Nyx had barely made it through the front doors of your townhouse in Velaris before his knees buckled. His armor was scratched, his hands still streaked with dried blood. But it was his eyes that shattered you—haunted, distant, and shining with the weight of loss.

You rushed to him, catching his face in your hands before he collapsed fully. “I’ve got you, Nyx,” you whispered, your voice trembling with held-back tears. You guided him upstairs in silence, helping him shed his armor piece by piece until he was lying on the bed, bare and broken.

He didn’t speak, not at first. Just curled onto his side, facing away, one hand clenched tightly in the blanket.

You climbed in beside him, your black nightgown soft against his roughened skin. Gently, you ran your fingers through his hair, smoothing it back. He finally turned to rest his head on your lap, burying his face into your stomach, his arms wrapping around your waist like he was afraid you’d disappear too.

It was only then that he whispered, “Caelen didn’t make it.”

Caelen. His best friend. Your friend. Loyal, brave, and always the first to laugh during meetings at the House of Wind. He’d ridden into battle beside Nyx since they were old enough to hold swords. And now…

“I couldn’t save him,” Nyx said, voice cracking. “I tried—I swear, I tried. He pushed me out of the way. Said it was his job. That I had to come back to you.”

Your hand stilled in his hair. Tears streamed down your cheeks, but your voice stayed steady. “He knew what he was doing, Nyx. He made a choice because he loved you. Because he believed in you.”

“He should still be here,” Nyx rasped. “I was supposed to protect everyone.”