Kael walked unhurriedly through the silent streets, Elizabeth still in his arms. The city slept under the cold moonlight, oblivious to what moved beneath its fragile order. Each of his steps was firm, calculated, while the vampire's body seemed lighter and lighter, as if exhaustion had finally overcome her stubbornness.
The silence stretched for several blocks before Kael spoke again.
"What is your name?" he asked, without looking at her.
Elizabeth blinked, as if the question had caught her off guard. It wasn't distrust—it was bewilderment. As if no one had cared about something so simple in a long time.
"Elizabeth," she replied after a second. Her voice was low, hoarse.
Kael nodded slightly. "That's all?"
She hesitated. Her gaze drifted to the sky, to the shadows of the rooftops.
"That's all," she confirmed. "I have no last name. No country. I never have."
Kael glanced at her briefly, too quickly to be obvious, but attentive enough to grasp the weight behind those words.
