The argument starts over tea.
Looking back, that feels almost funny. But at the time, it was just… tense. We were in the library, the three of us, supposedly "coordinating scout routes" based on Lysara's new data. Master Dren had given us the day off from formal training, probably thinking we'd relax.
He was wrong.
Lysara was buried, as usual, surrounded by a fortress of scrolls and books. Kaela was pacing, her energy practically vibrating off the stone walls. You could just... feel the static in the air.
"We need more patrols in the eastern territories," Kaela said, her finger jabbing the map. "The corruption is accelerating. We need more eyes."
Lysara didn't even look up. "We have adequate patrols. Adding more scouts just stretches our resources and increases casualty risk."
"The whole point of patrols is to catch threats early," Kaela argued, her voice getting tight. "If we're not being aggressive..."
"Aggressive is how the Millbrook guard died," Lysara snapped.
Oof. I flinched. That was a low blow. Kaela had been carrying the weight of that guard's death for weeks, blaming herself.
"Understanding why he died is exactly why we need to be out there," Kaela pressed, her voice dangerously quiet. "So we can prevent another Millbrook."
"My research shows the corruption is deliberate," Lysara corrected, finally looking up. "Which means patrols won't prevent it. Vigilance won't prevent it. Only understanding the mechanism will."
Kaela stopped pacing. "And while you're understanding," she asked, "how many more settlements get eaten?"
"Better to lose settlements," Lysara said, her voice just... cold, "than to lose scouts making contact with void entities they're unprepared for."
That... that was it. I saw the shift.
"You want to stop going on missions," Kaela said. It wasn't a question.
"I want to stop wasting lives on missions that don't accomplish anything strategic," Lysara corrected, and I could hear that sharp, tsundere edge she gets when she's defending herself. "We investigate, we find corruption, we report back. And then what? We wait for the next village to be consumed while I research and you... feel productive?"
"Feeling productive?" Kaela's voice went flat. That's always worse than her shouting. "Is that what you think this is about? I want to help people, Lysara. I want to do something that matters. Not... not hide in the library behind..."
"Behind what?" Lysara was on her feet now, her composure finally cracking. "Behind analysis? Behind actually trying to understand the threat instead of just... just charging into danger like a warrior who thinks her blade can solve everything?"
The words landed like a slap. Kaela's hand drifted to the hilt of her sword, just a reflex.
"That's not fair," she whispered.
"Fair has nothing to do with it! What's fair is getting killed because you need to feel like a hero!"
"I never said—"
"You don't have to!" Lysara's silver eyes were blazing. "You volunteer first for everything! You put yourself in front of every threat! You're not protecting people, Kaela. You're performing heroism. And it's going to get you killed!"
"Guys, stop," I said. It was weak. They didn't even hear me.
"You know what I think?" Kaela said, her voice like ice. "I think you're scared. I think Millbrook terrified you, and now you're hiding behind all your... your books... because it's safe. And you want us to hide, too, because misery loves company."
Lysara's face went white. "That's not..."
"Isn't it?" Kaela pressed, stepping closer. "You want us all to sit in here with you, analyzing, because then you don't have to face the fact that your... your analysis... can't stop people from dying!"
"And you want everyone to rush into combat because you think if you punch something hard enough, it fixes the problem!" Lysara fired back, her hands shaking. "You don't understand strategy! You understand violence! And you think violence is the only answer!"
"Violence is all the void understands!" Kaela shouted. "You can research all you want, but at some point, someone has to stand between it and the people it's trying to consume! And while you're sitting here calculating percentages, that someone is going to be me!"
"I AM NOT SCARED!" Lysara screamed.
"Yes, you are," Kaela said. And her voice... it wasn't angry anymore. It was just... quiet. And that was so much crueler. "You're terrified. You're terrified you're not smart enough... that your research... it won't matter. And instead of dealing with that, you're trying to shut us down so you don't have to watch."
Lysara... she just... broke. She didn't say anything. She just... turned, and walked out of the room. She didn't run. She just... left.
Kaela stood there, breathing hard, her hand still on her sword. And I watched the anger just... drain out of her, replaced by a sick, dawning horror.
"I... I didn't mean..." she whispered.
"I know," I said. "But... she's gone."
She sat down, hard, and put her face in her hands. "That was... bad."
"Yeah."
"I... I said horrible things."
"Yeah, you did."
"...She said horrible things, too."
"She did," I agreed. "But... you were both right. And that's what makes it worse."
I found Lysara later, on the roof of the archive. The highest point in the village. She was just sitting there, knees drawn to her chest, staring out at the dusk.
"I am scared," she said, before I even sat down. "Kaela was right."
"I know."
"But... she's wrong," she whispered. "I'm not... hiding. I'm... I'm researching... because... it's the only thing I can control. I can't control the void... I can't control the cult... I can't save anyone. But... I can... I can understand."
"That's not useless, Lysara."
"Isn't it?" Her voice was bitter. "Kaela's right. I... I can have the perfect analysis... and people... people still die. It... it just... it just lets me feel productive while... while they suffer."
"You're also scared," I said, sitting next to her. "And that's okay. But... you're both scared. You're scared of being useless. She's scared of being powerless. And... you're... you're just... taking it out on each other."
She... she just... looked at me. "I... I don't know how to fix this."
"You don't. Not tonight. Just... give it space."
It was... awful. For a week.
They didn't speak. They'd be in the same room, planning patrols, and the... the silence... was so cold it burned. "Patrol route east," Lysara would say, all-business. "Acknowledged," Kaela would clip back. That was it.
The whole scout corps felt it. Even Dren watched us, his face creased with a new kind of worry. The trio... our trio... was fracturing.
Finally, I couldn't take it. I found Kaela in the yard, just... attacking a practice dummy. Furious.
"You have to talk to her," I said.
"She has to talk to me." Thwack.
"She won't. You know she won't. You... you broke something, Kae. You... you hit her where she lives. You... have to be the one to fix it."
She hated that. She didn't say anything, just... kept attacking the dummy. But... I knew she'd heard me.
I don't know what she said. I... I just... saw them. Later. In the courtyard. Just... talking. Quiet. No shouting. And... after... a long... time... Lysara... reached out... and... took... Kaela's... hand.
They just... stood there.
When I went to the roof that night, they were both there. Waiting for me. Sitting close, but not... touching.
"I... I was scared," Lysara said, her voice quiet. "And... I used my research... as a... shield. That was... unfair."
"And I was scared," Kaela admitted. "And... I was... cruel. Because... it's... easier to be angry... than... scared."
They were quiet for a minute.
"But... you're right," Lysara said. "My... my research... it's useless... if... if it's not... applied. It's just... privilege."
"And... you're right," Kaela said. "I... I can't... just... punch... everything. I... I need... your... analysis. Even... when it's... scary... to... wait."
"So... what now?" Lysara asked.
"We... compromise," Kaela said. "We... we act. But... we act smart. Your research... my... sword. Together."
Lysara nodded. Slowly. And then... she... reached for Kaela's hand.
When they found me later, the coldness was gone. It... it wasn't fixed. Not... all the way. But... it was present.
"We're sorry," Kaela said. "For... that."
"For... making you... mediate," Lysara added.
"You're allowed to fight," I said. "It's... normal."
"But... we... we let it hurt all of us," Kaela said.
I... I just... pulled them both in. It was... awkward. But... it... worked. We... we stood there. The three of us. The... the trio... it... it was... strained. But... not... broken.
And... it... it felt... realer, somehow. Knowing... knowing... it could... break... but... didn't...
That... that... that felt... earned.