Nocturne burned behind them.
From the ridge overlooking the shattered station entrance, Kael watched smoke curl into the night sky—dark, oily, rising from the wounds torn through the undercity. The sound of collapsing stone echoed upward like a dying heartbeat.
Lira leaned against him, wrapped in his thick coat, her breathing shallow but steady. The cold bit at their skin, but Kael barely felt it. His entire attention was locked on her.
Blue fire still pulsed faintly beneath the skin of her wrists—uncontrolled magic flickering like trapped starlight.
"We need to move," Kael murmured, tucking her closer. "Council scouts will reach the surface any minute."
Lira didn't look at the burning ruins.
"Kael… I almost became her."
He turned her chin gently toward him.
"You didn't."
"I came close."
He shook his head slowly.
"You fought it. You chose you."
Her eyes trembled. "What if I can't choose next time?"
"Then I'll choose for both of us," he whispered.
"And I'll pull you back. Every time."
She closed her eyes.
Not believing him—
but wanting to.
Kael lifted her carefully into his arms again.
She gasped. "Kael—I can walk."
"You can barely stand," he murmured, brushing a thumb over the bruise on her cheek.
"And I'm not risking losing you on the first night."
Her heart stuttered in her chest—he felt it through the bond.
He started toward the ruins and broken stone paths leading out of the city's underlevels.
---
Hours later—at the edges of Nocturne
The world outside Nocturne was colder, emptier.
Rolling dark hills, abandoned metro rails, distant blinking towers.
A wasteland of half-forgotten districts and lawless territory.
They made camp in an old skybridge collapsed against the hillside.
Cold air rushed through the broken glass.
Kael built a small fire from old support beams, sparks reflecting off the cracked walls.
Lira sat close to him, wrapped tightly, body still trembling with residual energy.
Kael watched her hands.
Light flickered across her palms—weak, confused, searching.
"Don't fight it," Kael said softly. "Let the magic breathe."
"I don't want it," she whispered.
Kael turned to her slowly.
"Lira… your magic isn't the Queen."
She looked up sharply.
"But it came from her."
"No."
Kael took her hand, lifting it between them.
"It came from you surviving her."
She froze.
"Magic doesn't choose without reason," he murmured. "And yours chose to stay. That's not the Queen. That's you."
Her breath hitched.
The bond pulsed warm between their palms—gentle, grounding.
When she spoke again, her voice was soft.
"You always know what to say."
"No," Kael said quietly.
"I just know what it's like to hate what you are."
She looked at him with an expression that made something twist painfully in his chest.
He looked away.
If he stared too long, he'd forget the war waiting for them.
---
Night deepens
Lira lay curled on a makeshift bed of fabric and old coats, exhaustion pulling her under. Kael sat awake beside the dying fire, one arm propped on his knee, shadows twitching around him like restless animals.
She murmured in her sleep, body tensing.
Kael leaned closer.
"Lira? You're dreaming."
"No… she's calling…" she whispered.
Kael's heart kicked hard.
He placed a hand on her cheek, whispering her name. "Lira. Stay with me."
The bond sparked—
and he heard it too.
A whisper.
Soft.
Ancient.
Cold.
"My children… come home…"
Kael's jaw clenched.
He pulled Lira into his arms, holding her against his chest.
Her shaking eased instantly.
He stroked her hair gently.
"You're not hers," he whispered into her temple.
"You're not."
Lira stirred, eyes fluttering open.
She didn't pull away.
She curled closer.
"Kael…"
Her voice was vulnerable, fragile.
"Don't let me become her."
He rested his cheek on her hair.
"I won't."
"You promise?"
He exhaled, the firelight flickering warm against his face.
"I swear it."
Her fingers curled into his shirt, gripping tight.
And in the dim skybridge full of ruin and cold wind, they held each other until morning.
---
Dawn
Lira woke before Kael, her cheek pressed to the warmth of his chest. His arms were still wrapped around her, protective even in sleep.
She didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't dare.
His face was softer like this.
Younger.
Human.
She lifted her hand slightly—
hesitated—
then brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.
His eyes snapped open.
Lira froze.
Kael blinked slowly.
"You okay?" he whispered.
Her cheeks went hot.
"Yes. I just… didn't want to wake you."
His gaze softened — dangerous, tender, impossible.
"You couldn't wake me if you tried."
The bond thrummed at that — warm, sweet, aching.
He pulled back just enough to look at her fully.
"Are you strong enough to walk now?"
Lira nodded. "With you."
Kael stood and offered his hand.
She took it.
Their fingers wove together naturally — like they'd done it for years.
Kael allowed himself one moment.
One breath.
Then he turned toward the horizon.
"We need allies. And there's only one place outside the Council's reach."
Lira stepped beside him.
"Where?"
Kael tightened his grip on her hand.
"The Outlands," he said.
"Where the Forgotten who escaped the city built their own rebellion."
"And what do they want?" she asked softly.
Kael's gaze turned hard, determined.
"Revenge."
He looked down at Lira — bruised, shaken, but standing strong.
"And a Queen who refuses to be controlled."
Her heart skipped.
"And an Heir who refuses to bow," she whispered.
Kael's jaw flexed.
"Exactly."
Together, they stepped into the cold morning wind.
Two fugitives.
One bond.
A rising war.
And a love that had no business surviving —
but just kept burning.