The world snapped back into shape with a nauseating jolt.
Aeris staggered forward, clutching the girl tightly against her chest as the sickening twist of teleportation faded. She barely managed to stay on her feet, breath ragged, limbs trembling—not just from the jump, but from the memory of everything they'd just escaped.
Kael caught her elbow before she could fall. His hand was warm. Solid. Steady.
"You'll get used to it," he said quietly.
"I'd rather not," Aeris muttered, finally raising her head to take in their surroundings.
They stood in a cavern—no, a temple, long abandoned and carved deep into a mountain's heart. Jagged crystal formations jutted from the stone walls, each glowing faintly with red-gold light. Ancient murals lined the walls, depicting winged beings, flame-born beasts, and a girl whose silhouette looked too much like her for coincidence.
Aeris's blood went cold.
"What is this place?" she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper.
"Sanctuary," Kael said. "For now."
The child in her arms whimpered softly. She was pale, exhausted, but alive. Aeris knelt beside her, brushing a strand of soot-streaked hair from her forehead.
"Is she really a princess?" she asked, glancing up at Kael.
"Not yet," he replied. "But she will be, if you keep her alive."
"Oh, great," Aeris muttered. "Saving the world and babysitting royalty. How lucky am I?"
Kael chuckled, a low sound that warmed more than it should have. "You're marked by fate. Luck never had anything to do with it."
She shot him a look. "Stop looking at me like I'm a puzzle you've already solved."
"I haven't," he said, stepping closer. "But I am trying to figure out why your mark flared tonight when it's been dormant for twenty years. Why now?"
"You think I know?" Aeris stood, crossing her arms. "It's just a scar. I've had it my whole life. It means nothing."
"Then why is it glowing?"
She froze.
He was right.
The mark—three flame-like swirls encircling a sunburst—was glowing faintly through the back of her shirt, warm against her skin like a brand newly seared. She'd always hidden it. Always feared it. And now… it felt alive.
Kael took a step forward, eyes locked on her. "That mark isn't just flame. It's bondfire. The kind only born once in an age. The kind that connects souls."
Her heart skipped. "Souls? As in... plural?"
His gaze darkened. "As in yours. And mine."
Aeris stared at him, something cold unfurling in her stomach.
"No. No, that's not—"
"You felt it, didn't you?" Kael asked softly. "When we touched. When you jumped. You felt the pull."
"I felt adrenaline," she snapped, turning away. "And fear. That's it."
But she was lying.
Because she had felt it. A jolt. A strange, electric knowing. Like some forgotten part of her had awakened at his touch.
Kael sighed. "I didn't ask for this either. The bond chose us. And that means whether we like it or not, our fates are tied now."
She whirled back to him, eyes blazing. "Tied how? What does it mean?"
He hesitated just long enough to make her stomach drop.
"It means that if one of us dies…" He held her gaze. "The other won't survive either."
Silence fell between them, heavy and final.
Aeris felt the floor shift beneath her. It wasn't just prophecy or power now—it was something deeper. Something more dangerous.
Emotion.
Connection.
And she wasn't ready for it.
Not now. Not ever.
Kael broke the silence, stepping toward her again, slower this time, like approaching a frightened animal. "We'll figure it out. Together."
She backed away. "Don't say that."
"Why?"
"Because you're a soldier with glowing eyes and a destiny complex. And I'm a thief who barely knows her real name. You want fate to tie us together? Fine. But don't pretend this is more than survival."
Something flickered in Kael's expression—hurt, maybe. But it vanished as quickly as it came.
He nodded once. "Understood."
Then he turned and walked into the shadows of the temple, his silver cloak trailing behind him.
Aeris let herself sink to the floor, her body aching, her heart worse.
Beside her, the child slept fitfully, curling into her side like a kitten needing warmth. And for a moment, Aeris let herself soften.
Not for Kael.
Not for fate.
For the girl.
Because someone had to protect her.
And if not Aeris… then who?
She lay back, staring up at the glowing crystals above, the mark on her back pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
Somewhere deep within her, something ancient stirred.
And the fire whispered:
This is only the beginning.