The moment Velithra disappeared around the corner, Kai's legs gave out.
He sank onto the steps, elbows on his knees, his breath coming uneven and shallow. The world around him blurred — the sounds of students leaving, the wind through the trees, the faint hum of traffic in the distance. Everything sounded far away.
He pressed his palms to his face, trying to steady himself. But all he saw, even with his eyes closed, was her — not Velithra, but the girl from before. The one he'd promised to protect.
And failed.
Her voice still echoed somewhere deep in him — soft, shaking, the last thing she'd ever said."It wasn't your fault."
He had repeated those words every day since, but they never sounded true.
When he opened his eyes again, the sunlight had gone orange, bleeding across the horizon. It made the world look like it was burning.
Kai pulled out the small black cord from his pocket — a bracelet, frayed and worn, its beads cracked from years of being clenched too tightly in his fist. He turned it over in his hand, feeling the rough edges bite into his skin.
He hadn't meant to care about Velithra.He hadn't meant to see her pain and think, God, I know that look.He hadn't meant to let her in at all.
But the way she looked at him — like she saw through him — it undid something he thought was gone.
And that terrified him more than anything.
Because the last time someone had looked at him like that, they hadn't survived.
He swallowed hard, his eyes flicking toward the spot where she'd stood moments ago. The faintest ghost of her voice still clung to the air.
"Then don't," she'd said.Then don't hurt me.
He dragged a hand down his face and let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "Easier said than done, Velithra."
The wind picked up, scattering dust and leaves around his feet. Somewhere, distant thunder rumbled — low, uncertain, like a warning.
Kai stood slowly, pocketed the bracelet, and glanced at the darkening sky.
He knew what this feeling meant.He'd felt it before.
Every time it came, something — or someone — broke.
And this time, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop it.