Kain's regret was immediate and all-consuming.
He had stared down death more times than he could count—confronting opponents far more powerful than him and even facing an army of Abyssals—but none of that compared to the sheer horror of watching the warmth drain from Serena's expression like a candle snuffed out in the wind.
It was as if the past few days had been nothing more than an illusion, a delicate bubble filled with kindness that he had now popped with his own stupidity.
He had miscalculated. Badly.
Serena did not speak again after her deadpan 'You misunderstood.'.
Instead, she went back to whatever she had been doing before he stupidly felt the need to 'clarify his intentions' with her—only now her movements were cool and impersonal, whereas they had previously been more relaxed and comfortable, almost like an old married couple—
'Nope! That's a very dangerous thought.'
