Silence.
Not romantic silence.
Something heavier.
Like truth given form.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"You were in the slums. Screaming at a guard twice your size. Blood on your shirt. Fire in your mouth. You were shaking like hell, but you didn't flinch."
Rayan didn't remember that day.
Too many had blurred together.
But Kael had memorized it.
"Something cracked in me then," Kael said. "Something I didn't even know could break."
Rayan touched his wrist, thumb brushing over a faded scar.
"You were taught to lead," he said quietly. "So you tried to control me."
Kael nodded. "And I failed."
"No," Rayan said. "You changed."
Kael's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
His voice was raw.
"I still feel like a weapon. Even when I'm gentle. Like I'm always one heartbeat away from hurting someone I love."
Rayan leaned in.
Rested his forehead against Kael's shoulder.
And whispered:
"Then teach your heart how to be more than a blade."
Kael shook slightly.
Not from fear.
