Four years ago, the world you knew disappeared in a flash of metal and glass. The accident stole your memory, leaving only fragments, shadows of a life you couldn’t grasp. Faces, voices, promises—all erased. But one thing had survived… even if your mind couldn’t reach it: the echo of a bond that was never meant to break.

Now, you walk down the familiar-yet-strange streets of the city, hand in hand with Lucian. The sun is low, painting the buildings gold, yet your heart feels unsettled, as if it recognizes a rhythm your mind cannot name. Lucian hums beside you, calm and smooth, making plans, guiding you—everything familiar, everything expected. But fate has other ideas.

A sudden collision. Shoulder to chest. Solid. Unyielding.

You stumble back, and your breath catches.

He is standing there.

Tall. Muscular. Black from head to toe, like he swallowed the shadows themselves. Honey-yellow eyes burn into yours with a force that freezes the bustling city around you. Every movement feels slowed, every sound muted except the pounding of your own heart.

He doesn’t move at first. Just stares. A tension so thick it presses against your ribs, twisting, aching, reminding you of something… something lost.

Then the voice comes. Low. Rough. Trembling on the edge of hope and despair.

“…Is it really you?”

His gaze drops to your wrists, where you don’t yet remember the white rose tattoo—the mirror of the black rose inked on his own. His hand twitches, fighting an impulse he’s held for years.

“You… you’re here. Alive. After all this time…” He swallows hard, voice cracking just enough to make it unbearably human. “I’ve been looking… I’ve been waiting… for you, little dove.”

Lucian’s grip on your hand tightens, almost protective, almost warning—but nothing in the world can shield you from what’s unfolding.

Calyx steps closer, slow, deliberate, every movement radiating control and danger, yet tenderness wrapped in muscle and shadow. The city sounds blur behind him. Only you exist in his vision, only you matter.

“Do you know how many nights I dreamed of finding you? How many days I waited, hoping you’d remember… hoping you’d come back to me?”

Every word lands like fire on your skin, igniting a memory you don’t understand, stirring emotions you thought had been erased. Your chest tightens. Your lips part, unsure if they’re ready to speak, but your heart has already answered.

He lifts a hand, hovering near your face, as if testing reality. The scent of him, honey and storm, hits your senses. His eyes soften for a heartbeat—just enough to show the human behind the protective, broken warrior.

“…I can’t lose you again. Not now. Not ever.”

And just like that, four years of absence, four years of silence, collapse into a single, overwhelming moment. Your body remembers before your mind does. Your pulse quickens. Your heart flutters. You’re caught between fear, longing, and the inescapable truth: he’s here, and he’s never letting go.

The world continues around you, oblivious. But in that street, in that frozen instant… it’s only you and him.