(Cauis' POV)
The moment Eloise disappeared from my arms, the world itself seemed to shatter.
One second, she was there—her warmth, her voice, her love—wrapped around me like the only thing keeping me tethered to life. And then... she was gone.
Vanished.
Like a dream slipping through my fingers.
I called her name until my throat was raw, clawing at the empty space where she had stood. But no matter how much I fought, how much I begged, she did not return.
The kingdom was silent that night. The battle was over, but the real war had only just begun.
The war inside me.
The world no longer held meaning. Without Eloise, every day felt like I was merely existing.
I searched everywhere.
Every forgotten ruin. Every sacred temple. Every hidden spellcaster and old scholar who whispered about fate and lost dimensions. I pored over ancient tomes, desperate for an answer, a crack in the universe where I could reach her.
But nothing worked.
Days turned into months.
Seasons changed.
Still, no trace of her.
At night, I dreamt of her—her laughter, her touch, the way she looked at me like I was worth something. I would wake up reaching for her, only to grasp at nothing but cold sheets and an emptiness that refused to fade.
I spoke to no one. The kingdom moved on, but I did not.
How could I?
I loved her.
She wasn't just a part of my life. She was my life.
But fate was cruel.
Just as it took everything from me before, it had taken her too.
Or so I thought.
Because one night, beneath a sky filled with falling stars, I found it—
A single, untouched page.
Lying beneath the old oak tree where we once sat together, where she would tell me stories about worlds beyond mine. A page that should not exist.
And on it—her words.
Written in the same delicate script I had memorized, filled with a longing so deep it made my heart ache.
She was waiting for me.
She had not forgotten.
She was writing me back to her.
And at that moment, I knew.
I was not meant to live in this world without her.
So I would not stop. I would not rest. I would tear through the very fabric of existence itself if I had to.
Because no force in this world—nor any other—could keep me from the woman I loved.
And when I found her again, I would tell her—
Not even fate was strong enough to keep us apart.
Cauis, the Hero Reclaimed
(Cauis' POV)
The cheers were deafening.
People flooded the streets, waving banners with my name, their voices calling out in celebration. The fallen hero had risen once more, not just as a warrior, but as a legend.
Gold and gifts were offered, noblemen extended alliances, and the king himself—after breaking his word once before—was now desperate to keep me close, lavishing me with fortune and power.
But none of it mattered.
Not the wealth. Not the titles. Not the endless praise.
Because the only thing I wanted had already slipped through my fingers.
Eloise.
Still, I accepted the rewards, knowing that power and resources were tools. And I would use every last one of them to reclaim what was mine.
I took the gold and bought land—not just any land, but our land.
The place where we first arrived together. Where her laughter once filled the air. Where she looked at me like I was her entire world.
The untouched meadow, where the wind whispered against the tall grass, and the sky stretched endlessly above us.
I built a home there.
Stone by stone, I shaped a future that she should have been part of. The walls stood strong, the gardens bloomed, and the library—filled with blank pages—waited.
I did it all for her.
Because I knew, deep in my soul, that this was not the end of our story.
Somewhere, in a world beyond my reach, Eloise still wrote.
And I would keep building, keep waiting—until the day her words brought us back together.
The Day Fate Brought Her Back
(Cauis' POV)
The wind was gentle today. It carried the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers, rustling through the golden field that stretched endlessly before me.
I had walked this path every day since I built this home—since I claimed this land for us.
I never stopped searching. Never stopped hoping.
But as the years passed, I had learned to live with the ache.
Today was no different. With my sword strapped to my back and my coat billowing behind me, I strolled through the meadow, my fingers grazing the soft petals of the flowers Eloise once admired.
Then, the wind shifted.
A whisper—no, a breath—of something familiar.
I stopped.
The world stood still.
And then I saw her.
A lone figure stood amidst the sea of wildflowers, her back facing me. Her hair, the very color I dreamed of for so long, swayed in the wind, as if the world itself held its breath.
My heart slammed against my chest.
It couldn't be.
I took a step forward, afraid that if I spoke, if I even breathed too hard, she would vanish like the cruel mirages that haunted my dreams.
"Eloise."
She froze.
Slowly, she turned around.
And when our eyes met, I forgot how to breathe.
Tears brimmed in her eyes as her lips parted in a silent gasp.
"...Cauis?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet it shattered everything inside me.
I didn't think. Didn't hesitate.
I ran.
Through the flowers, through the endless space that had kept us apart for far too long.
And the moment I reached her, I pulled her into my arms, burying my face against her hair, inhaling the scent that I thought I'd never hold again.
She trembled against me, her hands clutching the fabric of my coat as if afraid to let go.
"You came back," I breathed, my voice breaking.
"I wrote you back," she whispered, her tears dampening my shoulder. "I never stopped writing you back."
I pulled away just enough to see her face, to memorize every tear-streaked detail.
Then, without a second thought, I cupped her face and kissed her—deep, desperate, and full of all the years we had lost.
The wind howled around us, as if celebrating the moment fate had rewritten itself.
Eloise was home.
And this time, I would never let her go.
- THE END -