Without a second thought, Kaiser closed the gap between them. His lips met hers—a sudden surge of heat sparking between them. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, her soft body pressing against his chest. Shizuka froze for a moment, her breath hitching at the unexpected kiss.

At first, she remained still, caught in disbelief. Then, slowly, Kaiser felt her response. Her lips softened under his, her hesitation melting away as she returned the kiss. Her fingers curled into his shirt, as if she were unsure whether to hold on or push him away.

Encouraged by the slight reciprocation, Kaiser’s hands gently pressed against her shoulders, guiding her back onto the bed. Shizuka’s body tensed as her back met the soft mattress, and for a moment, it seemed like she might stop him. But she didn’t—her lips still moved with his, her breath shallow as the heat between them grew.

Then, the primal instinct of the Dirvah bled through his rigid control. Kaiser leaned into her, his hand moving to the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss.

The moment the intimacy escalated, Shizuka’s entire body froze. The cold, calculating Viceroy shattered. She gasped sharply against his mouth, her eyes flying wide in pure, unfiltered panic. Her hands shot up, slamming against his chest, and she shoved him back with a sudden, violent burst of Chrononfi that sent Kaiser sliding halfway across the mattress.

Kaiser caught his balance, his heart pounding. The heavy, suffocating fog of his own arousal evaporated instantly.

Shizuka lay pressed against the headboard, her chest heaving. Her hands flew to her lips, trembling violently. The intricate clockwork halo above her head was spinning wildly out of control, sparking with erratic flashes of emerald light.

“W-what do you think you’re doing?” she stammered, her voice pitching up in genuine shock. She scrambled off the bed, stumbling slightly as she backed toward the door, her fingers desperately clutching the collar of her sleep-robe. “I’m the Viceroy! You c-can’t just—”

“You asked me to,” Kaiser said, his voice rough, trying to quickly untangle the massive political mistake he had just made. “To test the vision.”

Shizuka’s face burned a furious, scarlet red. She couldn't even meet his gaze. “I… I didn’t actually think you would—”

Before she could finish the sentence, she turned on her heel and practically fled the room. The heavy oak door slammed shut behind her, leaving Kaiser alone in the stifling silence.

Kaiser exhaled a long, shaking breath, burying his face in his hands. He had let the heat of the moment override his judgment. But as his pulse finally began to slow, a cold realization settled into his bones.

There was no vision. No headache. No apocalyptic seizure.

The universe hadn't punished them for the kiss. Which meant the deadly curse hanging over his bloodline wasn't a blanket rule for all Enfas. It was specific. It only triggered with Sapphire.

With that, Kaiser stood, feeling lighter, a slight sense of victory settling into his chest at the discovery.

He sat there after Shizuka left, feeling the quiet return. His lips still tingled, but his thoughts soon drifted to something else. His eyes wandered across the room, taking in the grand decor, until they landed on a small diary resting on a counter.

At first, he didn’t think much of it. It was personal, and he had no intention of invading her privacy. But as he looked closer, a small object tucked between the pages caught his eye. Curiosity took over, and despite his better judgment, he stood and approached the counter. He reached out and gently slid the object free.

A feather. Crimson red, glowing faintly with the energy of Bionfi. The feather of the Blood Phoenix.

Kaiser’s brow furrowed. How did she get this? He turned it over in his hand, feeling the familiar pulse of life within it. There was no mistaking it—this was his, something that should never have left the Xavier grounds. His mind raced for answers, but nothing made sense.

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it just yet. He carefully placed the feather back in the diary, intending to respect her privacy and leave it as he found it. But something else stopped him when he opened the cabinet to put it away.

Newspapers. Pictures. Documents. All about him.

Kaiser blinked, his pulse quickening as he sifted through the material. Articles about his ascension to the Blood Phoenix. Photos of him at various public events, even from moments he didn’t remember being photographed. There were detailed notes and letters—some with markings he recognized from the Aizawa royal seal. It was an entire archive, meticulously kept and all centered around him.

A strange sensation crept through him—not quite fear, but a mixture of surprise and unease. She’s been watching me for a long time, he realized, staring at the evidence in front of him.

Everything started clicking into sickening, terrifying place. The unusually warm reception. The insistence on private, intimate meetings. The way she had looked at him on the bed—not as a political equal, but as a gift she had been waiting years to receive.

This wasn't just the Aizawa intelligence network doing background checks. This was an obsession.

A cold shiver snaked down Kaiser's spine. Shizuka Aizawa—the seventeen-year-old monarch who controlled the flow of time itself—had built a shrine to him. Was the 'test' of the prophecy even real, or was it just a fabricated excuse to get his lips on hers?

He stepped back from the cabinet, carefully closing the door to leave everything exactly as he found it. The political board had just violently tilted beneath his feet. He he was walking a razor-thin tightrope with a fanatic who had the power to rewind his actions.

He couldn't afford to anger her, but he couldn't afford to let her think she owned him, either. He had to play this perfectly.

The door burst open, and Sakuya stormed into the room. Her eyes flared with anger as they locked onto Kaiser. “What did you do to Lady Shizuka?” she demanded, her voice trembling with fury.

Kaiser leaned back with an incredulous chuckle. “Only what she wanted,” he replied calmly.

Sakuya’s expression hardened. In one seamless, lethal motion, she drew a concealed blade from beneath her apron, the cold steel stopping a fraction of an inch from Kaiser’s throat. “I don’t believe you,” she hissed, her pink eyes burning with protective fury.

Kaiser didn't flinch. He didn't summon his own Bionfi, nor did he lean away from the steel. He simply looked down at the blade, then back up to the Guardian's furious eyes.

“You know what happens if you cut my throat, Sakuya,” Kaiser said, his voice a low, calm rumble. “I bleed. I heal. And the alliance between our nations shatters. Is that what Shizuka wants?”

Sakuya’s jaw clenched. The blade trembled slightly in her grip, warring between her fierce protective instincts and her duty to the Viceroy's political goals. After a tense, suffocating moment, she lowered the weapon, though her glare remained lethal.

“You are a plague on her mind, Dirvah,” she muttered bitterly.

“Tell the Viceroy I apologize if I crossed a line,” Kaiser said, slowly stepping past her toward the heavy oak door. “I am here to stop a war, Guardian. Nothing else. Tell her I will see her tomorrow for the next memory dive.”

Without waiting for a response, Kaiser let himself out into the cool, empty hallway, the oppressive weight of the Aizawa estate settling heavily onto his shoulders.

The next day came, but it had barely felt like one for Kaiser. He and Kerisa had spent the entire night wandering around Hisakizora, exploring every inch of the seven districts. The Rogue District had been particularly thrilling—Kerisa had laughed like he hadn’t seen in ages, carefree as they indulged in street food and rode the Trionfi-powered ship above the city. They’d marveled at the Mystic District's ancient temples and even the Primordial District's ruins.

By the time they made it through all seven districts, it was well past dawn, and they hadn’t slept at all. Still, Kaiser didn’t regret it. Seeing Kerisa relax, her wild spirit shining again after everything made the exhaustion worth it.

They returned to their quarters just as the sun was rising. Kerisa had already collapsed into bed, her chest rising and falling with soft, steady breaths. Kaiser had planned to do the same, but his body was heavy and fatigued.

But just as he was about to lie beside her, a sharp knock echoed through his room.

Kaiser groaned, dragging himself upright again as he opened the door. A maid stood there, bowing politely.

“Sir Xavier, Lady Aizawa requests your presence. She would like to continue the Tea n’ Time sessions.”

Kaiser rubbed his eyes, exhausted beyond belief, but he knew better than to turn down this opportunity. He straightened himself, nodding at the maid. “Tell her I’m on my way.”

As the maid left, Kaiser exhaled deeply, steeling himself.

Eventually, he stepped out of his quarters. The morning sun was still low on the horizon. The maid had prepared the car to take him to the Gearshift District. He opened the door and slid into the leather seat. Inside, Shizuka was already waiting. The delicate Enfa markings across her pale skin shimmered softly. Her kimono was as elaborate as ever, its folds rich with embroidered detail.

For a moment, Kaiser’s gaze flickered down to her lips, chuckling at the memory of what happened the other night, but he forced himself to look back up, offering her a slight nod.

“Morning,” Shizuka greeted softly, her voice carrying the usual sweetness.

“Morning,” Kaiser replied, his voice rough from lack of sleep. He was used to these silences, but after their last encounter, it felt different.

They sat there; the hum of the car’s engine was the only sound between them as it drove through the streets. Kaiser could feel Shizuka’s eyes on him, her gaze occasionally drifting his way, but neither spoke. He wasn’t sure if it was her embarrassment or his exhaustion, but every second in the enclosed space felt heavier—like they were both waiting for the other to break the silence.

The car stopped gently as they arrived at the Gearshift District. Kaiser glanced out the window: towering factories belched steam into the air, their tall smokestacks standing against the mechanical skyline. Massive gears turned endlessly, clanking barely audible over the engine’s hum.

In the distance, sprawling workshops filled the landscape, artisans and engineers hard at work crafting fantastical devices. These weren’t just mundane tools—every invention and mechanism thrummed with Trionfi, each glowing with the subtle power that fused Trionfi with technology. Overhead, dirigibles floated while clockwork constructs marched diligently along the sidewalks, performing their assigned tasks.

“This place is even better in the day,” Kaiser muttered, his gaze following the drifting airships. It felt both nostalgic and strange—the district had always been a symbol of innovation, yet it was forever trapped under the weight of the Concordance. All these marvels, all this potential, limited by the worldwide law that banned much of their use. Only the wealthy or influential could afford these rare creations; even then, they were mere remnants of what could have been.

Shizuka tilted her head. “It took a lot of convincing to keep this after the Concordance of Terrarium. Fortunately, the other nations accepted this place as more of a ‘museum’ rather than an actual city.”

Kaiser smiled. “That’s good. If anybody is curious about the beginnings of Triotechnology, they can always come here—a living reminder of what we had, but also what started to slowly kill Trionfi.”

The car doors opened, releasing a gust of cool, steam-scented air. Kaiser stepped out, stretching his limbs.

“So, what’s today’s Tea n’ Time going to be?” Kaiser asked, his tone halfway between amusement and curiosity.

Shizuka stepped out beside him. “We’re going to another hot spring,” she said with a light tone. “I still think it’s the best place to drink Moon Tears.”

Kaiser raised his eyebrows. “Another one, huh?”

“You’ll see,” Shizuka replied, unfazed. She started down the street, leaving him to follow.

They moved through the bustling Gearshift District, weaving past clockwork constructs and steam-powered machines. The sounds of gears and hissing steam surrounded them as they made their way to a skyline dock. There, anchored and ready for departure, was a massive dirigible, its metallic hull gleaming in the morning light.

Kaiser glanced up, his tired eyes narrowing. “A hot spring on an airship?”

Shizuka grinned. “Sky Bathhouse. Old Gearshift invention.”

Kaiser chuckled, shaking his head. “Figures.”

They boarded, and the dirigible lifted into the sky, the city shrinking below them. Steam hissed from the vents as they ascended higher, and soon the mechanical landscape of the district faded into the clouds.

At the top of the airship, they found the hot spring. The water shimmered faintly, reflecting the gears and pipes that surrounded it. Steam rose from its surface, the faint, iridescent glow of Trionfi just below.

Kaiser paused, glancing around. “This is… kind of cool.”

“Told you.” Shizuka’s grin widened.

Eventually, they settled inside the water and resumed their session, sinking into the next memory. A memory that Kaiser would have never been prepared for.