The flame gate shimmered like a living star, pulsing with dragon fire, waiting for Kael.
But he hadn't stepped through yet.
Not yet.
He stood at the edge of Stormbane's tower, where the wind howled like an omen. Behind him, footsteps approached quietly—Riven.
She didn't say a word at first.
Not until he turned, fully armored in his celestial armor, ready to walk alone into the fire.
"You're really going." Her voice was soft—tired, maybe scared, maybe both.
Kael nodded. "Yeah… I have to. No one else can."
She stared at him. "And what about me?"
That hit him. Hard.
"Riven, this isn't about leaving you behind. I—this quest—"
"You've always done everything for everyone else," she cut in, stepping closer. "I followed you from a tiny cabin in the woods, through monsters, dungeons, guilds, and war. But I'm still right here."
She pressed her forehead against his chestplate.
"I'm scared, Kael. Not of you dying. But of you changing so much… you don't come back as the person I followed."
He reached up slowly, removed his helmet, and set it down.
"You were there before the magic, before the monsters, before the legends. I know who I am because of you, Riven."
His hand touched her cheek. She leaned into it.
"So when I come back—"
"If you come back—"
"When," he insisted.
"Then what?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He kissed her.
Soft. Fierce. Like fire meeting wind. Like something they'd both waited for too long to say out loud.
"Then we talk about us. And I stay. No more running. No more waiting."
The flame gate pulsed again—louder, closer.
Kael picked up his helmet.
"Keep watching the stars, Riven. I'm going to make sure they stay lit for you."
He stepped into the fire.