The motel room fell completely quiet the moment the bathroom door clicked shut behind Aiden.
"I'll be quick," his voice called out over the muffled sound of running water. "If I stay in there too long, come drag me out."
Arith offered a faint smile toward the door. "We'll give you five minutes."
"Fifteen," Aiden countered immediately.
"Ten."
"Deal."
The shower hummed to life a moment later, followed by the faint sound of Aiden humming a tune Kael had never heard before.
For a brief, fleeting moment, the room felt normal.
Then the smile slipped from Kael's face.
He lowered himself onto the edge of the mattress, leaning forward until his elbows rested on his knees. He pressed one hand flat against his chest, drawing in a careful, deliberate breath.
It hurt. Not with a sharp scream, but with a deep, persistent ache—a quiet reminder that the curse was still very much there.
Arith had been watching him the entire time. "You've been doing that since we left the campsite."
Kael didn't answer right away. He kept his eyes fixed on the faded pattern of the carpet beneath his boots before letting out a slow exhale. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
"I've known you for centuries, Kael," she said softly, walking over to sit beside him. "You keep forgetting that."
A small, breathless laugh escaped him. "No. I just keep hoping."
She reached out, gently wrapping her fingers around his wrist. The second her mana made contact with his skin, the light air around her vanished.
"...Kael."
He already knew what she had found in his pulse.
"The curse is stronger now," she whispered, her brow furrowing. "It isn't just tracking you, is it?"
He nodded slowly. "I realized that, too."
She looked at him sharply. "You did?"
"It grows stronger the closer we get to my core."
"And you didn't tell us?"
Kael turned his gaze toward the window. "I wanted to be certain."
"Kael..."
"Arith... there's nothing you could do on the road anyway."
A heavy silence settled between them, broken only by the distant hum of the shower. Arith was the first to speak.
"So it's following the pull."
Kael finally met her eyes. "Yes."
"It isn't only tracking you."
"No, it's not."
Her grip tightened slightly around his wrist. "That also means..."
He finished the thought for her, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's after my core."
The words hung heavily in the air between them. Neither of them needed to speak Eryn's name aloud; they both knew the truth. If Kael could feel the ancient pulse of the Great Core drawing nearer, then so could the man who had cursed him.
Arith slowly released his wrist. "We have to reach it first."
"We will."
"We have no time to waste, and we need a plan."
Kael's voice remained calm as he looked down at his palms. "I can bear this curse. I can even bear the pain." He swallowed hard, his voice cracking ever so slightly on the next words. "...What I cannot bear is giving him access to the Great Mana. Or my family."
He closed his eyes, the heavy weight of the past pressing down on him. "When I woke inside that painting, I spent years wondering if they had survived. I finally have hope of seeing them again. Of seeing my people."
His fingers curled tightly against his palms into knuckles. "If Eryn reaches the Great Core before I do..."
He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, and he didn't have to. Arith understood the tragedy tied to the end of that thought.
Without saying a word, she reached over and rested her hand gently over his clenched fist. "It won't happen, I assure you." She offered a sad, gentle smile. "Because I know you won't let it."
Kael looked at her, a small smile touching his lips. It lingered, if only for a second.
"I've grown tired, Arith." The admission came so softly she almost missed it. "So very tired."
His shoulders slumped, dropping the regal posture he had held for so long.
"I thought telling Aiden everything would make it easier."
"Did it?"
"It did," he murmured, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips. "But it also made it real. The memories... I'm still living those memories, Arith. They feel as though they happened yesterday."
Arith felt a quiet ache in her chest. This was the version of Kael no one else ever saw—not the crown prince, not the formidable warrior, just a man carrying far more grief than anyone should ever have to bear.
Reaching out, she casually flicked his forehead with her nail.
Kael blinked in surprise, leaning back. "...Did you just flick me?"
"I did."
"I am a prince, Arith."
"You are, but you're my friend, too."
"And?"
"I've earned the right."
Despite the weight in his chest, a genuine laugh burst from Kael—soft, warm, and real. It was the first true laugh she had heard from him in days.
"There you are," she said softly. "I was beginning to miss you."
He rubbed his forehead dramatically. "I believe you've severely abused your best friend rights."
"I haven't even used half of them."
The laughter slowly faded into a comfortable, quiet ease before Arith stood up. "Come. Let's reduce its hold."
Kael hesitated for a single heartbeat. Accepting help had never come naturally to him—his entire life had been spent shielding others rather than leaning on them. Yet... he was learning. Slowly, but surely.
He nodded.
The two of them settled cross-legged on the floor facing each other. As they closed their eyes, the quiet room fell completely still.
Silvery-blue light pooled around Arith like moonlight shimmering over water. Golden mana answered from deep within Kael's chest.
Arith guided her energy forward in gentle, fluid streams, and Kael opened his defenses to welcome it.
The moment their magic met, the crushing pressure around his heart fought back, dark tendrils coiling tight to keep their hold.
Arith fed him a steady current of strength, little by little, breath by breath.
Slowly, the invisible claws around Kael's heart began to yield—not completely, but enough that his breath came smoothly. Then another. The constant, burning ache dulled. His shoulders, tense for days, finally relaxed. He hadn't realized how truly exhausted he was until the pain finally loosened its grip.
A quiet sigh of pure relief escaped him.
After several minutes, Arith gently withdrew her magic, letting the silver glow dissolve into the air. Kael remained still, keeping his eyes closed a moment longer. For the first time in what felt like forever, his chest didn't feel like it was collapsing inward.
He opened his eyes slowly.
"How do you feel?"
He searched for the right word. "Lighter." His voice carried a faint trace of awe. "I can finally breathe again."
Arith smiled softly. "It won't last forever."
"I know."
"But it should help keep the curse at bay until we get there."
"And that's enough."
The bathroom door swung open, releasing a cloud of warm steam as Aiden stepped out, ruffling a towel through his damp hair. He froze the moment his eyes landed on them, looking straight past the fading light and straight to Kael.
He crossed the room in three quick strides. "Are you feeling better?"
Kael looked up at him, knowing there was no point in wearing a mask anymore. "A lot better."
Aiden let out a soft smile of pure, visible relief—so open and bright that Kael felt a deep warmth settle quietly in his chest. "That's a relief."
He sank down to the floor beside Kael without another word, their shoulders brushing together. Then, almost absentmindedly, Aiden reached out for his hand.
Kael looked down at their joined fingers, then pulled him closer, burying his face into the crook of Aiden's neck. He drew in a long breath, inhaling his grounding scent mixed with cheap motel soap.
Arith watched them quietly from across the room.
Centuries ago, she had watched a young prince who knew nothing beyond court politics, heavy duty, and a life with almost no room to breathe.
Today, she was watching that same prince allow himself to be entirely vulnerable with someone, even after being broken by love before.
It wasn't a grand miracle, and it didn't erase the past. But he was healing.
Sometimes, healing didn't begin with powerful magic. Sometimes, it simply began with the choice to stop carrying the weight alone.