The dusk was settling in, casting the forest path in warm hues of gold and crimson. The last rays of sunlight draped over the trees like a silent blessing.
Helya walked beside Cael, a cup of warm tea cradled in her hands. The heat seeped through the ceramic, soft against her palms. Behind them, the old estate creaked in the wind, the sound of leaves brushing against wooden walls whispering stories of a time long past.
"It's quiet here," Helya murmured, her gaze following the swaying shrubs nearby.
"I used to hide here when I was little," Cael said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Whenever the adults fought, I'd sneak out and sit under that tree. Sometimes for the whole afternoon."
He gestured toward an old elm tree in the distance. Its gnarled branches arched outward like arms, shielding the small glade beneath.
Helya turned to look at him. "Did you already know back then… that you would become a Commander?"
Cael gave a faint smile but didn't answer immediately. Instead, he sat down on a short stone ledge, patting the space beside him.
"I just knew some things were bound to fall on my shoulders. Better to be prepared early."
The golden light stretched their shadows long across the grass. Helya joined him, her skirt brushing softly against the stones. She studied his profile, the calm exterior that barely masked something much deeper—wounds perhaps, old and quietly hidden.
"You brought me out here… just to talk about this?"
Cael glanced at her and smiled again, a little more playful this time. "Partly."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small metallic case, offering it to her. "Your communicator. It's been upgraded. New encryption layers, frequency shift. It's safer now. If you ever need me, no one else will intercept it."
Helya accepted it slowly, fingertips brushing the cool surface. "You did this yourself?"
"I don't like others handling your things," he said, as if stating a simple fact.
Helya looked down at the case, her fingers tracing the subtle engravings. For a moment, something warm flickered in her eyes.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
A breeze stirred, teasing a strand of hair across her cheek. Cael reached over instinctively to tuck it behind her ear, his fingers pausing briefly near her temple.
Neither of them moved.
For a few seconds, the air was still—dense with something unspoken.
Then the moment passed.
"Come on," he said, clearing his throat as he stood. "It's getting late."
Helya rose with him, quietly tucking the communicator into her sleeve. Behind her back, her hand closed gently around the case—as if holding onto a small, private warmth.
—
Night fell slowly over the path. The woods returned to silence, broken only by the soft chirping of crickets. Between dusk and dark, the quiet space they had shared lingered—delicate, wordless, but real.