đŻď¸ Another Camp, Another Night
The fire crackled low.
Their camp lay somewhere in the southern ruins of Varneth, buried under sand and silence. Their guards slept light. The wind was dry.
But the Demon King wasn't asleep.
He hadn't been in days.
He sat on a rock just beyond the tents, cloak wrapped around him, red eyes dim under the moonlight.
His hand hovered over his chest.
Right where the pull had hit him. Right where he had been torn away.
đ The Vision That Won't Fade
He saw it again.
His mother, crying.
His sister, Aira, blood trickling from her lip, sword still drawn.
His father shouting his name as he vanished.
"Not nowâ"
"NOT YETâ"
The scream never came.
He jolted up.
Breath sharp. Chest heaving.
Again.
Every time.
Again.
đď¸ She Was Watching
Queen Alira stepped quietly from the shadows, arms folded over a light shawl.
Her hair was down.
She didn't speak immediately.
Just sat down on the stone beside him.
For once â no titles.
Just two people. In the dark.
"It's them, isn't it?" she said softly.
"The ones you left behind."
He didn't answer at first.
Then:
"Every time I close my eyes."
"It's like I'm losing them all over again."
"Over and over."
Alira didn't try to comfort him.
Didn't tell him it would get better.
She just looked forward into the night and said:
"I see your face."
"In the fire. In the glass. In the blood."
"Every time I rest, I see the moment I brought you back."
"And I wonder if I ruined your life."
He turned to her.
She didn't cry.
But her voice cracked.
"You never asked to be a savior."
"You were just⌠happy."
đ§ A Silence That Wasn't Cold
For a long time, neither of them said a word.
The fire died down to embers.
The wind settled.
And the world⌠was quiet.
"You didn't ruin anything," he said finally.
"I don't blame you."
"I just⌠can't let go of them."
"Not until I know they're safe."
She nodded.
"Then we keep going."
"Even if there's no map."
"Even if we burn ourselves to get there."
He didn't smile.
But he didn't look away.
đ The Stars Above Them Both
She lay back on the stone, hands folded behind her head.
After a moment â he did the same.
Not touching. Not speaking.
But not alone anymore, either.
Just two hearts, side by side.
Facing the stars.