The hunters' footsteps drew closer.
Lira held Kael's shaking hand, her heart pounding so loud she thought the hunters would hear it. Dust fell from the cavern ceiling as heavy boots marched above the entrance.
Kael moved in front of her, even though his legs trembled violently.
"Kael—sit down," she whispered. "You can barely stand!"
He didn't listen.
The shadows pooled at his feet, sluggish but rising… like wounded animals still ready to bite.
"Stay behind me," he said — but the command had no strength.
Lira shook her head. "No. Not this time."
Kael's breath hitched, not from pain, but confusion.
No one… had ever stood with him like this.
A metallic click echoed.
A hunter's voice boomed:
"We know you're inside. Come out quietly, Shadow Experiment, and we'll make it painless."
Lira flinched.
Kael's eyes darkened into pure crimson. "They lie."
She swallowed. "I know."
Another voice joined, colder:
"If you don't come out, we'll kill the girl first."
Kael froze.
Everything inside him snapped.
The shadows exploded like black lightning, shaking the cavern walls.
"Touch her," Kael growled, voice layered with something ancient,
"and I will tear this world apart."
Lira felt her heart clench.
He wasn't threatening them.
He was promising them.
Another volley of arrows fired into the cave entrance.
Kael pushed Lira back, blocking all of them — even though two arrows pierced his shoulder and side.
He didn't scream.
He didn't fall.
He didn't even blink.
But his breath broke — shallow, uneven — and the shadows wavered.
Lira reached for him. "Kael—stop—your body can't take more—"
Kael's vision blurred. The world swirled. Pain roared through his veins like acid. He tried to steady himself, but his knees buckled.
The shadows collapsed around him like dying smoke.
"Kael!" Lira caught him as he fell to one knee. His fingers dug weakly into the stone floor, his teeth clenched so hard they almost cracked.
"I… can't…" he whispered, ashamed. "Not like this…"
The hunters shouted:
"MOVE IN!"
Steel clattered as they charged in.
Lira panicked — not for herself.
For Kael.
She grabbed his face with both hands. "Kael—look at me!"
His eyes opened slowly, barely glowing.
"Please," she whispered, tears mixing with dust on her cheeks. "You can't fight this alone."
His breath trembled. "I have to. If they take me—"
"They won't!" Lira cried. "I won't let them!"
Her pendant glowed.
Soft.
Warm.
Alive.
Kael's head jerked slightly at the light. But instead of pain…
…it calmed him.
The light washed over his skin, soothing the violent shadow inside him. His heartbeat steadied, his breathing eased — not healed, but anchored.
The hunters reached the cave mouth.
"THERE!"
Lira stood up.
Kael reached for her weakly.
"Lira—don't—"
But she stepped forward anyway.
The pendant burst into bright silver flame.
The cavern lit up like a fallen star.
Hunters shielded their eyes, shouting in confusion.
One yelled:
"THE GIRL—SHE'S USING LUMINARA MAGIC!"
Another:
"She's a royal-blooded Lightbearer! GET HER!"
Lira's eyes widened. "Royal…? Lightbearer…?"
Kael's voice trembled behind her.
"I told you… that pendant wasn't ordinary…"
Light roared outward from her chest, forming a protective sphere around them.
The hunters' arrows melted mid-air.
Shadows and stone reflected silver.
Kael watched with disbelief — and something else.
Fear.
Awe.
And a strange warmth.
Lira stood like she wasn't the terrified girl he found in the forest.
She stood like a protector.
"Stay away from him!" she shouted.
The light exploded forward like a shockwave.
Hunters were thrown back, crashing into trees, knocking helmets off, dropping weapons. The forest outside burned with white radiance.
Silence followed.
Only the crackle of scorched leaves.
Lira collapsed to her knees, exhausted, the pendant dimming again.
Kael crawled toward her, grabbing her shoulders.
"Lira—are you hurt?"
She smiled weakly. "Just tired…"
Kael's hands trembled as he held her.
Not from pain.
Not from fear.
From something he didn't understand.
"You used that… for me," he whispered hoarsely.
Lira leaned her forehead against his. "I told you. I won't let them take you."
Kael closed his eyes.
For once, he didn't push her away.
For once, his shadows didn't rise in anger.
For once…
He allowed himself to feel it.
The warmth.
The fear.
The relief.
The dangerous, fragile feeling—
that someone in this cursed world cared whether he lived.
Outside, the hunters regrouped, whispering:
"The girl… she's Aurelia's bloodline…"
"She's a Lightbearer… Kael Umbrix is with her—"
"We need to report this to the Emperor—NOW."
Kael heard them.
And his blood ran cold.
Because if the Emperor found out about Lira—
She would be hunted.
Captured.
Used.
Just like he once was.
He gripped Lira's hand tightly.
"We have to run," he whispered. "Far from here. Now."
Lira nodded without hesitation.
"Then let's run together."