The night had grown still again.
The mist retreated, curling away into the shadows like breath exhaled after a scream. Silence pressed in thick, heavy but no longer hostile.
Astra knelt, still cradling Kriya's collapsed form. He was trembling, his breath shallow and uneven, chest rising too fast.
She moved gently, almost reverently. Her hand lifted… and settled softly over his chest. His heartbeat pounded beneath her palm erratic, wild.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
Then gradually her touch seemed to anchor something. The harsh rhythm slowed, steadying beneath her fingers.
Thud… thud… thud.
A fragile calm replaced the chaos.
She spoke quiet, unexpected. "Did you know," she whispered, "in the old stories… hearts like yours were used to call stars down from the heavens?" Her thumb brushed just slightly, above the beating pulse. "They say the stars answered. Not because of strength… but because of how much the heart could endure."
There was a strange softness in her voice now. Not affection not yet. But something close to remembering.
"You endured, Kriya."
A pause.
"You should rest… or you'll break before the next storm."
Astra's voice barely carried in the stillness. The air around them was thick with the residue of power, with something unspoken.
She leaned in closer. Her lips brushed near his ear, her breath warm against his skin as she whispered, "It's not the right time yet… There's still more suffering ahead. More than you're ready to face."
Kriya's breath caught.
His eyes fluttered open, dazed and heavy. But before he could speak, her forehead pressed gently against his a silent exchange. Then her fingers loosened, slipping from him like falling threads. Her body gave out.
His eyes widened just as she collapsed against him.
"Astra—!"
He caught her instinctively, arms wrapping around her as they both sank to the ground. She was burning and cold all at once, like something in her had frayed at the edges. Kriya sat upright again, cradling her to his chest, heart hammering again, faster than before.
Meanwhile…,
Ryoma and Kaen stood frozen, rooted to the earth like statues carved by dread. The air still crackled faintly, remnants of the storm lingering in the sky above. Thunder had long since rolled past, but their ears rang with its ghost. The heavens had spoken—but neither of them knew what had been said.
Their eyes remained locked on the sky where lightning had once split the clouds wide open. Smoke still curled above the treetops in the distance, faint but steady, as if the forest itself were exhaling its last breath.
Kaen blinked first.
His breath hitched and came out sharp. "Ryoma…" he whispered hoarsely, hand trembling as he pointed toward the smoke. "Something's still burning."
Ryoma's eyes snapped toward it, and in the next second, Kaen took off running.
"Ryoma, let's go—now!"
They tore through the undergrowth, branches slashing against their shoulders, boots striking earth still trembling with residual energy. The deeper they ran, the heavier the air became—as if whatever had passed moments ago had altered the very woods.
Then, they stopped.
The clearing opened like a wound in the forest.
Flickers of fire still clung to fallen leaves and scorched bark, dying embers glowing red against the blackened ground. Smoke wafted between twisted roots and ash. And in the center of it all—just beneath a leaning tree—they saw them.
Kriya sat slumped against the trunk, his breathing uneven. In his arms, Astra lay unconscious, her head resting against his chest, her limbs limp.
Ryoma's eyes widened. His heart lurched.
"Astra!" he shouted, voice breaking as he surged forward, dropping to his knees beside them.
He reached out with shaking hands, afraid to touch her, afraid he'd find no warmth in her skin.
Kaen caught up, panting heavily. He stopped just infront them, eyes wide, gaze darting between Kriya and Astra's still form and dropped beside them. His hands hovered for half a second—then moved quickly, checking both of them for injuries.
And then he saw it. His breath hitched.
A dark stain had spread beneath Astra's ribs—blood. Deep, pooling, and far too much.
His eyes widened. "She's been stabbed—!"
Without hesitation, Kaen pressed his palm over the wound, golden light flickering to life at his fingertips as he poured energy into the torn flesh.
Ryoma was beside him now, his jaw clenched tight as he touched Astra's arm.
Cold. Unnaturally cold.
"Her temperature's dropping," Ryoma muttered, voice taut with panic.
Kaen didn't respond his hands glowed brighter, sweat already forming at his brow. The wound resisted his healing, almost as if something inside it didn't want to be sealed.
Meanwhile, Ryoma's gaze shifted. Slowly. Burning.
He turned to Kriya.
Still slumped. Still holding her. His head bowed. His face unreadable.
But his eyes were closed. Not unconscious… not entirely.
"Open your damn eyes," Ryoma growled.
Kriya didn't move.
Ryoma's voice dropped lower, laced with fury. "What happened here?! What did you do?!"
Kaen looked up sharply. "Ryoma—"
"What happened to her?! Answer me—!"
"Ryoma." Kaen's voice rose, more firm this time.
The glare snapped toward him.
Kaen shook his head once. "Not now."
Ryoma's fists clenched. But he turned away, biting back whatever storm brewed behind his teeth.
Kaen refocused on the wound, pressing harder, energy surging. His lips moved silently prayers or spells, neither could tell.
But the weight in the air didn't lift. And behind them, Kriya still sat in silence, Astra's blood staining his hands… and her head still resting against his shoulder.
Behind them, Kriya still sat in silence, unmoving, Astra's blood seeping into his hands… her head still resting gently against his shoulder.
Kaen exhaled sharply as the worst of the wound finally closed under his touch. He ripped a strip from his outer robe, splitting the bloodstained fabric into two pieces.
Without a word, he tied one around Astra's torso firm but careful to keep the sealing pressure. The other he wrapped gently around Kriya's eyes.
Kaen's hands lingered for a second longer on his shoulders, his voice low. "Akira…" he said, using the name with quiet weight. "What is this…?"
There was no reply.
Only the soft rustle of leaves. The cooling crackle of fading embers. And their uneven breath.
Ryoma stepped forward and carefully reached out, sliding one arm under Astra's back. "We need to move her. She doesn't belong here," he said flatly. But the moment her weight shifted, Kriya's arms tightened.
Ryoma's brow twitched. "Let her go."
Still no answer.
"Akira," Kaen said again, firmer this time. "Let go."
Silence. Then Kriya's lips parted, cracked and barely audible.
"Jie…"
The word dropped like stone into water. Kaen froze. His expression flickered—eyes softening instantly. But Ryoma's did the opposite. His jaw locked. "Let her go before I lose my calm," he snapped, voice ice over fire.
Kriya didn't react.
Kaen placed a hand on Ryoma's arm, stopping him. "He's not fighting you," he said softly. "Just… give him a moment."
Ryoma scoffed, bitter and sharp. "A moment?"
He turned, jaw clenched, voice cutting through the smoke-thick air.
"Have you already forgotten what just happened? You saw it too, Kaen. There's a reason they shouldn't be near each other. Even for a heartbeat. Their closeness doesn't heal—it tears open the sky."
Kaen hesitated, but Ryoma wasn't finished.
"Still…?" Ryoma's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you've lost your mind just because your little brother is obsessed with her. With bringing disaster upon himself. You think the world can survive another mistake like that? The world is not ready… neither I am." His voice cracked not with uncertainty, but fury.
Kaen didn't answer. Couldn't. And Ryoma, breathing hard, finally stepped forward and lifted Astra into his arms. Her weight was feather-light, but the moment was heavy as iron. He turned without looking back. Immediately Kriya stood. Barely steady on his feet, he raised a hand, stopping him cold.
"I have to say something," Kriya said.
"I don't want to hear it." Ryoma didn't turn. "Not now. Not ever."
"Listen to me once—"
Kriya stepped forward, but Kaen grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.
Then came the slap.
It cracked across the trees like a thunderclap—louder than any argument.
Kriya's face snapped to the side. Kaen's hand trembled, but his voice didn't. "Not another word."
Kriya stood frozen, the sting blooming across his cheek.