Tears blurred Kael's vision as he gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling in ragged, uneven motions.
He had been so close.
So close to having everything.
The power to change the world. To crush the officials. To carve a future where they weren't running, where they weren't afraid.
And he had let it go.
The whispers that had once clawed at his mind were gone.
The overwhelming force surging through his veins had vanished, leaving only an aching hollowness in its wake.
Without the gem's presence, he felt weak.
A shudder ran through him. He had made the right choice. He knew that. And yet, the loss weighed on him..
"Kael," a soft, familiar voice murmured.
Arms wrapped around his back, warm and steady. He stiffened at first, still caught between realities, but then he recognized her scent—faintly of earth and embers, like home.
Elysia.
"Are you okay?" she whispered.
Kael let out a shaky breath. He wanted to answer. Wanted to say something, anything.
