The night was quiet, save for the distant call of an owl and the occasional rustle of the forest's inhabitants. Kael sat near the fire, his back against a massive oak, its bark rough against his skin. The warmth from the flames was a stark contrast to the cold emptiness that had settled in his chest for so many years. He could feel the presence of Aria beside him, her form a steady silhouette against the shifting light of the fire. Her quiet movements, and the soft hum of her breathing, seemed to fill the space between them. But tonight, there was something different. The silence was no longer uncomfortable. It felt... peaceful.
Aria had spent the day tending to his wounds, applying the salve she had made from the herbs she'd collected. The sting of the ointment had been sharp, but it had eased the ache of his body in ways he hadn't known were possible. For the first time in a long while, Kael felt lighter. Not entirely healed, not yet, but lighter. And it was a strange sensation. One he didn't know how to grasp.
The flames flickered, casting their glow across the clearing as Kael watched the fire dance in front of him. His mind wandered, as it often did in the quiet moments, back to the days when he was a man of the kingdom back to the days when he had been a knight with honor and a future.
"Do you ever miss it?" Aria's voice broke through the silence, soft and contemplative.
Kael's head turned slightly, and he found her eyes on him, steady and knowing. The question hung in the air like a weight, heavier than the forest around them.
"Miss what?" Kael asked though he knew the answer.
"Miss being... him," Aria said, the words delicate, as if she were afraid of saying too much. "The man you were."
Kael's jaw tightened, and for a moment, he was tempted to turn away, to shield himself from the truth that was beginning to resurface. The man he had been the one who had stood tall, sword in hand, ready to defend the kingdom he loved. That man seemed so distant now, a ghost in the fog of his memories.
"I was a fool," he muttered, his voice thick with bitterness. "A fool who thought his purpose was tied to the kingdom, to those who used him."
Aria's gaze softened. She knew there was more to it than that. She could feel it.
"I don't think you were a fool," Aria said quietly, leaning forward slightly, her expression open and sincere. "I think you were someone who believed in something. And when that belief was shattered, it broke you."
Kael felt a tightness in his chest. The words rang true, but he wasn't sure how to respond to them. He wasn't used to someone seeing him in such a light not since that day when his world had been torn apart.
"Belief doesn't matter when it's all a lie," Kael said, his voice low. "What I thought I had... it was all taken from me. All for nothing."
Aria was silent for a moment, and Kael felt her gaze on him, felt the weight of her understanding. It was as if she could see through the hardened armor he had placed around himself, past the beast, past the anger, and into the man who still clung to the remnants of what he had lost.
"And what if I told you that belief could still matter?" Aria asked softly. "Not in the same way it did before. But in a different way. A better way."
Kael turned to look at her, his amber eyes narrowing slightly, searching for something he couldn't place.
"I'm not some hero who can save the world," he said, his voice tinged with bitterness. "I'm not a knight anymore. I'm not even a man. I'm a beast, and I don't fit in your world, Aria. I never did."
"You're wrong," Aria replied, her voice steady, the firmness in her tone surprising him. "You're not a beast. Not truly. You've just forgotten what it means to be."
Kael shook his head, the movement slow and deliberate. "I don't even know who I am anymore."
The fire crackled, the flames licking the air as the quiet grew thicker between them. For a moment, Kael thought Aria might say something more. But she didn't. Instead, she sat beside him in silence, her presence comforting in its way.
He had no idea how long they stayed there, but as the fire began to burn lower, Kael felt the weight of the night settle in.
"I don't know how to trust again," he finally admitted, his voice almost a whisper. "I don't know how to believe that I'm anything more than the curse I was given."
"You don't have to trust everything at once," Aria said, her tone gentle. "You don't have to trust the world, or even me, if you're not ready. But you have to trust yourself. Trust that you're still in there. Trust that the man you were hasn't completely disappeared."
Kael closed his eyes, feeling the weight of her words settle in his chest. There was something warm in her voice, a softness that made him wonder if maybe just maybe there could still be a place for him in the world. A place where he didn't have to hide in the shadows, where he didn't have to run from the man he had become.
The wind picked up again, rustling the leaves overhead, and Kael felt the chill of the night seeping into his bones. He had been alone for so long that the idea of someone offering him companionship, offering him understanding, felt like a dream. A dream he couldn't afford to believe in.
But Aria had not left. She hadn't turned her back on him like everyone else had. She had stayed, even when he had pushed her away. And that... that was something he hadn't expected.
"Why do you stay?" Kael asked, his voice raw with emotion. He turned to face her fully, his amber eyes searching her face as though looking for answers in the depths of her expression.
Aria met his gaze without hesitation. Her brown eyes were steady, warm, and unyielding.
"Because I see you," she said simply. "I see the man who once stood for something, the man who lost his way. But I also see the man who's still here. The man who can still find his way back."
Kael swallowed hard, the lump in his throat thickening. He wanted to argue, wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that there was no way back for him. But the words wouldn't come. Instead, he simply sat in silence, letting the fire's glow warm the space between them.
"I'll help you," Aria continued, her voice soft but resolute. "We'll take it one step at a time. You don't have to face this alone."
Kael stared into the fire, the flickering flames casting shadows across his face. The weight of her words felt heavier now, more real. He wasn't sure what the future held, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to believe that there was a way out of the darkness. But for the first time in a long while, Kael allowed himself to entertain the possibility. The possibility that, maybe, just maybe, there was still hope.