Elia stepped inside with quiet warmth.
She always did.
Even the air seemed softer when she entered.
She closed the door gently behind her and smiled at him — not the polished smile of royalty.
A real one.
"Did I interrupt something?"
James looked at her.
The golden glow within her chest was steady tonight. Calm. Pure.
The Vault stirred.
Hungry.
He ignored it.
"No," he replied. "I was thinking."
She tilted her head.
"You do that a lot lately."
He almost laughed.
If only she knew.
Elia walked further into the room, barefoot despite palace expectations. She moved like someone who had never learned to fear the world.
"Court went well?" she asked.
"It went."
"That means it didn't," she said knowingly.
James studied her carefully.
"You understand more than they think."
She smiled softly.
"They think I'm soft."
"You are soft."
She walked closer and lightly tapped his chest.
"But I'm not stupid."
He felt that tap deeper than it should have gone.
She sat at the edge of his bed, looking around his chamber.
"You've changed, Brother."
There it was again.
He sat across from her.
"How?"
She thought for a moment.
"You're quieter. But not empty quiet. More like…" she searched for the word, "…watching quiet."
He held her gaze.
"Is that bad?"
She shook her head.
"No."
Then her expression shifted slightly.
"But don't watch me like that."
His stomach tightened.
"Like what?"
"Like I might disappear."
The words hit harder than any blade.
For a brief second, something inside him fractured.
Because for the first time since waking in this world—
He realized she would.
One day.
And maybe because of him.
He forced calm into his voice.
"You won't disappear."
She smiled again.
"You promise?"
The Vault pulsed.
Greed without object.
It whispered:
Take her light.
Keep it.
Protect it.
Own it.
James stood abruptly and walked toward the balcony to steady himself.
Elia watched him quietly.
"Can I ask you something?" she said.
"Yes."
"Are you afraid of Father?"
He paused.
Interesting question.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because when you talk to him, you become smaller."
Smaller.
Not weaker.
Smaller.
James turned slowly.
"You see that?"
She nodded.
"I see things people don't."
Her golden core glowed brighter for a moment.
The voice inside him murmured:
"Her Desire Core is not Greed."
"What is it?"
"Devotion."
He looked at her again.
"Devotion to what?"
"You."
His breath stalled.
Elia stood and walked toward him.
"Brother… whatever you're thinking about lately… you don't have to carry it alone."
He didn't answer.
Because he couldn't.
She reached up — and hugged him again.
This time tighter.
Her head rested against his chest.
And that's when he felt it clearly.
Her Desire Core resonated with his.
Not in hunger.
Not in conflict.
But in trust.
Absolute trust.
The Vault reacted violently.
It wanted that devotion.
It craved it.
Not to destroy.
To possess.
He clenched his fists at his sides.
The thread appeared again.
Bright gold.
Brighter than before.
Closer than before.
All he had to do—
Pull.
He didn't.
Instead—
He wrapped his arms around her carefully.
Not tight.
Not greedy.
Just enough.
The Vault roared in protest.
He forced it down.
"Elia," he said quietly.
"Yes?"
"If one day… I become someone people fear…"
She pulled back and frowned.
"You won't."
"And if I do?"
She stepped back slightly, studying his face seriously.
Then she said something simple.
"Then I'll just love you louder."
Silence filled the room.
That sentence carved itself into him.
No politics.
No power.
No strategy.
Just her.
"You shouldn't," he murmured.
She smiled.
"I don't listen well."
She turned and walked toward the door.
But before leaving, she paused.
"Oh."
He looked up.
"There's going to be an announcement tomorrow. Father mentioned something about sending you away."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Away?"
She nodded.
"To the Royal Academy in Asterin."
There it was.
The shift.
The beginning of distance.
She gave him one last bright smile.
"Don't get expelled."
The door closed softly behind her.
James stood alone.
The room felt colder now.
He placed his hand over his chest.
The Infinite Vault churned.
Not because it failed to consume.
But because it had felt something stronger than greed.
Devotion.
And for the first time—
James understood something dangerous.
If she ever died…
The Vault would not ask permission.
It would devour the world.