Kaelen
The veil closed like a wound sealing shut.
One second, Elara's face was there—wet eyes, mouth open, calling his name.
The next, nothing.
Just air.
Just silence.
Kaelen staggered forward, hand slamming into empty space where the portal had been. The force of it rattled up his arm, useless and cruel.
"No," he breathed. "No—"
The realm around him groaned, shadows pulling back like a tide that hadn't won but hadn't lost either. The Collective retreated into the mist, their laughter echoing faint and thin.
Not gone, their voices whispered.Just delayed.
Kaelen didn't chase them.
He couldn't.
His chest hurt in a way no blade had ever managed. Slow. Heavy. Like something important had been torn loose and left bleeding.
He had promised.
"I said I'd follow," he muttered to himself. His voice sounded wrong in this place, too loud, too broken. "I said—"
His knees hit the ground.
The silver glow of the realm dimmed, responding to his weakness. He pressed his forehead to the cold earth, jaw clenched so hard it ached.
He had made the choice.
Again.
He stayed behind so she could live.
That's what Guardians do, he told himself bitterly.
But the truth clawed up anyway.
He stayed because he couldn't bear the thought of her facing them alone. Because the idea of her afraid—hurt—broken—had terrified him more than dying ever had.
And now she was alone anyway.
His fingers curled into the dirt.
"I failed you," he whispered, not sure if he meant his duty… or her.
The bond was still there.
Faint. Thin. Like a thread stretched too far.
He closed his eyes and reached for it, careful, gentle, like touching a bruise.
Elara.
Her presence flickered. Distant. But alive.
Relief crashed through him so hard it almost knocked the breath from his lungs.
"She's alive," he said aloud, voice hoarse. "She made it."
The realm answered with a low hum, unimpressed.
But relief didn't erase the guilt.
Didn't quiet the ache that settled deep in his chest when he remembered her face through the veil. The fear she hadn't tried to hide. The way she had trusted him without question.
He had never asked for that kind of faith.
And yet she gave it freely.
"Stupid girl," he murmured, a sad smile ghosting his lips. "Trusting monsters."
He pushed himself to his feet slowly. Pain flared through his side. He welcomed it. Pain made things simpler.
The Collective was gone for now, but not defeated. This realm wasn't safe. And staying still meant becoming a target.
Find a way back, he told himself. No matter the cost.
Because he would go back.
Even if it killed him.
Elara
Havenwood felt wrong.
The shop was the same—crooked shelves, dusty glass cases, half-knocked-over displays—but the air felt heavier, like the town was holding its breath.
Elara stood near the spot where the portal had vanished, arms wrapped around herself.
The locket stayed cold.
Too cold.
She hated it for that.
She hated herself more.
"If I'd just waited," she whispered. "If I hadn't rushed…"
The words didn't help. They just echoed.
She dragged herself upright and shoved a chair back into place. Her hands shook as she worked, fixing things that didn't matter because standing still hurt too much.
Her mind kept replaying it.
Kaelen turning back.Kaelen staying.Kaelen yelling her name.
He chose me.
The thought twisted her stomach.
She didn't notice the shift in the shadows until a voice spoke.
"Lost something, dearie?"
Elara jumped so hard she nearly knocked over a shelf.
"Morwen?" she gasped. "How did you—"
"Saw the light," Morwen said calmly, stepping forward. Her amber eyes flicked to the locket. "Felt the ripple. Old magic doesn't scream quietly."
Elara swallowed. "He's gone."
Morwen nodded, like she already knew. "For now."
That word hurt.
Elara sank onto a stool, suddenly exhausted. "He promised he'd follow."
"And he will," Morwen said. "But promises and paths don't always move at the same speed."
Elara huffed out a weak laugh. "That's… comforting. In a vague, awful way."
Morwen smiled slightly. "I have a gift."
Silence fell between them.
"You knew about this," Elara said finally. "About me."
"I knew what you could be," Morwen corrected. "Didn't know when you'd wake. Or who'd be bound to you."
"Elara shifted. "He's not bound to me."
Morwen raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Elara hesitated. Her cheeks warmed. "He didn't say anything like that. He just… stayed."
"That's enough," Morwen said gently.
The locket pulsed once, faint but real.
Elara looked down at it sharply.
"It did that," she said. "Just now."
Morwen nodded. "Because he's alive. And because the bond hasn't broken."
Hope stirred, small and fragile.
"But hope attracts attention," Morwen added, tone darkening. "Havenwood felt the breach. Others will too."
As if on cue, something thudded outside.
Elara stiffened.
Morwen moved to the window, peering through the mist. "The town won't stay asleep much longer."
"What does that mean?" Elara asked.
"It means," Morwen said slowly, "people will notice strange things. Lights. Shadows. Missing time."
"And the Collective?"
"They'll test you," Morwen said. "Not all at once. Little pushes. Little losses."
Elara's fingers tightened around the locket. "Then I won't let them take anything."
Morwen studied her. "You sound like him."
Elara looked away. "I miss him."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Morwen didn't tease her. Didn't smile.
"That's how it starts," she said quietly. "Longing sharp enough to change you."
Elara swallowed hard. "Will he… feel this too?"
Morwen's gaze softened. "Oh, child. He already does."
Kaelen
Night settled over the other realm in shades of silver and ash.
Kaelen sat against a stone outcrop, cleaning blood from his hands that wasn't all his.
He shouldn't rest.
But his body demanded it.
He closed his eyes, just for a moment.
And saw her.
Elara standing in her shop. Arms wrapped around herself. Trying to be brave when no one was watching.
His chest tightened.
"Idiot," he muttered to himself. "You should've taken her and run."
But he knew the truth.
If he had gone through first, the Collective would've followed her. They would've torn Havenwood apart to get to her.
He'd chosen the lesser evil.
That didn't make it hurt less.
He pressed his palm to the ground and let his power sink in, reaching outward, searching for old paths, forgotten doors.
"I'm coming," he said into the dark. "You just… wait."
The realm answered with silence.
But somewhere far away, a locket warmed.
And the bond held.