The walk back from the Abyssal Hollow was silent at first.
Not tense. Not warm. Just… quiet.
The kind of quiet that clung to everything, broken only by the crunch of boots on gravel and the occasional rustle of wind through the trees.
Kael limped behind the group, every step jarring his ribs, the taste of iron still lingering at the back of his throat. The bandages Lyanna had wrapped around his torso held tight, but the dull, thudding ache didn't let up. Neither did the glances.
Valerion hadn't said a word since they left the dungeon. He walked ahead of Kael with calm precision, shoulders squared, movements fluid. Eyes sharp. Always sharp.
Kael knew that kind of silence. It wasn't disinterest. It was calculation.
He'd seen that same stare in the Gloamwood, right before the beasts pounced.
Eryn stayed closer. Not beside him—not yet—but near enough that Kael could feel her presence. Her gaze kept drifting his way, but she didn't push. Not yet.
Not until they stopped to rest.
The group set up a makeshift camp just outside the Hollow, under the leaning canopy of a moss-covered ridge. A fire crackled in the middle, throwing soft orange light across the clearing.
Sylara sprawled out by the flames, chewing on a chunk of dried meat. Kaelis stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching Kael with a narrowed gaze. Lyanna was checking gear, silent as always.
Valerion sat just beyond the edge of the firelight, watching the group—and Kael—from the shadows.
Kael kept to the far side of the camp, back against a tree. His cloak was tattered. His fingers were still stained with blood. His breathing had steadied, but every movement pulled something in his side.
He didn't belong here.
He wasn't supposed to be here.
And then, Eryn sat down beside him.
No hesitation.
No invitation either.
Just the soft sound of her boots settling on the grass and the quiet breath she took before she spoke.
"You never answered me," she said, eyes on the fire. "Back in the dungeon."
Kael didn't respond.
She glanced at him sideways. "Why weren't you with your guild?"
His jaw clenched. "Because I'm not part of it anymore."
"...You left Ironclaw?"
"Not exactly."
She waited.
Kael let out a bitter breath, dragging a hand through his dirt-matted hair.
"They didn't kick me out. There's rules against that. But they made sure I had no reason to stay."
Eryn glanced at him again.
"Kael… how bad was it?"
Kael's jaw tightened. His gaze dropped to the dirt.
"They ignored me. Shut me out of missions. Mocked me every time I failed—and made sure I did. Left me behind in raids just to watch me struggle. Some days, they wouldn't even speak to me. Other days..."
He exhaled slowly, like the words were dragging something out of him.
"They'd call me dead weight. Pitiful. Said the only reason I was still around was because Sera didn't want to deal with the paperwork."
He paused.
"And the letters..."
Eryn looked up at him, eyes narrowing.
"They stole them," Kael said. "Every one you sent. I didn't even know you were writing back. I thought..." His throat tightened. "I thought maybe you moved on."
Eryn's eyes darkened, a sharp edge of pain settling into them.
"I only got one from you," he added. "And I held onto that like it was air. Thought maybe… maybe it just got lost."
Eryn looked down at her hands, shaking her head.
"I had no idea."
"I know," Kael said. "You weren't supposed to."
Across the fire, Valerion's eyes didn't waver. Kael felt them. Watching. Measuring.
Kaelis shifted slightly, his attention flicking toward the two of them now.
"Didn't think it mattered," Kael muttered. "Telling you. Back then, I mean. You were moving on. Doing better. I didn't want to be the one pulling you back."
Eryn frowned. "Kael, you were my friend."
"Friends don't let each other get crushed and pretend it's fine."
Eryn turned to face him fully. "You didn't let me. You hid it from me."
"And what was I supposed to say?" His voice was low, almost cracked. "That they made me a target? That I went days without speaking to anyone? That I'd come back from a job, bleeding, and they'd laugh because I was still breathing?"
Eryn was quiet for a long moment.
"...Yes," she said. "You were supposed to say that."
The fire popped.
Sylara stopped chewing for a beat, glancing at the two of them. Then looked away.
Valerion said nothing, but Kael could tell—he was listening to every word.
Eryn's voice softened. "Kael, you don't have to carry this alone."
"I've been carrying it for a year, Eryn."
"And look where that got you."
That stung. But she was right.
Still, Kael didn't look at her. Couldn't.
Instead, he stared into the fire like it would burn everything away.
A few minutes passed. The quiet returned. Familiar. Safe, in the worst way.
Then Eryn asked, almost too gently, "What are you going to do now?"
Kael shook his head. "No idea. Probably take another job. Try not to get eaten."
She didn't laugh. He hadn't expected her to.
"You could come with us," she said.
His breath hitched.
Eryn didn't look at him when she said it.
"I'm not saying it like you need saving. I mean it. You're strong. You held your own in there. You've always had that in you—even back then. You just never had people who saw it."
Kael stared at the dirt near his boots.
"You'd fit in with Silverstar."
He almost believed her.
Almost.
But he shook his head.
"No," he said.
Eryn turned toward him. "Why not?"
"Because you already have something good here. All of you. It works. I saw it down there. The way you moved together, how you covered each other. You're not just strong—you're right for each other."
"And you're not?" she asked.
Kael's lips pulled into something almost like a smile. Not the happy kind. The tired kind.
"I'd just be the one thing that doesn't belong."
Eryn looked like she wanted to argue. But she didn't.
Not yet.
Instead, she just asked, "So what now?"
Kael shrugged. "I don't know. But I've survived worse. I'll figure it out."
She watched him, eyes filled with a weight that words couldn't carry.
Then, finally, she stood.
"I'm not giving up on you," she said.
"I know."
"And next time," she added, a small edge in her voice, "if you're bleeding in a cave again—send a letter, Kael."
That actually got a small breath of laughter out of him.
"I'll try."
She turned back toward the others, pausing just once.
"You're not nothing," she said. "Even if they tried to make you believe it."
Then she walked away.
Kael leaned his head back against the tree, letting the night air cool the sting behind his eyes.
He didn't ask for help. Didn't expect it.
But for the first time in a long time—
he didn't feel completely alone.