"Are you sure?"
Vivian asked me again.
She stood close, while Thalor hovered at her side like a shadow that refused to move. He hadn't left her even once, not since the moment I voiced out my decision to return to the human world. I knew why. He was afraid I would take Vivian with me.
I didn't blame him.
"Yes," I said quietly. "I'm sure."
Vivian searched my face, as if hoping she'd find hesitation there. She didn't.
"I think a land without magic would be best for me," I continued. "The needle won't work there, right?" I forced a small smile. "So he can stop doing this. He can stop freezing himself for my sake."
Thalor's jaw tightened. "You're running."
I looked at him calmly. "No. I'm stepping out of the fire."
Vivian's hands curled into her sleeves. "And what about you?" she asked softly. "What about what you want?"
I hesitated.
For just a moment.
"What I want," I said at last, "is for him to live without having to hold the world together with his own body."
