* * *

It was dark all around. No sounds, no smells, not even a sense of touch. Yozen couldn’t even truly grasp the fact that he was breathing. When he first entered this place, he had doubted his own death. But after a few minutes, he realized he was still alive.

A space where all senses were dulled, a hollow, empty place. This was the area beyond the wall. If someone were to ask whether he was afraid of this vast darkness, the answer would be the opposite.

‘It’s peaceful.’

In this place, Yozen felt a deep sense of calm. His whole life had been spent reacting to the stimuli surrounding him, always absorbing every sensation with sharp awareness. That was how he had to live, and it had long since become his way of life.

Because of this, the environment surrounding him now felt incredibly serene. A space so quiet that there was no need to stay alert. Yozen’s body and mind slowly melted away, as though he was about to drift into a deep sleep.

Lying in this space with no floor or ceiling, he simply existed. He didn’t pay attention to anything around him, enjoying the stillness of the moment.

Strangely, no particular thoughts arose. Only a faint sense of having forgotten something remained as a vague trace.

Yozen liked this place. He could stay here, without thinking about anything, until the day he died. If only he could, he felt that all the pain he had endured up until now would be forgotten.

Just as he was savoring this moment.

“……”

From a distant place, an unwelcome presence was felt. A faint energy flickered, but Yozen couldn’t tell what it was. He had become so numb to such things that he felt as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.

Ignore it. Enjoy this peace. If left alone, it will disappear eventually. Thinking this, Yozen tried to remain lying down, but the small, faint energy continued to irritate his nerves.

Eventually, Yozen rose from his previously relaxed position. The space was still entirely dark, but the darkness could take nothing from Yozen.

As he moved forward, no emotion could be sensed from him. Only a slight desire to eliminate the irritating energy and regain the peace he had just experienced lingered in his mind.

When he reached his destination.

“This is……”

The moment he sensed the presence of ‘it’, a faint flash of light flickered in his hazy mind, like mist clearing. Slowly, Yozen bent his body and placed his hand over ‘it’, lying below him.

The body, curled up pitifully, lacked strength, and the chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths. For a moment, Yozen gently touched ‘it’, trying to discern the source of the unsettling energy. The energy didn’t belong to ‘it’.

A necklace. A small, hot, ember-like energy emanated from the pendant hanging from its neck. Yozen instinctively reached out to dispel the irritating energy. But then.

“Yo, zen……”

As ‘it’ muttered his name, Yozen’s hand froze. The voice was nothing more than a faint murmur, just the name being called by someone who hadn’t fully regained consciousness. Yet, even so, Yozen’s heart began to race in an overwhelming way, much to his own surprise.

The emotion was closer to fear. His hand, slightly trembling, moved away from the pendant, only to continue tracing the outline of ‘it’. He cautiously felt along the soft skin, carefully sketching the contours.

The outline of ‘it’ began to take shape in Yozen’s mind, leaving a warmth behind. A small face with delicate features, a thin and long neck, straight collarbones, round shoulder blades, slim and firm arms, a slender waist with no excess fat, narrow and long legs, and delicate ankles.

The faint voice, along with the image in his mind, vividly brought forth the presence of ‘it’. Though ‘it’ still lay motionless, Yozen felt his emotions shift. The calm he had been feeling disappeared, and a ripple of dry, detached feelings filled him instead.

The more Yozen traced the outline of ‘it’, the more unsettled he became. Breathing in sharply, he lowered himself entirely and pulled ‘it’ into his embrace. Gently holding ‘it’’s shoulders, Yozen let ‘it’ rest against his chest, his voice trembling as he spoke.

“Why are you here, Cadel? How did you end up here……?”

It was strange that he had never thought of this before, but Cadel’s presence now stirred Yozen’s emotions relentlessly. Wrapping his arms tightly around his limp body, Yozen placed his hand over Cadel’s chest.

After confirming the rhythmic beating several times, Yozen rose to his feet, lifting Cadel in his arms. The thought of staying in this place for a lifetime had long since disappeared. As long as Cadel was here, Yozen could not remain in the stillness of this darkness.

* * *

“Knight Commander! What are you saying right now? Please, Cadel, no……!”

Garuel’s face blurred in the darkness as he was fully absorbed into the wall. The emotion Cadel felt wasn’t fear or dread. It was a faint sense of confusion, mixed with deep anticipation. He was certain Yozen was beyond this wall, and the resolve to find him and escape together bloomed within him.

30 minutes. He would break through the wall and get out.

「Time remaining until removal: 0 hours 45 minutes 24 seconds」

Cadel, having opened his eyes to find the system timer counting down, let out a long sigh. As he blinked a few times and tried to take in his surroundings, his brows furrowed slightly. The place around him felt eerily like the ‘space of nothingness’ created by the system. Even though it was pitch black all around, there was no fear—just a strange sense of adaptation.

As he slowly propped himself up, a familiar voice came from beside him.

“Are you awake?”

“Yozen? Where……?”

Despite the voice being right next to him, nothing appeared in his line of sight. He wondered if Yozen was farther away, but in the darkness, even distance became impossible to gauge. As Cadel flailed his arms in confusion, something soft and gentle wrapped around his hand.

“I’m here.”

The firm grip felt familiar. Though nothing was visible, Cadel was sure that the person holding his hand was Yozen.

“Come a little closer. I can’t see anything.”

At Cadel’s request, the warmth of Yozen’s presence enveloped him, and he reached out to gently wrap his arms around Yozen’s back. A soft chuckle came from Yozen, tickling his ear.

“If you can’t see even this close, I guess nothing’s visible at all.”

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Just a little. But I don’t think it’s something I should say in front of you.”

“I don’t mind.”

Even though it might have been suffocating to be held so tightly, Cadel remained quietly in Yozen’s embrace, feeling his warmth. In the uncertain darkness, Yozen’s presence was the only thing that gave him a sense of stability. As Cadel rested in Yozen’s arms, he started to gather his thoughts.

“I think this is inside the maze’s walls, don’t you think so?”

“Yeah. Seems that way.”

“I can’t see anything, but have you found anything? A path, maybe? An exit? You came in before me, after all.”

“There’s no path here.”

Yozen spoke with certainty. There was no way out. Not only was there no path, but in this darkness, the concept of dimensions itself seemed to fade, and nothing held meaning.

Cadel’s expression shifted subtly at Yozen’s declaration.

“……Then how do we get out?”

“I don’t know.”

That was all Yozen could say. From the moment he carried Cadel out, through the time he laid him down beside him in despair, he had been thinking constantly about how to escape. But nothing had come to him. Even when he tried swinging his dagger, it only cut through empty air. Trying to spread the dark energy didn’t help either—he only felt the vastness of the darkness.

In this space, where it seemed impossible to escape, surprisingly, Yozen didn’t feel any sense of urgency. He thought that if he could just lie here with Cadel in his arms for the rest of his life, it wouldn’t be so bad. Of course, Cadel wouldn’t want that, but it was a thought that lingered in Yozen’s mind.

“Do you think they’re waiting for us?”

At Yozen’s question, Cadel moved his head. Gently, he reached out, trying to gauge Yozen’s face in the darkness. His hand strayed from the cheek to the eye area. Following the long scar on the eyelid, it traced down, and he felt the curve of Yozen’s slightly pursed lips.

“I told Garuel that I’d take care of the search. He’ll need to escape the maze with the allied forces. Not sure if he’ll follow along, though…… he saw the wall suck me in right in front of him. He must’ve been shocked.”

As Yozen felt the light touch on his lips, he slowly parted his mouth and gently bit his fingertip. At this, a mischievous laugh escaped Cadel, an odd contrast to the situation.

This place was strange. The vast expanse of darkness was dizzying, yet it was also comforting. Perhaps it wasn’t the space, but the presence of the person with him that made it feel that way.

“Whatever happens, we have to get out of here. Right?”

“Yeah. Once we get out of the maze, we’ll reach the castle’s garden. To cross it quickly, we have to hurry…… Let’s get up. It’s better than lying here with no way out.”

After hesitating in Yozen’s embrace for a while, Cadel finally pulled away slightly. Yozen stood first, grabbed Cadel’s arm, and helped him up. Even though the exit wouldn’t magically appear, Cadel didn’t want to argue if it was Yozen’s wish.

“It feels strange. I feel like I’m keeping my eyes closed even though I’m awake.”

Still tightly holding Yozen’s hand, Cadel cautiously extended his foot. The ‘space of nothingness’ was filled with darkness all around, but there was a bright system window. There was the advantage that he didn’t have to move. In a space like this, it felt uncertain enough to hesitate with every step.

Cadel fumbled through the unfamiliar sensation and dragged his feet.

“Is this how you always live? It’s impressive.”

“I’m used to it. Doesn’t feel particularly different from before.”

“Have you ever regretted it?”

A question Cadel normally wouldn’t dare ask slipped out surprisingly easily. After a brief hesitation, he was about to retract the question, but Yozen’s answer came faster.

“No. Until I met you, I never once regretted my choices.”

His fingertips pressed gently, rubbing against Cadel’s hand. Cadel, despite not being able to see, shifted his gaze, trying to look at Yozen. Yozen, in turn, brought his face closer to Cadel’s. His sharp nose brushed gently against Cadel’s cheek and the side of his temple. A soft whisper made its way into Cadel’s ear.

“I want to see you. Your smiling face, and the scenery beyond that. I want to capture how the world becomes so much more beautiful with each small gesture of yours, that sparkles in my eyes.”

“……”

“So right now, I regret just a little. I should’ve kept at least one of my eyes.”

At the soft laugh at the end of the sentence, Cadel twisted his hand out of Yozen’s grip. He then grabbed Yozen’s face, pulling it closer, and kissed him anywhere his lips could land. The kiss, landing in a completely different spot, was received with a small smile, and Yozen placed one hand on Cadel’s face to guide him back.

The light kiss gradually heated up, following nothing but primal attraction. Cadel, unaware of where he was touching, reached out recklessly. Yozen accepted all his bold touches, gently stroking Cadel.

Even though they were trapped in the Demon Realm’s maze, Cadel felt as though he had entered Yozen’s world. Cadel was clumsy, and honest, and somehow, even the dry darkness was dyed in a mesmerizing hue.

If you were the light, I could travel happily forever. He thought in a dream-like fantasy, as they tangled together, their breath quickening. If Cadel could forget the reality, Yozen could keep this moment going forever.