Time froze.
Felicia and Thivi shouted in unison.
"What are you doing, Zinnia?! Kaivan could suffocate!" Felicia yelled.
Thivi covered her mouth, eyes wide. "Kaivan! Are you okay?!"
Kaivan squirmed, trying to push Zinnia off, but the angle made it difficult. His breath hitched, his face flushing, whether from anger, embarrassment, or lack of oxygen was unclear. Zinnia scrambled away, brushing water off herself with her head low. "I really didn't mean to," she muttered quickly.
Kaivan looked up at her with a reddened face and a faint nosebleed. "You… seriously…" His words dissolved into a breathy, disbelieving sigh.
Meanwhile, at the corner of the pool, Frans, who had been busy with his phone the whole time, suddenly jumped to his feet.
"Crap! I forgot to text my girlfriend!" he yelped, sprinting off and nearly tripping over a rock at the poolside.
Radit burst into laughter as Frans stumbled away.
"Kaivan, you're nosebleeding," Radit snickered, still doubled over with laughter.
Raphael, sitting quietly in the corner of the hot spring, let out a long breath. Even without answers from the Tome Omnicent, moments like this, warm chaos and careless laughter, reminded him that their journey wasn't only about seeking truths.
He leaned back against the stone wall, eyes drifting toward the night sky scattered with stars. A faint smile softened his face.
"I wonder when any of you will ever act serious," he murmured, equal parts exasperated and fond.
Under the star-scattered sky, the hot-spring terrace slowly came alive again with laughter and the scent of grilled fish. The warmth of the water wrapped around their bodies, offering a brief refuge from the dangerous world outside. In that shared comfort, they found a tiny sanctuary in the midst of uncertainty.
Hours later, when everyone had fallen asleep, Kaivan sat alone on the long bench of the villa's terrace. The night breeze slipped through the gap of his jacket, but he didn't mind. On his lap, the Tome of Omnicent lay open, its pages glowing faintly under the starlight, silent, no longer speaking. No answers. Only a lingering quiet.
He took a deep breath and stared at the pages that now felt strangely distant. His tired eyes reflected a mix of restlessness and hollow confusion. Amid the silence, soft footsteps approached, hesitant, yet genuine.
"Hey… Kaivan?"
He glanced to the side. He recognized the voice, Zinnia. Her violet hair was tied back, her face lit gently by the moon. She stood in the doorway, expression unsure but warm.
"Why aren't you asleep?" she asked softly.
Kaivan exhaled a thin breath of smoke. "Took too long of a nap earlier. Not sleepy."
Zinnia sat beside him, letting out a slow sigh. "Kai… about what happened in the hot spring earlier… I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to."
Her hands tightened on her lap, unable to meet his eyes. Kaivan stayed silent for a moment before replying in a flat tone, "No need to apologize." His fingers brushed his own cheek, as if remembering the incident. His voice dropped to a murmur, barely above a whisper. "You should've warned me… but, it wasn't that bad either."
Zinnia froze, her eyes widening. "Huh?" she breathed, caught off guard.
Kaivan flushed as well, quickly correcting himself. "I mean… if you had warned me, I wouldn't have been so shocked."
Zinnia lowered her gaze, her cheeks softly tinged with pink. Somehow, the cold night air felt warm. In the quiet, she looked up at the sky, hiding a small smile. Tonight felt different.
She rose gently. "Alright… I'll head in first. The air's getting colder."
She stood, her steps graceful, her slender figure swaying lightly with each movement. Before leaving, she cast a quick glance at Kaivan, still hunched over, lost in thought. His expression was hard to read, but enough to make her heartbeat skip just a little faster.
The lodge door closed softly behind her. In the silence that followed, another voice drifted out.
"Kaivan, you're still awake?"
It was Isabel, calling from inside, her tone gentle, carrying a trace of concern that felt almost like a wife speaking to her husband.
Kaivan let out a slow breath. He crushed his cigarette into the ashtray crowded with stubs, then closed the Tome Omnicent resting on his lap. He stared at it for a moment before finally rising and heading inside.
The girls' room was wrapped in stillness, the kind that felt almost fragile. Only the moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, painting faint patterns across the wooden floor. Even though everyone seemed asleep, soft whispers lingered beneath the warm blankets.