"Because she is ours."
Then, silence.
The presence withdrew, slinking back into the shadows of his mind, leaving Heiko alone on the bank of the lake with the weight of something unexplainable sitting heavily in his chest.
He stared into the water, into his own reflection distorted by the ripples, trying to find answers in the face that looked back at him. He had fought his beast for so long, locked it behind walls of discipline and restraint, terrified of what would happen if it ever gained control.
And now… now it spoke. It chose.
Her.
He tried to ask more, tried to call it back, to demand further answers, but the beast was gone. It ignored him completely, resting in the depths of their shared soul like a king who had already spoken his decree and saw no need to repeat himself.
He
