Night had fallen over the Black Bulls' base like a blanket woven in shadow and silence. Most of the squad was asleep—or passed out in the common room after a wild meal and too many magic-fueled drinking games. Kael, however, wandered alone.
He walked barefoot through the candlelit hallways, his cloak slung lazily over one shoulder. Despite the day's training and the chaos of his squad, something lingered on his mind.
His memories.
And the girl who always seemed to see through everyone—but spoke almost nothing.
Secre Swallowtail. Or as most still called her, Nero.
---
The Quiet One
Kael had noticed her the day he arrived at the base. She had perched on the shoulders of everyone—Yami, Asta, Magna—yet rarely said a word. Her eyes were sharper than most, and her silence spoke volumes.
He now knew she wasn't just some girl.
She was a former royal servant, bound to a forbidden spell, surviving for centuries as a bird. She carried burdens he couldn't yet understand—but could feel.
Tonight, he found her in the old library tucked near the base's lower levels, where dust coated spellbooks no one ever opened.
Secre sat cross-legged on a table, her black cloak draped over her petite form, a flickering candle nearby.
"You always sit where no one thinks to look," Kael said softly.
She didn't turn. "Maybe I like being left alone."
Kael smirked and sat across from her. "Then you'll hate me."
---
Buried Truths
They sat in silence for a while. Kael's crimson eyes studied her expression—neutral, unreadable. His fingers tapped against the wooden table rhythmically.
"I know what it feels like," he murmured eventually.
Her gaze narrowed slightly. "What?"
"To carry something no one else understands. To wake up every day knowing... you're not like the others."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"You're hiding something," she said.
He didn't flinch. "So are you."
For a moment, they simply stared—two ghosts in human skin.
Then, Kael leaned back and exhaled.
"I remember my death," he said softly. "Not the pain. Just the moment I knew it was over. And then... I woke up here. Crying in a world that shouldn't have existed."
Secre's breath caught.
"You… don't belong here," she whispered.
"I was never meant to. But someone gave me this chance."
---
Trust in the Dark
"I've never told anyone that," Kael continued. "Not Asta. Not Yuno. Not even Lyra."
"You shouldn't," she replied quickly, voice hushed but firm. "This world doesn't forgive anomalies."
He nodded. "I know. That's why I told you."
Secre blinked. "Why me?"
"Because you're just like me. You walk in a world that moved on without you. And you still protect it, even when no one notices."
The candlelight flickered, catching in her eyes. She looked away.
"I served a king who died centuries ago," she whispered. "I sealed a demon. I spent generations as a bird watching the world change without me. Sometimes I wonder if I should've stayed sealed."
Kael reached across the table and gently touched her hand.
"You weren't sealed to be forgotten," he said. "You were sealed to one day be needed again. Just like me."
---
Unspoken Connections
They didn't speak for a long time. Secre didn't move her hand. Her shoulders relaxed, the walls around her crumbling just a little.
"I watch you train sometimes," she admitted. "When you think no one's looking."
Kael grinned. "Peeking, are you?"
She smacked his hand with a soft glare, but her cheeks tinged faintly pink.
"You fight like someone who already knows how every battle ends."
"That's because I do," he said before catching himself. "I mean—"
"I figured," she interrupted, eyes narrowing. "You've reacted to things before they happen. That's not instinct. That's memory."
Kael exhaled slowly. "Yeah. My system syncs me with the timeline. I know events... moments before they happen. But only when I reach a checkpoint."
"Sounds like a curse."
"It can be. But it also lets me protect the people I care about."
Secre met his eyes, serious now.
"Then use it wisely. Because you're not the only one being watched."
---
Wings of the Past
As the night deepened, Kael stood to leave. Secre watched him, something unreadable in her gaze.
"Kael."
He turned.
"You said someone gave you this chance..."
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Do you ever wonder why?"
He paused. "Every day."
"And?"
He smiled softly. "Maybe… because even the broken deserve a second shot."
Secre held his gaze, then nodded slowly.
"Next time you sneak out to train alone," she said, rising gracefully, "you won't be alone."
Kael chuckled. "That sounds like an invitation."
"No," she said with the faintest smirk. "It's a warning."
And with that, she shifted into her bird form and fluttered past him, wings brushing his shoulder.
Kael stood there in the candlelight, a little stunned, a little awed.
> [System Alert: Bond Formed – Secre Swallowtail: Affection Level 2/5]
[Trait Gained: Silent Watcher – +10% stealth and sensory resistance in covert missions]
As he returned to his room, one thought repeated in his mind:
Some connections don't need to be shouted.
Some are whispered… and just as strong.