The Silence of the Aftermath
The Aurekawa Citadel was silent again, but this time, it was a silence of peace. Qalvetta was locked in the deepest cell, the loyal officials were freed and cheering, and the pirate fleet was disguised in the harbor, ready to defend the crown. The political nightmare was over.
Hayate's private chambers were warm, quiet, and finally, truly safe. Captain Torvin had personally ensured the guards were loyal men, and The Sea Witch had sent two of her toughest pirates to patrol the perimeter.
Hayate sat on the edge of his massive bed, exhausted but triumphant. Neshuda sat opposite him, hunched and silent. His right hand—the one he'd used to crush Qalvetta's arm and break his own fall from the rafters—was swollen, bruised, and clearly broken.
The Curse of Reflection was working overtime. Hayate felt every agonizing, throbbing pulse of pain in his own hand, mixed with Neshuda's intense, burning guilt that he had hurt the King yet again.
"We won, Neshuda," Hayate said softly, reaching out his left hand. "Qalvetta is finished. The kingdom is safe."
"At the cost of your life, Hayate," Neshuda replied, his voice rough. He wouldn't look at the King. "I broke my cover. I struck a nobleman. I used brute force, and you collapsed. I am a dangerous animal, a stray, and my presence is still a threat to your Angelic bloodline."
Neshuda tried to stand, but Hayate felt a jolt of reflected physical pain, causing a sharp, sickening ache in his own legs.
"Sit down," Hayate commanded gently. "You are injured and you are exhausted. I will not have you collapsing outside my chambers. We face this pain together."
The Agony of Healing
Hayate knew he couldn't call the Citadel healers. They would see Neshuda's injury, and they would see Hayate's mirrored pain, confirming the curse to the entire court. Neshuda's hand had to be healed instantly, and only Hayate's healing aura could do it.
Hayate slid off the bed and knelt before Neshuda. He gently took the Guardian's swollen, broken hand in both of his own.
"This will hurt you," Hayate warned, looking into Neshuda's dark, defensive eyes. "And it will hurt me twice as much. But we have to do this."
Neshuda swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "I trust you, Hayate. Do what you must."
Hayate began to push his energy—his gentle, pure-hearted healing aura—into Neshuda's hand. The effect was immediate and catastrophic.
Neshuda's bones began to knit together, the tissues repairing themselves with terrifying speed. The process was agonizing—a blinding flash of reflected, searing pain slammed into Hayate, making him cry out sharply. Hayate felt the crushing, physical sensation of shattered bone being pulled back into place.
He squeezed his eyes shut, enduring the pain, pushing the healing energy harder. He knew he had to finish it quickly.
Neshuda's pain was reflected in Hayate's face—sweat poured from his brow, and his body shook violently. Hayate focused all his charisma and love into the pain, making the healing energy a conduit for his devotion.
Neshuda watched Hayate collapse under the reflected pressure, tears of absolute guilt and devotion streaming down his own face.
He is taking my pain. He is healing me by suffering twice as much, Neshuda realized. He is willing to die for me.
With a final, sickening pop, the bones locked into place. Hayate gasped, releasing the hand, and fell back onto the floor, trembling and exhausted.
Neshuda's hand was instantly whole—scarred and bruised, but perfectly functional.
The Confession of the Stray
Neshuda didn't look at his hand. He looked only at the King, who lay on the floor, breathing heavily, utterly depleted.
Neshuda scrambled to the King's side, pulling Hayate up onto the bed, ignoring the renewed ache in his own body. He held Hayate tightly, desperate to transfer his warmth and strength back to the King.
"I am sorry, Hayate. I am so sorry," Neshuda whispered, his voice raw with unshed tears. "I am not worth this pain. You should have let Qalvetta kill me, not endure this agony for me."
Hayate weakly lifted his hand, placing the small, carved wooden wolf—the symbol of Neshuda's stray soul—into the Guardian's palm.
"I told you, Neshuda," Hayate managed, his voice hoarse. "Your pain is my compass. Your loyalty is my strength. I will not let you throw away your life for my safety. I deeply like and love you, and I choose to fight this curse with you. I choose the pain, because it means you are still here."
Neshuda collapsed his forehead against Hayate's shoulder, unable to hide the depth of his feelings anymore. The guilt that had driven him to exile was finally burned away by the truth of Hayate's sacrificial love.
"Then I will never hide my feelings again," Neshuda vowed, his voice thick with absolute devotion. "I will anchor your soul, and I will be your shield. Whatever comes next, we face it together. Always."
The Malice Returns
The fragile peace was violently broken.
As Neshuda held Hayate, focused entirely on the King's recovery, a wave of cold, ancient malice slammed into Hayate's mind—the chilling reflection of the Hidden Clan Leader (the ghoul summoner).
This time, the malice was focused, like a dagger pointed directly at their combined energy.
Hayate cried out, his body arching in Neshuda's arms. "The cold! It's back! It's the true enemy, Neshuda! They know we won, and they are angry!"
Neshuda immediately pulled back, scanning the empty room with his master of stealth eyes. He felt nothing physical, but he saw the stark terror on Hayate's face.
"What did they do, Hayate? What did you hear?"
"They want chaos," Hayate whispered, clutching the fabric of Neshuda's tunic. "They wanted me to die and the kingdom to collapse, all to break a seal—a seal my father placed! Qalvetta and Henudra were just pawns, meant to destroy me emotionally! The true villain is a ghoul summoner who lives outside the Citadel, waiting for the seal to break."
Hayate's Angelic senses, magnified by the curse's connection, were working as a spiritual radar for the first time, pointing to the real, magical threat.
The Forbidden Archive
Hayate realized the terrifying, essential truth: they had only survived the political war. The supernatural war was just beginning, and they knew nothing about the ancient threat.
"My father sealed the danger, Neshuda," Hayate stated, standing up, his strength returning, fueled by a terrifying new clarity. "There is only one place I can find answers about the seal, the curse, and the ghoul summoner."
Hayate walked to the corner of the room, pulling aside a tapestry to reveal a hidden, locked door.
"Beneath the palace," Hayate explained, his voice low with determination. "There is a secret library—an archive of forbidden texts my father locked away. It contains the history of the Angelic bloodline and the truth behind the kingdom's creation."
Neshuda immediately stepped forward, his newly healed hand gripping his sword hilt. "A secret archive? Qalvetta never found it?"
"No. It is guarded by magic only the Angelic bloodline can pass. But it will contain the terrifying truth: why the curse was placed on the crown, why you were chosen as my Life Anchor, and most importantly, how to stop the Hidden Clan Leader from breaking the seal."
Hayate looked at Neshuda, his dark eyes filled with the cold resolve of a King preparing for true war.
"The political war is over, Neshuda. We have reclaimed the throne. But now, we must prepare for the War of the Last Kingdom. We must use the Forbidden Archive to find the spiritual weapons we need, or the world will collapse."
The Dawn of War
Neshuda looked from the King's resolute face to the locked, ancient door. He knew the risk was immense. Hayate was physically fragile, and plunging into ancient magic could be more dangerous than facing a thousand swords.
But Neshuda's vow was absolute.
"I will be your shield, Hayate," Neshuda said, placing his body between the King and the hidden door. "Lead the way. We will descend into the past, learn the truth of the curse, and kill the ghoul summoner before they can unleash chaos."
Hayate gave Neshuda the key—a simple, copper key that felt unnaturally cold in the hand.
The King and his Shadow—the Angel and the Wolf—stood together, the pain of their past behind them, the lethal danger of the curse accepted. They were ready to face the world-ending secrets hidden beneath the Aurekawa Citadel.