unbreakable but broken already.

"My love…"

The voice was soft, gentle, full of adoration.

Ember turned her head, her surroundings bathed in golden light, her feet pressing softly into the lush grass beneath her.

It was morning, yet the sky seemed celestial, painted with delicate hues of pink and gold.

A garden stretched endlessly, vibrant flowers swaying in the cool breeze. The air smelled sweet…..like roses and something warm, familiar.

And then…..

She saw him.

Kaelith.

He stood just beyond the trees, his expression mesmerized as he gazed at her.

His golden eyes gleamed with something deep and raw.

Love.

Pure, undeniable love.

She felt her lips parting, a name clawing at her throat…..but then….

The woman standing in the garden was not her.

She was soft, delicate, achingly beautiful in a way that made the world feel unworthy.

Long dark hair spilled down her back, her gown flowing around her like the sky itself had woven it.

Kaelith's smile widened, his entire being lit with pure joy.

He strode forward, reaching for her.

And she ran to him, laughing, breathless.

His arms wrapped around her, lifting her with ease, spinning her.

She giggled, burying her face against his neck.

And Kaelith…

Kaelith looked at her like she was his entire world.

His forehead pressed to hers, his hands cradling her face as if she were fragile.

Then, with a reverence so gentle it made Ember's chest ache….

He kissed her.

It was soft at first, a caress, a whispered promise.

Then deeper.

Hungrier.

The kind of kiss that carved itself into time, making it impossible to forget.

The girl moaned softly into his lips, fingers clutching his robe as he pressed her against him.

"You are my forever," Kaelith murmured against her lips, his voice raw.

She smiled, breathless. "Then marry me."

Kaelith's grin was boyish, unfiltered with joy. "I will. A hundred times over."

She giggled. "I want a wedding in the human world. A church, Kaelith. A dress. A kiss under the stars."

He nuzzled her nose, his eyes gleaming with devotion. "Whatever you want, my love."

She beamed, her happiness glowing like the sun.

Kaelith lifted her effortlessly, his lips meeting hers again, whispering against her skin.

And then…..

The scene blurred.

A bedroom bathed in candlelight.

Kaelith and the girl lay tangled in silken sheets, his body hovering over hers.

Their kisses were slow, unhurried, his hands memorizing her every curve, every tremble of her skin beneath his touch.

Her fingers threaded through his hair, her soft moans swallowed by his lips.

"Does it hurt?" Kaelith whispered, brushing his lips over her collarbone, his body pressing carefully against hers.

She shook her head, her cheeks flushed with warmth.

"No," she whispered, her fingers caressing his cheek.

Kaelith exhaled slowly, pressing his forehead against hers.

"You are mine," he murmured.

She smiled, lifting her lips to his.

" I am yours."

The warmth shattered.

The world cracked.

And suddenly, the girl was no longer in Kaelith's arms.

She was pinned down.

A different weight on top of her.

Xeylan.

His smirk was cruel, his hands roaming where they shouldn't.

She sobbed, struggling, but his power wrapped around her, pinning her still.

"I'm going to make you mine," Xeylan murmured, dragging a hand over her trembling stomach.

"Please," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Kaelith…"

Xeylan's grip tightened. "He'll never love you after this."

The doors slammed open.

Kaelith stood there, his golden eyes burning with fury.

And then….

Chaos.

A storm raged.

Rain lashed against jagged rocks, the wind screaming between them.

Kaelith's hands bled as he clutched onto the girl's wrists, keeping her from falling.

She hung off the edge, the cliffs crumbling beneath her fingers.

"Hold on!" Kaelith shouted, desperation shaking his voice.

But she smiled softly, through the pain, through the tears.

"Kaelith…"

His grip tightened.

"You can't save me."

"Don't say that!" he roared, his knuckles white.

She looked at him with love and sadness.

"If you ever loved me, Kaelith," she whispered. "Let me go."

"NO!" His voice cracked, his entire body trembling.

"I was never yours to keep," she said softly, her eyes glistening.

"You're lying!" he snarled, his pain spilling into fury.

"You never trusted me," she whispered.

"I LOVED YOU!" Kaelith's voice shook violently.

"You let them turn you against me," she said, her voice so heartbreakingly soft.

His grip trembled.

The storm roared louder, the sky weeping with him.

"You still don't believe me," she murmured.

Kaelith shook his head wildly. "NO….."

And then…..

She let go.

Kaelith's scream tore through the storm.

Her body vanished into the abyss.

Ember gasped violently, sitting up.

Her chest heaved, sweat clinging to her skin.

Her hands clutched the sheets, her heart racing like a caged beast.

She felt him before she saw him.

The Demon King sat at the edge of the bed, his gaze unreadable.

"You were dreaming," he said quietly.

Ember shook, pressing a hand to her chest. "It….it wasn't a dream," she whispered.

The words felt foreign, but she knew they were true.

That woman…

She wasn't just anyone.

She was someone Kaelith loved.

Someone who was gone.

The Demon King studied her.

"Who was she?" Ember asked, her voice small.

A long silence.

Then…..

His gaze darkened.

"Sorei."

A name.

A whisper from the past.

And Ember felt her entire world tilt.

"You're back."

Ember's voice was calm, almost indifferent, as she sat beside the Demon King, her hand lightly resting on his arm.

Kaelith stopped in his tracks.

Something about the way she said it….so emotionless, so detached….sent an unfamiliar discomfort curling in his chest.

For a moment, he didn't move, didn't breathe.

He had expected anger, cold glares, maybe even an argument.

But not this.

Not silence.

Not the way she leaned closer to his father, as if seeking warmth from someone else.

The Demon King remained still, his expression unreadable, but there was a knowing look in his eyes.

A look that made Kaelith's fists clench at his sides.

"So," Kaelith finally spoke, voice laced with something sharp, something dangerous. "You've found comfort in him now?"

Ember didn't even flinch.

"He's been kind," she said simply, still not looking at him.

Kaelith scoffed, though it felt more like a mask than anything else.

He didn't know what he had expected when he came back.

Maybe he thought she would fight for him.

Maybe he thought she would yell, demand answers, slap him even.

But this?

This emptiness in her eyes, this calm acceptance of his absence….

It bothered him more than he was willing to admit.

For a moment, there was only silence between them.

Then, in a tone too casual, he said, "We should probably end whatever was starting between us."

The words were meant to sting her.

To make her react.

To hurt her the way she was hurting him.

But instead…..

"Alright," Ember said without hesitation.

Kaelith's breath caught.

She didn't even blink.

No protest. No sadness.

Nothing.

As if… it hadn't meant anything to her.

Something inside of him twisted painfully.

"Just like that?" he murmured, his voice lower than before.

She finally met his gaze.

And what he saw in her eyes made his stomach drop.

There was no anger.

No bitterness.

No hurt.

Just emptiness.

Like she had already let go.

Like he had been the only fool holding on.

Kaelith's jaw tightened. His pride wouldn't let him show how much that single look affected him.

"Good," he said, forcing a mocking smirk. "I was starting to grow tired of this anyway."

He turned on his heel and walked away.

Didn't look back.

Didn't stop.

But deep inside, he felt something achingly unfamiliar.

Something he didn't want to name.

Something terrifying.

Regret.