Silas brought him somewhere quiet.
"No flame," they said.
Kael frowned. "That's impossible."
"Try."
Kael focused.
Forced the Ember Core down.
It resisted—
Then…
Faded.
Not gone.
Hidden.
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…I didn't know I could do that."
Silas nodded.
"Fire isn't just presence," they said.
"It's absence too."
Kael studied them.
"You're different."
Silas tilted their head.
"So are you."
That connection—subtle, quiet—settled between them.