The news of Kael's sickness spread fast. Everyone whispered, but no one dared to ask him directly. Only Lyra came running to him after class, her face pale, her voice shaking.
"Kael… tell me it isn't true."
Kael looked at her. His heart did not race like before. The love he once carried had turned heavy, almost empty. Still, he spoke softly. "It is true. I don't have much time left."
Tears slid down Lyra's cheeks. She grabbed his hand tight. "Please… don't leave me. I know I failed you. I made a mistake. But I can't lose you now."
Kael's eyes lowered to her fingers holding him. Once, he would have given everything for that touch. But now it only reminded him of the day she chose someone else.
"You already lost me the moment you turned away," he said. His voice was calm, but each word cut deeper than any blade.
Lyra cried harder, but Kael pulled his hand free. He walked away under the fading sun, his shadow long, his chest heavy.
That night, he wrote a letter and folded it carefully. He placed it where Renz would find it.
"Forgive me, brother. Lead them without me."
And with that, Kael prepared for the end everyone would believe.