(The Distance We Didn't Notice)
Back then… I thought nothing had changed.
We still took the same kind of missions.
Still moved together.
Still argued over small things that didn't matter.
If someone had asked me at that time, I would've said everything was fine.
I would've been wrong.
There wasn't a moment where it began.
No clear point where something broke.
It was quieter than that.
It started in the way Victor moved.
We were on a routine assignment.
Nothing unusual.
A scattered group of beasts had been reported near a trade route.
Simple work.
We had done worse in half the time.
"Left side is mine," Victor said as he stepped forward.
Jake, stay center. Liora, cover right.
The way he said it—
It wasn't an order.
It wasn't even a plan.
It was just… what he was already going to do.
"Wait," I said, adjusting my grip. "We move together first, then—"
"Yeah, yeah," he replied casually.
And then he was already gone.
By the time I reached the left side…
It was over.
Three bodies.
Clean cuts.
No hesitation marks.
Victor stood there, stretching his arm slightly as if the fight had barely been worth the effort.
"You're late," he said, glancing back.
I frowned. "You moved early."
He shrugged.
"You were thinking too much."
At the time… I didn't argue.
Because he wasn't wrong.
That was the problem.
Another mission.
Different terrain.
Denser enemies.
We had planned it properly this time.
"Liora, hold your position," I said. "Victor, don't rush in. We break formation, we lose control."
Victor nodded.
"Got it."
For a moment, I believed him.
Then the first clash happened.
And before the formation could even stabilize—
He moved.
Not recklessly.
Not blindly.
Just faster than everything else.
By the time Liora and I reached him…
Two enemies were already down.
The third was barely holding its ground.
Victor turned slightly, his blade lowering as the last one collapsed.
"That all?" he asked.
Liora didn't answer immediately.
She just watched him.
Later that night, she spoke.
"Victor."
He looked over. "Yeah?"
"Wait for us sometimes."
It wasn't sharp.
Not angry.
Just… quiet.
Victor tilted his head, thinking for a moment.
Then smiled lightly.
"You'll catch up."
At the time… I thought she was overthinking.
Victor had always been like that.
Fast.
Unpredictable.
Restless.
This wasn't new.
That's what I told myself.
But things kept repeating.
We would move into position—
And he would already be ahead.
We would plan—
And he would already be finishing it.
"Jake, take the flank," Liora said during one fight.
"I am," I replied.
Then I stopped.
Because there was nothing left on that side.
Victor had already cleared it.
"…Right," I muttered.
We still fought together.
That part didn't change.
But somehow…
We stopped arriving at the same moment.
And then there was the sword.
The first time I saw it clearly, I thought it was just another weapon.
It wasn't.
It appeared in his hand mid-motion.
Not summoned with effort.
Not forced.
Just… there.
A curved blade.
Bright.
Edges glowing faintly, like heat trapped beneath metal.
"Where did you get that?" I asked after the fight.
Victor glanced at it, then back at me.
"No idea," he said casually. "Just feels right."
He didn't treat it like something special.
Didn't question it.
Didn't hesitate.
He just used it.
And the more he used it…
The less it resisted.
"Again?" I said once, watching the blade form in his hand.
Victor smirked. "Why not?"
It wasn't stable.
Not completely.
I could see the strain sometimes.
The way his grip tightened.
The way his stance shifted slightly to compensate.
But it didn't stop him.
Nothing did.
There was one moment I remember clearly.
We were tracking something larger than usual.
Not dangerous enough to be called a threat.
But strong enough to require coordination.
"Stay together," I said. "We don't split unless necessary."
Victor nodded.
"Yeah."
The creature appeared.
Fast.
Aggressive.
We reacted instantly.
"Left—" I started.
"Done," Victor replied.
It was already over.
The creature collapsed before my words finished forming.
Silence followed.
I looked at him.
Then at the ground.
Then back at him.
"…Right," I said.
He didn't notice.
Or maybe he did.
But if he did…
He didn't say anything.
That's the part I remember most.
Not what he did.
Not how fast he became.
But how natural it felt to him.
Like nothing had changed.
We kept moving.
Kept taking missions.
Kept fighting side by side.
And yet—
Something was no longer aligned.
Liora saw it first.
I know that now.
She would watch him sometimes.
Not during battle.
After.
When everything was quiet.
I noticed her noticing.
But I didn't understand why.
Because to me—
Victor was still the same.
Still talking.
Still laughing.
Still moving forward without hesitation.
He hadn't become distant.
He hadn't become cold.
He had just…
Stopped needing us in the same way.
Looking back now…
That was the first real change.
Not the day everything broke.
Not the day we lost anything.
Just the moment—
When we were still together…
But no longer moving as one.