Brunaulf POV:

I didn’t let go of Beatrix's hand while we travelled. Belle buried her head into my chest as the colour returned to her face a little more. No one said a word in the carriage, and soon we reached the mansion.

The next morning arrived as if last night never happened. The sun shone through the windows while Belle had yet to open her eyes.

Every time I placed her in the bed, she would crawl right back into my lap instinctively. Christina had offered to clean Belle up further, but I decided to do it myself.

‘...’

When we were little, she used to sleep like this all the time. Her reaction was probably a defence mechanism against the trauma she had suffered here.

I gazed out of the window. The people who used to work for the Baron gradually began to disperse since their lives were no longer in danger. They noticed me watching from above and bowed their heads deeply.

A few of them wanted to stay and work for Beatrix, but Roy informed them that there was a strict screening process. That didn’t deter their resolve in any way, so the Kassmeyer Mansion ended up gaining some new personnel.

*Click*

I turned around as Beatrix stood in front of the closed door. A rose eyepatch covered her right eye, and the bags under her left eye had lightened noticeably.

“You... Haven’t left yet. I am glad.”

She took a few steps forward, avoiding direct eye contact with me.

“The resonation between us went beyond my expectations. Even though it is my technique, I did not account for this result. The reason I am able to talk with you like this is because you shared the burden of last night with me.”

The permanent link caused by her technique wasn’t limited to just boosting our abilities. It linked us together on an emotional level, reducing the need to rely on facial expressions, body language, or even words to understand one another. It also allowed us to take on the literal meaning of ‘emotional support.’ Due to that, I was able to alleviate some of the pain she felt by sharing it between us.

“I found out that while I can use resonation with other people, only one person will ever have 100% compatibility with me.”

‘No wonder...’

Even the madness had developed a strong desire to protect her. I pondered over it further as I recalled Percival's conversation with Leonard about Synchronization.

Beatrix had seamlessly combined her abilities with mine well before using resonation. She matched my rhythm and moved in the optimal positions without us ever having to say a word to each other.

Leonard had mentioned something regarding Perfect Synchronization, and Percival had also commented that we were ‘too compatible,’ so I wondered if we had actually gone beyond the 100% barrier of Synchronization.

In any case, I surmised that the difference between 99% compared to 100%, regarding both Synchronization and Beatrix's compatibility rate, was huge. Under normal circumstances, it would be incredible that Beatrix had come up with such a technique, but I knew better now.

I watched Beatrix place her hand on the rose eyepatch.

“I don’t need this when I am with you.”

I narrowed my eyes as I felt the conflict within her. Staying here any longer would only do more harm than good. It would be a different story if her condition wasn’t stable, but being in such close proximity with her throughout the journey back to the mansion had greatly helped with that.

“You... Don’t need to look at me like that. I understand it well.”

Beatrix glanced at me briefly as my eyebrows quivered.

“Percival is still in critical condition. He will make a full recovery as long as he can get through tonight.”

“That’s good news.”

Percival was a man with a bright future ahead of him. How many people would stand up to someone as powerful as Kindred in order to let others escape while knowing they wouldn’t survive? He was more than worthy of being a Knight.

“...What will you do now?”

“I don’t know. I believe it would be best if I put this matter aside for some time...”

Her voice gradually grew quieter. Beatrix needed the time to decide where to go next. I took a few steps forward, stopping by her side as she cast her gaze to the floor.

“...Will you ever come back?...”

“It’s natural to visit a friend every now and then.”

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Her lips curved upwards as I approached the door. I looked back at her out of the corner of my eye.

“Thank you for everything, Beatrix.”

“...”

Beatrix nodded her head, and I closed the door behind me. I drew the line clearly, because my heart already belonged to someone else.

Christina cried once I told her I was leaving, and Nana bowed her head deeply. Roy thanked me for doing everything I could to protect Beatrix, but in the end, if it wasn’t for her showing up, we all would have died.

I left the mansion behind and darted across the rooftops, only to abruptly come to a stop. I stood on the ledge of a roof overlooking the city square while I checked my inside pocket for her insignia; but as I expected, it was gone. I mused to myself as I looked up at the blue sky and thanked her once more.

“Eh... Isn't that the Baron? What on earth is he doing here?”

“Woah. Is he drunk?”

“This is why I tell you kids not to do drugs. Look at him. It’s horrible.”

A crowd gathered below as they chattered away. I gazed down at the topic of discussion: the Baron, who was slumped against the fountain in a pool of his own urine. He mumbled to himself in a craze while kicking away those who tried to help him up.

“What's wrong with him? Is he sleepwalking?”

“I don’t know... But let’s not get too close...”

“Yeah... This is hard to watch.”

Mothers backed away while covering their children’s eyes from the disturbing scene. Brown liquid leaked out from his trousers, mixing in with the urine around him. It created an awful, pungent smell that made those trying to help him recoil backwards in disgust.

“Out of the way!”

“There’s nothing to see here! Carry on with your lives!”

“My Lord!”

Guards quickly flocked the city square as they dispersed the crowd. They tried to hold down the Baron, but he attacked them like a madman. My eyes curved into half-crescent moons as my lips rose while I watched the scene unfold before me.

‘Kehehe~ It'll only get worse from here.’

I turned around and left the city. The cool air brushed against my face as I took my time running across the vast green plains.

‘...’

I had spent two weeks here, but it felt more like two months. At the end of it all, I got what I came here for. I looked down at Belle as she stared up at me.

“!”

I skidded to a halt, surprised by her sudden awakening.

“Belle, how are you feeling?”

She turned her head back into my chest, refusing to look at me. I knew she blamed me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she hated me, but whatever her feelings were, I wouldn’t run from them.

“...Home. I want to go... home with you...”

I smiled lightly.

“...Yeah. Let's go home.”

***

The Border Patrol had been in disarray since word of the Night Owl appearing in such close proximity to the border put them on edge.

I took advantage of that opening, allowing us to arrive back at the entrance to District 4 sooner than I expected. The atmosphere had returned back to how it usually was as I observed people chatting away down the streets we passed.

“It's different...”

Belle glanced around, taking in what the District should have always been like. However, there were no Watchers or Vices nearby—the only person I could see was Triste, who stood in the middle of the street staring at me with serious eyes.

Everyone else disappeared from my vision as I focused solely on her approaching me. Her pace felt slow, but she was waiting for me here, and that could only mean one thing.

The weight over my chest lightened while Triste stopped walking a few meters in front of me. Her eyebrows crumpled together as her lips parted.

“Brunaulf... I’m glad you came back safely with your sister...”

I watched Triste bite her lip as she behaved differently from her usual self. I was slightly concerned, but it had only been two weeks since I left Outer Astril.

“Thank you. Triste, how’s Denise doing now?”

“...”

Triste looked down at Belle, then back up at me. I understood the signal she was giving off, but I didn’t feel comfortable letting Belle stand on her own two feet yet.

“...It's okay... I’ll stand near the wall...”

She climbed out of my arms and slowly leaned her back against the building wall as I turned my attention back to Triste.

“Denise is awake...”

My eyes lit up as soon as I heard those words. I put my hands on Triste's shoulder while my lips spread into a wide smile.

“That’s great! Really... That’s really great...”

My words trailed off while I observed Triste's stiff expression. I moved my hands away from her shoulders as her lips quivered.

“...It's not that simple.”

“What do you mean?...”

I was visibly confused by her words. How could it not be simple?

“When she first opened her eyes, she had forgotten everything. She started to remember us one by one as she saw our faces more, but along with those memories came pain.

The trauma slipped in, weakening her body and mind. Eventually, she managed to cope with it well enough to go back to a semi-ordinary lifestyle...”

I furrowed my eyebrows at her explanation. Triste finally looked me in the eyes as tears swelled at the corners of them.

“You were the last thing she saw before she was broken. If she sees you again, she will relapse and fall back into a coma. Margaret made it painfully clear that the two of you should never meet again. I’m sorry, Brunaulf, but I need you to stay away from Denise please...”

The strength left my legs as I dropped to my knees. I stretched out my hand towards Triste, grabbing her top. My breathing became erratic while my eyebrows bent upwards.

“...It’s not true, right? She’s fine with being around the rest of you... She just needs some time with me, right? It’ll be okay...”

Triste shook her head while removing my hand from her top. She held it lightly, her eyes red from how much she had cried.

“She will relapse again and again, each time leaving permanent damage to her brain... Eventually, her eyes will never open again... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...”

My hand slipped out of her grip, falling lifelessly to the ground. Denise was awake, but I couldn’t be with her. Denise was alive, but my existence would kill her.

The light in my eyes faded while I watched Triste burst into tears. Triste apologized repeatedly before walking away, leaving me alone in the middle of the street.

‘...I deserve it.’

It was moments like this that made me wish I still couldn’t feel, because the pain in my heart was so intense it felt like I was being burnt alive—a part of me was dying.

I gasped for breath as the pain only worsened. My vision blurred as I gripped my chest tightly through gritted teeth. I smashed my fist into the ground, roaring out in agony.

I dragged my feet to a nearby alley and slumped my back against the wall. My head flopped forward while I mumbled inaudible words to myself.

Two small feet came into view, and I raised my head as I saw Belle peering down at me from above.

I smiled wryly at the turn of events. This was probably for the best; I had caused her so much pain, so seeing me like this should help satisfy the parts of her that hated me.

“!”

Belle sat down beside me and wrapped her frail arm around my shoulder. She gently rubbed it while a few tears escaped my eyes and rolled down my cheek.

We sat down in that alleyway in silence as time passed by.