The decision was made sometime during the evening. Aries stood near the outside the worn out chapel, as the folded paper remained held loosely between his fingers.

Old.

Worn.

Yet preserved carefully for years.

The address his brother had given him. A way to disappear. A way to finally bury the Vale name completely. Blue eyes lingered on the paper for several long moments afterward.

'If I’m going to enter Moonveil…'

'I need a proper identity first.'

A quiet sigh escaped him. The journey itself would not be short. The contact lived far beyond the northern territories near the border towns. Even moving quickly, It would still take time.

'…At least two days.'

That thought alone irritated him more than expected. Two entire days away from Ezrina. Troublesome. Aries clicked his tongue softly before folding the paper again. Then suddenly, his gaze drifted toward the old blankets where Ezrina usually slept beside him. A strange softness flickered briefly across his expression.

'…I guess I’ll never hear you call my real name.'

Silence settled quietly afterward.

Because the fate of everyone who knows Aries Vale is death.

The thought carried no bitterness anymore. Only exhaustion. As though he had repeated that truth inside his head so many times it eventually stopped hurting properly. Aries closed his eyes briefly afterward before turning toward the shattered chapel doors.

'…Still.'

'I want to stay beside you a little longer.'

Unfortunately, wanting something had never guaranteed he could keep it. By the time darkness fully swallowed the forest, the abandoned chapel stood empty. Only faint traces of his scent lingered behind.

...

The first thing Ezrina noticed after returning from Moonveil Academy was the silence. No giant silver wolf sprawled dramatically across the blankets. No annoyed growling because she arrived late. No heavy tail thumping lazily against the floor after noticing her scent.Just silence. Ezrina blinked slowly while stepping further inside the chapel.

“…Chunky?”

Nothing answered. A small frown immediately appeared on her face. That was unusual. Aries rarely wandered far without returning before sunset. Especially after she started attending the academy. Ezrina placed her bag near the blankets before glancing around the ruined chapel again. Still nothing.

“…Did he go hunting?”

The possibility sounded reasonable enough. Yet strangely, uneasiness still settled inside her chest. Because despite behaving lazily most of the time, Aries never disappeared without warning her first. Ezrina sat quietly near the old blankets afterward, absentmindedly tracing her fingers across the thick silver fur still left behind on the fabric.

The chapel suddenly felt colder than usual. Lonelier. And only then did she realize something embarrassing. She had become far too used to his constant presence beside her. Ezrina stared blankly toward the chapel entrance for several moments before quietly muttering to herself:

“…He better not come back injured again.”

Meanwhile, somewhere far beyond the northern forests, Aries moved silently beneath the night sky carrying nothing except an old address and memories he had spent years trying to outrun.

To be continued~