Chapter 23: Vegan in the Abyss - 10
He gently placed the half-eaten berry on a flat rock beside him, as if returning an offering to a sacred altar.
"I’m not something to be given," he said, his voice not loud but final, carrying a weight that silenced the garden’s hum. "I’m not a prize. Or a cure. Or a thing to fight over."
Sylvara stared, her lips parted, her amber eyes shimmering with a mix of longing and pain.
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"You were warm," she whispered, her voice breaking.
"And I’m still warm," Azareel said gently, his silver eyes steady. "But I don’t belong to anyone."
He turned to Nyxsha, his gaze softening. "I’m here because I want to be."
Nyxsha’s breath hitched, her golden eyes flickering, her tail stilling as his words sank in.
Her claws retracted slightly, her massive form tensing with something unspoken.
Azareel turned back to Sylvara.
"And you gave me food when I was starving. That means something. But it doesn’t mean I’m yours."
Sylvara’s vines trembled, her lips quivering as the air grew heavier, the garden’s pulse slowing.
"I only wanted—" she began, her voice a fragile thread.