3rd, Void day, Lume Dynasty.

It was the forty-sixth day of the month, a day that fell under the void days in the calendar.

The reality instability on this day created an unstable energy that made the iced lake crack. There was a man trapped inside.

His body had been preserved by the ice, yet he was still breathing...faintly.

"Master, I thank the heavens for bringing you back alive," the servant said, bowing to the heavens at the shore, grateful to the stars for the breaking of the ice.

His master had been trapped inside that otherworldly ice that froze lake Qihera for a year and a half.

The entire world had moved on, forgetting him, as no one knew he was encased within the ice. Most assumed he had gone into seclusion in some corner of the world. Or was in hiding since he disappeared after making a mess of things.

"I want to break my marriage through a trial of death!"... that was the first thought in Nytherael Auryn’s mind, the nine-tailed fox, as he opened his eyes for the first time after a year and a half.

He remembered the day he shattered the hearts of his husbands like it was yesterday, because in his mind, it was.

After that, he had met up with his first love to give him an explanation and then, everything had gone dark. He couldn’t make sense of anything before or after that meeting. The Chapter of his life that followed held not even a single word.

His servant pulled him out of the lake and took him to a house he’d built next to the lake. It was where he stated day and night as he kept watch over the lake, waiting for the day the ice would melt or break and free his master.

"What did you say?" he asked in shock after changing into warmer clothes and taking some moments to catch his breath.

"A year and a half has passed since that day, Master. You were trapped in that iced lake the entire time."

Nytherael stared at him with wide eyes. If his eyes had the ability, they might have leapt out and fled.

He couldn’t believe he had been trapped in ice for so long. His head began to ache as he processed the shocking news. The pain spread intensely until he started breathing heavily.

"Drink some water and regain your strength, master," his servant, Yiwa, said, handing him a cup.

Nytherael took the water and drank it in one gulp. It was neither cold nor hot, somewhere in between, and it helped warm him up as it went down.

"And where is this place?" Nytherael asked, trying to distract his mind from the splitting pain.

"Qihera. I built the house next to the lake to make it easier to keep watch over you. I didn’t want your life to be in danger. I did well, didn’t I, Master?"

"Mm."

Nytherael drifted into his thoughts. His mind filled with images of his husbands and their marriage. The marriage he had tried and failed to break.

Deep down, he knew both of them blamed him for shattering the peace and truth of their union. Destroying the trust and purity of their once in a lifetime bond.

"Let me light a fire so you can warm up and your body returns to normal," Yiwa said.

He gathered firewood, placed it at the center of the house, and lit it. The flames rose, and after a few minutes, Nytherael began to feel warmth return to his body.

"And..." he wanted to ask about his mates but the words got stuck on his tongue.

"What is it, Master?" Yiwa lifted his head, trying to hear him clearly. But his master said nothing more, too ashamed of his past actions to express himself.

Nytherael looked down. He sat as though drenched by rain. In his heart, he couldn’t believe his troubles would ever pass... he felt as though they had no end at all and it nade his head continue to ache.

His head ached horribly, and his entire body was sore from being frozen for so long. It felt really terrible, like he had been run over by an elephant.

"Master, why do you look so troubled?"

"It’s nothing."

"Master," Yiwa approached in careful strides. "If you won’t tell me, then who will you tell?" Yiwa asked, only to regret it immediately. He realized his question had hurt his master.

If not him, his servant, then his master had his husbands; Lord Aeltharion and Lord Sseraphis, the two with whom he was wedded to. Yet neither of them were with him now because of the mess his master created a year and a half ago.

He felt sorry for his master. Having been frozen in the ice for so long just to wake up to a life more broken than he left it.

Nytherael understood Yiwa’s thoughts, and it only made his headache worsen. He didn’t like the pity he saw in Yiwa’s eyes. But deep down he understood that it was what he deserved.

"Prepare some food. I feel hungry," he said, though he had no appetite at all. Just to get Yiwa away and a have a moment alone with his thoughts.

"Yes, Master." Yiwa withdrew and hurried into the kitchen.

His heart ached for his master. His master’s marriage had once been a tale known across the entire beastworld.

Every beast-human had envied it. "The rare trio-soul marriage," people called it. Many saw that union as the ideal path for lovers and those destined for one another.

The world had honored their marriage as wherever they went, they received blessings from their elders, admiration from their juniors and praises from peers.

Even kings had acknowledged it. There rare marriage and fane earned them a place in the beast court of Lume dynasty.

However, nothing good lasts forever. As such, the miracle union came to an abrupt halt when Nytherael invoked the death trial divorce. A forceful means to end their soul-bond. Breaking the trust of his husbands in the process.

Yiwa deeply wished he could turn back time, and stop his master from reuniting with Ilyrien after marrying Aeltharion and Sseraphis. That encounter was what led to the destruction of his marriage.

After destroying his master’s bond with his mates, that man with the tainted soul wasnt satisfied, he even went as far as trapping Nytherael in the lake by freezing it over.

"Despicable being!" Yiwa cursed Ilyrien for the umpteenth time. But no amount of curses he let out would ever be enough to quench his hatred for Ilyrien Voss.

After Yiwa left, Nytherael remained alone with the weight of his thoughts. His face was filled with exhaustion and deep sorrow.

"A year and a half... why?" He felt as though the world was playing with him.

Yes, he had made the mistake of trusting Ilyrien and following his first love without considering Aeltharion and Sseraphis. But he had realized his mistakes and had been ready to fix his mistakes.

So why? Why had life treated him so cruelly, stealing a year and a half from him-time he could have used to beg his lords for forgiveness?

Now, where could he even begin? What could he possibly say for Aeltharion and Sseraphis to understand him... to accept him again?

So much time had passed. Their hatred for him must have grown beyond measure, and he had no defense that could ease the anger of his former lovers.

"Ilyrien trapped me in the ice..." he attempted an explanation "tsk." He let out a bitter laugh at himself.

He knew well that Aeltharion and Sseraphis would still blame him because he was the one who had allowed Ilyrien into his life, who had let him come between them and destroy their marriage... their home.

Nytherael hugged his knees, exhaustion filling him. He felt tired of the world, a world where Aeltharion and Sseraphis were no longer by his side.

"If I say I still love you both with all my heart... would you really believe me?"

He already knew the answer... they wouldn’t. He had burned and trampled over their love and trust the moment he asked for a divorce.

Even he didn’t feel worthy of their forgiveness. But that didn’t stop him from missing them with every part of his soul. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The idea of getting back to them, seeing the two love of his life again was what kept him alive and going the whole time he had been frozen.

He might not have been conscious of his state but deep down, he never truly stopped yearning for the love they once shared.

"Like a blessing from the Almighty, I have returned. I know you resent me, but in the face of my love... you will have to forget your hatred," he vowed.

He stood up, steady, his body regaining strength. As he thought of his lovers, he regained some shreds of hope.He began to imagine how life would be if they accepted him back into their lives.

"I know I wronged you greatly... in my thoughts, in my actions, and in failing to fulfill my duties to you. That’s why I’m willing to do anything... turn everything upside down if i must, just so you can forgive me," he said, his heartbeat quickening. "Sseraphis, my heart longs for you so much, my dear. And Aeltharion... I can’t believe it’s been a year and a half since the last time you touched my body and made love to me," he said, drifting into his thoughts.

In their marriage, he had been both a dominant and a submissive partner. Depending on his lovers’ needs, he both gave and received affection of the highest standards.

With Sseraphis, he was the more dominant one, while with Aeltharion, he became the more yielding partner. And once he had taken that for granted, believing it was a bond worth discarding for his first love but now, he knew better.

He marched the wall. His eyes scanned the calendar, confirming the date, he nodded his head.

"The third of void days. Tomorrow must be the start of the second moon, a very auspicious day. A good day to set off on fixing everything."

Nytherael walked to the window. He far into the thick night wondering, ’How much of the world has changed from the time I was frozen in the lake up until now?’