-Kyle Vale:
Everything in the room felt like it had slowed down too much.
Like the air itself was stuck between seconds.
My lungs were trying to catch some breath from the sudden high of pressure, pulling in deep, uneven breaths like my body forgot how to breathe normally. My arms tingled slightly where the magic is wrapped too tightly around me.
Caspian stood in front of me.
Completely still.
And for the first time since I met him, he didn't look like the version of himself I was used to.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Not controlled.
Just… shaken.
His eyes were no longer glowing, no longer filled with that unnatural green smoke. They were normal again, but not calm. There was something in them I couldn't place—something raw and unguarded that made my chest feel tight in a completely different way than before.
He looked like he was realizing something too late.
as his own body had acted before his mind could stop it.
