The world snapped as Kairo stepped forward, carrying Eli through the gate.
Light bled away. Color drained. And then—
Dark.
Pitch dark.
It wasn't just dim. It was a suffocating, absolute black, as if someone had pulled a shroud over reality itself. Eli barely registered the shift before his thoughts began spiraling again.
'Okay, okay. Two options. One: kiss him now. Just lean in, peck his cheek, play it off as a "good luck" kiss. Totally casual. Hunters do that all the time, right? Right?!'
His pulse was a wild drumbeat. His throat so dry it scraped when he swallowed.
'Or two: wait. But wait for what? There is no better time! If I stall, I'll just end up trying to kiss him mid-battle in front of a monster, and then I'll really die.'
His eyes flicked up again, drawn helplessly to Kairo's face—the hard line of his jaw, the stoic stillness that gave nothing away.
Even here, surrounded by swallowing dark, the man radiated calm like an anchor.
