Sera's Pov
I stood frozen, my breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps. The children huddled together in the dim light of the tent, their tiny bodies pressed so tightly against each other that they seemed to blur into one trembling figure. Their eyes—wide, round, and brimming with fear—locked onto mine, filled with the kind of terror that twisted something deep inside me.
I didn't move at first. Didn't even breathe.
I didn't know what to do.
Outside, the battle was dying down. The screams were fewer, the clash of blades and the sickening crunch of breaking bones growing distant. The fight was almost over, which meant I had to act now.
Slowly, as if any sudden motion might send them into a panic, I took a step forward. The moment I moved, they flinched, shrinking back like cornered animals. I stopped. Swallowed hard. I didn't plan to hurt them, but they didn't know that. To them, I was just another intruder. Another monster that had come to end their world.
They were so young.
Too young to be here, caught in the middle of this bloody chaos. Too young to understand the whispers of war, the plans of men who cared for nothing but power. They had no part in the coup their people had conspired, no blood on their hands.
But I did.
And if I hurt them… their blood would end up on my hands too.
I clenched my jaw, forcing down the lump in my throat as I took another step.
"I—" My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. I didn't even know what I had planned to say. I wasn't even sure what I was thinking.
Before I could decide, the flap of the tent rustled behind me, and I turned just in time to see Kael step inside.
His presence filled the small space instantly, his eyes scanning the scene with the same sharpness he carried into a match. The second he saw the children, something in his expression shifted—hardened.
I knew what he was thinking before he even spoke.
"Sera," he said quietly, but there was a weight in his tone that made my stomach tighten.
"I can't," I whispered, shaking my head. "Kael, they're just—"
"They'll be found," he cut in, voice steady, unreadable. "If not by other trainees, then by Lucian himself eventually. And you know what that means."
I swallowed, my throat dry as sandpaper. I did know.
Lucian wasn't the type to leave loose ends. If these children were discovered, they would be taken alongside the other prisoners, paraded as spoils of war. Or worse—used. As bargaining chips. As leverage. As tools to break the ones who had already been captured.
And if not that…
I shuddered.
Kael stepped closer, his voice quieter now. "If we let them go, someone else will find them. Or they'll starve before they reach safety." His gaze softened, just barely. "And if, by some miracle, they survive… they'll come back."
I flinched.
"They always come back, Sera." His voice was like a blade, slicing through the denial I wanted to cling to. "Maybe not next year. Maybe not in five. But one day, when they're older, stronger… they'll remember. And they'll want revenge."
My breathing hitched.
"Look at me," he said.
I didn't want to.
But I did.
"We can't save them," he said, quiet but firm. "Not without destroying ourselves in the process."
I shook my head, gripping my arms tightly to stop them from trembling. "What if we took them to the edge of the camp?" I said, desperation creeping into my voice. "Let them run. They'd have a chance."
Kael's lips pressed into a thin line. "And if we were caught? If Lucian found out?"
I hesitated.
"You know what happens to traitors, Sera." His voice was almost gentle now. "You. Me. Everyone we care about. We wouldn't just die—we'd be made examples of."
I hated him for saying it.
Hated him for being right.
I felt like I couldn't breathe, my chest too tight, my vision blurring at the edges.
Kael sighed, stepping closer, lowering his voice even more. "This isn't your fault," he murmured. "You didn't put them here."
That didn't make it any easier.
The children were still staring at me, unaware of the silent battle raging between Kael and me.
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
My hands were shaking.
Kael exhaled through his nose, then, without another word, he reached for me.
I didn't resist as he took my arm, his grip firm but not forceful, guiding me toward the tent's exit. My legs felt heavy, unwilling. But I moved. Because I had to.
Because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to live with what happened next.
Kael didn't say anything else as he led me out into the night. But as the cold air hit my skin, I realized he wasn't following.
I stopped.
Turned.
He was still inside.
The tent flap closed behind him.
And I knew.
I knew what was about to happen.
I closed my eyes.
And kept walking.