They walked for hours, the ground gradually shifting beneath them — less moss, more stone.

  The air grew warmer, drier.

  The soil darkened, flecked with ash, like the land itself had once burned and never quite forgotten it.

  Kurai walked a few paces ahead, hands stuffed in his coat, eyes mostly on the path.

  He hadn’t said much since they left the Pact-Maker behind.

  Neither had she.

  But something in his shoulders had loosened.

  Not ease.

  Just… less bracing.

  He’s helped me so much since I got here. Yeah, he’s been a pain in the ass... but he’s stayed. When he didn’t have to.

  Astrid frowned to herself.

  Why do I care so much? Is it just guilt? Or something else?

  She tried to focus on home.

  On Charlie.

  The reason she was here.

  But... her thoughts kept drifting back to the boy walking in front of her.

  Her chest ached with something she couldn’t name.

  Not just guilt.

  Not anymore.

  ---

  Without warning, Kurai spoke.

  "I don’t have parents. I don’t really know who I am."

  Astrid blinked, startled.

  He didn’t look at her.

  Just kept walking.

  "I was found by the elves... Myrren. They never said where. Just that I was alone. Burning. And not in the dramatic way. Literal heat."

  She stayed silent, letting him talk.

  "I burned through cloth. They couldn’t even touch me at first. Myrren said it was like trying to hold a brand fresh from the forge. I don’t know if he wanted to keep me. I think he just... didn’t know what else to do."

  He kicked a rock.

  It tumbled down the slope.

  Astrid watched him carefully — not wanting to interrupt.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "I was quiet. Angry, but not loud. I didn’t scream. I just... smoldered. Learned to breathe shallow. Learned to hide."

  His hands flexed at his sides, restless.

  "The other kids — elves — they weren’t cruel. They just didn’t know what to do with me. I didn’t know what to do with me either."

  He glanced at her — fleeting, unsure.

  Astrid didn’t speak.

  Just nodded once.

  I'm listening. Keep going.

  Kurai looked forward again, voice lower now.

  "I didn’t even have a name for a while. They called me ‘the fireling.’ Supposed to be affectionate, but it felt like a warning."

  He smiled faintly.

  Bitter.

  "Myrren gave me 'Kurai.' Said it meant 'dark' it was from some forgotten tongue. Something older than even the elves remember. Because of my hair. Or maybe because of... everything else."

  He faltered.

  But he kept walking.

  Kurai. The word feels familiar, though I can’t pinpoint why. Like hearing a song you’d forgotten you loved. Something from home.

  God if I could just google it.

  Kurai continued, interrupting Astrid’s thought.

  "I didn’t tell you any of this because I didn’t know how to explain it without sounding like a tragedy."

  His voice caught, just slightly.

  "And I hate sounding like a tragedy."

  ---

  Astrid felt something crack quietly inside her.

  No one had ever told her something like that.

  Not just pain — but the loneliness underneath it.

  She swallowed hard.

  Matched his steps.

  "Why are you telling me this now?" she asked gently.

  Kurai rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

  "Because you deserve more than half-truths and silence."

  He hesitated.

  "I know I make things harder. That I shut down. That I lash out. I’m sorry. For all of it."

  He took a shaky breath.

  "You make it easier. Not easy. But better. And I’m scared I’m going to mess that up."

  Still walking.

  Still not looking at her.

  "And I think I’d give anything just to not mess this up."

  Astrid’s throat tightened.

  She wanted to reach for him.

  To say something.

  But she didn’t interrupt.

  "And that’s why I almost gave in," he said quietly. "With the Pact-Maker."

  "It would have done it for me," he continued. "Said what I couldn’t. Given you something without me screwing it up with words. I've never had to talk like this before."

  Astrid didn’t answer right away.

  She just matched his pace.

  Then, soft:

  "I know that’s why.

  But I’m glad you didn’t."

  She glanced over, finding his profile in the dimming light.

  "It means more, hearing it from you. In your own words."

  ---

  They crested a ridge.

  Astrid stopped, turning fully toward him.

  "Kurai."

  He finally looked at her.

  "You didn’t mess it up," she said, fierce and certain. "Don’t ever think that."

  He opened his mouth.

  Closed it.

  Then nodded — small, but real.

  He can be so cute sometimes, she thought, heart squeezing painfully.

  Without thinking, she grabbed his arm and tugged him along the path.

  "Come on, let’s find somewhere to camp."

  ---

  The volcanic soil gave way to something softer as the sun began to set.

  Steam drifted from cracks in the earth, curling through pale reeds and slick stones. The air smelled faintly of sulfur and wild herbs — not unpleasant.

  They came upon the springs suddenly — an open basin of crystal-clear water fed by underground heat.

  Obsidian rimmed the edges. Flowering moss clung to the stones.

  The water shimmered in the evening light, glowing faintly — a living mirror.

  Astrid stopped at the edge, blinking.

  "Okay. We are definitely making camp here."

  Oh, heck yes.

  Kurai looked wary.

  "It might be... enchanted."

  "Everything out here is enchanted," she said, dropping her pack.

  "Let me have one nice thing before the next horror finds us."

  She shot him a look over her shoulder.

  "Come on. We deserve a break."

  For once, he didn’t argue.

  ---

  They settled at the water’s edge.

  Steam rose in lazy spirals.

  Kurai kept his boots on, legs stretched out, golden eyes half-lidded.

  Astrid soaked her feet in the water, sighing quietly.

  Warmth seeped into her bones.

  They sat in silence for a while — the kind of silence that didn’t need filling.

  Then Kurai spoke, voice low:

  "I thought you might leave. After everything."

  Astrid looked over, raising an eyebrow.

  "Why would I?"

  He shrugged.

  "Because I’m... difficult. Dangerous. I don’t always make things better."

  She nudged his boot with her foot.

  "You’re also the reason I’m still alive. That counts for something."

  He gave a faint smile.

  "Just something?"

  Astrid smirked.

  "Don’t push your luck."

  He leaned back on his elbows, narrowing his eyes.

  "Or what? You’ll kick me into the springs?"

  She grinned.

  "Tempting. But you’d just boil the water."

  Kurai huffed a quiet laugh — real and soft.

  "Oh, so now I’m too hot?"

  Astrid rolled her eyes.

  "For someone who puts himself down so much, you are awfully full of yourself."

  He shook his head, but the tension in his shoulders was gone.

  They chuckled quietly, warmth curling between them.

  For the first time in a long while,

  it felt like the weight pressing down on them had lifted —

  even if only for a little while.

  The Council wouldn’t stop. But for now, they had steam, stars, and something like peace.