Ashes of the Forbidden Kingdom.

She took a step forward, the words spilling out before she could stop them. "Why did you... risk yourself like that?"

Kieran hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ground. "I... I don't know. Maybe because... because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you."

The words hung between them, heavy and raw, and Elysia felt her heart twist, a painful ache that was both terrifying and thrilling. She had sworn never to let herself feel this, never to let her heart become vulnerable. But here she was, standing on the edge of something unknown, something that both scared and exhilarated her.

They stood in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, the tension between them thick and unyielding.

"He is fire, fierce, and wild, and in his flames, I feel both burned and alive. I am ice, cold, and unyielding, but in his warmth, I feel myself melting, vulnerable in ways I never thought possible."

In that moment, she realized that no matter how dangerous this journey became, no matter how much it tested them, she was no longer alone.