The morning sunlight crept slowly into the cottage, its golden warmth spilling across the worn wooden floorboards. The soft chirping of birds outside did little to wash away the memory of last night's battle or the lingering unease left in its wake.
Aerin stirred awake, the weight of exhaustion still heavy on his shoulders. For a moment, he simply lay there, staring at the faint cracks in the ceiling, trying to breathe past the dull ache in his chest. The sigil beneath his sleeve was quiet now, its earlier heat faded into a faint, constant hum.
It was almost easy to believe it had been just a nightmare.
Almost.
Then he turned his head and saw Kael leaning silently against the wall by the doorway, arms folded, crimson eyes fixed on him.
Aerin jolted upright. "W-What are you doing-?!"
Kael's gaze didn't waver. "…Making sure you woke up." His voice was soft but steady, carrying no trace of guilt, no hint of last night's hesitation. If Aerin had known what Kael almost did while he slept, maybe his heart would've stopped entirely.
Before Aerin could respond, Lucien's voice cut through the air from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready."
A Quiet Meal
The three of them gathered around the small wooden table, though calling it peaceful would've been a lie.
Lucien sat at Aerin's left, methodically slicing bread while keeping his gaze locked on Kael like a hawk watching a predator. Kael, seated across from Aerin, ate silently though "ate" might've been too generous a word. He only touched his food occasionally, his long, elegant fingers barely brushing the spoon, his crimson gaze distant.
Aerin cleared his throat softly, breaking the silence. "…So, about… last night."
Lucien's grip on his knife tightened, but he didn't look away from his plate. "We need to leave. Today."
Kael raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. "Running won't change the fact that they'll keep coming."
"Staying here is worse," Lucien snapped, finally meeting his gaze. "This place isn't safe anymore, and you know it."
Kael's lips curved in something that was almost a smirk. "Oh, I know. But I'm not the one who decided to live in a rickety cottage in the middle of a demon-infested forest."
Lucien's hand twitched on the table. Aerin quickly raised his hands between them before either could say more. "Okay, okay enough. We're not fighting over this."
He looked between them, hesitating. "…Lucien's right, though. If they found us once, they'll find us again. We should… go somewhere safer."
Kael didn't reply immediately. His crimson gaze slid toward Aerin, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. Then he finally said, "Fine. But we'll need to move quickly. The longer we stay, the more we risk drawing attention."
Packing the Past
The next hour was spent packing whatever essentials Aerin owned. Which, honestly, wasn't much a few spellbooks, a satchel of herbs, an old worn cloak, and a single small trunk of his parents' belongings that he couldn't bear to leave behind.
Lucien insisted on taking the heavier bags despite Aerin's protests, while Kael moved wordlessly through the cottage, touching nothing, but watching everything his gaze pausing briefly on old photographs, the chipped edges of furniture, little remnants of the life Aerin once had here.
When Aerin caught him staring at the bookshelf by the window, Kael's expression softened almost imperceptibly before hardening again when he noticed Aerin watching.
"Something wrong?" Aerin asked hesitantly.
Kael shook his head once, turning away. "…No."
But Aerin wasn't so sure.
On the Road
By mid-morning, they were on the dirt path leading away from the cottage, the forest sprawling endlessly around them. The sun was warm but soft, filtered through shifting canopies of green, and the air was cool with the lingering breath of dawn.
Lucien walked slightly ahead, scanning the road like a guard on duty, his hand never far from the hilt of his sword. Aerin walked beside him, his satchel bouncing lightly against his hip, while Kael trailed only a few steps behind silent, composed, his long golden hair catching flecks of sunlight like strands of fire.
The silence stretched for a while, broken only by the crunch of boots against earth and the occasional chirp of distant birds.
It was Aerin who finally spoke. "…You're awfully quiet."
Kael glanced at him lazily. "Do you prefer me loud?"
Aerin flushed slightly, frowning. "That's not what I meant. I just… thought you'd say something."
For a brief moment, Kael said nothing. Then he let out a soft breath, his gaze lifting toward the distant horizon. "It's been a long time since I walked under a sun like this," he said finally, almost too low to hear. "Centuries, maybe."
Aerin blinked, caught off guard by the softness in his voice. "Does it… feel strange?"
Kael's lips curved faintly not a smirk, not sarcasm, but something quieter. "It feels… different." His crimson eyes softened, just for a heartbeat, as he turned his gaze upward toward the drifting clouds. "Almost like I remember what warmth used to be."
Aerin slowed slightly, stealing a glance at him. There it was emotion. Subtle, fleeting, but real. Not just anger, not just power… but something deeper.
And somehow, seeing that made something in Aerin's chest tighten unexpectedly.
Lucien's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Don't let him fool you, Aerin," he called from ahead without looking back. "Demons don't feel. They manipulate."
Kael's gaze sharpened instantly, his earlier softness evaporating. "Careful, knight," he said, his voice smooth but edged with steel. "Your ignorance is showing."
Lucien turned slightly, his black eyes cold as flint. "It's not ignorance when your kind spends centuries slaughtering ours."
Kael's shadows stirred faintly at his feet, responding to his irritation, but Aerin quickly stepped between them. "Enough. Both of you."
His voice trembled, but he stood firm. "We can't keep fighting each other when there are worse things out there looking for us."
There was silence after that, tense but unbroken.
A Glimpse Beneath the Mask
Hours passed as they followed the winding road deeper into the forest, sunlight shifting through the trees in dapples of gold and green. Aerin occasionally caught Kael watching him, his expression unreadable, but there was something in those moments small, unguarded flickers that hinted at more than Kael wanted to admit.
When a cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead, Kael's gaze lifted toward the sky again, his features softening just slightly, almost wistful.
And Aerin realized something startling:
Kael felt things.
Not just anger or hunger for power… but longing. Sadness. Even the faintest trace of peace.
It made Aerin's heart pound for reasons he couldn't explain.
By the time the sun dipped lower in the sky, painting the edges of the horizon in pale amber, the three of them had reached a small ridge overlooking a valley. Lucien raised a hand, signaling for them to stop.
"We should rest soon," he said. "We'll set camp before dark."
Kael said nothing, his crimson gaze sweeping the distant tree line, as though sensing something far beyond mortal reach.
And Aerin, standing between them, felt the weight of it all the fragile balance, the unspoken tensions, the quiet mysteries surrounding the bond tying them together.
He swallowed hard, glancing once at Kael.
And for the first time since this began, he wondered if maybe… just maybe… there was more to the Demon Lord than he'd ever imagined.
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End of Chapter Four