Night settled thick over the forest.
The kind of dark that swallowed sound.
The kind that made even the wind hesitate.
Eirik moved quietly between the trees.
He didn't look back.
Didn't need to.
He already knew he shouldn't be here.
That alone should have been enough to stop him.
But it wasn't.
The place felt… wrong.
Not in a loud way.
Not like danger.
More like something that didn't belong.
Something that had claimed the space without asking.
Eirik stopped.
His breath slow.
Controlled.
"…I came," he said.
The words felt heavier than they should.
Silence answered him.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
The shadows shifted.
Not with the wind.
Not with the trees.
But on their own.
Nyx stepped forward like he had always been there.
Like he had never left.
"Of course you did," Nyx said softly.
His voice was calm.
Smooth.
Too calm.
Eirik's shoulders tensed despite himself.
"…make this quick."
Nyx tilted his head slightly.
Amused.
"But we've only just begun."
Eirik didn't respond.
Didn't rise to it.
But his jaw tightened.
Nyx circled him slowly.
Not close enough to touch.
Just enough to be felt.
"You look tired," Nyx murmured. "Is it the pups… or the guilt?"
Eirik's eyes snapped toward him.
Sharp.
"Don't."
Nyx smiled faintly.
"Ah… so it is guilt."
Silence stretched.
Tight.
"…I'm helping them," Eirik said.
The words came out firmer now.
Like he needed them to be true.
"I'm keeping Aiden safe."
Nyx stopped.
Right behind him.
Close enough now.
Too close.
"Are you?" Nyx asked quietly.
Eirik didn't turn.
Didn't move.
But something in his chest twisted.
"They're alive," Eirik said. "They're safe."
"For now."
The same words.
The same tone.
But colder.
Sharper.
Eirik's breath hitched slightly.
Nyx stepped past him then, moving into his line of sight again.
His gaze locked onto Eirik's.
Dark.
Knowing.
"You saw him," Nyx said softly. "Didn't you?"
Aiden.
Eirik didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
"Exhausted," Nyx continued. "Fragile. Holding everything together by instinct alone."
A pause.
"And the god?"
Nyx's lips curved slightly.
"Losing control."
Eirik's hands clenched.
"They're not stable," Nyx said. "Not like this."
"…stop," Eirik muttered.
But there was no force behind it.
Nyx stepped closer.
Just one step.
Enough.
"You're not hurting them," Nyx said, voice lowering slightly.
"You're helping."
Eirik shook his head.
"…this isn't helping."
Nyx's expression didn't change.
Didn't need to.
"Think of it," he said slowly,
"as if you're just… pushing him in the right direction."
The words settled.
Quiet.
Soft.
Poisonous.
Eirik's breath faltered.
"Aiden deserves better," Nyx continued. "Someone who understands him. Someone who sees him."
A beat.
"Someone who doesn't suffocate him with fear."
Theron.
Eirik's jaw tightened.
"You've seen it," Nyx pressed. "The control. The pressure. The way Aiden pulls away."
A pause.
"And yet… he stays."
Eirik looked away.
"…he loves him."
Nyx hummed softly.
"Love isn't always enough."
Silence.
The forest held its breath.
Eirik's thoughts spun.
Too fast.
Too loud.
Aiden's face.
Tired.
Distant.
Holding everything together.
He's not okay.
Nyx watched him.
Patient.
Waiting.
"You don't have to take anything from him," Nyx said.
"You just… make space."
Eirik's gaze flickered.
"…space?"
Nyx smiled.
Small.
Satisfied.
"For him to choose differently."
The words slipped in quietly.
Easily.
Eirik swallowed.
Hard.
"…and the pups?" he asked suddenly.
His voice tighter now.
More urgent.
Nyx didn't hesitate.
"They won't be harmed."
A lie.
But a perfect one.
"And Aiden?"
Nyx's gaze softened slightly.
Just enough to feel real.
"He will thank you."
Eirik closed his eyes briefly.
This is wrong.
He knew it.
He felt it.
Every instinct telling him to walk away.
To stop.
To tell the truth.
But then—
Aiden's voice echoed in his memory.
"I'm fine."
And the way it hadn't been true.
Eirik exhaled slowly.
"…what do you need?" he asked.
Nyx's smile deepened.
"Just a little help."
And just like that—
The line blurred even further.
Because Eirik didn't say no.