Where Duty Walks First
Out came a sigh from Rias, heavy on purpose but soft at heart. That moment arrived
Her lips curved into a quiet grin. "That man on the throne."
Steady on his feet, Leon held their eyes without blinking, the heat of moments before now firm, like stone underfoot.
"If I delay now, someone else bleeds tomorrow."
Heavy silence filled the air. Sharp edges stayed dull. The sentences arrived without warning.
So the grievance never got a chance to take shape.
That sound they heard wasn't new. It carried a weight they'd felt before, one that settled deep without needing words.
Before fights, they'd know that sound. It came again now.
Earlier choices had redrawn maps while splitting old partnerships apart.
A shadow moved forward when the moment came. One foot followed another, though silence would have been safer. Heat rose ahead, yet steps kept going. Not bravery, just presence where others stayed away. The line between waiting and walking blurred fast.
