Page 35 of Sundered By Fate

"Not bad," Davin said with a grin as he pivoted away. "You've been practicing."

"I had to do something to catch up to you." Aric lunged forward, summoning his flames to wreath his staff. But as soon as he moved, he knew he'd overcommitted.

Davin stepped aside with a fluid grace, then brought his staff around to catch Aric on the side. "Gotcha."

Aric staggered, but quickly righted himself, flames extinguished. "Again."

They continued their dance, magical power crackling between them like a live wire. Each spell parried or redirected only served to spur them on further, pushing themselves to greater feats of control and precision.

In those moments, nothing else existed but the two of them—their breaths mingling in the cool air, their shared magic weaving an unbreakable bond around them. They moved in perfect synchronicity, each action complementing the other in an effortless harmony.

Aric caught Davin's eye and saw his own feelings reflected back—a fierce pride in their abilities, tempered by something softer and deeper that made his heart clench.

But even as they dueled with all their might, something lingered unspoken between them—a promise of all they could be, together. An understanding that their bond ran deeper than any magic either could wield alone.

At last they drew apart, both breathing hard and smiling despite themselves. No winner declared—only an unspoken understanding that this was just the beginning for them.

And for one brief moment before duty called them away once more, it felt like enough.

The soft tread of footsteps on stone pulled Aric from his reverie. He turned to find Davin joining him on the balcony, the other man's presence both a comfort and a reminder of everything that had changed.

"Hey, you," Davin said, leaning against the railing beside him.

"Evening." Aric forced a smile, his muscles straining behind it. "Didn't want to go to the court dinner?"

Davin shrugged, his shoulder brushing against Aric's. "Too much on my mind. And you?"

"The usual." Aric looked out over the city, the lights blurring in his vision. "Just trying to process everything."

They stood in silence for a long moment, shoulders almost touching. The air between them felt charged, heavy with all the things they weren't saying.

Aric had moved on from Davin, from whatever feelings they'd once shared were buried under the ashes of their broken friendship that had never been given the air to stoke into anything more. But now, standing so close to him, all those old memories came rushing back—the late-night study sessions in the Silver Tower library, the stolen glances and shared laughter, the way he'd once wondered if Davin's skin might set his own alight.

He'd known Davin felt something for him then, too. It had frightened Aric then.

And now?Aric asked himself.

And now . . . they felt like memories that belonged to someone else.

Davin broke the silence first, his voice soft but laden with emotion. "Aric . . . about the demon realm. About what happened to you there."

Aric tensed, the golden fire within him flaring in response. "What about it?"

"I know it's not something you can just talk about," Davin continued, choosing his words carefully. "And I don't expect you to tell me everything. But if there's anything I can do . . . any way I can help you?—"

"You can't," Aric said, sharper than he intended. "It's something I have to deal with on my own."

Davin’s disappointment stung, to be sure. But how could he explain? How could he tell Davin that his time in the demon realm had changed him, that the things he'd seen and done had marked him indelibly? That the part of himself he'd once kept hidden—the part that had always been drawn to the shadows, to forbidden knowledge—had now fully embraced its new nature?

How could he explain the bond he'd formed with Malekith—a bond forged in blood and magic and a shared sense of being outsiders in their respective worlds? A bond that both thrilled and terrified him, for it threatened to unravel everything he thought he knew about himself and his loyalties?

Davin couldn't understand. No one from his old life could.

Perhaps because if they did, Aric feared they'd see him for the monster he truly was.

Davin stepped closer, his voice low and intense. "I should have paid more attention. Seen what you were involved with. I should have been there when you needed me most." His words caught in his throat. "I'm sorry, Aric. I'm so sorry."

The raw emotion in Davin's voice pierced through Aric's defenses, stirring up feelings he'd tried so hard to bury. He turned to face Davin, their eyes meeting in the twilight. The city seemed to fall away around them, leaving only the two of them and the unspoken bond that had always tethered their souls.

---