A poke to the side was enough to jolt Kael awake from the daze he had been in since the beginning of class. Still unclear about his surroundings, he tuned out the guy sitting next to him. His head was pounding and his vision was blurred. It was like a veil was cast over him and nothing made sense.

He had gone from sitting next to the glass coffin that held his beloved to appearing in his old classroom. It was one place he thought he would never see again after he had left all those years ago. Peering down at his hands, which looked smoother and free of the calluses that had formed from all those times, he had held a sword.

Right away, he guessed that somehow he had gone back in time; with how advanced technology had become in the future, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. What confused him was, how did it happen? And why did it happen? They had performed no spells that could turn back time. They had done little of anything, apart from sitting in that ice cave for far too long.

Unless someone else had done this to him. The thing was that he couldn’t think of anyone who would want to do such a thing. Over the years, he had made countless enemies, especially those from the demonic path, but not enough to warrant what had happened.

And was it just him who had gone back? If he was here, then his steward, or... she could’ve been sent back too. His eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing her once more, but dulled in the next second when fear gripped his chest. He didn’t dare to face her, not after what had happened in the future they were from.

What had transpired then could very well happen again, and he didn’t want to take that chance. Of course, it wasn’t certain if her future self had returned to her past self, but if that was so, seeing her again and speaking to her would bring back the times he would like to forget.

It would be the best thing for her to avoid her as best as possible.

After class, Kael had time before his next one to familiarise himself with the school once more, and meet the people who he needed to be reacquainted with, namely the steward from the past life. Rai had been working for him since they were young, as was the custom within the Rinzildya family.

Rai’s family had only served in the Rinzildya household, and Rai was chosen to first be a friend for Kael, and later he would be trained as a steward and take over from his father when he was old enough. Years later, he ended up being the last person from his family who made it to the end of the last life, and throughout the tragedy, he stayed loyal to Kael.

With that in mind, Kael knew his trust in Rai wasn't groundless, and it would still be the same in this life. Avoiding Rosalie was for the best for her, but he couldn't do the same with Rai; he was the one he needed by his side at this present moment in time. Being away from her will give her a chance to survive and have a future she would never have if she were with him, even if it hurt to be away from her. As long as she was alive and well, that was all that mattered. 

He only had ten minutes left until the end of the break, so he sped up his walk through the school, and found Rai in an empty classroom.

“Rai, you’re here!” He burst into the room and rushed over to take the seat beside the other male.

“Master!” Rai jumped in surprise and clasped Rai’s hands. He started sobbing and said, “I thought I would never see you again.”

“C-calm down.” Kael shook off his hands and tried his best to comfort him. “Don’t call me that here. Did you come back too?” He should’ve been more shocked that someone else had travelled to the past with him, but it made sense. There wasn’t just him in that ice cave when the spell was cast: there was him, Rai and... That was when it dawned on him.

He held his head in his hands. “This isn’t good... She can’t remember... If she does, she’ll...”

“Are you ok, master?” Rai panicked and didn’t know how he could help him. Memories floated to his mind, and he stood up in a rage and made for the door. “Is it her again? Did she do something already? I knew I should’ve stopped you from meeting her!”

“Stop.” Kael didn’t lift his head from his hands. His voice came out defeated and like he had given up on something. “Just leave it.”

“But master, she...” Rai tried pleading with him. He remembered how weak his master had become when that woman had first started showing signs of going down the demonic path, and then later when she entered an eternal sleep. He couldn’t let that happen to his master again; the Kael he knew was strong, brave, and a man who stood above all the rest. Being distraught over a woman was not how he should be, and it was something Rai would never understand.

“Rai!” It was the first Kael had raised his voice at Rai since they had known each other. “The Rosalie out there isn’t the same one we know from the past. Leave her be and nothing will go wrong. We have a chance to start over again. Why waste it on something that hasn’t happened yet?

“I know you’re worried about me and I appreciate it, but I want you to let it go, as I have.” The last words were hard to say and made his heart hurt more, but the chant of it’s for the best that kept running through his mind held him back. “This is not an order, but a request. And while we are here, call me by name and not by master. Before anything else, you’re my friend, not my steward.” He sighed and moved in front of Rai, adding, “things are going to be different now, so let’s right all the wrongs, ok?” 

“Yes, m-Kael.” Rai lowered his head. He hid the defeat in his eyes and said, “I understand.”