It was late in the night when the silence filled everywhere.

Lucretius was holding me in his arms. When his breathing grew deep and even, I snuck out carefully and got dressed.

I looked down at him for a while. This was the man who had been by my side for the past six months.

A man who surprised me, angered me, scared me, and made me feel betrayed.

A man who also made me happy, shy, and special.

And… he was the man I loved.

I left an envelope on the bed near him and grabbed my clothes from Earth.

These were the only things left from my home. They were precious to me, and I always thought that if I ever returned home, I would take them with me.

I didn’t mean to leave them here when I left for Cransia. I didn’t know I was leaving Aeal for good. If I did, I would have taken them.

I was worried that the Aeal family got rid of them. Thus, when I saw them safe today, I felt relieved.

I took them in my arms and left the room quietly.

***

Of course, he was uneasy.

Even though she gave him her body, he knew Bina was not his completely. She was not like any woman from this world. He couldn’t own her soul just by holding her.

That was why she was so precious and lovely to him.

However, it also made things so much more devastating for him, like a curse.

The recent injury must have been harder on his body than he expected. After the long journey, he tried his best not to fall asleep but failed.

When he suddenly woke up, he realized he was alone on the bed. He sat up quickly and shouted.

“Bina!”

He noticed the envelope on the bed next to him. He grabbed it and took out its content.

It wasn’t a goodbye letter from Bina like he feared or expected.

It was a letter from the priestess Izvita to Bina.

Information on others like Bina who came from another world.

The gate that opens on the nights of the full moon.

A woman who disappeared into the gate a long time ago.

Lucretius imagined the woman with black hair leaving this world.

Just like Bina with her black hair.

He couldn’t help but scream.

“Bina!”

***

“Bina…”

He called out her name.

“Bina!”

He cried out her name over and over again.

How long ago did Bina leave the room? How long will the ‘gate’ remain open?

Different thoughts haunted him as he roamed the rough forest.

He looked up at the sky and glared at the cursed full moon. He couldn’t tell how many hours he had been searching for her.

Suddenly, Lucretius remembered the story in the priestess’ letter.

A black-haired woman disappearing into the gate and a man who yearned for her for his entire life until he disappeared into the same forest.

Just like Bina and himself.

What happened to that duke? Did he die in the forest looking for his love? Was his skeleton in these woods somewhere?

Perhaps, he jumped into the gate to follow her?

Ominous thoughts filled his head, so he shook his head.

“No, no. I won’t let that happen.”

He would make sure to find her.

When he did then… what would he do?

He made her a promise that he would help her return to her home. After he fell in love with her, he promised he would let her make her own choice, and if she chose to leave him, he wouldn’t stop her.

He was confident at the time she would choose him, but now… he realized what an idiot he was.

He knew what kind of obsessive monster he was.

He should have been more cautious, but to his defense, he thought there was no chance for her to find her way back home. Since he believed this, he thought he could be patient with her and wait.

The sword in his hand whispered to him.

‘Find her. Find her and make her yours forever.’

His head filled itself with crazy thoughts.

‘I need to make sure she can never run away from me again, but if I kill her… she won’t be able to run from me. However, she also won’t be able to love me too. Then should I cut her foot off?’

‘No, I can’t cut her pretty ankle.’

‘Then why not just cut her Achilles tendons?’

The monster inside him continued to whisper horrendous suggestions, but Lucretius ignored them.

Bina probably didn’t know that he was an unforgivable beast.

That was probably why she dared to run away from him.

Like a bird.

She flew away with her wings.

He purposely ordered her seal design to be a bird returning to its nest in desperate hopes. He wanted to be her nest, and he prayed she would always return to him even when she learned to fly.

He truly believed this was possible, but…

She flew away.

Would he be able to get her back?

If he did find her, what would he do?

Even if he was lucky enough to find her before she left through the gate, what could he do?

Should he drag her back by force? Against her will?

Should he break his promise to her and make her give up her desire to return to her world?

Could he live with her resentment and devastation for life?

His sword whispered again, ‘Then make her choose you.’

‘She loves you. At least, that much is true.’

‘So threaten to kill yourself.’

‘Before she can go through the gate, give her your life.’

He knew he could never hurt her. Even if it would help to keep her here, he could never harm her.

Then there was only one way.

If he found her, he would stab himself in front of her. He would stab himself in a delicate spot, so he would need immediate attention from a doctor. This would force her to run and get someone from the castle.

He didn’t want to die, but he wasn’t afraid of death either. He had lived for 27 years with constant threats. His biggest fear was losing Bina, not death.

The feeling when he woke up and found her missing… He couldn’t even describe it. It was despair, fear, and more.

If he had to live without her, his life would be hell, and it would be better to just end it now. If she chose to return even when he offered her his life, then so be it.

He was willing to make this bet. What he could gain from it was so much bigger than what he may lose.

He made his decision.

Lucretius continued to walk fast despite the ache he felt in his legs.

Just then, he saw it.

There was a hole in the sky. This gap… was drawing in the moonlight.

At the same time, he also smelled something burning.

His instinct told him that he needed to follow the smell and the light. Something strange was happening there.

He started to run. He was already breathless. His body was still not fully recovered from his injury, but he felt nothing, no pain at all.

Finally, he found it.

A huge gap in the middle of the forest.

And a woman standing in front of it.

The moonlight shined brightly from the sky, and it was being absorbed by the dark gap like a waterfall. Her black hair danced around her, and the scene reminded Lucretius of what was described in the priestess’ letter.

The woman who stood in front of the gate that brought her to a strange world.

The man who ran after her in an attempt to stop her.

However, the woman jumped into the gate without hesitation.

The woman disappeared into the darkness, leaving the man in despair.

The gate closed afterward.

The exact same thing was happening many generations later.

Lucretius cried out with everything he had.

“Bina!”