The world they fell into was silent.
For one long heartbeat, there was only darkness and the echo of their breathing as Kael and Leira stumbled forward, tumbling out of the collapsing tear in space. The ground beneath them was cold stone, familiar stone. They were back in the temple.
Behind them, the air tore with a violent shriek. The rift snapped shut with a burst of blinding white light, and the creature's enormous clawed hand, which had forced itself halfway through in its desperate chase, was severed by the collapse. The limb hit the ground with a heavy thud, twitching once before melting into black smoke and disappearing entirely.
Then stillness.
For several long breaths, neither of them moved, the silence settling over the ruined chamber like a living thing; heavy with the echo of what had chased them, trembling with the memory of how narrowly they had escaped, and fragile in the way that moments after survival always were, when the body had not yet accepted that it was safe.
Kael lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, chest heaving. Leira remained on her knees beside him, both hands on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. For a moment neither spoke. The only sound was the rapid beating of their hearts.
Then Kael turned his head toward her.
She looked back at him.
And suddenly, almost at the same time, they burst into laughter. Exhausted laughter, breathless laughter, the kind of laughter that erupts only after you escape death and your mind cannot hold the terror anymore. Their shoulders shook as the sound echoed across the temple walls.
Slowly, the laughter softened. Their breaths steadied. Their eyes met again, and something warm moved quietly between them. Leira reached for him without thinking and Kael pulled himself up enough to wrap his arms around her. They held each other tightly, tightly enough that neither could doubt the other was real. Kael hid his face in her shoulder and she clung to him like she was afraid someone would steal him away if she let go.
When they finally pulled apart, the space between them was small. Leira was already leaning in without realizing it, her eyes drifting down to his lips, her head tilting. Kael felt the warmth of her breath moving closer.
And then, the Veil spoke inside her mind.
"Keeper. There is no time for this."
Leira froze.
Her breath caught, her body stiffened, and frustration flashed across her face as the moment shattered. She swallowed, looking away as the glow of the Veil came and faded from her eyes as it spoke to her.
She stood up abruptly, brushing invisible dust off her palms, guiding him up as well.
"We should get you cleaned up," she said gently, though there was a quiet sting in her voice.
She turned to walk away, but Kael reached out and caught her hand. She spun back toward him, startled. He pulled her closer with a firm but soft tug, and before she could speak, he leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
His voice was a whisper, warm and steady.
"You found me."
Leira's breath hitched. She looked up at him with soft, shining eyes.
"You found me first."
The words settled between them like a vow. A small smile formed on both their lips.
Then she took his arm gently.
"Come on. You need to wash these wounds."
Kael tried to walk, but his body protested with sharp pain. She wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided him slowly across the temple hall toward the bathing room. He winced, each step heavy, each breath uneven. Leira stayed close, steadying him when he stumbled.
Inside the bathing chamber, warm steam filled the air. She helped him to the edge of the stone bath.
"I'll be right outside. Call if you need me," she told him softly.
He nodded, trying to look strong. She stepped out and leaned against the wall beside the doorway, listening.
A moment passed.
Then…
"Ah—!"
Leira straightened instantly.
"Kael? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just…" A sharp cry cut off his words.
She rushed inside.
He had not fallen, but he was gripping the edge of the bath, jaw tight, body trembling with pain. But the moment she stepped through the doorway, she froze.
He was completely naked.
Her mind stalled, heat rushing across her cheeks. She had not expected to see him…all of him. She had not prepared for it. For a full second she could not move.
Then Kael groaned again, and instinct finally pushed her into motion. She hurried to him, slipping an arm behind his back and guiding him carefully down into the warm bathwater.
"Easy," she whispered as his body sank into the heat.
Kael let out a long breath, his head falling back, the pain slowly easing from his face. Leira knelt beside the bath, dipping a soft cloth into the water and squeaking the water out. She wiped his forehead gently, then his cheeks, then the dried blood along his jaw.
His eyes opened halfway.
"So you are the Veil Keeper again," he murmured.
"I am," she answered quietly. "I am back… but I do not have all my memories yet."
"Why?" he asked.
"The Veil is keeping some from me. It needs me to do… things."
Kael frowned. "Things like what?"
She hesitated.
"It wants me to go after the dark keepers. And their shadows."
Kael pushed himself upward, alarmed.
"What?!" His was held back by a sharp pain in his side. "Leira, that is dangerous. You cannot…"
She pressed a hand firmly to his shoulder.
"Relax. Lay back. Please."
He sank into the bath again but his eyes stayed intense on hers.
"You cannot fight them. You are not meant to interfere."
"I am not interfering in mortal fate," she said softly. "I am avenging the ones who were not fated to die. The ones the dark keepers slaughtered before their time."
Kael looked away, jaw tight.
"We cannot go through this again," he whispered. "I just got you back."
"And I almost lost you," Leira answered. "I have to do this. I agreed to do it. It was the only way to get you back."
Kael's breath trembled. He looked like he wanted to argue again, but she touched his lips gently with her fingers.
"Shhh. Rest. That is all you need to do right now."
After a long moment, he nodded and closed his eyes.
When the bath soothed his wounds enough, she helped him out, wrapping him in a cloth and guiding him down the hallway with his arm draped across her shoulders. He leaned heavily on her but trusted her without hesitation.
She laid him gently on the bed in one of the temple rooms. Kael sighed, settling into the soft sheets.
She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.
"Can you stay… at least until I fall asleep?"
Her expression softened.
"Of course."
She sat beside him on a chair, hands folded in her lap as she watched him. His eyes remained half open, studying her as if making sure she was real.
"I can't lose you again," he murmured, voice barely above a breath.
"You will not lose me."
"Promise me," he whispered.
Leira's heart clenched. She rose from the chair, walked to the side of the bed, and knelt. She took his hand gently between both of hers, holding it like it was something precious.
"I promise," she whispered. "You will never lose me again."
Kael gave her a small, tired smile. A moment later, his eyes fluttered closed. Exhaustion finally claimed him, deeper than any sleep he had ever known. Leira stayed there, kneeling beside the bed, watching his breathing even out.
She placed his hand carefully on the blanket, stood, and began to step away.
But halfway to the door, she stopped.
Turned.
Walked back to him.
She leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
Then she left the room quietly.
The temple was silent as she made her way to the sanctum where she prayed to the Veil. She knelt before the ancient stone, the glow rising around her again as she spoke to the unseen presence.
Hours passed.
Deep in the night, Kael woke suddenly, gasping, panic flooding his eyes as memories of the shadows tore through his dreams. He sat up, breathing hard. The room was empty.
"Leira?"
No answer.
He swung his legs out of the bed, wincing at the pain, and began searching through the temple. His footsteps echoed softly. His voice was a whisper.
"Leira? Are you here?"
He checked room after room until he reached the corridor leading to the sanctum. Warm light glowed faintly inside.
He stepped closer.
As he reached the doorway, he heard her voice, low and tense.
"I understand… but I cannot tell Kael this."
Kael froze.
Then he stepped into the doorway.
"You cannot tell me what?"
Leira's head snapped toward him.