The air between them was thick with unspoken questions.
Kaelen spoke first. "You must leave this place. They will strike again soon."
Elira hesitated. "Why me? Why now?"
"You are the Key. Only through you can the ancient cycle be broken—or repeated."
Seeing the fear in her eyes, Kaelen's voice softened. "I swore an oath long ago. Not to a kingdom, nor to a cause. To you. I will not fail you."
For reasons she couldn't fully understand, she believed him.
"Then take me with you," she said. "I can't face this alone."
Kaelen nodded once. "From this moment forward, you are under my protection."
Together, they vanished into the night—two souls bound by an ancient promise, and a future yet unwritten.