They sprinted through the dense forest, branches tearing at their clothes, while Kael kept his eyes fixed forward. Astra ran beside him, casting brief, worried glances in his direction.

  Kael noticed.

  He ignored them.

  He focused only on running, on the rhythm of his breath, and on the ground beneath his feet. Still, Lia’s cries echoed in his mind, refusing to fade.

  When the forest finally thinned, the academy’s outer wall emerged from the darkness. Guards patrolled along its length with weapons drawn; their alert stances proved that even this forgotten corner was no longer unguarded.

  Kael stopped and leaned against a tree, his breath shallow. The aftermath of the fight and the strain of using his ability caught up to him all at once. His hands trembled briefly before he clenched them into fists and forced himself to stand up straight again.

  Exhausted.

  But he was closed.

  He turned his gaze back to the wall.

  Astra watched him closely, her expression openly compassionate.

  "Don't look at me like that," Kael said flatly without turning. "What's the plan?"

  Astra hesitated, then sighed. She followed his gaze to the wall, clearly aware that now was not the time to challenge him.

  "Did Bereos tell you about the last measure we could take to escape?" she asked.

  Kael met her eyes briefly and nodded. "He said it was a last resort. And that only Mal knew about it.”

  Astra let out a tired smile. "A lie. We all knew. It was necessary—"

  "Spare me the excuses," Kael cut in sharply, turning away again. “Just do it. Let's get out of here."

  Astra exhaled slowly. She walked toward a nearby tree, knelt down, and reached into the hollow of its stump. When she returned, she carried a small wooden box, cradling it carefully.

  She opened it.

  Inside was a single black marble.

  Kael’s eyes narrowed. He looked up at her questioningly.

  Astra picked up the marble carefully and held it in her palm. "This is a compressed explosive. Anything it touches—anything—will be destroyed once it breaks.”

  Kael’s jaw tightened. "You want to blow up the wall? That’s reckless.”

  “It’s our only chance,” Astra replied calmly. "The explosion will disorient the guards. We'll use that moment to slip through the breach into the outer district."

  Kael glanced up at the sky. "Then we should have heard other explosions by now. Unless—”

  “Unless they’re already dead,” Astra finished quietly. "Or captured." Her gaze darkened. "I hope it's the former."

  For a fleeting instant, Zaros’s face appeared in Kael’s mind.

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  He crushed the thought before it could take shape.

  “Do it,” he said.

  Astra nodded and turned toward the wall. She cast one final glance over her shoulder. "The moment it hits, we run."

  Kael drew a slow breath and prepared himself, forcing his body to ignore the pain screaming through it.

  Whatever waited beyond that wall, he would face it without hesitation.

  Astra threw the marble.

  Everything happened at once.

  The impact was instant. A violent wave of heat washed over Kael and Astra. The shrill detonation tore through the night, ripping the air from Kael’s lungs. His ears rang as the wall erupted in a blinding flash of stone and fire.

  They ran.

  They ignored the heat. They ignored the screams of the guards scrambling in panic.

  The marble worked.

  A jagged hole had been torn through the wall, opening a passageway to the outer district. Kael and Astra sprinted toward it, but the distraction didn't last as long as they had hoped.

  The guards recovered quickly.

  Kael heard the clatter of armor, the stretching of tendons, and a sharp voice barking a command. Then, it seemed as if the air itself screamed.

  Arrows!

  Dozens of them.

  They flew with terrifying speed.

  Astra’s eyes narrowed as her body prepared to evade, but Kael moved first.

  He didn’t hesitate.

  Kronos.

  The world froze.

  The arrows hung in the air like a constellation of death. Kael saw everything: the angles, the distances, and the exact points where steel would tear flesh. His mind worked with cold precision, memorizing every trajectory.

  Time resumed.

  Kael drew his sword.

  Steel flashed.

  With clean, controlled motions, he cut arrow after arrow in mid-flight. He caught the final arrow with his bare hand, stopping it inches from Astra’s chest.

  For a heartbeat, everything went silent.

  Astra stared at him, shock flickering across her face before hardening into grim understanding.

  The guards didn’t fire again. They were too stunned and too slow.

  Kael and Astra didn’t waste the moment.

  They slipped through the breach and vanished into the twisting alleys of the outer district before the next volley could be fired.

  Only after several streets did they stop.

  Both were panting. Kael staggered.

  Then he coughed.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Blood filled his mouth.

  His vision blurred and the world tilted violently as he lurched forward. Only then did Astra grab his shoulder and force him down against the wall.

  He coughed again, this time more harshly, and crimson stained his lips.

  When it finally stopped, he looked up at her, his eyes glassy and his breathing uneven.

  "What?" he asked hoarsely and indifferently.

  Astra’s eyes burned.

  "What?" she echoed sharply. "That's all you have to say?"

  She knelt in front of him, gesturing angrily at his injuries. "You're using your ability without restraint. You know what it does to you, and you don't care."

  Her voice faltered.

  Then it softened.

  "I know why," she said quietly, placing a hand on his chest. "You'd rather feel this pain than the pain inside." Her fingers tightened. "I did the same once. I ignored it. And it consumed me.”

  She met his gaze, pleading. "Don't do this to yourself. Please.”

  Kael held her gaze for a moment—long enough that she thought she might have reached him.

  Then he looked away.

  He stood up.

  "I'm fine," he said flatly. "Let's finish the mission."

  And just like that, the distance between them returned.

  Kael exhaled and started walking again, leaving Astra kneeling behind him.

  She watched him for a moment, sadness flickering across her face, before rising and following him without a word.

  They moved through the dark streets in silence until the low murmur of voices reached them. Ahead, the familiar marketplace came into view—the one where Augs’ herbal shop stood.

  Figures were clustered in the square, divided into two opposing groups.

  Residents argued heatedly with patrolling knights, their voices sharp and frantic. They pointed repeatedly toward the horizon, where the distant wall of fire still burned against the night sky. The knights tried to calm the residents, their words firm but strained and their hands never straying far from their weapons.

  Kael slowed, drawn to the scene.

  Astra caught the sleeve of his bloodstained white shirt and gently tugged him back, nodding toward the shop.

  He didn’t resist.

  They circled the marketplace, keeping to the shadows, and slipped behind Augs’s shop. No one noticed them as they entered.

  The door closed softly behind them.

  Kael was hit at once by the familiar scent—herbs, oils, earth, and something deeper. Stronger than memory.

  Too strong.

  His legs gave out without warning.

  Astra caught him just in time, gently lowering him to the ground.

  His consciousness unraveled quickly; the strain of the escape and the backlash of his ability had finally taken their toll.

  As darkness closed in, he felt her steady hands holding him.

  "Sleep," she murmured softly. "You've done enough."

  Then, nothing