Rain began to fall.
Soft at first-
Then relentless.
Rael moved through the forest without hesitation, his cloak soaked through, his steps unwavering.
Then-
Blood.
A faint trail.
His pace quickened.
"...Esmeralda."
The cave came into view.
And inside-
"...There you are."
She lay slumped against the stone, pale, unmoving.
Rain poured relentlessly outside, the sound echoing against the stone walls of the cave.
Inside-
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Rael knelt beside her, his breath steady but his chest... tight.
"...Esmeralda."
No response.
Her skin was pale-far too pale.
Her lashes rested softly against her cheeks, unmoving.
For a brief moment-
Something unfamiliar flickered through him.
Not irritation.
Not calculation.
Something sharper.
Something dangerously close to fear.
His hand moved before he could stop himself, hovering just above her face-
Then lightly, carefully-
He brushed a stray strand of hair away.
"...You are really troublesome," he murmured.
But his voice had softened.
Completely.
The storm showed no signs of stopping.
"...We stay," he decided quietly.
His gaze shifted to her shoulder.
The wound was worse up close.
Blood had soaked through the fabric, dark and spreading.
His jaw tightened.
"...I'm going to treat this," he said, even though she couldn't hear him. "Forgive me."
He tore the sleeve with controlled precision and began tending to her wound, movements careful-gentler than anyone would expect of him.
When he finished-
He didn't pull away immediately.
His gaze lingered.
On her face.
On the quiet rise and fall of her breathing.
On the way the dim light softened her features.
"...You look different like this," he said quietly.
No sharp retorts.
No sarcasm.
No deflection.
Just... stillness.
And in that stillness-
She was beautiful.
Real.
Unaware.
His fingers brushed lightly against her cheek.
"...You're burning up," he murmured.
Thunder rolled.
He draped his cloak over her, adjusting it carefully.
"...You always find a way to complicate things," he said under his breath.
A pause.
Then-
Softer.
"...And yet..."
Time passed.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Rael remained beside her, her resting against him for warmth.
At some point-
Her fingers twitched.
Then-
"...I'm sorry..."
The words were barely audible.
Rael stilled.
His gaze dropped to her immediately.
"...Esmeralda?"
Her brows furrowed faintly, her breathing uneven.
"...I'm sorry..." she whispered again, voice fragile, trembling.
His grip tightened slightly around her hand.
"...For what?" he asked quietly, though he knew she couldn't answer.
"...Mother... Father..."
The words were soft.
Broken.
"...I didn't mean to..."
Rael's expression shifted.
This wasn't like her.
Not the Esmeralda he recently knew.
Not the sharp-tongued, unyielding woman who stood her ground without hesitation.
"...I'll fix it..." she murmured weakly.
"...I'll change it..."
Her fingers curled slightly against his hand.
"...I won't let it happen again..."
A pause.
Then-
"...I'm sorry... for everything..."
Silence filled the cave.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Rael watched her, something unreadable settling in his gaze.
Apologies.
Regret.
Fear.
None of it made sense.
Not fully.
But it lingered.
"...You..." he started, then stopped.
Because for the first time-
He realized there was something he didn't understand about her.
Something deeper than change.
Something hidden.
Her voice faded into silence.
Her breathing steadied once more.
As if the moment had never happened.
But Rael didn't move.
Didn't look away.
His thumb brushed lightly over her hand, almost absentmindedly.
"...What did you do," he murmured quietly, "that you think you need to apologize for?"
No answer.
Only the fading echo of rain.
When the storm eased-
He lifted her carefully into his arms.
Secure.
Steady.
But his thoughts were no longer quiet.
Because now-
He wasn't just curious.
He was unsettled.
"...Let's go home," he said softly.
And this time-
There was something else in his voice.
Something deeper than concern.
Something that lingered long after the rain stopped.