Rain had begun to fall by the time Helios reached the lower districts.
The city that worshiped her name barely recognized her now — not the ruler cloaked in power and frost, but the woman in black, striding through the storm as if the sky itself feared her.
The convoy halted before a guarded medical facility. Her soldiers stepped aside the instant she appeared, heads bowed, not daring to meet her eyes.
Inside, the scent of antiseptic clashed with the faint trace of metal and rain. The halls were too white, too clean — a world untouched by her darkness.
Her boots echoed with slow, deliberate force, each step laced with something more than authority — desperation carefully masked beneath command.
Kael appeared at the end of the hall. "He's stable… for now," he said softly.
Helios didn't answer. She pushed past him, entering the dimly lit room.
And there he was.
Eform lay still beneath the faint glow of monitors, his breath shallow, his skin pale against the dark sheets. His hand — the same hand that once built empires beside hers — trembled slightly with each passing second.
For a long time, she didn't move. The empress who ruled by fear couldn't take a single step forward.
When she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.
"You liar…"
Her eyes softened despite her words. She sat beside him, every ounce of control she'd mastered through the years unraveling silently.
"Was this your grand plan? To die quietly while I watch the world burn without you?"
Her tone carried anger, but the kind that bled — not the kind that destroyed.
Eform stirred faintly, eyelids fluttering open. The faintest smile tugged at his lips.
"Helios…" His voice was rough, nearly broken. "You… shouldn't be here."
"I shouldn't?" she repeated, her expression unreadable. "You vanish without a word, you collapse in some back alley clinic, and you dare tell me I shouldn't be here?"
He coughed weakly, still managing that infuriatingly calm smile. "You have an empire to rule."
"And you have a life you're about to throw away," she hissed, leaning closer. "Tell me, Eform — how long have you known?"
His silence said more than words ever could.
Helios exhaled sharply, a mixture of fury and heartbreak twisting within her. "So this is what you meant by 'distance.' Keeping me from watching you fall apart?"
He looked at her — really looked at her — and for once, the weight of the empire melted away.
"I didn't want to be your weakness," he murmured.
Her hand trembled slightly before she caught it midair and placed it over his. "You were never my weakness. You were the only thing that kept me human."
The monitors hummed softly between them. For a brief, fragile second, the world held its breath.
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps — Kael entering again, voice low.
"My Empress, the doctors wish to discuss… his condition."
Helios didn't move. She just whispered, eyes still locked on Eform, "Whatever it takes… he doesn't die. Do you understand me?"
Kael nodded, eyes flickering with the faintest trace of pity. "Yes, my Empress."
As he left, Eform whispered weakly, "Helios… promise me… if it comes to it—"
"Don't." Her tone was sharp, final. "There will be no 'if.' You live. That's an order."
Outside, thunder cracked, shaking the building. The storm raged like the war inside her chest — loud, wild, unrelenting.
And through it all, the empress stayed by his side, her hand still in his — the only warmth left in a world too cruel for the both of them.