When the core burns |18+

I'm in trouble

Cassian's voice followed, steady but heavy. "He's already coming back. If you stay, you need to be ready." My chest ached so hard I pressed my palm over my ribs, as if I could hold the pieces together. I didn't ask for this. I didn't want it. And yet my body burned for it. For him. The pull was unbearable, and no denial could smother it.

Aris's voice cut through the silence, calm as ever. "If he loses control, I'll stand between you and him."

Elara rounded on her instantly. "You won't survive that. None of us would."

I swallowed hard, the statement tearing free before I could stop it. "Then maybe I should just go back. To the Ring. I don't want this." Lies. "My heart may want him but my mind does not. I'm leaving."

Their answers came all at once.

"Fuck no. Why would I allow that?"—Elara's voice, sharp as a blade.
"Are you insane? No, Nerya." — Cassian, low and unshaking.
"No. You wouldn't survive it." — Aris, calm, final.

The overlap made my chest seize. Three voices, three walls rising at once. I blinked between them, throat tight. "But—"

Elara was on her feet before the word even left me. "No. I don't trust the Outer Ring anymore. After what they did to you? After they beat you in the street and called it justice? They'll finish that shit next time, Nerya. They'll tear you apart just for breathing Core air. And I will not—" her jaw clenched hard, "—I will not watch that happen."

Cassian's voice came steadier, but no less heavy. "You don't belong there anymore. They made sure of that the moment they put their hands on you."

I turned helplessly to Aris, searching for something softer, some space to breathe. But she only sat straighter in the armchair, her brown eyes steady as stone. "If you leave, I can't keep you safe." Her voice didn't waver. "And I need you safe."

My throat closed. "But my life—my things—Zaya, Jalen—"

Elara cut me off, fierce. "Your things can burn. Things can be replaced. You can't."

Cassian shook his head, his voice lowering until it ached. "Zaya and Jalen are alive because of you. Don't make their pain meaningless by running back to it."

Aris's gaze held mine, quiet but absolute. "You're here now. That's what matters."

My protests faltered as I sank back against the couch. I wanted to argue. But their voices drowned it out. Their voices tangled together, protests and promises, but I didn't let them land. I couldn't. "I need to make a call." I said quietly.

Three sets of eyes followed me as I crossed the room. The guest room door hissed shut behind me. For a moment, I leaned my forehead against the cool surface, breath shuddering out.

I need to call Taol.

I sank down onto the edge of the bed. The line clicked alive so fast it startled me. His voice filled the room before the static had even cleared. "Nerya?" Urgent, rough, almost breaking. "Are you all right? Are you hurt? Where are you? You were supposed to ping me hours ago." I froze, my chest seizing. "When are you coming back?" His words tumbled too fast, frantic. "Is Kael there with you? Fuck, tell me he isn't—"

"Taol," I whispered, clutching the comm tighter. My voice cracked. "I'm safe."

"Don't lie to me." The words cracked like stone. "Is Kael there? Has he seen you?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching the comm tighter. "No. Not yet."

His breath came fast, like he was pacing, like the walls of the Ring couldn't hold him still. "Then leave. Now. Come back before he does. I shouldn't have let you go—Nerya, remember you can't be anywhere near him. He'll lose control and then you . . . When are you coming back?"