The shift didn’t happen all at once, but Lyra felt it more clearly the next morning. Choosing Kael hadn’t erased everything around them. If anything, it made every interaction sharper, more defined, as though the world was quietly watching to see if she would stand by what she said.
She found Kael near the edge of the training grounds again, going through a routine with controlled focus. There was something different about him now, not distant like before, but not as openly intense either. It was measured, deliberate, like he was giving her exactly what she had asked for—space to prove her choice.
“You’re avoiding me,” she said as she approached.
Kael didn’t stop immediately. He finished the movement, then turned to face her. “I’m giving you room.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Lyra rep
