Where the heart begins to drown
1036 Words
Chapter 2: Where the Heart Begins to Drown
Elira returned the very next night.
And the night after that.
And the one after.
At first, she told herself it was curiosity. Then she called it adventure. But by the fourth night, standing at the river’s edge with her heart racing in a way she couldn’t explain…
She stopped lying to herself.
She was coming back for him.
“Kael?” she called softly, her voice barely louder than the rustling leaves.
For a moment, nothing answered.
The river remained still—too still.
Elira sighed, hugging herself slightly. “Maybe he won’t come tonight…”
She turned, about to leave—
Splash.
Her face lit up instantly.
“You came!” she said, dropping to her knees at the edge again.
Kael emerged more calmly this time, water rolling off his shoulders as he rested his arms against the rocks. His eyes found hers immediately… like they had been searching.
“I told you not to return,” he said, though there was no anger in his voice.
“And I told you I would,” she replied with a small, playful smile.
For a second, he tried to hold onto his seriousness… but it slipped.
“You’re stubborn.”
“And you still came,” she countered.
That made him pause.
“…I did.”
A quiet silence settled between them—but this one felt different. Softer. Warmer.
Elira leaned a little closer, studying him more openly now. “You look less scary today.”
Kael raised an eyebrow. “I was never scary.”
“You have scales,” she teased. “That’s at least a little scary.”
“They’re beautiful,” he said simply.
She blinked.
Then smiled.
“They are,” she agreed softly.
That caught him off guard again.
No fear. No judgment. Just… honesty.
“Tell me about the river,” she said, resting her chin on her hand. “Is it really cursed?”
Kael’s expression shifted.
“Not cursed,” he said slowly. “Just… guarded.”
“By you?”
“And others.”
Her smile faded just a little. “Others like you?”
“Yes.”
Something about the way he said it made the air feel colder.
Elira hesitated. “Are they… dangerous?”
Kael didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he looked at her—really looked at her, like he was trying to memorize every detail.
“They don’t trust humans,” he said finally. “And they have reasons not to.”
Elira looked down at the water, her reflection breaking into ripples.
“I’m not like that,” she murmured.
“I know.”
The way he said it—so certain, so gentle—made her heart skip.
Without thinking, she dipped her fingers into the water.
Kael’s eyes followed the movement.
“Careful,” he said quietly.
“Why?” she asked, smiling a little. “Will you bite me?”
A faint smirk touched his lips. “Maybe.”
She laughed—and the sound echoed softly across the river, light and bright and completely out of place in a world that had forgotten how to be gentle.
Kael stared at her.
He had lived for years beneath dark waters, surrounded by silence and survival… and yet this girl—this human girl—laughed like nothing bad had ever touched her.
It terrified him.
And drew him closer.
Slowly, he reached out.
This time, it wasn’t out of need.
His fingers brushed against hers in the water.
Warm.
Alive.
Elira stilled, her breath catching slightly.
Neither of them pulled away.
“Your hand is warmer than the sun,” he whispered.
She smiled softly. “And yours is colder than the moon.”
Their fingers intertwined beneath the surface.
The world seemed to disappear again.
But not everything was as peaceful as it seemed.
Deep below them, something moved.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kael’s expression suddenly tightened. His grip on her hand loosened.
“You should go,” he said quickly.
Elira frowned. “Why do you always say that when things start to feel nice?”
“Because that’s when they become dangerous.”
Before she could respond—
A ripple spread across the river. Then another.
Not natural.
Not gentle.
Elira’s smile faded. “Kael…?”
His eyes darkened.
“They know you’re here.”
Her heart skipped. “Who?”
But she already knew.
Kael moved closer to the edge, his voice low and urgent. “Listen to me. You can’t keep coming here.”
“But I want to—”
“Elira,” he said, firmer this time. “If they see you… they won’t care that you’re kind.”
The water behind him shifted again—heavier now, like something large circling beneath the surface.
Fear crept into her chest.
“But you’ll protect me… right?” she asked softly.
Kael hesitated.
And that hesitation said everything.
Her heart sank.
“I…” he started, but the words wouldn’t come.
Because the truth was—
He didn’t know if he could.
Another ripple.
Closer this time.
Kael’s eyes snapped toward the water.
“Go. Now.”
Elira stood quickly, her chest tight. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
He looked back at her—and for the first time, there was real fear in his eyes.
“I don’t know.”
That answer hurt more than she expected.
But the fear in his voice was enough.
She nodded slowly… then turned and ran, her footsteps fading into the night.
Kael watched her go, his jaw tightening.
Behind him, the water rose slightly.
A shadow formed beneath the surface.
A voice—low, ancient, and cold—echoed from below.
“You’ve broken the law, Kael.”
He didn’t turn around.
“I know.”
“You touched a human.”
His hands clenched.
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then—
“You will regret it.”
The water went still again.
But Kael knew one thing for certain now:
This was no longer just a meeting.
It was the beginning of something forbidden…
And something that would demand a price.
- Writer
