Elyra moved through the forest with a sense of urgency, her legs carrying her faster than she should have, given the exhaustion weighing down on her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, but she didn't slow down. She couldn't.
Her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, the memory of Kael's voice still ringing in her ears. It's never too late to change.
The words had cut deeper than she was willing to admit.
She didn't stop until she reached the edge of the camp, where Mara and the others were waiting, their faces expectant. They had heard the commotion, no doubt, but none of them had seen what transpired. They didn't know about Kael's words, or how she had hesitated.
"Did you find him?" Mara asked, stepping forward with a mixture of concern and curiosity.
Elyra forced herself to meet her gaze, trying to steady her racing heart. "He's gone."
Mara's brows furrowed. "Gone? You didn't—"
Elyra shook her head, cutting her off. "I didn't kill him. He—he got away."
There was a pause as the group exchanged uncertain glances, but Mara simply nodded. "You made the right call, Elyra. He's a threat. You can't let him get to the capital."
The words hit her like a physical blow. She had made the right call. She had chosen the rebellion, the people who had stood beside her from the beginning. She couldn't afford to show weakness now, not when so much was on the line.
But inside, the doubt still gnawed at her.
She turned away, walking to the far side of the camp where the fire crackled quietly, casting flickering shadows over the ground. The warmth felt distant, as though it were someone else's comfort.
Kael's face flashed in her mind once more—the way he had stood there, so close, yet so far away, a stranger in the midst of their shared history. The sincerity in his eyes, the quiet desperation that had underlined every word he'd spoken. It had all felt too real, too familiar.
Her heart twisted painfully.
"You can't trust him," she whispered under her breath. "You can't."
But the words felt hollow.
She had always known how to handle enemies. She knew how to kill them, how to make them disappear into the shadows, and how to push forward without looking back. But Kael wasn't just an enemy. He was a person. A soldier trapped by his own loyalties. Just like her.
Elyra clenched her fists at her sides. This wasn't about her. This was about the rebellion—about the people who were counting on her to lead them, to make the hard decisions.
But every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. Kael. His haunted eyes, his voice, the way he'd looked at her, as if they shared a truth neither of them wanted to acknowledge.
"Elyra."
Her head snapped up. Mara stood a few feet away, her expression soft but knowing.
"You've been out there for hours," Mara said quietly. "I know you. You're not just angry—you're conflicted."
Elyra's jaw tightened, her thoughts swirling. "I did what I had to do. He's a threat to everything we're working for."
Mara nodded slowly. "And I agree with you. But that doesn't mean you have to bury what you're feeling."
Elyra exhaled sharply, frustrated. "I don't have time for feelings, Mara. People are counting on me. The rebellion is counting on me."
"No one's questioning your loyalty, Elyra," Mara said gently. "But you're human. And Kael is... complicated. The question isn't whether or not he's the enemy—it's what you do with that knowledge. It's what you decide about him now."
Elyra's heart thudded painfully in her chest. "I've already decided."
Mara didn't push further. She simply watched Elyra, her expression unreadable, before turning and walking away.
But the weight of the conversation lingered, pressing down on Elyra like a storm cloud that wouldn't pass. She had made a choice—to let Kael go. To push him out of her thoughts and focus on what mattered. The rebellion. Her people. Their survival.
Yet the truth of the matter was, no matter how she tried to bury it, she couldn't forget the way he had looked at her. She couldn't forget his words.
And she couldn't escape the nagging feeling that, somehow, their paths would cross again.