Kael hated to admit it, but Astra was extraordinary.

  She moved with such grace that combat looked effortless. Her swordmanship was flawless and precise. Her intelligence was razor-sharp, and her strategies were more cunning than anything he could have devised. Strangely, there was something about her presence—a quiet confidence and an aura of control—that made the chaos of the labyrinth feel almost manageable.

  Together, they advanced quickly, exceeding what Kael could have achieved alone by far. Trap after trap fell before them, each challenge met with coordinated precision. While Kael's instincts and adaptability shone, Astra's clarity and discipline complemented them perfectly.

  "You're not half bad," she said with a smirk as they walked down a new corridor, having just bypassed another trap through a mix of his quick thinking and her flawless execution.

  Kael gave a low chuckle. "Coming from you, that’s practically high praise."

  "I must also admit it," Kael said with a faint grin. "The top spot beauty Astra has earned her place."

  "The top spot," she teased, "or top beauty?"

  "Both," he replied without hesitation, his tone suddenly serious.

  Astra glanced at him from the side. When their eyes met, she saw the honesty in his gaze. For the briefest moment, a soft blush colored her cheeks before she quickly turned away.

  Their lighthearted moment lingered in the air as they turned into a new corridor unlike any they had encountered before. Symbols were etched along the walls, but their patterns were unfamiliar. Unlike the previous traps, which were powered by fire, something deeper and far more dangerous was woven into their shapes.

  Astra froze. Her composure shattered in an instant. She spun toward Kael, gripped his shoulders tightly, and shouted, "Use your ability! Now! If this is a trap, you have to pull me out of my thoughts. But be warned, I’ll most likely attack you when you touch me. So use your ability, dodge my strike, and distract me!"

  “What? How am I supposed to distract—?” he began, but her scream cut through his words like a blade.

  A piercing, heart-wrenching sound filled the corridor as Astra’s body convulsed. Kael felt it, too. A strange pull on his mind, like invisible threads tugging his consciousness toward some distant memory. His thoughts began to drift, dissolving at the edges.

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  Focus, he told himself, straining to anchor his awareness. Concentrate. Activate it...and improvise.

  He clenched his fists, forced his mind into sharp clarity, and whispered the word that only he could use.

  Kronos.

  And then everything went quiet.

  The world seemed to stop spinning. Sound vanished. Even the air felt frozen.

  Kael’s gaze locked on Astra. In this suspended moment, he saw her expression twist into something he had never seen before: Pure, murderous rage. Her blade shot toward his heart. Swift. Precise. Deadly.

  If not for Kronos, I’d be dead, he realized.

  He shifted into position and touched her shoulder. As her face contorted into the same furious expression, her sword came for his chest. This time, he was ready. He deflected the strike at the last possible instant, redirecting the blade away from his heart.

  Before she could recover and attack again, he acted on the only distraction that came to mind.

  He pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers.

  She'll definitely kill me for this, but it's the only thing I can think of.

  Astra stiffened. Her rage melted first into shock, then wide-eyed surprise, and finally something he’d never expected to see on her face: Shy vulnerability.

  Kael held the kiss just long enough to see the symbols on the walls begin to dissolve and fade into nothing. The trap was broken.

  He pulled back immediately, taking several cautious steps away and bracing himself for the inevitable retaliation.

  But it didn’t come.

  Astra stood frozen, her usual sharp composure nowhere to be seen. She slowly raised her fingers to her lips, and her dazed eyes met his.

  Kael blinked, utterly unprepared for this reaction. He opened his mouth to say something—anything—but no words came. The silence between them was thick and awkward, charged with something neither of them quite understood.

  "Sorry," he muttered, breaking the heavy silence. "I couldn't think of a different approach."

  She looked at him for a moment, then slowly shook her head.

  "No, you did the right thing," she whispered. "It was unexpected. But it broke the cage I built around myself.”

  After a brief pause, she added in a sharper tone, "But this was just for this situation. Don’t start dreaming of anything more."

  “I would never think of that,” he replied dryly, rolling his eyes as he turned away.

  Astra’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a flicker of something unreadable crossed her face. She clearly didn’t like his answer, though Kael couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or feeling something else. She shook her head and straightened up, her composure returning.

  ?I know you have questions,“ she whispered, her voice barely carrying through the corridor. "But I can't answer them now. I promise...one day I will.”

  Kael said nothing. He simply nodded, accepting her words without pressing further.

  Side by side, they turned toward the next corridor. Their footsteps echoed softly against the cold stone. The air between them was heavier than before, charged with new, unspoken truths.