Arc 2 Chapter 5 : The Weight of an Unseen Thread

"Some ties cannot be severed, no matter how far you run."

—Unknown

---

Lily was missing Tilana.

It was a strange sensation, this missing thing.

She understood absence. Understood separation. The concept of people leaving was not foreign to her—it was something she had always known.

And yet.

Tilana's absence felt… different.

Her father had taken her away, claiming it was for training, but Lily had seen the look in his eyes when he said it.

Fear.

Not the kind that came with malice, not the kind that led to torches and chains.

But the quieter kind. The kind that whispered distance is safer.

She did not blame him.

Or maybe she did.

She wasn't sure.

She was supposed to be used to it. She should be used to it.

But sometimes, she wasn't.

---

Then there was the bond.

A thread that tied her to Alekzander Vael.

Karmic bonds were… difficult. Strange. Not fully understood, even by those who studied them.

She had never had one before.

She had never wanted one.

But here it was, tying them together in ways she could not fully explain.

Even now, Zane was pacing, frustrated.

"We need to leave Vatra."

Lily blinked at him. "Why?"

"Because," he said, exasperated, "mercenaries are looking for me."

That much was obvious.

And yet—

Only his face was on the wanted posters.

Only his name was broadcasted.

Nothing about her.

He had pointed that out more times than she could count.

"That doesn't bother you?" he asked.

"No."

He stared. "It should."

---

He was still waiting for an answer.

Lily thought about Vatra.

She thought about the way the planet felt.

Close. Familiar. Like something more than just a place.

Any time she considered leaving, it was like she could hear it weeping.

"I can't leave," she finally said.

Zane ran a hand through his hair. "And why is that?"

"I don't know."

He laughed, but it wasn't amused. "You don't—Lily."

"I don't," she repeated. "It's just… I feel like if I leave, something will break."

Zane exhaled. "Lily, that's—" He stopped himself, shaking his head. "You know what? Fine. Fine. Stay. But let me go."

She didn't even hesitate. "No."

Zane's temper snapped.

"First, you won't leave, and now you won't let me leave? Lily, I don't claim to understand you—hell, trying to understand you is what got me into this mess in the first place—but this? This is unreasonable even for you."

She said nothing.

"Look," he continued, voice tight with barely restrained frustration, "I'm grateful. Really. You got me out of that shithole. I still don't know why, and you refuse to explain, but I'm alive because of you. I get that.

"But my life—my life—is at stake in Vatra. Every single person affiliated with the higher-ups—which is literally every section stationed here—is gunning for my head.

Mercenaries.

The academies.

The military.

The noble families.

The political branches.

The underground syndicates.

Everyone wants me dead.

Not you.

Me.

"So why—" his voice cracked slightly, frustration bleeding into exhaustion—"why won't you let me leave?"

"Because I can't."

He let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "You can't or you won't?"

"I can't."

He narrowed his eyes. "Literally?"

She met his gaze. "Yes."

Something in her tone made him pause.

"You know what?" he muttered, running a hand down his face. "Forget it. You're impossible. And apparently, I wouldn't understand, right?"

She nodded. "You wouldn't."

Zane scoffed. "Lily. You weren't the one bleeding out in an alley. I was. You weren't the one being shot at. I was.

So if you think just saying, 'you wouldn't understand' is going to make me back off, then think again."

Lily was quiet for a moment.

Then—

"Fine," she said.

Zane blinked. "Fine?"

"I can't tell you now."

His jaw clenched.

"But—" she continued, "I, Lily, give you my word that I will protect you."

The way she said it—not casually, not carelessly, but with quiet certainty—made him pause.

Zane wanted to argue. Wanted to keep fighting. Wanted to say something, anything that made sense of the situation.

But instead, he found himself speechless.

And he had a horrible feeling that Lily had just made a promise she fully intended to keep.