Jasmine froze like a deer caught in the headlights. A fear so overwhelming it beca almost tangible seized her, and Priam grimaced as he felt her slender hands grip his with the force of desperation.
“No!”
“Jasmine—”
“I don’t want to!”
She sprang to her feet, her shadow swimsuit shifting into a long cloak, the hood covering her head. Her Concept wrapped around her like a protective shield, warding off the world.
Priam stepped closer but hesitated, stopping just short of pulling her into his arms. He didn’t want to force her.
“Jasmine,” he said gently, his voice soft but firm. “I’m not abandoning you.”
“... That’s what they said too,” she whispered.
Priam stood silently for a mont, searching for the right words. Seeing his friend so sad was breaking his hearts.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he finally said. Priam had always respected Jasmine's desire to keep her past hidden. “But you're not in Arcana anymore. You’re no longer a slave. Today, you're a strong woman, powerful enough to fight against what you hate and chase what you love.” Jasmine flinched but said nothing. Priam pressed on. “When I first found you, I had to chain you up because you were my enemy. Now, I want to free a friend.”
“And what if I don’t want to leave?” Jasmine pushed back her hood, and her gray eyes locked onto his. “What if I don’t want to be free? What if I want to keep protecting you because I love you? Because for the first ti in my life, I feel like I belong sowhere?”
“Then you stay. And no one—not even —will take that away from you. You won’t stay because you have to, but because you choose to.” His words cald her, and Priam moved closer. He reached out and gently cupped her cheek. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
Jasmine shook her head, her dark hair brushing against Priam’s hand.
“I see a panther that life tried to break.” He felt her shudder under his touch. “When I was a kid, I went to a circus and was disgusted to see lions caged. A feline is most majestic when it’s wild. I want to see that panther in you break free.”
Since he could rember, the concept of freedom had always been sacred to Priam. Experiences like those had fueled his burning desire to live unshackled.
“... Let stay with you,” Jasmine whispered, a plea in her eyes that felt out of place on soone as fierce as her.
“I want you to stay too,” Priam replied honestly. “But I want it to be your choice.”
“I choose to stay,” Jasmine declared, her voice growing stronger. “I will stay.”
Priam smiled. “Welco ho.”
It would take ti for her to rebuild her confidence, but he knew she was on the right path.
"As for the subsystem—"
“I want to keep it. It’s a bond between us.”
“It can be useful,” he admitted. Without it, Eve could have ssed with his mory far too easily. “We can limit the connection—”
“No.” Jasmine stepped closer, so near that her breath disturbed the mist that cloaked Priam. “You said I was feline… and it’s true. I love to lounge, tease those I care about, and hunt the rest… but an assassin is more than that. It’s also a shadow. While cultivating that Concept, I’ve realized shadows can’t exist alone.”
Priam t her gray eyes. The fear was gone, replaced by a lingering unease.
“You can tell anything,” he encouraged.
“To reach Unity, I had to—” Jasmine swallowed. “I chose you. I am your Shadow.”
Her words were barely above a whisper, but to Priam, they sounded like thunder.
The two stared at each other. They were only at the beginning of their journey, but choices had already been made. Now, they had to live with them.
Priam’s throat tightened as he grasped the weight of Jasmine’s declaration. “You’ll never be free.”
He had no idea what else to say. Jasmine’s decision was so far removed from his own desires, it left him reeling. How could anyone willingly give up their freedom?
“I knew that long before my training began.” Jasmine smiled, as if trying to reassure him. “It never bothered ; few people are truly free anyway. Besides, it’s easier to follow than to lead. This way, the bodies I leave in my wake aren’t really my responsibility. I think that helps sleep at night.” She paused, gathering her courage. When she continued, her gray eyes were clear. “What I’ve always feared isn’t losing my freedom—it’s being alone.”
Priam swallowed hard. Jasmine was baring her soul to him, explaining the aning behind her sacrifice. Ironically, the one giving up her life for him was trying to comfort him. Yet her statent was unmistakable: she didn’t share his philosophy. If he accepted her as his Shadow, she would never be free.
But it’s her will.
Who was he to impose his values on her? To judge or belittle her decisions? She was an adult, with far more life experience than he had.
“I’d be honored to have you as my Shadow… and if you ever change your mind, I’ll still be your friend.”
Jasmine threw herself into his arms, and Priam held her close, gazing at the sun of his world, his mind troubled by the joy that flowed through their bond.
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