Roven had recovered after two days of fever. The sunset light was spilling across the bed, and the air was gentle.

Raes was folding a blanket when Roven suddenly said, quietly and without warning:

— “Can we go outside today? Even just for a bit?”

Raes paused. There was still a hint of fever in his eyes. But he smiled.

— “Alright. Just a little. We have to come back soon.”

A few minutes later, they were sitting beneath a tree in the back garden. A soft breeze blew, and the birds sang carelessly, unaware of people’s whispers.

Roven closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

— “It feels… familiar. But I don’t know why.”

Raes replied softly,

— “Maybe it’s a memory that hasn’t come back yet. Sometimes your heart remembers before your mind does.”

Suddenly, a voice called from a distance:

— “Raes! Help me! The kitchen’s a mess!”

Raes stood up.

— “I’ll be right back. Please stay here, Your Grace.”

Roven smiled.

— “Alright.”

But the moment Raes was gone, Roven’s curiosity got the better of him. He didn’t know the castle, but something inside him urged him to move.

He passed the garden and entered a hallway. Stone walls, golden sconces, whispers in the distance.

A few guards passed by. One of them stopped. His stare froze.

— “That’s him…”

His gaze turned to anger.

— “If he stays in this castle, he’ll burn us all in the end.”

Roven stopped. His smile faded. He didn’t understand why… but his heart began to race.

That night, Raes entered the room with a tray of food.

— “Your Grace? It’s dinner time.”

But the bed was empty.

— “Your Grace?!”

He searched the room. Checked the window. The curtains had been drawn aside. His heart dropped.

He ran outside. Saw a guard.

— “Lord Virlan is missing! He’s gone!”

Whispers quickly spread through the castle.

Raes reached the hall where guards had gathered. One of the maids said:

— “I went to bring him tea, but he wasn’t there! The door was open!”

Moments later, Viria entered. Her eyes were darker than ever.

— “Missing? What do you mean? Why did you leave him alone?”

Raes tried to explain, but the cold voice of Garth Karth, Viria’s father, cut through the room:

— “He ran away. We never should’ve allied with them in the first place.”

And Viria’s mother, Linda Karth, added with a cold look:

— “He’s a dangerous substance.”

Raes clenched his fists. He couldn’t believe Roven had left without a word.

Deep inside, a bad feeling was growing—

A feeling that maybe even Roven himself didn’t know…

what exactly he was running from.