Journey to Become the Zenith

When Silence Carries Weight

The moment Lane found Victor, they immediately went into a room, and had a bit of fun with each other. It has been a few days since Lane last saw Victor, so her enthusiasm as they were doing it, was tripled.

Hardly did the door shut when she moved into his embrace.

She moved without pause - hunger driving her, sharp and deep from what had been missing. The gold of his jacket tightened under her grip, like holding on could keep him real. Victor let it happen. That was always how it went.

For just a moment, he stood still, eyes on her. Then silence filled the space between them.

A tangle of black strands falls just out of place. Her dark eyes catch light like cracked stone. There it is again - the look meant for no one but him.

After that, his hands moved her nearer.

Out of nowhere, their mouths came together - no sweetness, no slow build, just need. This was a kiss soaked in all the hours gone by, thick with things never said. Into him she fell, whole and unthinking, skin meeting fabric like space itself had to vanish between them.

A breath slipped out - part release, part reach.

Her breath caught when his fingers moved down her side, sure and calm, holding her together while everything else slipped away. Around them, sounds disappeared like smoke in wind. Gone were the courts, the threats, the whispered plots. Only now remained.

Just them.

Time blurred after that.

It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t careless. It was something deeper—two people reconnecting in the only way they trusted without words.

And when it was over...

The room fell quiet.

Not empty, but full—like the aftermath of a storm that left the air heavy and warm.

Once they were done with their playing around, Victor asked Lane if she has done everything on the list he given her. Lane happily reported all her achievements, and how she has done everything on the list without any problems.

She sat beside him, one leg folded under her, still slightly flushed—but her expression had already shifted back to that sharp, capable woman he relied on.

"You wouldn’t believe how easy some of them were," she said with a small, satisfied smile. "Most of them broke before things even got serious."

Victor leaned back slightly, listening without interrupting. His golden eyes rested on her—not just hearing her words, but weighing them.

Every detail mattered.

Victor who was listening to Lane’s report was quite interested in the way she handled the fallen nobles. Victor remembered that he told Lane to ask Brinda for help for this one, yet though Lane didn’t explicitly say it, Victor could guess that the first and last attempts to persuade the fallen noble family wasn’t done with Brinda. Knowing Lane, she most probably did that, since she wasn’t comfortable asking Brinda for help.

Victor’s fingers tapped lightly against his knee.

She didn’t mention Brinda.

Not once.

He didn’t need her to say it outright. Lane wasn’t subtle when she followed instructions—unless she chose not to.

And this time... she had chosen.

She handled it herself.

His gaze sharpened just a fraction.

Lane had always been strong, but there was a difference between strength and preference. She avoided Brinda—not out of weakness, but discomfort. Brinda’s methods... her personality... they clashed with Lane’s instincts.

So instead of asking for help...

She took the burden on her own shoulders.

Victor didn’t immediately react. He just let her continue.

Victor was also confused as to why Lane needed to kill all the children of the fallen nobles that refused to cooperate. It would have been enough to simply kill the head of the family and leave them be. In truth he didn’t really care about the fallen nobles, except for the Redcliffe. All the others were just extras. He just wanted the others to know that they shouldn’t mess with him and his group.

That part...

That part didn’t sit cleanly.

Victor’s eyes lowered slightly, his thoughts turning colder.

He had given clear instructions.

Take the roots.

Not burn the entire forest.

Children... heirs... future threats, yes—but also leverage. Control didn’t always come from destruction. Sometimes it came from leaving something behind... something that remembered.

Fear could be planted.

Obedience could be grown.

But total annihilation?

That was different.

That was... final.

He exhaled slowly, almost inaudibly.

Not anger.

Just... reconsideration.

What he told Lane back then, was to take the roots, not destroy them. She either misheard him, or didn’t understand what that truly meant. Well either way it still works for him. To Victor the lives and deaths of these people weren’t much. He just didn’t like the idea of killing without a reason. Well either way, those fallen nobles weren’t exactly good people so it didn’t really bother him much. As for Lane he just doesn’t need to tell her the truth, since if she found out she might get a bit broken. For such a little thing, Victor decided to take it for himself.

His gaze shifted back to her.

Lane was still speaking—explaining routes, resistance, outcomes... all with that same proud, steady tone.

She wasn’t hiding it.

Which meant... in her mind, she had done exactly what was needed.

Victor studied her for a long second.

There it was again—that unwavering trust. That quiet belief that whatever she did... he would accept.

And that’s exactly why he wouldn’t say anything.

Not now.

Maybe not ever.

Some truths didn’t need to be spoken if they only led to cracks.

Lane wasn’t heartless.

She had simply acted... too thoroughly.

And if she realized that later—

No.

Victor dismissed the thought before it could settle.

I’ll carry that.

It was easier this way.

Cleaner.

He straightened slightly, his expression returning to that calm, unreadable state he wore so naturally.

"What happened to Gian?"

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Journey to Become the Zenith* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scorpio_saturn777

Creator of Journey to Become the Zenith

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