Branches whipped past them as Lira ran, dragging Kael deeper into the forest.
She could feel him weakening with every step. His hand in hers grew colder, heavier — until it nearly slipped entirely.
She tightened her grip.
"Just a little more," she whispered breathlessly. "Please… hold on."
Kael didn't speak.
His eyes were half-lidded, glowing faintly in the darkness. The shadows around him flickered weakly, barely responding. Every few steps, his knees buckled and Lira had to support his full weight.
The hunters' shouts echoed behind them.
"We know you're close!"
"Don't let the experiment escape!"
Lira's heart pounded.
Experiment.
Every time they said it, she felt something inside her twist in anger.
Finally, she spotted a rocky cliff split open by time — a narrow crack leading into darkness. An old cavern.
Perfect.
She pulled Kael inside, dragging him through the tight opening until they reached a small hollow deeper within. Moonlight seeped through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating dust in soft silver.
When she finally stopped, her legs gave out.
Kael collapsed beside her.
For a moment, Lira gasped for breath, chest rising and falling rapidly.
Then she looked at him.
His head leaned against the wall, eyes closed, breathing shallow. Blood — black and shimmering — still seeped from his wounds.
"Kael…" she whispered, voice shaking.
She touched his cheek.
Warm.
Too warm.
His body trembled under her fingers.
He was burning with fever — the result of forcing shadow magic through a wounded body.
"Stay with me… please…"
She pressed her forehead to his, tears sliding down her face.
Kael's eyes cracked open.
"…you shouldn't… have done that," he rasped.
Lira let out a shaky breath. "If I didn't, we'd both be dead."
Kael tried to sit up — but pain lanced through him and he fell back with a suppressed groan.
The sound cut Lira like a blade.
He wasn't someone who complained or showed weakness.
Not ever.
Seeing him like this made her chest ache.
She cupped his jaw gently. "Don't move. You're hurt."
Kael's eyes narrowed, a flicker of frustration — mostly at himself. "I shouldn't be this weak."
"You're not weak," she said firmly. "You fought too much. Anyone would collapse."
He didn't answer.
He looked away.
Silent. Ashamed.
Lira swallowed. "…Kael? Can I ask you something?"
His eyes returned to hers — guarded, but listening.
"Those people," she whispered. "The ones hunting you. Why do they want to take you back?"
Kael's jaw tightened.
His breath slowed.
"…because they made me."
Lira blinked. "Made you?"
Kael nodded once, slow and heavy. "Shadow Forge… created soldiers. Weapons. I was one of them."
Lira's stomach dropped.
Her mind raced.
He wasn't just trained —
He was engineered.
"Are there… more like you?"
Kael hesitated.
"…there were."
The shadows behind him trembled — not in hunger, but memory.
"They didn't survive."
Lira placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."
Kael stared at her touch as if it was something foreign.
Then—
His eyes narrowed suddenly, shifting to her pendant.
"Your light magic," he said quietly. "It didn't poison me. And it protected you. That's… impossible."
Lira looked down at the silver pendant.
It glowed faintly — reacting to Kael's presence.
"I don't even know what it is," she admitted. "My mother gave it to me before she died. She said… it would protect me when it mattered most."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"That's not a simple charm."
Lira bit her lip. "What do you mean?"
He sat up slightly — wincing — but determined.
"That pendant is Luminara-forged. Ancient light magic. The kind only the royal bloodline of Aurelia could use."
Lira froze.
"Royal… bloodline?"
Kael held her gaze.
The shadows around him shifted like whispering serpents.
"Lira," he said quietly, "who are you?"
She opened her mouth — but the truth caught in her throat.
Before she could answer—
A twig snapped outside the cavern.
A voice whispered:
"Tracks lead here. They can't be far."
More footsteps.
Metal scraping.
Low breaths.
The hunters had found them.
Kael's hand shot to Lira's wrist, grip tight despite his pain.
"Stay behind me."
Lira grabbed his arm. "You can't fight. You can barely stand!"
Kael's eyes burned crimson.
"I don't need to stand to kill."
Lira shook her head, tears forming. "No — not this time. They'll capture you again. They'll take you back. They'll—"
Kael touched a finger to her lips.
Soft.
Unsteady.
"Lira," he whispered, "I would rather die than go back."
Her heart broke.
Footsteps echoed closer.
Hunters shouting.
Kael forced himself upright — body shaking violently.
The shadows gathered behind him, thin but willing.
Lira grabbed his hand, voice trembling:
"Then we fight together."
Kael looked at her —
And for the first time…
He didn't want to be alone.
He nodded.
One single, silent agreement.
Outside, steel clattered. Boots approached.
And the cavern filled with the scent of danger.