*Aaron*
The question fell between us, heavy and cold like a fresh snowfall muffling the world, softening sounds but amplifying unease.
Aelira hesitated. Her eyes flicked over the bodies, then toward the dense shadows beyond the path. Finally, she met our gazes, not with guilt or defiance, but with cautious calculation, weighing the cost of truth.
"I don't want to answer," she said, voice quiet and edged with fatigue. "Let's just say… it's my past. And it doesn't like to stay buried."
The breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding slipped free, mingling with the cool forest air.
Helios remained still as unyielding as stone. Slowly, he lifted his boot from the scout's shoulder and stepped back a single pace.
His voice dropped even lower, nearly a growl beneath the trees. "Then make sure it doesn't come after us again."
Aelira's eyes locked with his, no challenge, no shame, only a deep weariness etched by battles no one else saw. "I will."
There it was. No explanations. No promises beyond that one fragile word "will". The silence that followed felt like a breath held between heartbeats, a fragile truce forged in shadows.
We turned away, leaving the broken forms where they fell. Helios led with shield raised — a steadfast wall between us and the unknown. I followed, heart still pounding with adrenaline and unspoken worry.
Aelira moved to my left, just beyond arm's reach, her steps measured, deliberate. The weight of what she hadn't said settled between us like a dense fog, thick and unyielding.
I stole a glance at her. Her lips were pressed tight, her eyes shadowed. Whatever storm churned beneath that calm exterior was still raw, threatening to break free.
"You alright?" I asked softly.
She exhaled, a breath I could almost hear as it left her lungs. "I'm fine," she said, but the words fell flat — automatic and hollow.
"Doesn't sound like it."
The forest around us seemed to hold its breath too. No birds sang, no wind stirred.
"Some truths don't have to hurt to be shared," I offered, hoping to ease the space between us.
Her gaze found mine — sharp and tired all at once. "Some truths only hurt."
Her words settled over me like a stone.
Minutes passed in silence, the shadows stretching and bending with the fading light. The forest seemed to grow colder, darker — a place where ghosts and memories walked unseen paths.
I tried again, softer this time. "You didn't have to lie."
"I didn't," she replied quietly. "I just chose not to speak."
"That's the same thing."
She shook her head slowly. "No. A lie's a weapon. Silence is armor."
Helios said nothing, but I knew he was listening , always watching, always waiting.
Suddenly, Aelira's voice broke the quiet, almost hesitant. "Do you trust me?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I don't know," I admitted. "But I want to."
"That's more than I've had in a long time," she murmured.
We crossed over a fallen tree, its bark bleached and cracked by time. I waited until we were all clear before speaking again.
"If your past catches up… I won't run."
Her eyes flickered — a mixture of surprise and something softer, maybe hope. "Then I hope you're ready to bleed."
We walked on through the gathering gloom, each step heavy with unspoken fears and fragile trust.
Then Helios's voice cut through the silence — hard, steady, unyielding. "Next time, I won't ask. I'll act."
We all stopped. His words carried a warning and a promise: he would protect me. No matter what. Even if it meant standing against her.
Aelira met his gaze, unflinching. "I wouldn't expect anything less. And if I'm the threat… you should act."
There was no anger in her voice. Only resignation and a cold, quiet strength.
Helios said nothing more. He turned and kept walking.
We followed.