The moment stretched thinner than breath itself, as though the world had narrowed to the fragile space where Elara stood, holding something far greater than her own strength, something that demanded more with every heartbeat it continued to exist.
The power that had once answered her so willingly now pressed back against her, not in rebellion, but in demand, asking for more than control, more than resolve, more than she had yet given.
Her chest rose sharply, her breath catching as a deeper ache settled beneath her ribs, not sharp enough to break her, but constant enough to remind her that this was no longer a state she could maintain without cost.
Her fingers trembled slightly before she forced them still, her shoulders lifting as she tried to steady the weight that now pressed inward rather than outward.
"…this hurts," she whispered, her voice barely audible, though it carried the truth she could no longer deny.
Her eyes flickered for a moment.
Cassian saw it.
Not the words.
