Kaelen's POV
He should've walked away.
He should've turned back and left her with that flicker of memory — let it fade like all the others.
But her eyes… gods, her eyes were staring right into him, searching for a truth he'd buried so deep it had started bleeding through the cracks in his soul.
"You're remembering," he said quietly, as if afraid saying it out loud would shatter it.
Nernia didn't blink. "You lied to me."
"I did."
"You told me you didn't love me."
"I know."
Her voice broke. "Then why does it still feel like you do?"
Kaelen clenched his fists at his sides. His control — the thing he'd clung to like armor — slipped from his grip.
"Because I never stopped."
Silence.
The hallway seemed to hold its breath.
Kaelen stepped closer, eyes dark and storming. "I never stopped loving you. I never stopped dreaming about you. Every night, every time I close my eyes… it's you. Always you."
She looked like she couldn't breathe. "Then why—?"
"Because I was supposed to protect you. And loving you meant putting you in danger. The prophecy said—"
"Screw the prophecy," Nernia whispered, her voice trembling but strong. "I'd rather die knowing I loved you than live safe and empty."
Something in Kaelen broke.
He reached for her without hesitation, cupping her face with both hands like she was something holy. And before either of them could think—
Their lips met.
It wasn't soft.
It was fire, fierce and desperate. It was years of stolen glances, of suppressed longing, of aching for something they were forced to forget.
Nernia gripped his shirt, pulling him closer, like she was afraid he'd disappear again. Kaelen deepened the kiss, one hand moving to her waist, the other tangling in her hair.
She gasped into his mouth, and he kissed her harder — trying to tell her everything in that moment: I missed you. I waited for you. I love you.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless, foreheads pressed together.
Nernia looked up at him, her voice barely a whisper. "I think I remember everything now."
Kaelen smiled, just a little. "Then let's make sure we never forget again."