The Forgotten Light

27. Kaelen

Kaelen heard every word they said. He didn't even have to concentrate very hard to tear through the spate of voices to hear these two. Since Ritael turned around with tears in her eyes and ran to that boy over there, everything around him suddenly went completely silent and only their words reached him. They talked as if they had known each other forever, he looked at her as if he had retrieved something precious.

It wasn't until Harlyn looked at him with a raised eyebrow that he realized that he hadn't lowered his gaze to the newcomer since Ritael threw herself into his arms. The boy must have been special, if the girl was so happy to see him. But why did she think he was dead? Why did he think she was dead? 

What happened before he met her in Salome? 

He never asked how she got there. He had no intention of questioning her about anything, but now curiosity overtook him.

Shocking news came from Harlyn's mouth. Kaelen watched Ritael almost fearfully, not knowing how the girl would react. He noticed that her hands were starting to shake. Would she endure the death of her friends who were left behind in the destroyed camp?

The camp in Tucson had also been destroyed, with more than half of the rebels resting under its ruins. Kaelen was first shocked, then he was furious. Then he realized he had no one to mourn for, because he had never allowed himself to get close to anyone, to at least make friends. The loss hurt him, but thanks to the fact that he always pushed everyone away, it didn't hurt as much. But he had a feeling that it was the other way around with the girl.

Ritael burst out crying. Kaelen took a breath and took a step toward her, but stopped before he got up-close.

What was he doing? He was supposed to stay away from her, he was supposed to make her hate him.

He lowered his gaze and left the room with a quick step as Harlyn hid her in his arms, letting her cry. Kaelen would give anything now not to be able to hear her sobbing.

He ran down the stone corridor, covering his ears, but he didn't get anywhere with it.

He was cursed by death, and on top of that - by remarkable hearing.

He ran outside and in the darkness found a spot near the fast-moving river. He sat down, leaning against a rock, and closed his eyes. The noise of the water muted all other sounds.

What was happening to him?

Why couldn't he hold Ritael back like everyone else? Why did it have to be so difficult this time? Was it because she was just like him?

He thought it was going well, that the girl already hated him. First he offended her, then he avoided her. But every damn time he ran into her, and then he had to start all over again. It was as if every time they touched each other, the wall he had so conscientiously surrounded himself with, crumbled into small pieces. Each time he rebuilt it, building it thicker and thicker, so that it seemed that nothing would budge it...

And then Ritael showed up.

This time he wasn't just fighting himself. He was fighting fate, which apparently wanted Ritael close by.

The last time they bumped into each other, his guilt kicked in mightily when he saw her bruised hands. He knew she felt hopeless, and by his behavior she didn't know if she had done anything wrong. This wasn't the effect he wanted. She was supposed to hate him, she was supposed to be sad for a while, and then realize that he wasn't really worthy of her.

Everything went wrong. Ritael wasn't like the others, she didn't give up so easily. She may have tried to forget about him, but she also wanted to figure him out.

He doubted she would succeed. He was a mystery to himself. He couldn't even understand why his heart leapt and the weights fell out of his hands when he heard her scream, followed immediately by the crash of the rocks and the splash of the water. He didn't even know at what point he sprang to his feet and ran outside.

He remembered well the look she threw him, standing by Harlyn. As if she was saying she wasn't done with him yet.

He had to make her stop trying to reach out to him, otherwise he wouldn't be able to fight himself.

He had to, or they would both regret it. But how was he supposed to do that?

Kaelen raised his head and opened his eyes straight to the starry sky.

Maybe if he had told her the whole truth, instead of hiding that one crucial fact, things between them would have panned out differently. Until now, he thought that withholding it would have worked out well for both of them, but it was possible that once again in his more than two-century life he had made a serious mistake.

There was something else that could have ended their lives.

In this case, the fire wasn't even half as dangerous. Because, after all, the element has to be started and one dies by it fairly quickly, and this...

This comes suddenly and grows spontaneously inside, powerful and overpowering.

Death brings infinite, unimaginable pain in the process.

And no superhuman force can destroy it.