But he was grinning.
Not wildly. Not cruelly.
Just... knowingly.
As if everything was moving exactly as he intended.
As they pushed deeper into the forest, branches clawed at their robes, and ash still hung in the air like the ghost of the battlefield.
Kael could hear it.
The distant, haunting howls of Valroks echoed behind them—deep, guttural, and wrong.
Not echoes.
Not one beast.
But several.
Each cry tearing through the forest like a war horn from hell, answered by others in turn.
But none of them were chasing.
Not directly.
Just as he’d planned.
The scent clung to the carriages like a curse, pulling the monsters away—toward the survivors.
Still, it wasn’t quiet.
Minor beasts—feral, mindless things barely at Rank 2—burst from the undergrowth.
Kael didn’t even pause.
He flicked his hand.
Arcanum Vortex—a swirling ball of compressed mana—ripped through them in one clean burst, leaving behind only smoldering ash and twitching limbs.
A Rank 3 lunged from a ridge above.
Before Kael could react, Elara spun into action.
Steel glead in a blur—her blade tracing a sigil mid-strike, warping ti around her in a ripple of distortion.
The beast didn’t even get to scream before it fell in two clean halves.
They ran.
Longer than they should have.
Legs burning. Breaths short.
But still they ran.
Until—finally—they found it.
A cave.
Tucked behind a curtain of moss and twisted vines.
Empty.
Safe enough.
They collapsed just inside.
No words.
Just the sound of panting breath, dripping sweat, and the forest beyond still crackling with distant screams and beast-calls.
Kael leaned against the rough stone wall, sliding down until he was sitting, elbows on his knees.
Selene sat cross-legged near the entrance, eyes half-lidded.
Elara remained standing for a mont—then slowly dropped to a crouch, hands on her thighs, chest heaving.
Silence.
Selene quickly gathered so dry twigs from the cave’s edge.
Her movents were swift, almost automatic—anything to keep her hands busy, to avoid the silence pressing down on them.
Soon, the fire crackled to life.
The three of them sat around it, shoulders hunched, shadows dancing across their faces.
Elara stared into the flas, her jaw clenched.
Then—finally—she spoke.
Her voice was low, rough.
"Why did you do that, Kael?"
"We could’ve dealt with that thing if they had stayed. But now—"
Kael cut her off.
"Their mission is to hunt the Devil. That’s it."
He didn’t look at her.
"I’m working with him.
It was ....his order."
Kael thought,
And... I don’t trust you.
It was the truth.
Elara might act like she cared—like she was in love with him.
She might even fight Selene over it, wear that pain like armor.
But deep down, Kael couldn’t fully trust her.
He wouldn’t.
How could he? She was a ti traveler—soone who already knew pieces of the future.
She could be playing a role now, saying all the right things, pretending to be the loyal wife... only to betray him when it mattered most.
She could stab him in the back the mont he turned away.
And yet... when he looked at her now, at the way her eyes shimred—not with calculation, but sothing closer to grief—he hesitated.
She didn’t look like a traitor.
Her gaze was too open.
Too raw.
But still...
Kael sighed, dragging a hand through his hair.
I’m the biggest coward, he thought.
The fire crackled softly between them, casting shadows on the walls of the cave.
Ti passed—slow and quiet.
Then Selene finally broke the silence.
Her voice was soft, hesitant.
"Elara... that thing out there—what was it?
Do you think we could defeat it... without the Devil’s help?"
Kael gave a thumbs up to Selene.
She smiled softly in response.
Then Kael turned to look at Elara.
She sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair.
"Maybe... maybe we can—after watching soone’s cunning," she said, her eyes fixed on Kael.
Kael looked away, silent.
She took a steady breath.
"Okay. Listen."
"All I know," she began softly, "is that there’s a seal.
Deep in the forest.
Sothing... is trapped there."
Her voice wavered—not with fear, but mory. Her face paled, eyes unfocused, as if she were seeing sothing from another ti.
Kael narrowed his eyes, watching her closely.
She’s rembering her past life, he thought.
That thing—whatever it is—must’ve been bad.
Very bad.
Elara took a shaky breath.
"It’s weakening—the seal. With the eclipse coming, it’ll shatter completely."
She looked up, her gaze grave.
"If that happens... it won’t just be a town or two.
We’re talking empire-level destruction."
Silence settled over the cave like a blanket—thick, heavy, and full of things left unsaid.
Even the fire seed to quiet.
Kael said nothing. Selene’s hands stilled on her lap.
The threat was real.
And close.
Elara was trembling.
Without thinking, Kael stepped forward and gently hugged her from behind. She blinked, surprised, and turned slightly to look at him, her expression caught between shock and sothing softer.
"Let’s just forget about all that, for now," Kael said quietly, a faint smile on his lips.
"Why not enjoy this peaceful mont? Feels a little like... camping, doesn’t it?"
Elara opened her mouth, hesitated, then let out a small laugh.
"You’re unbelievable," she whispered.
Before the mont could settle, Selene wrapped her arms around Kael from behind as well, her voice laced with teasing jealousy.
"Yeah, Kael. Co over here and sleep next to . Don’t bother Her Highness. She’s too delicate to sleep on the ground."
Elara’s eyes narrowed as she tightened her hold on Kael.
"Bitch, you again?" she muttered. "Who says I won’t sleep on the ground?"
Without another word, she dropped down onto the dirt beside the fire, letting her dress wrinkle and stain with dust.
"See?" she declared, looking up at the stunned Kael and Selene.
"I can sleep."
There was a mont of silence.
Then Selene burst into laughter.
Elara frowned. "What?"
Kael let out a sigh and reached into his spatial ring. A second later, he pulled out a compact mattress and laid it beside them.
"Sleeping on the ground doesn’t an literally on dirt, Elara."
Elara’s cheeks flushed crimson.
"You... bastard!" she growled, launching herself at him with soft punches.
"Why didn’t you bring that out earlier?!"
Selene joined in with a mock glare.
"Yeah, Kael! We were suffering on rocks while you had that the whole ti?"
The bickering lted into tired laughter.
And finally, the three of them settled onto the mattress, huddled close beneath a thin blanket.
Kael lay in the center. Elara’s head rested on his shoulder. Selene curled up against his side.
Kael closed his eyes, thinking—not of monsters or war—but of this fragile, fleeting peace.
Whatever ca next... he would be ready.
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