The silence hung in the air like the remnants of a battle cry, thick with tension, suffocating in its weight. The moment stretched, unyielding, after Karina had stormed out. Kalvis sat rigid, his knuckles achromatic against his thighs, the storm within him pressing against the walls of his ribcage. Across from him, Artex and Roqiam stood like sentinels of history, their gazes heavy with knowledge he had yet to fully grasp.

Roqiam broke the silence first, her voice laced with something between sorrow and warning. "You understand why she left, don’t you?"

Kalvis swallowed, his jaw tightening. He knew. Of course, he knew. But knowing and accepting were worlds apart, and he wasn’t sure he could cross that distance yet.

Artex leaned forward, his words slow, deliberate, cutting through Kalvis like the edge of a well-honed blade. "Being a Gallant didn’t just kill your father, Kalvis. It stole him from her. And now, the only immediate family she has left wants to tempt fate the same way. Can you fault her for her fear?"

Kalvis exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. "I am not my father."

Roqiam’s gaze sharpened. "No, but you carry his blood, his drive, his ghost. And to her, that means history is not just a past to be remembered but a future to be feared."

A heavy pause. The weight of unspoken truths between them.

Then, softer now, Roqiam asked, "Is this truly what you want?"

Kalvis met her gaze, his own burning with an unshakable resolve. "Yes."

Artex watched him for a long moment, the kind of moment where decisions are weighed on the scales of experience. His voice, when it came, was quieter but no less powerful.

"Being a Gallant is not a title to wear, Kalvis. It is a life steeped in sacrifice, in loss, in victories that often taste like ash. It is watching those around you suffer for a duty you chose. Are you certain you are ready for that?"

Kalvis didn’t hesitate. "I have to be."

Roqiam sighed the sound heavy, knowing. "Then you need to talk to Karina."

Artex nodded, though reluctance lingered in his expression. "She deserves to hear why."

Kalvis nodded, pushing himself up, each step toward Karina’s door feeling like a step toward an uncertain fate.

A Brother’s Plea: Mending the Rift

The corridor stretched before him, a silent witness to the turmoil within. He reached her door, hesitated only a moment, and knocked.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Kar, it’s me."

Silence.

A beat.

Then, muffled but firm— "Go away."

Kalvis sighed, pressing his back against the door before sliding down, resting against it as though proximity alone could bridge the gap between them.

"I get it, you know." His voice was softer now, the edge gone, replaced by something raw. "Why you’re angry. Why you’re scared. And why you hate this."

No response.

But he knew she was there, listening.

"Do you think I wanted to stand there and watch when we lost them? To feel so powerless that it crushed me from the inside out? Do you think I haven’t lived with that every glitchin' day?" His voice wavered now, and he quickly wiped at his eyes before the tears could fall. "You want to protect people, Kar. That’s why you’re going into medicine. And I do too. Just… in a different way."

The silence stretched thinner, more fragile.

"I don’t want anyone else to go through what we did. And if I can stop even one person from feeling that kind of loss, then it’s worth it."

A breath.

A shuffle of movement from the other side.

Then, suddenly, the door swung open.

Kalvis, caught off guard, tumbled backward onto the floor with a graceless oof.

The Doorway to Understanding

Karina stood over him, her arms crossed, her eyes red-rimmed, her expression unreadable before—

A smirk. Small, but there. "How do you expect to protect others when you can’t even protect yourself against a door?"

Kalvis blinked up at her, momentarily stunned, before letting out a breathy chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "Tough door."

Karina let out a small, watery laugh before her face softened. Then, without warning, she threw herself forward, wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug. Kalvis barely had time to inhale before she squeezed the air right out of him.

"Kar—can’t—breathe—" he choked out.

She only held tighter. "You’ve got a lot of training to do if a door and a hug give you this much issue."

Finally, she released him, stepping back. But her expression turned serious as she held out her hand. "Neural sync oath."

Kalvis blinked. "Uh… sure?"

Karina arched a brow. "I SAID—"

Kalvis quickly straightened, clearing his throat. "Yes. Definitely yes."

She nodded, satisfied. "Two things. First, promise me you’ll always come back to me. No matter what."

He hesitated. "Kar—"

"I SWEAR ON FERROS THE FORGER IF YOU CUT ME OFF ONE MORE TIME—"

Kalvis threw his hands up in surrender. "Sano, sano! I promise."

A Pact of Honor and Resolve

From the doorway, Artex watched with an amused expression, shaking his head. "She’s just like her mother." He muttered to himself, remembering the times his sister-in-law had scolded him just as fiercely.

Karina’s head snapped up. "What was that?" Her gaze locked onto Artex, eyes glinting with a dangerous fire.

Artex took a step back, hands up. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing."

Karina narrowed her eyes before turning back to Kalvis. "The second thing is actually for all of us."

She glanced between Roqiam and Artex, her expression firm. "The bar must always be excellence."

A beat. Then, slow nods of agreement.

Roqiam smirked. "No half-measures."

Artex crossed his arms. "Only the best."

Kalvis exhaled, nodding. "Excellence."

They stepped forward, placing their hands together in a circle. In a brief moment of unity, their neural networks synced, a shared flicker of thought, emotion, and purpose passing between them.

And in perfect unison, they spoke.

"EXCELLENCE!"

Glossary

Neural Sync Oath- a brief mind-to-mind sync where both individuals share a fleeting thought/emotion to solidify their promise, ensuring mutual understanding