The pain hit all at once, and he dropped to one knee, gasping.
"Kael!" Elara rushed forward, but froze halfway, eyes wide.
Robin stared, stunned. "What... what was that?!"
Kael breaths were shallow, labored. Sweat slicked his forehead. Blood trickled down his fingertips.
Elara finally moved. She crouched beside him, carefully, her eyes scanning his face.
"Are you alright? Why did you push yourself that far?"
Kael forced a crooked smile through the pain.
"How could I lose…" he winced, "my future wife… the woman I love the most?"
He even nailed the soft gaze—eyes half-lidded, voice full of strained affection.
Elara blinked once.
Then stared at him, deadpan.
"Really?"
Kael coughed awkwardly and looked away. "...Worth a shot."
They both knew the truth—there were no feelings.
Not yet.
But for a moment, the battlefield's tension cracked just enough to let in a breath of quiet humanity.
Far away, Robin's eyes flicked between Kael and Elara.
