The night deepened, heavy with promise and the weight of returning power.
The fire had long since burned down to glowing embers. Lian and Aure sat close, shoulders brushing, their bond still vibrating from the kiss that stitched memory and soul together. The air around them shimmered with unspoken energy, like the gods were watching or remembering, too.
Not far from them, Kael stood at the forest's edge, moonlight tracing the lean lines of his frame. He was sharpening his blade, but it was distraction, not duty. His amber eyes kept darting to where Sylis sat on a low stone, weaving patterns into the dirt with a sprig of burning sage.
"You keep looking at me like I might vanish," Sylis said without turning.
Kael didn't answer at first. He sheathed the blade, stepped closer, and crouched behind him. "Because you do," he murmured. "You vanish in the ways that hurt most."
Sylis's fingers froze in their arcane motion.
"You left after the Battle of Hollow Reach," Kael continued. "Didn't say goodbye. Didn't even take your things."
"I didn't want to burn down what little of me was left," Sylis said, voice tight. "And you. You were still trying to be something noble. Something they told you to be."
Kael's hand moved gently, holding Sylis's wrist. Their eyes met.
"And now?"
"I'm tired of running from you."
Silence hummed between them.
Then Sylis leaned in and kissed him slow and sure. Unlike the fire of Lian and Aure, theirs was the ache of two souls long delayed, of longing stretched thin over time and silence. When their lips parted, the air around them shimmered.
A rune ignited on Kael's neck.
And on Sylis's chest, under his tunic, a glowing brand answered it.
"You marked me again," Sylis said with a soft laugh.
"No," Kael whispered. "This time, we marked each other."
From the shadows, Lian watched with something like peace in his chest. For once, the world was not tearing itself apart.
Aure leaned against him, his voice low. "They're bonded too."
"Were," Lian said. "Maybe still are. Maybe always were."
A tremor rolled through the earth then subtle, but undeniable. All four froze. Sylis stood, eyes scanning the horizon.
"The Citadel felt it," he whispered. "The Mirror's breaking. The reunion. The bond flare."
Aure's breath hitched. "They'll come for us."
Kael nodded. "Let them. This time, they'll find us ready."
And in the hush before the storm, two pairs of souls stood side by side untamed, unbroken, and burning with all that had been lost and what they were willing to fight for.