The silence lasted a few moments. Kaiser stared at the lanterns dancing in the distance in the night breeze. Beside him, Irene waited, her head still resting against his shoulder. Finally, he spoke, his voice low, perfectly clear.
"It's not that I didn't want to give any news. It was simply impossible."
He turned his head slightly toward her, catching the faint scent emanating from her hair. A half-smile brushed his lips.
Irene slowly lifted her head, surprised. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.
Kaiser took a moment, his gaze lost beyond her, then began.
"A few months after we met, I decided to undertake a journey to settle some personal matters. Along the way, I was pursued by bandits. And then... against all odds, I found myself caught right in the middle of a rift."
