Vael's eyes widened. Of all the things he expected to hear, this wasn't one of them.
Kiera continued, voice low:
"A month before the attack… I met Veltren. In the forest. I was alone. So was he.
He seemed… kind. He asked my name, how my day was going. I didn't see the harm. I answered him.
At one point, he asked where I lived. I told him.
And then, I just… forgot. I didn't tell anyone. Not my parents. Not the guards. No one.
And a month later, everyone was dead. The whole village. Not even all rebels. Even though my parents were."
She took a shaky breath, fighting to keep her composure.
"And once they were done slaughtering everyone, they took me.
They tortured me. I guess I deserved it," she added with a bitter laugh.
SLAP.
Vael's hand met her cheek, swift and sharp.
"Don't ever say that again," he said, voice low but burning.
Kiera blinked, stunned, mouth opening to protest—but Vael cut her off.
"Shut up. I swear, if you ever say something like that again, I'll knock you out myself, drag you back to that damned lab, and hand you over."
He wasn't yelling. That made it worse. The fury in his eyes was cold, precise, real.
In all the months they'd traveled together, Kiera had never seen him like this.
Not even when they'd returned to his burned village.
Not even when they'd tortured Kael.
"You don't get to blame yourself," he said. "Blame the nobles. Blame the bastards who ordered the attack. But don't blame yourself."
"But… I could've warned them," she said, voice cracking. "If I had just said something—"
"You were ten," he snapped. "You couldn't have known what he was. You were a kid."
That was it. The dam burst.
Kiera collapsed to her knees, sobbing so hard the rooftop seemed to tremble with her.
"I feel so guilty…" she cried.
Without hesitation, Vael dropped beside her and pulled her into a tight hug.
"We swore, remember?" he whispered. "In that cabin.
We're going to hunt them down.
Every. Last. One."
She cried until her voice gave out. Until she couldn't cry anymore. How long it lasted, neither of them knew.
Eventually, her sobs faded. She stood up slowly, facing the night sky.
The stars burned silently above the city.
And then—through their link—her voice echoed in his mind, stronger now.
"I won't cry anymore. I did enough of that in the lab. Crying is an insult to all of them."
She turned back to him.
"You're right," she said aloud. "Let's get strong.
And then… we kill them all."
Vael smirked.
"Sounds like a plan."
Kiera stared into his eyes. Deep blue, steady, and the leather eyepatch shadowing the scar beneath.
He really was her rock.
Her anchor.
"…Thanks, Vael," she said, softly.
"Anytime," he replied. "Come on. Let's get some sleep."
They blinked back inside the inn, feeling closer than ever before.