For a moment, Kishiar’s smile froze.

“...Make it come sooner, so it ends faster? Is that really possible?”

Yuder hesitated.

“To be exact... I’ve never seen anyone do it intentionally.”

“Then that means you have seen someone experience it unintentionally.”

“Yes.”

Over the years Yuder had spent as Commander of the Cavalry, observing countless Awakeners, he had noticed a peculiar pattern related to rut.

“Rut doesn’t follow a strict schedule... but some people do experience it at consistent intervals, almost like clockwork. In those cases, their cycle never changes—yet occasionally, their rut has arrived earlier than expected.”

He had first noticed this through Ever Beck.

A One-Star female, but a Two-Star Alpha Awakener—Ever had been under Yuder’s watch longer than anyone else. Her rut intervals were always exactly four months apart, and each one lasted five days. Her schedule was so precise that eventually the administration team would prepare her leave without her needing to say a word.

But even Ever—who lived a life as exact as a clock, almost like Yudrain had—had a few occasions when rut came early and she had to leave in a hurry.

Every time, it was after she returned from particularly difficult and exhausting missions. ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) After a period of depletion, her rut would inevitably follow soon after recovery.

‘It only happened fewer than five times, but still...’

Even in the Cavalry, which was made up entirely of Awakeners, the number of Two-Star Manifested was far smaller than those without it. And among them, those with cycles as precise as Ever’s were rarer still. Even fewer had shown an early rut following extreme circumstances. So just how many people would have had the chance to observe such rare conditions?

Aside from Ever, Yuder had only seen one or two others with similar cases. But that didn’t mean the pattern was meaningless.

“Ever was extremely skilled in fine-tuning her ability, and hardly ever lost composure. Her body was always maintained in a state as steady as calm water.”

She even restricted the types and amounts of food she ate. In times where crises could erupt at any moment, she had wanted to ensure her body was always in the optimal state to fight.

‘She doesn’t push herself to that extreme anymore, but still...’

“That’s why I think it was precisely because of her condition that her body reacted more sensitively to internal changes. So...”

Yuder paused, organizing his thoughts.

“The biggest change Awakeners undergo during rut is that they lose almost all ability to use their powers, correct? The body suffers under heat, the mind dulls, and even basic needs like eating, drinking, or excretion are nearly suspended without feeling unnatural. All responses drop dramatically.”

Many Two-Star Manifested dreaded rut specifically because of that loss of power.

“But when you think about it—those who completely deplete their strength and go through a sudden recovery phase... doesn’t that also resemble a similar state?” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“......”

“Of course, they’re not identical. But I think the key to this phenomenon may be that the body ‘mistakes’ the cause of change.”

“Like how people who think they’re sick start showing symptoms and end up actually getting sick. You’re suggesting something like that.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Kishiar closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, lost in thought.

“It makes sense. But would it work? My rut has never followed such a fixed pattern, and my inner condition is quite different from others.”

“But you’ve tried harder than anyone to maintain balance in your powers, haven’t you?”

Yuder’s gaze remained on the flows within Kishiar.

Kishiar had four distinct energies inside him—and to keep them in balance, he always used a bit of power throughout the day, adjusting and maintaining equilibrium as naturally as breathing. Because of that, even now, though his body held an overwhelming volume of power, each current was nearly equal in strength.

A body filled to the brim, yet remaining still and calm like quiet water.

Yuder intended to toss a single pebble into that stillness.

“That’s why... I think it might work.”

“What method do you have in mind? Should we try to force a complete depletion?”

“That won’t be necessary. Think about it: during rut, we can’t use our powers—but that doesn’t mean they disappear.”

Once rut ends, everything returns to normal. That means the power isn’t gone—just inaccessible.

“So the key is to create a state where the body believes it can’t control or use its power—tricking it.”

Essentially, simulating the start of rut.

Yuder ran his hand across Kishiar’s skin. Immediately, the energies within Kishiar stirred, responding to Yuder’s own Red Stone-enhanced touch.

“Do you feel it?”

Kishiar narrowed his eyes and let out a short breath... then chuckled.

“...I see. So you want me to stop controlling my power—and entrust everything to you.”

“You won’t be doing nothing. There’s something I need you to do too.”

“What is it?”

“Once we begin, I’ll be releasing my scent to its fullest. Alpha and Omega Awakeners are naturally responsive to each other’s scent—but you and I... we react very strongly.”

“True.”

Honestly, the best way to trigger rut might be like in the West—meeting someone newly manifested, or someone already in rut. But in this case, even if they happened to find someone like that, they couldn’t use that method. They wouldn’t.

No matter what, Yuder wasn’t going to let even a grain of similarity appear between this and the past life where everything had gone wrong because of that very circumstance.

“But managing both tasks simultaneously will be hard. So I want you to draw out my scent as much as possible.”

Kishiar fell silent. Then, after a long pause, he answered carefully, meeting Yuder’s gaze.

“If we do that... then you’ll inevitably be with me throughout my rut.”

“I already told you—I’m not letting you go to the tower alone.”

“And if I end up dragging you into it too... if you get swept up in my rut because of your scent, then what?”

That was exactly what had happened in the past life. Though their roles had been reversed.

Yuder smiled faintly, lifting the corners of his lips. Kishiar’s red eyes widened in surprise, and Yuder declared, with absolute clarity:

“To be honest, that’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

“You were hoping for it?”

“If that happens, then you’ll stop talking about going to the tower alone—or staying apart. You wouldn’t be able to leave me behind.”

“......”

Kishiar couldn’t answer for a long time. It was rare to leave him speechless in a conversation, and Yuder felt a subtle satisfaction at that.

“In any case, this method would put the least strain on your body—and give us the best chance of controlling the rut and ending it quickly. In all the abnormal ruts I’ve observed that likely stemmed from this kind of mistaken trigger... they’ve all ended very quickly. Of course, it depends on the person...”

In Ever’s case, every time it happened, her five-day rut ended in one or two days. Others who’d shown similar signs recovered in about the same time. One person had even finished within a single day—so fast they’d returned bewildered, unsure if it had truly ended.

But that line of thought ended the moment Kishiar responded.