Chapter 62: The Things We Don’t Remember

Morning arrived far too quickly and Rin woke to the sound of Vorak arguing with someone.

He opened one eye.

"...Please tell me that’s a dream."

Another voice shouted from outside.

"I told you, you can’t take the entire basket!"

Vorak answered loudly.

"But I need it!"

"You do not need twelve apples!"

Rin closed his eyes again.

"Definitely not a dream."

He slowly sat up. The camp was already awake.

Selena was packing their things. Lucien was checking the route back to the fortress.

Noctis was sitting against a tree with a cup of tea, looking as though he had somehow managed to sleep through all of it.

And Kaelith... Rin looked beside him. Kaelith was already awake.

Their eyes met.

For a second, neither said anything. Then Rin remembered the previous night.

His head on Kaelith’s shoulder. His face immediately became warm.

Kaelith noticed.

"You’re remembering."

"No."

"You are."

"No."

Kaelith smiled. Rin looked away.

"You don’t have to look so pleased about it."

"I’m not."

"You are."

"Maybe."

Rin sighed.

"You’ve become very annoying."

Kaelith laughed quietly.

"Good morning."

Rin looked at him.

"Morning."

There was something different between them now. Nothing dramatic. Nothing either of them could name.

But the distance that had always existed between them seemed a little smaller and Rin wasn’t sure whether that frightened him. Or made him happy. Probably both.

They packed the remaining supplies and prepared to leave.

Vorak appeared carrying an enormous bag. Selena stared at him.

"What’s in there?"

"Food."

"How much?"

Vorak thought.

"Enough."

"For how many people?"

"Me."

Selena closed her eyes.

"Of course."

Rin laughed.

"Did you steal the entire forest?"

"No."

Vorak paused.

"...Only some of it."

Lucien sighed.

"Put it back."

"But—"

"Vorak."

The Champion of the Demon Forests looked at him. Lucien pointed toward the fortress.

"Put. It. Back."

Vorak slowly lowered the bag.

"Fine."

Rin watched him walk away.

"He’s like a child."

Selena smiled.

"He’s worse."

Kaelith approached.

"Are you ready?"

Rin nodded.

"Yes."

They started walking but Rin kept looking back at the ruins.

Something about that place bothered him not because it had frightened him.

Because it had felt familiar.

The paintings. The symbols. The ancient records.

And most importantly... the person beside him in those memories.

Rin still didn’t know who they were. He had a suspicion.

A very dangerous suspicion but he refused to trust it.

The road home was peaceful. Too peaceful.

Rin walked beside Kaelith. Behind them, Lucien and Selena were discussing the records they’d recovered.

Sol was arguing with Vorak about the proper way to cook something. Noctis was silently enjoying the chaos.

Rin smiled.

"I missed this."

Kaelith glanced at him.

"What?"

"Everyone."

Kaelith nodded.

"You were happy when they returned?"

"Very."

"You missed them?"

"Yes."

Kaelith was quiet. Then Rin noticed something.

"Are you jealous?"

Kaelith looked at him.

"No."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Good."

"Why?"

Rin shrugged.

"I don’t know."

Kaelith gave him a strange look. Rin smiled.

"I just wanted to know."

They walked a few more steps. Then Kaelith asked:

"Would you be jealous?"

Rin nearly tripped.

"What?"

"If someone else spent all their time with me."

Rin stared at him.

"Why are you asking?"

"Curiosity."

Rin narrowed his eyes.

"You’ve learned from me."

"Maybe."

Rin thought about it.

Then smiled.

"I don’t know."

Kaelith nodded.

"Fair."

Rin glanced at him.

"But..."

"But?"

"I probably wouldn’t like it."

Kaelith smiled. Rin immediately realized what he had admitted.

"Don’t smile like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you won."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You didn’t have to."

Kaelith laughed. Rin tried not to smile.

He failed. They stopped near a river for lunch. Vorak immediately jumped into the water.

Selena shouted:

"Don’t!"

Too late. Vorak disappeared beneath the surface and a few seconds later, he came back up holding a fish.

"Food!"

Rin stared.

"How?"

Vorak grinned.

"I caught it."

Selena sighed.

"At least he’s useful."

Lucien looked at the fish.

"That’s actually impressive."

Vorak smiled proudly. Rin pointed at him.

"Don’t let that go to your head."

"Too late."

They laughed. For a while, everything felt normal.

Rin sat beneath a tree. Kaelith sat beside him.

The river moved quietly. Rin closed his eyes.

For just a moment...he felt safe.

Then a strange sensation passed through him.

A whisper. Not a voice. A feeling. Something had changed. Rin opened his eyes.

"Did you feel that?"

Kaelith looked at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Rin looked toward the river. The water was completely still. Then he noticed something beneath the surface.

A reflection that was not his or Kaelith’s. There was a child.

Rin froze. The reflection looked up at him. Then vanished.

Rin immediately stood. Kaelith followed.

"What happened?"

"I saw something."

"What?"

"A child."

Kaelith looked at the river.

"Where?"

"It’s gone."

Rin crouched. He touched the water.

A flash hit him. A small hand. His hand.

Holding someone’s fingers.

But this time, he heard another voice.

"You promised."

Rin’s own voice answered:

"I know."

The other person laughed. Then the memory shifted.

A woman’s voice. Cold. Angry.

"You cannot choose him."

Rin’s heart stopped. The memory shattered. Rin fell backward. Kaelith caught him.

"Rin!"

Rin grabbed his arm. His breathing was heavy. Kaelith immediately knelt beside him.

"What happened?"

Rin looked at him. He couldn’t speak.

The voice, that was a woman.

Someone had said:

You cannot choose him.

Who? And why?

Rin looked at Kaelith. Something inside him hurt because the memory had clearly been about someone he had chosen and someone else had tried to stop him.

Kaelith’s expression was worried.

"Rin."

"I’m okay."

"You’re not."

"I’m fine."

Rin slowly released his arm.

"Sorry."

"You don’t have to apologize."

Kaelith remained beside him. Rin looked at his hand.

He could still feel the memory.

You cannot choose him.

This was the first time a memory had mentioned the person directly.There was not their name but enough.

The person was male and Rin had chosen him.

That narrowed nothing. Except one thing. The person had been important enough that someone had tried to prevent the choice.

When they returned to the fortress, Rin immediately went to the library.

He needed to write down everything before the memory faded. He took a piece of paper.

Then wrote:

1. Before becoming Aelion, I chose someone.

2. Someone betrayed me.

3. That betrayal was connected to the curse that forced me toward becoming the God of Love.

4. There was a woman who opposed my choice.

5. She said: "You cannot choose him."

Rin stopped. He stared at the fifth point. Then added:

6. I don’t know who she was.

He stared at the list. For the first time, the mystery felt like something he could actually solve.

Not all at once but piece by piece.

He needed to find out who the woman was. Then perhaps he could discover why she opposed his choice.

And eventually...who he had chosen. Rin placed the paper inside a book.

Then he heard a knock.

"Come in."

Kaelith entered.

"You disappeared again."

Rin smiled.

"I’m investigating."

"I guessed."

Kaelith walked closer.

"Did you remember something?"

"Yes."

"What?"

Rin hesitated. Then he decided to tell him one part.

"Someone didn’t want me to choose someone."

Kaelith frowned.

"Choose who?"

"I don’t know."

"Did you see them?"

"No."

Kaelith was quiet. Then he asked:

"Did you see the person who tried to stop you?"

Rin shook his head.

"Only heard her."

"Her?"

Rin nodded. Kaelith thought.

"Maybe she was trying to protect you."

Rin looked at him.

"Maybe. Or maybe she was afraid of what would happen."

"Maybe."

Kaelith looked at Rin.

"You don’t trust the memory?"

"No."

Rin smiled.

"You really are learning."

"From you."

Rin laughed.

Then Kaelith noticed the paper on the desk.

"You’re writing everything down."

"Yes."

"Smart."

"I don’t want to forget."

Kaelith’s expression softened.

"You won’t."

Rin looked at him.

"How can you know?"

Kaelith paused.

"I don’t."

Rin smiled.

"Good answer."

Kaelith smiled back.

That evening, Rin and Kaelith walked through the fortress gardens. The sun was setting.

Flowers moved gently in the wind. Rin stopped near a large tree. Something about it felt familiar.

He touched the trunk. Nothing happened. He sighed.

"Not every tree is magical."

Kaelith laughed.

"That’s probably good."

Rin looked at him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"If you discovered that someone you cared about had a past you didn’t know about..."

Kaelith waited.

"...would you be afraid?"

Kaelith thought carefully.

"I’d probably be curious."

"Not afraid?"

"Maybe later."

Rin smiled.

"And if their past changed the way you saw them?"

Kaelith looked at Rin.

"Then I’d remember that the person standing in front of me is still the person I know now."

Rin became quiet. That answer touched him. Because it was exactly what he needed.

He didn’t want his past to decide who he was now.

Rin smiled.

"That’s a good answer."

Kaelith nodded.

"You asked a difficult question."

"I ask many of those."

"I noticed."

Rin laughed. They continued walking.

Then Rin stopped.

"Kaelith."

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not asking me to tell you everything."

Kaelith looked at him.

"You’ll tell me when you want."

Rin smiled.

"And if I never do?"

"Then I’ll still be here."

Rin’s heart skipped. He looked away.

"You’re making it difficult."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Kaelith smiled. Rin smiled too. Their hands brushed.

This time, Rin didn’t pull away. Neither did Kaelith.

They continued walking with their hands touching lightly between them.

There was not a confession. Just a quiet closeness.

And somehow...that felt more important than words.

That night, Rin returned to his room. He opened the book containing his notes. The page had changed.

His six points were still there but beneath them was a new sentence.

He hadn’t written it.

THE WOMAN WAS NOT THE ENEMY.

Rin stared.

His heart began pounding. Another sentence appeared.

SHE WAS TRYING TO BREAK THE CURSE.

Rin’s eyes widened.

The woman who had said You cannot choose him...might not have been trying to stop Rin from choosing someone because she hated him.

She might have been trying to prevent something worse. Rin immediately reached for the page.

The moment his fingers touched it—

the bell rang.

Ding.

Rin froze. The statement was true.

The woman had been trying to break the curse.

But then why had she opposed Rin’s choice?

Why had she said:

You cannot choose him.

And who was the person Rin had chosen?

The answer still remained hidden but now Rin had the first real lead.

The woman. She had known about the curse. She had known about Rin’s choice. And she had tried to stop it.

Rin looked toward the dark window. For the first time, he felt that the mystery wasn’t simply something waiting for him in the past.

Someone had left these clues for him. Someone wanted him to remember.

And maybe...the truth wasn’t as simple as betrayal.

Rin closed the book.

"One piece at a time."

Outside his room, footsteps passed.

Kaelith.

Rin smiled.

He didn’t know what their past held he didn’t know what fate had planned but for now, he knew one thing.

He wanted to discover the truth. Not because he was afraid of it.

But because he wanted the right to choose what came next.

And somewhere in the darkness, an ancient seal cracked a little further.