“Welcome home,” Kael said quietly beside her, his hand brushing against hers for the briefest moment before pulling away. The look in his eyes, though, lingered—full of a thousand things unsaid.

  As they neared the outskirts of Yaveria, the first signs of unrest were impossible to ignore. Smoke rose in thin tendrils from the distant village, and the roads were lined with refugees, their faces drawn with fear and exhaustion.

  “It’s worse than I thought,” Talon muttered as he left the sailor in the cabin, scanning the horizon. “We’re running out of time.”

  Aerin swallowed the lump in her throat, her mind racing. She had expected the rebellion to be chaotic, but this... this was something else entirely. The people weren’t just fighting Hazrael—they were fighting each other. Factions were forming, alliances breaking as quickly as they were made. They had only been gone a few days, but during that time chaos had erupted.

  The others helped Elden back onto land, Talon running ahead to find a healer. Mara crouched at his side.

  Suddenly she felt a heaviness through her magic. It grew as she stepped onto land.

  The sun cast its golden rays over Yaveria, bathing the city in a warm glow that seemed almost at odds with the tension between Aerin and Kael. They stood close to one of the walls to the city of Yaveria, where stone met sky, surrounded by the echoes of ancient whispers. The cool breeze played with Aerin’s dark hair, tugging loose a few strands from her braid until they fell across her face like silken threads, glinting in the light. She brushed them away with a distracted hand, her eyes fixed on Kael, still feeling the tug from the string between them.

  He stood mere steps away, his tall frame poised of strength and unspoken vulnerability. The dark and soft curls on his head, untamed as always, moved with the soft wind, catching slivers of sunlight that painted them in shades of deep brown and gold. His eyes, impossibly clear and sharp, reflected the sun’s embrace, a canvas colored with hues that seemed stolen from the finest paintings.

  Aerin’s breath caught in her throat. Kael.

  The boy she had once known was now a man, hardened by years of battle and loss. His dark hair fell over his forehead in loose waves, and his eyes—those familiar, stormy eyes—bore into hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.

  Aerin’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly masked her surprise with a cold stare. Her magic seeped through her skin, towards Kael.

  Kael’s jaw tightened. The tension between them crackled like a live wire, but before Aerin could speak, her magic formed a string, similar to the one the priestess had made between them. It spoke to him. Kael felt it as he stepped closer. “What are you doing,” he asked quietly.

  “I don’t know,” She said truthfully.

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  The moment Aerin reached for Kael’s magic during the storm, something changed between them. She could feel it now as they stood along the shore—like an invisible thread pulling at her, binding them together in a way that was both unsettling and... intimate.

  Kael kept a small distance between them, his broad shoulders tense, but every so often, he would glance at her, his gaze lingering a little too long. A flicker of confusion crossed his features, and she knew he felt it too—the strange, undeniable connection that had sparked to life when their magic intertwined.

  Kael's eyes met hers, and for a moment, the world shrank until it was only them. A small smile curved his lips, touched with a wistfulness that resonated like an old song. "Do you remember," he began, his voice low, almost melodic, "the times we would hide in the courtyards, laughing as if the world would always stay the same?" His eyes softened as he spoke, each word draped in memories. "I thought those days would never end... yet here we stand, caught between what was and what could be."

  Aerin’s heart pounded in her chest as she caught his eye again, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall away. It was just them, standing in the middle of a storm-tossed coast, tied together by something deeper than blood or duty.

  "Do you feel it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Kael hesitated, his jaw tightening as if he didn’t want to admit it. But then he nodded, stepping closer until they were only inches apart.

  "It’s like I can hear you, your heart beating" he said, his voice low and rough. His hand hovered near her arm, not quite touching, but the heat from his skin was enough to make her shiver. "Like your magic is… speaking to me."

  Aerin felt a pull deep within her, something that tugged not just at her heart but at the very fabric of who she was. She stepped closer, closing the gap until their breaths mingled, warm and uneven. The line between them blurred, a heartbeat away from breaking the silence. The bond that had always been hinted at, an unseen thread connecting them, shimmered in that instant, almost tangible.

  Aerin’s breath caught in her throat, and she felt the pull between them grow stronger. For a second, she thought he might close the distance. His eyes dropped to her lips, and she felt her pulse quicken. Her gaze traced the sharp lines of his jaw, the shadow of determination that never truly left him, and how the sun's touch played upon his features, accentuating every contour as though it were divine.

  But then, as if jolted by the same realization, they both took a sudden step back. The cool air rushed in between them, filling the space where warmth had lingered. Aerin's chest rose and fell, her heart thrumming like a drumbeat in her ears. She saw the slight tension in Kael’s shoulders, a flicker of regret perhaps.

  “Let’s keep moving,” he said, his voice tight, as if it took every ounce of willpower to pull himself back.

  Talon came back, a grave look upon his face told Aerin everything she needed to know. He hadn’t found a healer yet. They had to move fast, the tension in the village was heavy and they couldn’t be caught. They had to find a safe way back to Mara’s apartment.

  “I have everything we need at home,” Mara said, picking up her pace. “But it will take time.”

  Elden’s face was still pale, losing color every second. Aerin had helped him come back to life, giving him a second chance. But not by much. Her power hadn’t healed his wounds, they were so deep and started to get infected. His short and ragged breaths told them all that they needed to hurry. “I have reached out to everyone I trust,” Talon hissed through his teeth as he carried Elden through the chaotic streets. “There must be someone around who can heal him.”

  As they navigated through the narrow streets, hiding from the rebellion, Kael walked closer than necessary, his arm brushing against hers as they waited for Mara and Talon to catch up. The small touch sent an unwelcome, but welcome warmth through her, and she shifted, trying to ignore it.

  “You’re uncomfortable,” he murmured, his voice barely audible.

  “I’m fine,” Aerin replied, sharper than intended.

  He chuckled, low and soft, and she hated how much she liked the sound. “You always were a terrible liar.”

  She shot him a glare, but there was no malice in it. Instead, she found herself biting back a smile. “And you always thought you knew everything.”

  “Not everything,” Kael said, his gaze lingering on her a moment too long. “Just enough.”