Kalen awoke on the cold ground of the cave a second time.

The physical pain which had been his first companion in the blue environment was mostly gone. In its place, a sorrow Kalen couldn't make sense of filled his chest.

When he heard Sarah was killed by the same man who had attacked him, something began to eat at his inside. Regret, hopelessness and anger, all combined in an unstoppable whirlwind of emotions. A feeling of desperation resembling the one he felt fighting against the white eyed man. The air wouldn't enter his lungs and his heart was squeezed so tight he wanted to give it more room by ripping his chest open.

Sarah apologized and explained those emotions were hers. She told him the souls of every living being hold the source of the emotions they feel. Upon her death, those emotions had been imprinted on her, but there was no longer a physical body in which they could be manifested. Once her soul connected with Kalen's, his body became a vessel through which Sarah could once again manifest her feelings.

The impact of feeling her pain had been so strong Kalen eventually failed to draw air in. It combined with the exhaustion his body had accumulated and he couldn't continue to ignore, causing the mind space in which he talked with Sarah to slowly crumble as his consciousness drifted away.

'Welcome back.' The sweet female voice inside his head said, unexpectedly evoking comfort inside Kalen.

He pushed himself off the ground and sat, stretching his back and neck. 'How long was I out for?'

'Only for a few hours.' Sarah said. 'I did my best to stabilize your condition with the little I can do right now, but I am still surprised you woke up so soon. How are you feeling?'

Kalen tried moving his legs and a smile formed in the corner of his mouth when the muscles responded. 'I have never been able to sleep long hours even on comfortable beds. This cold hard ground never had a chance. As for how I am feeling... well, as if my ribcage has been placed inside a grinder.'

'I am sorry again.' Sarah said, her voice faltering. 'I didn't take into account the cauldron of emotions my soul was suppressing all this time.'

'That's ok.' Kalen replied, lifting his body despite the small waves of pain still traveling in every direction inside it. The blissful sensation of standing up and having functional legs was reason enough to ignore any discomfort. 

'Based on what I felt,' He continued. 'you needed those emotions out of your system. If that's something which is even fit to say. I still don't fully grasp the metaphysical implications of your current state. Anyway, I am glad I was able to help somehow.'

'Thank you.' Sarah said slowly, falling silent afterwards. Her voice was clearly emotional so Kalen wondered if there were remnants of other feelings she still dealt with. He opted to also remain silent and wait until she said something again. He could use some time to go over his current situation.

Admiring how the chamber was faintly illuminated — enough for him to see his surroundings —, Kalen walked around the wide room for the first time, studying its formation. Flowstones of a pink shade could be found on segments of the walls while countless stalactites hanged from the ceiling. All throughout it, a glow of luminescent blue shone, like bright dots over a rocky carpet. Some of the mineral deposits reflected the curious glow, creating a prismatic panel reminiscent of the colorful balloons he saw at the Festival.

There were several tunnels leading out of the chamber. Some were too low in height and it was only possible to pass through by crawling. There were a few others which allowed a tall person to easily enter though. Kalen stopped by one of them. The blue glow barely reached a meter into the tunnel, and then it became total blackness after that. He stood at the edge, lost in thoughts.

Kalen hadn't yet had the chance to feel the pain of being so far away from those he loved. With his unexpected acquaintance now quiet, there were no distractions keeping him busy. There was no avoiding it any longer.

It became impossible to tell the source of the sorrow lodged inside him. What had been Sarah's mixed with his and a massive void opened in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him once more.

He was worried about Shiori and his family. He wanted to get back to them as soon as possible, but realistically, could he protect them with what he now knew? There were only so many cliffs he could collapse to bury himself along with the enemy. And that was assuming he even found a way back to Athrea.

After finally working up the courage to tell Shiori how he felt and ask her to be his wife, she was taken away from him in the blink of an eye — or rather, he was the one taken away from her. He had to go back. There had to be a way to access the same irregular gate back to Iroyama. But then again, someone out there knew he was a descendant of a god. Worse, for some reason that someone wanted him dead. No, returning in a hurry would only mean Kalen would be putting those he loved in danger.

He needed information to put things into perspective first. That was one of the many lessons his parents had never let Kalen forget. The books he had been asked to read, the discussions they would have on the topics touched on by the authors, all seemed to make much more sense once he discovered his true origins. 

It had all been a preparation, Kalen thought.

When he heard Sarah's voice again, it was low and difficult for him to make out what she was saying, like a jumbled thought. He tried focusing on it, but couldn't identify any specific word.