Slowly opened his eyes, Ryoken once again awakened on his cosy warm bed. The stars have long came out to play, yet he couldn't recall ever closing his eyes.

"I must have passed out."

Then, he took a look around. Everything was the same except for one. The one he thought to be long gone was sleeping next to him, holding his hand tight. Knitting their fingers together while turning to the side, he gently stroked that person's cheek. The next thing he knew, a pair of clear emerald eyes was gazing straight at him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I shouldn't be sleeping in the first place." He pushed himself up. "Not when I'm on the kingdom's most wanted poster."

"Then, why didn't you leave? Why stay and risk getting caught?"

"Despite everything you did for me, I blindly came after you and..." The words got stuck in his throat. "I have to--no, must take responsible for my action!"

"You don't need to feel so guilty for I too, am to blame for not recognizing you. You look so much different from what I remember."

"I was taught to always wear a disguise whenever I go out." His emerald eyes glowed and his hair returned to its original form. "That way I wouldn't risk having any bad guy on my tail for one small detail is enough to fool all." He smiled. "It's something my teacher like to say."

"Teacher?"

"After you left, I thought everything had been settled, but master was still very angry..."

"I remember this. He told me what happened after I had him arrested. But he also said...you were no longer with us."

"He wasn't wrong. I indeed had left this world."

"Then how...?"

"On her way to a nearby kingdom, a magician found my body in the sand and brought me back. Using a high level spell, she preserved my body untill she was able to gather all the necessary materials for a resurrection spell."

"I didn't think such a thing exists. Even the former royal magician never mentioned it."

"It's understandable since this is a forbidden spell. No one, even the mightiest magician out there wanted to cast it unless they are willing to face the consequent and the karma it brings"

"What do you mean by that?"

"The spell itself destroy the balance of this world. So while it seems that you have successfully resurrecting your love one, what you brought is actually just an empty shell. Without a soul, it becomes a perfect vessel for evil spirits. Even if you manage to bring them back with a soul, there's no guarantee it is the one you're longing for."

"If so, why did your teacher do it? Like you said, there was no guarantee you will be "you"."

"She said I still have some lingering to this world, so it became the anchor for my soul. But when I came back, most of my memories have been erased. How you look like, what you are call is a total blank to me."

"That's why you didn't recognize me."

"Mhm. I do remember thinking you're from a wealthy family, but to find out you're the prince..."

"If I had told you the truth then, you would have hit your head on the ground, asking for forgiveness or worse."

"Yeah. Sounds like something I would do."

"Now..." The teen moved closer. "May I know your name?"

"Hey, can you tell me your name?"

"If we ever meet again, I will."

"Yusaku. My name is Yusaku Fujiki. And you, your highness, are what bound me here."