The night felt colder than it should.
Not from weather.
From choice.
Eirik didn't stop this time.
He didn't hesitate at the edge of the forest.
Didn't look back toward the den.
Toward the warmth.
Toward them.
He kept walking.
The place found him again.
Or maybe—
He found it.
The trees stood thinner here.
The air heavier.
Wrong in a way that didn't need explaining anymore.
Nyx was already waiting.
Of course he was.
"You're getting used to this," Nyx said softly.
Eirik didn't respond.
Didn't play into it.
He just stopped a few steps away.
Hands tight at his sides.
Jaw set.
"…I don't have time for this," Eirik said.
Nyx tilted his head slightly.
Amused.
"You came anyway."
Silence.
Eirik exhaled sharply.
Then—
"…north patrol," he said.
Nyx stilled.
Not outwardly.
But something in the air shifted.
Eirik forced the words out.
Flat.
Controlled.
"Second rotation. There's a gap."
A pause.
"…eight minutes."
There it was.
Not a delay.
Not a mistake.
Not a small shift hidden in a system.
This—
Was real.
Nyx's smile didn't grow wider.
Didn't need to.
It settled.
Satisfied.
"And the guards?" Nyx asked quietly.
Eirik's chest tightened.
"…reassigned," he said.
"…they won't cross-check in time."
Another piece.
Another step.
The silence that followed felt different.
Not tense.
Not uncertain.
Final.
Nyx stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Not rushing.
Just…
Claiming the moment.
"You see?" he murmured.
"Not so difficult."
Eirik's eyes snapped to him.
"…don't."
Nyx only watched him.
Calm.
Knowing.
"You're helping him," Nyx continued.
"Helping all of them."
Eirik's breath grew tighter.
"This ends faster this way," Nyx added.
"Cleaner."
Cleaner.
Eirik swallowed.
Hard.
"…no one gets hurt," he said.
Not a question.
A demand.
Nyx held his gaze.
And smiled.
"No one you care about."
The words slipped in.
Smooth.
Easy.
Eirik froze.
Just for a second.
Something inside him screamed.
Loud.
Clear.
Too late.
"…you promised," Eirik said.
"I keep my promises," Nyx replied.
A lie wrapped in truth.
The worst kind.
Eirik looked away.
Just briefly.
The forest felt quieter now.
Like it was listening.
Like it knew.
"…after this," Eirik said slowly,
"…it's done."
Nyx didn't argue.
Didn't correct him.
"Of course."
Another lie.
Eirik nodded once.
Sharp.
Final.
Then he turned.
And walked away.
He didn't run.
Didn't falter.
Didn't look back.
But with every step—
Something behind him followed.
Not physically.
Not visibly.
But undeniably.
Because this time—
It wasn't a small mistake.
It wasn't hesitation.
It wasn't almost.
This was a choice.
And there was no undoing it.
Behind him—
Nyx stood still for a moment longer.
Then exhaled slowly.
"…eight minutes," he murmured.
The shadows around him shifted.
Longer.
Sharper.
Hungry.
And for the first time—
His smile looked like something that had already won.