The walk to the lake was silent. Aria led the way, her hand clutching Kael's sleeve as if he might slip away if she let go. I trailed behind them, my footsteps heavy on the gravel path.
The summer night wrapped around us, the air thick and restless. By the time we reached the dock, the moon had risen high, spilling silver light across the water. Fireflies hovered in the reeds, their glow blinking in and out like faint, fragile stars.
"This is where it all started," Aria said, her voice trembling but hopeful. She sat down on the edge of the dock, legs dangling over the water. "The races, the promises… all of it. If we're here, maybe we can remember who we were."
Her smile was small, fragile. A bandage over a wound too deep to hide.
Kael remained standing, his arms crossed, shadows carving harsh lines into his face. "Memories don't change the present, Aria."
Her expression wavered. "But they matter! They're proof we've always been together."
I sank down beside her, staring at the rippling water. The reflection of the fireflies danced in the dark surface, fleeting and beautiful. For a moment, I wanted to believe she was right. That this place could fix what was breaking.
But Kael's voice cut through the night. Low. Bitter. Barely controlled.
"Do you even hear yourself? You sit there holding Elias's hand, laughing with him, clinging to him like—like I'm not even here."
Aria's head snapped toward him, her eyes wide. "That's not true!"
"Isn't it?" His voice cracked, the anger trembling with hurt. "Every time I look at you, Aria, I see him. I see how close you two are, and it eats me alive. Do you even care what that does to me?"
The words struck hard, heavy, leaving the air brittle and sharp. Aria stood abruptly, tears glistening in her eyes. "Of course I care! Kael, I chose you. Isn't that enough?"
Kael's laugh was short, hollow. "Then prove it. Stop holding onto him like you can have us both."
Her lips parted, but no words came. Her tears spilled silently instead.
I forced myself to rise, the ache in my chest unbearable. "Kael… she loves you. She's yours. You don't need to see me as a threat."
His gaze snapped to me, raw and accusing. "And you—what do you feel, Elias? Can you honestly say you've never thought about her that way?"
The question stole the breath from my lungs. Aria's wide, tearful eyes fixed on me, waiting, terrified.
And for the first time, I couldn't lie. I couldn't say no. My silence was enough.
Aria's voice broke into a sob. "Stop… please. Don't make me choose between you."
But the choice had already been made. She had chosen Kael. I was just the shadow that lingered too close.
I stepped back, away from them both, my voice low and steady even as it shattered me from the inside. "Some promises don't last forever. Maybe this is one of them."
Aria reached out, her hand trembling in the moonlight. "Elias, don't—"
But I didn't take it.
The fireflies swirled above the water, glowing and fading. And in the distance, at the edge of the path, Seren stood quietly, her book pressed to her chest. Her gaze found mine — calm, steady, understanding.
I turned toward her, toward the quiet light she offered.
And behind me, the sound of Aria's sobs fractured the night.
The fireflies had broken.