When Aric returned, Mira was waiting, arms crossed.
"You went to him, didn't you?"
Aric froze. "I didn't—"
"Don't lie to me." Her eyes were fierce, but her voice cracked. "Every day, you drift closer to him. And I— I don't know if I can pull you back."
Edran intervened, voice hoarse but steady. "This is the test, for both of you. Trust is the only chain strong enough to bind the fire. Without it, Aric will fall."
Aric looked at Mira, at the hurt in her eyes, the fear, the stubborn loyalty that still kept her beside him.
"I'm trying," he whispered. "I don't want to lose myself."
She hesitated, then placed her hand over his. "Then don't. Not to him. Not to the fire."