always longed for.
Fast asleep.
Without the harsh glare of streetlights or the tension of battle on his features, the Holy Knight looked strikingly peaceful as he slept behind him. His long silver hair spilled across the white pillowcase in tangled, soft waves. The dark, vein-like corruption on his neck appeared quiet and faint under the gentle morning light, no longer pulsing with volatile dark mana.
Kagen let out a quiet, breathless laugh and closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting the sheer reality of it wash over him.
'He is really here.'
Kagen shifted slightly, trying to turn around to face him without waking him up. But the moment Kagen moved, Lucien's arm instinctively tightened around his waist, pulling him flush against his chest and a low, gravelly groan rumbled from Lucien's throat as his eyes slowly fluttered open.
For a split second, a flash of disorienting panic crossed Lucien's face—his gaze darting around the small, unfamiliar room with the sharp instinct of a warrior waking up in foreign territory.
But the instant his eyes landed on Kagen, the tension melted away completely.
"Kagen..."
Lucien's voice was deep and rough with sleep, a low murmur against the quiet morning.
"Good morning,"
Kagen whispered softly, a warm smile touching his lips.
Lucien didn't answer right away. He simply stared at Kagen, his pale eyes searching every inch of his face, as if confirming once again that the morning hadn't dissolved him into smoke. Slowly, Lucien reached up, his large, calloused thumb gently brushing across Kagen's cheekbone.
"I kept waking up during the night," Lucien admitted quietly, his fingers sliding into Kagen's dark, messy hair. "Terrified that if I closed my eyes for too long, I would wake up back in the capital... alone."
Kagen rested his hand over Lucien's, pressing his palm firmly against his skin. "Baby, you are not alone. I woke up feeling the same way, afraid that it was all a dream."
Lucien pulled Kagen closer, resting his forehead against Kagen's. They lay there in silence for several long minutes, taking in the simple, quiet luxury of being near each other without swords or crowns standing between them.
Inside Lucien's consciousness, a familiar, lingering voice broke the silence with an exaggerated sigh.
["As thrilling as this sentimental reunion is, my dear Holy Knight, your human stomach is making sounds similar to a dying beast."]
Lucien's brows furrowed slightly, a subtle crease appearing between his eyes. He deliberately ignored the demon, but right on cue, a loud, undeniable rumble echoed from Lucien's stomach.
Kagen blinked, then burst out into a soft, genuine laugh that lit up his entire face.
Lucien's cheeks flushed a subtle shade of red, a rare sight that made him look endearingly human.
"It–... it appears I have not eaten since crossing the rift."
"I figured," Kagen smiled, pulling back slightly and sitting up in bed, letting the blanket fall around his waist.
"Come on. Let's get you something to eat before the feared Duke of House Arden starves in a suburban apartment."
Lucien sat up slowly, his eyes following Kagen's every move with quiet, unwavering commitment. Kagen passed him a clean shirt to wear and they both changed into casual morning clothes before settling down for breakfast.
The morning sun caught the pale silver of his hair and the dark, quiet lines on his skin, but as Kagen looked back at him from the doorway, there was no fear left—only the quiet certainty of a new beginning.
*****
A few minutes later.
Kagen stood in the tiny kitchen, leaning his back against the cool laminate counter while staring at the strange figure sitting at his small dining table.
Lucien was staring suspiciously down at a ceramic bowl of cereal.
Kagen picked up his mug and took a slow sip.
"You can eat it."
Lucien looked up, his brows drawn together in deep thought.
"It is floating."
Kagen blinked, setting his mug down on the counter.
"It's milk."
"I can see that."
"Then why are you looking at it like it's going to attack you?"
Lucien narrowed his sharp silver eyes at the colorful floating loops.
"Because I have seen magical poisons disguised as harmless liquids before."
Kagen burst out laughing, the sudden sound echoing through the quiet apartment.
Lucien frowned, his lips forming a firm, defensive line.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Kagen walked over to the table and picked up the small metal spoon resting beside the bowl.
"You just fought through a dimensional rift, crossed into a world you've never seen before, and you're scared of cereal?"
"I'm not scared."
"Then you are suspicious?"
"I am cautious."
"Sure."
Kagen sat down directly across from him at the table.
Lucien picked up the spoon cautiously, scooped up a tiny portion of the cereal with milk, and brought it to his lips to taste it.
He chewed slowly.
He paused.
His intense, serious expression shifted completely.
Kagen raised an eyebrow, resting his chin on his palm.
"Well?"
Lucien looked down at the bowl in wonder.
"...It's sweet."
"That's usually what people say when they eat cereal."
Lucien took another spoonful, chewing faster this time.
Then he took another.
Soon, his intense suspicion disappeared completely from his face.
Kagen smiled warmly at the sight.
"You like it."
Lucien nodded solemnly, keeping his gaze locked on the bowl.
"It is acceptable."
"Only acceptable?"
"Very acceptable."
Kagen laughed again, shaking his head.
"You can just say you like it."
Lucien took another large spoonful nodding his head.
"I like it."
"Good."
Kagen leaned back in his chair, watching him eat. For a long moment, neither of them spoke but the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable at all.
It was strangely peaceful.
Just then Kagen looked across the table at him. Without his heavy knight armor, giant sword, and formal royal uniform, Lucien seemed entirely different. His silver hair seemed to have grown much longer over the past weeks, falling past his shoulders. His pale face was worn with deep physical exhaustion, and the dark, corrupted veins crawling beneath the skin of his neck were impossible to ignore.
Yet somehow...
He looked younger.
He looked more like the ordinary man Kagen remembered beneath the grand title of a Duke.
Lucien caught him staring.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You keep saying that."
Kagen smiled softly.
"I was just thinking about how strange this whole situation is."
"What is?"
"You sitting in my tiny apartment eating cereal."
Lucien's pale lips curved faintly upward.
"I imagined our reunion differently while I was searching for you."
Kagen's smile faded slightly, replaced by curiosity.
"How did you imagine it?"
Lucien looked down at the milky liquid in his bowl.
"I imagined finding you somewhere beautiful."
He gave a quiet, breathless laugh.
"Perhaps in a grand palace. Or standing in some magnificent, golden city."
His bright silver eyes returned to meet Kagen's gaze.
"I did not imagine you would be wearing an oversized "hoodie" while feeding me breakfast in a tiny room."
Kagen snorted, a soft giggle escaping him.
"Sorry to disappoint you."
"You don't."
The firm answer came so quickly and honestly that Kagen fell completely silent.
Lucien reached his hand across the small table. His long fingers gently touching the back of Kagen's hand.
"I would have found you anywhere. But I'm glad that I found you in a place that feels really peaceful for you."
Their fingers intertwined naturally over the dark wood of the table.
For several seconds, they simply looked at each other, letting the reality of their reunion sink in.
Then Kagen glanced toward the digital clock on the microwave.
"You've been awake all night, haven't you?"
Lucien hesitated for a moment.
"A little."
"A little?"
"I was just making sure this place was safe for you."
Kagen let out a quiet sigh.
"You crossed dimensions and immediately started guarding my apartment?"
"It is my duty."
"You don't have a duty here anymore, Lucien, except for bonding with me."
Lucien looked straight into his eyes.
"I actually do."
"What duty?"
"You."
Kagen's cheeks warmed instantly with a bright flush.
He quickly looked away toward the kitchen wall.
"Just eat your breakfast."
Lucien smiled softly.
"Yes."
A quiet, mocking voice suddenly echoed inside Lucien's mind.
["How touching."]
Lucien's soft smile vanished in an instant.
'Jerga.'
["A lovely breakfast shared by doomed lovers separated across dimensions?...this demon can't help but to feel touched."] the demon purred inside his skull.
'Don't start.'
["Perhaps after breakfast, you should confess your eternal devotion while holding hands beneath the ceiling light bulb."]
'I said don't.'
["Then perhaps—"]
'Be quiet.'
Kagen noticed the rapid shift in his expression and the slight tension in his shoulders.
"Is it bothering you?"
Lucien blinked, startled out of his mental argument.
"What?"
"The thing inside of you,"
"Does it bother you?"
Kagen said gently, pointing toward his own chest.
"The dark power that corrupted you."
Lucien stared at him in surprise.
"You can tell?"
"Well, you did mention selling your soul to cross over. And to tell you the truth, I actually lived so many lives in Edrath. And corruption was one of the awakenings I experienced. I could see from the unfading marks, the shade of your eyes and your aura, you infested quite a dark entity within you."
"And I know your face," Kagen replied simply.
That simple, honest answer silenced Lucien completely.
Kagen smiled softly at his stunned look.
"Besides, you've been muttering under your breath this whole time."
Lucien let out a slow sigh, rubbing his temples.
"He's thoroughly enjoying this humiliation."
["I am enjoying it immensely,"] Jerga added with delight.
Kagen chuckled warmly.
"And you look like you have become very comfortable with a demon inside your head."
"Not really."
"I fail to believe that dear."
Kagen picked up his warm mug with both hands.
"So is the terrifying, ancient demon annoyed by a bowl of sweet cereal?"
Lucien stared at him for a second.
Then, despite himself, he let out a laugh.
It was a deep, quiet laugh that came straight from his chest.
Kagen froze in his seat.
He hadn't heard that light, genuine sound from Lucien in what felt like a lifetime.
Lucien noticed his sudden stillness and paused.
"What is it?"
Kagen smiled brightly, his heart swelling.
He reached back across the table and gently squeezed Lucien's large hand.
"I just missed hearing that sound."
Lucien's small smile faded into something far softer, filled with pure devotion.
"I missed you too, Kagen...ugh can I just call you Cassian?"
"Fine...but when we are alone."
Kagen smiled.
And outside, the quiet rain continued tapping steadily against the glass windows.
For the very first time since crossing into this strange, unknown world, Lucien felt his body fully relax.
He finished his bowl of cereal slowly, almost reluctantly, until the ceramic dish was completely empty.
Kagen stood up from the table and collected the dirty bowl and spoon.
"Now."
Lucien looked up at him.
"What is it?"
"You need a warm bath, I will help you."
"I can wash myself."
"I know you can."
Kagen picked up a fresh, dry towel from the back of a chair.
"But I missed you so let's spend more time together okay?"
Lucien stood up slowly from the dining chair and Kagen handed him the clean towel along with a set of soft, dry clothes.
"The bathroom is right through that door, follow me."
Lucien did as told without asking questions and Cassian prepared a warm bath for both of them.
*****