The small, dimly lit room was quiet, save for the soft scratch of Bayu's paintbrush against the parchment paper spread out on the desk. It had been so long since he'd painted that his hands felt foreign, clumsy even.. He swirled bright, vivid strokes of color across the paper—hues of sapphire, emerald, and gold blending together in chaotic patterns. He wasn't trying to create anything specific. There was no grand image forming in his mind, no deliberate attempt at artistry. He just needed to do something, anything, to quiet the storm that churned inside him.

The events of the day had been too much. The banquet, the monsters, Isaac's injury, and—worst of all—the revelation about Tomoya's bite. His mind reeled with unanswered questions, gnawed at by an ache that refused to subside. He glanced over his shoulder, toward the bed.

Isaac lay sleeping, his chest rising and falling steadily beneath the thick blankets pulled up to his chin. His ginger hair fanned out across the pillow, catching the faint light and glowing like strands of burnished copper. His freckles stood out starkly against his pale skin, like constellations scattered across a cloudless night sky. For a moment, Bayu felt a painful stab in his chest.

He had promised himself he'd protect Isaac. Yet he had failed.

The idea of Isaac being mated to Tomoya...it was too strange to process. What did it even mean? And what was it going to do to him? The thought was like a thorn digging deeper into his heart.

Bayu was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice the soft rustle of movement behind him.

"My prince."

The voice startled him, low and groggy but unmistakably Isaac's. He turned quickly, his paintbrush halting mid-stroke.

Isaac was sitting up, the blankets pooling around his waist, his cheeks faintly flushed. His green eyes gleamed in the low light, brighter and sharper than usual, as if they had been polished overnight. There was something different about him—an unspoken, almost magnetic quality that hadn't been there before.

Bayu's eyes flicked over his features. His hair seemed more vivid, his freckles somehow more pronounced, and his lips fuller, as if they had been kissed by the lingering magic of whatever transformation Tomoya's bite had begun. Isaac looked...not just attractive, but otherworldly, like he had been quietly enhanced in ways that were both subtle and impossible to ignore.

Bayu forced himself to focus and quirked a small, teasing smile. "Not a prince," he said softly, "I already told you that."

He set the paintbrush down on the desk and crossed the room to sit beside Isaac on the bed. Gently, he ran a hand through Isaac's unruly locks, his fingers brushing against the strands as though afraid they might break.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice low and careful.

Isaac yawned, his lips parting just enough to reveal the hint of his teeth, before leaning back against the pillows. "Like I've been put to work for thirty-two straight hours at the factory."

Despite his words, there was a lightness to his tone, a slight brightness to his expression. Then he added, almost shyly, "But...I feel different, though."

Bayu's brow furrowed as he studied him. He hesitated, then tentatively placed a warm palm against Isaac's chest, his fingers splayed across the thin fabric of his shirt.

"Can you feel him?" Bayu asked softly, almost whispering.

Isaac tilted his head, his brows drawing together in a puzzled expression. "You mean Tomoya?"

Bayu nodded, his gaze fixed intently on Isaac's face.

Isaac closed his eyes for a moment, as if searching for some hidden connection. Finally, he opened them and shook his head. "I don't know," he said, the uncertainty in his voice tinged with a trace of frustration.

Bayu pulled his hand back slowly, letting it rest in his lap as he tried to process what this might mean. Tomoya's bite had clearly done something, but the full extent of its effects remained a mystery.

Kai suddenly filled the doorway, his figure framed by the dim light of the corridor behind him. His dark hair was disheveled, strands clinging to his damp forehead as though he'd battled a storm himself.

"We need to go after him," Kai said, his voice hoarse.

Bayu blinked, his mind scrambling to catch up. "Who?"

"Tomoya." Kai's tone was sharper now, edged with a panic he rarely let slip. "He's gone straight into the eye of the storm. The crew spotted him running toward it from the observation deck. I tried to follow on foot, but he was too fast."

Bayu felt a chill creep up his spine. "The storm? That storm?"

Kai nodded, his jaw clenched. Outside, the night sky flickered with flashes of green lightning. The storm churned like a living thing on the distant horizon, dark clouds writhing in unnatural patterns.

"We need to take the airship and go after him," Kai said, stepping closer. His voice trembled slightly as he continued, "He's alone out there. I—I'm scared, Bayu. I've never seen him like this. I don't know what he's thinking."

Isaac blinked in shock. Bayu noted he still had sleep drenched in his eyes. "What's going on?"

Kai turned toward him, the tension in his frame softening briefly. "Isaac, stay here," he said firmly. "Tomoya's run off, and we're going to get him. You're still recovering. Especially after..." He trailed off, his eyes flicking briefly to Isaac's neck.

Isaac stiffened, pulling the blankets tighter around himself. "No, I can come. I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Kai said, his tone sharper than he intended. He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Look, if what Tomoya said is true—if you're... mated to him—you need to stay put. We can't risk you getting caught in the storm too."

Isaac's expression darkened, but he said nothing.

Kai turned back to Bayu. "We'll fly the airship to the storm. We can use the winds to guide us and retrieve him."

Bayu hesitated, frowning. "You know we're not allowed to pilot the airship without authorization." His voice was calm but firm. "If Lukas finds out—"

Kai's voice rose, cutting him off. "We can't leave him out there!" His amber eyes blazed with desperation. "Bayu, please. I'll take the fall if we get in trouble, but we have to go after him."

Bayu's gaze lingered on Kai, cataloging every detail of his distress—the tremor in his lips, the faint sheen of rain or sweat still clinging to his dark skin, and the strands of wet hair that clung stubbornly to his forehead. Kai's shoulders shook just enough to betray the depth of his fear.

Bayu stepped forward and placed a steadying hand on Kai's shoulder. "Alright, let's go."