The Pursuit of Truth

I shouldn't be here.

I tell myself this as I move through the trees, my steps silent against the forest floor. The night air hums with the sounds of the wild, the distant rustle of leaves, the whisper of the wind through the branches. But none of it reaches me—not really. My mind is too full. Too tangled.

I have to end it tonight.

Liam is waiting by the river when I find him, seated on the same fallen log, his eyes fixed on the water. He doesn't startle when I approach. He never does. It's like he always knows when I'm near.

"I thought you weren't coming," he says.

I hesitate before sitting beside him, leaving space between us. "I almost didn't."

Liam exhales a quiet laugh. "But you did."

I don't respond. I can't.

 I should say something. Make this easier. But nothing about this is easy.

Liam turns to me, his gaze searching. "You're different tonight."

I force a small smile. "Am I?"

He nods. "You feel... far away."

I swallow hard, looking at the river instead of him. "Maybe I am."

Liam shifts, his voice quieter now. "Are you leaving?"

My chest tightens. Yes. Say yes. Let this be the end.

"I don't know."

Liam watches me, waiting, but I don't offer more. I can't. I feel him tense beside me.

Finally, he sighs. "You know, you never really say anything."

I glance at him. "What do you mean?"

Liam huffs a laugh, shaking his head. "You talk, but you don't say things. It's always just enough to make me wonder but never enough to understand."

I grip my hands together. "Maybe some things aren't meant to be understood."

Liam leans forward, resting his arms on his knees. "And maybe some things aren't meant to be left in the dark."

I close my eyes briefly, the weight of it all pressing down on me. He's right. He deserves more than riddles and half-truths. But what he's asking for? What he wants to know? It will ruin everything.

I stand abruptly. "Liam, I—" I stop myself, shaking my head. "I just... I can't."

Liam stands too, his brows furrowed. "Can't what?"

I step back. "This. Us. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't know you."

Liam's expression shifts, something behind his eyes. "That's not fair."

I force myself to hold his gaze. "Maybe not. But it's the truth."

A beat of silence.

Then, softer—"So that's it?"

I nod. "That's it."

I turn before I can change my mind, before the ache in my chest swallows me whole. The night folds around me, carrying me away from him, away from whatever this was. I don't look back.

But I should have known better.

...

Liam doesn't let things go.

I sense him before I see him. His presence is different now—more careful, more deliberate. He thinks he's being quiet. He doesn't know that I can hear the steady rhythm of his heart, the controlled pattern of his breathing.

He's following me.

Panic claws at my chest. Liam, don't do this.

I keep my pace even, forcing myself not to react, not to acknowledge him. If I can make it back to the fortress, I can disappear into the stone walls, into the safety of my world where he cannot follow.

But Liam is persistent. And he's too close now.

I make a choice.

One second, I'm walking.

The next, I vanish.

A sharp inhale behind me. A heartbeat stuttering. A whisper of disbelief—"What the hell?"

I freeze.

Slowly, I turn. Liam stands several feet away, staring at the empty space I once occupied. His eyes are wide, wild with something between wonder and fear.

Then they lock onto me.

"Aria."

My pulse pounds. This is bad.

"What did I just see?" Liam's voice is quiet, but there's no mistaking the demand in it.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

Liam steps closer.

"Don't lie to me." His hands clench at his sides. "I know what I saw. You—moved. You weren't there, and then you were."

Something inside me snaps.

A force rushes through me, raw and uncontrollable, like an unseen thread pulling tight between us. My vision sharpens, the air thickening, pressing in.

Liam staggers, his breath hitching. His eyes glaze over, unfocused.

I feel it happen—the compulsion. An involuntary command.

"Forget," I whisper.

Liam's expression softens. The tension in his body fades, his breath evening out.

"I was never here," I murmur, barely able to believe what I'm doing. "You didn't see anything."

Liam blinks slowly, his body swaying. His lips part like he wants to say something, but the words never come. Instead, his shoulders relax, the confusion draining from his face.

I take a step back, my chest rising and falling too fast. What did I just do?

Liam rubs a hand over his forehead, frowning. He glances around, disoriented, then exhales as if shaking off a strange thought.

I don't wait to see what happens next.

I disappear into the night, my heart hammering in my chest.

Then it comes, the pain I never wanted to feel. So biting...consuming and then in place of tears, blood drips. But i still don't understand why.

...

The fortress looms ahead, but the unease in my chest refuses to fade.

I slip through the gates, my mind spinning. I don't see the figure watching from the shadows until it's too late.

Lucian.

My breath catches, but I force myself to stay still. He doesn't speak. He doesn't need to.

I can already see it—the suspicion growing, the puzzle pieces sliding into place in his mind.

He knows I'm hiding something.

I turn to walk past him, but before I can take another step, he moves.

Fast.

Too fast.

A hand clamps around my wrist like a vice, yanking me back so hard my breath leaves me. I barely have time to react before Lucian slams me against the cold stone wall, his grip tightening.

"Enough," he growls, his eyes flashing with something close to fury. "You're done sneaking around, Aria."

His fingers dig into my skin, his strength undeniable. There's no escape from this—not now.

Lucian leans in, his voice a low warning. "Tell me what you're hiding. Now."