llyen's footsteps echoed softly as he walked toward his room, but his mind was tangled in the brief encounter with Cael. The prince's words—"You forgot something… a smile"—replayed endlessly, weaving through his thoughts like a fragile thread pulling at something buried deep inside.
He reached his door and hesitated, fingers brushing the cold metal handle. Part of him wanted to turn back, to search Cael's face again for a hint, any sign that what he felt wasn't imagined. But fear held him still—a fear of unraveling something he didn't yet understand.
Inside, Illyen closed the door quietly, leaning against it as the silence pressed around him. He let his breath slow, tried to anchor himself in the present, but the warmth that had spread beneath Cael's touch refused to fade.
A sudden knock startled him. The heavy oak door creaked open, revealing a shadowed figure.
"Cael?"
The prince stepped inside without waiting for an answer, his blue eyes soft but unwavering.
"I couldn't let you leave like that," Cael said quietly. "There's something I need to tell you."
Illyen's heart quickened. "What is it?"
Cael moved closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You and I—we've crossed paths more times than either of us remembers. You're not just a stranger here."
Illyen's breath caught. "I don't understand."
Cael's gaze held a mixture of longing and sorrow. "There are memories, locked away—fragments of a past life. I remember them all."
The room seemed to still around them, the air thick with unspoken truths.
"Why… why do you tell me this now?" Illyen asked, voice barely steady.
"Because the thread between us is pulling taut," Cael said, reaching out his hand. "And I believe it's time you remembered too."
Illyen looked down at Cael's outstretched hand, heart pounding like a drumbeat in the quiet room.