The morning air felt colder than yesterday. Maybe it was just in Rei's head. Waking up again in the hut, with the same breath of wind brushing against the window, the same chirps of birds he had already died once trying to complete the mission. He remembered the pain. The fall. The blood.
It wasn't a dream.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his wrapped hand. Even if no one else remembered what happened yesterday, he did. His body didn't feel sore. No cuts. No bruises. Just that deep ache inside his chest fear mixed with frustration.
Kajala was already up, yawning and stretching like a lazy fox. He was sitting on the floor, boots half on, tails twitching a little behind him as he rolled his shoulders.
"You look dead again," Kajala said with a tired smile.
Rei didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. "...Can I talk to you about something?"
Kajala tilted his head and blinked. "Woah. That serious voice. Alright, I'm listening."
Rei looked around. Regulus was loudly brushing his teeth somewhere in the back, and Rika was climbing something she probably shouldn't be. Elyra was still getting her cloak on. The others were busy. Now was the time.
"I want to become a duo," Rei said. "With you."
Kajala froze mid-lace tying. "...Huh?"
"A proper one," Rei continued, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm not the strongest. I can't use magic. And I'm not the most likable person here. But I think—I think I'd do better if I had someone I could rely on, for real."
Kajala's ears perked up and his face slowly split into a grin. "Wait, wait, wait. Did serious Rei just say he needs me?"
"Don't make it weird."
"I'm not! I'm just... wow. I didn't expect that." Kajala stood up, brushing off his armor and putting a hand on Rei's shoulder. "You sure? You and me, for real? Missions, fights, training ,bathroom breaks?"
Rei groaned. "Yes. Not that last part. But yeah. I've thought about it."
Kajala looked him in the eyes for a long second. "Okay then," he said, quietly. "Yeah. Let's be a duo."
Rei let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. The silence between them wasn't awkward. It felt... right. Like a puzzle piece snapping into place.
They didn't shake hands. They didn't need to.
The day moved forward quickly. They were heading back out to investigate the outskirts of Hallin Way again. The corrupted knights were still a threat, but now Rei knew what would happen. If he died again, he'd return. But that didn't mean he wanted to test the theory.
This time, he stuck close to Kajala.
While Elyra and Rika went off to scout the eastern side, and Regulus prepared the van for support, Rei and Kajala headed west. Their path was quieter. They weren't talking much. Kajala kept humming a little song to himself while skipping small rocks with his boot.
"You've been quiet," Kajala finally said. "Usually you complain more when I walk like this."
Rei shook his head. "I'm just thinking. If we're really going to be a duo... I need to train more."
Kajala smiled. "Dude. You already train like crazy. You lift more than anyone here."
"Doesn't matter. I still got killed."
Kajala stopped in his tracks. "...What?"
Rei blinked. He forgot. Kajala didn't remember the last timeline.
"Nothing. Just—" Rei looked down the path ahead. Trees swayed gently with the wind. "Let's just keep moving."
Kajala squinted at him. "You're hiding something."
Rei didn't answer. Instead, he walked ahead, boots crunching over the gravel road.
As they moved deeper into the woods, Rei found himself scanning the environment more carefully. He remembered where the knights showed up last time. From the rooftops, and behind the stalls. This time, he avoided the town entirely, keeping to the edges.
"We should stick to the high ground," he muttered. "If they ambush us, we'll have a better view."
Kajala nodded. "Sounds good. You're getting tactical."
Rei didn't respond, but he felt the compliment warm his chest a little.
They climbed a short hill overlooking a broken bridge. The sun was starting to dip in the sky, and shadows stretched long across the trees. It was peaceful...too peaceful.
Rei set down his pack and looked out over the ruins. "We'll camp here. We can signal the others if something happens."
Kajala flopped down on the grass beside him, arms behind his head. "Y'know, this is nice. Just the two of us. Like real partners."
Rei gave him a small glance. "Don't get too used to it."
Kajala smiled without opening his eyes. "Too late."
As the sky turned orange and then purple, Rei sat near the edge of the hill, staring off into the horizon. He had a partner now. Someone he trusted. Someone he could tell maybe not everything but most things.
Tomorrow might repeat again. Or maybe not. But he had a plan now.
And someone by his side.
"Hey," Kajala said softly, walking over and sitting next to him. "You okay?"
Rei nodded. "Yeah."
Kajala leaned back and looked up at the stars. "Well, let's make it through this mission first. Then we can start acting like a real duo."
Rei looked at him, a bit surprised. "We're not already?"
Kajala chuckled. "Not until we do something crazy together. All good duos need that one moment. A fight. A save. An explosion."
Rei raised an eyebrow. "Explosion?"
Kajala smirked. "You'll see."
Rei shook his head, but he smiled just a little.
And then it happened.
The ground shook.
It wasn't much at first just a small tremor. A vibration under their boots, barely strong enough to rattle the rocks nearby. But it grew. The hill they were on trembled again, and then a loud boom echoed from the forest below.
Rei shot to his feet. Kajala was already grabbing his whip.
"Explosion?" Rei muttered.
Kajala grinned. "Told you!"
Another blast rang out. This time it came with a flash of green light that lit up the trees for just a second. Then silence.
The birds stopped chirping.
Rei's instincts kicked in. "Let's move."
They sprinted down the hill, dodging trees and ducking under low branches. Kajala's tails flicked as he darted ahead, naturally agile and fast on his feet. Rei kept up, adrenaline burning through his legs.
They didn't talk. They didn't need to.
Down the path, smoke rose from what looked like a broken tower an old lookout post, now half-destroyed, stones scattered around a shallow crater. In the middle of the blast site, three figures stood.
Corrupted knights.
And one of them had a huge, twisted lance glowing with the same green magic as the explosion. Its armor was warped, blackened, and steaming.
"Looks like trouble," Kajala muttered.
"No," Rei said. "Looks like our moment."
Kajala grinned wide. "Duo time?"
Rei nodded. "Let's do this."
They stepped into the open.
One of the knights turned, spotting them immediately. Its helm had no eyes just a smooth, featureless surface like a blank mask. It raised its weapon, and the corrupted energy pulsed again.
Before Rei could move, Kajala struck.
He whipped his chain out, snagging the knight's leg and yanking hard. It stumbled, metal screeching against stone, and Rei dashed in. His blade came up in a wide arc, clang! Sparks flew as steel hit steel.
"Other one's moving!" Kajala called.
Rei ducked just in time, a sword swiping where his head had been a second before. He spun, kicked off the ground, and slashed low taking out one of the knight's knees. It groaned but didn't fall.
Kajala zipped around, dancing like wind. His chain cracked against the enemy's armor again and again, buying Rei time.
The third knight the one with the lance watched them without moving. Its green magic pulsed again, like a heartbeat. Rei felt it. Deep inside.
"Something's wrong with that one," he said.
"Yeah, I feel it too."
They regrouped quickly, back-to-back. The two knights circled them, damaged but not down. The third finally stepped forward.
It raised its lance.
The tip glowed and then fired a massive beam of green magic straight at them.
Kajala grabbed Rei and dove to the side. The beam exploded against the ground, sending chunks of earth flying into the air. Trees cracked and split.
Rei coughed, pulling himself up from the dirt. "That was close..."
Kajala shook his head. "No way we're winning like this. That thing's on a different level."
Rei looked at the knight. "Then we change the plan."
He charged.
Kajala blinked. "What?!"
Rei didn't stop. He ran full force at the corrupted knight with the lance. It aimed again. Too slow.
At the last second, Rei slid under the beam as it fired, his jacket singed by the heat. He leapt up, kicked off a broken wall, and launched himself at the knight's chest.
Steel met chain.
Kajala's whip wrapped around Rei's arm mid-air, and he pulled adding more force to Rei's strike.
CRACK!
The knight's chestplate shattered.
The green energy inside sparked violently, glowing brighter then dimmer. The knight stumbled, then dropped to its knees. Sparks hissed out from its neck.
It collapsed.
Rei landed, panting hard.
Kajala dropped beside him, smiling through the exhaustion. "That was it. That was our moment."
Rei looked at him, sweat rolling down his forehead. He didn't speak.
Kajala patted his shoulder. "C'mon. Say it."
Rei looked back at the broken knight. "Yeah... we make a good team."
Kajala laughed. "Finally."
They searched the site. The corrupted knights were all down. No survivors. Whatever they were protecting or guarding was already gone. A small black symbol burned into the ground where the explosion had started: a circle with three curved lines like claws.
Kajala crouched beside it. "Seen this before?"
"No," Rei said, frowning. "But I have a bad feeling."
They took what they could some broken armor pieces, the busted lance and made their way back to the hut.
The sun was just starting to rise.
As they walked, Rei looked up at the fading stars. The night had nearly killed him again. But this time, he didn't die. They'd fought together. And won.
And Kajala didn't even gloat too much.
Rei smiled a little.
Just a little.