Chapter 213: [CAELEN’S SIDE]

“That’s how Kairo got his abilities?”

Eli asked, eyes widening. His shoes scraped against the dirt as he pressed down, slowing his swing until it nearly stilled. “But… aren’t abilities supposed to just appear? Nothing really triggers them, right?”

He glanced back at Caelen, uncertainty written plainly across his face.

“At least… that’s what everyone says.”

Caelen let out a dry chuckle. “They do just appear. No ritual, no training exercise, no dramatic awakening. It’s usually random.” His gaze darkened faintly as he continued. “But Kairo’s ability revolves around blood.”

“Oh.” Eli winced. “I guess that makes sense.”

He felt foolish for not putting that together himself.

“So… you both had your abilities from the start,” Eli murmured, thinking aloud, “and it just so happens that the condition for Kairo’s was… unique.”

“Right.” Caelen leaned back slightly, lifting his eyes to the stars overhead. “That day, there was plenty of excitement over his powers.”

The word felt heavy.

Then his mouth tilted into something bitter.

“But I remember getting a whole lot of scolding too—despite all the amazement—because apparently it was my responsibility to make sure he didn’t fall.”

Eli hesitated.

’But… based on how he talks about it, it sounds like they were close back then. Did one accident really do that much damage?’

His brows knit as he lingered on the thought.

Caelen’s words didn’t sound like resentment born from a single moment.

They carried something layered.

Old.

Bruised.

When Eli finally felt the stare on him, he looked over.

Caelen’s head was still tilted toward the night sky.

But his eyes were on Eli.

“What?” Eli blinked.

Caelen huffed a quiet laugh. “You’re thinking I hate him just because I got blamed for the fall.”

Eli stiffened. “How did you—”

“Unlike Kairo, I actually pay attention to people,” Caelen replied lightly, a familiar, faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Eli snorted softly. “Can’t say I haven’t noticed.”

They both glanced back up at the stars, scattered endlessly like pale sparks in the dark.

Then Eli turned to him again.

“So why?” he asked, sincere now. “Because… the way you talk about it, it sounds like you and Kairo used to get along. And as you said, that fall… it shouldn’t be enough to drive such a wedge between you—to the point you both act like strangers, like there’s that much hatred.”

“Pfft.”

“What? Why are you laughing?” Eli frowned.

“For an only child,” Caelen said, amusement lacing his voice, “you sure have a lot of opinions about brothers.”

Eli’s heart dipped at the words.

’…Yeah.’

Because once—

He hadn’t been an only child at all.

Lucien had a brother.

Lucas.

But Lucien wasn’t here anymore.

He was Elione Noa Ahn now.

An only child.

Living in a borrowed life.

“M-My friend…” Eli started, then quickly corrected himself, stumbling just slightly. “I mean—I had a friend. I sort of… lived vicariously through him.”

The words tasted strange.

He did his best to keep his voice light, to avoid letting anything heavy rise to the surface.

’Don’t frown. Don’t spiral.’

Eli had told himself over and over to not let his situation crack him open. Dwelling wouldn’t help. Breaking down wouldn’t change anything.

But ever since the dungeon—

Ever since the memories started overlapping and bleeding into him—

It had become harder to keep those thoughts at bay.

Which was why he found himself still sitting on this swing beneath the open sky with Caelen Ryu—

About to talk about someone he no longer was.

No—

About a man named Lucien Kim.

“He…” Eli chuckled softly, the sound brittle around the edges. “He really loved his little brother. A lot. So much that he… gave up his own education for him.”

Caelen frowned faintly. “Why would he do that?” he asked bluntly. “Is he dumb?”

“Maybe,” Eli replied quietly.

His fingers curled tighter around the cold chain of the swing, knuckles paling just slightly.

“Maybe he just loved his brother so much he didn’t care about himself,” Eli continued. “He wanted Lucas to have a better life—even if that meant his own dreams went nowhere.”

The words slipped out more honestly than he’d meant them to.

“So he worked. Any job he could find. No matter how odd, how exhausting, or how embarrassing.” Eli swallowed. “He worked and worked… so that his family could live a little better.”

His gaze drifted up to the sky, stars swimming softly through his vision.

’So that Lucas could live better.’

“That was enough for him,” Eli said with a fond, distant smile. “That’s why I really admired them… as brothers. And why I was surprised when I found out about you and Kairo.”

Caelen scoffed. “Well, your friend’s brother probably wasn’t a pompous, selfish asshole who thinks he’s above everyone just because he can control blood.”

“Kairo? Pompous?” Eli lifted a brow. “I spent hours with him inside that dungeon. He didn’t act arrogant at all. Honestly… he didn’t seem like he thought he was better than anyone.”

Eli knew he was pushing it.

He felt the invisible tension creep back into the space between them.

But he wanted clarity.

Not assumptions.

Not resentment filtered through half-spoken memories.

Just the truth.

’I need to understand.’

So he let himself be honest.

“If anything,” Eli said gently, “you’re the one who seems to think you’re above everyone.”

Then, after a pause—

“And especially above him.”

For a moment—

Caelen went quiet.

Only for a moment.

Long enough that Eli tensed instinctively.

’Oh no… I think I finally said the wrong thing.’

A ridiculous image flashed across his mind of Caelen standing up and using the swing like some kind of S-Class blunt weapon.

Then—

Caelen laughed.

It wasn’t harsh or angry.

It was surprised.

Full-bodied.

“Damn,” he said between chuckles, “I thought I was the one you liked, sweetheart.”

Eli snapped his head toward him, face instantly igniting. “I-I never even—!”

But Caelen only laughed harder.

“How can you deny it when your face looks like a tomato right now?”

Eli sputtered, mortified.

’This is not what I meant—this is absolutely not what I meant!’

And yet, despite himself—

Despite the embarrassment burning his ears—

Caelen’s laughter broke the heaviness that had settled between them, if only for just a moment.

Eli almost opened his mouth to respond—but the teasing had dragged the conversation too far off course already.

He turned away instead, clearing his throat sharply.

“J-Just tell me already!” Eli blurted. “That’s the whole point of why we’re even here—you said you’d tell me!”

His gaze drifted past the swing set to the nearby walkway where three small kids chased each other, laughter ringing faintly through the air as their parents stood off to the side, watching with easy smiles.

The sight tugged at his chest in an uncomfortable way.

’Families really always look like that from far away… so normal.’

He heard Caelen inhale behind him.

A single, long breath.

No laughter.

No teasing.

No jokes.

Just the sound of someone bracing themselves.

“Our father…” Caelen began quietly.

Eli froze his swing again, subtle but attentive.

“He took a special interest in Kairo. From the very beginning. Day after day, he’d bring him to the facility to train, to push him—to show off the full extent of Kairo’s abilities.”

Caelen’s voice stayed level, but the bitterness threaded through it unmistakably.

“I barely saw either of them. At first, when I was younger, yeah—it hurt.”

The swing creaked gently as Caelen shifted.

“Going from spending every day with that dumbass,” he muttered, “to barely seeing him at all? Of course it crushed a kid’s heart.”

’Back when he still had one,’ Eli thought automatically.

Then winced internally.

’Okay—too mean. Don’t go there.’

Caelen continued.

“There was one day we all went out together,” he said. “I begged my mom for it—just one day with Kairo… with our father.”

His voice faltered, ever so slightly, before settling again.

“I didn’t even want anything big. I just wanted to be with them.”

The chains of his swing shifted again, the quiet movement underscoring the pause that followed.

“And part of me thought…” Caelen added quietly, voice softening, “maybe if I spent a day with him—maybe I could finally figure out what my ability was too.”

He exhaled slowly, the sound heavy.

“Because by then… our father had already given up on looking for any sign that I even had abilities at all.”

The way Caelen said it made Eli blink, caught off guard.

Surprised—

Because for the first time since they’d met, Caelen sounded completely unguarded.

No humor.

No bravado.

Just… hurt.

’He actually sounds… in pain.’

Eli opened his mouth to ask something—anything—to soften the moment—

But Caelen kept going.

“We—or I—didn’t know it at the time,” he said, voice darkening, “but it was during one of the first major dungeon explosion periods. Tears were already appearing around the city. We just thought we were… safe.”

The words tasted bitter.

“And while we were out… a tear formed.”

Eli’s breath stilled.

“The tear appeared just outside the restaurant we were in.”

Eli turned automatically.

Caelen wasn’t looking at him.

His gaze was fixed on the dirt beneath his boots.

Swings creaked faintly as both of them stopped moving.

“My parents left us,” Caelen said quietly. “They had to. There was a call—hunters needed them. They thought we’d be safest staying where we were.”

Caelen swallowed.

“They were wrong.”

His jaw tightened.

“A monster—some demon-type—it came in through the tear.”

The words fell low and steady, but something raw trembled beneath them.

“It slaughtered everyone inside.”

Eli’s chest tightened painfully.

“…All the staff. The customers. Families.”

The silence afterward was thick.

Then Caelen finished quietly:

“Only Kairo and I were left.”

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