Kael
Kael noticed Lyra before she noticed him.
She always walked like that—quiet, deliberate,like the world might shatter if she stepped too hard into it.This morning,she stood near the fountain with her notebook tucked against her chest, gaze distant, thoughtful.
She's leaving,he realized.
The knowledge settled uncomfortably in his chest.
"You're thinking loudly again," he said when he reached her.
Lyra startled, then let out a small breath. "Do you ever announce yourself?"
"Sometimes," he replied. "You're heading out."
She nodded. "Just for a few days. I'm going home."
Home.
The word struck deeper than it should have.
"That's good," Kael said, voice steady despite the quiet tension under it. "You should."
She studied him, eyes narrowing slightly. "You sound relieved."
"I am," he admitted. And then—footsteps
"Wow," Cassian said cheerfully as he approached. "If it isn't our favorite quiet genius."
Julien followed, nodding politely at Lyra. "Going somewhere?"
Lyra smiled faintly. "Visiting my aunt."
Cassian clapped his hands together. "Aunt visits are sacred. You'll come back fed and emotionally recharged."
Kael shot him a warning look.
"What?" Cassian said innocently. "I'm being supportive."
Julien's gaze lingered on Lyra for a moment longer than necessary. "Safe travels," he said. "Campus gets… dull without you."
Kael felt it then—that flicker of irritation, sharp and instinctive. Julien noticed. He always did.
Lyra shifted slightly, aware of the undercurrent but choosing not to comment. "Thank you. I'll be back soon."
Cassian grinned. "We'll try not to corrupt Kael too much while you're gone."
Kael didn't respond. His eyes were on Lyra.
"Take care," he said quietly.
Their gazes held—unfinished, heavy with things neither of them was ready to name.
Lyra — Home
Her aunt's house wrapped around her like a memory.
Warm food. Raised voices. Familiar laughter.
"You look good," her aunt said, pressing a hand to Lyra's cheek. "Tired—but good."
Lyra smiled. "School's just… a lot."
That night, lying in her childhood bed, she pulled out her notebook.
Dear Stranger,
I'm home. It's loud here. Warm. Safe. And yet, I keep thinking about the way you watched me leave. Your friends joked, wished me well—but you didn't smile. You looked like you were letting go of something you hadn't admitted to holding.
She paused, then added:
I don't know why that matters to me. But it does.
Kael
The campus felt wrong without her.
"She left," Julien said beside him on the rooftop.
"I know."
Cassian leaned back against the railing. "You don't hide it well, you know."
Kael didn't respond.
"You should," Cassian continued lightly. "Humans notice these things."
Kael's jaw tightened. "That's the problem."
Julien watched him carefully. "She affects you."
"Yes," Kael said. Honest. Quiet. "And that makes her dangerous—to me."
Below, somewhere far from the shadows, Lyra Vale slept surrounded by warmth.
Kael Draven stayed awake, wondering how long distance could protect either of them.