Chapter 984

"But... it seems I was wrong."

Before he could continue, Yuder realized there was one more confession he had to make first.

He tightened his grip slightly on the cup of warm milk in his hands and opened his mouth.

“...The truth is, when I first ‘returned’ here, I had forgotten a large part of what happened in the previous game I’ve spoken to you about. At first, I told myself it didn’t matter—that I had simply forgotten it because it wasn’t important...”

Because it hadn’t hindered his life, hadn’t interfered with his ability to use his powers or fulfill his role as Cavalry Commander, Yuder had thought it was fine. His past as Yudrain Aile had always been a disgraceful shadow, a red-flagged scandal, and not remembering it had honestly brought a kind of peace.

After all, what importance could someone he hadn’t even known for two full years really hold?

It seemed far more productive to dig through the memories of a disaster he had failed to stop than to waste time brooding over such a trivial thing. He’d thought of Kishiar as someone who simply needed to stay alive—someone who must not walk the same path as in the previous life.

But how long did it take before he realized that wasn’t true?

“...At some point, memories I hadn’t known—or thought I had forgotten—started to appear through dreams after I came here. It took quite some time to accept that they weren’t just nightmares or formless illusions, but actual events... truths I had been unaware of.”

“...”

“Most of those dreams... centered around the final conversation we had on the day I killed you.”

Yuder spoke clearly, without avoiding Kishiar’s gaze. When he had first admitted to killing Kishiar, it had felt almost unbearable. But now, he could say it with a calm that was impossible to compare.

It was likely because the man in front of him—and that gloved hand from the dream—had changed Yuder in a fundamental way.

“When I first returned, I thought there had been no conversation. That I had simply completed my mission and escaped. So when these forgotten memories began surfacing in dreams, with no tangible evidence to support them, I spent quite a long time confused over what I could believe.”

That he had exchanged words with his target. Not just a few, but many—and about weighty matters, no less. How could he be sure it wasn’t some fantasy his brain had invented?

If the conversation had truly happened, why had it? And if he had forgotten it, why? Back then, Yuder hadn’t been able to guess at anything. He was lost in a reality without proof—where nothing remained but confusion.

Even after discovering classified information about Kishiar’s vessel, enough to suggest the dream had reflected truth, Yuder had continued to doubt certain parts of it until very recently.

And one of those parts... was what he was about to say next.

“Right now, I’ve decided to act under the belief that the dreams I had were real. What I’m about to tell you regarding the ‘connection’—I learned it through that dream.”

Yuder’s gaze darkened. Of all the memories he had recovered, this was the one he had reflected on with the greatest care.

He didn’t know what Kishiar had done during his time in Peleta after stepping down as Commander in that past life. But in the memory Yuder had long forgotten, at the very end, Kishiar had said this:

‘Do you remember the mysterious connection I forced upon you? That day, perhaps what was linked wasn’t just our bodies—but something deeper... something like our souls.’

After a long time searching for a way to sever the invisible bond, he’d reached the conclusion that only through his {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} own powers could he achieve the best result.

Yuder had been shaken. Why say such things only when facing death?

But Kishiar had merely smiled, exhausted, and acted without hesitation.

‘It’ll be over quickly. I’ll push it out until all connections snap... and then...’

“...That was the last thing I remember you saying, recovered through a dream. I’ve tried to remember more, but I’ve never had another dream that picked up where that one left off.”

The man, who had been listening without missing a single word, finally spoke.

“So, at the final moment, I referenced a promise to deal with the ‘connection.’ And specifically mentioned ‘pushing it out’ to sever it.”

“Yes.”

Kishiar’s red eyes, deep in thought, stared into the milk cup he held. Even Yuder couldn’t begin to guess what was on his mind now.

“Do you think what you heard in the dream has something to do with the advice I gave you about using my powers?”

The question seemed to veer unexpectedly from Yuder’s point—but he wasn’t surprised. Kishiar often approached things from seemingly unrelated angles.

“Yes. I believe they’re related.”

In his past life, Yuder hadn’t fully understood what Kishiar’s ability even was. He had even wrongly assumed that it belonged to a completely different classification.

“Until I had that dream, I believed your power could only act upon what was visible. But after the dream, I began to think... maybe that wasn’t the case. If what I heard was true—about pushing out the connection—then it must mean your power can affect things that aren’t visible too.”

“Right. That makes sense.”

And in this life, Kishiar had immediately proven that theory. What had once seemed like a power used only for physical manipulation—pushing and pulling visible enemies in battle—had evolved rapidly into something far greater.

It turned out that even the vessel inside him, something he couldn’t even see, could be sustained through his own power. That revelation had helped him save Emperor Keillusa.

And not just that—Kishiar’s abilities had played a critical role in achieving miraculous victories in the South. Had he used his powers in the old, limited way, those outcomes would never have been possible.

Thinking about it now, all of their triumphs in this life had flowed from that one shift.

“If what I heard in the dream was real, then the you of that time tried—or even succeeded—in cutting the connection using your power. But...”

“But it wasn’t a perfect success. The fact that our connection still exists—and has even grown stronger—is proof of that.”

“...”

Yuder nodded silently.

Together, they looked at the golden threads drifting between them. Without needing to speak, Yuder knew Kishiar was remembering the first time they had noticed that connection—how thin and fragile it had been, on the verge of snapping. And yet, it had never broken. It had existed between them all along.

After a long silence, Yuder spoke again.

“That’s everything I know about the connection. Perhaps more forgotten memories will come back to me in time—but for now, that’s all.”

“...Can I ask just one thing?”

“Please, go ahead.”

“In the previous game, it seems neither of us doubted that the connection should be severed. But what about now?”

Under the golden hair resting against his shoulder, a small breath trembled.

“If you could, would you still prefer a life without it?”

Yuder remembered how it had started—just one fine thread, barely clinging. It had felt like it could break at any moment, and all it really did was faintly let them sense each other’s presence.

But as the threads multiplied and grew radiant, so too did the things they shared and exchanged. They were able to feel one another’s emotions—differently than before. They could even use their powers in tandem.

Now, when he looked at it—when he looked at what they called an "imprint"—Yuder felt a deep sense of peace. Sometimes, he even wanted to gaze at it forever, like he did the man resting on his shoulder.

Yuder slowly shook his head.

“No. Not anymore. Not at all.”

For the first time, Kishiar let out a quiet laugh. It was strange—half pain, half something else—but the arms wrapped around Yuder were warm as ever.

“...Good. I’m glad. I feel the same.”

He lifted his head slightly and kissed him. A brief silence passed, then Yuder took a long breath and continued.

“Now that we’ve come this far... I should tell you about the dream I had before we went out to sea.”