Aldric's gaze followed Lyriana as she stepped forward, her silhouette outlined against the dim residue of fading mana. She bent down, fingers brushing the cold stone as she retrieved the bow she had dropped earlier. When she straightened, her voice was calm—too calm, the kind forged from a choice she didn't want to make.
> "We don't need to know what's happening in there to keep them safe," she said, eyes fixed on the darkness ahead. "All we have to do is take them to the king. Make sure no harm touches them. That's our duty now."
She turned, walking back toward him with steady steps. Aldric watched her, jaw tight, emotions clashing behind his glowing red eyes.
> "I… guess that's the safest option," he muttered. "That way we can get them out of here. But—"
He stared at her intently, voice dropping to something raw. "Are you sure about this? Are you sure you want us to just leave? After everything? We finally found this bastard. This is our chance. If we leave right now—"
Lyriana didn't stop walking. Her eyes lifted to meet his only when she was close enough for him to see the frost creeping into her expression.
> "If we stay here," she said, voice turning cold, "we'll be putting them in danger. Is that really what you want?"
A breath. A heartbeat. She continued.
> "The same as you, brother… I want to kill him. More than anything. Even if it costs me my life."
Her fingers tightened on the bowstring. "But we both know the truth. Even knowing that, I'm still willing to do it… but doing it now?"
Her eyes flicked to the children. "It puts them at risk."
Aldric didn't move. His eyes stayed locked on her, crimson burning under the weight of everything she said and everything he didn't want to admit.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low, rough, almost accusing.
> "Do you really consider them worth it?"
He swallowed, gaze hardening. "Think about it, Lyrian. Finding him was the only reason we came here in the first place."
The words hung between them—heavy, bitter, and edged like a blade.
He leaned in just enough that his crimson eyes caught the dim light, glowing like embers.
> "Are you truly willing to throw all of that away… for them?"
Lyriana didn't look away. Not for a second.
Her grip on the bow remained steady. Her breath unshaken. Her voice soft, but edged with a fierce, cutting truth:
> "What do you think."
Aldric's jaw tightened, the air between them thick with unspoken arguments, regrets, and the heat of battle still echoing somewhere beyond the darkness. His hand twitched, as if reaching for a solution that didn't exist, for a chance that had already slipped through their fingers.
> "I… I don't know if I can do that," he admitted, voice raw. "Everything in me wants to stay. To finish it. To end him by all means necessary."
Lyriana's eyes softened, just for a fraction of a second, before hardening again.
> "If that is what you want, you may go ahead—I won't stop you. But before you do that, hand her over first," she said, voice low but certain. "Since I'm still a maid, my duty isn't to myself right now. It's to them. Once I make sure they're safe, I'll come back to join you. You can't die without my permission."
Aldric exhaled slowly, letting the tension in his shoulders ebb for just a heartbeat, only to tighten again as the weight of her words pressed in.
> "And if you fail them anyway?" he murmured, more to himself than her. "If you can't protect them even after this?"
Her gaze didn't falter. She stepped closer, enough that the faint glimmer of mana lingering in the corridor caught her silhouette like firelight.
> "Though that is a fact, I'll try my best to make sure that doesn't happen," she said, steady. "No matter what. Not as long as I'm still alive."
Aldric stared into her eyes, the fire and steel in them reflecting everything he wanted to do—and everything he couldn't afford to do. His hand drifted toward her, a brief, uncertain gesture of both agreement and longing.
> "You're… impossible. I'm supposed to be your big brother, but you never listen to me," he said, a bitter smile flickering through the tension. "But… you're right."
Lyriana allowed a small nod, eyes still sharp, still unyielding. She adjusted the bow in her hands, readying herself for the path forward, for the choice that could cost them.
> "Alright, since you agree," she said simply, walking past him. "Then let's get moving."
Aldric exhaled, the ember-red glow of his eyes dimming slightly as he turned, pulling Elenya closer. He followed her, carrying with them the fragile weight of the children, disappearing from the spot into the shadows.