The pain should have come. It should have ended everything Nao-Zai ever was. Instead, his breaths came easy, if not a little bit labored. He's...alive. Kind of.

Another bout of explosion rang behind him and he turned just in time to see Shin-Ki exchange magical blows with Jang-Ho. The shaman swept their arm in a wide arc, flinging a wall of magic straight at the general. Jang-Ho, being a novice at all things magical, stumbled back just as Shin-Ki's spell hit him square on the chest.

The general plopped to the ground in one, final thud. Shin-Ki was quick to lunge at the fallen man, producing some sort of braided twine from the folds of their fenhai. They proceeded to tie Jang-Ho up. "I'll exorcize his connection to Amatesu when he wakes up," the shaman said, grunting as they heaved the bigger man to a corner. "Also, nice save, Kai-Se."

Kai-Se—

Nao-Zai looked down to find no one other than the Crown Prince of Xuijae staring up at him with wide eyes. The soulful gaze combined with the regular breaths coming in and out and the little bit of color returning to his skin—those were the things Nao-Zai would have traded everything he owned just to see again.

Alive.

Kai-Se was back. And he was alive.

A soft laugh flitted from Nao-Zai's lips. The pain in his shoulder and a seemingly new wound at the back of his other arm had dulled into faint stinging now. His head was light, as if it had filled up with air on his way to protect Kai-Se from Jang-Ho's magic. He couldn't move the rest of his body which was draped over Kai-Se's, pinning the prince against the floor. But still, he was laughing.

Then, he noticed their faces were mere inches apart. Too close of a distance to feel Kai-Se's breaths against his nose. His amusement died out. Shin-Ki's words pounded at the back of his addled mind. Convince his korza to stay in the mortal realm or you will both die. Convince Kai-Se to stay. How? Should he grovel? Beg?

A distant memory flashed in his head, the one where Kai-Se had asked him of the same thing—to stay. What had Nao-Zai felt like doing when Kai-Se blabbered about his thoughts about him? What could he offer Kai-Se to make the prince to never want to stray away from Nao-Zai ever again?

Perhaps it was his light-headedness or the fact that he had just gone through hell and back just to save the person underneath him, but Nao-Zai lowered his face towards Kai-Se's and pressed his lips against the prince's. It felt like it was the most natural thing to do.

He fully expected Kai-Se to push him away or worse, get angry at what he had done. Instead, Kai-Se tilted his head to one side, accommodating Nao-Zai better. One of his hands rested on the back of Nao-Zai's neck, drawing him closer. Stay, Nao-Zai wanted to say, but he couldn't. Not when Kai-Se had returned whatever it was Nao-Zai had been doing. Softer and...better.

Everything Kai-Se did seemed to be better than what Nao-Zai could come up with. Always.

When they broke apart, Nao-Zai smiled down at Kai-Se. "Hi," he said, his own voice sounding breathless in his ears.

Kai-Se grinned, which was enough proof for Nao-Zai to conclude the prince was back and that he was back for good. "Hi," Kai-Se whispered.

That was it. Whatever strength holding him up seeped out of his system. Nao-Zai sagged against Kai-Se. After all that, maybe he could rest. It's been one hell of a fight. Of a journey.

"Nao?" a distant voice called for his name. Yes...that was his name, right? He didn't answer. He couldn't, anyway. His senses had long shut down, and he felt like a thousand spikes were repeatedly stabbing his muscles.

Rest. It's such a wonderful word, and something he had earned after a long while of working. When the waves of black came and pulled him into their currents, for the first time in his life, Paekdora Nao-Zai didn't fight.

The light burning through the dark in his vision made Nao-Zai open his eyes. Instantly, the familiar ceiling of the Trahn-gwok-tan greeted him, down to the lanterns hanging down on the intricately-weaving planks.

He looked to his left, letting his eyes wander and take in his surroundings. Mats and tables lay in shambles a few paces away. Visible scratches and charred marks decorated some. Gold trinkets and other weird shaman paraphernalia were strewn on the floor. It looked like a storm decided to unleash itself inside the temple.

"Good morning, djang-di," Shin-Ki's voice, now all the more cheerful, speared through Nao-Zai's ears. He turned his head to the right, noting the soft pillow underneath it. In fact, through his periphery, he spied a pale green blanket thrown over his legs and tucked under his arms. He was also in what appeared to be a borrowed, beige fenhai. "How're the wounds?"

Nao-Zai raised an eyebrow. Wounds? Oh, right. Recent memories flooded into his mind. Zhi-Xen. He fought the woman and lost miserably. If not for Shin-Ki's magical items, he wouldn't have survived. What happened after that? Did he make it to Kai-Se? What about Jang-Ho?

As he pondered on the vague snippets of Jang-Ho showing up inside this room and saying something inaudible, Shin-Ki cleared their throat. "I asked a question, you know?"

"Oh," Nao-Zai said. His voice came off as hoarse against his dry throat. "I don't feel any pain."

At least, that's what his senses told him. His mind was undeniably hazy, though, like there was a cloud blurring the thoughts coming from the horizon. He shifted, feeling his arms and legs. Everything seemed to be working in perfect order. "What happened?" Nao-Zai asked.

The shaman looked around the room, his features deepening into a frown. Apparently, he wasn't pleased at the mess. "You've got to be more specific than that, soldier," Shin-Ki said.

Nao-Zai pursed his lips and trained his gaze back to the ceiling. "What happened to Jang-Ho?" he said. "I can vaguely recall him showing up here."

Shin-Ki waved a hand in the air. "A piece of deonkitte cake," they said. "The idiot came barging in here with a sliver of Amatesu's magic, thinking he could take on a full-fledged shaman. Of course, he lost."

The name pricked in Nao-Zai's ears. "Ama...tesu?"

A sigh made the shaman's shoulders slump. "The Empress of Shaoryeong," they said. "She's the mythical spirit empress. Well...from the looks of it, not anymore."

Nao-Zai laughed. First, his amusement came in soft chuckles. Then, they developed into full peals of laughter. Shin-Ki's face contorted in confusion. "What's so funny?"

He allowed himself a few more seconds, before clamping his jaw shut and trying to contain his mirth. "Nothing," he said. "Just that everything we're talking about is so absurd. Myths that aren't really myths. Magic. Spirits and their Empress. I find it amusing."

At that, Shin-Ki rolled their eyes. In the brightness of the sunlight shining from outside, Nao-Zai didn't fail to notice that their irises had some purplish flecks in them. "What did you do with Jang-Ho?" he asked. Upon sending soldiers to attack and trash the temple, he couldn't imagine the shaman going easy.

Instead, Shin-Ki shrugged. "I cut off his connection to Amatesu and sent him on his way to Yomaura," he said. "Without all his fingers, of course."

Nao-Zai sat up so fast a bolt of pain gripped his shoulder. "What?" he breathed, gripping his throbbing body part only to feel the thickness of bandages under his sleeves. A weak groan escaped his lips.

"Be careful of moving too fast," Shin-Ki chided. "I wasn't able to heal your wounds completely without running out of strength. And I'm kidding. Jang-Ho's fingers are fine. They're not worth reopening your stitches."

His shoulders slumped. "And I'm guessing Kangchae Jin-Ai is back at Yomaura Fortress' helm?" he asked. "They can punish Jang-Ho appropriately there."

Shin-Ki bobbed their head. They seemed to have lost interest in the conversation already. "Maybe. I made sure he's going to spill all of his sins upon being questioned," they said. "We could only hope he's going to pay for his crimes against the Empire soon."

Nao-Zai tapped his chin. So, Jang-Ho showed up and...what? Then, something snapped at the back of his head. He whipped towards the shaman. "Kai-Se—"

"He's fine," Shin-Ki said. "He insisted on not leaving your side after you lost consciousness, even claiming he'd watch you through dawn and the morning. Fell asleep at around eight, though. I had to send him to a different room after that."

Something inside Nao-Zai fluttered. Kai-Se...did that?

Shin-Ki, apparently, wasn't done. "Young ones, these days. Seriously! This is still a temple. You could have shown a little bit of respect!"

Nao-Zai swept his eyes towards the shower of debris and splinters around him. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I'll help you clean up tomorrow. I kind of trashed the main hall too."

"Not that," the shaman stuck their bottom lip out. "Don't you seriously remember what you did before you lost consciousness?"

He frowned. Was there something...?

His eyes widened. Oh. That.

A small laugh stole his attention. He turned to the shaman to find them holding back their own laughter. "When I said you have to convince him, I was going along the lines of a dramatic declaration and all that," they said. "You just went and k—"

"You mean, it's not really part of the ritual?" Nao-Zai interjected.

Shin-Ki's eyes glinted with the same calculating sparkle he had when he's thinking of something nefarious. "I...might have invented that last part about the both of you dying and Kai-Se's korza flitting away," they admitted. Then, they threw their head back and laughed again. "To think that you fell for it!"

"Wait, so that means..." Nao-Zai's voice died down, not wanting to continue that thought. His hand flew to his lips, where the distant memory of them touching Kai-Se's still tingled. All of that...had been for nothing? Wait. That...

It wasn't—

The shaman snorted. "Well, you let me know how it goes for the both of you," they said, straightening up from a velvet cushion underneath their folded legs. "Now that you can move without melting into a ball of pain, it seems like my job is done."

"Oh, right," Shin-Ki paused on their way to the door. They turned back to Nao-Zai. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you like so long as you clean up the mess you made. If not, you can get the hell out of my temple."

Yeah. The shaman could be stingy. How had Nao-Zai forgotten that? "Where's Kai-Se?" he asked just before Shin-Ki could duck out of the room. The door's remnant still lay on the floor like a defeated soldier.

Shin-Ki spared Nao-Zai a quick glance. "Around," they said. With a swish of their robes, they stepped into the corridor, leaving Nao-Zai on his own.

In his own shame, nonetheless.

How would he even face Kai-Se after the shaman dropped the truth? Would the prince even believe him if he gave that lame excuse? With a frustrated groan, he let his head fall into his hands, his fingers burying themselves in his hair. It had been better when Kai-Se's fingers were in the same place...

Dear spirits. Nao-Zai swallowed against the growing lump in his throat. Well...what's done was done. There's nothing he could do to take that back. If Kai-Se resolved to avoid him, then it's fine. It should be fine. Because he didn't know what he'd do if it wasn't.

With that, Nao-Zai stood up and followed Shin-Ki's path out of the room.