CHAPTER TEN: The Haven of Echoes
The air still shimmered with the aftermath of light and darkness colliding. The temple lay in ruin, cracked walls, scorched stone, the scent of ash and storm clinging to every breath. Leira stood in the middle of it all, chest rising and falling as she stared at the spot where the shadow had vanished.
Her sister's voice still lingered in her ears. You'll never be free of me.
Kael sheathed his blade, his movements deliberate, silent except for the soft scrape of metal against leather. He looked at her, his eyes tracing the faint tremor in her hands. "You did what you had to do," he said quietly.
Leira didn't answer. The glow that had once burned at her fingertips had faded, leaving only a soft ache. She could still feel the echo of it pulsing beneath her skin, wild, alive, and angry.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "You say that like that makes it okay" she murmured.
Kael stepped closer, the flicker of broken torchlight brushing across his face. His jaw was set, a faint burn marked his cheek, and there were dark hollows beneath his eyes. "That doesn't make the pain go away," she said softly, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "You can't possibly understand what this feels like."
Something in his expression shifted, not anger, but something quieter. Regret, maybe. He let out a slow breath. "You think I don't?" His voice was low, rough, the kind of tone that could crack through walls if she let it. "You forget, Leira… I watched you die."
The silence that followed was heavy. The kind that carried memories neither of them were ready to speak about.
Leira's throat tightened. "Then why does it feel like I'm the only one who can't move on?"
Kael didn't answer. He only reached out, his hand brushing lightly against her wrist. A grounding touch, not forceful, just enough to remind her she wasn't alone.
A faint tremor rippled through the floor, pulling his attention to the cracked ceiling above them. Dust drifted like falling snow.
"We need to move," Kael said, voice steady again. "The temple won't hold much longer."
Leira nodded, though her gaze lingered on the faint scorch marks where the shadow had fallen. Then she turned and followed him out through the fractured archway, the night swallowing them whole.
Outside, the world was quiet again, too quiet. The moon hung low and red, veiled behind drifting clouds. The forest below the temple glowed faintly with the remnants of her power, trees bowed under the weight of what she had unleashed.
Kael led the way down a narrow path, his sword still drawn, though the danger had passed. He didn't speak, and she didn't press. Every now and then, their hands brushed as they walked, small, accidental touches that neither of them dared acknowledge.
After a long stretch of silence, Leira finally spoke. "Where are we going?"
Kael glanced over his shoulder. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere they won't find us. At least not for a while."
She frowned. "A place like that exists?"
A small, almost wistful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "It did once."
He didn't say more, and she didn't ask again. The path wound deeper into the woods, the air growing colder, heavier. Then, after what felt like hours, the trees parted, revealing a glade bathed in pale starlight. A small lake shimmered at its center, calm and untouched.
Leira stopped, catching her breath. The air here felt… different. Softer. Protected.
Kael walked ahead, kneeling by the edge of the water. "This place hides us," he said quietly. "It's where I used to come when the weight was too much. When I needed to remember."
Her brows drew together. "Remember what?"
He looked up at her then, and for a moment, he wasn't the stoic warrior she knew. There was something gentler there, a trace of vulnerability. "You," he said.
Her heart stuttered.
He turned away before she could answer, his reflection rippling in the lake's surface. "I found this place after… after…Ari. It was the only place the shadows couldn't reach. Or maybe never knew to look. You used to love it here. You found comfort here."
Leira stepped closer, her boots sinking softly into the moss. "I did?"
Kael nodded, not looking at her. "That night was the night I told you I loved you for the first time. But you didn't take me seriously, maybe it was the grief of what had happened or just not believing I was stupid enough to fall in love with you but you seemed to thing I was joking."
She stared at him, trying to picture it, the two of them here, the moon above, laughter instead of pain. But all she could feel was a faint ache in her chest, a flicker of something that felt like memory.
"I remember…" she whispered, closing her eyes. "A lake. And stars. And… you. But it's all blurred."
Kael rose, turning to face her fully. The light reflected in his eyes, soft but piercing. "You don't have to force it," he said. "It'll come when it's ready."
She nodded slowly, but her gaze didn't leave his face. "It's strange," she murmured. "Every time I look at you, it feels like… my heart seems to need a moment to breathe. Like I'm remembering something I shouldn't."
He took a step closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe it's something you're meant to."
The air between them thickened. Her pulse quickened, and when he reached out, she didn't pull away. His fingers brushed against her arm, just lightly at first… then lingered. She could feel the warmth of his skin even through her sleeve.
Her breath caught.
He looked down at her, eyes dark and searching. "You shouldn't be this close," he murmured.
"Then move," she whispered back.
He didn't.
Their gazes held, a silent war neither of them wanted to win. Then Kael's hand lifted, his fingertips tracing along her jaw, slow and deliberate. Her heart thundered in her chest.
"Your eyes," he said softly. "They look like you're trying to find something in my heart that you're not sure is there anymore."
"Maybe I'm just trying to remember what I lost," she whispered.
His expression softened. "And have you?"
"Not yet."
The wind stirred, carrying the faint scent of rain and pine. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled.
Kael's thumb brushed across her cheek, wiping away a tear she hadn't realized had fallen. For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke. The air trembled with everything unspoken, the history, the ache, the fear of wanting something that previously ended in loss.
Leira tilted her head up slightly. The distance between them vanished, a breath, a heartbeat, and then his lips were almost on hers.
Almost.
But just before they met, she gasped softly, eyes widening. A sharp flash tore through her mind, an image, vivid and raw.
A hand reaching for hers. Blood on her palm. Kael's voice, desperate, shouting her name as light consumed everything.
She staggered back, clutching her head. "I… I saw something."
Kael caught her by the shoulders. "What?"
"The night it happened," she said, her voice shaking. "The night I finally broke the veil."
He froze. "Leira…"
She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. "You were going to die with me. But I didn't let you. I couldn't. But I didn't consider your consequences. What would be done to you."
Kael's hand fell away. He looked at her for a long moment, the truth hanging heavy between them.
"Yes, Leira" he said finally, his voice quiet but certain. "But the price was mine to pay. And I gladly paid for it for centuries, holding on to the promise that I'd see you again."
Leira's breath trembled. "Kael… where have you been all this time?"
He didn't respond. His eyes heavy, filled with pain. He turned away from Leira.
She moved toward him and placed a hand on his back.
He turned to face her and she stepped closer to him. He brushed his fingers against her chin, guiding her to look in his eyes. "I never blamed you for anything, Leira."
Her eyes searched his. "Is that even possible?"
"Yes, it is," he said simply. "Because I would've never survived it if I held anything else but love for you in my heart."
The storm above them cracked with light, thunder rolling through the night like an echo of the past.
Leira blinked up at him, her heart breaking and healing all at once. "Kael…"
He held her gaze, steady, unflinching. "We can't change what happened," he said quietly. "But maybe… we can stop it from happening again. We need to make sure you remember your name."
She swallowed hard, her pulse still racing. "I've been meaning to ask; is there a reason why you can't just tell me?"
Kael's voice dropped to a whisper. "Because if I utter your name, the Veil's key, before its keeper has spoken it, the veil will consume me too, like it does to the shadows."
Leira was shocked at this revelation. In that moment, she made a silent promise in her heart that she would do whatever she has to do to remember her name. She placed her head on Kael's chest as if to let him know that she will not let him down.
The rain began to fall, soft and cold, washing away the dust of the temple. Leira didn't know what waited beyond this moment, the shadows, the memories, the unraveling of what was once whole, but as Kael pulled away from their hug and his eyes found hers again, she knew one thing for certain.
She was going to make sure she amends her mistake, and make absolutely sure she protects him at all costs.
And deep in the back of her mind, beneath the roar of the storm, a memory stirred, her last words to Kael.
Let it burn… as long as I remember you.
Leira's fingers tightened around Kael's. "We will fix this," she whispered.
Kael met her gaze, rain dripping from his hair, his eyes burning with quiet resolve. "Yes, we will" he said.
And somewhere beneath the lake's still surface, something shifted, a pulse of ancient light, faint but alive, waiting to be remembered.