Riven stood there, watching the tension settle like dusk. The weight of the vision, the depth of what they had all just felt, was still fresh in the air, still too real to ignore. Then he exhaled and looked at Ashar. “Look, we obviously are all bound to each other, right?” Riven said, voice steady despite the storm he’d been navigating. “So, why not all just be together?” Ashar’s golden gaze remained fixed on him, silent. “It might not feel good at first,” Riven continued. “But it’s real. We both get her, Ash. She chose us. You and me. And we’re both in those visions for a reason. So instead of fighting fate, maybe, we protect her together.” Mae blinked at him, stunned.
Ashar’s jaw tightened, but then, slowly, he nodded. Once. “I would rather fight beside you, than against you,” Ashar sai
