CHAPTER 26 — The Oath in the Dark
Cassian's POV
The night smelled like iron and rain.
Funny how memory works, always dragging me back to the worst moments when I'm trying my hardest not to think at all.
Sarafina was asleep in her apartment now, exhausted after the day's incident. I could still hear the echo of her shaky voice in my head, the way she whispered my name like she wasn't sure if she wanted comfort or answers.
And I had neither.
Not anymore.
Not since he showed up.
Not since that hybrid bastard started hovering around her like a ghost stitched to her shadow.
I stood on the rooftop opposite her building, hands braced on the cold railing, breath fogging the air. My chest felt too tight. Too full.
Because I remembered everything.
Every reason I swore I would never lose her.
Flashback — Five Years Ago
The first time I met Sarafina, she was crying quietly behind the school building, hidden between the tall hedges, trying not to let anyone hear her.
I'd only transferred to her university that month. I didn't know her then. She didn't know me. Not really.
But I recognized her.
Not from a past life, not from some destiny nonsense.
No.
I recognized her because she was the only person I'd ever seen whose soul shined when she was breaking.
A shimmer—not literal, not supernatural… not then. Just something fragile and stubborn in her eyes that made her sadness feel like a living thing.
I stepped closer. She didn't even look up.
She just whispered, "Please go away."
But I didn't.
I sat beside her, leaving enough space not to scare her.
She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve and muttered, embarrassed, "Seriously, go away."
"No," I said.
She sniffed. "Why not?"
"Because nobody should cry alone behind a building like a badly written tragic heroine."
She laughed. Through tears. That laugh hooked itself into my ribs and never left.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Cassian."
"Why are you even here?"
And I told her the truth.
"Because I know what it feels like to break quietly. And I… don't want to watch you fall alone."
She stared at me for a long time, then whispered:
"I'm tired."
I swallowed. "Then let me be the one person you don't have to be strong for."
She didn't say anything.
She just leaned her head on my shoulder.
And that was it.
The moment the oath formed.
Not spoken. Not ceremonial. Just a heartbeat-solid vow.
I will protect her. Always. No matter what it costs me.
Back to Present
The wind bit into my skin as I stood on the rooftop, fingers curling into fists.
I didn't regret that vow.
But now… now things were spiraling.
Sarafina's veins were glowing. Creatures from cracked realities were whispering her name. Alistair was prowling around her like a storm waiting to break.
And for the first time in years— I was afraid.
Not for myself.
For her.
Because she didn't know what she was becoming. She didn't know what the world would do to someone like her. What he would do—if she trusted him more than me.
I closed my eyes.
Her laughter from that day echoed again, soft and broken and perfect.
"You're not losing her," I told myself.
But the fear in my gut answered:
You already are.