Night settled heavily over the jungle.

  The campfires had long been reduced to faint embers. Most of the camp slept in silence, exhaustion heavier than fear.

  Inside his tent, Kael lay on his back, staring at the ceiling cloth above him.

  Sleep wouldn’t come.

  It rarely did anymore.

  The nightmare from before still lingered — silver eyes, crushing silence, the sound of something vast beneath him.

  A shadow moved outside the tent.

  Then a voice.

  “Awake?”

  Kael sighed. “Come in, Orion.”

  The flap lifted.

  Orion stepped inside, ducking slightly under the entrance. He didn’t sit immediately. He simply stood there for a moment, studying Kael’s face.

  “What’s wrong?” Kael asked. “You don’t usually visit this late.”

  Orion finally sat across from him.

  “I’m here to talk about something important.”

  Kael pushed himself up, resting his back against a wooden support.

  “Go ahead.”

  There was a pause.

  Not hesitation.

  Weight.

  “I want you to lead the Revolutionary Group after me.”

  Silence.

  Kael blinked once.

  “…What?”

  Orion didn’t look away.

  “If something happens. If Aqualis launches a full strike. If I fall.” His voice remained calm. “You will take command.”

  “That’s sudden,” Kael said sharply. “Why are you even talking like that?”

  “The scouts are moving closer,” Orion replied. “We don’t know when they’ll attack. It could be tomorrow. It could be weeks from now. But when it happens…”

  He exhaled slowly.

  “I need someone who can make the hard choice to retreat.”

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  Kael’s jaw tightened.

  “We’re a team,” he said. “We fight together. We win together. We’ll bring the revolution to Aqualis. All of us.”

  Orion’s gaze softened slightly.

  “Kael… we both know that by the end of this, half of us will be dead.”

  The words weren’t dramatic.

  They were factual.

  And that made them heavier.

  Kael looked away.

  “Then why not choose Caelum?”

  “Because Caelum can command a battlefield,” Orion replied. “But you…”

  He leaned forward slightly.

  “You can move hearts.”

  The tent grew quieter.

  Orion’s voice lowered.

  “Tell me something. Have the nightmares returned?”

  Kael froze for just a second.

  “…Yeah.”

  “The different ones?”

  Kael nodded slowly.

  Orion stood.

  He walked toward the tent entrance but stopped before stepping outside.

  Without turning back, he said quietly:

  “That thing…”

  A faint breeze slipped under the tent cloth.

  “…it’s starting to look at you.”

  Then he left.

  Kael remained seated in the dark.

  His hand slowly moved to his chest.

  For a moment —

  Just a moment —

  He thought he heard it.

  Not a voice.

  Not words.

  Now,kael tried to sleep

  Darkness.

  But not the endless void from before.

  This darkness had trees.

  Smoke.

  The smell of iron.

  Kael stood frozen.

  Five years ago.

  His father was kneeling in front of him.

  Blood staining his clothes.

  Breathing uneven.

  “Kael…” his father said, voice strained. “Take your brother… and run.”

  Kael couldn’t move.

  His fingers trembled.

  “Father…”

  “RUN!” his father shouted, the force of it tearing through the night.

  Kael’s body finally responded.

  He grabbed Lior’s hand.

  Small.

  Warm.

  Terrified.

  They ran.

  Branches cut against their skin.

  Roots nearly tripped them.

  Behind them—

  Silence.

  “Why are you crying, brother?” Lior asked, struggling to keep up. “Where’s father?”

  Kael didn’t look back.

  He couldn’t.

  “…Father is going on a long journey.”

  His voice cracked.

  He kept running.

  Into deeper darkness.

  And deeper.

  And deeper—

  —

  Kael’s eyes snapped open.

  The tent ceiling blurred above him.

  His breathing was uneven.

  His face wet.

  Tears.

  He hadn’t even realized he was crying.

  “…Kael?”

  A soft voice.

  He turned his head slightly.

  Aelira Moonvane was sitting beside him.

  She must have heard something.

  “Why are you crying?” she asked quietly.

  For a moment, Kael tried to speak.

  Nothing came out.

  His chest tightened.

  His hands shook.

  And then—

  He quickly sat up and hugged her.

  He didn’t think before doing it.

  He wasn’t calm.

  He wasn’t trying to act strong.

  He hugged her because he needed to.

  It was full of fear, worry, and strong emotions

  He buried his face against her shoulder and broke.

  The sound that left him wasn’t dignified.

  It was raw.

  Aelira froze for a second.

  Then slowly placed a hand on his back.

  “This side of yours…” she said softly, almost teasing but not quite.

  “…it’s rare to see.”

  Outside the tent, the jungle remained silent.

  But somewhere far beyond it—

  Something stirred.

  And the Current flowed deeper.