Silas' eyes widened like an animal caught in a trap.
For a second, the tough-guy act slipped. His breathing changed. His throat worked like he was swallowing panic.
"It's… you," he said, slow, like the words hurt. "Did you ever think you'd come back?"
I looked at him the same way I had that night by the river flat. Cold. Not shaking.
Back then, my blood had soaked into the sand while the moon hung over the water like a witness. I remembered the smell of iron. I remembered how my body went heavy. I remembered him standing over me without a single flicker of mercy.
Now he was the one staring like the world had split open.
He had watched me die. With his own hands, with his own eyes.
So my return wasn't just shocking.
It was a threat.
A warning.
I thought seeing him again would make my instincts explode, make my chest burn, make me lunge.
But the truth?
I felt calm.
Too calm.
