CHAPTER 46
(Lyria POV)
The forest no longer sounded like a battlefield.
It sounded like something dying slowly.
Lyria stayed close to Kael, her hand still locked around his arm as they moved through the uneven ground. Every step felt heavier than the last, not because of distance—but because of what they were leaving behind.
The screams had started to fade.
Not because the danger was gone.
But because fewer people were left to scream.
"Kael…" she said quietly, her voice shaking as she looked back through the trees, "we are leaving them behind."
Kael did not slow down.
"We are surviving," he replied.
"That is not the same thing," she whispered.
"No," he said simply. "It is not."
A branch snapped somewhere behind them.
Lyria flinched instantly. "They are still following us."
"Yes."
"Then why are we running instead of fighting?" she asked, her voice rising slightly now.
Kael finally looked at her.
And for a moment, she saw it clearly.
He was not untouched anymore.
There was blood on his arm.
More than before.
His breathing was controlled—but heavier.
"I cannot protect you and fight everything at once," he said calmly.
That answer made her chest tighten.
"…So you chose me?" she asked softly.
"I did not choose," he corrected. "I prioritized."
That difference should have comforted her.
It didn't.
Because she understood what it meant.
People were being left behind so she could stay alive.
A distant howl echoed again through the forest.
Closer than before.
Lyria stopped walking for a moment. "They are not stopping…"
Kael's grip on her hand tightened. "Keep moving."
"I am trying," she snapped suddenly, panic slipping through her voice, "but this forest never ends!"
Kael didn't respond immediately.
But when he did, his voice was lower.
Controlled.
"We are not lost."
"That does not help me feel better!" she said, her eyes stinging now. "Everyone is gone, Kael! Everyone is either dead or running, and you are hurt too!"
That last part made him pause slightly.
Just enough for her to notice.
"…I am still standing," he said.
"That is not the point!"
A loud crash sounded behind them.
Both of them turned instantly.
A guard—one of the few still alive—stumbled through the trees. His arm was torn, blood dripping heavily, and his face was pale.
"Your Highness…" he gasped. "We… we cannot hold them…"
Before he could finish—
A shadow moved behind him.
Too fast.
The guard was pulled back into the trees.
Silence followed.
Lyria's breath broke instantly. "No… no, no, no…"
Kael pulled her slightly behind him again without saying a word.
His eyes narrowed toward the darkness.
"They are not stopping," she whispered again.
"No," Kael replied.
"And we are not winning," she added.
"No," he said again.
That honesty made her freeze.
She looked up at him sharply. "Then what are we doing?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
For once.
He didn't have an immediate answer.
That scared her more than anything else.
Another sound echoed.
Closer.
This time, multiple directions at once.
Lyria's body stiffened. "Kael…"
"I know," he said quietly.
He took a step forward—and she noticed it immediately.
He stumbled slightly.
Not enough for anyone else to see.
But she saw it.
"…You're hurt," she said quickly.
"I said I am fine," he repeated.
"No, you are not fine!" she shouted suddenly. "You are bleeding, you are slowing down, and you are pretending you are not!"
That made him pause again.
Just for a moment.
"…Stay focused," he said instead.
"That is not an answer!"
"It is survival."
She grabbed his arm tightly. "If you collapse, I don't know what to do!"
"You will continue," he said.
"I don't want to continue without you!"
That line made silence fall between them.
Even the forest felt quieter for a second.
Kael looked at her then.
Not as a prince.
Not as a fighter.
Just as him.
"…You will," he said more quietly.
Lyria shook her head quickly. "No. No, I won't."
"You will," he repeated.
"Kael—"
But another howl cut her off.
This time it was dangerously close.
Too close.
Kael turned sharply toward the sound.
"We cannot stay here," he said.
"Where do we even go?" she asked desperately. "There is nothing here!"
"Forward," he said.
"That is not a plan!"
"It is all we have."
They started moving again.
Faster this time.
But Kael's steps were no longer steady.
Lyria adjusted her grip on him, helping him stay upright as they moved deeper into the forest.
"I can feel you shaking," she said quietly.
"I am not shaking," he replied.
"You are lying badly."
That earned the faintest pause from him.
"…Focus," he said again.
"I am focused!" she snapped back. "I am focused on you not dying in the middle of nowhere!"
That made him look at her again.
And this time, his voice softened slightly.
"I am not dying."
She didn't answer.
Because she didn't believe him.
Another hour passed.
Or maybe less.
Time was losing meaning.
The forest did not change.
No village.
No road.
No help.
Just endless trees.
Kael slowed again.
This time, he did not hide it.
Lyria stopped instantly. "Kael…"
He didn't respond.
His breathing was heavier now.
Controlled—but strained.
"…Kael, talk to me," she said, her voice breaking slightly.
"I am here," he said quietly.
"That is not enough anymore!"
Another step.
Then he stopped completely.
Lyria froze. "No… Kael, don't do this."
He didn't answer.
His body swayed slightly.
"Kael!" she grabbed him immediately.
But he was heavier now.
Too heavy.
His strength was fading fast.
"I am… still here," he whispered again.
But his voice was weaker.
And Lyria felt it in that moment.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Something worse.
Understanding.
"…No," she whispered. "No, no, no, don't you start talking like that."
Kael's eyes lifted slightly toward her.
And for the first time—
They looked tired.
"I am still here," he repeated softly.
But even he didn't sound sure anymore.