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Mydei has always been… distant.
Perhaps from the moment you crash landed on Amphoreus with Caelus and Dan Heng, getting to know the aloof Crown Prince of Kremnos was a doomed effort. Despite Phainon and the other Chrysos Heirs warming up to you over time, Mydeimos always seemed to keep you at arm’s length, often referring to you and the other Nameless as “outlanders.” You weren't entirely confident that he even remembered what your name was.
You couldn’t blame him though. After all, he and the other Chrysos Heirs carried a heavy burden in the form of the Flame Chase. Plus, considering everything you’d learned—how Amphoreus’s warring city-states tore each other apart, its history of political subterfuge, and total isolation from the rest of the stars for who knows how long—the fact that any of the Chrysos Heirs befriended you at all seemed nothing short of a miracle.
Since you first started helping the Flame Chase, you had come to understand how deeply the Black Tide ravaged Amphoreus and its people. It was relentless, slowly but surely destroying everything in its wake until Okhema was the last safe haven left. You had seen its devastation with your own eyes and understood why the Chrysos Heirs fought so fiercely. So when a quick favor for Aglaea led to you meeting an elderly man named Soctires who then asked you to help render aid to civilian refugees in the Abyss near Janusopolis ruins, you were more than willing to oblige.
And it seemed you had arrived just in time.
A swarm of Titankin had ambushed the refugee’s makeshift camp, managing to destroy what little supplies they had and nearly kill several scared refugees before you fought them off. Despite your strength, you had admittedly taken quite a beating, but thankfully, you managed to prevent any casualties.
The chill of the Evernight air prickled against your skin, easily seeping into the impromptu shelters the refugees had made. Food was sparse, and they had long since run out of medical supplies. After all, it hadn’t been the first time they had run into the Titankin. The Abyss was truly no place for anyone to live—a far cry indeed from the luxurious warmth and safety of Okhema.
“Palaten,” you called over your shoulder, “Do we have any more blankets?”
The young scholar Palaten, who you learned was Soctires’s apprentice, rummaged through a few crates before his face fell. He shook his head. “No, I think that’s all we have…”
You sighed but gave him a reassuring look. “No worries! I’ll message Caelus and Dan Heng to see if they can bring a few extra. Hopefully they won’t be too much longer.”
“Will it hurt?” the little girl in front of you suddenly asked, face dirt streaked and tear stained. There was a sizable laceration on her cheek from a Furiae Archer's arrow, crusted blood staining her tunic. She clutched her mother’s hand beside her, hiding partially behind her skirt.
You kneeled down to meet her at eye level and smiled, “No, it won’t. I promise.”
Gentle light pulsed from your hand as you reached out and healed her—pouring as much of your warmth and energy into the wound as you could muster. Slowly the gash began to stitch itself closed—though not without cost. A bead of sweat slid down your temple, black spots beginning to tug at your vision as your heartbeat pounded like a drum in your ears. Your lungs clawed at you from within your ribcage, desperately trying to take in more air. Exhaustion threatened to swallow you whole. You had been at it for hours now, tending to the many wounded in the camp after the skirmish with the Titankin. It was clear to you that you were at your limit. But the girl—with her wide-eyed, hopeful gaze—felt like the only thing anchoring you to your body. You needed to hold on just a little longer…
“L-Lord Mydeimos?” suddenly came Palaten’s voice from somewhere behind you, faltering slightly in what sounded like disbelief. “You… you’re here.”
When the cut was finally sealed shut, you broke your focus. “There!” you huffed, trying and only somewhat succeeding in hiding your ragged breathing. You put on a triumphant smile for the girl, discreetly wiping the sweat from your forehead. “All done!”
The girl’s mother clasped your hand in gratitude and thanked you profusely, before herding her daughter away. The girl stopped to wave at you before trailing after her.
You turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps. Sure enough, there he was—imposing and poised as usual, the red and gold of his garments and crimson markings almost glowing against the unchanging night sky. What was he doing here? You hadn’t expected him in the slightest. Still, a quiet relief unfurled in your chest as you caught your breath. “Hey, Mydei,” you offered with a tired smile.
Mydei’s sharp gaze swept across the camp—the sick and injured, the makeshift shelters, the evidence of a recent battle nearby—before it came to settle squarely on you. “Aglaea said the Nameless were aiding refugees outside the city,” Mydei said, voice low and composed. “Didn’t expect to find you here alone.”
You stood—a little too quickly. The ground tilted. Your vision swayed for a moment.
Mydei slowly took a single step forward. Not quite enough to reach you, but enough that you felt the shift in his attention, the weight of his gaze narrowing. Golden eyes flickered over you, quickly absorbing every detail with a seasoned warrior’s precision. The slight tremble in your breath. The effort behind your weary but sincere smile. An incompletely healed gash in your side, still oozing blood if you moved the wrong way. A bit odd—such an injury wouldn't typically be an issue for someone with your healing capabilities. A whisper of a frown crossed his otherwise impassive face as the pieces began to line up in his mind. He had seen you fight alongside himself and Phainon before. You could certainly do some damage, and you had pretty decent healing skills to boot. Given the circumstances, you had clearly fought some Titankin on your own before spending whatever strength you had left healing others, de-prioritizing your own injury, he surmised.
“Where are your companions?” he finally asked.
You steadied yourself on your feet, “Caelus and Dan Heng are in Marmoreal Market buying supplies. I came ahead. These people needed someone now.”
A beat passed. Then another.
Mydei crossed his arms, brow furrowing in disapproval. “...You shouldn’t have come alone.”
You sighed. “Maybe.” Taking a quick look around and not seeing anything requiring your immediate attention, you brushed past Mydei to sit down on the worn stone floor, back resting on a nearby slab of broken rock. Mercifully, your lightheadedness slowly began to subside. “...But I am glad I got here when I did.”
“Hm.”
The steady heat of a nearby brazier offered some warmth, but it was not enough to chase the exhaustion from your bones. Silence stretched between the two of you—though not uncomfortable—tempered only by the hum of refugees’ conversations and the faint sound of a kettle over a small, crackling fire. Mydei stood a short distance away from you, arms folded, eyes scanning the darkness beyond the firelight. The statue of Kephale the Worldbearing Titan glowed steadily in the horizon, a sharp contrast to the ink blue evening sky. In spite of everything, it was quite beautiful out tonight.
“They’re afraid you know,” Mydei finally said, “the citizens of Okhema. It won’t be easy integrating more outlanders into the city.”
As much as you wished you could disagree, you knew he was right. Tension between refugees and Okhemans was reaching a boiling point, with a few disturbances flaring up within the city. Aglaea had even personally asked for your help with it. You let out a breath, “I know. Fear is a hard thing to untangle.” You hesitated slightly, then added more gently, “...But so is fighting the Black Tide. It seems like it has cost you a lot—you and all of the Chrysos Heirs.”
Mydei said nothing, but his gaze shifted towards you. Subtle. Careful. Considering your words.
You settled in your seat, speaking your mind a little more freely this time. “These people are really suffering..." you murmured, maybe more to yourself than to him. How long had it been since the Black Tide appeared? How deeply did it stretch its roots into Amphoreus's history? How helpless did the people feel as they watched it slowly engulf their entire home world—everything they knew and loved teetering on the edge of destruction...? It just seemed too cruel. While it was true you had learned a lot during your time on Amphoreus so far, in reality, you were barely scratching the surface.
You let out another sigh and shook your head, idly fidgeting with your Astral Express badge. It was sleek and cool under your fingers, the worn grooves of its insignia offering you a sense of familiar comfort. Your mind drifted to the other worlds you encountered. "...I don’t have all the answers,” you continued thoughtfully, “but I do know I need to do whatever I can—no matter who they are or where they came from.”
Mydei was quiet for a moment. When you finally looked up at him, you caught a flicker of something you couldn’t quite pinpoint briefly flash across his face, eyes like molten lava. Surprise? Recognition? Admiration? He looked away.
Eventually he broke the silence again, “You need to sleep.”
A soft laugh bubbled across your lips at the abrupt change in topic. “It’s okay, I'm fine.”
He shot you a deadpan, unamused look before strolling past you, his vigilant eyes sweeping beyond the camp. “I’ll keep watch until your companions return.”
“It’s alright, you don’t have to—”
Mydei interrupted you by suddenly saying your name, an implicit demand of your full attention. You prickled, startled by how fluidly and effortlessly it fell from his mouth, completely caught off guard.
With a firm tone that carried a surprising gentleness you hadn't known he was capable of, the Crown Prince of Kremnos gave you what sounded more like a royal command than a friendly suggestion:
“Sleep.”
Despite your intent to stay alert anyway, your protests withered behind your tongue and the heaviness in your limbs overcame you.
Your eyes eventually fluttered closed.
—
The distant sound of familiar voices steadily brought you back to consciousness. A cozy, enveloping warmth clung to your body, and for a moment you simply laid there, eyes still closed, letting your mind catch up to the rest of the world. You found yourself laying by a small fire, its glow gentle and subdued, with a blanket draped over your body. Your bones still ached, but the raw, serrated edge of your fatigue had dulled. You blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the light. You sat up, the perpetual night sky not giving you any clues as to how much time had passed. How long had you been asleep? A few minutes? Hours?
“Oh you're up." Caelus greeted from nearby. "Good morning, sunshine!” A relieved smile tugged at his mouth. He was crouched beside the fire, stirring something in a pot. “Dan Heng said to let you rest, but you’ve been out for a while.”
Dan Heng, who was sitting on a fallen stone pillar just a few paces away, gave you a small nod. “You needed the sleep.”
“Mem-mem~!” Mem chimed at you.
“How is everyone?” you asked, voice still heavy from sleep.
“Good,” Caelus chirped. “We managed to snag a pretty sweet deal on some food at the Marmoreal Market!”
Dan Heng gave him a blank look. “I’m…not sure I’d consider that a ‘sweet deal.’” You briefly wondered what sort of hoops the two of them had to jump through in order to get so much food, but before you could ask, Dan Heng turned to you. “We didn’t expect to find Mydei here too. He said you had worn yourself out. He left not too long afterwards.”
”Ah. I see...”
You took a quick look around. A few crates full of food and supplies were scattered across the camp, refugees gratefully eating what was likely their first full meal in a while. The mood was noticeably lighter—people laughing over warm fires, children playing. But of course, Mydei was nowhere to be seen.
“He came back to check on you a while ago though,” Caelus added. “Didn’t say much but brought that for you.” He gestured towards something at your side.
Wait, what? 'Came back'?
It was then that the small unassuming bundle neatly wrapped in red cloth caught your attention. “Oh? What is it?”
“You should open it,” suggested Dan Heng.
Taking it into your lap, you took a moment to inspect the mysterious package. The red fabric felt smooth in your hands, finely spun, with gold Kremnoan motifs detailed along its borders. You tugged at the knot tying it together and the cloth fell open to reveal its contents: Three loaves of bread—rather distinctive in appearance and not resembling any of the bread you had seen at the market stalls or in the Marmoreal Palace. They were still warm, the crust intricately, beautifully scored, masterfully baked to a perfect golden-brown hue and mingled with a faint scent of honey. Alongside them was a full flask of juice—pomegranate, if the fragrance was anything to go by.
Exhaling quietly, you felt a little of the night’s weight slip from your shoulders, a sense of fondness blooming from within your chest. A soft smile crept onto your face.
You felt the distance between you and Mydei close, just a bit.
Maybe he wasn’t so far away after all.