the campfire crackled weakly, its light barely reaching the darkened edges of the forest. leo stood just outside the ring of warmth, his arms crossed, his dark eyes fixed on the figure across from him.

the usual mischief and warmth in his expression were gone, replaced by a quiet fury that burned brighter than any flame he could conjure.

"i trusted you,” leo said, his voice sharp enough to cut through the stillness of the night. “we all did. and you… you sold us out?”

the figure didn’t respond, standing silent under the weight of his words.

leo took a step closer, his wrench glinting in the firelight, though he didn’t raise it. the sparks dancing at his fingertips betrayed his inner turmoil, flickering between anger and restraint.

“you really thought you could pull this off?” he continued, his voice growing louder.

“sneaking around, sabotaging our defenses, handing over everything we’ve worked for? i mean, seriously—was it worth it? was it worth betraying all of us?”

the fire popped, sending a brief flare of light across leo’s face. for a moment, the anger softened, replaced by something more vulnerable.

“i don’t get it. you were one of us."