The quiet after the night's chaos felt unnatural, as though the estate itself held its breath, waiting for something to shatter the fragile calm. The air was cool and crisp, the faint rustle of leaves blending with the distant hum of the generators. Kaliah sat on the balcony outside Ilian's study, her back resting against the cold metal railing. Her long braids cascaded over her shoulder in loose waves after she had undone the structured high bun she'd worn earlier. She gazed out at the estate grounds bathed in moonlight, her mind restless despite the stillness around her.
She brought her fingers to her earpiece, her voice low. "Kacey. Anything else on the grid?"
Her brother's voice crackled softly through the comm. "All quiet now, Kay. They've pulled back. For tonight."
"For tonight," she echoed, bitterness threading through her tone. The rival Syndicate's attack had shaken the tenuous calm she had worked so hard to maintain since stepping into Ilian's world. But that wasn't what lingered in her mind—it was the look in Ilian's eyes when the dust had settled, a flicker of something raw beneath his usual mask of control.
The sound of soft footsteps behind her drew her attention. She didn't need to turn to know who it was—Ilian's presence carried a weight she could feel before he spoke.
"You're not one for resting," he said. His voice was softer than usual, devoid of the authoritative edge it often held. There was no judgment, only quiet observation.
She tilted her head slightly, acknowledging him without looking back. "Neither are you."
Ilian stepped onto the balcony, the warm light from the study casting his figure in shadowed gold. He wasn't wearing his usual suit jacket—just a crisp white shirt with the top buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up, exposing strong forearms marked with intricate black tattoos. In the dim light, the scar cutting through his brow was more pronounced, a permanent reminder of battles fought and survived.
He leaned against the railing beside her, his fingers gripping the cold metal. For a moment, they stood in silence, the weight of unspoken thoughts settling between them like the night's haze.
"Quiet nights like these," he said finally, his voice low and thoughtful, "used to drive me mad."
Kaliah turned her head slightly, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Why?"
He exhaled slowly, his breath misting in the cool air. His lips curved into a faint, almost bitter smile. "Because the silence doesn't lie. It reminds you of everything you've lost."
Her gaze softened as she studied him. There was a vulnerability in his tone that caught her off guard—a crack in the impenetrable armor he always wore. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. "What did you lose, Ilian?"
His grip on the railing tightened, his knuckles white against the dark metal. "Everything that mattered."
She waited, sensing he needed the space to speak at his own pace.
"My parents were killed when I was young," he began, his eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the gardens. "My father was powerful, but power makes enemies. My mother..." He paused, his jaw tightening as if he were holding something back. "She paid the price for his ambitions."
Kaliah remained quiet, her heart aching at the rawness in his voice.
"I had a brother," Ilian continued, his tone softening. "Luka. He was... different from me. He believed there was still good in the world, that we could escape this life. He thought we could build something better. Something pure."
Her chest tightened. She could hear the ache in his words, the grief he didn't try to hide.
"What happened to him?" she asked gently.
Ilian's gaze dropped, his fingers loosening on the railing. "He trusted the wrong people. They betrayed him. And I wasn't there to stop it." His voice dropped to a whisper, thick with guilt. "I should have been there."
The weight of his confession hung between them, pressing down like the chill of the night. Kaliah searched for words but found none that felt adequate. Finally, she said, "You've carried that with you ever since."
He nodded, his expression distant. "Every decision I've made, every move—it's all been to make sure no one else pays for my failures."
Her fingers brushed the cold railing, and for a moment, she wanted to reach out to him, to offer something more than words. But her own walls held her back. She knew the weight of grief and the scars it left behind.
"Do you ever think about leaving?" she asked quietly. "About walking away from all of this?"
Ilian turned to look at her, his stormy gray eyes piercing. "Every day. But dreams like that don't survive in a world like ours."
"Maybe not," she admitted, her voice soft but firm. "But isn't it worth trying?"
His lips curved into a faint smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "And where would I go, Kaliah? The weight of what I've done follows me everywhere. There's no escaping it."
She didn't reply immediately, watching him with quiet understanding. She knew what it was like to feel trapped by the ghosts of your past. She shifted closer until their shoulders brushed, a brief touch that felt both grounding and electric. "You've built something out of the ruins, Ilian. That has to count for something."
He studied her, his gaze lingering on her face as though searching for something unspoken. "And what about you? What keeps you going?"
The question caught her off guard. For years, her answer had been simple: loyalty to Kane, the mission, survival. But here, under Ilian's steady gaze, the certainty of that answer wavered.
"I don't know anymore," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe I'm still looking for something worth holding on to."
Ilian's expression softened, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "Then maybe we're not so different."
The words hung in the air, charged with meaning. Kaliah felt the pull of something dangerous and irresistible between them—a force that threatened to unravel everything she'd built to protect herself. She turned her head away, breaking the moment before it could settle too deeply.
"You should get some rest," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "Tomorrow will bring enough chaos."
Ilian straightened, his mask of control sliding back into place like a familiar shield. "Perhaps. But tonight, the quiet is enough."
As he stepped back into the study, the warmth of the light silhouetting his frame, Kaliah remained on the balcony. The cool air wrapped around her, but she barely noticed. Her thoughts swirled like the shadows below. She had come here to infiltrate his world, to dismantle him piece by piece. But after tonight, after seeing the man behind the leader, she wasn't sure where her loyalties truly lay.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgd4PtcC05z
