Leira tightened her cloak around her shoulders as the first rays of dawn touched the broken horizon. The forest outside was silent, almost as if it were holding its breath. Every rustle made her flinch, every shifting shadow felt alive.
She heard footsteps behind her. She turned, jaw tightening, as Cassian appeared in the doorway of the small stone room. His movements were careful, almost too careful, like he was afraid even his breathing might provoke her.
He stood there for a long moment before finally speaking.
"I know this isn't how you thought any of this would go," Cassian said, voice barely above a whisper. "And I know how much you must hate me. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I didn't…"
Leira cut him off sharply. "You didn't what? Mean to hurt me? Mean to kill me? Mean to lie to me for years? Mean to deceive me?" Her voice cracked like a whip. "Let's get one thing absolutely clear. We are not friends. We are not anything. And you do not get the satisfaction of apologizing to me. I'm not here for closure, Cassian."
She stepped toward him, eyes blazing.
"I'm doing this to finish what I started. To end this. So I can build a real life with the man I love. So unless what you have to say is directly related to the mission, shut up and get out."
Cassian's head jerked slightly, as if the words physically hit him. He turned to leave, but something stopped him. He paused in the doorway, voice low and unsteady.
"…Are you sure you can do this?"
He didn't look at her. Not once. He stared at the stone floor as if afraid looking up would break him.
Leira inhaled slowly. Answering him felt like swallowing fire.
"I have to," she said quietly. "Apparently, there's no other choice. The Veil said this might be the only way. And I trust it."
A beat.
"I trust myself."
Cassian nodded slowly, though Leira did not bother turning to look at him. He did not fully understand her abilities or trust them, and she was counting on that. The less he knew, the safer she was. She had no intention of revealing the full extent of her power to him. Not now. Not ever.
She did not trust him. Not even a little.
As Cassian turned to walk away, Kael appeared at the end of the corridor. The moment their eyes met, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Cassian and Kael locked gazes with pure, unfiltered hatred, neither man slowing, neither looking away as they passed each other.
Kael's steps were uneven, a slight limp betraying his pain. His chest was still tightly bandaged, and the strain of the last few days had left him pale, frustrated, and exhausted. But his eyes were sharp. Fiercely alert. Watching Leira like she was the only thing anchoring him to the world.
"Leira," Kael said softly, stepping into the doorway. "You can't do this. Please… you can't leave. Not like this. Not with him."
She stopped what she was doing and turned fully, letting her gaze meet his. "Kael… we both don't trust him. But this is something we have to do. And I can handle it. You need to heal."
Kael's jaw flexed, the muscle there ticking in frustration. "I can't just stay behind. Think about it. They know you're the Keeper now. They know they can't attack you head on. The only way they can reach you is by tricking you into coming to them. And if something happens out there… if you're not prepared…"
Leira stepped closer and pressed her hand to his chest to steady him. "I know. I've thought about that. But I trust the Veil. And I trust my strength. Even Cassian doesn't fully understand it. If he tries anything, I'll be ready."
Kael let out a shaky breath and moved even closer. His hands slid gently to her waist, careful of her cloak, careful of her. He rested his forehead on hers, eyes closing, voice dropping to a rough whisper.
"You better be."
Leira's expression softened. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel him for just a moment. "I will. Trust me."
Kael leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Not desperate. Not heated. Just a quiet, steady promise. A reminder of who she was fighting for.
A few minutes later, they reached the entrance of the temple where Cassian stood waiting in the distance. Kael kept his eyes on Leira the entire time.
"Go," he said finally, stepping back though every part of him screamed not to. "I'll hold the base. Watch your back… and stay alive."
Cassian waited silently beside her, eyes fixed on the shadow lined path ahead.
"We should move," he said quietly. "Time won't wait for us."
Leira exhaled slowly and stepped forward. The forest swallowed them almost instantly, the morning sun fading behind twisted branches that clawed at the sky. Every rustle made her tighten her grip on her staff. Every shifting shadow made her pulse jump.
Cassian walked beside her, posture sharp, alert. He kept glancing at her, studying her strength, searching for something, weakness or intention, she couldn't tell.
She ignored him and pressed forward.
Hours crawled by. The wind grew colder, carrying faint whispers; soft, sharp, and wrong. Shadows flickered at the edges of her vision, quick as a blink.
"Stay close," Leira murmured, her voice tight. "I don't want any surprises."
Cassian smirked faintly. "Are we ever going to talk?"
She didn't answer.
The forest answered for her.
A ripple of cold tore through the forest floor, sharp and deliberate.
Leira froze just as a jagged shadow burst upward in front of them, tall and violent, as if it had been waiting for their exact step.
Her heart dropped.
She spun toward Cassian…
And he didn't look surprised.
He didn't flinch.
He didn't reach for her.
He simply stood there, watching her reaction, expression unreadable.
Her blood ran cold.
"You…" Her voice cracked, disbelief turning to fury. "You did this."
He didn't move.
Not a blink.
Not a breath.
"I knew you'd be stupid enough to do something like this," she spat, stepping back. Her staff dropped into the dirt with a dull thud as she pivoted, planting her feet, shoulders squared in that precise stance she only took when she was seconds away from tapping into the Veil.
"You have no idea what I'm capable of."
The creature lunged.
Cassian moved faster.
He stepped forward and slammed his foot into the earth. A deep crack shot outward like lightning, the ground trembling under them. Cassian dragged his palms together, not gently, but with a violent scrape that sparked a burst of black static between his hands.
The shadow screeched, its form convulsing before ripping apart in a spiral of shredded smoke that vanished with a pop of displaced air.
The backlash of the blast knocked Leira off balance. She hit the ground hard, breath punched out of her lungs.
When she blinked back into focus, Cassian was already standing over her.
Silent. Steady. Unshaken.
He extended a hand toward her.
Leira slapped it away so hard his fingers snapped backward.
"I don't need your help," she hissed, pushing herself off the ground. Dirt clung to her palms, leaves tangled in her hair, but her glare didn't waver. "How did they know we were here?"
Cassian adjusted his sleeve calmly, as if her rejection didn't bother him at all. His tone was low.
"They weren't here for you." He said quietly.
Leira turned away without responding, walking back the way they came. Cassian cursed under his breath and hurried after her.
"Leira, I just saved you."
His voice cracked, not loud, but pleading.
She stopped so suddenly he nearly collided with her. Spinning around, she pierced him with a stare sharp as a blade.
"Saved me? What would you like me to say? Thank you?"
"I… I mean… yes…" he stuttered, voice barely above a breath.
"Oh, don't flatter yourself." Her laugh was sharp and humorless. "I didn't need your help. And here's something you should know; good people don't need praise for saving a life. They just do it. But of course you'd have no idea. This is probably your first time."
She brushed past him again, and Cassian clenched his jaw, rushing to block her path. This time he stood directly in front of her, refusing to let her pass.
"Listen," he said, voice low, steadying himself. "I know you hate me. I know I deserve it. But if this is going to work, you have to trust that I'm helping you. And you have to help me."
Leira's jaw tightened until it trembled. The Veil pulsed faintly beneath her skin, both warning and reminder. She inhaled, slow and cold.
"Fine," she said. "But if one more thing goes wrong… you won't even see me coming. Understood?"
Cassian swallowed. "Understood."
They moved forward, the forest tightening around them. The trees loomed taller, their gnarled roots twisting across the path like silent obstacles. Light from the fading sun filtered through the canopy in thin, trembling streaks, and the air grew colder with each step.
Leira's eyes flicked from tree to tree. She couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone, something unseen watched, waiting for them to falter. Her grip tightened on her staff, fingers whitening, but she didn't speak. Trust was a fragile thing, and Cassian hadn't earned it yet.
He kept pace beside her, quiet, measured, his presence deliberate and controlled. She didn't look at him, didn't acknowledge him beyond the corner of her vision, but she could feel him, steady and alert, like a shadow in human form.
Cassian didn't offer comfort, didn't offer guidance. He simply walked with her, a silent guarantee that he wasn't going to interfere unless necessary.
And as the last sliver of sun disappeared behind the horizon, the path ahead grew darker, the trees forming unfamiliar shapes in the dim light. Whatever awaited them, Leira knew it wasn't going to make itself known…not yet.