** Kieran's past**

The wind was cold against Eliana's skin, but she barely felt it. Her fingers gripped Kieran's shirt, holding on as the horse moved swiftly beneath them. 

She had gotten used to this by now—**the way he felt, the way he moved, the way he never said too much but always said just enough.** 

Kieran glanced down at her, his long dark hair flowing freely behind him as they rode. Even in the dim moonlight, he looked… 

**Unreal.** 

Like something carved from war and shadows. 

"You're staring." His voice was amused. 

Eliana blinked, caught. "I am not." 

Kieran smirked. "You're not subtle, Healer." 

She huffed. "Maybe I was just lost in thought." 

"About me?" His smirk widened. "I'm flattered." 

"Don't be," she shot back, rolling her eyes. "I was actually thinking about how insufferable you are." 

Kieran let out a low chuckle, deep and rich. "That's a lie." 

"Excuse me?" 

"You weren't thinking about that," he said, his voice dropping slightly. "You were looking at me like you were trying to figure something out." 

Eliana opened her mouth to argue—then shut it. 

Because… he wasn't wrong. 

Something about Kieran **wasn't normal.** 

He wasn't just strong. He wasn't just fast. 

He felt… **untouched by time.** 

Like he had seen too much, lived too long. 

"How old are you?" she blurted out. 

Kieran raised a brow. "Worried I'm too old for you?" 

Eliana flushed. "That's not what I meant!" 

He chuckled again. "Relax. I'm not ancient." A pause. Then—**softer**—"But I have seen things you wouldn't believe." 

The way he said it—casual, but heavy—it made something tighten in her chest. 

"Like what?" she asked. 

Kieran's jaw tensed slightly. He didn't answer right away. 

Then, almost too quietly— 

"The end of the world." 

Eliana's breath caught. 

Kieran didn't look at her, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. But his voice was different now. **Lower. Rougher.** 

"I wasn't always like this," he murmured. "I wasn't always a fighter." 

Eliana waited. 

"Before the war… I had a family." 

Had. 

The word hung between them. 

Eliana didn't speak. She didn't **breathe.** 

"My parents thought we'd be safe," Kieran continued, his tone unreadable. "That if we stayed out of it, we'd be left alone." A dry chuckle. "They were wrong." 

The air around them felt colder. 

"Who—" Eliana swallowed. "Who did it?" 

His grip on the reins tightened. "The same ones who are after you now." 

Eliana's blood ran cold. 

She had always known the people chasing her were dangerous. But Kieran—**Kieran knew them personally.** 

"You don't have to tell me," she said softly. 

Kieran was silent for a long moment. Then— 

"They killed everything I loved," he said simply. "And I will make sure they paid for it." 

The words sent a shiver down her spine. 

It wasn't a threat. It wasn't a boast. 

It was just… **truth.** 

Eliana's fingers curled slightly against his back. She had always felt like she was alone in this—always running, always hunted, always **one step away from losing everything.** 

But Kieran… 

He understood. 

She exhaled. "They took everything from you." 

"Yeah." His voice was rough. "And now they want to take you, too." 

Something about the way he said it made her heart pound. 

Eliana hesitated. Then, **quietly**— 

"They won't." 

Kieran's jaw clenched. "You don't know that." 

"I do," she said. 

He finally looked at her then, eyes dark and unreadable. **Like a storm waiting to break.** 

Eliana met his gaze, **unflinching.** 

"You survived," she murmured. "So will I." 

Something flickered in his expression. 

And for the first time, Kieran **believed her.** 

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