The water around them rippled—not from movement, but from the weight of tension hanging thick in the air.
Each breath felt heavier than the last, the echoes of the octopus's distant thrashing filling the silence between them.
Zaira's tired gaze darted between the two of them, lips parting slightly as if to speak—but she didn't. No one did.
The air was too sharp, too fragile, like one wrong word would shatter it completely.
Eli's fists trembled at his sides.
His heart pounded so violently that it drowned out everything else—the dripping water, the faint hum of mana, even Kairo's steady breathing.
"Even Caelen—" He bit his lip, the name coming out hoarse, raw. His throat burned, but he forced the words out anyway.
Even Caelen didn't look down at him.
'Caelen had his frustrating, annoying, absolute fuckass attitude—and he kept throwing me into dangerous situations—but at least he didn't treat me like I was weak.'
