POV: Kael đ«ïžđ
Kael didn't trust peace.
It never lasted. It was always just a breath before the blade fell.
But today, in the clearing behind the sanctuary, with sun dappling the grass and the smell of bread wafting from the kitchen, it almost felt⊠real.
Ariya sat cross-legged beneath a tree, flames lazily drifting above her open palm. Her brows were furrowed in concentration, lips parted, completely unaware that she looked like a painting come to life.
Kael should've been sharpening weapons. Preparing for the next fight.
Instead, he was watching her.
Again.
He leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree, arms crossed, one leg braced behind him. She hadn't noticed him yet â or maybe she had and just didn't care.
"You're staring again," Lyra's voice said dryly behind him.
Kael flinched, just a little. "I'm watching for danger."
"Uh-huh. The danger of freckles and quiet fire tricks. Terrifying."
He didn't answer.Mostly because she wasn't wrong.
Lyra stepped beside him, brushing dust off her sleeves. "You know, she sees you. Even if she doesn't say it."
"I don't need her to say it," Kael muttered. "I just need her to live."
Lyra gave him a side-glance. "And what if she wants more than that?"
That was the part that terrified him the most.
Later that evening, they trained again.
It was supposed to be light drills â form, control, precision.
But when Ariya sparred with Jax, Kael couldn't help but watch every move. Every dodge. Every time her laughter spilled out like sunlight after rain.
He hated how it made his chest ache.
When they finally crossed blades, Kael and Ariya â just the two of them â the world slowed again.
Their swords clashed. Sparks flew. But it wasn't just sparring.
It was electric.
Ariya grinned as she ducked under his swing, flames flickering around her arms. "You're holding back."
"I always hold back."
"Don't."
So he didn't.
He moved fast, low, forcing her to counter, to sweat, to spark. Their movements blurred, not just battle â but dance. Something raw and honest pulsed between them.
When they locked blades at last, noses inches apart, breaths shallowâ
She looked up at him with that wildfire gaze.
And time stopped.
"You're getting stronger," he said quietly.
"So are you," she replied. Her voice was softer now. "But you've always been strong."
He didn't know what to say to that.
So he stepped back.
Because if he didn't⊠he might've leaned in.
And he wasn't sure she was ready for that.
That night, Kael sat alone on the sanctuary roof, looking up at the stars.
He didn't believe in fairy tales. Heroes. Happy endings.
But he believed in her.
And maybe⊠just maybe⊠that was enough.
Far awayâŠRuvan stood beside the mirror, watching.
He saw them training. Saw the moment their blades touched, their hands lingered.
He saw the way Kael looked at her.
And the way she looked back.
His fist clenched, frost blooming across the mirror's edges.
"She's mine," he growled. "She just doesn't know it yet."