Caleb's perspective
Scene One – The Invitation (Breakfast)
The smell of scrambled eggs and toast drifted through the Guild dining hall, but my stomach felt like it was tied in knots. Everyone else dug in with their usual energy—Lyra laughing at one of Jax's half-baked jokes, Leo moving down the table with his steady hands as he passed out trays, Katherine and Jeremiah sitting close enough that their shoulders brushed without either of them noticing.
I stared down at my own plate, watching steam curl off a pile of potatoes. I hadn't touched them. My fork rested uselessly in my hand.
Katherine looks happy, I thought, watching her out of the corner of my eye. Jeremiah leaned toward her, murmured something, and she laughed, a soft sound that made the edges of my chest ache. It wasn't me she laughed with anymore. And the truth was, it never really had been, not the way I wanted.
I told myself a hundred times to let it go. To move on. To stop carrying this weight that was pulling me under every time I saw her with him. But each day, it lingered. Every smile they shared twisted like a knife. Every touch was a reminder that I had been on the outside for a long time now.
I set my fork down and took a breath. Enough was enough.
"Katherine," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. Heads turned. My throat tightened, but I forced myself to keep going. "Could we talk… outside, after breakfast?"
The hall went quiet for a beat, then the chatter slowly resumed. Katherine froze for a moment, spoon halfway to her lips. Her eyes flicked toward me, cautious, uncertain.
She set the spoon down carefully and nodded once. "After the practice drills," she said, her voice steady but distant.
I felt Jeremiah's gaze before I saw it. He tilted his head toward her, a question in his eyes. Katherine leaned closer, whispered something. I watched his jaw tighten, then relax. He nodded, giving her that calm, patient look of his. "Go," I heard him say softly. "It's better you hear him out."
The knot in my chest loosened, just a little.
I swallowed hard and looked away. This is it. No more dragging things out. No more pretending. I'll end this the right way.
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Scene Two – The Turning Point (Lunch After Drills)
The morning drills blurred together. Sweat stung my eyes, muscles burned, and still my thoughts circled like a storm. Each sparring round, each strike and counter, I caught glimpses of Katherine and Jeremiah moving together like they were two parts of one whole. Her energy lit up the training floor, his steady rhythm anchoring her. They fit. Too well for me to keep denying it.
By the time drills ended, my body was exhausted, but my mind was strangely clear.
Leo came in with the lunch boxes, moving between the rows with quiet purpose. He always carried himself with this maturity that didn't match his age, and I envied him for that. One by one, he set trays down, murmuring names. When he reached me, he gave a small nod. "Here."
I muttered a thanks, but I wasn't hungry. My chest felt too full.
I turned my head slightly and there she was—Cecelia. Sitting across the table, her hair tucked behind her ear, munching on salad with that carefree smile she wore even in the worst moments. She laughed at something Jax said, then shook her head like she couldn't believe half the nonsense that came out of his mouth.
I stared longer than I meant to.
I think I have to make things right.
The thought hit me hard. Cecelia had always been there, hadn't she? Through the failures, the awkward silences, the moments I tried too hard or didn't try at all. She never judged, never pushed. She saw me—really saw me—and for reasons I couldn't understand, she cared anyway.
Maybe I haven't been honest with myself.
I let my gaze linger on her smile, the way it reached her eyes. She looked up suddenly, caught me watching. Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away. Instead, she gave me the smallest smile, soft and genuine.
Something shifted in me.
I think I should give Cecelia a chance. She loves me without reasons. I don't want to regret this. I don't want to spend my life chasing something that was never mine to begin with.
I turned my head and there they were again—Katherine and Jeremiah. He held a forkful of potatoes toward her, and she leaned in, laughing as she stole the bite. His hand brushed her shoulder, casual and protective all at once. She nudged him with her elbow, and they both smiled like no one else existed.
It didn't hurt the way it used to. Not as sharp. More like an ache that was finally fading.
Katherine is happy with Jeremiah. Such a nice guy, too. Even forgave me after everything that happened. I owe him that much. I owe both of them peace.
I breathed out slowly. My shoulders felt lighter, my chest less tight. For the first time in months, maybe years, I felt like I wasn't drowning.
I glanced back at Cecelia, still smiling, still waiting without asking for anything in return.
I'll do everything to make things right.
And for once, I believed I could.
Scene Three – The Riverside
The river shimmered under the late afternoon sun, its surface rippling with the breeze. I stood at the bank, shoes crunching against gravel, tossing smooth stones into the water. Some skipped once, maybe twice, before sinking with a soft plunk. Most dropped straight in, no bounce at all.
I kept trying anyway. Not because I cared about the throw, but because it gave my hands something to do while my mind ran circles.
This is right. Letting go is right.
I repeated it to myself every time a stone hit the water. Over and over. Not to convince anyone else—just me. The feelings, the jealousy, the weight—it all had to stay here, swallowed by the river.
Behind me, footsteps crunched against the path. I turned. Katherine walked closer, brushing hair from her face as the wind caught it.
"Am I late?" she asked, crouching down to pick up a flat stone from the ground.
I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my mouth. "No. You're right on time."
She straightened, came to stand beside me, and flicked the stone across the water. It bounced three times before sinking. She grinned, brushing her palms off. "Still better than you, huh?"
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Some things never change."
We fell into an easy rhythm, tossing stones, teasing each other, the air lighter than I thought it would be. For a moment, it felt like high school again—when it was just us, when everything was simple. No Guild. No battles. No triangle of feelings eating at us. Just two kids skipping stones at the river, daring each other to do better.
"You remember the spring fair?" Katherine asked suddenly, laughing. "You tried to win me that giant stuffed fox by throwing rings over bottles."
I groaned. "And failed miserably. Cost me half my allowance."
"But you kept trying until you couldn't stand anymore," she said, nudging me with her elbow. "I never forgot that."
I smiled, but it faded quickly. The laughter in my throat caught on something heavier. The weight I'd carried too long pressed at me, demanding to be spoken.
I dropped the stone in my hand, watching it sink. "Katherine… I'm sorry."
She blinked, turning to me. "For what?"
"For everything." My voice was quiet, rough. "For not being able to control myself. For letting my feelings get in the way. For trying to force something that was never mine and almost destroying what we had."
Her expression softened. She didn't interrupt, didn't rush me.
I sighed, staring at the river. "I was selfish. I knew you cared for Jeremiah, but I kept pushing, hoping you'd look my way again. It wasn't fair to you, and it wasn't fair to him. I should've respected you both more."
Katherine bent down, picked up another stone, but didn't throw it. She held it in her palm, studying it like the words she wanted to say were carved there.
"I understand, Caleb," she said finally. Her voice was calm, not accusing, not sharp. "I won't lie—it hurt. But I know you. I know you never meant to harm me. You were just… lost." She gave a small smile. "But you know I love Jeremiah now. That's where my heart is."
I nodded slowly, the words cutting but freeing at the same time. "I know. That's why I've decided to let go. I don't want to ruin what you and Jeremiah have. You're happy. And that's enough for me."
Her smile grew a little warmer, lighter. She tossed the stone at last, and it skipped four times before disappearing beneath the surface. "Then we'll be friends. Always."
"Friends," I agreed, tossing my own stone—poor throw, straight into the water. She laughed, and I laughed with her. For the first time in a long time, it felt real.
Neither of us noticed the figure standing just behind the tree line. Cecelia leaned against the trunk, hands clasped to her chest, listening to every word. Her lips curved into a smile, eyes soft with relief.
"He's finally free," she whispered to herself. Her heart eased for the first time in months. The burden she'd carried—waiting, wondering, fearing he'd never let go of Katherine—was gone.
Now, she thought, now she could pursue Caleb without doubt. Without guilt.
And as Katherine laughed beside me, and I laughed back, Cecelia turned away, smiling to herself.
Maybe now, she thought, it's our time.
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Scene Four – A New Role
Ezra's words still echoed in my mind the day he called me into his office.
"You've served well as a Sentinel," he said, his tone even but firm. "But I see a different path for you now. One that may suit your heart better than the battlefield. The Guild needs more than fighters. It needs builders. Weapons, defenses, innovations."
He leaned forward, eyes steady on mine. "I want you to step in as weapons engineer. Retire from active Sentinel duty. Create what others will use to protect our world."
At first, I didn't know how to respond. Fighting was all I'd ever done. My fists, my reflexes, my endurance—that was how I proved my worth. Stepping away from the front line felt like surrender. But Ezra's gaze didn't waver, and deep down, I knew he wasn't wrong.
I wasn't the same person anymore. The restless fire that drove me before had dimmed. And in its place was a quiet determination: to build, to support, to put things back together instead of breaking them apart.
So I said yes.
And just like that, my days changed.
Instead of drills, I spent mornings in the workshop, surrounded by blueprints, half-built weapons, and the hum of energy cores. My hands, once trained to strike, now turned bolts, shaped metal, and soldered wires. At first it felt strange, clumsy. But each day, it made more sense. Each invention, each piece of gear, was another way of protecting the people I once fought beside.
And almost every day, Cecelia showed up.
She'd appear in the doorway with a smile, balancing a tray in her hands. "Brought you lunch," she'd say, setting it on the workbench between scattered tools.
"Don't tell me you skipped eating again," she teased once, pushing a bowl of rice toward me.
I smirked, scratching the back of my neck. "Lost track of time."
She rolled her eyes but stayed anyway, pulling up a stool. Some days we ate in silence, comfortable, just the clink of chopsticks and the buzz of machinery around us. Other days we talked—about nothing important, but somehow it felt important anyway.
"Do you remember your first Sentinel mission?" she asked once, sipping from a bottle of water.
"Yeah. Nearly broke my leg trying to vault a fence," I admitted, laughing. "Jax never let me live it down."
She laughed too, shaking her head. "And here you are now, designing weapons like some genius inventor. Life's funny."
Those moments became the best part of my day. Her presence turned the sterile workshop into something warmer. The smell of her cooking lingered in the air even after she left, the sound of her laughter echoing longer than it should have.
And slowly, without realizing it, the walls I'd kept up began to crack.
One night, after she left, I sat at my workbench staring at the half-finished rifle in my hands. My reflection in the polished metal looked back at me, tired but honest.
She's been here all along, I thought. While I wasted myself chasing something that was never mine, she was right here, giving me her heart without asking for anything back.
I set the rifle down, pressing my palms together.
I think I'm falling for her. No… I know I am. Cecelia loves me without reasons. And for the first time, I want to love someone the same way. Fully. Without hesitation.
The decision settled deep in my chest, steady and unshakable. It wasn't like the feverish feelings I once had for Katherine. This was different. Stronger, calmer. Real.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling.
It's time. She deserves to know how I feel. And I'm ready to tell her.
For the first time in years, my heart felt light. Not because I was chasing something—but because I was finally ready to hold on to what was already within reach.
And as I cleaned up the tools, I smiled to myself, knowing tomorrow, when Cecelia walked in with another tray of food and that easy smile, I'd tell her.
This time, I wouldn't run.
This time, I'd choose her.
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