Aris boarded the carriage heading to Pineche carrying her bag packed full of luggage.

In the swaying carriage, she opened her notebook. It was her notes, organizing the information she received from the Minister of Magic before the investigation.

‘An unreactive rift…’

According to the Minister, it had several different characteristics from rifts with incubation periods.

Aris sighed. Since it was her first time encountering this pattern, she somehow felt tired. Though she was certainly curious, her interest was diminished since it wasn’t a voluntary case.

‘Rifts have almost disappeared recently, so why did it suddenly appear?’

She was deeply pondering while tracing over her notes when she closed the notebook. In fact, there wasn’t much given information.

Just that a rift that appeared in Pineche two weeks ago was just sitting there with no reaction.

And that it was different from characteristics of incubation period rifts, making its identity unknown.

That was all. She couldn’t learn anything from just this information. She would have to go see it directly after all.

Aris absently shifted her gaze to stare out the window.

The carriage had already entered the outskirts of the capital. Unlike earlier, where buildings were densely packed together, suburban houses stood sparsely spaced apart.

As she gazingly watched the passing buildings, her gaze was caught by one spot. Pansies bloomed cozily in a small garden of an isolated house.

The scenery passed quickly. But she turned her head to keep looking at the receding garden as if reluctant to let go.

That place vanished from sight in an instant. Aris remained frozen for a moment as if time had stopped.

Her unconsciously parted lips soon found their place again along with her returned head.

“I will surely return to your side.”

In an instant, a voice she had longed for swept through her memories.

She swallowed with a dazed feeling. As the rattling carriage noise gradually faded away, she recalled those earnest pansy-colored eyes she had last seen.

“While I’m gone… please stay healthy. If I return to find you struggling, my heart would ache greatly.”

The memories that came like a tidal wave filled Aris’s chest with lukewarm water, then drained away in an instant. As if trapped in memories of the past, she, who had been blankly staring into space, blinked.

After a moment of darkness, when her eyelashes lifted again, she saw someone sitting across from her.

It was a familiar person. And also someone who shouldn’t be before her eyes.

Without any words. Without any movement, he quietly smiled while gazing steadily at Aris. It was an affectionate and warm gaze.

Somehow feeling like he was waiting for an answer, Aris’s lips quivered.

“I’m doing well… just as you asked.”

The moment she smiled faintly saying that.

Darkness fell as the carriage passed under a bridge. Soon, light poured in after crossing the bridge, but he, who had been before her eyes, had vanished like magic. Without a trace.

Her lips that had lifted toward him drooped down again. Though she knew from the start it was an illusion, an inexplicable disappointment washed over her.

‘Since you appeared anyway, you could have stayed a bit longer.’

I still have so much to say.

That during the long three years since you disappeared, I was sad to the point of barely enduring.

That Cherry remembers you. Even now, the cat had been pulling the pajamas you left behind onto her cushion for naps.

That countless times I nearly collapsed from loneliness and emptiness whenever I thought of you.

Nevertheless, because of those words of yours, I endured wanting to show you a healthy appearance.

When I have so many things I want to tell you.

‘You’ve become cruel, you know. You could have at least listened a little before leaving…’

She deliberately suppressed the sadness that welled up. She just kept her eyes tightly shut, determined not to lift her eyelids again until the carriage stopped. Before long, Aris had unknowingly fallen into a deep sleep.

The sunlight from outside the window gently touched her as she breathed softly. The necklace with the green jewel sparkled.

And the brooch she had tucked inside her clothes began to vibrate gently.

* * *

After the long journey to Pineche, Aris left her luggage at the inn where she would stay and went out without even taking time to rest from her travel fatigue.

‘Let’s finish this quickly and return.’

She already missed Cherry. Though she wasn’t worried since she knew Belle would take good care of her, she felt quite regretful thinking she wouldn’t see her for a long time.

Coming out of the nearby small village toward the front lines, she took out and opened a map from her bag. Aris repeatedly lowered and raised her head toward the map.

Though it was supposed to be nearby, perhaps starting from the village was wrong as the distance was quite far.

“He said it should be around here…”

She looked around as she entered a quiet forest.

Since the ecosystem was still in the recovery stage, the vegetation near the Pineche front was patchy. Some things looked quite recovered and lively, while others still needed time to progress.

‘Come to think of it, some plants are so vibrant it’s hard to believe there’s a rift nearby. Usually, they die from the rift’s influence.’

There were certainly many strange aspects. Aris observed the surroundings more. Though animals couldn’t be seen, she occasionally spotted insects with strong vitality.

She stopped momentarily and opened her notebook to take notes. Then after thinking deeply, she noted another puzzling point as well.

‘There should be a rift nearby, but there’s no abnormality in the weather conditions either.’

Cold air usually circulates around rifts and causes weather changes.

She could understand why the Minister of Magic said it was different from a rift’s incubation period. It was definitely a pattern she had never seen before.

After closing her notebook and putting it in her bag, she began walking again. Unfortunately, since it was a forest, tall trees and bushes blocked the view, making it difficult to spot the rift.

After circling around studying the map for a while, Aris stopped at a certain point. Her gaze halted on a field in the middle of the forest.

A large oval rift stood there in the center.

‘Finally found it…!’

She let out a relieved breath and looked that way with tension. Then approached one step at a time with heightened vigilance.

Though rifts had almost disappeared these days, until just three months ago, rifts and monsters would rarely appear. Rifts were unpredictable in what changes might occur.

She had cast protective magic on herself just in case and stopped at some distance away. Carefully setting down her bag, she took out one magic tool after rummaging through it. She approached the rift in question with cautious steps.

The tool Aris chose was a rift magic power meter she had developed about 2 years ago. Operating on the principle of collecting and analyzing abnormal currents and surrounding magic power, when used at predicted rift occurrence sites, it could forecast the rift’s scale, occurrence date, appearing entities and allow for preparation.

Aris received an honorary medal for this invention. It was the day she gained her greatest fame as a magic scholar.

‘Though this is a rift that has already occurred, I should still be able to determine the rift’s characteristics and level of danger.’

When Aris was confidently about to set up and operate the tool on the ground…

She felt a strange sensation inside her chest. Aris froze. Something like a faint warmth or vibration kept being felt from inside her clothes.

She froze but soon came to her senses. A bewildered breath escaped.

Suddenly, a doubtful impulse raised its head. It was so similar to that fading warmth from that unforgettable memory 3 years ago.

Her trembling hand moved toward the inner pocket of her outer garment. For a moment, her breath became heavy.

If this wasn’t an illusion. If this reaction she’s feeling now wasn’t just a fantasy…

Perhaps due to heightened nerves, the texture of brushing fabric felt more stimulating than usual. Her hand that slipped into the pocket finally grasped the well-preserved brooch.

Forgetting she needed to operate the magic tool, Aris barely managed to take out what she held. When her tense gaze fell on the brooch, she stopped breathing.

She momentarily forgot even the reflexive actions needed to stay alive. An unbelievable shock made everything meaningless.

The gently vibrating brooch emitted light. Her delicate hand trembled helplessly as if she was having a seizure.

“Ah, ah…”

An indecipherable m*an leaked from her unconsciously parted lips. Aris lightly covered her mouth with her other hand.

Even after closing and opening her eyes and lightly pinching her cheek, it was unmistakable.

He’s alive.

He’s thinking of me.

That person is calling for me…

The emotions that had remained still like water in a cup began to overflow. It felt like time that had stopped 3 years ago was finally moving again.

Aris watched the purple jewel emitting increasingly bright light. The warmth and vibration, though subtle, were gradually growing stronger too.

‘Why… is there suddenly a reaction? Why only now?’

She who slowly came to her senses raised her head to look at the rift. In the brief moment she had looked away, the rift’s interior was churning more than before. As if something was about to emerge.

‘Could it be…’

Unsteady breaths burst forth repeatedly. Aris approached the rift one step at a time. Her hand that had covered her mouth fell away and reached toward it before conscious thought.

Then she suddenly hesitated one step away.

Before leaving, Kalaian had asked Aris not to do anything dangerous. Recalling his words like a flash, Aris faltered.

Still, she didn’t know what would happen. He might really be there, or perhaps the enchanted brooch had malfunctioned.

She shouldn’t do anything dangerous. Aris had kept that promise well for 3 years.

She bit her lip and finally withdrew her hand that had almost touched the rift’s surface.

At that moment, a broad warmth firmly grasped her retreating hand.

Aris’s eyes widened. Something suddenly protruded from within the rift. Aris swallowed as she realized it was someone’s arm.

It was a hand showing only about the wrist. Aris froze, unable to take any action.

The large hand that hadn’t moved for a moment eventually gripped Aris’s hand more firmly and strongly. Hot warmth penetrated her cold hand.

That someone’s arm slowly revealed itself from within.

She who had been close to the rift unconsciously stepped back. As if being led out by her, the other person gradually emerged from the rift while holding Aris’s hand.

As soon as he completely emerged, the rift cleanly vanished as though it had completed its task.

Her body trembled finely as she finally confirmed who it was.