Kael's voice was barely audible. "We searched."
"I know," Selene said. "You tore space apart looking for him. You reversed timelines trying to find the point where he disappeared."
Orion nodded once. "We failed."
"You did," Selene said, without malice. "Because he was never meant to stay."
Her eyes burned.
"I ruled the Ice Tower colder after that," she admitted. "I thought if I froze everything hard enough, nothing else could leave."
Kael reached out, hesitated, then rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.
"You loved him," he said.
"Yes," Selene whispered. "And the world took him."
Orion looked toward the towering silhouette of the Abyss Tower behind them. "And now it has taken Alvin's."
Selene closed her eyes.
"He hides it better than I did," she said. "But it is the same wound."
Kael frowned. "That seal on his memories. It is unnatural."
Selene nodded. "Divine interference. Or worse."
Orion's gaze hardened. "We should help him."
