Time slowed.
The Riftborn's claws descended toward Kael's exposed throat.
Aira threw herself between them, grabbing Kael's fallen sword with both trembling hands.
Light blazed along the blade the moment her fingers wrapped around it—
as if it recognized her.
The creature screeched and reared back.
Kael's eyes widened. "Aira—what are you doing?!"
"Saving you," she said, breathless.
Her hands shook, but the sword suddenly felt… right. As if it belonged to her, or she to it.
The Riftborn lunged again.
Aira swung the blade with desperate force—
and the golden light erupted outward like a flash of the sun.
The monster shrieked as its shadows tore apart, dissolving into ash and ink. The ground sealed behind it, the tendrils retreating into the void with a final hiss.
Silence.
Aira collapsed to her knees, chest heaving.
Kael stared at her—astonished, shaken, and something else she couldn't identify.
"Aira…" he whispered.
He knelt beside her, gently taking her trembling hands in his. His warmth steadied her, his touch grounding her to reality.
"You could've died. Why would you—"
"Why would I?" she snapped, staring at him. "Why would you throw yourself in front of it? Why does everyone act like my life is the only one that matters?"
Kael looked stunned.
Then—slowly, painfully—he smiled.
Not his usual sharp, guarded curve.
But something soft.
Wounded.
Grateful.
"Because," Kael said quietly, "when you died seven years ago, the world lost its sun."
Aira's breath caught.
Kael reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek with a gentleness that made her chest ache.
"And because I…"
His voice faltered, trembling.
"I can't lose you again."
Aira felt heat rush up her face.
For the first time, Kael didn't hide behind anger or distrust. His golden eyes looked at her with raw, unfiltered emotion.
The first spark of something dangerous.
Something gentle.
Something undeniable.
The silver-eyed man watched them from a few steps away, his expression unreadable—pain, envy, longing tangled together.
The Oracle exhaled softly.
"The bond awakens…"
Kael helped Aira stand, his hand lingering on her waist longer than necessary.
"From now on," he murmured, voice low and fierce, "I fight beside you, not in front of you."
Aira swallowed. "Does that mean you trust me now?"
Kael's lips brushed her forehead—barely a whisper of warmth.
"For now… yes."
Her heart stuttered.
The first spark.
The first shifting thread.
And somewhere deep within the forest, hidden eyes watched…
…as fate realigned itself around Aira and Kael.