The forest swallowed them whole again. No Hollow Things. No shrieking wind. Only the wet smell of moss and the soft drag of their boots in the mud.
But the silence between them was heavier than the air.
Kaelen glanced at Orien. The other man's pace hadn't slowed, but his eyes weren't scanning the path anymore. They kept sliding to Kaelen — quick, sharp looks that snapped away when Kaelen noticed.
"You going to say it?" Kaelen finally asked.
Orien didn't look at him this time. "Say what?"
"That I should've let them take me."
Orien stopped walking. Turned. The hood shadowed most of his face, but Kaelen could still see the tightness around his mouth.
"You think I don't notice what's happening to you?" Orien said quietly. "The Shard isn't just using you — you're using it back. That's dangerous."
Kaelen's chest tightened. "You'd rather I die than fight back?"
"I'd rather you stay human," Orien said. His voice was flat, but the words landed like a blade.
The forest creaked above them — branches shifting, settling. Somewhere far off, a crow screamed.
Kaelen's hand itched toward the Shard without thinking. He forced it down. "You think you can finish this without me?"
Orien didn't answer. Just turned away and started walking again.
For the first time since they'd met, Kaelen felt something colder than the Hollow Things at his back.
It was the thought that maybe — just maybe — Orien was already planning for what he'd have to do if Kaelen turned against him.