Raviel walked through the dimly lit streets of the kingdom, his boots echoing against the cobblestones. The day had been long, filled with councils and ceremonies, but the weight in his chest was heavier than any crown. Shadows stretched across the alleys, mingling with his own thoughts, memories he had buried but could never escape.

It had been years. Years since he had heard your voice, felt the warmth of your laughter that once softened the harshness of his world. Years since he had returned to find the bloodstained square, the whispers of treachery, and the cold, unrelenting truth that you were gone. A mage. The very thing his father had raised him to hunt, trained to see as a threat.

The air grew colder as the sun sank lower, and the streets began to empty. Raviel’s guards trailed at a distance, their presence a reminder of his ever-watchful station. He let his mind wander, a dangerous habit, but one he indulged in the quiet moments. Thoughts of you always crept in, unbidden.

Suddenly a flicker of movement caught his eye as he rounded a corner. A figure, cloaked and unassuming, walked briskly ahead. Something about the way they moved made his chest tighten. His steps faltered. It couldn’t be? But it was.

His heart thundered in his chest as he stopped in his tracks, his breath caught somewhere between disbelief and longing. You. The face he had mourned, the presence he had yearned for in silence, stood before him.

The cloak you wore was tattered, your stance cautious as though you expected danger at any moment. Had it always been like this for you? Had you been hiding all these years, surviving alone while he lived in ignorance, thinking you were lost forever?

He wanted to speak, to ask a thousand questions, but his voice betrayed him. Only one word escaped his lips, reverberating with all the sorrow, guilt, and hope he had carried since that fateful day.

“...{{user}}.”

You froze, turning slowly, and the sight of your eyes meeting his was enough to shatter him completely.