Rielun's POV:
The world steadied slowly.
Stone beneath my feet.
The Haven's dim glow overhead.
Elias's arms still wrapped around me, holding me like he wasn't convinced I was real.
"Rielun," he whispered, voice raw. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head, but my body trembled anyway. Elias's hand slid up my back, steadying me, grounding me.
The others weren't calm.
Not even close.
Aeris was the first to break.
"What the hell happened in there?" he snapped, stepping forward, eyes sharp and furious. "Why were you alone? Why did the maze take you and not him?"
Elias stiffened, pulling me subtly closer.
"It wasn't my choice," he said, voice low.
Aeris scoffed. "You expect me to believe that?"
Sylas stepped between them, jaw tight. "Back off, Aeris."
"Don't tell me to back off," Aeris growled. "I saw him pin Rielun to a wall. I saw him—"
Rowan cut in, voice soft but firm. "Aeris. Enough."
But Aeris wasn't listening.
He pointed at Elias, eyes blazing. "You lost control. You put him in danger."
Elias's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "I saved him."
"You kissed him," Aeris shot back.
Silence slammed into the room.
My breath caught.
Elias's hand tightened on my waist.
Sylas's eyes narrowed.
Rowan's expression flickered with something quiet and aching.
Noctis's wings twitched, shadows curling at his feet.
Elias didn't deny it.
He just looked at me — and the look alone made my heart stutter.
"I did," he said softly. "And I won't apologize for caring."
Aeris stepped forward, fists clenched. "You don't get to—"
Noctis moved.
Not with anger.
Not with jealousy.
With fear.
"Stop," he said, voice low and trembling. "All of you. Look."
He pointed to the walls.
Hairline cracks spread across the stone, leaking faint wisps of black sap. The Haven's light flickered like a dying candle.
"The Hollow is close," Noctis whispered. "Too close."
The argument died instantly.
Sylas's hand went to his weapon.
Rowan stepped nearer to me.
Aeris's anger shifted into something sharper — fear.
Elias's arm tightened around me protectively.
I swallowed hard.
"I saw him," I whispered.
All eyes snapped to me.
"The First Guardian," I said. "I saw him in the memory. I saw what happened."
Elias's breath hitched. "Rielun…"
"He was holding me," I said, voice shaking. "My body. He was begging me to come back. He was… breaking."
Rowan's eyes softened with heartbreak.
Sylas's jaw clenched.
Aeris looked away, chest rising and falling too fast.
Noctis's wings drooped, shadows trembling.
"And the Hollow…" I whispered. "It came into the memory. It reached for me."
Elias's hand slid to my shoulder, steadying me. "You're safe now."
But I wasn't sure.
Because the Haven pulsed beneath our feet — once, twice — like a heartbeat struggling to continue.
The floor lit up.
A spiral of silver light spread outward, forming a circle around us.
The walls shifted.
A new doorway carved itself into existence, glowing with pale, trembling light.
Rowan exhaled shakily. "The next trial…"
Sylas nodded grimly. "It's starting."
Aeris stepped closer to me, expression fierce. "We're not letting you go alone again."
Elias's hand found mine. "Never again."
Noctis's wings unfurled, shadows curling protectively around the group. "Stay close. All of you."
The Haven pulsed again — louder this time, urgent.
The doorway brightened.
"My little… one…"