Chapter 28 - KAI

Kai shut the door behind them with a soft click, letting the muted hum of the submarine's engines fill the quiet that followed. He took a moment to take in the room, its elegance more befitting a luxury yacht than a military vessel. The walls shimmered with aquatic hues of blue and green, backlit to mimic sunlight filtering through water. A domed ceiling displayed a projected view of marine life swimming lazily above, giving the illusion that they were submerged within the ocean itself. In the center of the room was a circular glass table, its surface etched with swirling patterns reminiscent of ocean currents. A long, plush lounge chair, upholstered in a soft pearlescent fabric, dominated one side of the room.

"This submarine has no business being this luxurious," Kai remarked, his tone light but genuine.

Bayu hummed thoughtfully as he slid into the lounge chair, his movements fluid and unhurried. He tucked one leg beneath him and rested his arm along the backrest, his relaxed posture oddly regal. Isaac was always calling him a prince, and in moments like these, Kai could see it. With his tousled hair, calm demeanor, and a faintly amused expression, Bayu looked like a boy-king waiting for someone to present him with a plate of perfectly chilled grapes.

"What's this all about, then?" Bayu asked, a grin playing on his lips. His voice carried a note of teasing, but his eyes were curious.

Kai dropped into the chair beside him, his body sagging with exhaustion. He reached out to ruffle Bayu's locks, earning a half-hearted swat in return. "I wanted to give Isaac and Tomoya a chance to talk things out," Kai said. He leaned back, closing his eyes for a brief moment. The tension of the past few weeks pressed heavy on his shoulders, and he longed for a reprieve he knew wasn't coming anytime soon. "Things have been... intense lately."

Bayu's smile faded, and his gaze turned distant. Kai didn't have to guess what he was thinking about—Jabari's funeral was still fresh in all their minds.

"That's one way of putting it," Bayu said softly, placing a steady hand on Kai's shoulder. His touch was grounding, a quiet reassurance in the sea of chaos they had been navigating. "You don't blame yourself, do you? For everything that's happened? That—" Bayu paused, clearly searching for the perfect insult. "—that scheming bastard Lukas is always pressuring you. You better not be internalising any of that, Kai. Everything that's happened is not your fault. You're doing the best you can."

Kai swallowed hard, his throat tightening. He wanted so badly to believe Bayu's words, but the weight of his failures loomed large in his mind. Every misstep, every loss—they all felt like his responsibility. He blinked quickly, forcing the sting of unshed tears away, and steadied his hands on his knees.

"I actually wanted to say thank you, Bayu," Kai said, his voice quieter than he intended.

Bayu's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What for?"

"For this whole idea—going to Ondale Reef and getting the Tidewater Pearl. I never would've thought of doing that. In fact, you come up with so many incredible ideas." Kai's gaze dropped to his hands, calloused from years of working the soil. "Sometimes I think the squad would be better off with you leading. You're a noble, probably went to world-class schools. You've got knowledge and intellect in spades. Me? I'm just a bumbling farmer who used to grow broccoli with his dragonfire."

Bayu leaned his head against Kai's shoulder, his quiet presence both comforting and humbling. He traced his gaze along the shimmering walls and the soft glow of the ceiling, his voice gentle when he finally spoke. "You give me the courage to carry them out, Kai."

Kai felt his breath hitch, his chest tightening at the unexpected sincerity in Bayu's words. He was about to respond when Bayu suddenly perked up, shifting to face him fully with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You know," Bayu said, "you keep saying you can make food from dragonfire. Prove it. Make me some fruit right now."

Kai chuckled, though the request caught him off guard. "It's been a while," he admitted. "I'm not even sure if I remember how."

But he closed his eyes, reaching deep into the well of power within him. The heat of dragonfire coiled in his chest, familiar yet foreign after so long. He exhaled carefully, releasing a gentle plume of flame into his cupped hands. When he opened them, a bright pink dragonfruit rested in his palms, its leathery skin streaked with green and white.

Bayu watched the process with wide-eyed wonder, his usual composed expression slipping into something almost childlike. "Wow," he whispered as Kai split the fruit in half, revealing its speckled flesh.

Kai held out a piece, expecting Bayu to take it from his hand. Instead, Bayu leaned in, his lips brushing against Kai's fingers as he bit into the fruit. The juice dripped down Bayu's chin, and he used his tongue to catch a trail that slid toward the corner of his mouth.

"The juice is good," Bayu murmured, his voice low and almost teasing.

Kai froze as Bayu's tongue darted out again, this time licking a sticky trail from Kai's fingers. His mouth went dry, and he choked on his words, unsure whether to pull back or stay perfectly still. The air between them suddenly felt charged, dangerous in a way Kai wasn't sure he knew how to navigate.

"Don't tell me you want to eat me like Isaac is always saying," Kai joked, his voice shaky but light.

Bayu smirked, his eyes glittering with mischief. "Maybe," he said, his tone playful but laced with something that made Kai's heart stutter. "Anyway..." Bayu continued thoughtfully. "It's been a while since we've bonded."

Kai's stomach gave a sudden, unexpected whirl at Bayu's words. "You... miss it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice casual, though the slight hitch betrayed his surprise. He hadn't expected Bayu to admit something like that so openly, especially with the steady, composed demeanor he usually maintained.

Bayu nodded, the movement slow, deliberate. His brown eyes softened, flickering with the faintest hint of vulnerability that Kai rarely saw. "That time you removed the pulsing headache," Bayu began, "it was... euphoric. I've never felt anything like it before. Everything just—cleared. Like I could finally breathe."

Kai felt his chest tighten at the admission, his hand twitching slightly where it rested on his knee. The bond had always felt overwhelming to him—intense and unpredictable, a connection he didn't fully understand. But hearing Bayu speak of it like this, with such sincerity, made it feel... important. Necessary.

Kai had his suspicions about the the Convergence Trial. It most likely played a role in why he felt so intensely connected to Isaac and Bayu. And then there was Tomoya... Kai had a feeling—or perhaps a suspicion—that even though Tomoya wasn't physically with them on the day they bonded during the Convergence Trial, he had still been present in some way. Tomoya had mentioned being on the airship, in the basement, and Kai remembered them talking about him at the time. Maybe, during the bonding, they had unconsciously thought about Tomoya too—about his mysterious presence, who he was, and why he wasn't with them.

That could explain why Tomoya had lost control and mated with Isaac. Rejecting the bond between them was dangerous—it was meant to be nurtured, not ignored. Kai could feel it in his chest, the glow of the connection that tied him, Isaac, Bayu, and even Tomoya together.

Kai hesitated for only a moment before entwining his fingers with Bayu's. The act felt natural, even though he still wasn't entirely sure how this bond between them worked. There was an unspoken trust in the way Bayu let his hand rest in Kai's, his slender fingers curling slightly, grounding him.

"Do you have a headache?" Kai asked, his voice softer now. He needed to focus, needed to tune himself to whatever Bayu needed.

Bayu shook his head, his chestnut eyes flickering to the ground before meeting Kai's gaze. "No," he admitted, "but my wards... they're still in Falmouth. They're extremely weak."

Kai swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He'd seen firsthand what a collapse of those wards could mean: chaos, destruction, and lives lost. "And Maleko," Kai murmured, his thoughts straying to the new Chief of Elves. The grief in Maleko's eyes still haunted him, the fury barely restrained. Kai had no doubt that Maleko would burn Antigua to ash if he thought it necessary.

He squeezed Bayu's hand, then leaned forward until their foreheads touched. The motion was delicate, almost reverent. Bayu didn't flinch or pull back, simply letting Kai in, and the bond between them—faint, warm, and pulsing—stirred to life.

Kai drew in a deep breath, letting the rhythm of their connection flow through him. It began as a faint hum in his chest, a soft glow that spread outward, threading between them like vines blooming in the dark. He felt Bayu's heartbeat, strong but laced with a subtle tension. The bond wasn't just about sharing power; it was about syncing, aligning their very souls until they resonated as one.

"It's stronger than before," Kai murmured, closing his eyes. "I can feel it."

Bayu groaned softly, and Kai felt the resonance deepen. The bond was intimate in a way he could hardly describe—more than touch, more than proximity. It was like opening the core of yourself and letting another person see everything inside. Vulnerable, raw, but breathtaking.

Kai let the energy bloom between them, pouring his focus into Bayu. He imagined his own strength wrapping around the fragile tendrils of Bayu's wards, reinforcing them, steadying them. But it was more than that. He felt the pull of Bayu's emotions—his lingering fears, his determination, and beneath it all, an ache that made Kai's chest tighten.

Bayu gasped, his grip on Kai's hand tightening as the bond flared. His head tilted back slightly, his face flushing a deep crimson. His breathing became uneven, and a shiver coursed through him. Kai felt it too—the pleasure, the strange, euphoric pulse of energy as their bond crescendoed. It wasn't physical, not entirely, but it was overwhelming, as if every nerve in his body was alive with light.

Bayu's lips parted, a soft sound escaping him as the bond surged, glowing brighter and brighter within them. Kai's own body responded, a heat rising in his chest, filling him with a sensation that was as intoxicating as it was profound. He felt himself unraveling, caught in the tide of their shared connection.

And then, as quickly as it had built, the bond reached its peak, bursting in a cascade of light and warmth that left them both breathless. Bayu slumped against him, his head resting on Kai's shoulder, his body trembling with the aftershocks. Kai's own heart pounded wildly, his cheeks flushed.

He didn't have time to gather himself before the door burst open.

"Do you guys want these jellies?" Isaac's voice rang out, far too loud for the moment that had just transpired. He brandished a packet of glowing snacks above his head, completely oblivious as he strolled into the room with Tomoya trailing behind him. "They taste sort of weird but—OH, OH!" Isaac shrieked, his eyes going wide as he took in the scene. "Are you guys bonding?"

Kai groaned, his head falling back against the chair. "Isaac—"

"You are bonding!" Isaac interrupted, his voice reaching a dramatic pitch. "Oh my gooodness, Bayu's face! You look like you've just—wait, should I leave? Should I come back? Is this a private thing? Tomoya, what do we do?"

Tomoya stood in the doorway, his arms crossed. "You could start by not yelling." he said dryly.

Bayu stirred, lifting his head from Kai's shoulder. His face was still flushed, but his eyes shot Isaac a sharp glare. "Could you not make everything a spectacle?"

Isaac grinned sheepishly, but the mischievous twinkle in his eyes didn't dim. "Hey, I was just trying to share my snacks! How was I supposed to know you two were... well, whatever that was."

Kai sighed, running a hand down his face. "It's called bonding, Isaac. And you didn't 'walk in' on it—we were finished."

"Finished, huh?" Isaac wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Looked like something else entirely."

Tomoya smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "Let it go, Isaac."

"Fine, fine!" Isaac relented, holding up his hands in mock surrender. But he couldn't resist adding, "Just saying, next time, put up a sign or something. 'Do Not Disturb: Bonding in Progress.'"

Kai groaned again, but this time, a small smile tugged at his lips. No matter how chaotic things got, this strange little group of theirs had a way of grounding him, even when they drove him insane. He exchanged a glance with Bayu, who rolled his eyes but smiled faintly in return.

"Come on," Kai said, pushing himself to his feet. "Let's just eat the damn jellies before Isaac bursts into song about them."

Isaac perked up. "You think I could? I've been working on my range—"

"No," the rest of them said in unison, and for the first time that day, laughter filled the room.