No sooner had Freya left the room than Alice turned toward Max.
Her eyes were full of worry.
"Do you really have to go if it's this dangerous?"
A heavy silence filled the room. The question sounded simple, but it carried a lot of weight. Alice wasn't asking because she didn't understand his ambition. She was asking because she understood him too well. Max had always walked toward danger whenever danger promised strength, and even though that strength had protected them plenty of times, it had also put him on a path where every step seemed sharper than the one before.
Lenavira stood beside Alice without a word, but her expression carried the same fear.
Max looked at both of them. For a moment, he didn't answer. Then he took a deep breath and nodded lightly. "I have to."
Alice's fingers tightened slightly.
