The steam rose gently from the wide bathing room of the villa, curling upward like soft white silk. Warm light glowed against the tiled walls, giving the place a serene atmosphere that reminded Kazien of the bathhouse back home in Altavis territory. The day had been long—emotionally exhausting for both him and Selena—yet the moment Selena touched his shoulder and spoke softly, everything inside him jolted awake.
"Alvin, can I borrow Kazien to take a bath with me?" she asked, her tone unusually delicate.
Alvin blinked in surprise but quickly smiled. "Yes, Sis Selena. Please enjoy your time together."
He understood—truly understood—what this evening meant.
Tomorrow, they will be separated.
Selena would leave the family and begin a new chapter of her life as a married woman. And Kazien, who had cried earlier against her shoulder, was clearly struggling with that reality.
Alvin placed a sweet kiss on Kazien's cheek before they parted. "Go. I'll wait. Spend as much time with her as you need."
Kazien nodded.
Inside the bathing room, steam filled the air, warm against the skin. The sound of water mingled with faint echoes as the siblings washed themselves, the familiarity of old routines returning in small gestures.
Selena's laughter broke the silence.
"Hahaha. I never thought my spoiled little brother would grow up to become an S-rank adventurer."
Kazien puffed his cheeks. "I'm not a kid anymore! But… it still feels hard to be separated from you."
Selena reached out, lifted him with no hesitation, and settled him gently on her lap the way she always had since he was small.
"S–Sis Selena, what are you doing!?"
She raised a brow. "What? You don't want to sit on your sister's lap anymore?"
"I do! But—y-you're… you're not wearing anything!"
"And? Why are you panicking like that? Do you like seeing your sister like this?"
Kazien's entire face turned red. "I-I'm just not used to it! That's all!"
Selena burst into soft laughter and pinched his cheek gently.
"You've been sitting on my lap like this since you were little. You even told me you wanted to propose to me when you grew up."
"That was because I was a kid! I didn't understand anything back then!"
Her laughter softened. Then she noticed something.
His eyes—usually bright—carried a darkness she did not recognize. Kazien hesitated. Then, with a trembling voice, he asked: "Sis Selena… if you were immortal, how would you feel?"
Her hands stopped. The air thickened.
Immortal. A word too heavy for casual curiosity.
"Immortal, huh?" Selena answered. "If it were me… I would be depressed. Really depressed. Because I would eventually have to watch my family grow old and die one by one."
Kazien's grip tightened on her arm.
"But," she continued gently, "if fate forced that immortality on me, I'd avoid making too many bonds. Watching friends die, watching loved ones fade… that's too cruel."
"And," Kazien swallowed, "if you could make someone else immortal like you—but could undo it, what would you do?"
Her eyes sharpened instantly.
"What strange questions… If someone could become immortal like me, I would grant them that gift. But if they caused trouble or regretted it, I would undo it. But—Kazien—" She grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face her directly. "You're not good at lying to me. Stop avoiding the truth. Tell me. Right now. If you lie again… I will never look at you."
Her voice cracked. It was not anger—it was fear.
Kazien froze. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even raise his head.
Selena's voice softened, trembling. "If you want me to keep it secret, I will. I just need the truth. Kazien… are you an immortal human?"
Slowly, he nodded.
Selena's heart stopped. Her arms immediately wrapped him tightly.
"You've carried something like this alone? All this time?"
Kazien didn't answer. His body trembled against hers.
"I understand," Selena continued softly. "You're scared, right? Scared of watching us age… watching us leave you… one by one."
His fingers gripped her arm. Hard. This time, the trembling wasn't from embarrassment—it was from years of silent fear finally cracking.
"Sis…" his voice broke, "what should I do?"
She cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead with the gentleness of a mother.
"Before I answer your question... tell me. Is Alvin immortal too?"
"Yes. He is immortal like me."
Selena nodded. "Good. Then you have someone who will walk through eternity by your side."
She brushed his silvery-white hair—hair that shimmered like sunlight even in the warm glow of the steam.
"And about marriage," she added with a soft sigh, "I finally understand why you refused to marry a woman."
Kazien nodded.
Selena pulled him into another tight embrace.
"If that is your fear, then choosing someone who shares your eternity is not wrong. You're not wrong."
His tears wet her shoulder. "Should I tell everyone? I'm… I'm tired of keeping this to myself."
"It's better than suffering alone," Selena replied. "Let's gather them!"
After they finished showering together, Selena and Kazien went to meet their families.
And a few moments later, their entire families gathered in a large room in the villa.
Kazien inhaled deeply. His hands trembled. "I… I'm immortal."
The room burst into gasps.
"Are you joking?" Duke Elgard asked, stunned.
"I'm not. I can't die. And I think… it's time you all know."
"How can you know this?" the duke pressed.
Kazien swallowed. "Because… I've met Goddess Nirfelia. And this isn't my first life."
Shock vibrated through the room. Even Selena trembled at hearing it again.
"I don't remember who I was before," he continued. "Goddess Nirfelia erased everything. She only said… live freely and find your happiness."
Duchess Larina's voice shook. "B-But… are you really my son?"
"Mother," Kazien stepped forward gently, "was I born from you?"
"Of course you were! I carried you for months and I fed you when you were a baby!"
"Then I'm your son. My past life doesn't matter. I am—and will always be—Kazien Altavis."
Duchess Larina burst into tears, covering her mouth with her hands.
"And Alvin," Duke Elgard asked slowly, "is he also immortal?"
"Yes. After he formed an eternity contract with me."
Before anyone could respond—
ZRASH!
A sword made of pure light pierced through Kazien's chest—right through his heart. Screams erupted.
"KA—KAZIEN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" William shouted, panicked.
Kazien touched the sword calmly. "Don't worry. I'm proving it."
The sword vanished into particles of light, but the wound had already begun to heal—flesh pulling together before their eyes, skin knitting cleanly as if nothing had ever happened.
Duchess Larina collapsed to her knees, crying.
"Why… why would you do something like that?!"
Kazien's voice cracked. "Because I wanted you to believe me."
He looked around at their faces—terrified, heartbroken, overflowing with love. "I always think about it… how one day I will watch all of you grow old… and then leave me forever."
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I'm scared. I'm so scared. I don't know if I can handle all of that in the future…"
One by one, his family moved toward him.
Duchess Larina embraced him first, holding him with all the strength of a mother desperate to protect her child.
"We may die someday," she whispered into his hair. "But until that day comes, you will live your life without letting this eternity crush you. Even when we're gone, Kazien… remember this. We love you. Always."
Kazien finally broke.
His sobs echoed through the room, raw and uncontrollable.
One by one, his siblings and father wrapped their arms around him, forming a warm circle around the boy who carried eternity on his shoulders.
I love them so much, Kazien thought through the tears. Even though the future will break me, I choose this life. I choose them. And while they still live, I will protect them with everything I am.
The warmth of their embrace filled the room—soft, trembling, eternal in the only way mortals could be.