Kael arrived early that morning, polishing the already-clean car. His hands moved with practiced ease, but his thoughts were elsewhere, on the pendant. The one tucked beneath his pillow last night, glowing faintly, whispering things he couldn't understand.
"When the heir begins to burn, the Watchers will awaken."
The words had stayed with him. Heavy, Mysterious. Unnerving,
But today, he had no room for riddles. Only duty. Only her.
---
Sai stepped out of the house wearing a soft cream dress, her steps were graceful, effortless, her hair was loosely tied back, the kind of style that made her look like she didn't need to try.
"You polish the car every day now?" she asked, amusement hiding beneath her calm tone.
Kael shrugged, still focused on the windshield. "Maybe I'm hoping it'll reflect a better version of us."
Sai paused, then gave a small laugh. "You say strange things sometimes you know"
He turned to her. " maybe that is how i am and only when I mean them."
She looked away, but not fast enough to hide the warmth on her cheeks.
---
The drive to the art studio was quiet, but not empty, It was the kind of silence that hums, alive with everything unsaid. Sai sat in the back, eyes flitting from the passing streets to Kael's reflection in the mirror.
"You ever think about leaving?" she asked suddenly.
"Leaving what?"
"This city. This life. Everything."
"All the time," Kael replied. "But I don't know where I'd go."
"Somewhere quiet?"
He nodded. "Somewhere I'm not just a name on someone's warning list."
Sai turned her face to the window. "Must be hard. Having so much of your life decided by other people."
He glanced at her. "You're not one of them."
She smiled faintly but didn't answer.
---
When they arrived at the studio, Sai didn't step out right away, her hand hovered near the door handle.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For being steady."
Kael gave a half-smile. "Steady is all I have left."
She hesitated. "If I asked you to stay for a bit, just to talk would that be weird?"
"No, why would it be?" he asked. "It would be the best thing I have heard all week."
---
They found a tiny café near the studio, tucked between a used bookstore and a florist, it smelled of cinnamon and old paper, they sat in the farthest corner, barely speaking at first.
"My parents don't like that I talk to you," Sai said eventually.
Kael nodded. "I noticed."
"They think you're...using me. Or waiting to."
He looked at her. "Do you believe that?"
"No."
"Then that's enough."
She stared into her tea. "I don't want to lose the people who actually see me."
Kael leaned forward. "You won't. I'm not going anywhere."
For a moment, they just sat there, two people from opposite sides of the same wall, finding warmth in each other's shadows.
---
Back at the mansion, Mr. Asoluka was waiting.
"You're late," he said without turning from the window.
"There was traffic," Kael answered evenly.
"You know, Kael," the man said, his voice like polished glass, "this house is built on boundaries. You'd do well to remember yours."
Kael nodded. "Yes, sir."
But his jaw was tight as he walked away.
---
Later that evening, Sai barely looked at him during dinner. Not out of anger, but something deeper, caution. Maybe fear, maybe longing.
Kael stepped out of the quarters after dark, needing air.
He walked without direction, past rows of fancy homes and silent streets.
That's when he saw her... at the corner of an alley, near a broken-down billboard, she wore a pale shawl over her head, hair tucked neatly beneath. But her posture… her face…
Sai?
No. Not the Sai from the mansion.
Another her.
Kael blinked, stunned. She stared back, eyes full of something ancient and familiar.
Recognition.
Pain.
Before he could step forward, she turned and disappeared into the alley shadows.
He chased after her, but she was gone.
Only silence remained.
---
Back in his room, Kael couldn't sleep. He pulled the pendant from beneath his mattress. Its faint glow returned the moment it touched his palm.
He stared into it, and then words, not from his lips, but from somewhere inside his mind: "You are closer than you know."
Kael sat bolt upright.
The window creaked slightly in the wind.
Outside, something moved in the trees.
And far away, a flicker of flame danced to life, the type that only he could feel.
Not a fire of wood or air.
But something rising in his blood, Something awakening