"I wouldn't ask you to do that," she said softly, folding her arms. "It's not fair."
Tesreal tilted his head, a gentle smile ghosting his lips – not quite amused, not entirely resigned.
"The world isn't fair," he replied, his voice low. "But sometimes… we give pieces of ourselves to the ones we believe in, whether they ask or not."
His words settled between them, but she still didn't speak.
The silence stretched long enough to feel like a choice, and her voice was barely more than a breath when she finally broke it.
"You're not him," she all but whispered.
Asuriel hadn't intended to say it aloud, but the realization weighed heavily on her chest. Where Vaerion was selfish and cunning, Tesreal was selfless and honest. The juxtaposition was almost nauseating.
Tesreal froze. Once the words left her lips. He felt something inside him lock tight. "No," he said, his voice just as quiet. "And I never will be."
