Chapter 89: Storm beneath
The night felt different.
Not just in the air—but in the silence. Like the calm that comes right before a storm tears open the sky.
Cain walked beside Selene through the clearing near the edge of the forest. His fingers brushed hers, and when she laced them together, neither of them spoke. They didn't have to. The battlefield had quieted, but the war was far from over.
Selene looked up at him, eyes soft but searching. "Do you ever wonder what we'd be... if we weren't born into all this?"
He didn't answer at first. He looked ahead, watching how the moonlight spilled over the trees like silver paint.
"I don't," he finally said. "Because if we weren't born into this... I wouldn't have met you."
She smiled faintly and leaned her head against his arm. "You always know what to say."
"No. I just mean every word."
Back at the house, Leo and Eren were on the roof—feet dangling, sharing a bottle of something strong they stole from the cellar. Eira sat between them, wrapped in a thick blanket, her eyes trained on the stars. She still hadn't said much. But she smiled when Leo joked about his broken ribs and how he was still the better fighter.
"You're not the best fighter," Eren said, rolling his eyes. "You just don't die easy."
"Same thing," Leo grinned.