Morning came. Cold. Quiet.
Kael sat by the dead fire, staring at his hands. They looked different now. Like they belonged to someone else. Someone who killed.
Lira handed him a piece of bread. He didn't take it.
"Eat," she said. Not kind. Not mean. Just tired.
The sword lay between them. It didn't speak today. It didn't need to.
Kael could still hear it.
Monster, it whispered inside his head. But useful.
---
The Road North
They walked.
The city faded behind them. Trees grew taller. The air smelled like pine and wet earth.
Lira walked ahead. Her boots crunched on dead leaves.
Kael watched her back. "Where are we going?"
"To see someone who understands curses," she said. Then, quieter: "If she'll see us."
The way she said it made Kael's stomach twist.
The Bridge
At sunset, they found a river. A broken bridge crossed it. Half the wood was rotted away.
Lira tested it with her foot. "We can cross."
Kael didn't move.
The water rushed below. Dark. Cold. Endless.
"Jump,"the sword whispered. "It would be easy."
For one heartbeat, Kael considered it.
Then -
A small hand grabbed his. Warm. Rough.
Lira didn't look at him. Just held on tight. "Step where I step," she said.
They crossed together.
The Truth Under Stars
That night, Kael couldn't sleep.
The stars were too bright. The sword's voice too loud.
Lira sat nearby, cleaning her dagger.
"Why do you help me?" Kael asked.
She didn't answer at first. Then -
"I had a brother once," she said. The firelight made her scars glow. "He carried a curse too."
Kael waited.
Lira turned the dagger in her hands. "I wasn't fast enough to save him."
The silence between them wasn't empty anymore. It was full of things too heavy to say.
Kael reached out. Slowly. Carefully.
Their fingers brushed. Just for a second.
It was enough.