The moment when Yuder Aile first manifested his second gender happened unexpectedly while he was in his office, engaged in his usual reporting routine.

He could not recall exactly what he was discussing at that time. It was likely the usual banter about the day's training, fitting for a Deputy Commander well into his cups.

That day, Kishiar looked utterly exhausted, as if he had been up for several nights. Despite his fatigue, he insisted on finishing all his duties before resting, which irritated Yuder. Only later would Yuder realize that this was due to Kishiar nearing his heat. Nonetheless, it was a day like any other.

Until that event occurred.

'Why the sudden change?'

Kishiar, with a puzzled look on his face, asked Yuder who had abruptly stopped speaking mid-sentence. However, Yuder couldn't respond. By the time he had sensed something was wrong and risen to his feet, an overwhelming storm had already started enveloping his body.

'Something feels...wrong. My body...'

As Yuder collapsed, a disoriented Kishiar managed to catch him. While his actions were kind, in hindsight, it was the worst response.

The moment they made contact, the balance Yuder was barely maintaining shattered. An immense collision occurred within an invisible space.

Yuder felt as if something was breaking violently within him. All that remained in the wake of the pain swirling around him like a storm, mingled with the fragments of what had broken, was a heat so intense that it felt as though his entire body would turn to ash.

Had there been even a slight moment to resist the power overwhelming his body or to gather his thoughts, perhaps things could have changed. But such a moment was never given. Only then did Yuder realize how easily the physical could transcend the limits of reason and enter a realm where control was impossible.

And then, it was over.

He managed to regain consciousness a few times. But that was it. Yuder sunk endlessly into a daze, devoid of reason and cognition. The only thing he could do was cling desperately to what he perceived as a lifeline.

Terrifying pain. Vicious pleasure.

Fear of everything forcibly merging, knotted together like a jumbled patchwork of rags.

Just when he thought he had reached the limit, a deeper abyss opened below.

All traces of the human Yuder Aile were crushed and melted away, replaced by something foreign. No matter how fiercely he struggled, bit, or flailed, he couldn't escape this invasion. Against this novel assault, he was utterly powerless.

After melting and merging, when his consciousness finally reawakened, a week had passed since the manifestation began.

'I'm sorry.'

Kishiar, who had awakened before him and had been by his side all this time, muttered with a devastated look on his face.

'It's not your fault.'

While his mind couldn't understand why Kishiar was apologizing, his heart flared up with intense pain.

It was merely a case of unfortunate timing. His first heat had coincided with the onset of the second gender manifestation, with an Alpha Awakener on the verge of his heat present. Regardless of what had transpired, he didn't die, and his abilities were not impaired, so it was all right. Such thoughts should have put an end to the matter, but he could no longer accept this reality as cleanly as he used to.

Every sense of sight, sound, and touch felt strangely different, as if the very process of perception and cognition had been altered. This bizarre feeling was unbearably discomforting.

This sensation was evidence of a change that couldn't be reversed.

Since that day, Yuder could no longer treat Kishiar as he once had. It was a fact that was strange and occasionally, regrettable. And just as Yuder had changed, Kishiar, too, had changed significantly since that day.

Their relationship, emotions, distance, and many other nameless aspects that constituted and supported the two were all stirred up beyond count. The fact that he had become a second gender manifester with no scent, unlike others, was not even surprising in comparison to these changes.

'I'm not sure what happened to us, but I'll try to figure it out. Definitely.'

Definitely. Though he said this, there was no strength in Kishiar's voice. He never managed to reveal the true nature of the peculiar incidents that had occurred between them for a week until he eventually died.

And the same held true for Yuder, who had outlived Kishiar. After manifesting his second gender, he met with lovers who had mixed bodies, and even those who had had children, but none of them said they had experienced the same things. There was no one who could clearly explain what had happened between Kishiar and Yuder...

"..."

Yuder suddenly opened his eyes. His mouth was dry due to pain and heat. His surroundings were so narrow and dark that he could not distinguish between the past and reality he had just been lost in. However, the touch of a small bracelet in his writhing, moving fingers helped him to regain a bit of his senses.

He was still tightly clutching the magic tool bracelet, sitting with his knees up as before. Despite his mind feeling hazy as if submerged in water, his bodily senses were surprisingly sharp and vivid, bringing immense pain whenever he moved even a little, causing an involuntary groan.

Swallowing his labored breath, he stuck out his tongue to moisten his lips, but an unbearable thirst overwhelmed him.

'How much time has passed?'

It was hard to tell time without a window. He couldn't even confirm if there was any sign of movement outside. The pain was too unbearable when he tried to move his gaze slightly, so Yuder quickly closed his eyes again.

According to the memories from his previous life, the heat came as soon as the pain ended. He didn't know if it would be the same this time, but all he wanted was for it to end quickly. Even the sensation of sweat trickling down his forehead was painful enough to make his hands tremble.

'Soon, quickly.'

Repeating the same words over and over, he was suddenly hit by a strange realization. Thinking back, he remembered spending his time in a similar way when he was locked up in the imperial prison, facing death in his previous life.

After the torture ended and he was thrown back into prison, there was nothing else to do but to blankly let the flow of pain pass, making it a rather unamusing time.

Remembering that era, which was now a blurred memory, Yuder lost consciousness again. Suddenly, he woke up to a perceived presence.

The door was clearly shut, and his ears couldn't hear any sound. However, he could strangely perceive very clearly that someone was approaching from far away.

He had thought it a mistake, but it was not. Each time the slow but sure presence came closer from beyond the invisible wall, his breath quickened, and his body trembled. Yuder struggled to move within the agony, strengthening the grip on the bracelet he held.

And finally, when he sensed that the presence had drawn near, he exerted his strength and shattered the second crystal.

Crack.

A shield formed as the stone shattered from his fingertips. Simultaneously, a door silently opened, and a thin stream of light flowed in.

"..."

His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, experienced a sharp pain. Yuder, shielding his eyes from the light, was unable to recognize who was standing in the doorway. All he wished was for the person to remain oblivious to him and leave quickly.

However, as his vision gradually adjusted and the figure of his opponent began to take shape, and when it became clear enough to recognize the face,

All thoughts in his head came to a sudden halt and vanished.

Kishiar, supporting himself with an arm on the door frame, gazed down at him with serene eyes, dressed in disheveled formal attire. Even though he had put up a shield and should have been invisible, Yuder felt a piercing sensation as if his limbs were skewered under Kishiar's red gaze, and he let out a low groan.

It was unbelievable. How could he be here?

'Kishiar.'

His lips, which had unknowingly almost called the name, closed in silence, mixed with memories of the past.

In the silence, Kishiar's gaze slowly swept the narrow space, then focused on Yuder. A long sigh flowed over his expressionless face.

"...So you're there."

"..."

"The scent was seeping all the way out here. Judging by how much I struggled, it seems like you have manifested as an Omega."

Kishiar, who had been speaking slowly, suddenly tightened his grip on the door frame and then loosened it.

"You wouldn't know how many thoughts came to me on my way here. If something big had happened... if someone had found you before me and took you away... It's been a long time since I've had such a dizzying experience."

The moment he took his hand off the door frame and took a slow step forward, Yuder shattered the third stone in response to the slowly fading shield. As a new shield appeared over the one that was about to disappear, Kishiar furrowed his eyebrows and looked around.

"I see magic moving... Did you bring a magic tool? If so, it's for hiding. I have a rough idea where you got it, though"

He took another step closer. As his body completely detached from the door frame, the door automatically closed, blocking out all light again. Yuder's body stiffened as it shivered reflexively.

'No.'

Wasn't it to avoid being alone with Alpha Kishiar in this situation that he had been trying so hard? Nightmarish memories flooded back in an instant, and the pain he had barely suppressed suddenly intensified. Yuder instinctively tried to retreat from Kishiar, but there was no more room to back up, already leaning against the wall.

"Are you listening?"

When Kishiar asked with a slightly strained expression, Yuder shattered the fourth stone.

"Even though you seem to be hiding from the eyes of others, this place is not safe. You need to release the invisibility to leave."

"..."

Kishiar, who had finally approached within a few steps, slowly extended his hand. However, his hand was halted in mid-air, unable to penetrate the shield. After palpating the solid barrier and chuckling as if amazed, Kishiar took several deep breaths and slowly sank to one knee.

"Please, Yuder."