The world came back to Kyle in fragments—cool air brushing his skin, the creak of wood under his boots, the faint rhythm of someone pacing.
When his eyes finally opened, he realized he wasn't in the greenhouse anymore. He was lying on a narrow bed in what looked like the upper loft of an abandoned cabin. The windows were cracked but sealed with old boards, allowing only thin ribbons of dusty light to slip in.
His head throbbed like someone had been hammering nails into it. His arms felt heavier than they should.
"Finally awake," Felix's voice drawled from across the room.
Kyle turned his head—slowly—and saw him leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He was still in his combat gear, though there was a fresh rip in his sleeve and dried blood near his shoulder. His usual smirk was there, but there was something tight behind it.
Kyle's voice came out rough. "You've been watching me sleep? That's creepy."
Felix rolled his eyes. "Someone had to make sure you didn't bleed yourself dry like an idiot."
Before Kyle could snap back, movement near the far wall caught his attention. Gia was crouched beside a small makeshift firepit, carefully pouring water into a tin cup. The steam curled upward, catching in her hair like soft silver threads.
"You're up," she said, glancing over. Her voice was steady, but her eyes scanned him as if checking for injuries the firelight couldn't reveal. "Drink this. You need it."
Felix stepped forward and took the cup from her before Kyle could move. "Careful—he's too stubborn to admit he needs help." He passed the cup to Kyle with a smirk.
Kyle accepted it without comment, but his eyes stayed on Gia for a moment longer. Something in the way she avoided his gaze made him uneasy.
The Unspoken Shift
They spent the next few hours in a tense sort of quiet. Felix paced, occasionally stepping outside to scout. Gia busied herself with sorting supplies she had pulled from her portal storage—Kyle still didn't know the limits of her power, but the way she handled it made it look second nature.
Kyle just sat, forcing himself to drink and regain some strength. His mind wasn't just on the shadow copy—though the memory of its voice still clung to him like oil—it was also on Felix.
Because Felix wasn't looking at him much. He was looking at Gia.
It was subtle at first, but Kyle had always been good at reading people, even when he didn't want to. The way Felix's eyes lingered when Gia brushed a strand of hair back. The way his tone softened slightly when he spoke to her.
And Gia… she wasn't oblivious.
Nightfall
By the time darkness swallowed the forest outside, Felix had settled by the door with his weapon across his lap, keeping watch. Gia had curled up near the fire, hugging her knees.
Kyle leaned back against the wall, pretending to be resting. But when Gia glanced at Felix and offered a small, tired smile, Kyle caught it.
He didn't know why it bothered him.
Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was the way they had been through hell together, and he wasn't ready to let someone else step into the space between them.
Or maybe—he just didn't like the thought of Felix looking at her like that.
The Whisper in the Dark
The fire dimmed to glowing embers. Outside, the wind carried faint, almost human whispers.
Kyle's eyes snapped open.
The voice of the shadow slithered into his mind again.
You can't save her, Kyle. Not from me. Not from him.
His hands clenched into fists under the thin blanket.
He wasn't sure if the "him" meant Felix—or something far, far worse.
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