“Call us if you remember anything,” a police officer said courteously as his partner finished writing his notes on his notepad.

Malak nodded with a polite smile plastered on his face, as Kian stayed silent the entire time. They both already knew the police would be useless. Malak’s assailant wasn’t from this world, and who knew what powers he or she had.

“Have a nice day,” the police officers nodded at Malak, then at Kian before leaving the room.

Alone, the couple relaxed. Although they had nothing to hide, Malak didn’t like the feeling of being interrogated. The police officers kept asking the same questions over and over. Therefore, Malak kept repeating himself until the police officers were satisfied. It was as if he was the one who committed the crime. As for Kian, it was the same process, and he despised it. Unless he wanted to raise suspicions, he had to comply.

The police also talked to the witness and took photographs of the accident. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find a usable picture or video with the plate number or the driver. They only had the colour and model of the car. They were useless. The assailant already covered his tracks.

“To commit the act and disappear so swiftly needs careful planning,” Kian commented while rubbing his chin. “Who else knew about your plans for that day?”

After thinking for a moment, Malak answered. “Katie, Enrico, Lesley, and my parents.”

“That’s all?”

“Are you suspecting one of them?” Malak asked in disbelief.

“You can’t ever be too careful.”

“Why now? I have known them for so long, they would have had multiple chances already.”

“It must be because we met. Before that, there was no reason to harm you,” Kian first answered. “Maybe I’m overthinking it,” he added after a moment of silence. However, the idea of a spy wasn’t too far stretched.

The nurse assigned to Micah knocked on his bedroom door a moment later. The couple stopped talking and turned to face the woman who entered the room. She had a professional smile plastered on her face.

“How are we feeling today?” she asked politely as she checked on the machines hooked to Malak’s arm. “Do you feel any pain or discomfort?”

“I’m a bit sore,” Malak answered before stretching the best he could. “And stiff.”

“It’s still too soon for you to walk. But the wounds are healing well. It won’t be long before you can walk around.”

“The pain isn’t as unbearable now. Do I still need to take these pills?” Malak whined as the nurse handed him a small paper cup with different coloured pills.

“Yes, you have to,” she answered before filling up another paper cup with fresh water.

Malak poured the pills into his mouth before grabbing the cup of water. The moisture helped him swallow the multiple pills. He pulled a face as the bitterness invaded his mouth.

“I need to do the daily check-up if you would please leave the room for thirty minutes,” she ordered with the same smile stretching her cheeks.

Already being defeated by the nurse, Kian stood up and kissed Malak’s head before walking out of the room. She quickly closed the door behind him as she started her routine with Micah. Anyone watching the scene would associate them with a puppeteer and his puppet. Malak limply laid on the reclined bed as the nurse moved his arms or any other part of his body as she wished.

Having nothing much to do, Kian decided to buy lunch for the both of them. Ever since the nurse approved Micah’s request about his meals, Kian had been travelling around town searching for his lover’s craving requests. One day, he bought extra spicy tteokbokki with fish cakes, the following day, he hunted for a dish named tajine. Today, Malak didn’t ask for anything yet, but he went hunting early. He checked multiple places online before travelling to the restaurant of his choice. He couldn’t go wrong with a spicy dish.

Back at the hospital with two boxes of delicious-smelling food, Kian made his way toward Malak’s room. He didn’t put a step in yet, and he heard his lover’s voice.

“Spicy fried chicken wings!” Malak exclaimed with excitement.

Kian smiled and raised the white bag of food. “Food is the only thing here that beats our world.”

“Agreed, now hurry,” Malak added as he helped Kian unpack.

After opening the first one, he immediately pushed it away before grabbing the second one. He hummed when the spiciness hit his nostrils, and didn’t wait any longer before digging in. Kian grabbed the non-spicy Korean fried chicken and sat down to enjoy his meal.

“Is it good?”

“Yes,” Malak nodded enthusiastically as he grabbed his second wing.

They ate in comfortable silence. Kian enjoyed watching Malak eat so enthusiastically. It was a change from the sour look he had in front of hospital food. Halfway through the meal, Kian finally noticed the flowers.

“Someone sent flowers?”

“The florist delivered not long before you arrived,” Malak answered in between bites. “They’re pretty.”

“The florist?” Kian frowned and put the box of food on the table. “Who is it from?”

“I didn’t ask,” Malak answered as he realized his mistake. “It isn’t…”

Kian got closer to the gift and started examining it. After confirming the flowers themselves weren’t tainted with poison or magic, he let out a sigh of relief. Then he started fiddling around. He searched the gift carefully until he found a small card tucked deep in the flower bouquet. Carefully, he took the card out. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about the object. It was a normal card in the same format as a business card. There were a few words written on it.

“I wish you a rapid recovery. I hope your family shares your luck,” Kian read.

The temperature of the room drastically dropped, and Malak’s complexion matched the colour of the walls defining his room. His fried chicken was long forgotten as he was trying to recover from the threat.

“Who’s doing this?” Malak mumbled as his hair covered his eyes. He clenched his hands that were resting on his lap.

“I suspect the Society of the Silver Light,” Kian answered sombrely. “They are the same group of humans…” he gritted his teeth and fingers into a fist. “They were the ones who killed you.”

There was a moment of silence where none of them made a sound. While Kian watched his lover, Malak was trembling with anger, fear, and sadness. All the different emotions created a tornado raging in his chest.

“It’s revenge isn’t it?” Malak’s voice trembled.

“You can say that,” Kian sighed before sitting down next to his lover. “They are a group of humans that united after their empires were pushed into a small territory on the far right between the Eastokya Dynasty and Alhuriya Empire. The Society of the Silver Light believes in human supremacy. Today, they are everywhere trying to reach their goal,” he let the information sink in. “When I married you, they had hoped to overthrow me and take my Kingdom as theirs.”

“But I wasn’t human for long, which ruined their plans,” Malak completed Kian’s explanation.

Kian nodded. “Somehow, they must have known you were reincarnated, or they followed me here. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself,” Malak gently grabbed Kian’s hand in his. “Also, you never apologize as the King of the mighty Bazahian Kingdom. Isn’t it something you taught me?”

Kian squeezed Malak’s hand as approval, and pride filled his chest. “Yes, but you’re the exception. I only bow to you.”

“Thank you.”

The couple leaned toward each other for a kiss. When their lips touched, Malak forgot about everything else. Kian was the only one who mattered and deep down, he also had his answer. He only didn’t want to admit it. He couldn’t stay here anymore, although he wished for it. Their mere presence is a threat to Malak’s loved ones. This was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

“Kian,” Malak called after their lips parted.

“What is it?” he asked with a frown.

Gently, Malak traced them with his finger. “I think the time has come.”

Kian’s heartbeat skipped a beat. He had been waiting for this moment ever since they met at the bar. However, he waited until Malak was ready to go back with him. He couldn’t let the joy cloud his judgment.

“Are you sure?”

“We can’t stay here anymore. If… If we go, will they follow?”

“They will,” Kian answered with certainty.

“I love them,” tears stained Malak’s hazel eyes. “And leaving them is hard,” his voice cracked. “But it must be done. We need to leave.”

Kian wiped the single tear gliding down Malak’s cheek.

“I’ll never see them again,” Malak sniffed. “And neither will they. Please, make them forget about me. Erase my existence from this world.”