The hallway outside the hotel room was empty again.
I leaned against the railing on the small balcony, watching the dull glow of streetlights ripple across the cracked pavement below.
The door behind me creaked.
I didn't have to look.
"You gonna say it?" I asked.
Kieran stepped beside me, arms resting on the rail, looking more like some off-duty bouncer than a man who just killed one of the most dangerous essence users on Earth.
He didn't answer right away.
Just stood there in silence, like the night itself was speaking for him.
Eventually, he said, "You handled it."
"I ended it."
"Same thing."
I glanced at him. "You disagree?"
He shrugged. "Not my call. But if it had to be done… I'm glad it was you."
We stood there for a moment.
Two sons of powerful clans.
Two products of systems built on blood and legacy.
"You knew Lena would die," I said quietly.
He exhaled through his nose. "No. I knew someone would."
"You barely hesitated."
"I couldn't." His voice was calmer than I expected. "Vlad wasn't testing us. He was testing himself. Seeing how far his domain would go. If we didn't give him a reason to stop, he wouldn't."
I nodded, letting that settle.
"Skofnung," I said, finally turning to him. "You ever fully draw it before?"
"No." He looked down at his hand. "Felt like it was waiting for something."
"What?"
He smiled faintly. "Permission."
I let that sit between us.
Then I asked the question that had been chewing at me since the dust cleared.
"How do you know when it's worth it?"
Kieran didn't flinch. Didn't smirk. Just looked ahead.
"When the weight you're carrying," he said, "feels lighter than the world you're saving."
Then he added something softer.
"And I get it, by the way."
I turned slightly.
He nodded toward the sky. "After I married into the Fortunes, I learned real quick—being part of your clan means the mission is never just about survival. It's about legacy. Balance. Order. That kind of pressure?" He let out a slow breath. "I understand the burden you're under, more than you know."
There wasn't much to say to that. But I appreciated it more than he'd ever say out loud.
He clapped a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze before heading back inside.
I stayed on the balcony a little longer.
Still standing.
Still breathing.
But I wasn't sure if I felt lighter…
Or just more used to the weight.