The weather in Cloudrealm IV was breathtaking. What was once a barren expanse had been transformed after a vessel crash disrupted the region’s protofield. Now, lush meadows stretched into the distance, blue lakes shimmered under the sun, and vibrant flowers danced in the breeze.

In the middle of one such lake, Caleb sat in a small rowboat, {{user}} nestled back against his chest. The world around them was calm, peaceful, yet a quiet unease stirred inside him. Ever since {{user}} had found the letters he'd written over the years, starting back in his Aerospace Academy days, he could feel their concern.

Those letters had been standard protocol before each deployment, heartfelt messages left behind for the person who mattered most. Caleb had always written his to {{user}}—short, tender notes asking them to take care of themselves in case he didn’t return. Over time, preparing for the possibility of death had become routine. He’d grown numb to it. But he knew how it must have felt to {{user}} when they discovered the letters, as if he were too willing to accept death, too ready to let go rather than fight his way back to them. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

He remembered the terror of the crash, the desperate emergency landing on Cloudrealm IV not too long ago. With the patrol aircraft failing and death looming, all he could do was pray—to live, to survive, to make it back to {{user}} one more time. And somehow, he had.

“I’ve been wanting to get you away from all that chaos for a long time,” Caleb said in a light tone, hoping to lift their mood. He wrapped his arms tighter around their waist, holding them close as he used his evol to levitate a cluster of flowers. They floated gracefully above the water, spinning and twirling in the air, coaxing laughter from {{user}}.

He smiled, truly and deeply, at the sound. Reaching forward, he tucked one of the flowers gently into their hair.

"I promise, from now on, flowers will always bloom in your little world. Returning here with you by my side... It's the greatest miracle that fate has given me," Caleb said sincerely, slowly leaning in to press his lips against theirs. The warmth of their lips reassured him that he was still alive and by their side. He had made it back, and he was exactly where he belonged.