What Riley felt in that moment—standing this close to Liyana again after so long—wasn't something he could easily put into words.
It wasn't simple fear.
And it wasn't just unease either.
He understood the situation clearly.
Right now, Liyana didn't have any real reason—or even the proper means—to push things to a point where he'd have to respond with force. Logically speaking, there was no immediate danger.
And yet—
She could.
That possibility alone never went away.
It lingered quietly in the back of his mind, no matter how calm things seemed on the surface.
It was strange.
A mix of emotions that didn't quite fit together.
Fear… and something else.
Something closer to curiosity.
Because at the end of it all, his fate and hers were tied together in a way that couldn't be ignored.
An unavoidable thread.
One that always led to the same conclusion.
His death.
Even now, even after everything he had become—even if he could stand on equal ground with her as a being—
