"Why does everything have to be this complicated?" he muttered. Sudden meetings, delayed confessions, and the two girls now in his life, it all felt like a puzzle he had never asked for.
Soft footsteps broke the stillness. Felicia appeared in light-blue pajamas, her long hair flowing gently under the moonlight, her figure framed like a delicate silhouette. Beside her walked Thivi, quiet but bright, dressed in flower-patterned sleepwear.
"Kaivan, you're here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Felicia's voice was soft yet edged with concern.
Kaivan exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "You two should be sleeping as well."
Thivi sat down near the edge of the rooftop, lighting her own cigarette. "I was just curious. You look like you're carrying too much on your mind."
"Thivi, can't you be considerate for once?" Felicia cut in, seating herself at Kaivan's side. Her gaze pierced him, not in anger, but in a desperate search for truth. "If something's troubling you, say it."
Kaivan fell silent. His eyes sank into shadow, before words finally slipped out. "Everything's happening too fast. The book… this journey… and the two of you. It feels like I'm drowning without a chance to breathe."
Thivi leaned closer, her expression firm. "We weren't ready either. But we've come this far, there's no turning back."
Felicia nodded, her voice steady. "We're here for you. No matter what happens, you're not alone." Her hand brushed lightly against his arm, small but undeniable.
Kaivan looked at them both. For the first time that night, the weight on his chest eased, if only a little.
"…Thank you," he whispered. Gentle, yet strong enough to echo beneath the vast sky.
When he opened the Tome Omnicent, faint words shimmered on the page: Next, Kaivan must travel east. Go alone, within the last ten days.
A sigh slipped from his lips. "Looks like I have to go east. Alone," he murmured, as though convincing himself more than anyone else.
Felicia, standing in the corner, stepped forward. Her movements were calm, but her eyes carried an unspoken storm. "I want to go with you, Kaivan," she said softly, yet her voice held resolve. "If something happens, we can protect each other."
Her words were fragile, but they pressed heavily, like a whisper carrying thunder. Her gaze never wavered, filled with both hope and fear of loss.
But Kaivan's stance remained firm. His eyes deep, his voice quiet but resolute. "No, Felicia. I can handle this myself."
He glanced away for a moment before adding, "Tomorrow, you take care of the workshop. You both need to stay here. Get some rest."
His tone was gentle, but left no room for argument. As if the world were collapsing, yet he had no choice but to stand tall.
Felicia's face faltered. Behind her silence lay a wound. She searched his expression, desperate for a crack in his certainty. At last, she whispered, "I don't want you coming back beaten and broken again… like when you fought Julian."
Before she could say more, a small laugh escaped Thivi's lips, cutting through the night like a mischievous breeze. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Kaivan frowned. "Beaten and broken?" he muttered. His memories flashed, but what came back was only the bruises… inflicted by Felicia.
He turned, staring at her with puzzled eyes. The unspoken question hung between them in the cold night air.
Thivi burst out laughing, her voice ringing like playful thunder. "Wasn't it you who left him bruised that time, Felicia?" she teased, letting the truth hang in the air like a joke too sharp to ignore. Her laughter cracked the tension, blooming like a flower in late autumn.
Felicia let out an embarrassed chuckle, scratching the back of her neck as heat rose to her cheeks. "That's true…" she admitted, her voice soft. But then it shifted, deeper, more honest. "I just don't want him hurt again. He needs to train harder… so that he can protect me, someday." Her words slipped out like a prayer, half jest, half plea.
The night wrapped itself around them, cold yet strangely comforting. Soon, they returned to the room. Felicia and Thivi curled up together on Kaivan's bed, while Kaivan himself settled on the simple sofa in the living room, leaving his friends to sleep warmly in the space that was once his own.
Dawn slipped gently into the house, brushing light across the corners. From the kitchen, Teteh Kira's voice rang like a morning bell. "Wake up, we need to get ready." Her presence carried a quiet calm that filled the air.
Felicia stirred, rolling over lazily before opening her sleepy eyes. Thivi was already sitting up, her hair messy but her smile blooming like the morning sun. She stretched, let out a long sigh, and padded softly toward the living room.